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"Do you know where Sister Xiaotao is?" Su Wen rubbed his overly full stomach and asked curiously.
"You mean Ma Xiaotao? You'll have to ask Dean Yan about that." Lu Xiaoxiao chuckled softly as she cleared the plates and raised an eyebrow at someone behind Su Wen.
"Dean Yan?"
Su Wen turned around.
He saw Yan Shaozhe standing there with a warm smile, having appeared at some unknown point.
"My apologies for the trouble, Xiaoxiao. This child just woke up, and I, as the dean, haven't fulfilled my responsibility. From now on, I'll cover all his meals. Put everything on my tab."
"Tch! Dean Yan, if you want to earn favor, fine, but don't paint me as the bad guy." Lu Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes but then smiled sweetly at Su Wen. "Xiao Wen, if you're ever hungry, come find Aunt Lu. I might not have cultivation methods or pills, but I've got more than enough food."
"Golden Crocodile meat, Rain Dragon tendons, ingredients from ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts… I have them all."
"Mhm." Su Wen nodded.
"Looking for Xiaotao?" Despite being rebuked, Yan Shaozhe remained calm and cheerful, his smile undisturbed.
He was secretly ecstatic. Ever since learning that it was Xiaotao who had rescued Su Wen, he thought to himself that things were finally falling into place. Using Xiaotao to get close to Su Wen is the perfect plan! As for Xian Lin'er, she can go eat dirt...
"Yes. Do you know where she is?"
"Follow me."
…
Sea God Island.
Inside a secluded chamber.
Su Wen saw Ma Xiaotao lying on the bed, her face pale and weak. Her disheveled red hair was spread across the pillow, and a bead of sweat the size of a pea rolled down the tip of her delicate nose.
It was as if she had just endured excruciating pain.
Su Wen's heart sank in alarm.
He had completely forgotten about this!
Ma Xiaotao's evil fire required opposing attributes like "ice" and "water" to suppress it. It had always been that way for her. In the original story, Shrek Academy's Inner Court was filled with powerful individuals, and there was more than one ice-type expert like Ling Luochen. Even with all their help, Ma Xiaotao still lost control and nearly killed Huo Yuhao. The current Inner Court was nowhere near as strong.
At present, there were very few ice-type experts in the Inner Court, and none could stay by her side constantly.
This meant Ma Xiaotao had to endure it on her own most of the time, while Yan Shaozhe and the others could only watch helplessly…
After listening to Yan Shaozhe's explanation, Su Wen gave a slight nod.
It looks like for his second Soul Beast, he'd have to make a trip to the Extreme North.
"Xiao Wen…"
Ma Xiaotao slowly opened her eyes. Her peach-blossom eyes blinked in surprise and slight embarrassment. Clearly, she didn't want Su Wen to see her in such a weakened state. She struggled to sit up.
But Su Wen gently pressed her shoulder, making her lie back down.
"Sister Xiaotao."
After a long silence, Su Wen said, "Just rest…"
…
"Teacher!"
Ma Xiaotao's face flushed as she glared angrily at Yan Shaozhe, who was snickering to himself nearby.
"Using your own disciple as bait! Have you no shame?"
"Aiya, what do you mean 'bait'? This is a matter of mutual affection, don't make it sound so ugly," Yan Shaozhe chuckled. "Besides, Xiaotao, you really struck gold. By saving him, you've also saved yourself."
"What do you mean?" Ma Xiaotao was taken aback.
"Would you believe me if I said his next Soul Beast will be ice-type?" Yan Shaozhe grinned.
"You mean…" Ma Xiaotao's red lips parted slightly, her expression turning complex. She wasn't foolish; she understood her teacher's implication. Knowing the drawbacks of her evil fire, if Su Wen's next soul skill was ice-based, it would be specifically to help her suppress it…
"Hahahaha! Childhood sweethearts, a match made in heaven! Though there's a six-year gap, what's the saying? A wife three years older is a bar of gold. Six years older means two bars of gold! Hahahahahaha…"
Laughing heartily, Yan Shaozhe left.
