Returning to the Royal Academy of Tian Dou after some time.
Su Cheng didn't waste any time and went straight to the resting room of the second team's combat squad.
Although his time with the combat squad was brief, over the past three months, there had been quite a few matters accumulated here that needed attention. After quickly arranging things, he was prepared to call Ah Yin and then head out directly to find the Blue Silver King to promote to Soul King.
The second team's resting room wasn't as luxurious as the first team's, but it was still quite extravagant.
The spacious room could accommodate dozens of people without feeling crowded, and its palace-like decoration style looked magnificent.
However, at this moment, in this huge room, there was only one person sitting upright on the spacious sofa in the center.
Upon hearing the sound of the door being pushed, the person turned to look, and Su Cheng's gaze met a pair of deep black eyes that seemed as profound as the sea.
The person's expression seemed to be smiling, but the depths of their eyes were as cold as frost, devoid of any warmth or amusement.
"Su Cheng, my little brother, long time no see. You really made me wait."
"Xiao Xue?!" Su Cheng exclaimed in surprise.
Although the person before him appeared to be a young man at this moment, looking perfectly ordinary, he recognized her with just one glance.
Moreover, no one else would address him like this except her.
Upon hearing Su Cheng's address, the black-clad youth emitted a faint wave of soul power, and their somewhat ordinary appearance instantly changed.
Their fair face became lively and radiant, and a pair of phoenix-like eyes shimmered with a faint chill.
Who else could it be if not Qian Renxue?
Then, she moved slightly, like a phantom, flashing in front of Su Cheng.
Her speed was so fast that even he had trouble reacting.
Immediately after, her fair right palm, like a sword, aimed directly at his vital points, with the condensed soul power forming sharp blades, showing no mercy in her attack.
Although she didn't use her martial soul, Qian Renxue was someone extraordinary. With the enhancement of her six-winged angel martial soul, her soul power concentration far exceeded those of the same rank, not far from the level of a Soul Saint.
In terms of attacking power, she was not weaker than an ordinary Soul Saint.
Su Cheng raised his eyebrows and also refrained from using his martial soul, engaging in combat with her using his soul power.
After advancing his domain, he could now summon a small amount of elemental power without using the Eternal Sword, making his strength far superior to those of the same rank.
Qian Renxue's expression changed slightly, lightly praising, "You've improved quite fast."
Then she became more ruthless in her attacks, using various deadly moves, with a hint of invisible killing intent hidden within.
"Hey, what are you doing? Why so aggressive as soon as we meet?" Su Cheng said as he defended himself.
Even without using his martial soul to unleash his self-created soul skills, he couldn't entirely keep up with Qian Renxue's fierce attacks and was soon at a disadvantage.
After all, there was a two-tier difference in their levels, and she also mastered the secrets of the Meridian Restoration method, making her movements even faster than his.
"Heh, how does it feel to be surrounded by beautiful women?" Qian Renxue said casually, her hands not stopping, "I heard you've hooked up with another genius girl from another academy. What, having a Miss of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School by your side isn't enough for you? I guess I shouldn't have let you off back then when you said you treated me like a little sister. Does a little sister need your help so badly? I shouldn't have spared you."
"It's not what you think." Su Cheng sighed, realizing why she was angry. It was probably some gossip she heard from somewhere, most likely orchestrated by that old man, Dugu Bo.
But he couldn't gain anything by fighting her like this, so he reluctantly took a blow and stepped back a few steps, avoiding her attack for the moment.
Seeing this, Qian Renxue didn't pursue further, but her expression instantly turned cold.
"Su Cheng, can you explain to me why Ning Rongrong's martial soul has turned into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda?"
She had waited for Su Cheng here for three months, almost understanding everything related to him. She knew that he and Ning Rongrong had left the first Team and joined the Second Team together, and that the little girl's martial soul had completely compensated for her own shortcomings.
Except for Su Cheng, she couldn't think of anyone else who could achieve this.
"It's not what you think." Su Cheng sighed, realizing the complexity of the situation.
There were too many reasons involved, and it wasn't easy to explain it clearly.
Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and asked, "By the way, do you have the Heartbroken Red with you?"
