"There's one more thing… Would it be alright if I tried to carefully sense the aura of your martial soul?"
Gu Yuena asked this a little awkwardly. After all, that martial soul belonged to Li Chang'an, and here she was asking to study its aura—truth be told, it was a bit shameless.
The moment Li Chang'an heard that, he couldn't help but laugh inwardly. 'So that's what this is about? I was just worrying about not having an excuse to get closer to her!'
"No problem. After all, this aura is not only of an extremely high level but also quite similar to your own. It'll do you good to study it."
As he spoke, Li Chang'an opened his left hand, and a simple, ancient-looking bell slowly emerged—along with it came the aura unique to the Donghuang Bell!
Ancient, wild, and tinged with a subtle mix of righteousness and evil—the aura unfolded, causing Gu Yuena to tremble slightly.
As the Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena already stood at the pinnacle of spirit beasts. There was no point of reference for further ascension. But the aura Li Chang'an released was different. Gu Yuena even suspected that if she could grasp just a tenth of it, she might be able to transcend entirely—evolving beyond the known limits of the spirit beast race!
Unfortunately, she was still only the Silver Dragon King, not the Dragon God. And the aura of the Donghuang Bell was incredibly profound. Even though she had calmed her mind and tried her best to comprehend it, she still couldn't make any headway.
Seeing her frown, Li Chang'an had a good idea what was going on and spoke gently:
"Don't worry, Yue'er. If it doesn't work the first time, you can always try again. Sooner or later, you'll get it."
Hearing that, Gu Yuena opened her eyes and gave him a helpless smile. He made it sound so easy, but some moments of insight come and go in a flash.
Li Chang'an, as if reading her mind, seized the opportunity.
"If you really feel like you owe me something… then just give me a strand of your hair as compensation."
A strand of hair?
Still, Li Chang'an had helped her immensely. Gu Yuena didn't question it. She gently plucked a strand of her long silver hair and handed it over to him.
[Mission objective: Establish contact with the Silver Dragon King. Reward: 100,000 Points, Two Origin Fruits (Already Delivered)]
Just then, Gu Yuena suddenly realized something—when did this guy start calling her "Yue'er"?,
'Come to think of it… he'd been saying it for a while now!'
But she didn't actually say anything, because deep down… she didn't really mind the nickname. In fact, she found it… kind of refreshing.
"Yue'er, are you hungry? Want to try some human food?" Li Chang'an asked quickly, seeing that Gu Yuena had stopped meditating.
He had plenty of tricks for wooing girls, but when it came to someone as powerful and unfathomable as the Silver Dragon King, he chose the safest approach—start with the stomach!
"No need. I'm not hungry. You eat. I'll see you off afterward," Gu Yuena replied, sitting upright and composed.
Li Chang'an had done her a huge favor, and she couldn't just leave him without at least seeing him off. As for returning the favor… she'd find a way eventually.
Li Chang'an could only nod helplessly. 'Fine… just don't act all "it smells amazing" later.'
Then he pulled out a grill from his Storage Soul Tool, along with a grilled fish, a duck leg, various sauces, and spices…
He lit a fire and began cooking!
Even though he had ready-made hot food in the storage tool, Li Chang'an insisted on cooking it himself. Why? Because nothing beats that fresh aroma!
As he adjusted the heat, the scent of the fish slowly filled the air. He began basting it with sauces, then sprinkled cumin and chili…
Once the soul of the barbecue—seasoning—was added, the aroma reached its peak. Li Chang'an then took a huge bite of the duck leg, chewing noisily with audible satisfaction.
Grrr…
Gu Yuena was hungry.
She had been meditating, trying to digest the aura of the Donghuang Bell. Her plan was to send Li Chang'an off once he was done eating. But his cooking… the smells… the noises… She peeked a few times and ended up completely hooked.
As the smell saturated the air, Gu Yuena had to admit—after tens of thousands of years without hunger, she was suddenly starving.
Especially with Li Chang'an chewing so audibly right in front of her—it was driving her crazy! But she couldn't say anything, because she was the one who said she wasn't hungry!
Li Chang'an noticed Gu Yuena swallowing three times, and only then did he smile calmly and break the fish in half, handing one portion to her.
"I made plenty. Try some."
Gu Yuena took it with a reluctant expression, quietly muttering "Thanks," before digging in with large, unreserved bites.
Li Chang'an's skills didn't just shine in the bedroom—his grilling was top-notch. He could perfectly control the heat and seasoning, getting the spices to seep into the meat at just the right level.
So when Gu Yuena bit into it, she didn't just taste grilled fish—she got the combined explosion of juicy meat and perfectly blended seasonings.
Meanwhile, Li Chang'an was still busy. He grabbed more drumsticks and meat to grill. He even prepped a pot of water, planning to make noodles or fish soup afterward.
"Yue'er, do you want fish soup, chicken soup, or some noodles later?"
Gu Yuena was busy chewing on a drumstick. Without even pausing her chewing, she replied:
"Skip the soups. I like your grilled fish and grilled chicken. Make me some noodles."
Li Chang'an nodded. "Alright, I'll let you try my grilled chicken next, and then I'll make some noodles for you."
Gu Yuena nodded enthusiastically. "Mhm, okay."
…
After eating her fill, Gu Yuena patted her flat, nonexistent belly, then returned to her usual aloof demeanor. She spoke to Li Chang'an in an indifferent tone:
"I've eaten your food. In return, I'll teach you one of my innate divine abilities. I don't want to owe you too many favors."
She already owed him enough. If she could repay a little now, all the better.
"But your abilities are elemental. I don't specialize in that… My martial soul isn't suited for it."
Li Chang'an did want to learn the Silver Dragon King's divine abilities—but he wasn't even qualified to start, was he?
"No, you are. You have ultimate fire and ultimate ice in your body. Those are elements. I'll teach you how to use them," Gu Yuena replied seriously.
"Watch carefully!"
As she spoke, Gu Yuena waved her soft, delicate hand—and in the distance, shards of ice rapidly appeared, assembling in seconds into a fifty-meter-long ice dragon.
What was even more terrifying was that, under her control, the dragon could move flexibly—and its power wasn't weak at all!
That wasn't all. With a wave of her other hand, firelight condensed on the opposite side. A fire dragon around thirty meters long slowly emerged.
Left and right—both elements in perfect harmony. Controlled effortlessly. Each dragon had a combat power not inferior to that of a Spirit Sage!
This—he had to learn this!
Li Chang'an's eyes lit up as he looked at Gu Yuena.
__
T/N:
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