Chen Xiaolian's special training this time took a full seven days.
During these seven days, what he gained and what insights he gained, only he himself knows.
Upon his return, the team didn't seem to have undergone any significant changes. They were still seen training with tires as they had been doing every day.
It must be said that the Meteor Rock Guild's current combat capabilities were still greatly lacking.
While Lun Tai and Bei Tai was experienced, their combat abilities had gradually fallen behind. It was fine for training newcomers and teaching everyone the basics of weapons and combat rules. However, in recent instances of the dungeon, these two brothers had been unable to support the overall situation.
Roddy's mecha was powerful. In the Punishment Dungeon, he coulc hold his own against [A] class Jacob. However, the problem was that he only had 18 seconds, which was too restrictive, and his weaknesses were too fatal.
As for Soo Soo... the Blazing Phoenix girl's skills are formidable, but the issue is, who knows when she will undergo some kind of stimulation and transform into her second persona, the dark one.
Xiaolei can currently only serve as logistical support, and as for Qimu Xi... it's a big improvement that she doesn't faint at the sight of blood.
As for Qiao Qiao...
Qiao Qiao's abilities...
Chen Xiaolian's heart sank slightly.
Since Qiao Qiao joined, she had never used her "abilities" even once.
Moreover, it seemed like nobody in the team knew what Qiao Qiao's abilities actually were.
Chen Xiaolian knew! As Qiao Qiao's closest confidant, he certainly knew.
But the problem was... Qiao Qiao's abilities had an extremely terrifying fatal flaw!
"Sigh..." Chen Xiaolian sighed.
After taking a shower, Chen Xiaolian came out and changed into his clothes. However, he first did something else.
He took out the items he had purchased at the supermarket from his Storage Watch... those few boxes of candles!
Chen Xiaolian took out the wick that came from the world within the ancient painting.
This wick was made of an unknown material. Normally, wicks were made of cotton or, in some cases, fiberglass. But the wick in Chen Xiaolian's hand was completely unfamiliar.
It was about the length of a cigarette, and when he twisted it in his hand, it felt flexible but had some weight to it.
Chen Xiaolian thought for a moment and then broke one of the candles open...
When Soo Soo knocked on the door, she found it wasn't locked. With a gentle push, she entered the room.
The young girl still stood outside the room and called out, "Xiaolian Oppa, can I come in?"
Chen Xiaolian's voice came from inside, giving his approval. Only then did Soo Soo run into the room.
Chen Xiaolian turned to look at the Korean girl, smiled, and asked, "Why did you come to my place?"
Soo Soo remained silent, puffing up her cheeks. She ran over and knelt down on the floor next to Chen Xiaolian, grabbing onto the hem of his clothes with both hands. She raised her chubby face and wore an expression of "baby's heartache."
Chen Xiaolian smiled and used one hand to gently pinch her baby-soft cheek. Then, he turned back to continue what he was doing.
Soo Soo widened her eyes and asked, "Oppa, what are you doing?"
Chen Xiaolian smiled and replied, "I'm making candles."
Indeed, Chen Xiaolian was making candles.
Even though he had bought several boxes of candles, using up the wicks he had was not that easy.
First, he needed to melt all those candles into wax and then insert the wicks.
He had no idea how to make candles properly and was doing it quite clumsily.
He lit a fire and one by one, placed the candles over the flame to melt them into wax. Next to him, there was a bowl with the wick inside it. Once the wax slowly solidified in the bowl, he considered the task done.
Soo Soo watched for a while, getting a bit bored. She furrowed her brows and said, "Oppa, why are you making these candles? And they look so ugly!"
Chen Xiaolian smiled but didn't respond.
After a lot of effort, he managed to melt a bowl of wax, which, after cooling and solidifying, turned into a candle with the wick fully immersed in it.
Chen Xiaolian thought for a moment, picked up a lighter, and lit the wick...
Snap!
A small candle flame appeared. Chen Xiaolian couldn't help but sigh in relief as he watched the flickering flame. He looked around but didn't seem to notice anything different.
This... was just an ordinary candle flame.
Chen Xiaolian furrowed his brows.
He had thought that lighting the wick would lead to something extraordinary, perhaps a space similar to the one in the world of ancient paintings.
It seemed he had overestimated it.
However, he didn't pay much attention. Soo Soo, who was kneeling beside him, seemed to have sniffed something and subconsciously leaned a bit closer to the candle flame...
Chen Xiaolian's candle was slowly burning, and it seemed like it would take several hours for the entire bowl of candles to burn completely.
Well, Mr. San said that as long as I ensure the flame doesn't go out, it should be fine.
No need to stare at it all day long... Otherwise, I won't be able to do anything else, right?
With this in mind, Chen Xiaolian suddenly looked at the little girl beside him and smiled slightly. "Soo Soo, can I entrust you with something?"
"Of course!" Soo Soo's eyes lit up.
Chen Xiaolian pointed at the candle and said, "Would you like to help me light this candle? Just make sure the flame doesn't go out."
"Huh?" Soo Soo widened her eyes. "But... what if the candle burns out?"
"Burns out?" Chen Xiaolian opened a nearby cardboard box filled with candles. "You can add these in if that happens. Just make sure the flame doesn't go out."