He had encountered a bottleneck in his research on masking his aura with drugs. Perhaps utilizing the properties of the Heartbroken Red could help him solve the problem.
At his words, Qian Renxue first scrutinized him expressionlessly, then lowered her eyelids, falling silent.
Long lashes cast a shadow over her jet-black eyes, obscuring her expression and making it difficult to discern her emotions.
After a while, with a flip of her hand, a white flower tainted with dots of blood appeared in her palm.
The King of Flowers was connected with her aura, quietly floating on her fingertips, emitting a faint golden-red light.
"You picked it?" Su Cheng was somewhat surprised to see that the Heartbroken Red had already acknowledged her as its master.
He had thought that given Qian Renxue's current state, she wouldn't be able to gain the recognition of this immortal grass.
"What's wrong, are you disappointed?" Qian Renxue said lightly, with a hint of mockery in her tone, whether mocking Su Cheng or herself, it was hard to tell.
Then she put away the herb, somewhat disinterestedly waving her hand.
"Never mind, do as you wish. Since there's nothing else, I'll go back to the Soul City before I leave."
She added in her mind, "But before I go back, I have to deal with certain people."
"Wait." At this moment, Su Cheng suddenly stepped forward, grabbing her wrist to stop her movement.
Qian Renxue turned her head back, staring at him coldly without saying a word.
They exchanged silent glances.
Gradually, Su Cheng's gaze became sharp, with a cold light emanating from his eyes.
After a long while, he wore a serious expression and nodded decisively.
"You blinked first."
"?" Qian Renxue looked at him in astonishment.
"You blinked first, who plays this kind of thing with you!"
Qian Renxue couldn't help but laugh at his words, her anger dissipating by half, "When did you become so childish?"
"You too?" Su Cheng retorted, making Qian Renxue blush.
Then, she turned her face aside, trying to shake off his grip on her arm. Instead, she ended up being pulled back to the sofa by him.
"Come sit down first, I'll explain the situation to you."
After sitting down, Qian Renxue lowered her head in silence.
It wasn't because she was angry this time but rather because she felt embarrassed.
The three months of waiting had made her mood too suppressed, coupled with her extreme concern, inevitably leading to her overthinking things.
Meeting today and failing to control her emotions, all her suppressed feelings erupted at once.
Su Cheng's teasing remarks had made her feel somewhat embarrassed now.
"Don't overthink it. I didn't plan to give the Heartbroken Red to anyone else. I wanted you to take it out to see if it has any other uses."
"...," Qian Renxue didn't say anything more, silently taking out the Heartbroken Red again.
Su Cheng observed the Immortal herb in front of him, furrowing his brows in contemplation.
During the first simulation, he had also seen this state of the Lovesick Heartbroken Red, but at that time, the purpose of taking this flower was to help Qian Renxue advance quickly, without delving too deeply into its characteristics.
At that time, Su Cheng didn't attach much significance to studying such rare herbs.
These items were born from the essence of heaven and earth, each one unique and possessing powerful and singular medicinal properties that couldn't be replicated with ordinary herbs, making them impossible to mass-produce.
But now, he felt that his previous thoughts were too narrow-minded.
Indeed, the medicinal power of immortal herbs was extraordinary, and no combination of ordinary herbs could achieve a similar effect.
And functions like concealing one's aura were just incidental traits, indicating significant research value.
Moreover, it didn't stop there.
Currently, on the surface of the Heartbroken Red, there emitted a layer of golden-red light, like a barrier, firmly guarding it within.
It appeared harmless but was exceptionally sturdy. Even he, using all his strength, would find it difficult to shatter it. Only Qian Renxue, as its master, could approach or use it freely.
This characteristic was also quite peculiar.
After a brief examination, Su Cheng turned to Qian Renxue beside him and asked, "What level are you at now?"
"Sixty-seven."
"Only sixty-seven?... That's a bit too slow, time is running out..." he muttered to himself.
Upon hearing this, Qian Renxue felt speechless. Wasn't this fast enough? Unable to hold back, she retorted, "Do you think advancing to a Soul Emperor level is as easy as advancing to your Soul Ancestor level?"
"Oh, that's not what I meant," Su Cheng smiled.
