220 Haha, I've made it, I’ve truly made it! 【Four-in-one, please subscribe!】

Madam August’s private hot spring is located in the dense forest directly behind the starship.

The towering, sparse ancient pine forest is interspersed with red maples, their leaves dancing gracefully as they fall. The pine and maple woods are also planted with many shade-loving, rare flowers and grasses; with a gentle breeze rustling through, moonlight melting into the shadows, and insects and butterflies flitting about, the area is quite lively.

In the center of the pine and maple forest lies a grove of purple bamboo. These are slender, dense, purple-glazed stalks that embrace the hot spring pool like a screen. They block out light and insulate against all divine sense, preventing outsiders from catching a glimpse of the scenery within, while also containing the steam and medicinal vapors so they do not dissipate.

Lu Chen passed through a cyan magic array that bars divine sense and forbids entry, stepping into the purple bamboo grove. Deep within the winding path, he pushed aside the curling mist and the bamboo branches brushing his face, finally arriving at the poolside.

The pool is small, only about ten feet square, shrouded in mist and embraced by jagged black rocks, dark fragrant grasses, and dense purple bamboo. Beside the pool stands a bamboo shed for changing, a white stone square table filled with wine and snacks, and nearby, a glowing cherry tree. Its petals are white but emit a faint, pinkish light. The cherry blossoms fall like flying snow, drifting one by one into the curling mist, illuminating the entire pool.

It is simply dreamlike!

In the hazy mist, Gloria and Aili were leaning against opposite sides of the pool, soaking. They were both asleep, stark naked.

Lu Chen quickly turned invisible, first checking if they were practicing diligently. Aili was sitting cross-legged in meditation, her hair styled in an upright bun. Silver-white lashes were dusted with morning dew, her eyelids fluttering slightly, and her small face was flushed as she absorbed and transformed the medicinal power. A cup of tea sat beside her. Because Aili is not tall, when she sits cross-legged, the water level reaches her collarbone, revealing only a hint of her delicate curves and a shallow cleavage... It was a cute and endearing sight.

Gloria, on the other hand, was rather absurd. She was slightly on her side, her head lolling against the edge of the pool, wine still staining the corners of her mouth, emitting soft, tipsy snores. She was simply sleeping! Her posture was quite indecorous. Yet, her features and figure were so naturally endowed that even in this state, she possessed a lazy, weary, and ethereal beauty. Her clear face, flushed with a faint red, was like a vibrant painting; her dark hair was piled into a high, cloud-like bun, and water droplets clung to her lips. The sharp curve of her shoulder blades hinted at the lines of a celestial ship’s keel, and her skin, fair as if draped in moonlight, exuded a faint scent of medicinal herbs and wine.

Snowy peaks veiled in mist, cherry blossoms dancing... What kind of divine constitution does this silly woman have? Lu Chen saw no demonic aura in her, only a vast, graceful elegance that transcended humanity. Coupled with her steadily recovering cultivation... Perhaps it was precisely because she was so well-endowed that she had become foolish, her brain having become a mere burden.

Lu Chen shook his head helplessly, then revealed his form and shouted at Gloria: "The sun is up! I see who's still sleeping!"

Gloria tossed and turned in a daze, changed her position, and continued to sleep.

In the misty haze, Lu Chen felt as if he had seen something he shouldn't have, and his blood surged upward.

"Captain, you..." Aili’s flushed little face instantly turned pale. Although separated by the mist, this was the first time she had been completely naked in front of a man. She hurriedly shrank her body, sinking lower until only her small head remained above water, bubbles rising from her lips.

"Don't be nervous. The bath-cultivation hasn't started yet; the dragon core is already with the Madam. Tonight, both of you must assist my practice—one to help me control the dragon blood through spirit-channeling, and the other to help me turn demonic if I can't suppress the dragon blood. I came early to get used to bathing with women, to keep my heart as still as water, lest I die suddenly tonight."

Aili understood and immediately extended her hands above the water, forming a "sobering seal" to wake the dazed Gloria. Gloria smacked her lips and wiped the wine from the corner of her mouth. She then reached for the wine flagon on the bank, tilted her head back, and took a long, hearty drink, finally becoming fully awake.

