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Clearly, the academy itself wasn't the key factor—the fact that Tian Dou City was the most prosperous city on the continent was what truly mattered.
With the self-developed soul skill Control, which allowed her to suppress her aura, Xiao Wu no longer feared encountering soul masters with soul power levels above 80.
Upon hearing this, Chu Chengzhou frowned in displeasure. "Xiao Wu, how many times have I told you? You should call me Big Brother, not Little Chu!"
"Hehe~, it's not impossible for me to call you Big Brother—but only when your strength surpasses mine!" Xiao Wu's eyes twinkled mischievously as she spoke.
"Hmph~, do you really think I can't beat you? I've just been going easy on you!"
Chu Chengzhou glared at Xiao Wu, annoyed.
Though he trailed behind Xiao Wu by nine levels of soul power and lacked a third soul ring, if he used his full abilities, it wasn't certain that he would lose.
While his soul power level might be inferior to Xiao Wu's, a soul master's strength couldn't be judged solely by their soul power level.
In terms of physical prowess and mental strength, both of them had mastered the black-tier Body Refinement and Spirit Refinement skills. However, due to his AFK panel, Chu Chengzhou had achieved perfect mastery, whereas Xiao Wu, who had to learn independently, didn't match his level.
Even with nine more levels of soul power and an additional third soul ring, Xiao Wu's physical and mental strength weren't significantly superior to Chu Chengzhou's.
Moreover, Chu Chengzhou possessed purple-tier Archery, Movement, and Defense skills, along with two summons equivalent to thousand-year spirit beasts. It was hard to say who was truly stronger.
However, archery either missed entirely or struck with lethal precision—hitting vital points could easily result in death. Since it wasn't suitable for sparring, Chu Chengzhou had never fired an arrow at Xiao Wu.
"I don't care about all that. We'll determine status based on soul power levels!"
Xiao Wu didn't overthink things. She had some understanding of Little ChuTrash's true strength—he was tough-skinned, agile, incredibly fast, and skilled in archery. She wasn't confident she could guarantee a win.
But being reasonable and logical? That wasn't something girls were obligated to do.
She wouldn't pass up the privileges bestowed by fate.
There was no need for her to know or care about anything else—she only needed to know that Little Chu Trash started with half-level innate soul power, while she had the equivalent of full innate soul power. In terms of cultivation talent, she surpassed him by leaps and bounds.
What Xiao Wu didn't know, however, was that Chu Chengzhou's cultivation talent was no longer limited to half-level innate soul power.
At the time of his awakening, Chu Chengzhou indeed had half-level innate soul power. But as his martial soul quality improved, though it hadn't reached full innate soul power, he estimated it was around six or seven levels now.
"By the way, if you ever create a new version of Meditation, you better teach it to me!"
After some thought, Xiao Wu added another statement.
As long as they cultivated using the same tier of Meditation techniques, with her full innate soul power, she could ensure that Little Chu Trash would never catch up to her, no matter how much he trained!
This way, Sister Xiao Wu would forever remain Sister Xiao Wu, and Little Chu Trash would forever remain Little Chu Trash.
"You're becoming shameless. You're hogging all the good things under heaven."
Chu Chengzhou couldn't help but wonder if teaching her Meditation had been a mistake.
Otherwise, following the original storyline, he would already have surpassed Xiao Wu in soul power levels.
"Shameless? Can you eat it?"
Xiao Wu flashed her pearly whites.
Chu Chengzhou rolled his eyes. "I give up. It's getting late. Let's find a place to stay first."
"Mm-hmm, Suotuo City looks lively. I'm going to explore tonight!"
Xiao Wu quickly nodded.
Her nature was to enjoy crowds. Even in Nuoding City, a remote small town, she found joy in exploring. How much more so in Suotuo City, which ranked among the major cities of the continent?
Suotuo City was sizable, with many hotels and inns. Not long after entering, Xiao Wu spotted an inn.
"Little Chu, let's stay there!"
Xiao Wu pointed to a nearby inn called Home Inn.
"No, that inn doesn't look very clean. Now that we're in Suotuo City, I can't let you settle for such poor accommodations."
Chu Chengzhou immediately shook his head.
"Really? That inn looks pretty clean to me."
Xiao Wu looked skeptical.
"Trust me, I'm right!"
Chu Chengzhou, feeling a bit guilty, spoke with a firm tone.
Come on, how could they not stay at the legendary Rose Hotel, rumored to have only one room left?
Subsequently, they passed by three hotels, each rejected by Chu Chengzhou for various reasons.
Not long after, a unique hotel came into view.
The hotel was only three stories tall, not particularly large, but its appearance was striking.
Its exterior was decorated entirely in rose red, and the architectural style resembled a giant rose, catching the eye immediately.
"This Rose Hotel looks nice. Let's stay here!"
Seeing the distinctive Rose Hotel, Xiao Wu's eyes lit up as she turned to Chu Chengzhou.
"Mm, not bad—it's much better than the previous inns!"
Chu Chengzhou nodded in satisfaction, finally finding what he was looking for.
Upon entering the Rose Hotel, the first thing they noticed was the overwhelming scent of roses. The fragrance was intoxicating, carrying a hint of subtle allure that made one feel relaxed and refreshed.
The interior design featured only white, silver, and rose red colors—warm, unique, and elegant, easily evoking good impressions.
Seeing a server behind the counter engrossed in reading a pulp novel, Chu Chengzhou approached.
"The Untold Story of the Empress and I?"
Seeing the title of the novel in the server's hands, Chu Chengzhou raised an eyebrow.
It seemed people of Douluo, lacking entertainment, had a fondness for such decadent novels?
Fortunately, though the server was reading, they weren't doing anything inappropriate—otherwise, it would have been quite an eyeful.
"Cough~, give us two rooms."
Clearing his throat, Chu Chengzhou addressed the server, who was deeply engrossed in the novel.
Startled out of his reverie, the server—who had been mentally inserting himself as the male protagonist of the story—quickly stood up.
Glancing at Chu Chengzhou and then at Xiao Wu beside him, the server couldn't help but reveal a hint of envy. "Sorry, sir, are you sure you want two rooms?"
"Don't you see there are two of us? Should we open one room instead of two?"
Though that was what he was thinking, Chu Chengzhou didn't show it. He maintained an air of purity, as if to say, despite being a man and woman visiting a couples' hotel, their relationship was completely innocent.
Perhaps sensing Chu Chengzhou's underlying meaning—or perhaps because of the hotel's rules—the server's eyes flickered with a hint of ambiguity before awkwardly saying, "Sorry, but we only have one room left."
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