Huo Wu was someone who wore her heart on her sleeve. Being able to fall for Tang San so quickly and boldly express her feelings truly made her extraordinary.
Besides, she had yet to take the rare ten-thousand-year-old Huo Yun Mushroom. Once she did, her affection should increase further, barring any surprises.
"Huo Wu, I assume you know how to take this medicinal herb," Su Ling said.
"I do, Big Brother Su. Are you really giving this to me?"
Huo Wu asked Su Ling for confirmation again. After all, this herb was far too valuable.
If other fire-attribute Soul Masters found out about it, they would fight until their heads split open to get it.
"Take it here. One night should be enough to give you a considerable boost," Su Ling said.
"Mm!" Huo Wu nodded.
Huo Wu took the ten-thousand-year-old Huo Yun Mushroom from Su Ling. It was crystalline and translucent throughout, as though fiery-red blood flowed within it.
Huo Wu glanced at Su Ling again, her face faintly flushed.
[Ding... Huo Wu's affection +1. Obtained Black Chest ×1.]
Another Black Chest had appeared. Well, well-he really did have to give something to get something.
"Big Brother Su, sorry for the trouble."
With that, Huo Wu swallowed the ten-thousand-year-old Huo Yun Mushroom.
She was currently level thirty-nine. According to the novel's original storyline, she would reach level forty-three by the preliminary tournament just over a year later.
With this Huo Yun Mushroom, Huo Wu would probably perform better in the Advanced Soul Master Tournament. Her Soul Power should reach level forty-six, or even higher.
System, open the Black Chest I just received, Su Ling instructed mentally.
[Ding... Black Chest opened. Congratulations, host. Obtained Teleportation Trial Card ×2 (teleportation distance: one thousand meters).]
Teleportation?
Good stuff!
It could save his life at a critical moment.
But isn't the distance a little short? Why only one thousand meters?
Teleportation was Xiao Wu's third Soul Skill, but its range was only five meters. Even the skill from Xiao Wu's Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone only reached a hundred meters. By comparison, one thousand meters was already excellent.
This reward did not improve his combat strength, but increasing his ability to escape was fine too. That was something Su Ling needed as well.
Looking at the Purple Chests in the system, Su Ling held himself back.
There was no need to open them. It would be better to save them to exchange for Black Chests.
[Ding... Zhu Zhuqing's affection +2. Obtained Purple Chest ×1, Black Chest ×1.]
Huh, Zhu Zhuqing's affection went up another two points. Did she break through again?
At that moment, thousands of kilometers away, Zhu Zhuqing sat cross-legged on her bed. Just as Su Ling had guessed, she had broken through, reaching level twenty-nine Soul Power.
Less than a month had passed since her previous breakthrough to level twenty-eight.
According to the schedule he had set for Zhu Zhuqing to take the Beginner Soul Power Pills, she should have taken her fourth pill by now.
"Big Brother Su, thank you," Zhu Zhuqing murmured, deeply moved.
Having been born into nobility, she knew of certain special methods on the continent for raising Soul Power, but most squeezed out a person's own potential to achieve that increase.
Yet what Su Ling had given her had no side effects at all. If pills like these were sold in the Star Luo Empire, they might fetch a hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins apiece.
She had only taken her fourth pill. Just as Su Ling had said, these pills could help her break through to level thirty sooner. He really had not lied to her.
With another Black Chest available, Su Ling continued, "System, open the Black Chest."
When it came to Black Chests, Su Ling had absolutely no reason to hesitate.
[Ding... Black Chest opened. Congratulations, host. Obtained Intermediate Defensive Formation ×1.]
A formation?
Su Ling immediately checked its effects.
[Intermediate Defensive Formation: Maximum effective diameter: one hundred meters. Maximum height: twenty meters. Cannot be broken by ordinary cultivators below Soul Saint.]
"Not bad. This will be useful for resting outdoors or staying in a Soul Beast forest. I can also use it during secluded cultivation, or even hunt Soul Beasts and absorb their rings alone."
Another useful item. It gave Su Ling even greater confidence about entering the Soul Beast forest to search for the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
As he considered it, Su Ling immediately set it up around himself.
After testing it, he found that the formation's range was adjustable. At its smallest, its diameter could be reduced to within five meters, with a height of three meters.
Once he understood how to use it, Su Ling put it away.
It was not that he did not want to use it. Rather, it consumed a special kind of energy crystal, and Su Ling had no recollection of such crystals.
Once its energy was exhausted, the formation would become useless.
Good steel had to be used on the blade's edge. Su Ling would not bring it out unless necessary, at least until he found these energy crystals.
Since he was heading to Heaven Dou City this time, he could ask around at some shops.
The night passed quietly, and the sky began to brighten.
A faint flame surrounded Huo Wu's body. At level thirty-nine, she could not possibly absorb all the medicinal power of the ten-thousand-year-old Huo Yun Mushroom in one go.
Much of its medicinal power therefore remained within her.
Her eyes suddenly snapped open, firelight shining within them.
Huo Wu closed her eyes again and adjusted her condition. When she reopened them, they had returned to their normal color.
She sensed that the fire-attribute Soul Power within her had changed. If she used her Ring Fusion skill again now, its power would increase by more than fifty percent.
The ten-thousand-year-old Huo Yun Mushroom Su Ling gave me seems much more effective than the one recorded at the academy, Huo Wu thought.
How could anything produced by the system be inferior?
Herbs harvested by hand would inevitably lose some medicinal potency, and differences in their growing environments would also affect them. The ten-thousand-year-old Huo Yun Mushroom Su Ling had given her could be called perfect.
She stood and looked toward Su Ling, who was guarding her from a distance, warmth filling her heart.
