Zhou Sichen stepped down from the Soul Dueling Platform as the competition continued. Soon, it was Duguxianmeng's turn.
Her opponent was a rank 52 Soul King, but he was not particularly skilled at defending against intense poisons.
Under the overwhelming might of Duguxianmeng's Jade Phosphor Five Poisons, she quickly secured victory in a cross-rank battle.
For Duguxianmeng, as long as her opponent's soul power didn't exceed rank 55, she could unleash the Jade Phosphor Five Poisons before they had a chance to retaliate.
By now, everyone present had grown accustomed to her winning against higher-ranked opponents. The title Poison Witch wasn't just for show.
Unfortunately for her opponent, even though Duguxianmeng neutralized the poison afterward, it would take at least three to five days before he fully recovered.
Once her match ended, Duguxianmeng followed Zhou Sichen out of the Soul Dueling Arena. As they were leaving, Han Ruoruo—having somewhat recovered—approached and looked at Zhou Sichen.
"Teacher Zhou, when do you usually come here?" Han Ruoruo asked.
Zhou Sichen accepted her form of address and, after a moment of thought, replied, "Unless something comes up, I'll probably only be here on weekends from now on. But I'll leave a contracted soul beast here during the week."
"If you want to spar with my babies, feel free to drop by on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays."
Han Ruoruo nodded. "Got it."
Only the three of them remained. Without concern for Duguxianmeng's presence, Han Ruoruo stepped closer to Zhou Sichen and said softly, "Thanks for going easy on me today. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't be able to get out of bed for half a month."
Zhou Sichen smiled slightly. "Everyone appreciates beauty. We were just sparring—how could I bear to let you get hurt, Senior Sister?"
Han Ruoruo smiled faintly at his words. Her beautiful face made Duguxianmeng's heart tighten.
She felt a bit upset. Her annoying little brother always spoke kindly to every girl he met, saying all the right things.
People like that were either genuinely warm-hearted... or a total heartthrob, casting a wide net and fishing for many.
With Zhou Sichen's good looks, extraordinary talent, and that smooth tongue, it wasn't hard to imagine countless girls flocking to him.
Even someone like Han Ruoruo, the Golden Fairy, probably wasn't immune to mortal desires.
Over the past few days, Duguxianmeng had come to believe Zhou Sichen wasn't the kind to string multiple girls along. Even after she made her feelings clear, he remained the same as ever.
Han Ruoruo didn't linger much longer. After learning when Zhou Sichen would be at the arena, she left.
Even though she knew he had held back, her martial soul's true form had still been shattered, and she had taken a direct hit. Despite receiving treatment, she still needed time to recover.
It was already afternoon when Zhou Sichen brought Duguxianmeng back to the villa. She was a little dazed—why had this annoying little brother brought her back home so suddenly?
As soon as they entered, Zhou Sichen turned to her and said, "Thanks for your help these past few days. As a token of gratitude, I've got a gift for you."
"A gift?" Duguxianmeng's heart fluttered with joy. Maybe this annoying little brother really did care about her. Still, she waved her hands quickly. "It was no trouble at all. I couldn't possibly accept a gift from you."
Zhou Sichen chuckled. "Is that so? Well, I won't give it to you then."
Her expression froze as she stared blankly at him. "W-Wait, you can do that?"
I was just being polite! How could you take that seriously? Are you dense!?
Seeing her stunned expression, Zhou Sichen stopped teasing. He took out a porcelain bottle from his soul tool.
"Alright, I'll stop messing with you. Here—take it," he said, placing the bottle in her hand.
Duguxianmeng paused for a moment before realizing he had been playing with her. She couldn't help but stare at the bottle, then opened it—and was stunned.
"This... is a Soul Nourishment Pill?" she asked in disbelief.
Zhou Sichen nodded slightly.
Duguxianmeng immediately tried to hand the bottle back. "This is too valuable. I can't accept it."
She had hoped to take advantage of Zhou Sichen emotionally—but not by leeching off his cultivation resources.
The value of a Soul Nourishment Pill was beyond question. She was already close to reaching rank 49, and this pill might be enough to push her straight to rank 50.
Zhou Sichen hadn't seen major progress with the same pill due to his deep foundation, which required massive resources to build upon.
But for Duguxianmeng, this pill was a game-changer.
Zhou Sichen had thought this through before giving her his last pill. While it was valuable, it no longer held much use for him. His sister had probably already taken one, and both Cao Jin Xuan and Long Xiangyue had each received one too.
Keeping this last one for himself was an option—but giving it to Duguxianmeng was undoubtedly the best move.
This girl had excellent talent. With enough resources, she had a real chance at reaching the Title Douluo realm.
Not to mention, she was clearly interested in him. He wasn't going to pass up such a promising strategic treasure. Investing in her was the smart move.
Zhou Sichen had already given a Profound Water Pill to both Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong to win them over—why wouldn't he give one to someone who was almost guaranteed to become his in the future?
He gently took her delicate hand. "Didn't you say you liked me?"
Duguxianmeng nodded but remained firm. "I do like you. But that has nothing to do with asking for your cultivation resources. I'm not that kind of person, and I won't let you think I am."
Zhou Sichen realized she had misunderstood, but he liked her straightforward nature.
He patiently explained, "Don't you get it? The reason I'm giving this to you... is because I care about you too."
"And it's not for free. You've seen my strength. If you really want to keep up with me—if you want to be someone who can help me—you have to grow stronger."
"I'm giving you this so you can improve quickly. It's not about 'keeping' you or anything like that."
Hearing that, Duguxianmeng felt a warm happiness bloom inside. Still half-doubtful, she asked, "Really?"
"Really," Zhou Sichen nodded. "If you still don't believe me... then just deduct it from the betrothal gift."
For a moment, Duguxianmeng didn't register what he'd said. But when it clicked, her head started spinning.
"Deduct it... from the betrothal gift..."
Did this annoying little brother just imply... he was going to marry her?
Was all her effort over the past few days actually working...?
Seeing her dazed like a drunk, Zhou Sichen added a little warning, "That's only if we make it to that point. And only if you can keep up with me—be someone who helps me, not a burden."
Duguxianmeng snapped back to her senses and answered confidently, "I will keep up. And you better keep your word! If I can match your pace and be of help to you, then every gift you give me can be deducted from the betrothal gift!"
The implication was clear: as long as she could support him and stay by his side, Zhou Sichen would have to marry her.
Zhou Sichen smiled faintly. "A man of my word."
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