Under such a threat, Tang Ya had signed the contract in humilation.
She originally thought she would be treated in "indescribable" ways, much like the innocent maidens who fall into a den of thieves in the pulp novels she had peeked at as a child.
She even suspected that her dear roommate, Jiang Nannan, had long since fallen victim to this "beast in human clothing"—forced into a hundred and eight different positions every single night.
I knew it! No wonder Nannan always comes back to the dorm so late and collapses into bed immediately, looking utterly exhausted! So that's why!
In that instant, Tang Ya's mind had conjured up a vast array of scenarios.
However, the reality was that all she needed to do each day was manifest her Martial Soul, use her innate talent to devour Life Force, and consume the life energy of certain plants or Soul Beasts as per this guy's requirements.
Then came the day-after-day routine of eating various types of Blue Silver Grass.
Usually, at this time, this fellow would record data and then demand she manifest her Martial Soul again for his research.
Not only was there none of the terrible treatment she had anticipated, but the reckless and frantic absorption of Life Force actually caused her cultivation speed to soar by leaps and bounds.
However... Why do I have to eat grass every day?! I'm not a rabbit!
Tang Ya felt a bit conflicted, but she had no choice; one must bow when under another's roof.
Closing her eyes and suppressed her revulsion, Tang Ya swallowed the Blue Silver Grass, instinctively chewing it.
Huh?
Tang Ya chewed again.
Hmm...
It seemed today's batch was actually quite delicious?!
Tang Ya was shocked. Upon chewing, this version of the Blue Silver Grass released an exceptionally sweet surge of Life Force. Immediately, her innate devouring ability was triggered naturally.
The Life Force from the grass was rapidly absorbed, nourishing her Soul Power while replenishing her vitality. At the same time, an indescribable sense of satisfaction flooded her entire body.
Such... pure Life Force.
This energy didn't have the bitterness of the plants she usually absorbed, nor the fishy stench often found in the Life Force of Soul Beasts. Instead, it was incomparably pure—the very taste of life itself. Tang Ya even felt that her Martial Soul had become much "cleaner."
However, the satisfaction came and went just as quickly. In a mere moment, the feeling receded like a tide, as if everything just now had been an illusion.
Tang Ya blinked, an inexplicable sense of emptiness welling up in her heart. Unconsciously, she looked at Huo Yuhao, who was busy recording data, and spoke cautiously:
"Um... that Blue Silver Grass just now..."
After a full semester, Tang Ya had mostly figured out the personality of this "Mr. Skydream." Simply put: as long as you cooperated with the experiments, he was very easy to talk to!
"Serial number 41-2, Life-Purifying Blue Silver Grass," Huo Yuhao answered casually.
After that Shrek meeting, the first thing Huo Yuhao did was travel with Gu Yuena to the valley where the Blue Silver Emperor resided in his previous life.
After a "simple and friendly" exchange, the Blue Silver Emperor successfully signed Huo Yuhao's contract and became a proud employee of the Spirit Transmission Pagoda.
Next, Huo Yuhao took the Blue Silver Emperor to the Lake of Life to show off the various Blue Silver Grass strains he had recently bred. Then, using the Spectral Demiplane as a transit point, they jumped to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
After relaying all his ideas and plans to the Blue Silver Emperor, the two began the cultivation of various specialized Blue Silver Grass.
Of course, Huo Yuhao mainly designed the general direction, while all the actual labor was dumped onto the Blue Silver Emperor. Huo Yuhao himself simply waited for the results.
This "41-2 Life-Purifying Blue Silver Grass" was one of the latest breeding results developed by researching the "Devouring" characteristic of Tang Ya's Martial Soul.
During its growth, this grass would naturally draw from and devour the Life Force of surrounding Blue Silver Grass. Under the dual enhancement of the Blue Silver Emperor's assistance and the ten-fold growth speed of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, this process was accelerated and intensified.
Consequently, Huo Yuhao had first obtained "41-1 Life Blue Silver Grass." The Life Force contained in this strain was roughly six hundred times that of normal Blue Silver Grass—equivalent to a Soul Beast that had just broken through the ten-year level.
Crucially, cultivating "41-1" took only a single day!
And that was only because it was the first time breeding such a type; time was lost to trial and error.
However, perhaps because it was too "instant," while the Life Force content in "41-1" was decent, it was extremely chaotic. Once it grew to roughly the hundred-year level, it would die abruptly due to the chaotic energy.
Thus, building on "41-1," Huo Yuhao attempted to add his own power of purification to cleanse the chaos.
Finally, he obtained the "41-2" that Tang Ya just ate.
Because the Life Force in the improved "41-2" was no longer chaotic, the energy contained within it was three to four times higher than "41-1" for the same cultivation time, and the quality was much higher.
According to Huo Yuhao's deductions, if a Soul Master with a plant-system or life-system Martial Soul consumed "41-2" over a long period, it would strengthen their Martial Soul and increase its purity, creating the possibility of Martial Soul evolution.
This was already, in a sense, a "Heavenly Treasure," and a mass-producible one at that!
After all, no matter how it changed, its essence was still Blue Silver Grass. As long as there was a patch of dirt, it could be grown!
Yet, Huo Yuhao was not satisfied.
He wanted to go a step further. He wanted to breed a type of Blue Silver Grass that could absorb Heaven-and-Earth Primordial Energy or Life Force and rapidly convert it into Soul Power!
That was the ultimate goal. Things like "41-2" were merely byproducts of the experiments—useful, but not revolutionary.
"Summon your Martial Soul," Huo Yuhao said.
Tang Ya nodded obediently and summoned her Martial Soul in the palm of her hand, carefully lifting it to Huo Yuhao's eye level.
The phantom of the Eye of Destiny emerged from his forehead. A brilliant golden light flowed from the depths of his eyes, exuding a hint of nobility.
Tang Ya blinked and instinctively swallowed, then looked away as if nothing had happened.
Despite being tricked into signing that contract, Tang Ya had to admit—this guy was seriously good-looking!
Before the holiday, he was a middle-aged man in his forties! On the way back, she heard news that he was a twenty-two-year-old youth, but meeting him in person... he felt like a handsome teenager not much older than herself.
Sometimes, Tang Ya even inexplicably felt that his supposed age of twenty-two was also a lie—that he might only be fourteen, fifteen, or maybe sixteen or seventeen.
Strong, young, and handsome... she finally understood why her best friend had "betrayed" her. Maybe Nannan had already fallen for him long ago!!!