After calling Mu Nujiao over, Lu Wu followed Grandpa Shen and the others back to the Hunter Union building.
Grandpa Shen said the bald old man was his close friend, Elder Luo.
Grandpa Shen had come to Rongcheng at Elder Luo's invitation. They seemed to be preparing to refine something.
"Nu Jiao, we had preparations in place. If Lu Wu had been outmatched, that One-Eyed Demon Wolf couldn't possibly have hurt him."
Shen Shitian noticed that Mu Nujiao seemed unhappy after hearing the whole story.
"Besides, I'm fine, aren't I?" Lu Wu reassured her as well.
On the way back, Lu Wu had asked all the questions on his mind.
The purplish-black flames had indeed been Grandpa Shen's handiwork, and he had produced them with ease.
Grandpa Shen and the others did not know why the One-Eyed Demon Wolf had been so hostile toward him.
They had merely gone with the current, intending to use the One-Eyed Demon Wolf to see how he would react.
They had never expected him to kill it.
"What if something had gone wrong? One-Eyed Demon Wolves are exceptionally vicious. A single swipe of its claws would have left Lu Wu seriously injured at the very least!" Mu Nujiao was indeed extremely displeased.
She had never stopped Lu Wu from getting into fights before. After all, he would only suffer some injuries at worst.
Before the demon-hunting demonstration, she had been worried, but at least several Intermediate Mages and a squad of Beginner Mages had been there.
Lu Wu had wanted to temper his courage, and she had not stopped him then either.
But when she discovered that only Lu Wu and the One-Eyed Demon Wolf charging toward him were in the arena, the fear in her heart had been beyond words!
"Why are you being so unreasonable, girl? Didn't we already tell you we had preparations in place?" Elder Luo rubbed his bald head, feeling rather troubled himself.
"Elder Luo, let me talk to her. Let me." Seeing this, Lu Wu hurriedly spoke up, taking Mu Nujiao by the hand and walking ahead of the others.
Shen Shitian knew Mu Nujiao was worried about Lu Wu, so naturally, he was not angry.
After all, a One-Eyed Demon Wolf could casually slaughter any Beginner Mage who had only just learned to cast magic, and Lu Wu truly had no combat experience.
"This young couple makes it look as though I'm picking on them." Watching Lu Wu and Mu Nujiao leave, Elder Luo sighed. "Now look at this. We'll have to find a way to coax them."
Jiang Chun remained silent behind them.
Only Lu Wu and his little girlfriend Mu Nujiao could do this. Who else would dare put on airs before Master Shen and Elder Luo?!
This was something he could not get involved in.
"Stop pulling me." Once inside the elevator, Mu Nujiao pulled her hand free of Lu Wu's and hugged him tightly. "I almost thought... I almost thought you were going to die."
Lu Wu had not expected Mu Nujiao to hug him. He froze for a moment before reaching out to embrace her.
A delicate fragrance reached his nose. Even though they both wore thick down jackets, Lu Wu found the scent very pleasant.
It was Mu Nujiao's scent.
"Don't worry. I'm fine..."
The next day, Lu Wu's mana had recovered, so he headed to the hall.
Grandpa Shen and Elder Luo were already there. Each had a room, and they were the only people staying on this floor.
"You've been cultivating with the Thought Stone, so your mental realm has very likely reached the second realm already-the limit of your current body." Seeing how tired Lu Wu looked, Shen Shitian knew he had cultivated the night before.
"Get more nutrition, and exercise regularly," Elder Luo added. "It'll do you good. Otherwise, if your soul becomes too strong and your flesh can't keep up, your body will break down."
Lu Wu looked at the two old men. Having their guidance really did make things easier.
He truly had not known what they were telling him.
"You haven't awakened Dimensional Magic. You're cultivating your soul directly, without strengthening your body, so you need another way to improve your physical strength."
"If my Fire Element magic improves, that should strengthen my body, shouldn't it?" Lu Wu asked.
