After hearing Dai Youheng's words and seeing the two room key cards already in his hand, the Lan Sisters realized they had completely misunderstood him. They were instantly so embarrassed that they wished they could find a crack in the floor to crawl into.
Their pretty faces turned as red as ripe apples. Paired with their delicate features and long blue hair, it made them look especially sweet and endearing.
Unfortunately, Dai Youheng had no interest in romance at the moment. He only wanted to grow stronger as quickly as possible.
Dai Youheng handed them the key card for the twin room, then headed for his own room without another thought.
The Lan Sisters took the card and exchanged a glance, each seeing the mortification and utterly crushing embarrassment in the other's eyes. Both let out a soft whimper, then darted into their room like startled little rabbits and slammed the door shut.
Back in his single room, Dai Youheng locked the door and used his soul power to set up a simple little ward to alert him to intruders.
Then he eagerly took two things out of his Storage Ring: the pitch-black lump of ten-thousand-year whale glue and the pale golden Soul Ascension Pill.
He intended to take both tonight. Whale rubber could strengthen the body, transform the meridians, and cleanse the marrow, while the Soul Ascension Pill purely increased soul power. Not only did their medicinal effects not conflict, they could complement and reinforce each other!
One increased the "quantity" of his soul power, while the other strengthened the "quality" of his foundation and expanded the vessel.
Combined, they might not match true immortal-grade herbs that could remake the body and grant special abilities, but when it came to simply increasing cultivation and consolidating his foundation, their effects were certainly impressive.
First, he held the hard lump of ten-thousand-year whale glue in his palm. He circulated his soul power, rapidly raising the temperature of his hand.
Under the intense heat, the ten-thousand-year whale glue, originally as hard as stone, gradually softened until it resembled a black gummy candy. It gave off a strange, rich fragrance with a faint fishy undertone.
Dai Youheng concentrated soul power at his fingertip, turning it into something like the sharpest of knives, and cut the softened whale rubber into small pieces. Then he picked up a piece and put it in his mouth.
The whale rubber did not taste unpleasant. Instead, it had a peculiar sweet fragrance and a gelatinous texture. The moment it reached his stomach, Dai Youheng felt a distinct current of heat rise through his chest and abdomen. It was warm and comfortable, not violent.
That warmth quickly spread through his limbs and every part of his body. Wherever it passed, his muscles, bones, and meridians tingled faintly, as though they were being nourished and strengthened.
He hesitated no longer and swallowed several more pieces in succession. Once most of the whale rubber was in his stomach and the warm current inside him had grown quite powerful, he swiftly popped the Soul Ascension Pill into his mouth, tipped his head back, and swallowed it. At the same time, he stuffed the last of the whale rubber in his hand into his mouth!
Boom-!
The Soul Ascension Pill dissolved the instant it entered his mouth, transforming into an immense torrent of exceptionally pure energy that surged violently through his dantian. At just the right moment, the warmth from the ten-thousand-year whale glue also flooded his entire body, nourishing his physique and widening his meridians.
The two powerful medicinal energies instantly merged!
Dai Youheng dared not delay. He immediately sat cross-legged and circulated the cultivation technique he had obtained from the mysterious giant hand at full power! Domineering and efficient, the technique now acted like a highly effective furnace, furiously refining and guiding both medicinal energies until they blended perfectly, accelerating their absorption.
Inside him, his soul power surged and grew at an unprecedented rate. As the whale rubber's medicinal energy washed through his body, his muscles and bones gave off faint humming sounds like bowstrings drawn taut. They grew tougher, capable of withstanding greater quantities of stronger soul power!
Under the combined assault of those two powerful medicinal energies from within and without, together with the domineering circulation of his cultivation technique, the bottleneck at rank thirty-nine broke in an instant.
Inside the room, faint black mist and golden motes surrounded Dai Youheng. His aura climbed steadily as he continued his assault on the threshold of rank forty!
Meanwhile, in the twin room next door, the blushes on Lan Susu's and Lan Luoluo's faces had yet to fade completely.
The two sat side by side on the edge of the bed, with a trace of awkwardness and romantic tension still lingering in the air.
