Only then did she recall Su Wen mentioning his trip to the Extreme North to capture his second soul beast.
She had never cared about Su Wen's strength.
Only whether he had eaten well, slept well, and returned safely.
"My second soul beast is an Ice Jade Scorpion,"
Su Wen explained.
"It possesses Extreme Ice as a natural attribute."
"Extreme… Ice…"
Each word made Ling Luochen's usually icy eyes burn hotter.
She stared at Su Wen as if she might drool.
Seeing her best friend gaze so intently, Ma Xiaotao suddenly felt a sense of danger.
Wait—did I just introduce him to a cow eyeing tender grass?!
"Ahem—lights-out is coming. We should head back."
Ma Xiaotao quickly wrapped an arm around Ling Luochen and pushed her toward the dormitory.
Ling Luochen turned her head again and again as she was dragged away.
Su Wen shrugged.
Meeting a senior deeply connected to the original story wasn't bad—networking was important.
...
Two years passed in the blink of an eye.
Su Wen spent most of his days in the Sea God Pavilion.
Training.
Eating at Aunt Lu's place.
Feeding high-tier soul-beast meat to Ice Sovereign and Gale.
And occasionally helping Xiao Tao suppress her flames (physically).
At ten years old, his strength surged to Level 30, just one step away from becoming a Soul Elder.
Inside a private, high-level training room.
Hiss...
Ice and fire intertwined.
White mist filled the room.
Seconds later.....
Su Wen wiped sweat from his forehead, hands braced on his knees as he bent over and exhaled deeply.
From within the mist, a figure slowly emerged.
"What? Already exhausted?"
Ma Xiaotao, in her complete form, stood before him.
Her long, snow-white legs entered his view first....followed by a slender waist and then an overwhelming presence.
Compared to two years ago, the change was dramatic.
Though Su Wen had grown to 1.7 meters, Ma Xiaotao still exerted undeniable pressure.
She smiled brightly, cheeks flushed.
While Su Wen panted heavily, she laughed lightly behind her hand.
"Sister Xiao Tao-, you're already at peak Soul King,"
Su Wen rolled his eyes.
"I'm just a Grand Soul Master. There's a thirty-level gap."
He casually tossed a shirt over his shoulder.
He no longer feared the cold.....and Xiao Tao loved burning clothes....so he often trained shirtless.
As he matured, his physique grew increasingly defined, broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted.
Leaving the training room.
They were now in the Inner Court.
Not many students.....but most recognized Su Wen and greeted him casually as they headed toward the Sea God Pavilion.
They chatted as they walked.
"The academy recently formed a team,"
Ma Xiaotao said.
"Dean Yan will personally lead them to the Star Dou Forest to hunt soul beasts. I signed up. Want to come?"
"…Of course."
Su Wen nodded.
This team was practically tailor-made for the two of them.
Even if Ma Xiaotao hadn't mentioned it, Yan Shaozhe would have come personally.
Su Wen's importance to Shrek was unquestionable.
The academy tracked his cultivation closely....now that he'd reached a bottleneck, they wouldn't let him waste time.
"It's time for a third soul beast."
Once he obtained it, all bonded soul beasts would automatically advance to their second evolutionary form.
Based on Su Wen's judgment, this stage was critical.
Bloodline.
Skills.
Attributes.
Everything was about to change.
And not just appearances.
"Yay!"
Ma Xiaotao hugged Su Wen's neck happily.
Ah… open your mouth."
Ma Xiaotao blew gently on the piece of whale glue that had been melted by her Phoenix Flames, then pushed it into Su Wen's mouth. Satisfied, she clapped her hands lightly.
"I actually don't need this…"
Su Wen chewed on the several-thousand-year-old whale glue. It melted instantly upon contact, tasteless like wax, yet he couldn't help feeling a bit regretful.
Whale glue strengthened the body and increased one's tolerance for higher soul-ring years.
In later eras, the 'maximum soul-ring year limit' theory proposed by the Master gradually became obsolete.....at least for top-tier geniuses.
The system almost felt inflated.
For example, Wang Dong'er's second soul ring was already a thousand years old, yet within Shrek Academy, reactions were surprisingly mild.
But Su Wen didn't rely on soul rings at all.
To him, this thing was borderline useless.
"Hmph."
Ma Xiaotao let out a casual hum.
"Wait…"
Su Wen froze for a moment....then suddenly realized something.
Whale glue didn't only enhance physical limits.
It also had… endurance-enhancing effects.
…Damn it.
"Ah, Xiao Wen is here too."
A warm voice sounded.
Inside a standalone Inner Court dormitory, several figures walked in one after another.
Seeing Ma Xiaotao and Su Wen together like this, none of them seemed surprised. Some even wore teasing expressions.....it was obvious that most Inner Court students already knew about their relationship.
"Senior Yuheng? And…"
Su Wen paused slightly.
These people were all familiar to him.
Or rather, very famous in the original story.
Gongyang Mo, Dai Yuheng, Chen Zifeng, and others.
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