Chapter 164: Level 40, Xue Wu's Thoughts_1

"Cough, cough, as long as everyone diligently practices, there will be opportunities in the future," Xu Ran encouraged.

However, the resources he had were limited, and giving away things that he didn't need to them was fine, but he was powerless when it came to treasures like the Ten Thousand Year Cold Marrow.

Originally, he had planned to help the seven from Tianshui College improve their strength. After all, they all called him Teacher Xu Ran, no matter what.

But Shui Bing'er had absorbed two pieces of Ten Thousand Year Cold Marrow during the transformation of her Martial Soul, and he wanted to save the rest for Xue Wu. Naturally, there was no surplus for others. Within the Tian Shui Battle Team, the ones he had a closer relationship with were only Shui Yue'er, Shui Bing'er, and Xue Wu. If he had resources, naturally, he would prioritize them.

As for the others, no matter what the future held, at least for now, the relationship wasn't that deep with him. Helping them become stronger was a favor, but not helping wouldn't matter at all.

He had always been a selfish person, not wanting to interfere with anyone except himself and his wife.

What did he have to do with everything in the world or the rise and fall of nations?

"Mm," the girls nodded, their emotions settling down after a brief excitement. Although they envied Shui Bing'er and the others, they weren't overly greedy. They knew Xu Ran had already helped them a lot. Wouldn't it be too greedy to ask for more?

"I'm serious. If you practice hard, I will give you a boost in the future. I can't promise other things, but helping you break through to Soul Douluo or even Titled Douluo is well within my capabilities," Xu Ran said with a smile. Once he became powerful, doing such things would be as easy as waving his hand.

What he sought was to become the master of the divine world, and even those other worlds that seemed unreachably far away for now.

When that time came, what would be the harm in helping those he had a good relationship with become stronger?

"Mm, thank you, Teacher Xu Ran." Seeing this, the girls exchanged glances and respectfully bowed to Xu Ran. They knew he was the noble benefactor of their lives. Their future path would change because of Xu Ran.

Afterwards, without much further conversation, Shui Bing'er went off to train with the other members of the Tian Shui Battle Team.

And Xu Ran entered a state of solitary cultivation.

In the room, Xu Ran sat cross-legged.

A large chrysanthemum appeared in his hands.

The chrysanthemum was a majestic purple. Oddly, each petal seemed fluffy and extraordinarily cute. The entire flower was unified without any fragrance escaping, and the center of the flower stood a half-foot above the petals, with a light golden sparkle at the top of the pistil.

This was the mystic heaven chrysanthemum, an immortal grade Immortal Herb.

Among the many Immortal Herbs Xu Ran had, the mystic heaven chrysanthemum was a neutral-grade herb that could circulate qi through the limbs and blood through all meridians, and was said to cultivate an indestructible body.

Of course, this effect might be somewhat exaggerated, but it was the Immortal Herb most suitable for Xu Ran.

Xu Ran did not hesitate and directly consumed and refined the mystic heaven chrysanthemum.

Waves of extremely pure energy entered Xu Ran's meridians, integrating with the Soul Power within his body. Visible to the naked eye, Xu Ran's Soul Power grew rapidly, breaking through a bottleneck in a blink of an eye.

But this was only the beginning.

Xu Ran's "Cultivation Level" continued to soar at an alarming speed. Feeling this terrifying rate of improvement, Xu Ran couldn't help but click his tongue. Such an easy increase in "Cultivation Level" was too tempting. If he wasn't aware that consuming too many Immortal Herbs could destabilize his foundation, he definitely would not have resisted consuming more.

After an hour, Xu Ran completely absorbed the "Cultivation" from the mystic heaven chrysanthemum.

And Xu Ran's "Cultivation Level" shot up to level forty.

"Forty levels now, and my strength has increased quite a bit."

"Pity I can only consume one stalk," Xu Ran murmured. After breaking through to level forty, his power had soared significantly, and he even felt that he had the capability to battle a Soul Sage.

However, there were no appropriate opponents to test his skills with at the moment, so he would have to wait until he returned to Shrek Academy to try out his strength against Flander, Zhao Wuji, and others.

"It's about time to leave, to hand over the remaining Ten Thousand Year Cold Marrow to Xue Wu and prepare to leave."

"I've been away from Shrek Academy for quite a while, and the school vacation is approaching. I'll have to return to the Zhu Clan by then. I can't help but miss her after being away for so long," Xu Ran said, as the image of the girl with the perfect figure surfaced in his mind, stirring his emotions.

By now, Davis must trust him quite a bit. After all, he had helped Davis deal with Dai Mubai, allowing him to ascend to his position securely. Of course, whether Davis could maintain his position was another matter, as Xu Ran was also an ambitious man himself.

...

Tianshui College, by the side of Tian Shui Lake,

Xue Wu, dressed in a white robe and a black hip-skirt, sat elegantly on a boulder by the lakeside.

Her gaze drifted into the distance, yet her mind was preoccupied with her own thoughts.

Scenes of Xu Ran's intimate interactions with her, from the first time he trained them, surfaced in Xue Wu's mind.

Her heart was in a flutter. She didn't know what Xu Ran felt towards her. If Xu Ran had feelings for her, why hadn't he come to see her?

Was she simply overthinking and misinterpreting his actions?

Seeing Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er holding hands with Xu Ran so affectionately, she couldn't deny the envy in her heart. But even if she had feelings for Xu Ran, how could she take the initiative to approach him?

Being a girl herself, would taking the initiative make Xu Ran think less of her?

Xue Wu was deeply conflicted. She felt insecure, knowing that Xu Ran would soon leave Tianshui College. When that happened, their interactions might dwindle to the point of nonexistence.

She wanted to reveal her feelings to Xu Ran, yet she was worried.

Would Xu Ran truly reciprocate her feelings? Or were all his actions towards her devoid of special meaning—was it all just her wishful thinking?

Xue Wu slipped off her small boots, dipping her delicate and smooth feet into the water by the lake and swishing them back and forth.

She was lost in her own world, oblivious to Xu Ran's arrival.

Xu Ran stood on the grass not far behind Xue Wu, casting his gaze upon her, feeling a stir in his heart. In terms of beauty, Xue Wu was perhaps even more enchanting than Shui Bing'er.

Long black hair is an eternal classic.

Looking at Xue Wu gave Xu Ran a sense of returning to Earth. Shui Bing'er and the others, though beautiful, represented an exotic charm to Xu Ran.

But Xue Wu's attire and appearance brought a strange familiarity to him.

Because in the well-known comics on Earth, most of the female protagonists were of Xue Wu's type.

Black hair, white shirt, black skirt, long legs... All of these features made Xue Wu stunningly gorgeous, like a breathtaking comic book heroine come to life.