"It’s just a bath, do you really need to get used to it? It seems the Madam doesn't trust you at all!"

"What do you know? Tonight is dragon-blood cultivation; there can be no mistakes. The Madam's caution is justified."

As he spoke, he went to the bamboo shed to remove his clothes, donning a bamboo-fiber towel that covered only his lower body. He then went to the stone table to pour a cup of clear-heart tea, carrying the cup back to the poolside. When Aili saw Lu Chen wrapped in the towel, revealing his solid muscles and tall, sturdy physique, her pale face flushed instantly. With a cry of surprise, she shifted into her white wolf form. Even as a wolf, Aili kept her massive body submerged in the water, revealing only her small wolf head. By her own power, she caused the water level to rise by nearly a foot, completely burying even Gloria's snowy peaks.

Gloria laughed until she was leaning backward. "Not a bad physique! Look at how shy you've made Aili; she's turned into a wolf-baby."

Lu Chen shook his head and sighed: "Aili, it’s not just me who needs to control their blood, you need to control yourself too!"

The ice-blue wolf eyes stared at Lu Chen with a naive gaze. The white wolf pretended not to understand.

Lu Chen stepped into the pool between Gloria and Aili. He immediately felt a cool, refreshing sensation permeate his skin, followed by a warm, fragrant embrace that was truly intoxicating. The surface of the water was filled with mist, floating with scented herbs and glowing cherry petals, like a fairyland. Pushing aside the floating herbs and petals, one could dimly see the stones on the bottom and the clusters of water grass. There were even colorful warm-water fish swimming about, nibbling gently at Lu Chen's skin, making him feel a slight, comfortable itch all over. The pool water flowed in a bubbling cycle, entering and exiting through narrow channels to irrigate the garden.

Soaking in the warm, fragrant water, Lu Chen felt as if he were resting in a beauty's arms... It was like walking among the clouds, floating like an immortal. The various medicinal properties in the pool slowly permeated his skin, entering his meridians in orderly succession and flowing into his sea of energy, constantly nourishing the vortex there. Especially for Lu Chen, whose energy vortex had become extremely deep after mastering the power of critical hits, it was usually difficult for ordinary pills to penetrate to the very center, but Madam August's bath could achieve just that.

"So this is how comfortable bath-cultivation is. No wonder you two can soak for three days straight without getting bored. It’s just that the medicinal power is too gentle... For a man of my stoic and ascetic nature, it lacks challenge," Lu Chen sighed with a look of contentment.

Gloria tilted her head back, took a sip of wine, and said with a look of disdain: "We are both geniuses; this level of bath-cultivation is enough for us to level up. What kind of talent do you have? Soaking in the same spring with us is just for pleasure. The Madam told you to come here to adapt to the cultivation site, and you ended up with a towel... It's hilarious. Who uses a towel during bath-cultivation? A true gentleman is open and honest, while a petty man is always anxious. It seems you're just a little man with lecherous thoughts but no courage, using a towel to hide your shame!"

"Huh?" Lu Chen furrowed his brows, whipped off the towel, and tossed it casually onto the black rock on the bank, saying with an open and honest expression: "I was just afraid of scaring you stray cats and dogs!"

In an instant, the white wolf's eyes froze, completely stunned. As a genius spirit-master, Aili was extremely sensitive to the human body. Even through the water and mist, she could clearly perceive the Captain's physique, and she was so embarrassed she almost buried her head completely into the water.

Gloria released her divine sense to perceive for a moment. Her expression stiffened for a long time before she suddenly burst into laughter: "That’s outrageous! It must be a prosthetic. Men love to play with these superficial things. What era is this? Why are you still comparing sizes?"

Lu Chen actually regretted it a bit; if he had known he would transmigrate, he shouldn't have "modeled" himself that way. "Comparing nothing! It’s a matter of natural talent. If you don't believe me, ask Aili."

The white wolf covered her eyes with her paws and nodded timidly.

Gloria laughed even harder. "Then you're disabled; you'll never find a wife. My advice is to cut off half. The Madam is very skilled at such surgeries. I'll ask her to give you a half-price discount... How about that? A great deal, right?"

