"So his mother is a Soul Beast, and the woman he loves is also a Soul Beast. Like father, like son. Even their tastes are the same."
In the garden of the Polaris imperial palace, Aurelia Cross laughed softly as she teased him.
After leaving Polaris Royal Academy, Wu Ling had not returned to Spirit City. Instead, he came to Aurelia's side again. On the surface, that matter had ended. In truth, it had not. Wu Ling was now waiting for someone.
"Then according to you, does that rabbit really have tens of thousands of descendants?" Aurelia's face was full of interest. Sure enough, no matter the world, gossip was still one of women's favorite things.
Wu Ling nodded without hesitation.
"Of course it is true. How could it be false? If two hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts mating could produce a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast, I could go catch a male hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast right now and imprison them together. Then would we not gain a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast cub every year? Do you think that is possible?"
"Impossible. If Soul Beasts worked that way, there would be no place left for humans in this world," Aurelia denied rationally.
Although this world did not have a known law of conservation of mass, creating an existence of equal level out of nothing still felt deeply wrong to her.
"Exactly. Spirit Power does not appear from nothing. That is why I made the inference I did. But even if it is only an inference, it is enough. My goal was not to discover anything. It was simply to strike Tang San where it hurt."
At that point, Wu Ling remembered Tang San's expression from earlier. It had carried envy toward his strength, fury at his actions, and finally jealousy.
Seeing Wu Ling's cheerful look, Aurelia smiled as well. But suddenly, she seemed to sense something. Her gaze fixed tightly on Wu Ling, as if examining him.
"What is it? Why are you staring at me like that? Did I become more handsome again?" Wu Ling asked in confusion.
Aurelia's pretty face flushed.
"Hmph. Narcissist. It is your Spirit Power. I sensed that your Spirit Power increased again. Are you really like they said... how should I put it? Have you released the restrictions?"
Aurelia had heard about Wu Ling compressing his Spirit Power. At first, she had thought he was foolish. Others were trying to increase their cultivation speed, yet he was thinking about how to slow himself down.
After truly getting to know Wu Ling, she found that his cultivation speed at the time, while fast, was still within a normal and understandable range. Because of that, she had thought the rumor about Wu Ling compressing his Spirit Power was only a rumor.
But now, with Wu Ling's level seeming to change almost every day, Aurelia had no choice but to admit that Wu Ling had indeed been suppressing himself before.
Wu Ling admitted it calmly.
"Correct. My Spirit Power has already reached level seventy-seven.
"For you, cultivation is like using something to scoop water from the sea and pour it into a bucket. The talent represented by innate Spirit Power is the tool you spend your life using to fill that bucket. It might be nonexistent, or as small as a spoon. It might also be a bowl, a ladle, or even another bucket.
"What you must do is use that tool to fill your own bucket. After breaking through, you go fill the next, larger bucket.
"But I am different. You can think of it as me attaching a pipe to my container, then using a pump to drive water straight into the bucket."
Looking at Aurelia's puzzled gaze, Wu Ling suddenly remembered that this world did not have pumps. He scratched his head and explained, "Well, a pump is a Soulcraft device Rose recently developed. It can use Spirit Power to draw water up from lower ground."
After saying that, Wu Ling saw Aurelia's half-understanding expression and stood up, then opened his clothes.
Seeing Wu Ling suddenly remove his upper clothing, Aurelia did not panic. Instead, her thoughts wandered. Only when Wu Ling revealed his bare upper body and she saw the red patterns covering him did her attention return.
"What is this?"
Aurelia stepped forward and touched Wu Ling's skin. When she made contact, she suddenly realized something.
"Why is your skin this good?"
Wu Ling felt that he could not keep up with Aurelia's train of thought at all. To pull her attention back, he activated the Spirit Power Circuits that Rose had created years ago and continuously improved since then.
At once, the Spirit Power between heaven and earth seemed to find a vent. It surged into Wu Ling's body without stopping.
"Three times... five times... ten times!"
Aurelia compared her cultivation absorption speed to Wu Ling's and was stunned. Wu Ling's speed was almost ten times hers, perhaps even more. Standing near him like this, she could feel the Spirit Power in the air growing almost viscous.
By comparison, if someone with innate full Spirit Power focused entirely on cultivation without external support and never stopped midway, they would likely become a Titled Sage before forty.
As someone born with innate level-twenty Spirit Power, Aurelia was confident that if she had not come to Polaris City to infiltrate the imperial household, she could have become a Titled Sage before thirty.
But in Aurelia's eyes, Wu Ling's current cultivation speed was nearly ten times her own. If he kept cultivating at this pace, then Wu Ling, who was eighteen now, might become a Titled Sage in his early twenties.
A twenty-something Titled Sage. What an astonishing record that would be.
Then Wu Ling sensed a change. He suddenly stopped the Spirit Power Circuits. Aurelia was about to ask why, but then she sensed something too.
Half a minute later, an attendant came to Xue Qinghe, Aurelia's disguise.
"Your Highness, His Majesty asks you to come inside for a discussion."
"What is the matter?"
"Your Highness, it seems something happened at the royal academy. I saw all three board members arrive."
Aurelia's lowered eyes sharpened.
"Very well. I will go shortly."
"This servant takes his leave."
After the attendant left, Wu Ling appeared again and sat at another table.
"Looks like this is because of me."
Aurelia gave Wu Ling a deep look, especially at his body.
"Do not worry. Considering your actions, I believe those three will not say too much."
"Then I will wait for your good news."
As he spoke, Wu Ling raised the tea in his hand toward Aurelia.
Three days later...
"Ling, Xue'er, I am here."
In the garden, aside from Wu Ling and Aurelia, three other people had appeared in front of them. Two were Yue Guan and Ghost. Between them stood an old man dressed in a golden robe embroidered with silver thread, his hair and beard completely white.
Seeing the newcomer, Aurelia called out joyfully, "Grandpa Golden Crocodile, you came."