Chapter 60: Farewell to Nuoding City! Guaranteed-Hit Soul Skill!
Lin Yuan scolded her with a face full of righteousness (though inwardly he felt a bit guilty).
"How old do you think I am right now? Where would I get those kinds of filthy thoughts?"
"Besides, I'm doing this to help you improve your strength!"
"At low year levels, this stuff only has aphrodisiac effects—it's trash."
"But once it's a thousand years or more, aside from enhancing virility, its main effect is strengthening the body!"
"And at the ten thousand years level, the medicinal effect becomes purer. Enhancing virility is just an added… side effect!"
Lin Yuan did his utmost to explain himself.
However, his explanation quickly began to sound weak.
Because the medicinal effects had already kicked in.
"Ten thousand years… side effect…"
Before Xiao Wu could fully process Lin Yuan's words, she suddenly felt a warm current rise from her lower abdomen.
In the next instant, that current turned into raging flames, sweeping through her entire body!
"Hot…"
"So hot…"
Xiao Wu's already flushed little face now turned as red as a fully ripe apple.
She felt as though she had been tossed into a steamer, every drop of blood in her body boiling.
Sweat instantly soaked through her thin pink pajamas, clinging tightly to her body and outlining curves that, though still youthful, had already begun to take shape.
"Lin Yuan…"
Xiao Wu's eyes grew hazy as she looked at him with tear-filled eyes, her voice so soft and sweet it seemed as if water could be wrung from it.
"I feel so uncomfortable… It's like there's fire burning inside me. What should I do…"
Instinctively, she tried to seek out a source of coolness.
"What else can we do?"
Faced with this fragrant yet dangerous situation, Lin Yuan felt his head ache as well.
"Who told you to swallow it all in one gulp?"
"That was ten-thousand-year whale rubber! Even I only dare to refine it bit by bit!"
"Right now, the only thing you can do… is endure it!"
"Hurry and sit down cross-legged! Circulate your soul power! Guide this medicinal force into your limbs and bones to strengthen your body!"
"Don't waste it!"
However, in her current state, Xiao Wu couldn't possibly listen.
The intense heat had already robbed her of her reason.
She lunged straight at him, clinging to him like a koala, wrapping her arms and legs tightly around his body.
"Waaah… you're so cool…"
"Hug me…"
Boom!
Lin Yuan: A person at the very least shouldn't—and absolutely mustn't—do this. This is a criminal offense! At the very least, we have to wait another six years!
"What a sin!"
Lin Yuan's entire body went stiff. He didn't dare move an inch.
In his mind, he frantically chanted calming mantras.
...
Just like that, a full hour passed.
Only then did the scorching heat in Xiao Wu's body gradually subside.
"Huff… huff…"
Xiao Wu lay in Lin Yuan's arms, panting softly. Her whole body was drenched in sweat, as if she had just been pulled out of water.
But her eyes had regained their clarity.
"M-my body… seems a little tougher now?"
Seeing this, Lin Yuan finally let out a long sigh of relief and pried this octopus-like girl off him.
"Nonsense!"
"If ten-thousand-year whale rubber didn't work, would I have let you eat it?"
"I almost got you killed!" Lin Yuan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
Only then did Xiao Wu fully realize what she had just done.
Recalling how she had clung to Lin Yuan earlier, looking utterly "starved," refusing to let go—
"Ah!"
She let out a sharp scream and buried her face under the blanket, leaving only a pair of eyes filled with shame and indignation exposed.
"This is so embarrassing!"
"I can't face anyone anymore!"
Watching her ostrich-like behavior, Lin Yuan found it a little amusing, but his expression quickly turned serious as he warned her:
"Xiao Wu, listen carefully."
"About the effects of whale rubber—especially its ability to strengthen the body—you must keep it a secret!"
"The reason it's not particularly expensive on the market right now is because people don't recognize its true value."
"Once word gets out, the price will skyrocket. By then, we won't even be able to buy it."
"And also…"
Lin Yuan paused, a hint of 'warning' in his eyes. "What happened today absolutely cannot be mentioned to anyone, got it?"
If this got out, what would happen to his image as an "upright gentleman"?
Xiao Wu nodded furiously, like a chick pecking at grain.
She didn't want to say anything either!
If that fox Dugu Yan ever found out that she had eaten a "virility-enhancing medicine" and then thrown herself into Lin Yuan's arms…
How would she ever survive in the chat group?
Wouldn't she be laughed at for the rest of her life?
"Don't worry, Lin Yuan!"
Xiao Wu raised a little finger and said solemnly, "This is our secret!"
"Heaven knows, earth knows—you know, I know!"
Seeing how serious she looked, Lin Yuan sighed helplessly and hooked his finger with hers.
"Alright, hurry up and go take a shower. You're covered in sweat—smelly as hell."
"Hmph! I'm not smelly! I smell nice!"
Xiao Wu made a face at him, then hugged her clothes and dashed into the bathroom, her face red as she ran.
...
Time flowed on, swift as a galloping horse.
Cultivation knew no passage of years. In the blink of an eye, a year and a half had passed since the awkward incident of "accidentally eating whale rubber."
Nuoding City's mornings were still peaceful and serene, but the boy living in the small apartment had undergone earth-shaking changes.
Standing before the mirror, Lin Yuan was bare-chested. His once slightly slender frame was now covered in sleek, streamlined muscles.
They weren't exaggerated, blocky muscles, but finely honed lines packed with explosive power—full of beauty, like a cheetah poised to strike.
After a year and a half of uninterrupted nourishment from whale rubber, his physique had long surpassed that of soul masters at the same level.
"Rank twenty…"
Lin Yuan clenched his fist, sensing the overflowing soul power in his dantian. A sharp glint flashed through his eyes.
"I've finally reached this threshold. It's time to leave."
And there were two things he needed to do next.
First, naturally, was to hunt for his second soul ring.
As for the choice of his second soul skill, he had already given it deep thought over the past year and a half.
Ever since obtaining Ning Rongrong's ring-fusion talent, his combat style had been destined to follow the "nuclear explosion" path.
Once ring fusion was activated, the power of nine rings would converge at a single point—unleashing world-destroying damage!
This would be one of his trump cards.
But this move had a fatal weakness: a long wind-up and massive soul power consumption. After a single strike, he would fall into a weakened state.
If that attack missed, it would be over.
Therefore, he needed a skill that could guarantee a "100% hit rate"!
"No flashy enhancements needed—just something that ensures my shot never misses!"
A soul skill like this was perfect as a second soul skill.
After all, the further he progressed, the higher the year limits of his soul rings would become. At that point, enhancement-type soul skills would provide even greater amplification.
Unfortunately, soul beasts capable of producing such a soul skill didn't exist in hunting forests like those around Nuoding City.
Only the Star Dou Forest was home to soul beasts that could grant such abilities—such as the Thousand-Eyed Demon Eagle or the Soul-Locking Falcon.
"However, before I leave…"
...
End of Chapter