Lu Chen was speechless. "Why don't you say your breasts are a disability? They even drag down your IQ, and I’ve never seen you get them cut off."

Gloria, however, took pride in it rather than shame, saying: "On that point, the Madam has already educated me. Breast size has nothing to do with IQ. The Madam is even bigger than me, yet she is one of the smartest people in the galaxy."

Lu Chen picked up his tea cup, took a small sip, and shook his head with a laugh: "In that case, you are a natural-born fool, incurable... One day, you will be stupid enough to kill yourself."

"You—" Gloria couldn't win an argument against Lu Chen, so she returned to the front lines. "The Madam told you to come early to get used to women, so we can't go easy on you."

As she spoke, she produced a beige water ball from somewhere. The ball looked very much like a beach volleyball in size and texture. "Aili, turn back into human form. We’re going to play water polo right here in the pool, to let Captain Lu experience the charm of competitive sports and see if he can still focus on his cultivation."

The white wolf shook her head repeatedly.

Gloria continued: "Aili, don't underestimate a man's fetishes. Arden Fermat didn't touch you not because he was kind, but because you are too special; he probably wanted to sell you for a good price. Our Captain Lu loves small animals—he stares at the scorpion-girl's tail without blinking... Otherwise, how do you think humanoids came about? Surely they weren't spliced together in a lab?"

The white wolf thought about it, and the Captain did seem to be like that. In the Mother Locust's cave, she had once detected his hormones suddenly rising; although it was only for a moment and quickly suppressed by reason, it showed that the Captain's orientation was not exactly normal. Terrified, she quickly returned to human form and asked weakly: "Aren't humanoids from a lab?"

"Of course not! Humans first turned humanoids into 'demons'—which were actually still beast-bodied, just using illusions to take human form—and then bred with humans. The lab just broke the reproductive isolation of the fertilized eggs, but humans really did do *that* with spirit beasts." Gloria said with a smug look, as if she knew a lot. "Humans are the most obscene species in the universe; they have no bottom line at all."

Lu Chen said earnestly: "If humans weren't obscene, would you even exist? Born from evil, we are in no position to judge evil itself; it must be judged by gods or civilizations outside of humanity."

Aili turned pale at these words. The textbooks said that humans and spirit beasts combined in laboratory petri dishes... She never expected it was *that* kind of combination. Humans and beasts have different sizes, how did they manage it! Her small head was filled with big question marks, and her silver-white hair was practically smoking from the effort of thinking.

"Men's mouths are deceitful ghosts, Aili, don't listen to his nonsense. Let's play ball and let him focus on his cultivation!" Gloria raised her upper body and tapped the ball lightly.

Lu Chen watched, dumbfounded through the mist. *You're even bigger than the ball!*

On the other side, Aili kept her body乖乖 (obediently) shrunk in the water, revealing only her small head. When the ball fell, she reached out and hit it back.

*Plop!*

This match was far less intense than the beach volleyball game and couldn't hold Lu Chen's attention, so he could focus on his cultivation... *Yeah, right!*

How could he cultivate? The rippling water, the sparkling cherry blossom colors, the nearly perfect ethereal beauty... Not to mention the uninhibited Gloria, even Aili, shrinking under the water with only her head showing, was exceptionally cute and moving. For a moment, Lu Chen felt as if he were living in a wonderful 2D harem world. Even though it was full of benefits, he was still a little virgin. Getting addicted to these benefits would be his ruin.

Lu Chen sipped his tea, stabilized his surging blood, began to calm his energy, and closed his eyes to perceive the medicinal power. He wanted to ripple with the pool water and dance with the cherry petals.

He wanted to resonate with all the spiritual energy in the pool!

He merged with heaven and earth. He transformed into nothingness. He... became invisible.

Now, let alone Aili, even Gloria was startled. Fearing that something might crawl into her body, she had to quickly pause the water polo game. "Stop, stop, stop! Don't do this, it's creepy!"

As she spoke, she kept throwing the water ball, finally hitting Lu Chen's position and shape on the side of the pool. He was motionless, like a statue.

