He looked at the refreshed information on the system panel.
A satisfied smile curled at the corners of Tang Tian's mouth, and his spirits soared.
All the while, he felt the subtle changes within his body.
This affection breakthrough was like a delivery of charcoal in the snow!
Previously, his cultivation speed had been roughly twice that of an ordinary person. Now, it had jumped straight to three times!
With the boost from a mimicry environment on top of that, it could skyrocket to at least six times, or even higher!
After all, even San couldn't possibly have such cheat-like efficiency.
After all, Tang Tian had discovered that this new 40% efficiency boost was an independent multiplier.
Even after he advanced to Titled Douluo, it would still provide an independent 40% increase!
What delighted Tang Tian even more was his newly acquired skill-[Blue Silver · Mimicry].
This wasn't a direct offensive Soul Skill. It was more like a passive talent.
All he had to do was activate this skill.
His aura would blend perfectly into his surroundings.
He would become like a completely harmless stalk of Blue Silver Grass, posing no threat to man or beast, with an extremely faint presence.
Concealing my aura, sneaking around, even subtly adjusting my facial muscles to disguise myself...
Tang Tian silently calculated:
This is practically a divine skill for everything from staying home and traveling to murder and plunder!
Though he didn't have one of those outrageously flashy attack skills.
In this danger-filled Soul Master World, a utility skill like this was often better at keeping him alive.
It could even produce unexpected results at critical moments.
And he had a vague feeling that this skill might also work wonders during cultivation.
It could bring him closer to nature, allowing him to sense the emotions of surrounding plants and the flow of their energy.
With a thought, Tang Tian quietly activated [Blue Silver · Mimicry].
In an instant, his aura underwent a subtle change.
Tang San, walking beside him, suddenly frowned.
He instinctively turned to look beside him.
His big brother was clearly walking right next to him. He could even hear his footsteps.
Yet that strong sense of presence belonging to a living person had suddenly vanished!
Within his perception.
It was as though there was only a little blade of grass beside him, swaying gently in the breeze.
"Huh?"
Tang San rubbed his eyes.
He instinctively activated Purple Demon Eye.
Only then did that sense of incongruity fade a little.
Strange. Was I so nervous earlier that I started imagining things?
Within the Sea of Consciousness.
[Blue Silver Grass Little Blue (covering her face · bashful):]
[Wow... Master's aura... has become so, so much like mine...]
[It feels just like I've become one with Master... so close, so warm...]
[Could this be the legendary resemblance between husband and wife? The longer they spend together, the more alike they become?]
[Oh, this grass is dying of embarrassment... Has my relationship with Master already progressed this far?]
[Little Iron Hammer (snorting coldly · disdainful):]
[Tch! What's there to be so smug about?!]
[Hasn't he just become more like a blade of grass? He reeks of grass. It's disgusting!]
[Idiot Tang Tian! Instead of developing a Tool Martial Soul as powerful as me, he insists on fiddling with these flashy gimmicks!]
[If he gave me a little more Soul Power to nourish me and let me evolve, I'd definitely be ten thousand times stronger than this useless grass that does nothing but swoon over him!]
[Hmph! He really has no eye for quality!]
Dorm Seven, the Work-Study Students' dormitory.
They had only just stepped through the entrance.
Several children were already arranging their bedding inside. When they saw Tang Tian and Tang San enter, the noisy room instantly fell silent.
Suddenly, a tall, sturdy boy with a stocky, boyish face rushed over.
Tang San's gaze sharpened, and he shifted his footing slightly.
His left hand had already reached toward the Hidden Weapon at his waist.
He was ready at any moment to counter a possible attack.
From his understanding of this world, a new environment often meant new challenges.
This was what people called a "show of force."
However, the very next second, the scene abruptly changed.
The tall boy didn't attack. Instead, he rushed straight up to Tang Tian.
He grabbed his hand, his eyes shining as he shouted excitedly:
"Boss! Boss, you're finally here!"
"Huh?"
Tang Tian was utterly dumbfounded.
This isn't how the script goes!
If he remembered correctly, this tall boy should be Wang Sheng, a minor character from the original story.
Following the classic formula, shouldn't he have jumped out with an arrogant expression to provoke them?
Then Tang San would have beaten him soundly, and only afterward would he have wholeheartedly acknowledged him as the boss.
Why has he dropped straight to his knees now?
Has the plot skipped a few steps?
Beside him, Tang San also wore a wary expression and was even a little displeased.
He stared with hostility at Wang Sheng's hand gripping his big brother's, a sour feeling rising within him.
Where did this guy spring from?
Calling him boss so affectionately right off the bat?
My big brother is mine alone. Who do you think you are?
Tang Tian discreetly withdrew his hand and asked in confusion:
"Fellow student, do we know each other? Why are you suddenly calling me boss?"
Wang Sheng scratched his head and said with complete conviction:
"My name's Wang Sheng. I used to be the boss of Dorm Seven."
"But that was before! Word of what happened at the school gates earlier has already spread everywhere!"
Wang Sheng looked at Tang Tian with admiration, as though he were looking at a hero:
"You even dared to confront that Grandmaster, who looks down his nose at everyone, in public. You left him speechless and sent him fleeing with his tail between his legs!"
"With your courage, your eloquence, and your presence, who else could be the boss?"
At this point, Wang Sheng waved his fist excitedly:
"Only someone strong like you is fit to be the boss! Only someone like that can protect us!"
"We Work-Study Students have always been bullied by those noble kids at the academy. I'm not capable enough to protect everyone."
"But I think you can do it, Boss! You can definitely lead us Work-Study Students to turn things around!"
Though these words were a little melodramatic.
They were filled with sincerity and hot-blooded passion.
Hearing this, Tang San's taut nerves relaxed, and most of his displeasure dissipated.
In its place came a deep sense of agreement.
That's right.
Big Brother isn't just strong.
He also has strategy, courage, and leadership.
He's a born leader.
Tang San looked at Tang Tian and nodded earnestly:
"Big Brother, I think he's right."
"You fully deserve to be the boss."
Looking at all the expectant eyes around him, Tang Tian felt his scalp prickle.
Seriously?
I just want to cultivate in peace and farm some affection on the side.
I don't want to lead a bunch of little brats in playing house!
Why would I want to be the boss?
Not only would I have to manage this and that, I'd also have to wipe these little brats' backsides. How exhausting!
Just as Tang Tian was racking his brains for a way to turn them down, his savior arrived.
"Excuse me... is this Dorm Seven?"
A clear, sweet voice came from the doorway.
Everyone instinctively turned to look.
A little girl in a pink top, her hair in a scorpion braid, stood at the entrance.
She looked as though she had been carved from jade and dusted with pink, with large, lustrous eyes.
She also wore two cute bunny-ear decorations on her head.
She looked like an exquisite porcelain doll, so adorable that she made hearts tremble.
Tang Tian's eyes lit up.
Xiao Wu!
This hundred-thousand-year-old hooligan rabbit is finally here!
At this point, Xiao Wu wasn't as mature as she was later in the original story.
She was nothing more than an adorable little girl.
But Tang Tian knew this girl's background. She was a violence fiend who loved nothing more than fighting and being the top boss.
She's a heaven-sent scapegoat!
Before you continue