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After more than a month of travel, the carriage was now about a hundred miles outside Spirit City.
"Level 49…"
Dai Chengfeng took a deep breath, stopping the circulation of his Xiantian Technique, and felt the intensity of his soul power. A flicker of satisfaction flashed deep within his golden-blue eyes.
Through cultivation during their journey, along with the lingering effects of the Dragon Pill, his soul power had directly risen from level 47 to 49.
Though it was only two levels, for Dai Chengfeng, this was already quite rapid.
After all, the extreme gold attribute granted him far greater soul power strength and destructive power than other soul masters of the same rank, even imbuing each of his soul skills with unmatched sharpness.
However, this unparalleled quality of soul power came with its own price…
His soul power was like dense, heavy liquid metal. The mental focus and time required to manipulate, condense, and circulate it far exceeded that of geniuses with ordinary or singular soul attributes.
For others, soul power flowed like water—nimble and swift;
But his soul power was akin to viscous, heavy mercury. Though immensely powerful, it also carried a much stronger "inertia."
Still, Dai Chengfeng didn't mind. After all, the advantages were obvious: his soul power's strength far surpassed that of non-extreme attributes.
"With gains come losses—it's truly fair…"
Dai Chengfeng shook his head and chuckled.
This slight disadvantage in speed was completely acceptable given the overwhelming advantage in sheer strength.
"Mrrrrawr…"
Just then, an unhappy and slightly aggrieved voice interrupted his thoughts as he opened his eyes.
Seeing that Dai Chengfeng still hadn't acknowledged her after waking up, Qiu'er's big golden eyes filled with accusation as she continued to wait for his attention, lost in the fluctuations of his soul power.
Then, using her soft, furry little head, she rubbed against the palm of Dai Chengfeng's hand while emitting a whimper unique to young beasts—a sound tinged with coquettishness—as if saying:
Cultivating is nowhere near as important as playing with me!
Dai Chengfeng chuckled and looked down at the pitifully adorable little creature in his arms. He momentarily set aside his joy over reaching the 49th level and affectionately ruffled her soft, silky golden fur, which felt like the finest silk.
"All right, all right, I'm awake now. Our little Qiu'er is so well-behaved—is she hungry?"
Dai Chengfeng's voice was gentle, filled with boundless fondness.
"Meow~"
Upon seeing Dai Chengfeng's comforting gestures, Qiu'er's sense of grievance lessened slightly, but she still stared at him with her big, round eyes, extending her pink little tongue to lick his fingers—a clear indication:
Play with me! Feed me something tasty!
"All right, all right, all right…"
Dai Chengfeng smiled patiently and spent some more time soothing the little one. Eventually, she was distracted by a piece of tender spirit beast jerky, rolling around on the cushion happily and contentedly leaving him alone. Only then did Dai Chengfeng let out a sigh of relief.
This little troublemaker was even harder to please than advancing through cultivation stages.
At this moment, he finally raised his head again, his gaze falling on Bibi Dong, who had been quietly sitting in the carriage.
"Teacher, it's already evening. If we continue traveling, we'll likely arrive at the gates of Spirit City late at night."
"Wouldn't it be better to find an inn nearby to rest for the night and enter the city early tomorrow morning?"
The fading light of dusk filtered through the gaps in the carriage curtains, casting the interior in a dim glow.
Bibi Dong slowly opened her deep purple eyes and swept a glance at Dai Chengfeng.
Her gaze lingered on him for a brief moment, particularly on the subtle yet noticeably denser fluctuations of his soul power that he couldn't completely conceal. Then, without a word, she turned her attention back to the window, seemingly gazing at the swiftly passing rural twilight.
"…Okay."
A single, cold, and concise word escaped her lips—a sign of approval.
"In that case, Teacher, hold on tight! Let's go!"
Dai Chengfeng chuckled, pulling on the reins as the carriage accelerated.
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After roughly half an hour, the carriage slowly came to a stop in front of a modest inn located on the outskirts of a bustling village.
The inn wasn't large—a two-story wooden building that showed signs of age but was still relatively clean and tidy.
Dai Chengfeng was the first to jump down from the carriage, stretching his neck and loosening his muscles.
Qiu'er curiously poked her head out from his shoulder, examining this unfamiliar environment.
Under the dim yellow oil lamp hanging at the entrance of the inn, the slightly plump innkeeper with an oily face was yawning.
When he saw Dai Chengfeng, followed by Bibi Dong elegantly emerging from behind the carriage curtain, his eyes instantly widened in shock, and his yawn got stuck in his throat.
Good heavens! Where did this fairy-like woman come from? That noble, aloof aura, that flawless face…
The innkeeper had lived most of his life in this small countryside town. When had he ever seen someone as stunning as Bibi Dong?
But soon, he quickly averted his gaze, too intimidated to look any longer.
Even so, his voice trembled with awe, causing him to stutter.
"…G-guest, are you here for dinner or lodging?"
"Lodging. Give us two quiet, top-floor rooms."
"Alright, alright!"
The innkeeper hurriedly nodded, rubbing his hands together as he fumbled under the counter for the keys.
Once Dai Chengfeng had the keys, he suddenly changed his tone, adding a hint of tentative inquiry as he looked at Bibi Dong: "Teacher, since this place is convenient, how about we just take one room tonight?"
His voice wasn't loud, but his gaze locked onto Bibi Dong's eyes, carrying a trace of probing.
Bibi Dong paused slightly, her deep purple eyes turning toward him. Her gaze was as cold as moonlight, laced with scrutiny and an indescribable complexity. She stared deeply at Dai Chengfeng for a moment.
Just when Dai Chengfeng thought he might have pushed too far, Bibi Dong gave an almost imperceptible, extremely slight nod. Without another glance at him, she turned and walked toward the stairs.
It worked!
Even though he had somewhat expected it, Dai Chengfeng was still overwhelmed with a surge of elation.
One room!
Bibi Dong had tacitly agreed to share a single room!
This wasn't just about the room itself. Although they had always booked two rooms before, Dai Chengfeng still ended up sleeping with Bibi Dong at night. On the surface, whether it was one room or two seemed inconsequential…
But.
The fact that Bibi Dong accepted sharing a single room with Dai Chengfeng represented a deeper level of acceptance in her heart!
It also meant she tacitly approved of the inevitable closeness at night, allowing those intimate moments that transcended the boundaries of teacher and disciple to occur within her space!
From the initial reluctant proximity, to silently permitting Dai Chengfeng to stay by her side at night, and now to agreeing to share a room with him in a foreign inn…
Each step was a milestone leap forward!
Watching that perfectly curved figure walk upstairs, Dai Chengfeng felt…
That he was getting closer—much closer—to fully "conquering" this renowned, cold, and unrivaled Pope of the continent!
For a moment, a smug smile spread across Dai Chengfeng's lips, and he quickened his pace to follow.
As he passed the counter, he casually tossed a few gold soul coins to the still-stunned innkeeper: "Boss, prepare some light, delicate dinner and send it upstairs, along with some hot water."
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