Aili watched for a long time and said in surprise: "The Captain seems to have entered a state of deep meditation..."

Gloria was taken aback. "Really?"

Aili carefully sensed the Captain's aura. "The Captain is absorbing the medicinal power so fast; it won't be long before he levels up."

Gloria stared at the invisible and colorless Lu Chen in disbelief, not expecting him to have reached such a state. "Impossible! I am such a cute succubus, yet I’m not as attractive to him as the medicine in the pool? What kind of dog-man is he?"

Aili smiled and explained: "Sister Gloria, you are beautiful enough; it's just that the Captain is no ordinary person. He is using the power of 'All-Encompassing Resonance' to barely suppress his blood and state of mind."

Gloria breathed a sigh of relief and then bared her teeth: "Cheating bastards are truly hateful!"

Speaking of cheating, Aili suddenly remembered something. "Sister Gloria, how is your critical hit power cultivation coming along?"

Gloria spread her hands. "Not great. Algernon is no mere nobody; he truly mastered the power of the 'Chosen One' by his own efforts. I just lack the title of a 'Chosen Son.' How could I possibly learn his power? Besides, I don't care for it. Once my 'Mystic Moon Sword Qi' recovers, my basic attacks will be critical hits."

"Sister Gloria is amazing!" Although Aili didn't fully understand, "amazing" was enough. "No wonder I can't learn it. Even though I've gained a clear insight and secretly observed the Captain's methods, digging deep into the sea of energy, I still can't do it."

Gloria smiled and patted Aili's petite shoulder. "Everyone has their own mission. Not being able to learn it means it's not your mission... You have your own mission, Aili."

Aili didn't expect that even Sister Gloria understood so much. "Mm!"

However, when it came to the bet, Gloria suddenly had a bright idea and grinned mischievously: "Since we can't learn it, we might as well admit defeat and give him a 'power-up'."

Aili thought about it seriously. "Massage the Captain? Well, in the pool, this could also be considered a test."

And so... Gloria and Aili came to Lu Chen's side, one massaging his shoulders, the other pounding his back. In the netherworld of his meditation, Lu Chen felt it was truly comfortable. But Gloria's movements became increasingly outrageous... making him feel all slippery, like a loach.

Lu Chen had just managed to level up from 35 to 36. Suddenly—his blood surged, and he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood! He opened his eyes to see Gloria lying on his back and Aili massaging her shoulders.

"What are you doing? I wanted auxiliary cultivation, not a back massage... And you, Gloria, what kind of 'special service' is this?"

Gloria spoke in a coy, delicate voice: "We're just admitting defeat. Since we can't learn the critical hit power, we have to serve you, young master."

Lu Chen waved his hand. Women would only affect his cultivation speed. "Alright, alright, consider the bet fulfilled. Go play water polo; don't disturb my cultivation."

Gloria wasn't happy. "That won't do. This is also part of the trial. Auxiliary cultivation is much more intimate than this, especially when your blood is surging and you're about to explode. What do you think I use to help you turn demonic? Didn't the Madam tell you?"

Lu Chen was stunned... something felt wrong. "You don't mean 'dual cultivation,' do you?"

Gloria smiled mysteriously. "Very close."

Lu Chen's heart skipped a beat. No wonder the Madam said he might break his vows tonight... As expected of a succubus! He didn't know how things had developed to this point. Was his thrilling, adventurous journey about to turn into a trivial domestic drama? *I don't want that!*

"Fine, massage however you want. I have no fear; I won't be affected by you." Saying this, he closed his eyes and continued his cultivation.

Gloria didn't believe it. Joining forces with Aili, she massaged Lu Chen's muscles and bones until they were flying. Lu Chen didn't give in either. Through the power of resonance, he transmitted the force of their pounding and massaging through his body and into the water in the form of ripples. The calm surface of the water bore the pressure of their touch, and in an instant, waves rose and swayed incessantly.

Lu Chen quickly adapted. A moment later, he entered deep meditation again, his brow displaying a Buddha-like calm, still tinged with a faint sense of enjoyment. Gloria was furious, her hands aching. "Damn it, how did this guy's state suddenly get so high!"

