Li Si's appearance might have been plain, but to Xiao Wu, he was someone she'd etch into her memory forever, never to be forgotten.
Suddenly, as if struck by an idea, Xiao Wu looked at Li Si with playful eyes, holding the Acacia Heartbroken Red in her hands. She smiled and asked,
"Can I add some seasoning before eating this?"
Li Si froze. That was a question he hadn't considered.
When he ate Blue Silver Grass, he always added some seasoning—it made it taste better. But the Acacia Heartbroken Red? He had no idea.
"Maybe some cumin or chili powder? That should be fine," he replied hesitantly.
Xiao Wu chuckled, her earlier awkwardness melting away. The tiny barrier that had grown between them vanished in an instant.
Without saying more, she found a spot to sit cross-legged and began plucking the petals of the flower, one by one, just as Li Si had instructed.
Li Si leaned back against a nearby tree, taking on the role of her protector. Refining a treasure like the Acacia Heartbroken Red required utmost concentration and no interruptions.
As time passed, pink light flickered around Xiao Wu's body, growing ever more radiant.
Unlike in the anime, where refining the flower caused energy within her to riot, Xiao Wu of the novel universe was luckier. The dormant energy in her body remained calm throughout the process.
Gradually, she became enveloped in a cocoon of pink light, her rabbit-ear hair ornament fading away…
It was unclear how much time had passed before the pink glow subsided, revealing Xiao Wu's transformed figure.
Li Si averted his gaze immediately. Don't ask why—a gentleman doesn't take advantage of such moments!
Xiao Wu's eyes sparkled with joy. Thanks to the Acacia Heartbroken Red, she had fully transformed into a human!
Not only that, but her spirit power had jumped from level 32 to level 40. She hadn't yet formed a spirit ring, so her exact spirit power level was unknown even to her.
Such a miraculous flower—it must have been incredibly difficult for Li Si to find. Touched by the thought, Xiao Wu called out emotionally,
"Xiao San—"
Before she could finish, Li Si waved his hand and interrupted her, his tone serious.
"From now on, call me Li Si. I won't be using the name Tang San anymore."
"Li Si?" Xiao Wu paused, the name catching her off guard. It sounded so… plain! She fought back a laugh.
What a simple name. But names didn't matter. What mattered was the person behind them.
"Li Si," Xiao Wu said with a grin, "this Acacia Heartbroken Red is amazing! It not only made me fully human, but even if its aura is removed, not even a Titled Douluo would be able to detect my true form!"
Her excitement bubbled over as she ran toward Li Si, eager to share her newfound happiness.
But as she approached, a realization hit her. Blushing furiously, she paused.
Still, she didn't dwell on it. In her heart, she had already chosen Li Si. Such moments were inevitable.
After a moment of reflection, she found some clothes and dressed quickly.
Time flew by, and more than half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
As graduates of Notting Academy, Li Si and Xiao Wu were expected to move on to an intermediate academy.
But with Xiao Wu at level 43 and Li Si at level 58, their spirit power levels far exceeded the curriculum of any intermediate—or even advanced—academy.
There was no reason for them to continue formal studies.
"Li Si, what should we do if we're not going to school?" Xiao Wu asked curiously.
At their current levels, they were no longer eligible to receive subsidies from the Spirit Hall. Doing nothing might mean running out of resources.
"Don't worry," Li Si replied with a confident smile. "Whatever we do, it'll be better than going to school."
"Alright, I'll listen to you!" Xiao Wu said cheerfully.
"Then tomorrow, we'll leave Notting City. It's too small here—we should explore a bigger city."
"Okay!"
Notting City was indeed too small, with the strongest spirit master being at the Spirit Ancestor level. Even the city itself lacked entertainment—it didn't even have a proper spirit arena!
Xiao Wu had long wanted to venture out. In the past, she'd been afraid of encountering powerful Spirit Douluo or Titled Douluo in larger cities, but now, she no longer had that concern.
The next morning, Li Si and Xiao Wu left Notting City, laughing and chatting as they embarked on a new journey.
One month later...
A boy and a girl walked side by side along a wide road, their heights almost the same. The girl clung to the boy's arm, her expression radiating happiness.
If one judged by appearances, they looked around fifteen or sixteen.
In truth, their combined age was over fifty thousand years.
The pair wandered leisurely, stopping often to admire the scenery.
"At this rate, if we don't find a town soon, we'll be drinking dew and eating Blue Silver Grass again," Li Si remarked.
"What's wrong with that?" Xiao Wu laughed, looking completely content.
"You're right. Nothing wrong with it," Li Si agreed, smiling. If Xiao Wu didn't mind, why should he?
Still, the thought of his mischievous friend Lin Fan nagged at him. He quickly brushed it aside.
As dusk approached and they still hadn't reached a town, the two set up camp for the night.
Camping in the wilderness wasn't new to them. Wild animals were the least of their concerns. The real danger came from other humans.
In just over a month of travel, they had already encountered bandits and robbers three times!
Li Si started a fire to roast some Blue Silver Grass.
The process reminded him of Tang Hao's mysterious instructions to wait until reaching level 60 to obtain a spirit ring.
Li Si already knew what Tang Hao was planning: a meeting with the Blue Silver King to awaken his bloodline and form his lifebound spirit ring.
In the original story, Tang San obtained his lifebound spirit ring as his fifth ring.
For Li Si, however, the consecutive formation of his fourth and fifth rings had occupied those slots, leaving the lifebound spirit ring for level 60.
Li Si's grilling skills had improved tremendously, reaching a level of mastery. After all, his gift from the Fire Dragon King wasn't limited to fire immunity—it included exceptional control over fire.
As the aroma of the roasted Blue Silver Grass filled the air, a voice came from nearby:
"Hmm? Something smells delicious…"
(To be continued)