The next morning, Wu Lan did not train.
Today, he was preparing to condense his own soul ring.
Xiao Wu stood by, guarding the area.
Wu Lan summoned Orchid and asked gently, "Are you ready?"
The orchid nodded.
"You can do it, brother!" Xiao Wu encouraged with a gentle smile.
Nodding back at her, Wu Lan gave Orchid the signal to begin the process.
A soft white light enveloped Wu Lan's body. A glowing ring began to form, not hunted, but born. His soul power began to drain rapidly as the soul ring grew older. The light started flickering, unstable from the lack of soul power.
Wu Lan quickly opened his inventory and used the two soul powers he had absorbed from Tang Hao.
Instantly, the light stabilized.
A massive surge of soul power flowed into Orchid as the soul ring continued to condense. Slowly, its color began to change.
An entire day passed.
Finally, the light faded. A deep black ring floated beneath Wu Lan.
Because this ring had been condensed rather than hunted, Wu Lan didn't receive the usual physical strength or soul power boost that typically accompanied absorption of a soul beast's ring. Instead, Wu Lan's Martial Spirit became more active, and the chances of receiving "payments" greatly increased.
Still, the results were shocking.
Xiao Wu stared wide-eyed. Wu Lan had formed a black ring as his first soul ring.
As he opened his eyes, she rushed over to him, asking curiously, "Brother, what are your abilities?"
Wu Lan smiled and said calmly, "Increased vitality by 60%, and a passive increase in all attributes by 30%."
Xiao Wu was stunned. She looked at him with awe.
"Brother... you're so powerful."
"Rabbit, this is just the beginning. We'll become much stronger," Wu Lan replied.
He used his Martial Spirit to heal himself.
A massive amount of vitality surged into his body. But then, something strange happened, his Golden Dragon Bloodline began absorbing the vitality. This surprised him.
Is it going to evolve? he wondered.
He decided to feed it vitality daily and observe.
As he thought, his stomach suddenly growled.
"I'm hungry... Rabbit, let's go eat," Wu Lan said, slightly embarrassed.
Xiao Wu laughed at his expression.
Days passed like drifting clouds.
The academy announced a vacation.
Wu Lan, Xiao Wu, and Tang San traveled together toward Holy Spirit Village.
Along the way, Wu Lan and Xiao Wu talked and laughed together, enjoying each other's company.
Tang San, meanwhile, kept stealing glances at Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu completely ignored him and didn't notice.
But Wu Lan noticed everything.
Tang San tried to speak to her several times, only to be ignored. So, he changed his approach, he started coming to Wu Lan more frequently for healing, hoping to get close to Xiao Wu.
Wu Lan found it hilarious and welcomed Tang San warmly each time.
While lost in these thoughts, they arrived at Holy Spirit Village and parted ways.
Wu Lan and Xiao Wu headed to his home.
To his surprise, the house was still clean and dust-free.
He immediately thought of Grandpa Jack and felt grateful.
"Brother, is this your house?" Xiao Wu asked, looking around curiously.
"Yes, Rabbit. I used to live here with my parents," Wu Lan replied with a soft smile.
Xiao Wu saw the trace of sadness in his smile. She quickly hugged him and said gently, "Brother, you're not alone anymore. You have me now."
Wu Lan hugged her tightly, kissed her forehead, and said softly, "Yes, I have you."
Xiao Wu blushed deeply.
But their moment was interrupted again by the jealous Orchid, who squeezed between them and rubbed against Wu Lan affectionately.
Xiao Wu grew angry and chased after it.
Wu Lan laughed joyfully at their antics.
Ten days passed like a dream.
During this time, Wu Lan visited every house in the village, healing the sick and gifting money to the residents. He told them he had earned plenty from the medical stall, which made them accept the money gratefully.
He also gave a large sum to Grandpa Jack and told him to make sure the children ate meat every day, to grow stronger and improve the village's condition.
Chief Jack's eyes filled with tears of gratitude.
"Thank you, Wu Lan."
"The village took care of me when I was a child. This is the least I can do," Wu Lan replied with a gentle smile.
Afterward, Wu Lan and Xiao Wu traveled to nearby villages, healing the injured, helping with whatever they could, and offering financial aid.
Their kindness earned the villagers' gratitude, and that gratitude gave Wu Lan something even more valuable: faith.
Wu Lan had a long-term goal.
He wanted to become a god on his own, not by relying on the gods of the Divine Realm, but by cultivating faith. Faith could be born from people's gratitude or worship, and although it couldn't be sensed now, once Wu Lan broke through Rank 99, it would begin to manifest.
So Wu Lan began his preparations early.
Every day, he followed a routine.
In the morning, he trained his Purple Demon Eyes, followed by intense body-tempering techniques that pushed him to the edge.
In the afternoon, he traveled to new places, healing and helping wherever he could.
He also made time for one special activity: bullying Yu Xiaogang.
Whenever Wu Lan found him, he beat him into a pulp, then healed him. It was a routine he thoroughly enjoyed.
Tang San also came often, pretending to need healing, just to get a chance to talk to Xiao Wu.
But he was always ignored.
Wu Lan found it hilarious every time.
Tang San had become a complete licking dog for Xiao Wu, which annoyed her greatly.
And most importantly, Tang Hao occasionally came to be healed, another valuable source of rewards.