Aili nodded. She felt the Captain's resonance power was used far too skillfully, even though she rarely saw him practice.

"Enough."

At some point, Madam August had arrived at the poolside. Her tall, imposing figure made the hot spring seem miniature. In her spotless, white, semi-transparent lace dress, wearing a noblewoman’s hat that half-covered her face, she possessed an enchanting and mysterious temperament in the mist.

"Although his cultivation is very low, his application of resonance power is already approaching that of his master... I underestimated him."

Lu Chen leaned back and stretched his body. "What do you call a genius!"

"Don't be too proud, young man. You have a rough night ahead of you." Madam August puffed on a cigarette, the ethereal purple mist landing on Lu Chen's face, making him feel a bit clearer. She then said to Gloria and Aili: "You two should put on your clothes and come up first. Before bath-cultivation, you need to eat and drink well and prepare the medicine... Tonight will still be very dangerous; you might level up as a result."

Lu Chen turned his head and asked curiously: "What about me? Do I need to eat and drink well?"

Madam August had already turned to leave. "You need to be completely fasting, and it's best to empty your sea of energy completely."

Lu Chen nodded thoughtfully. *The way of heaven, to reduce the excess and replenish the deficient...* He understood this principle. To deal with women, it was best to empty out *that* as well. At the moment, Lu Chen had absorbed all the medicinal power in the pool. But because using the resonance power consumed so much spiritual energy, he had almost exhausted his own, and his entire body was weary. He soon drifted off to sleep leaning against the edge of the pool.

Gloria and Aili then got dressed and returned to the clinic.

...

Midnight.

Bees and butterflies slept, insects chirped. Gloria and Aili came to the poolside wearing cotton-padded jackets. Aili carried all the medicinal herbs prepared by Madam August on a large tray. A large jar of medicinal soup, three "Marrow-Cleansing Pills" to swallow, five "Ice-Cold Powders," and herbs for blood-transformation.

She first sprinkled the blood-transforming herbs around the pool. The medicinal power permeated Lu Chen's skin, continuously draining the fresh blood from his capillaries into the pool. The water instantly turned crimson. Gloria sat to the side, eating snacks and drinking wine, dressed in a floral cotton jacket, looking like a village girl.

Subsequently, Aili threw an "Ice-Cold Powder" into the pool. The steam instantly condensed into frost. The hot spring turned cool and quickly froze over. The temperature in the purple bamboo grove rapidly dropped below zero—minus ten, minus twenty degrees...

Lu Chen was frozen awake. The hot spring had become an ice cave, and until it completely froze, his entire body was locked in ice. He gasped for air, his breath turning to frost, his throat rattling with the cold. With a shake of his body, he shattered the ice. Looking around, he saw Gloria and Aili wearing floral cotton jackets, looking like a young and an old housewife.

Cultivators can actually use spiritual energy to resist low temperatures, briefly enduring absolute zero. But they let the cold air invade, breathing naturally, and did not resist the low temperature.

"What are you doing?"

Aili rubbed her hands, blew out a breath of air, and said seriously: "Captain, your bath-cultivation has begun."

Lu Chen felt strange. Did it start so quickly? "Where's my hot spring? Why are you wearing cotton jackets?"

Gloria sat cross-legged by the pool, eating snacks and drinking wine to ward off the cold. "It’s too cold; we have to wear cotton jackets."

Lu Chen looked around. Not only was the pool frozen, but the cherry blossoms had stopped falling, and the pale cyan "Marrow-Cleansing Array" had been activated. He felt both hungry and cold. "Hurry up, where are the dragon core ingredients?"

Aili served Lu Chen a bowl of medicinal soup. "Captain, be careful, it's hot."

Lu Chen reached out to take it. He looked down; it was pitch black, with a pungent, sour smell, and there were even crushed insect shells floating on the surface. Using insect shells in medicine was a classic technique. Lu Chen didn't question it, blew on it, and took a small sip to test the taste.

The soup entered his mouth and instantly melted onto the tip of his tongue. Lu Chen was so sour he couldn't even spit it out. "What the hell? My tongue is almost being corroded."

