"Waaah-!!!"
Little Blue burst into tears.
On Little Blue's once proudly upright leaves,
crystal-clear droplets actually began rapidly gathering.
They slid down her leaf veins.
Like pearls spilling from a broken string.
All her pretense crumbled in an instant.
Those vines she had deliberately held rigid to maintain her queenly dignity
instantly softened.
They surged wildly toward Tang Tian.
Wrapping him tightly at their center.
She had completely returned to her most primal, most dependent state.
Her soft, slightly cool leaves pressed tightly against Tang Tian's face and neck.
Rubbing against him desperately.
As though only this contact, without the slightest distance between them, could dispel her unease.
["Sob, sob... Master."]
["Keeping up the act was so hard! Holding that pose of gazing up at the sky was exhausting! It felt like my neck was going to snap!"]
["Sob, sob... I won't pretend anymore. Please don't abandon me..."]
Tang Tian was wrapped in that great mass of grass leaves.
His face had been rubbed wet as well.
Yet he felt more at ease than ever before.
Smiling, he stretched out both arms.
And wrapped them around her main stem in return.
Letting her act spoiled and vent in his embrace.
"All right, all right. No more pretending, no more pretending."
Tang Tian gently patted her leaves and coaxed her softly:
"Whether you're soft, tearful Little Blue or majestic Queen Little Blue, I like you."
"But with me, you only need to be your most comfortable self. Never force yourself to put on an act."
As he spoke,
he deliberately put on a stern face and said:
"And if that violent hammer who does nothing but eat ever dares mock you or bully you again,"
"I'll stop her maintenance. I won't give her even a single scrap of iron to eat!"
Inside the Sea of Consciousness,
Little Iron Hammer, who had been enjoying the show, suddenly shuddered: ???
["Hey! What does this have to do with me?! I've clearly been an innocent spectator this entire time today, okay?!"]
Little Iron Hammer fumed.
But as she watched that warm scene outside,
the silver light flowing over her body unknowingly softened a little.
[Tch... so sappy.]
[Still, seeing how much that useless grass depends on our idiot master, I'll be merciful and refrain from mocking her today.]
[But only today!]
Just then, a string of pleasant notification chimes erupted in Tang Tian's mind.
[Ding! The system has detected that the host has completed a perfect instance of spiritual communication and emotional guidance.] [Little Blue's emotional knot has been completely untied. Her state has changed from "extreme self-inflation" to "genuine attachment."] [Affection increased by 20 points! Current affection: 92/100 (bound together in life and death).] [Congratulations, host! Your bond has undergone a qualitative transformation!] [Reward obtained: unique Exclusive Skill-Blue Silver Heavenly Mandate.] [Blue Silver Heavenly Mandate: you are the one and only destined partner of Little Blue, the Blue Silver Grass.] [This profound soul bond grants you an additional 100% boost in effectiveness when using any Blue Silver Grass-related ability, including cultivation speed, control, toughness, toxins, and more!] [Little Blue, the Blue Silver Grass, has gained a new trait: Two-Sided Sweetheart.] [Combat form: Little Blue's combat awareness will be greatly improved, and her willpower will be greatly strengthened, granting immunity to most mental attacks.] [Normal mode: Little Blue will automatically emit a mind-soothing fragrance that continuously improves the host's cultivation focus and accelerates the natural recovery of spiritual power.]
Looking at the rows of glittering golden text on the System Panel,
and feeling the great, soft bundle of Blue Silver Grass in his arms,
Tang Tian finally let out a long breath, his eyes full of delighted surprise.
Perfect!
This went far beyond completing the task!
"Blue Silver Heavenly Mandate-this skill is downright heaven-defying!"
Tang Tian's heart shook violently, and he could not help marveling inwardly.
"A hundred percent increase in effectiveness?"
"That means even a casually unleashed Blue Silver Entanglement would be as tough as the full-powered defense of a Soul Master at the same level!"
"And there's that hundred percent cultivation speed bonus."
"For someone like me, who urgently needs to increase his soul power, this is truly charcoal delivered in the snow-more useful than any heavenly treasure!"
What pleased Tang Tian even more was the [Two-Sided Sweetheart] trait.
"I was worried that untying her emotional knot would make Little Blue lose her edge and weaken her combat strength."
"I never expected the system to be so considerate."
"In battle, she's a cold, ruthless control-type queen who dares draw her sword even against enemies stronger than herself."
"In everyday life, she's a sweet girl who thoughtfully warms my bed... pfft, no, provides thoughtful support."
"Isn't that mind-soothing fragrance basically a mobile meditation cushion?"
"Is this the legendary woman who can grace the reception hall, master the kitchen, and beat up thugs?"
"Little Blue's evolution has paid off big!"
Yet while some rejoiced, others worried.
Inside the Sea of Consciousness, Little Iron Hammer was utterly numb.
She could clearly sense the qualitative transformation that had occurred in that crybaby next door.
It was a leap in the very level of her life.
A sublimation brought about by perfect resonance with the host's soul.
H-how did this happen?
Little Iron Hammer looked herself over and suddenly felt she had lost her luster.
I'm supposed to be the strongest Tool Martial Soul!
I just absorbed Purple Gold Essence!
So how did she overtake me?
She sank deep into thought.
Could getting along with that idiot Tang Tian really be so important?
Just cry to him and hug him, and you can get stronger?
Is this the legendary power of bonds?
Little Iron Hammer stole a glance outside at Little Blue, who was still hugging Tang Tian without letting go.
For the first time, an unprecedented sense of crisis arose within her.
Meanwhile, in the real world,
Little Blue, having vented her emotions,
finally poked half a leaf tip out of Tang Tian's embrace.
Her entire grassy form exuded shyness.
She analyzed the course her feelings had taken over this period once more.
And felt that all those earlier "queenly proclamations" were simply a shameful past.
She was so embarrassed she wished she could find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.
To make up for her earlier willfulness,
and to hide her embarrassment,
Little Blue's leaves trembled gently, pressing even more closely against Tang Tian's skin.
An incomparably pure energy, brimming with the essence of life,
flowed along her leaves and poured into Tang Tian's body without reservation.
It was from when she had previously absorbed the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone.
She had taken in too much, leaving it accumulated inside her and causing indigestion.
That residual portion of energy had consequently caused her inflated personality.
Now that her emotional knot had been untied,
this energy had finally become docile as well, turning into the finest gift.
"This is..."
Tang Tian felt every pore in his body open.
As though he were soaking in a hot spring.
His soul power bottleneck instantly loosened.
There was a soft sound.
His soul power level rose from 11 to 12!
He was only a step away from level 13 as well!
Tang Tian clenched his fists, feeling the surging power within him, and could not help exclaiming from the bottom of his heart.
"Is this the power of the Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone?"
"Even its overflowing energy has such miraculous effects."
This was not merely an increase in level.
Before you continue