"Wouldn't you like to sleep a little longer?"
Bibi Dong's voice carried the huskiness of just waking up and a hint of laziness, sounding extraordinarily seductive.
Dai Chengfeng was lying on his side at this moment, propping his head up with an elbow, his gaze unwaveringly fixed on the person beside him.
The usually noble, cold, and imposing Supreme Pontiff now wore a serene sleeping face. Her long hair cascaded like a waterfall over the pillow, with a few strands playfully sticking to her smooth cheeks and neck, adding a touch of endearment and vulnerability.
Hearing her question, he couldn't help but lean down, placing a gentle kiss on her smooth forehead, then lingering on her slightly parted, alluring red lips, giving them a light peck.
"No, I'm used to getting up early."
Dai Chengfeng whispered softly, "Teacher, please sleep a little more."
His fingertips gently brushed away the strands of hair from her cheek, the gesture tender.
Bibi Dong also shook her head lightly. She sat up, and as she moved, the soft, slippery quilt slid down naturally.
Immediately, large expanses of jade-like skin were exposed to the slightly cool morning air.
The exquisitely contoured collarbone came into view first, followed by the rounded shoulders, and… beneath the edge of the quilt, the tantalizing curves…
More striking were the faint reddish marks scattered sporadically from her slender neck to her delicate collarbone, smooth shoulder blades, and further down.
At that moment, the slightly chilly morning air touched her skin, causing Bibi Dong to shiver instinctively, fully waking her up.
Realizing she was almost half-naked and bearing those embarrassing marks, her cheeks flushed intensely, even her earlobes turned crimson.
She pulled the fallen quilt up to barely cover herself, but her exposed fragrant shoulders and collarbone still emanated silent allure.
She could even feel Dai Chengfeng's burning gaze lingering on the areas she tried to conceal, making her even more flustered, her heartbeat accelerating involuntarily.
To mask her inner turmoil, she turned her face slightly, her gaze falling on Dai Chengfeng's spirited, handsome face, showing no signs of fatigue.
Recalling his thoughtfulness when he woke up this morning—though already awake, he remained quietly by her side—her heart warmed slightly, enveloped in an indescribable sense of security.
However, the Pope's duties and rationality quickly took precedence. She remembered the pressing matters, cleared her slightly dry throat, and tried to regain her usual composure, asking:
"How was your trip to the Great Star Dou Forest? Was the acquisition of the fifth soul ring smooth?"
In her mind, when Dai Chengfeng left the Spirit Hall, he was at Level 50. His goal was to obtain the fifth soul ring.
With his extraordinary talent, solid foundation, and thorough preparation, absorbing a high-quality ten-thousand-year soul ring beyond his level should pose no problem.
After absorbing the soul ring, increasing his soul power by two or three levels, reaching around Level 52 or 53, would be entirely reasonable, which was already a genius-level improvement.
Dai Chengfeng watched Bibi Dong trying to maintain her composure but unable to hide the lingering traces of indulgence in her eyes.
Seeing her adorable appearance, pulling the blanket higher and blushing, he couldn't help but smile inwardly.
Dai Chengfeng smiled slightly, speaking as calmly as if discussing the weather, yet dropped a bombshell that could shake the world of soul masters:
"Reporting to Teacher, the journey went rather smoothly."
"I am now at Level 64."
"Mm, that's good…"
Bibi Dong initially nodded unconsciously, indicating satisfaction, but the next second, those simple words exploded in her mind like thunder!
"What?!"
She swiftly turned her head, her beautiful eyes widening to their limit, her violet pupils filled with disbelief. She even suspected that due to last night's exhaustion, she was still dreaming and not yet awake!
"Level 64?"
"You were only at Level 50 when you left! How is this possible?!"
Three months!
In just three months, from Level 50 Soul King to skyrocketing to Level 64 Soul Emperor?
A leap of fourteen levels?! This was simply inconceivable! Unheard of!
Even the legendary god inheritance, during trials, probably didn't have such a terrifying, unreasonable rate of advancement!
The immense shock made her momentarily forget her embarrassment, grabbing Dai Chengfeng's arm, "Dai Chengfeng, did you… did you use some forbidden method? Or did you encounter something…"
She dared not think further, fearing hearing bad news.
At the same time, strong worry and astonishment made her unconsciously release a trace of spiritual power, probing into Dai Chengfeng's body.
She had to personally confirm his condition.
Upon this investigation, the shock in her heart surged like a tidal wave, beyond measure!
The soul power within Dai Chengfeng was not the unstable, restless state she feared.
On the contrary, the soul power in his meridians was vast and abundant, flowing ceaselessly like mighty rivers, incredibly condensed and heavy. It operated smoothly with an indescribable sense of steadiness and strength.
His foundation was unbelievably solid, even more robust than any other Soul Emperor of the same level she had ever seen!
This was undoubtedly a genuine, step-by-step cultivated Level 64 Soul Emperor realm, without a trace of shortcuts!
"This… what exactly happened?"
Bibi Dong's voice carried an undeniable shock and extreme curiosity, her hand gripping his arm trembling slightly.
As the Pope of the Spirit Hall, wielding one of the highest powers on the continent, she had witnessed countless marvels, geniuses, and treasures. Yet, she had never heard of, or even read about, such an unfathomable phenomenon.
Perhaps the sacrifice of a spirit beast could bring significant enhancement far surpassing ordinary soul ring absorption, but according to records, such enhancements were extremely limited, impossible to boost fourteen levels at once!
Moreover, the sacrifice of a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast was a miracle rarely seen in a century. She absolutely didn't believe that for this fifth soul ring…
Such a thing would require the sacrifice of a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast—it was absurd.
Dai Chengfeng felt Bibi Dong's concern, warmth surging in his heart.
He turned his hand to grasp her cool hand, gently squeezing it to reassure her.
Then, seeing her slightly parted red lips and wide, purely astonished beautiful eyes due to extreme surprise, he chuckled inwardly, pretending to be nonchalant as he explained:
"Don't rush, Teacher. Let me explain slowly; it was indeed a stroke of luck."
"Outside the forest, I encountered a rather peculiar spirit beast. It… well, its situation was special, nearing death, and ultimately chose to offer itself to me, helping me gain the fifth soul ring, and my soul power surged significantly."
He deliberately obscured specific details of the fifth soul ring.
After all, involving the secrets of Qiu'er, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, it wasn't time to reveal everything yet.
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