"Wait, Madam August wouldn't substitute inferior goods, would she? Using insect juice to fool me... What a swindler! Where is my dragon core!"

Gloria and Aili both giggled. "If it were pure insect juice, one gulp of that juice and it would come out from behind your butt!"

Aili also explained: "There is no insect juice; it's used to quickly dissolve the dragon core. At the same time, the insect juice can neutralize the heat of the dragon core. This is a relatively safe prescription method. The Madam's methods are very brilliant; others couldn't perfectly fuse two such opposing medicinal powers."

Lu Chen nodded and asked curiously: "How much dragon core was used in this jar of soup?"

Aili said: "About a quarter. The Madam is taking half as a medical fee, and the other quarter will be used next time."

Taking half the dragon core... Considering Madam August's superb medical skills, Lu Chen endured it, but— "That huge dragon core, even if cut into quarters, only boiled down to this small jar of soup?"

Aili shook her head; she didn't know how to explain it either. "Captain, you should just drink it first. You'll understand once you do."

Lu Chen looked down. He had only taken a small sip, and the ice around him had already melted; his body was becoming steaming hot. *A bit potent!*

He picked up the bowl and drank it in one gulp. Only then, amidst the insect-sourness, did he taste the surging flavor of the dragon.

Lu Chen's eyes lit up. *Good guy, it's pure dragon blood!* As soon as the dragon's blood-energy entered his body, it didn't enter his limbs or meridians but headed straight for his blood vessels. Lu Chen's entire circulatory system instantly boiled. Even his seven orifices began to steam. He became a steam engine. He turned to look at Gloria and Aili, and his blood surged instantly.

Aili shouted anxiously: "Captain, you drank it too fast!"

Unfortunately, it was already too late. Lu Chen's face turned pitch black. Within ten breaths, the hot spring turned from an ice cave to snow water, then became steaming, and in the blink of an eye, it was boiling. The entire bamboo grove became a sauna. Gloria and Aili hurriedly took off their cotton jackets, leaving only their sexy or cute underwear.

Unfortunately, Lu Chen had no eyes to see it. His pupils were white, like those of a cooked dead fish.

Aili hurriedly gave Lu Chen a Marrow-Cleansing Pill. The pill melted upon contact, clearing his meridians and rapidly creating a monstrous vortex in his sea of energy, attempting to absorb the dragon blood in his body. Lu Chen's black face turned slightly red. His inner energy spewed from his seven orifices, merging into the water mist. Gloria and Aili each took a Marrow-Cleansing Pill, then stripped down to nothing and stepped into the pool to assist.

By now, the pool water was boiling and bubbling.

"Wow, so hot..."

"Aili, another Ice-Cold Powder."

Without waiting for Gloria's reminder, Aili had already thrown an Ice-Cold Powder into the pool. It slightly calmed the boiling water, but as the heat from Lu Chen's body continued to pour into the water, the Ice-Cold Powder couldn't suppress it for long. Aili immediately performed the spirit-channeling technique, using ice-type spiritual energy to stabilize Lu Chen's whole body. Unfortunately, it was of little use and soon turned into a flowing waterfall, struggling to suppress the dragon's breath.

Madam August had warned about this long ago. It was only Lu Chen's fault for drinking it too violently.

"Captain, are you okay?" Gloria felt that the situation was not good. "It looks like you're not going to make it. I can almost smell the scent of stewed ribs... Aili, you go first; if it doesn't work, I'll take over."

Aili’s little face froze. "How do I 'go'?"

Gloria said: "Dual cultivation, of course! You swallow an Ice-Cold Powder, hold him, and connect your blood and spiritual energy. Isn't that enough?"

Aili was stunned, instantly panicking. "Eh? Did Madam August say that?"

Gloria remained calm and smiled, explaining: "Does such a thing need to be spelled out? If you can't do it, I'll have to come in. Once I move, the Captain will turn demonic."

Aili felt the risk of the Captain turning demonic was still too high, so she had to grit her teeth and say with a flushed face: "Then... let me try first..."

