Chapter 95 – Upgrading to Strengthen Power

Di Ping watched as the woman before him began to breathe more heavily, the intense flame of desire burning in his eyes. A surge of passion like a wild horse rushed through his chest.

At that moment, Gina, who was washing his feet, felt her hands trembling. She could hear Di Ping's heavy breathing and sensed the strong desire emanating from his body. She immediately felt her face flush and her heartbeat quicken.

Deep down, Gina felt a certain fondness for her master. She found it difficult to refuse any of his requests, and honestly, she didn't want to. As she felt the increase in Di Ping's breathing, a strange sensation crept up in her heart, and her body grew a little warmer.

She felt a mix of anticipation and fear.

She kept her head lowered, as her face would likely reveal her true feelings, which were now tinted with embarrassment.

Her mind was in a frenzy, and her hands had unconsciously begun to fidget. She was waiting for what she thought would come next.

Suddenly, she noticed that Di Ping's heavy breathing began to slow. Confused, she looked up and realized that while he wasn't looking at her, the intense look that had made her nervous and shy had vanished, replaced with clarity.

She was baffled. What had happened to her master?

Had she somehow angered him again?

Her eyes filled with tears as she felt a deep sense of guilt. Hadn't she been careful not to act inappropriately?

In truth, it wasn't that Di Ping didn't want to give in to his impulses. That brief moment almost made him lose control, but at the last moment, he managed to rein himself in.

This unusual state had made him cautious. His earlier impulses resurfaced, but he quickly snapped back to reality and firmly suppressed them.

He hadn't expected to gain control so easily, and he felt a slight sense of accomplishment for resisting his desires. He exhaled deeply, careful not to look at Gina again.

Gina possessed a peculiar charm, an enchanting allure, yet with a purity that made her even more captivating. The blend of these two opposing qualities only intensified the fire of desire within him.

Thankfully, he had managed to stop himself before it escalated, and he felt a quiet sense of achievement for his restraint.

Gina gently finished washing his feet and emptied the water.

After a long wait, when Di Ping did not lunge toward her like an animal, she sighed with relief, though there was also a slight sense of disappointment.

Di Ping, however, was too exhausted to pay attention to her feelings. He truly felt tired today, and after his feet were cleaned, he collapsed onto the sofa to rest. He decided to open the system and check the progress of his gains.

With a thought, a virtual interface appeared in front of him. Now, Di Ping had built a castle, a manor, and a tavern, all of which lit up in vibrant colors.

In the interface, a new icon lit up—it was the warehouse. Di Ping felt a bit disappointed. What he really wanted to build were the market and the workshop.

The market would allow him to buy the items he needed, such as weapons and equipment to increase his strength, as well as other survival essentials. However, he wasn't sure if the market would function the same as in a game, and he wouldn't know the full range of goods until it was completed.

The workshop, however, was even more essential. If the tavern was the center for recruiting talent, the workshop would be the core of the base's development. A workshop was indispensable for a base to grow, as it would enable the creation of weapons, potions, and runes. This was the most crucial facility he needed, one that directly affected the base's progress.

For now, the warehouse was not his top priority. The system's building sequence was still something he didn't quite understand, but he had to follow its orders. He clicked on the warehouse icon, which displayed a construction cost of 20 crystal coins.

Di Ping frowned, irritated. He hadn't expected the warehouse to be so expensive. With only a limited amount of crystal coins available—most of which were earmarked for recruiting heroes—he didn't have many coins to spare.

However, he had no choice but to build the warehouse, as it was essential. Other buildings couldn't be constructed without it. He didn't need to worry about the location for now, so he quickly dismissed the option and opened the tavern instead.

In the tavern's interface, two heroes still remained unactivated, but the soul energy displayed had increased to 194 points.

Although he felt a little envious of the amount of soul energy, Di Ping knew he couldn't afford to rush the upgrades. He needed to proceed slowly and steadily. However, after today's battle, he felt that his strength was still lacking, which made him struggle more than he should have against the mutated Tibetan mastiff.

Finally, gritting his teeth, he made a decision.

He clicked on his avatar and chose the upgrade option. However, when he opened the upgrade menu, he was momentarily stunned. This time, the upgrade required 30 soul energy, up from the usual 20 points. What had changed?

Was it possible that the upgrade system here differed from the game? In the game, soul energy only increased after reaching the third tier, and every subsequent upgrade required more points. But here, even at the first tier, the energy requirement had already increased. Confused, Di Ping decided to suppress his doubts and confirmed the upgrade.

Another surge of energy seemed to come from the void, detonating deep within his body, sweeping through him like a tidal wave. As the energy passed through him, every muscle and bone felt nourished and strengthened. His body tingled warmly, and every cell seemed to be rejoicing, emitting energy as his blood flowed faster and faster, like a rushing river.

Within seconds, the energy had spread throughout his body and gathered in his dantian. Di Ping felt a warm, flowing sensation there, as though water was being poured into it, expanding and stretching. A slight sting accompanied this sensation.

Moments later, the energy dissipated, fading into the void without a trace. His blood, previously boiling, gradually returned to a steady flow.

This upgrade was different from the previous ones. There was no pain this time; instead, it was incredibly comfortable. Di Ping felt warm and relaxed, as though all his fatigue had melted away.