"I'm back!"
The young man's voice, full of vigor, shook the entire apartment.
Accompanied by a flurry of hurried sounds and footsteps, Xie Yue and Yan, who were on the first floor, simultaneously opened the door and peered out, spotting Wang Zhong with a smile.
"Wang Zhong, you're back!" they both shouted.
Immediately after, they rushed forward, each giving Wang Zhong a fierce hug.
"That's right, the year-end grand competition is about to begin, so of course, I had to come back," Wang Zhong said with a smile. Before his voice even faded, a figure suddenly dashed down from the second floor and threw himself into his arms, hugging him tightly as if afraid he would disappear.
Hugging Hu Liena, who was in his embrace, Wang Zhong said gently, "Nana, I'm back."
"Mm. I know, I know!" Hu Liena's voice was slightly low and hoarse. In the past, when Wang Zhong left, at least she knew he was at the academy. But this time, he had inexplicably gone all the way to Spirit Martial City, a thousand miles away. How could she not miss him?
After a tight embrace for a while, Hu Liena finally suppressed the excitement in her heart and moved away from Wang Zhong's arms. Xie Yue and Yan, standing beside them, showed no significant reaction, as they were already used to it.
"I brought gifts for all of you this time!" Wang Zhong said with a mysterious smile. He beckoned to the three of them, walked to the hall, and closed the door. Once the four of them were seated in a circle, he took out the Ruyi Hundred Treasures Bag from his embrace under their expectant gazes.
"A soul tool?" Xie Yue scratched his head. They all had one of these now. Although Hu Liena had forcibly taken possession of the Purple Crystal Card snatched from Wang Zhong, she had later used her own Purple Crystal Card, after winning her successive battles against higher-ranked opponents, to buy one for Xie Yue and Yan each. As for Wang Zhong, since he already had one, Hu Liena hadn't bought him one. Now, with Wang Zhong pulling one out, Xie Yue couldn't help but wonder if he thought they still didn't have one and had brought it specifically for them. That would be quite awkward!
"Yes, a soul tool."
"But this soul tool itself isn't the gift. I can't give this to you. The things inside are the gifts!" Wang Zhong noticed the odd looks from his companions and quickly stuffed the Ruyi Hundred Treasures Bag back into his embrace. He had to be cautious, as these people had a history.
"Alright, Zhong, don't look like you're guarding against thieves," Hu Liena said with a gentle laugh. "I bought one for my brother and Yan a few months ago." Seeing Wang Zhong's cautious demeanor, she couldn't help but find it amusing and explained with a light chuckle.
"Heh, that's not necessarily true!" Wang Zhong kept the Ruyi Hundred Treasures Bag tightly hidden, saying triumphantly, "My soul tool can store living things. Can yours do that?"
"Store living things!"
"Store living things!"
"Store living things!" Three exclamations burst forth. Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan stared at the item in Wang Zhong's embrace with utter astonishment. A soul tool that could store living beings was truly a rare and precious treasure in the world, something priceless, much like a soul bone.
"Heh heh, of course!"
"But, to make it clear, you can't snatch this thing. If you do, I'll get angry." Wang Zhong said earnestly to the three individuals with a history and who were already getting restless. Seeing the seriousness on Wang Zhong's face, the three of them abandoned their mischievous thoughts. They were fine with usual banter and playful teasing, but if something was truly important to Wang Zhong, they wouldn't treat it lightly. Moderation, proportion, and boundaries – these were the foundations of friendship and playfulness!
"Zhong, hurry up and show me what you brought," Hu Liena urged Wang Zhong with a smile, eager for him to reveal the gifts.
"Okay, don't be impatient. I'll show you right now." As he spoke, Wang Zhong waved his hand, and three immortal herbs, one fiery red, one deep blue, and one bright yellow, floated quietly above his palm.
"Uh, flowers?" Xie Yue's eyebrows twitched, and his words came out without much thought. "Wang Zhong, did you bring these things from so far away and get them mixed up? Are they for Nana?" However, he quickly reacted and said calmly, "Yan and I are both guys. We're not interested in flowers and plants. They're too effeminate!" Yan nodded in agreement; he wasn't the type to appreciate flowers and plants either.
Wang Zhong rolled his eyes at the two of them and said with a huff, "What do you know? These are spirit medicines! Rare immortal-grade spirit medicines of the continent!"
The three of them looked shocked. The value of such medicinal herbs far exceeded their imaginations. Seeing their serious expressions, Wang Zhong nodded with satisfaction. That's right; once they recognized the importance of the immortal herbs, they wouldn't be coveting his Ruyi Hundred Treasures Bag anymore. This was Wang Zhong's little plan.
"Here, Nana, this is the Rosy Tulip for you."
"This Phoenix Rooster Comb is for Yan."
"And this Odd-Grown Heaven-Reaching Chrysanthemum is for Xie Yue."
