At the same time.
On the bustling streets of Nuoding City.
Lin Yuan, the instigator of it all, was currently enjoying his "raising" time with a look of pure contentment.
"Wow! This looks delicious!"
Xiao Wu pointed at a candied hawthorn skewer from a street stall, her eyes sparkling.
"Buy it."
After all, he had just received his stipend, and with some savings from before, raising a rabbit was more than manageable.
Watching Xiao Wu's adorable, satisfied face as she nibbled on the candied hawthorn, the corners of Lin Yuan's mouth lifted slightly.
Although his diary was filled with all sorts of wild talk, things like "raising" and "not a lolicon".
But deep down, he understood this wasn't just about grinding for rewards; it was also about finding a companion for himself in this unfamiliar World.
Being alone, only knowing dull cultivation, how boring would that be?
Forget children finding it hard to settle their minds for cultivation; even he, a recent university graduate in his previous life, would struggle to immerse himself in cultivation for long periods.
Even knowing that cultivation brings progress and power.
But resisting that kind of monotony requires immense mental fortitude.
Therefore, cultivation requires a balance of work and rest.
Besides, who could resist a fragrant, soft, hundred-thousand-year-old Hooligan Rabbit whose eyes are only for you?
Right now, she's just a delicate, porcelain-like little loli, not fully grown yet.
But Lin Yuan had read the original work.
After ten years, once she's fully matured, that figure, that character model, would absolutely be stunning!
So, while Xiao Wu is new to the Spirit Master society and still relatively naive, it's time for training... ahem, I mean, time to make a move!
Being close to the water gets the moon first; that's the wisdom passed down by our ancestors.
Just as Lin Yuan was making his calculations in his heart.
"Lin Yuan, you have a bite too!"
Xiao Wu suddenly stood on her tiptoes, offering the half-eaten candied hawthorn skewer to Lin Yuan's mouth, saying with a giggle.
Lin Yuan was taken aback for a moment, then didn't stand on ceremony and took a bite.
"Mmm, pretty sweet."
"Hehe, right?"
Xiao Wu laughed even more happily, her two little dimples faintly visible.
However, the next second.
After swallowing the hawthorn in his mouth, Lin Yuan suddenly raised an eyebrow and said in a meaningful tone:
"But Xiao Wu, you can't do this kind of thing with others in the future."
"Only someone as kind-hearted as me wouldn't mind your saliva."
Xiao Wu:???
Xiao Wu's smile instantly froze. One second later, she reacted.
"You... who are you saying has saliva!"
Shame and indignation instantly flooded her heart. Xiao Wu's delicate, pink face flushed red all the way to the tips of her ears.
She lifted her right foot clad in a pink little leather shoe and stomped hard on the top of Lin Yuan's foot!
"Hmph! What's wrong with my saliva! This young lady is fragrant!"
"And you mind? This young lady doesn't even mind you!"
Lin Yuan, having anticipated this, shifted his body slightly, easily dodging this "rabbit kicking the eagle" move.
Looking at Xiao Wu's flustered and exasperated appearance, Lin Yuan shrugged, wearing an "innocent" expression.
"Just telling the truth. Girls should be modest."
"You..."
Xiao Wu was so angry she stomped her feet, finally letting out a cold snort and turning her head away to fiercely bite the remaining candied hawthorn, as if it were Lin Yuan's flesh.
However, the moment she turned her back, her heart began to churn.
"I wouldn't do this kind of thing with others anyway..."
The atmosphere just now was too good. Seeing Lin Yuan watching her eat, she had subconsciously offered it.
She hadn't thought about it at all.
Now, after Lin Yuan pointed it out, she belatedly realized.
The same skewer, you take a bite, I take a bite... "Th-this... isn't this what the books call an indirect kiss?"
Boom!
Xiao Wu felt her whole body grow hot, especially her cheeks, burning as if on fire.
She hadn't even considered this aspect!
Yet Lin Yuan, that big straight man, directly pointed it out!
Ahhh!
This rabbit is dying of shame!
"I must be crazy..."
Xiao Wu covered her burning cheeks, letting out a mental wail.
"We only met yesterday!"
"Is it because he carried me back to the dorm yesterday that I let my guard down around him?"
Watching Xiao Wu's slightly flustered back ahead, a mischievous smile curled at the corner of Lin Yuan's mouth.
This rabbit's self-rationalization progress bar seems to be moving faster than expected... After eating lunch in the city, Lin Yuan brought Xiao Wu, who still hadn't recovered from her shyness, back to Nuoding Academy.
For the afternoon, both tacitly chose to go to the library and classrooms.
Although Lin Yuan was a transmigrator with a god's-eye view.
He wasn't omniscient and omnipotent.
Regarding the detailed Spirit Beast knowledge, herb compendiums, history, and geography of this World, he didn't know much more than the natives.
To establish himself in this World, relying solely on cheats wasn't enough; he also needed brains.
So, aside from practicing with his spear at dawn, he spent the rest of his time frantically absorbing knowledge or meditating to Cultivate.
Of course, at his current Realm, he couldn't go days and nights without sleep like high-level Spirit Masters.
A few hours of meditation a day was his limit.
Soon, a fulfilling day passed in busy study and Cultivation... Late at night, midnight.
The familiar mechanical prompt tone sounded in Lin Yuan's mind right on time.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, for completing today's diary entry!]
[Reward obtained: mental force Cultivation Secret Technique — "Soul-Shattering Spirit Refining Art" (Beginner)!]
Lin Yuan's eyes snapped open, a flash of pleasant surprise in his double pupils.
A mental force Cultivation Technique!
This is really good stuff!
After all, in the early stages of the Douluo Continent, aside from Tang San's Purple Demon Eye, there were almost no systematic mental force Cultivation methods.
And the strength of one's mental force directly determines control over Spirit Abilities, resistance to illusions, and whether one can absorb spirit rings with a lifespan of over ten thousand years!
"Directly at the beginner level, skipping the comprehension time. Good."
Lin Yuan immediately began inspecting the technique information in his mind.
However, as he looked, his expression gradually turned somewhat strange.
"Sss..."
"Continuously shattering, reassembling, and regenerating mental force?"
"To temper the resilience and strength of mental force this way?"
Isn't this just self-torture?!
It's like breaking a bone to let it regrow. Although it becomes harder afterward, the process... "System, are you sure you're not messing with me?"
Lin Yuan's mouth twitched.
He seriously suspected the System felt his life was too comfortable and specifically wanted to ramp up the difficulty.
Moreover, according to the technique description.
This Cultivation method was extremely taxing on the mind and spirit. It was best paired with medicinal herbs possessing nourishing mental force properties as a catalyst for the best effect.
"mental force herbs..."
A place instantly surfaced in Lin Yuan's mind.
"Sunset Forest, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well!"
"There's an Immortal Herb there called 'Gazing Through Autumn Dew' that can enhance mental force. And such a large place should have other herbs suitable for mental force Cultivation!"
"It seems, once my strength increases a bit, I must pay a visit to Dugu Bo's old lair."