"Since we're having a match, we should have a little wager too. Hmm, how about this? If I win, you have to call me big brother. You don't have to say it more than once. Just once will do."
Yu Xiaochuan hadn't set any great stakes. Things like money or possessions were unnecessary.
Anything Qian Renxue could get, he could get too.
His status as Pope Bibi Dong's adopted son alone already gave Yu Xiaochuan an extraordinarily exalted position in Spirit Hall.
Moreover, this adopted son was deeply favored by the Pope. No one in Spirit Hall wanted to offend this little ancestor; they could hardly hurry enough to offer him tribute.
"Hmph! In your dreams. If you lose, you have to call me big sister too."
Qian Renxue scoffed when she heard Yu Xiaochuan's demand.
Hmph, this brat of a little brother was dreaming. She wouldn't lose to him.
But with this wager in place, she really could beat Yu Xiaochuan until he called her big sister.
Thus, although Qian Renxue said Yu Xiaochuan was dreaming, she still agreed to the wager.
Lose?
There was no way she would lose.
A level thirty-four Six-Winged Angel against a level nine Caterpie-how could she possibly lose?
It was simply impossible for Yu Xiaochuan to beat her, even if she didn't use her Soul Rings or Soul Skills.
If she really did lose when the time came, even if she had to call that brat Yu Xiaochuan big brother...
She would accept it.
After they made their wager, Qian Renxue diligently pummeled Yu Xiaochuan's legs for an hour, then went back to cultivate in earnest.
She had to practice moves that didn't use Soul Skills so she could teach Yu Xiaochuan a proper lesson when the time came.
Yu Xiaochuan did the same.
Even defeating Qian Renxue without her Soul Rings or Soul Skills was no small challenge for him, so he took the Poison Mixing Manual and began Caterpie's special training.
Ever since Yu Xiaochuan had arrived at Spirit Hall, he had received an unlimited supply of hundred-year medicinal herbs.
As for thousand-year medicinal herbs, it wasn't that Yu Xiaochuan didn't want them, but that Caterpie couldn't withstand them.
For Caterpie, hundred-year medicinal herbs were just right.
Over the past few days, Caterpie had eaten quite a few hundred-year medicinal herbs, and Yu Xiaochuan had actually felt the bottleneck between levels nine and ten loosen a little.
Although that loosening was extremely slight, no more than a tiny sliver, Yu Xiaochuan still keenly noticed it.
Feeding Caterpie all kinds of medicinal herbs was the right path!
Perhaps it could help him break through from level nine to level ten.
Break through this bottleneck.
Yu Xiaochuan was certain he was already on the right path.
That was also why Yu Xiaochuan wanted to develop Caterpie's Shield Dust Ability. It could truly kill two birds with one stone.
"Poison Powder, Stun Spore, and Sleep Powder. Poison Powder is the most dangerous of the three. One careless mistake could poison someone to death. Stun Spore comes next. If even the respiratory system gets paralyzed, couldn't that also be fatal? Sleep Powder is still the safest. You just sleep for a while."
"You can tell from the moves' types too. Sleep Powder and Stun Spore are both Grass-type moves, while Poison Powder is a Poison-type move."
After some thought, Yu Xiaochuan decided to develop Sleep Powder and Stun Spore first, then Poison Powder.
Mainly, he was also afraid Caterpie couldn't withstand those poisons. They had to take things one step at a time!
He would make poisons and Antidotes, feed Caterpie the poison first, then cure it.
This would count as continuously increasing its poison resistance.
And this way, Caterpie wouldn't bring the toxins back into his body.
"Caterpie, use Bug Bite to absorb the power in these herbs. You need to carefully feel this Grass-type power, then try to reproduce it and use Sleep Powder through Shield Dust!"
Yu Xiaochuan placed several medicinal herbs that could induce sleep in front of Caterpie.
He had already adjusted the proportions of the herbs. Combined, these herbs could produce a more powerful hypnotic effect.
It was actually a formula for a knockout drug.
"Woo-oh!"
Caterpie nodded earnestly, used Bug Bite to bite into a medicinal herb, and absorbed the power within it.
The result was that it flopped over and fell asleep.
"Uh, it looks like the medicinal potency of one herb is still too much for Caterpie?"
Yu Xiaochuan began to feel fortunate. Luckily, he hadn't tried those poisonous herbs right from the start. Otherwise, Caterpie's little body really might not have been able to withstand them.
Yu Xiaochuan took the wakefulness medicine he had prepared in advance, then recalled Caterpie, immediately feeling somewhat drowsy.
Fortunately, the wakefulness medicine had already taken effect, and Yu Xiaochuan soon felt alert again.
"Ugh, almost passing out really doesn't feel good. We'd better take it little by little. First, reduce the dosage so Caterpie can hold on for a while after eating it. At least there needs to be enough time to take the wakefulness medicine."
After resting briefly, Yu Xiaochuan released Caterpie again and reduced the quantities of all those medicinal herbs.
Sure enough, after Caterpie absorbed them with Bug Bite, it didn't immediately fall asleep.
Yu Xiaochuan and Caterpie were connected in mind, and together they felt the Grass-type power working inside Caterpie's body.
When Caterpie was about to fall asleep, he fed it the wakefulness medicine, removing its sleep status condition.
Afterward, they continued trying in this fashion, the boy and the bug constantly gaining a feel for the Grass-type power that could put people to sleep.
They tried quite a few other sleep-inducing formulas.
At last, they achieved something and could use Sleep Powder through Shield Dust.
By then, a month had passed.
The day of Yu Xiaochuan and Qian Renxue's agreed-upon duel had arrived.
That day, Qian Renxue pummeled Yu Xiaochuan's legs with considerable diligence. Her heart was excited, her hands trembled, and there was even a touch of solemnity to it.
It had been a month.
Heaven knew how she had endured this past month. At last, the day when she could teach Yu Xiaochuan a proper lesson had arrived.
So, to avoid letting all her previous efforts go to waste on the final day, Qian Renxue pummeled his legs quite diligently, even willing to massage Yu Xiaochuan's shoulders.
"Mm, not bad. After a month of pummeling my legs, Xiao Xue, your skill has become more and more refined. Your shoulder massage is still too unpracticed, though. You should practice more."
"Hmph, don't act coy after getting a bargain. You should be glad I'm massaging your shoulders at all. We agreed before that I'd pummel your legs for a month. There was no agreement about massaging your shoulders. You're lucky I'm doing it now. If you dare go back on your word, just you wait!"
Qian Renxue spoke rather fiercely, but a little girl wasn't frightening even when she put on a fierce expression. Instead, she looked very cute.
"It's about time. Let's begin!"
Yu Xiaochuan had enjoyed enough pampering and was ready to begin his battle with Qian Renxue.
"Xiao Xue, do you want to rest for a while? After all, you've been pummeling my legs for so long, and you massaged my shoulders too."
"No, let's start now! I can't wait anymore."
Qian Renxue immediately perked up at his words.
Her month of pummeling that brat Yu Xiaochuan's legs, and even massaging his shoulders, hadn't been in vain.
The time to reap the rewards was almost here.
How could she wait any longer? She immediately pulled Yu Xiaochuan along to find somewhere to fight.
Her little hand gripped Yu Xiaochuan's wrist tightly as she pulled him away.
She was terrified that Yu Xiaochuan would renege and run off.