Indeed, her advancement speed was already quite fast. Calculating, she could advance one level in less than a year, which indicated her exceptional talent.
"However, to absorb the seventh soul ring, you need to reach level seventy."
"The seventh soul ring? What does that mean?" Qian Renxue raised an eyebrow.
"We'll talk about that later," Su Cheng glanced at her and then asked, "What exactly is your current situation? Hmm... I mean your spiritual state seems unstable."
He carefully adjusted his wording.
Qian Renxue lowered her gaze slightly and after a moment, said in a bitter voice, "Shortly after returning to the Soul city, she gradually fell into a state of sleep."
"A state of sleep?" Su Cheng was surprised. "Is it dangerous?"
"Not for the time being," Qian Renxue still lowered her head, making it difficult to discern her expression. "But as I gradually become stronger, she becomes much weaker."
"Aren't you symbiotic?" Su Cheng furrowed his brows lightly, this was different from what he had thought.
During these days, he had pondered over the hidden implications and possible solutions to their situation. However, due to Qian Renxue's reluctance to discuss the matter when they parted ways, he had very few clues to work with, and everything was mainly guesswork.
But if they weren't symbiotic, it would be easier to solve. They would only need to find a way to create a host body to separate the two.
In the Douluo Continent, the existence of soul bodies wasn't uncommon.
At this moment, Qian Renxue whispered again, "We are symbiotic, so if she perishes, I won't be able to continue to exist."
"I see..." Su Cheng pondered, "Is this due to an unhealthy mental state?"
Qian Renxue's expression darkened, and she said softly, "Do you mean my existence is redundant? Or perhaps, I shouldn't have existed at all?"
Her palm clenched silently, and her fingertips turned slightly pale. "But it's fine like this. With your abilities, you should be able to eliminate this 'hidden danger', right?"
A faint sense of tension and worry arose in her heart.
Did he really see it that clearly?
"You misunderstood. To me, both of you, although with different consciousnesses, are still Qian Renxue. Essentially, there is no difference," Su Cheng reached out and gently patted her shoulder. "When I mentioned an unhealthy state, I meant that this mental state is not suitable for prolonged periods."
Su Cheng propped his chin with one hand and pondered, "The problem with your situation lies in the difficulty of maintaining balance. Being symbiotic and having opposing attributes, it's hard to convert each other. Once one side becomes too strong, the other becomes even more dangerous."
Why can the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes maintain balance? That's because the two Dragon King corpses were already dead, so there was no possibility of one side continuing to grow stronger.
Moreover, they were existences that surpassed dimensions, so there were almost no external factors that could disrupt the balance between them.
"If there's a solution, I have a somewhat immature idea." Su Cheng spoke slowly as he contemplated.
"Perhaps if there's a relatively fixed anchor and the addition of a third-party existence, it might be possible to stabilize your spiritual state in the short term."
"A third-party existence?" Qian Renxue furrowed her brows, her expression becoming dangerous. "What are you thinking?"
Seeing her expression, Su Cheng couldn't help but smile wryly. "Don't overthink it. When I say third-party, I don't mean a new consciousness but rather something that can stabilize the soul."
If he had to describe it, it was somewhat similar to the significance of Ah Yin to his Five Elements Domain.
It's just that his Five Elements Rotation could convert each other, so even without Ah Yin's presence, the domain would only become duller and weaker, but there would be no danger.
"In that case, let me first study the characteristics of the Heartbroken Red, and when the time is right, you can take it." Su Cheng quickly made a decision.
"Since you were able to successfully master it, there shouldn't be any problem with taking it. Plus, you can use its medicinal power to reach the level seventy threshold, which might also help alleviate your spiritual state."
The medicinal properties of the Heartbroken Red are mild and gentle, and its main role is to strengthen weaknesses and deficiencies.
Since Qian Renxue's two consciousnesses are essentially one, there is no distinction between malignancy and benignity.
For an unconscious existence like an herb, it will instinctively seek to compensate for the relatively weaker spiritual attributes.
From this perspective, after taking it, the weaker side of Qian Renxue's body will receive greater benefits, which is extremely advantageous for maintaining balance.
Moreover, this immortal herb's medicinal power lasts for an extended period, so even if there are any accidents, there will be enough time to rectify them.