"Sis." In the end, the livelier Lan Luoluo spoke first, her voice quiet. "Didn't we just make complete fools of ourselves? Youheng didn't mean anything like that at all."
Lan Susu covered her still-burning cheeks and sighed. "Yes, we completely overthought it. But..."
A complicated look appeared in her eyes. "Youheng really is completely different from before."
"Exactly!" Lan Luoluo immediately perked up and began counting on her fingers. "He used to always hang around Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Senior Bei Bei. It felt... how should I put it? Like he was bowing and scraping a little. But now, he doesn't seem to care about anyone. He barely gives Wang Dong the time of day, and he even dares to snap right back at Senior Xu Sanshi. I heard from Zhou Sichen that he even talked back to Senior Dai Yueheng!"
Lan Susu nodded in agreement and added, "And have you noticed? Everything he's done since coming back seems to have a very clear purpose. He supported Huo Yuhao's bet with Dai Huabin for the Soul Bone and Gold Soul Coins. He bought that strange lump of whale rubber and the Soul Ascension Pill to improve his strength. Even buying that snow lotus was preparation for absorbing a Soul Ring beyond his normal limit in the future. Everything he does seems to serve those two words: 'grow stronger.' He feels so calm and mature."
They recalled Dai Youheng's always calm, unruffled gaze, his concise, forceful words, and the cold solitude he occasionally displayed, as though he stood apart from everyone else.
Added to that were his already handsome features and the exceptional talent bestowed by his Evil Shadow Demon Tiger martial soul.
The hearts of the two girls, just beginning to awaken to love, unconsciously beat a little faster.
"Sis." A hint of shyness and uncertainty crept into Lan Luoluo's voice. "Do you think we've started to like the way Youheng is now?"
Lan Susu did not answer immediately, but her faintly reddening cheeks and wavering gaze had already betrayed her thoughts. She gave a quiet "Mm," admitting it.
A brief silence settled over the room. The sisters had been practically inseparable since childhood, sharing a close bond and often the same tastes. There was nothing particularly strange about them developing feelings for the same boy.
After a while, Lan Susu, the older sister, was the first to regain her composure. She took her younger sister's hand and said earnestly, "Luoluo, Youheng really is very attractive now. He's completely different from before. It's only natural for us to develop feelings for him."
As she spoke, her tone suddenly became solemn. "But we're sisters. We're each other's closest family. We must never let a boy ruin our bond."
Lan Luoluo nodded firmly too. "Mm, you're right, Sis. We'll always be close sisters!"
Lan Susu thought for a moment, then offered a suggestion. "Then how about we make a pact? We can both
"Try to get closer to Youheng, but each of us has to win him over on her own merits. In the end, no matter whom Youheng likes more or whom he chooses, the other mustn't hold a grudge, much less let it damage our bond as sisters. She has to sincerely wish the other happiness, too. All right?"
"All right!" Lan Luoluo agreed at once, her eyes brightening again. "Each on her own merits. That's fair! Whatever happens, you'll always be the sister I love most!"
"And you'll always be the little sister I love most." Lan Susu smiled too and held out her little finger. "Pinky promise!"
"Pinky promise!"
Their slender little fingers hooked together, sealing a solemn pact between two girls about family bonds and the hazy beginnings of love.
With the pact made, both felt much lighter at heart. They exchanged a smile, sweeping away the earlier awkwardness.
"All right, stop letting your imagination run wild." Lan Susu picked up the little box containing her Soul Ascension Pill. "Youheng specifically told us to take these tonight. We can't waste his kindness or such precious pills."
"Mm." Lan Luoluo picked up her own Soul Ascension Pill, her eyes full of anticipation. "I wonder how many ranks we'll gain after absorbing these pills. Maybe we'll reach rank thirty directly!"
They said no more. Each sat cross-legged and steadied her breathing. Filled with anticipation for their increasing strength, along with quietly changing feelings for a certain boy, they swallowed their pale golden Soul Ascension Pills and soon immersed themselves in cultivation.
The room gradually grew quiet. Only two faint but steadily strengthening fluctuations of soul power rippled silently through it.
Before you continue