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--- Chapter 242 ---
Han Yuan furrowed his brows slightly as he woke up. The synchronization between the two worlds allowed him to connect with 'Alpha' more, but he had to sleep because of how weak his soul was.
He opened his eyes slowly and saw the gorgeous face of Queen Medusa before him. It would be a fucking lie if he said he didn't get tempted by her beauty, but he knew he couldn't take advantage of her.
He couldn't be like those protagonists, who lusted over heroines and then cast them away like nothing after using them.
"You're not going to make a move on me?" asked a sultry voice.
Han Yuan's eyes widened as he saw Queen Medusa wide awake with a charming smile on her face now.
"Well, you are awake?"
"Just now, yeah." Queen Medusa stretched her sensual body for Han Yuan to feast on. "I never knew sleeping could be so, you know, comfortable."
"You're so warm, Han Yuan~!"
Gulp!
Han Yuan swallowed inwardly. He felt something stir beneath him when Queen Medusa said that.
Woman, don't tempt me!
He was helpless. 'Why is there no normal woman in my life?'
Queen Medusa giggled before getting up from the bed. Although she felt it was a shame because she couldn't lie in such a comfy spot and smell his scent anymore, she knew she couldn't push Han Yuan too far.
Han Yuan also got up from the bed, ruffling his hair. He stared at the hole that Queen Medusa made last night and said, "You probably should pay for that."
"Hmph, this queen doesn't need to pay. The inn people are lucky that this queen stays in their place." Queen Medusa arrogantly replied.
"Okay..." Han Yuan doesn't know what to say. Honestly, in a world ruled by strength, money is just a fancy metal or paper. However, just in case, he will ask Yafei to reimburse the place later.
After all, Han Yuan planned to make a branch of 'Martial Union' here, and a better image would be better. Also, he might need to teach Queen Medusa some common sense first.
...
As Han Yuan and Queen Medusa got downstairs, Yafei greeted them with a smile on her face. "Morning, Xiao Yuan, and your majesty."
Queen Medusa raised her eyebrow before nodding, "Mm."
"Morning, Yafei." Han Yuan smiled back.
"Do you have a good night's sleep?"
Yafei tip-toed near Han Yuan and replied, "Oh, well, I couldn't sleep much because you weren't there, Xiao Yuan. My bed wasn't as comfortable as before when you hugged me in our sleep."
"This..." Queen Medusa froze on the spot. She stared at Han Yuan and then Yafei back and forth, as if discovering something.
Han Yuan pinched Yafei's nose helplessly, "Don't say things that make people misunderstand."
"Eh, misunderstood?" Yafei pouted. "How could you say such a thing, Xiao Yuan?"
"Does all our skinship and bonding in those late nights mean nothing to you?"
Han Yuan's mouth twitched because all they did was talk about business, and then Yafei teased him by sitting on his lap from time to time. Then, he realized something.
Yafei is jealous, and Han Yuan doesn't have to be a genius to know why.
Han Yuan signed, 'Damn, being a harem protagonist is hard!'
Eventually, Han Yuan came up with the brilliant idea of changing the topic of conversation to something else. He coughed in embarrassment and briefly told Yafei about his recent discovery.
Queen Medusa also listened closely, and when the 'Martial Soul' was mentioned, she couldn't help but feel excited.
"Is this the 'solution' you talked about last night?" asked Queen Medusa.
Han Yuan nodded, "Mm, I have the method to awaken your martial soul, but the requirement is quite expensive."
"As long as it can help me, I will pay a very high price!" Queen Medusa demanded excitedly.
'E-Even if I have to sleep with you.' She added in her heart.
"Uh, I don't think that's what he meant." Yafei gave this snake woman a weird look. "Since we are part of Martial Union, awakening martial soul probably has something to do with innate talent and bloodline."
Han Yuan smiled and confirmed, "Yes, innate talent and bloodline tied to the Spirit Awakening Ceremony. The more talented one is, the better their prospect as a spirit master."
"However, this doesn't mean a low-quality martial soul is useless."
"Anyway, I will explain this slowly to you guys." He added calmly. "First, we must awaken your martial soul."
"Let's do it!" 2x.
The girls are excited to see what kind of martial souls they are going to awaken. In fact, they wanted to drag Han Yuan out immediately.
"Before that, we should get the Ice Emperor first." Han Yuan commented helplessly.
"I don't think he needs a martial soul." Queen Medusa said coldly.
"Um, I think Grand Uncle can wait..." Yafei followed casually.
"Uugh, even my niece dislikes me so much." Hai Bodong, who was about to greet them at the inn's entrance, was shocked. He stumbled to the floor and started crying hysterically.
Yafei instantly panicked, "Grand Uncle, you are here? I am sorry, I didn't mean to..."
"Hmph, pathetic." Queen Medusa sensed Hai Bodong's presence a long time ago and said what she wanted.
...
...
Tager Desert, Inner Circle.
"So, you guys are talking about this miraculous 'martial soul' thing?" said Hai Bodong with excited light in his eyes. "You're saying that each martial soul is 'naturally' tailored to its host, similar to twin existence?"
"Doesn't that mean I can awaken an ice-attributed martial soul?!"
"Yes." Han Yuan answered calmly. "There are three main types of martial souls: beast, tool, and body, and you most likely awaken a tool spirit as you don't have a Magical Beast's bloodline, and your body wasn't so special, but who knows."
Hai Bodong rubbed his hands excitedly, "Tool is fine, too. Hehe, I haven't used a weapon for a long time."
"With martial soul, my strength will soar to the Dou Zong (Dou Ancestor) Realm immediately!"
"I wish you had a handkerchief as your martial soul, you could wipe your snot and tears later." Queen Medusa snorted indifferently.
Hai Bodong froze as he pointed his finger at the proud queen, "Y-You!"
"Queen Medusa, don't you think because you are powerful, you can bully me!"
"Thirty years east, thirty years west, don't you dare bully me because I'm weak now!"
This time, Han Yuan gave Hai Bodong a weird look because this middle-aged man's last sentence sounded familiar. Ah, yes, wasn't that Xiao Yan's famous catchphrase?
"Where did you learn that last sentence?" asked Yafei. She seemed to have heard this from Han Yuan before.
Hai Bodong calmed down, "Hmm? Well, some mercenaries came to the store to buy maps a few years ago, and they wanted to impress me with words, and this one stuck for a while."
Han Yuan felt something click in his head, 'Those mercenaries are likely Xiao Yan's brothers. Good, now I have leads to Qing Lin.'
"Enough with the quote, let's awaken your martial soul first, then Ice Emperor." Han Yuan said with a smile.
Hai Bodong waved his hand coolly, "You can call me Grandpa Hai or Senior Hai. Calling me by my title sounds awkward."
"As if your title means anything." Queen Medusa laughed mockingly.
"..." Hai Bodong.
Han Yuan shook his head and then used his spiritual power to carve the spatial force in the air, creating the 'awakening' circle that utilized the power of the world rather than the spirit energy of others.
After all, there are no awakening stones here.
"Put your hand on the awakening circle, Senior."
"Okay." Hai Bodong was curious. He stared at the magic circle and placed his hand on it, feeling its roughness.
Han Yuan closed his eyes, reciting something before whispering, "Spirit, Awaken!"
An intense golden light burst from the awakening circle as Hai Bodong felt a newfound sensation in his hand. It was powerful, yet much tamer than Dou Qi.
Then, as the golden light gradually weakened, an intense chill burst from Hai Bodong's body. Blue light shone from his eyes as cold mist froze this part of the desert, turning it into an ice-filled land.
ROOAAARRR!!