Soo Soo thought for a moment. "So, do I have to watch it constantly?"
"Not necessarily." Chen Xiaolian didn't want to be shameless and make a little girl waste her time not eating or drinking here. "You can come and check every hour and add some wax inside."
"No problem!" Soo Soo nodded firmly.
Chen Xiaolian stood up and pointed to several boxes nearby. "See, these boxes are all filled with candles. It will burn for a very long time. If you ever think we're running out of candles, just let me know, and I'll go buy more. Just remember... don't let the flame go out."
Soo Soo wore a determined expression. "Oppa, you can trust me!"
Chen Xiaolian tousled Soo Soo's mushroom-like hair, got up, and walked out of the room to find Tire and the others to talk.
Soo Soo simply knelt on the floor, gazing at the candle in the bowl-like container in front of her, her eyes fixed on the burning flame.
Unconsciously, Soo Soo seemed to sense that while the candle was burning, there was also a very, very pleasant aroma emanating from it...
This scent wasn't like any ordinary fragrance; it was an indescribable feeling that drew her in, making Soo Soo unable to resist moving closer. She sniffed deeply, savoring the scent...
Lost in the intoxicating aroma, Soo Soo didn't notice that as she took a deep breath, the candle suddenly flickered and burned a little shorter.
She squinted her eyes and felt like the scent was enveloping her entire body, making her unable to resist taking more breaths, becoming more and more entranced...
Unbeknownst to her, she seemed to have closed her eyes, half-dreaming and half-awake...
After an indeterminate amount of time, Soo Soo suddenly jolted awake, sat up abruptly, and shook her head vigorously. She realized that the candle in front of her had almost burned down to the bottom, and the flame was flickering weakly.
Soo Soo was startled, thinking that she had unintentionally fallen asleep for a long time. She hurriedly and clumsily grabbed a new candle from the nearby box and added it to the bowl.
Her ability was originally the Blazing Phoenix, a fire attribute power. Although she couldn't transform or unleash the full power of the Blazing Phoenix, creating a simple flame was still within her capabilities. In no time, she easily melted several candles into wax and added them to the bowl.
As she watched the bowl fill up with wax, Soo Soo finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, as she observed the candle flame flicker back to life, she felt the room was once again saturated with that intoxicating aroma...
It was as if the longer the candle burned, the stronger that captivating scent became, gradually filling the room even more.
Unbeknownst to the entranced Soo Soo, she hadn't actually fallen asleep earlier; she had merely closed her eyes for less than a few minutes.
With each breath, she absorbed the captivating scent into her heart. Gradually, a strange light appeared in Soo Soo's eyes.
Like a child devouring a delicious candy without restraint, at that moment, Soo Soo seemed to lose some of her normal consciousness. She couldn't resist moving closer to the scent, becoming more and more entranced.
Soon, most of the wax in the bowl had been consumed once again. This time, Soo Soo appeared to have lost her usual awareness and instinctively took out new candles, melted them into wax, and added them to the bowl.
Her breathing seemed to unconsciously quicken and become more urgent.
What she didn't notice was that a faint reddish hue began to form in the air around her, as if the atmosphere itself was turning into a gentle flame...
...
Chen Xiaolian had a casual conversation with Tire in the central lounge area, inquiring about everyone's training progress. Afterward, he returned to his room.
As soon as he entered the room, he was greeted by a surprising sight:
Soo Soo was kneeling in front of the bowl of candles, but she had positioned herself on all fours like a puppy, her head leaning so close to the candle flame that her nose almost touched it.
The young girl had an expression of utter enchantment on her face. It appeared as though she was about to extend her tongue and lick the candle flame!
Just as Soo Soo was on the verge of sticking out her tongue, Chen Xiaolian strode over and sternly whispered, "Soo Soo! What are you doing?"
"Ah!"
Soo Soo seemed to suddenly snap out of her daze. She opened her eyes wide, realizing that she had almost touched the flame and quickly pulled her head back.
Chen Xiaolian approached Soo Soo and at first glance, everything seemed normal. However, upon closer inspection, he was left stunned.
The large box of candles that had been opened next to her was almost empty!
Pointing to the box, he asked, "Where are the candles from inside?"
Soo Soo looked bewildered. "Uh... I... I think I put them all in."
"You put them all in?" Chen Xiaolian was shocked. "In just a short while, you used up the entire box?!"
Soo Soo rubbed her eyes and looked up at Chen Xiaolian with a dazed expression. "Oppa... where did you get these candles? They smell so good! I really like this scent!"
Chen Xiaolian realized something was seriously wrong and hurriedly picked Soo Soo up and gently set her down. He frowned and asked, "Are you okay?"
Soo Soo's face was flushed, like she had consumed alcohol, but she tried to shake her head. "I... I'm fine, just a bit tired."
She widened her eyes and said, "Oppa, the candle didn't go out!"
Chen Xiaolian examined Soo Soo closely and felt that her flushed face was unusual. He gently touched her face and was startled.
It was scorching hot!
Extremely hot!
He turned to look at the candle flame, and a sense of unease washed over him.
However, at that moment, with a soft thud.
Soo Soo suddenly went limp and sat on the floor, her head resting on Chen Xiaolian's leg.
She had actually fainted!