Ma Xiaotao curled up slightly on the bed, her beautiful eyes staring blankly at the doorway—in the direction Su Wen had gone.
She had passed out from the pain of her evil fire in this room countless times.
This place was like a mental prison, holding her captive.
But now, it felt as if a ray of light was about to shine in…
…
One Year and Two Months Later
Su Wen had become quite familiar with the Inner Court. His days fell into a routine: cultivate, go to Aunt Lu's for a meal, continue cultivating, have dinner…
Lu Xiaoxiao truly lived up to her title as Shrek Academy's number-one nutritionist. The meals she prepared were delicious, never boring, and generously portioned. Even Zhang Yi was envious of this "special treatment." After all, other Inner Court disciples had to pay for their meals…
And the prices were steep.
Su Wen's daily food intake alone was equivalent to over a thousand gold soul coins.
His height had shot up from 1.3 meters to 1.5—barely reaching Ma Xiaotao's chest, since the young woman herself had grown to 1.79 meters…
At the same time, his strength had increased from level 15 to level 20. Just yesterday, after his soul power broke through the threshold, a second spirit ball slowly appeared—it was yellow, signifying a hundred-year level.
Gazing into his spiritual sea, he studied the yellow spirit ball floating beside the white one belonging to Gale.
Su Wen fell into deep thought.
After his breakthrough to level 20 yesterday, Gale's white spirit ball had transformed, becoming half-white and half-yellow. This confirmed his theory.
Once he officially captured his second Soul Beast and reached level 21, Gale's spirit ball would likely turn completely yellow, marking Gale's official advancement to a hundred-year Soul Beast's cultivation level.
Although the pet panel displayed levels, it converted them into the standard Soul Beast cultivation years (indicated by white, yellow, purple, black, and red).
[Wind Baboon]
Level: 20
Strength: 10.4 (+2.0)
Speed: 13.4 (+2.4)
Endurance: 10.4 (+1.4)
Defense: 13.1 (+5.1)
Skill: Wind Blade (Common)
Attribute: Wind (Common) [Pending Refresh]
Potential: 8 (Exceptional)
Next Evolution: Storm Baboon
Gale's stats had all increased steadily. The numbers were his current attributes, while the values in parentheses were the additional points gained through the "you are what you eat" method.
For example, eating the meat of a defensive Soul Beast like the Iron-Armored Rhino boosted his defense stat. Consuming an agility-type beast increased his speed. The older the Soul Beast, the greater the stat bonus.
After one meal of meat from a 5,000-year Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear, Gale's defense and strength both rose by 0.1 points!
These boosts had increased Gale's overall power by a full 1.5 times.
"Ugh…"
Inside the wooden cabin, a lazy female voice sounded.
Su Wen's mouth twitched.
He glanced helplessly at the bed. Ma Xiaotao had claimed it, and she was stretching lazily. Her fair, delicate feet were exposed to the air, tensed as she stretched. As the blanket was kicked away, her long, slender, pale legs came into view.
Ma Xiaotao sat up, her red hair draped over one shoulder as she rubbed her eyes, having the air of a ditsy, sleepy beauty.
"Mm, sleep with me a bit longer."
Seeing Su Wen, Ma Xiaotao habitually hooked her leg, sweeping the meditating Su Wen into her embrace.
"You've already been sleeping for a whole day…"
Enveloped in softness, Su Wen sighed with a blank expression.
"But my evil fire just went out of control the day before yesterday…" Ma Xiaotao pouted pitifully.
Su Wen: "…"
As time went on, Ma Xiaotao had become increasingly clingy with Su Wen. Around him, her fiery temper was completely gone, replaced by the demeanor of a pampered, delicate beauty.
Be that as it may.
It was time to put the Extreme North plan into motion.
(End of Chapter)