As a mage's cultivation improved, their physical strength and agility increased, and the same was true of their soul.
Even without using magic, mages were far stronger than ordinary people.
"It won't keep up." Shen Shitian shook his head. "Unless you stop cultivating with the Thought Stone from now on, the physical strength you gain through advancing your magic won't be enough to support the rate at which your soul grows stronger."
Cultivating with the Thought Stone did not conflict with meditation.
Meditating until mentally exhausted and then cultivating with the Thought Stone yielded twice the results for half the effort, but that still required time to rest.
Otherwise, he would become extremely exhausted or even pass out.
Shen Shitian was not worried about Lu Wu passing out now, but he feared that if Lu Wu continued like this, his body would no longer be able to support his soul.
"I'll make sure to exercise." Lu Wu nodded, taking the matter to heart.
"Actually, there's another way to temper your body." Elder Luo seemed to suddenly remember something. "We discovered a good spot in Hanging Coffin Swamp. It would be just right for tempering your body."
"Hanging Coffin Swamp?" Lu Wu raised an eyebrow.
That was on the outskirts of the Mount Wuyi range, extremely far from the Rongcheng Safe Zone, with all sorts of demon beasts roaming about.
Shen Shitian glanced at Luo Long, his gaze rather serious.
"Let's first see whether you can melt Mystic Ice. Otherwise, there's no way we'll let you go. It's too dangerous."
"I'll try." Watching Grandpa Shen summon the Mystic Ice, Lu Wu began controlling his Fire Element stars, linking them into a Star Path of fire.
A ball of flame appeared in his palm, and Lu Wu made it grow larger.
Grandpa Shen suspended the Mystic Ice in the air with his mind, and Lu Wu burned it directly, scarlet flames wrapping around it.
After about a few breaths, the surface of the Mystic Ice showed signs of melting, and a drop of water appeared beneath it.
"Hahahaha! Good lad, good lad! Old Man Shen, you've got yourself a successor!" Elder Luo laughed loudly at the sight. "Lu Wu, you really haven't let Old Man Shen down after he gave you that Thought Stone."
Shen Shitian's face lit up with joy as well.
Strictly speaking, this kind of talent was related to one's constitution.
Those who could melt Mystic Ice had a trace of coldness mixed into their Fire Element. Such people could easily awaken the Ice Element, Poison Element, or Shadow Element later on.
It seemed the delayed work on refining the magic tool could begin again.
"Grandpa Shen, is there something you need my help with?" Seeing Grandpa Shen's expression, Lu Wu asked directly.
Grandpa Shen's kindness to him went far beyond taking him home two years ago, when he had just arrived in the magic world and was wandering the streets.
He had even given him something as precious and rare as a Thought Stone to cultivate with.
Grandpa Shen probably only had one of those himself.
"Cultivate as much as you can over the next month. After that, I'll take you to Hanging Coffin Swamp to help me refine a magic tool." Shen Shitian did not refuse.
There really was no better candidate.
That Nangong Pei had problems with his character. If he pulled any tricks, all their previous efforts would go to waste.
"I'll do everything I can to improve my cultivation."
"Old Man Luo, Lu Wu's cultivation will be crucial from now on. Aren't you going to offer something?" Shen Shitian turned straight to Luo Long. "I don't have any materials left for refining a Stardust Magic Tool."
"I know, I know. I'll have someone send a Stardust Magic Tool from the Imperial Capital for you to cultivate with." Luo Long rubbed his smooth head, ignored Shen Shitian outright, and addressed Lu Wu earnestly. "You mustn't drop the ball when the time comes."
"Thank you, Elder Luo." Hearing this, Lu Wu hurriedly smiled.
With a Stardust Magic Tool, he could extend his cultivation time again.
Most importantly, while Mu Nujiao was here, he could let her use it after he was done.
She was still in her room now. Presumably, she had cultivated too much last night and worn herself out.