After finishing his diary entry, Su Ming resumed his cultivation. Since the spirit ring that Ah Yin provided was only 2,000 years old, his spirit power level was currently at 41, just a bit short of 42. He estimated that with some diligent cultivation over the next few days, he could break through.
Then came the most exciting moment—midnight.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing today's diary entry. You have been rewarded with:]
[1. Ah Yin's cultivation increased to 20,000 years]
[2. Automatic spirit soul cultivation tool]
[3. First and second spirit rings upgraded to 10,000 years]
"Boom!"
Su Ming's spirit power instantly surged from the peak of level 41 to level 43! If it weren't for the high quality of his spirit power, he might have leveled up even more.
Originally, Su Ming thought he would need a few days of hard cultivation to break through, but thanks to the spirit ring upgrade, he had instantly reached level 43. It was exhilarating!
He then checked out the new reward: the automatic spirit soul cultivation tool.
[Automatic Spirit Soul Cultivation Tool: Allows the host's spirit soul to increase its cultivation every seven days, with a growth rate ranging from 0.01% to 1%.]
Ah Yin: ...
Su Ming was excited by this reward. It was perfect for Ah Yin, as it would accelerate her recovery.
Since it was midnight, Su Ming didn't release his spirit ring or summon Ah Yin in the physical world. Instead, he communicated with her in his spiritual space.
Looking at the slightly more solid figure of Ah Yin, Su Ming asked, "Ah Yin, do you feel any different? Has your cultivation increased?"
Ah Yin could sense her cultivation had indeed improved, but she knew it was more a matter of her true strength being unsealed. Originally sealed at 2,000 years, she was now back to 20,000 years. Does that even count as an increase?
At that moment, the diary showed her a message.
[Your turn to act!]
Ah Yin: ...
This system is such a trickster.
Nevertheless, Ah Yin pretended to be shocked. "Su Ming, how did you do that? My cultivation suddenly jumped from 2,000 to 20,000 years!"
Su Ming chuckled mysteriously. "You don't need to know the details. Just know that as long as you're with me, your strength will increase quickly. In fact, I even have a way to boost your power every few days!"
Ah Yin had a guess as to what he meant but still asked, "What do you mean?"
Su Ming proudly presented a beautifully crafted blue necklace that resembled the Heart of the Ocean.
"Here it is! This necklace may look like a pretty accessory, but it can steadily boost your cultivation every seven days. So, what do you think? Want it?"
The automatic spirit soul cultivation tool that the system had rewarded Su Ming with came in the form of this necklace. Su Ming had been shocked when he first saw it, as it didn't look like something that would help with cultivation. But it seemed no one would suspect it had such a hidden function.
Ah Yin felt like cursing. System, are you kidding me? This looks like an ordinary necklace!
The system had gone to great lengths to ensure Su Ming wouldn't become suspicious. The spirit soul cultivation boost feature wasn't even necessary—Ah Yin naturally grew stronger every seven days. But to keep Su Ming in the dark, the system created this elaborate disguise.
Su Ming, however, was completely convinced he had been given two incredible rewards. Ah Yin could only sigh inwardly at how thoroughly the system had tricked him.
Still, Ah Yin smiled and played along, pretending to be thrilled. "Really?"
"Of course! You're my spirit soul, which makes you one of my own. The stronger you get, the stronger I become, so it's in my best interest to help you." Su Ming said with a grin. "Now that you're at the 10,000-year level, we should also be able to share our thoughts more closely. You should be able to tell what I'm thinking, right? I'm not lying to you."
Suddenly, a thought occurred to Su Ming, and he asked the system, "System, if Ah Yin and I are connected, will she be able to sense your presence?"
[Ding! No, the system automatically shields itself.]
"Great, that's a relief."
Ah Yin: System, are you sure you're shielded? Even if you are, I can still read the diary...
Ah Yin wasn't too worried that Su Ming would discover she had access to the diary's copy. She trusted the system had made sure everything was covered.
Having given the necklace to Ah Yin, Su Ming exited the spiritual space and began to check the changes to his spirit rings.
His heart leapt with joy—just as he expected, upgrading his spirit rings to 10,000 years had also strengthened their effects!
His first spirit skill, Wood Durability, had increased from a 30% boost to a 50% boost in toughness.
His second skill, Renewal, originally boosted his spirit power by 30% passively and instantly restored 30% of his power once per hour. Now, the boost had risen to 50%, and the cooldown had decreased to 30 minutes.
After reviewing all the rewards from the night, Su Ming felt like he had hit the jackpot again. He immediately began to write in his diary.
However, Su Ming was completely unaware that out of the three rewards, only the third was real. The other two were fabrications designed by the system to prevent him from becoming suspicious.
Ah Yin's actual cultivation was already at 40,000 years, but by claiming to raise it to 20,000, the system kept Su Ming in the dark.
And as for the supposed spirit soul cultivation boost? Ah Yin's power naturally increased every seven days. The system had simply thrown in the necklace to make the lie more convincing.
From the system's perspective, this was perfectly reasonable.
[So lucky! I've hit the jackpot today with some fantastic rewards!]
Su Ming's words piqued the curiosity of all the women, except for Ah Yin, who felt disdain for the system. How could the system trick its host like this? Su Ming has been completely fooled!
[First, the system increased Ah Yin's cultivation from 2,000 years to 20,000. It also upgraded my first and second spirit rings to 10,000 years, boosting my spirit power level from 41 to 43. I can't believe how amazing this is!]
[I originally thought I'd need a few days to break through to level 42, but this reward made it happen instantly! So satisfying!]
At this moment, all the women reading the diary had strange expressions. If they remembered correctly, Ah Yin's cultivation was already well beyond 20,000 years. Did the system just give Su Ming a useless reward?