Just then, Lu Chen, who had regained his mobility, spoke up. "Wait!"

He used his resonance power to forcibly suppress the dragon's breath. Fortunately, the dragon's breath was just excessively surging spiritual energy; as long as he mastered its movement, he could use anti-phase resonance to dissipate it. Then, he transferred the calmed dragon-spirit into his meridians, pouring it into his sea of energy, instantly creating monstrous waves that rushed straight into the depths of the vortex, infinitely scouring and stretching it.

Fortunately, his energy vortex was deep enough to easily withstand such dragon breath. Or, in other words, it was precisely because his energy vortex was deep enough that it could form a spiritual abyss, forcibly pulling the dragon-spirit from his blood into his meridians and sea of energy. This meant that an ordinary person really couldn't withstand the dragon-spirit! Unless their cultivation was far beyond that of a Green-Winged Dragon...

For a moment, Lu Chen felt as if he were Sun Wukong being thrown into Taishang Laojun's alchemy furnace, roasted by the Samadhi True Fire. His body turned from black to bright red, and finally to a flushed pink. He opened his eyes, blood still flowing from his seven orifices. The entire hot spring had turned into a pool of boiling blood.

"Madam August really knows her stuff; this is potent."

Gloria hadn't expected Lu Chen to suppress the dragon's breath himself. "You... are you really okay? If you can't, there's no need to force yourself. If it really doesn't work, Aili is prepared to sacrifice herself. You're handsome and can make money; which woman would care about this little thing?"

Aili nodded shyly. She liked the Captain deep down. She was just afraid of perverts.

Lu Chen was very grateful. "Thank you, Aili. As a man, if I really touch you two, I will be responsible to the end. However, I feel great right now, simply fantastic. I'm gradually understanding everything about the dragon race! No, I need another gulp."

Saying this, he picked up the soup jar and took a huge swig. After drinking, smoke rose from the top of his head, and he asked Gloria and Aili curiously: "Why aren't you drinking? Drink up, everyone can drink! Tonight, we all ascend!"

Gloria gasped. "This isn't good. The Captain's brain has been fried."

Aili had no choice but to take out the last three Ice-Cold Powders. As a result, Lu Chen snatched them away and stuffed them all into his mouth. "Haha, cool... No, so cold!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he froze into an ice sculpture. Fortunately, Lu Chen's inner breath was surging, and he turned to shatter the ice sculpture with his resonance power. Taking advantage of the cold air still in his body, he went to grab the soup jar on the bank.

Aili was so scared she quickly hugged the jar, not letting Lu Chen touch it. "Captain, this is the medicine you're supposed to drink all night; you can't finish it in ten minutes!"

"You don't understand! I have all five elements; if I drink this medicine too slowly, the medicinal effect will be wasted!"

Having said that, Lu Chen erupted with terrifying power in an instant, forcibly snatching the jar from Aili's arms and draining it in one go. The dragon-spirit and the ice-cold air instantly fused within his body... Lu Chen's cultivation soared straight up.

Thirty-seven!

Thirty-eight!

Thirty-nine!

*Crack!* He rushed to level forty!

Gloria and Aili were both dumbfounded. Lu Chen felt his inner breath surging, feeling completely invigorated, and tilted his head back, laughing loudly. "Hahaha, I did it! I, your young master, have succeeded!"

As soon as the words left his lips—he turned into a black, rod-shaped object.

It wasn't charcoal, but the vast, surging dragon-spirit clogging his blood vessels and unable to be dissipated, completely solidifying his blood. But in reality, Lu Chen's brain was still clear. He hadn't even received a "risk avoidance" prompt. The subsequent risk avoidance guide gave a detailed explanation: he had to use the power of his teammates to complete the breakthrough. Otherwise, he would truly suffer from blood explosion, lose all his cultivation, and although he wouldn't die suddenly like others, he would have to start his cultivation all over again. Despite this, he didn't know why he wasn't panicked at all; he even felt an unprecedented sense of peace.

"There's no time."

Aili glanced at Gloria. Flushing, she thought for a moment. Then, she resolutely embraced Lu Chen.

Completely naked.