Chapter 83: Revisiting the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well
After bathing and changing clothes, Ning Rongrong's spirit was so drained that she didn't even want to talk to Qi Tian anymore.
"Rongrong, I have a secret medicine that can rapidly strengthen your physical body. Do you want it?" Qi Tian asked.
"What kind of secret medicine?"
Ning Rongrong forced herself to stay alert.
Although she had been working hard these past few days, if there was a shortcut, she definitely wouldn't refuse it.
And since Qi Tian was the one offering it, she trusted that this shortcut wouldn't negatively affect her future spirit-soul contract.
"The recipe is a secret. I can't tell you."
"But the medicine is expensive. You'll need to give me some gold soul coins," Qi Tian said.
"Expensive? How much?"
Ning Rongrong felt uneasy. Though she had money, anything too expensive would require her father's approval.
"Five thousand gold soul coins."
"What?! Only five thousand?"
Ning Rongrong let out a breath of relief. From Qi Tian's tone, she thought he was about to say fifty thousand.
Five thousand was an amount she could provide on her own.
Since Qi Tian had taken the spare money in her soul tool last time, she had gone to the money house to withdraw more for emergencies.
"Senior, I have five thousand gold soul coins in my soul tool. Please use it to prepare the medicine."
'Tsk. She's filthy rich. Looks like I undercharged her for my service,' Qi Tian thought.
Not that it mattered—he had already taken quite a bit of her money before.
Qi Tian retrieved the coins from her soul tool and instructed his main body to soften a chunk of whale glue over the fire before transporting it over through the Sea God Pearl.
"This… is the secret medicine?"
Ning Rongrong stared at the soft, yellowish blob uncertainly.
"That's right," Qi Tian replied, and popped the softened whale rubber directly into his mouth.
Whale Rubber was extremely valuable. Normal people only scraped off a tiny bit of powder to consume, which was already enough to greatly replenish their vitality.
Soul Masters, with stronger bodies, could soften the whale rubber with heat and swallow it whole.
A wave of hot, fishy stench spread through the senses—nauseating to the extreme. Ning Rongrong, who had been mentally exhausted just moments before, suddenly felt wide awake.
"So disgusting…" she complained in Qi Tian's mind.
If she were the one eating it, she would have spit it out immediately.
Qi Tian, however, was accustomed to it. After swallowing the whale rubber, his body gradually grew warm.
"Well? Do you feel your body getting stronger?" Qi Tian asked.
Whale Rubber worked quickly. Even before Qi Tian finished speaking, Ning Rongrong felt her entire body brimming with vitality.
But at the same time, she couldn't help recalling the nightmares she'd been having—nightmares of being bullied by the faceless Qi Tian. The feeling was strange and unsettling.
Qi Tian, being the "Master of Gun Control," naturally wasn't affected by the side effects of whale rubber. After some preparation, he headed out to cultivate.
Ning Rongrong wasn't so lucky.
She felt like crying—her mind and body both felt impure.
She suspected the medicine Qi Tian fed her wasn't exactly… proper. But she had no evidence.
---
In the blink of an eye, nearly half a year passed. Qi Tian had just turned eleven.
He trained diligently while living a blissful, almost celestial life with Zhu Zhuqing.
At the same time, he continued to "guide" Ning Rongrong, using her identity to approach Gu Rong and Chen Xin and ask them for pointers on cultivation.
During these six months, Qi Tian advanced once again—his soul power breaking through to Rank 35.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't fall behind either. Perhaps because her inner knot had loosened, her cultivation soared, reaching Rank 25.
Ning Rongrong also changed greatly. Qi Tian witnessed all her hard work during this period firsthand.
Her soul power had also broken through to Rank 24, drawing considerable attention within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
If even the pampered young lady—who could've relied solely on her beauty, identity, and talent—was working this hard, what excuse did anyone else have to slack off?
Qi Tian possessed Ning Rongrong once again, and she greeted him skillfully with her usual "Senior," before reporting her cultivation progress of the past few days.
"Not bad. I've seen your effort," Qi Tian praised.
Ning Rongrong beamed. "Senior, do I get a reward?"
Over the past half-year, she had received many things from him—medicated baths to relieve fatigue, whale rubber, and even the Mysterious Heaven Skill.
And all she had done in return was follow his training regimen diligently… plus contribute some cold, shiny gold soul coins.
"Hmm… let me think." Qi Tian pretended to ponder deeply.
Ning Rongrong looked at him with hopeful eyes. After six months, she had long grown accustomed to his presence.
She even had the crazy thought of inviting him to reveal his true form and join the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect as her personal guard.
Such a position was no small matter. A clan member's personal guard was usually chosen as their future partner.
Of course, the clan master was an exception.
As long as Qi Tian was willing to show himself, had a decent appearance and strength, she was ready to… invest.
"How about this? I'll take you to collect a medicinal herb," Qi Tian said.
The herb he wanted was the Chromatic Tulip, which would allow Ning Rongrong's martial soul to evolve into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
If her martial soul evolved and she gained the potential to break through to Title Douluo, she would never dare slack off again.
Once Ning Rongrong was fully transformed, Qi Tian's mission would be almost complete.
Though she felt a tinge of disappointment, Ning Rongrong still happily replied, "Thank you, Senior!"
"Good. I'll find Bone Douluo and have him act as your temporary guardian," Qi Tian said.
As the young sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Rongrong was constantly watched and absolutely forbidden from traveling alone.
Qi Tian wouldn't risk anything either, so he chose the second strongest soul master among the clan's four thousand members—Gu Rong.
Not only was Bone Douluo powerful, but he also adored Ning Rongrong. The chances of convincing him to escort her were extremely high.
And with Bone Douluo accompanying, Ning Fengzhi naturally had no objections.
---
Sunset Forest. An elderly man and a young girl hurried deeper into the woods.
"Rongrong, you're only Rank 24. It's not even time for you to absorb your next soul ring. What are you doing here?"
"Grandpa Bone, don't ask so much," Qi Tian—using her voice—replied vaguely, unable to explain.
"Fine, fine. I won't ask," Gu Rong chuckled helplessly.
With some nervousness, Qi Tian made his way toward the center of Sunset Forest. He wasn't sure whether the immortal herbs at the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well were still there.
After all, knowledgeable people like Bibi Dong and Liu Erlong knew about this place and were fully capable of claiming it.
Not to mention that Bibi Dong had Chrysanthemum Douluo as her guard, and his inheritance included information about immortal herbs.
If Bibi Dong had learned everything, she might have already stripped the entire area clean.
With these worries weighing on his mind, Qi Tian finally reached the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well with Bone Douluo.
"Who goes there?"
A figure flashed across the mountain near the spring, instantly spotted by Bone Douluo.
—
End of Chapter