Chapter 30 – Ongoing Cultivation
Lin Beiya's expression froze for a moment—had she been waiting here for him all along?
Honestly, if he told her back then that whale rubber could strengthen the body, she wouldn't have believed him!
He turned toward the bookshelf and pulled out the book Hundred Mysteries of the Continent's Rare Treasures—the very one the little angel had given him. He waved the cover teasingly in front of her, silently reminding her how she treated the whale rubber back then.
A faint blush crept up Qian Renxue's cheeks, her fierce expression crumbling almost instantly. Her index fingers twisted awkwardly in front of her as she mumbled, eyes darting around,
"T-That… Can you really blame me? That stuff used to be considered…"
Lin Beiya spread his hands,
"I never blamed you. You're the one who's blaming me, aren't you?"
"You think if I'd told you to eat that fishy, sticky thing, saying it could 'strengthen your body,' you wouldn't have come charging at me with an Angel Charge?!"
Qian Renxue's voice weakened as her eyes flicked to the furnishings in the room. Still, she tried to defend herself weakly.
"I… I'm not that violent, am I?"
"Heh."
The look on Lin Beiya's face screamed, Do you really think I'd buy that?
Her temper nearly exploded on the spot, but thankfully, he tactfully changed the subject.
"Right, Xiaoxue—have you started taking the whale rubber yet?"
"I did last night. Melted a small piece with soul power before swallowing it. My whole body felt hot at first, but once I refined the medicine, it was actually quite comfortable."
"Mm. That's the whale rubber, gradually improving your physique. Keep taking it—it might smell terrible and look worse, but the effects are undeniable."
"With your physical training, your body should be able to handle at least a two-thousand-year soul ring for your third ring."
Hearing that she could also surpass the usual absorption limit, Qian Renxue's interest spiked—but she wasn't the type to settle easily.
"Why should I, the dignified Miss Qian, settle for a mere two-thousand-year soul ring? Hmph, I'll take a three-thousand-year one!"
Lin Beiya looked at her with a deadpan look, inwardly scoffing. Sure, maybe her body could withstand a three-thousand-year soul ring, but there was no way her grandfather would ever let her take that risk.
"Then go convince the Grand Worship first. Personally, I do believe our Xiao Xue could handle a three-thousand-year soul ring."
"Ah!!!"
The moment he mentioned her grandfather, Qian Renxue instantly deflated like a popped balloon. She knew full well her elders would never allow her to take risks just to reach the soul ring limit of her body.
Lin Beiya's presence had already given her plenty of pressure—she wanted to keep her soul power above his, and a higher-year soul ring was the key to doing so.
"Unless your body's endurance reaches nearly four thousand years, forget about a three-thousand-year soul ring."
Qian Renxue shot him a death glare—four thousand years? Seriously? She was already Rank 28; in half a year, she'd probably reach Rank 30. Did he really think she could push her physical limit that far in just a few months?
"I heard some so-called grandmaster once said you can keep cultivating even without absorbing soul rings. Maybe you could try that?"
"Pfft! Stop reading those trash theories. How could a Soul Master's cultivation speed compare to a Soul Grandmaster's? That's just backwards logic!"
Lin Beiya rolled his eyes—of course, he knew that. But what else could he do? There really wasn't any other safe way to help her take on a higher-year ring.
"In that case, we'll just have to double your physical training."
"D-Double?!"
Her golden eyes widened in disbelief as she gulped audibly.
She'd already been pushing herself to the brink just to keep up with Lin Beiya's training pace. If he doubled it now… She wondered if she would turn from an angel into a bird after the training was over.
"It's not a must," Lin Beiya chuckled. "You could just behave and absorb a two-thousand-year soul ring instead."
"Grk… crack…"
Qian Renxue's jaw clenched as she glared at him.
Seeing Lin Beiya's smug, gloating expression, Qian Renxue gritted her teeth in frustration. But as proud as she was, there was no way she'd let anyone look down on her.
"Fine! Let's do this! I'll show you what true talent looks like!"
Moments later, on the training field, Lei Ying could only stare blankly at the two maniacs sprinting like they'd just been injected with chicken blood.
"What on earth did they take this morning?" she muttered.
Lin Beiya jogged past with weighted gear strapped to his body, glancing back with a grin as he pumped his fists toward Qian Renxue.
"Come on, Xiaoxue! Let's go!"
"Right! From today on—no laziness, no giving up, and no mere two-thousand-year soul rings!"
Hours later, Lei Ying stood beside Qian Renxue, who was lying flat on her back, looking like she'd lost the will to live.
"It's so hot today. Want a bowl of cold noodles to cool off?" she asked casually.
The little angel cracked her eyes open, looking as if she had seen a savior.
"No scallions… no cilantro… thank you…"
Lin Beiya happened to jog by just in time to overhear that and couldn't resist snickering.
"Tch. Shameless."
Qian Renxue pretended not to hear his teasing mutter. The training intensity had increased far too quickly—how could he expect her to just double her training overnight? That was practically asking the great Miss Qian to die!
Still, the whale rubber craze swept through the academy once again. Inspired by Lin Beiya and Qian Renxue's relentless effort, Lei Ying no longer dared to slack off.
When those with better talent than you work even harder than you do, how could you possibly stay idle?
With competition heating up, all three of their training regimens intensified dramatically.
Lin Beiya didn't know how strong his body needed to become to awaken his "cosmo," but one thing was certain—building a stronger physique could only bring benefits. So he kept training relentlessly, leaving the rest to fate.
At the academy, he also passed on his "five-sense training method" to Shi Nuo. Since Shi Nuo's martial soul lacked agility, sharpening his senses could help him anticipate opponents' attacks ahead of time.
The chubby boy didn't dare slack off either—if there was any method that could help him catch up to Lin Beiya, he'd grit his teeth and endure it, no matter how exhausting.
It turned out that martial souls really did influence their owners' temperaments—Shi Nuo's "ox-like perseverance" was living proof.
Nine months passed in the blink of an eye. Lin Beiya had now been cultivating for two and a half years, reaching Rank 25 in soul power. His physical strength had grown to the level of an assault-type Soul Ancestor, and his sensory training results were even more terrifying—he could now live his daily life with his eyes closed and still spar against Qian Renxue and Lei Ying without even opening them.
The only regret was that he still hadn't discovered how to truly ignite his Cosmo, nor could he use his battle techniques without wearing his Gold Saint Cloth.
That led him to conclude: Saint Techniques required the power of the cosmo, and the Gold Saint Cloth's function was to convert soul power into that cosmo energy.
Meanwhile, chubby Shi Nuo, after a full year of high-intensity training, had reached Rank 19, becoming the second-strongest in the class, just behind Lin Beiya.
Even Yu Quan, who possessed innate ninth-rank soul power, had been left in his dust.
Three months ago, the little angel herself had obtained her third soul ring—a 2,900-year-old one, barely meeting her expectations.
The ring granted her a defensive-type soul skill called "Angel's Guard," effectively covering her previous weakness.
After returning, she immediately challenged Lin Beiya again—only to lose, of course.
No matter if he used Aries's Crystal Wall or Taurus's Iaido Barrier, she couldn't break through his defenses.
Only when she wore the Aries Gold Saint Cloth and unleashed Starlight Extinction could she barely hold her own against him for a few brief exchanges.
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(End of Chapter)