[Ding... Huo Wu's affection +5. Obtained Purple Chest ×4, Black Chest ×1.]
Huo Wu's affection had soared straight to eighty-six, yet it still had not reached ninety.
Could it be that the higher it gets, the harder it is to raise?
He also had a charm bonus. In particular, after her affection passed eighty, that bonus had reached 30%.
He glanced at Huo Wu's bound goddess panel.
[Bound goddess: Huo Wu] [Goddess overall rating: 93] [Affection: 86 (already in love with you)] [Binding effect: The host receives 30% of the bound goddess's daily cultivation gains. This does not reduce the bound goddess's cultivation speed.] [Bound skill 1: Charm (passive skill; when bound goddess Huo Wu is within 100 meters of the host, charm increases by 30%).] [Bound skill 2: Fire Attribute Boost (when the host uses the fire attribute alone, the power of fire-attribute Soul Power increases by 30%).]
Two skills: one passive, and one that could enhance his own abilities.
"Huo Wu, come have some breakfast," Su Ling said casually.
"Thank you, Big Brother Su."
Coming over to Su Ling, Huo Wu continued, "Big Brother Su, you can actually call me Xiao Wu."
"Xiao Wu?" Su Ling shook his head. Wouldn't that overlap with someone else's name?
When Su Ling did not agree, Huo Wu assumed he was unwilling and immediately began worrying about his attitude toward her.
With her affection at eighty-six, she had begun to take Su Ling's feelings to heart.
"How about Wu'er? That sounds more intimate. What do you think?" Su Ling stepped forward, stopping in front of Huo Wu.
They were less than five centimeters apart now, close enough to hear each other breathe.
This was only possible because Huo Wu's affection had reached eighty-six. Doing this when it was too low might provoke dislike, but above eighty, there was no need to worry.
Rather than let a girl take the initiative, Su Ling preferred to keep it in his own hands.
"Y-yes, that's fine, Big Brother Su." Huo Wu's face was bright red, not because of her fire attribute, but from a physiological reaction.
She wanted to flee, but her heart was racing, and she found she could not move her legs.
It was as though another version of herself stood beside her, saying, Huo Wu, why are you backing down? Be bold when you meet someone you like.
Yet another version of herself said, Huo Wu, you're being far too frivolous. You've only known him for two days, and you're already being so intimate. He'll definitely think less of you.
Those two versions of herself left her torn. This was nothing like her usual self.
Just then, Su Ling reached out and pulled her into his arms.
Su Ling was testing what he could do with an affection score of eighty-six.
"Big Brother Su, we..."
"Wu'er, now that you've taken my herb, you're mine from now on. Is that all right?" Su Ling whispered into Huo Wu's ear. With her delicate fragrance filling his nose, the sensation spoke for itself.
Perhaps this was what he ought to do most after arriving in the Douluo World. Since he was already here, he should find himself a few more goddesses. Otherwise, what was the point of coming to this continent famous for romance in his previous life?
Was he supposed to become a monk after coming here? Would anyone still insist on monogamy?
Of course, he could not rule out the existence of people like that in this world, but Su Ling felt most would make the same choice he had.
"Big Brother Su, isn't it a little too soon for us to be together like this?" Huo Wu asked softly. Yet she did not push Su Ling away and seemed to enjoy it all.
"Not at all. Besides, we're not truly together yet. I'm taking you back today, after all, and who knows how long we'll be apart afterward?" Su Ling said.
"Oh!"
Huo Wu had a lovely figure and wore light, revealing clothing. Holding her felt very comfortable.
Especially with that softness pressed against his chest-it made him unable to stop.
"Big Brother Su, we..." Huo Wu's expression turned a little strange.
She instinctively glanced down. It was rather frightening.
"Sorry, I couldn't help myself."
As soon as Su Ling finished speaking, he leaned down and kissed her.
"Mmph..."
Neither knew how much time passed before they parted.
The tent was right beside them, and Su Ling had wanted to take the next step.
Unfortunately, Huo Wu refused. She said they should wait until they were truly together. She did not want a child and wanted to devote all her efforts to preparing for the Advanced Soul Master Tournament.
Su Ling thought that an affection score of eighty-six was still a little lacking.
Perhaps he could take things further with some goddesses, but not with others.
Since Huo Wu had refused, Su Ling naturally would not force her.
After breakfast, Su Ling accompanied Huo Wu on a leisurely journey back to the Blazing Fire Academy.
"Su Ling, you must come see me in the future. Don't forget me." Huo Wu looked at Su Ling, deeply reluctant to part.
"Don't worry, Wu'er. Even if I forgot everyone else, I would never forget you," Su Ling said.
"Mm!" Huo Wu nodded, then took the initiative to kiss Su Ling on the cheek before leaving and entering the Blazing Fire Academy.
But shortly after entering the academy, Huo Wu remembered that they had walked dozens of kilometers back during the day, and it would be dark again in another two hours. Letting Su Ling leave just like that was far too inconsiderate. She should at least have let him rest for a night.
By the time she returned to the academy gates, however, Su Ling was already gone.
"Big Brother Su, you're the one I've chosen for this lifetime! This time, I have to focus on the Advanced Soul Master Tournament. Next time, I'll definitely give myself to you," Huo Wu murmured.
With that, Huo Wu returned to the academy again. Her Soul Power had reached level forty, and she wanted to find her Fourth Soul Ring as soon as possible.
She had already lost interest in the current exchange tournament between the Five Elemental Academies. It was as though, after meeting Su Ling, everyone else seemed unworthy of the word "genius" and offered nothing worth looking forward to.
All Huo Wu wanted now was to become stronger. She did not want to fall too far behind Su Ling in the future.
Before you continue