After handing the three medicinal herbs to each of them, Wang Zhong gave specific instructions on how to consume them. "Nana, the Rosy Tulip cannot be swallowed. You need to lightly inhale the essence from the pistil, slowly absorbing its essence, and then cultivate your soul power gradually, allowing the medicinal properties to spread throughout your body."
"Xie Yue, for the Odd-Grown Heaven-Reaching Chrysanthemum, eat the Heaven-Reaching pistil first, then eat the petals one by one. Don't eat the stem."
"Yan, for your Phoenix Rooster Comb, there's nothing special to note. Just eat it directly."
After giving instructions to the three of them, Wang Zhong looked at them expectantly, urging them, "Eat them quickly. After eating them, your future cultivation will be several times faster!"
However, Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan exchanged glances and did not move to eat. Finally, Hu Liena stepped forward and asked, "Zhong, what about yours?"
"Yeah, you gave us the immortal herbs, what about yourself!" Xie Yue held the Odd-Grown Heaven-Reaching Chrysanthemum, his expression filled with complex emotions.
"These kinds of things are hard to come by naturally, and there aren't many. You gave them all to us, and you don't have any yourself. How can we eat them?" Yan, on the other hand, directly placed the Phoenix Rooster Comb back on the table. Pure friendship could change many things. He couldn't accept Wang Zhong's gifts and become stronger without feeling guilty. If everyone had one, no one would care whose medicinal effect was stronger or weaker. But now, the problem was there were only three immortal herbs. One of them was destined to have none. Such a result made neither Hu Liena, Xie Yue, nor Yan feel at ease accepting them.
"I've already eaten!" Wang Zhong explained, but the three of them ignored him. Xie Yue and Hu Liena also put their medicinal herbs back on the table.
"Zhong, these three medicinal herbs were brought back by you. We won't eat them. You should eat them all!" Since it was impossible for everyone to have one, the person who brought them should eat them all. This had always been their way of interacting. At most, Hu Liena might get a share, but Xie Yue and Yan resolutely refused.
Wang Zhong picked up the Phoenix Rooster Comb and placed it back into Yan's hand, then pushed the Rosy Tulip and Odd-Grown Heaven-Reaching Chrysanthemum back into the other two's hands. Wang Zhong pointed to his eyes and said, "Look at this!"
As the three of them watched, Wang Zhong's right eye strangely turned fiery red, and his left eye turned ice blue. This scene stunned them; they had never imagined that someone's eyes could change like this. Especially within their eyes, the small, constantly swaying figures of the flowers gave off an indescribable sense of wonder.
"Now do you believe me?"
"The small medicinal herb figures swaying in my eyes now are immortal-grade medicinal herbs. You don't need to worry that I don't have any!"
"If I really didn't have any, I wouldn't give them to you! At most, I'd quietly give one to Nana!" Wang Zhong's matter-of-fact statement made Xie Yue and Yan's eyebrows twitch violently. This sounded like they two were somewhat superfluous!
"Heh, is that so? You're such a good friend!" Xie Yue patted Wang Zhong's shoulder heavily, his words laced with gritted teeth. Yan, on the other hand, immediately grabbed an immortal herb, walked to the side, and started chewing it vigorously. He felt a bit down and needed something to comfort himself. Hu Liena covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyes squinting with amusement.
After a period of lighthearted teasing, the two of them also found a spot and sat down cross-legged, consuming the immortal herbs according to Wang Zhong's instructions. A while later, Yan, who had eaten the Phoenix Rooster Comb first, was now meditating with his eyes closed. A terrifying flame erupted from his body, burning away all the clothes on his upper body. His Flame Lord martial soul manifested. As the flames intensified, the Flame Lord underwent a transformation. The flames surrounding it became purer, and the martial soul, which was originally composed almost entirely of scorched rocks, now emitted raging fire. The flames clung to the rocks, compressing and condensing into a suit of pure flame armor. The transformation didn't stop there; the flames rose, forming a crown-like structure on the Flame Lord's head, and in its right hand, a long sword composed of flames and scorched rocks appeared.
"What is this? Flame Sword Monarch?" Wang Zhong tilted his head, guessing in confusion. Of course, this name was just a guess; he didn't understand the specifics. As for Xie Yue, who had eaten the Odd-Grown Heaven-Reaching Chrysanthemum, the change in him was minimal. Even his martial soul remained unchanged – a pair of crescent-shaped dual blades. However, they seemed more solid and sharper. Hu Liena's transformation was truly astonishing enough to make Wang Zhong's eyes almost pop out. Ever since Hu Liena consumed the Rosy Tulip, her Enchanting Fox martial soul had been guarding her, and shrouded in the overflowing pink mist, her seductive aura had surged. Moreover, under Wang Zhong's gaze, Hu Liena's martial soul began to grow tails!
"One, two, three... seven, eight, nine!" Silently counting the tails behind the Enchanting Fox, Wang Zhong's eyebrows twitched wildly. It was the same as his second martial soul – nine tails! The second nine-tailed fox had been born! It's just that Wang Zhong's was a mutated physical martial soul, while Hu Liena's was a normal martial soul.