When Zhou Sicheng and Ma Xiaotao entered the cultivation room, it was still morning. By the ti they erged, the sky was already painted in the warm hues of dusk.
The setting sun cast a gentle glow across the courtyard, its crimson light bathing Ma Xiaotao's face, making her beauty appear even more refined and radiant.
As they stepped into the courtyard, Ma Xiaotao was still bubbling with excitent, pulling Zhou Sicheng along with her, showing absolutely no sense of restraint.
Zhou, however, pretended to act reserved, trying to pull his hand away from hers. But Ma Xiaotao ignored him, grinning playfully as she said:
"Thank you so much for your help, Little Martial Uncle. I have no way to repay you, so I'll just... I'll just..."
Zhou smiled faintly. "If you're planning to offer yourself in gratitude, I'm afraid you'll have to get in line."
Ma Xiaotao didn't react. Zhou had made similar jokes back in the cultivation room. Did she care? Of course she did.
But she would never show it in front of him. A man as outstanding as Zhou Sicheng—what woman wouldn't want to pursue him?
What she needed to do now wasn't to cling to Zhou, but to quietly deal with the won around him who might get in her way.
After fully absorbing and refining the phoenix sunflower seeds, her Evil Fire was completely eliminated. Her martial soul had evolved into a true Fire Phoenix, and her spirit power had jumped from Rank 64 to Rank 67.
What did that an?
It ant that by the ti the Continental Elite Tournant arrived next year, she might very well have reached the Spirit Sage realm.
If she did, Zhou wouldn't even need to fight—she could crush the competition by herself.
Although the Douluo Continent had many young geniuses, the main forces of most academies were Spirit Ancestors or Kings. Even Spirit Emperors were rare.
But a Spirit Sage? That would be absolutely overwhelming.
Zhou gently patted Ma Xiaotao's delicate hand. "Alright, stop teasing. I still have things to do. If you really want to thank , just behave in the future."
When she heard that, Ma Xiaotao felt like he was treating her like a little girl. Behave? Since when had she ever defied him?
But since Zhou had already said it, she didn't argue. She just nodded reluctantly. "Then go do your thing. I'll bring you breakfast tomorrow."
Zhou chuckled. "I'd advise against that—I'm afraid it won't be enough."
Leaving those words behind, he turned and left Ma Xiaotao's villa.
She stood there watching him walk away, recalling their brief mont in the cultivation room, and quietly made a vow in her heart:
This kindness can only be repaid with a lifeti of devotion!
She rembered hearing that the way to a man's heart was through his stomach...
After leaving Ma Xiaotao's place, Zhou didn't imdiately return to Ye Guyi's villa—even though they were only a few dozen ters apart. Instead, he headed straight for Fan Yu's lab.
The lab was empty. Fan Yu and the others were likely out to dinner or busy elsewhere.
Zhou began rummaging through the lab, casually picking out the materials he needed. So were conveniently pre-prepared, and he didn't hesitate to use them. He could always make replacents later.
Drawing out his Blazing Sun Carving Knife, Zhou began to inscribe a sixth-tier core soul tool formation. With his recently enhanced spiritual power and martial soul, his soul tool crafting skills had greatly improved.
This ti, it only took him three hours to finish.
The result was a delicate necklace—an exquisite sixth-tier soul tool. Its function was defense: when activated with soul power, it could unleash a protective barrier capable of withstanding three attacks from a Spirit Emperor.
Due to material and design limitations, it was considered a single-use defensive item.
But the necklace's true purpose wasn't to protect the wearer—it was to protect the precious Qiluo Heart embedded at its center, a pearl emitting a faint, exotic fragrance.
In addition to its defensive ability, the necklace was designed to contain the aroma of the Qiluo Heart, allowing only a controlled amount to escape through a small vent. This ensured that only the wearer received its benefits.
Zhou didn't bother naming it creatively—the necklace was simply called Qiluo Heart as well.
It wasn't a grand creation, but the intricate details made it special. With it, Ye Guyi would no longer have to worry about being ambushed.
He had just spent hours alone with Ma Xiaotao. Even though his sister knew he was helping her remove the Evil Fire, girlfriends still liked to be reassured—after all, surprise gifts left lasting impressions.
During the crafting process, Fan Yu had stopped by briefly. Seeing Zhou so focused, he left quietly with He Caitou to inspect another soul tool.
By the ti Zhou returned to the villa, it was already late at night.
As he opened the door, he saw Ye Guyi had set a full dinner on the table.
She smiled softly. "You didn't eat anything today, did you?"
Seeing she had been waiting and even cooked for him, Zhou felt a wave of warmth in his heart.
Ye Guyi walked over. "I went to find Sister Xiaotao earlier. She said you'd already left and didn't know where you went."
"Later, while I was training, I ran into Teacher Fan Yu. He told you were in the lab, so I figured you'd be back eventually. I kept so food for you."
Zhou walked over, pulled her into an embrace, and kissed her lightly on the forehead.
It was a returned kiss—from when she'd stolen one back in the Sunset Forest.
Then, lifting his hand, he revealed a rose.
Offering it to her, he said with a smile, "You always understand , Sis."
Ye Guyi was delighted with the rose. Zhou's first-ever voluntary kiss left her montarily stunned.
She had been sure he'd return to sleep here. After all, as long as they were both in Shrek, they always stayed together unless sothing unexpected happened.
She took the rose, and with a flash of light from her soul tool, a vase appeared in her hand. Blushing slightly, she pulled away from his embrace and went to fill it with water. "Did Sister Xiaotao's Evil Fire get resolved?"
Zhou watched her graceful movents and nodded. "Yes. Her Evil Fire Phoenix is now a true Fire Phoenix. Her spirit power also rose by three levels."
After filling the vase, Ye Guyi placed the rose inside and asked, "We've helped her so much. Are you sure this will benefit us in the long run?"
Before she could even turn around, she felt a warm, firm chest at her back—Zhou was behind her, holding a beautiful necklace.
As he gently fastened it around her neck, he spoke: "Even in the worst-case scenario, it's still a way to repay the academy for raising us. Karma must flow both ways—you can't just receive and never give."
Ye Guyi looked down at the necklace on her chest. Her eyes sparkled. It was beautiful—and exactly her style.
The scent it released made her feel refreshed, as if even her breathing had beco easier.
One glance was enough for her to know: the pearl at the center was the true treasure.
She took Zhou's hand and said softly, "As long as you've made up your mind, I'll support whatever you do."
Zhou smiled. "This is the Qiluo Heart I brought back from the Icefire Yin-Yang Well. Wearing it will make you immune to all known poisons. If you ever are poisoned, just place it in your mouth—it will neutralize anything."
"The necklace itself is a sixth-tier soul tool. Because of material constraints, it can only block three attacks from a Spirit Emperor. But its main purpose is to protect the Qiluo Heart."
Ye Guyi understood the significance imdiately.
Poison was one of the hardest things to defend against. Across the continent, many powerful cultivators specialized in poison.
Any thod, when taken to the extre, beca terrifying.
The Qiluo Heart offered immunity to all poisons—it was priceless.
This was also why Zhou didn't want A'da (Dugu Xianng) to give up poison cultivation.
It might not be needed now, but it couldn't be absent.
He had also been studying new techniques using A'da's Ice Poison, and they would definitely be useful in the future.
Ye Guyi suddenly turned and wrapped her arms around Zhou, her cherry lips eting his in a surprise kiss before he could even react.
A mont later, she pulled away, blushing slightly. "Let's eat."
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