Zhou Lingxue finished speaking and prepared to go to sleep. Suddenly, her eyes fell on the table across the room, where Ye Qing had specifically left a bottle of medicinal liquid for her.
"My... my husband is so thoughtful!" Zhou Lingxue said, a wide smile spreading across her face. She picked up the medicine and took it with her.
Night fell.
[Compatibility increased; Vajra Indestructible has risen to Tier 2!]
As expected! The compatibility had increased! A smile played on Ye Qing’s lips. Immediately, he felt a transformation within his body! It was as if he were being tempered—becoming even harder! And this was without even activating Vajra Indestructible; if he did, the results would likely be even more terrifying.
Not enough! Still not enough!
...
[Compatibility increased; Vajra Indestructible has risen to Tier 3!]
...
[Compatibility increased; Vajra Indestructible has risen to Tier 4!]
...
As predicted! Just like with Zhou Lingxue, he could only reach Tier 4 in this short window of time! He couldn't push it any further, but it was enough!
Ye Qing looked at Liu Lianmeng, who had already drifted off into an exhausted sleep. He had to admit, tonight, he had entered a perfect cycle of positive feedback. After all, the Vajra Indestructible technique was quite something!
Suddenly, a light screen popped up before him!
[Congratulations to the Host for a successful deep contract. You have acquired the Prison-Suppressing Crouching Dragon Fist!]
What was this? A fist technique? Ye Qing sensed every move and posture appearing in his mind and was stunned. The sheer power of this technique was immense!
"Forget it, time to get some sleep." Ye Qing dismissed the thought of seeking out Zhou Lingxue to further increase their compatibility, leaned against Liu Lianmeng, and fell asleep.
Morning came.
Ye Qing rose and headed into the courtyard. He focused on the forms of the Prison-Suppressing Crouching Dragon Fist and began to practice.
"Roar!"
A moment later, a dragon’s roar echoed through the courtyard!
"Hmm..." Zhou Lingxue, still in her dreams, mumbled before waking up. "That was a good sleep!" Feeling the lightness in her body, she felt incredibly satisfied. *Two days, two days! Do you know how I’ve spent these last two nights? Do you?! Finally, I’ve had a good sleep! Thanks to Liu Lianmeng! But what was that dragon roar just now?*
She pulled back the curtain slightly to peek outside and was immediately captivated by the fist technique! *What in the world is this technique?*
Thump, thump, thump! She hurried toward the bedroom and knocked. When she entered, she saw the shredded remains of a battle robe. *Hiss!* It was devastating—the only way to describe the scene.
Liu Lianmeng, hearing the knock and sensing someone enter, assumed it was Ye Qing and didn't open her eyes. But then, a voice rang out: "Sister, wake up! Come see your husband practicing his punches outside!"
"Ah!" Liu Lianmeng hadn't expected it to be Zhou Lingxue. *How can she look?* She had no spare clothes! She felt like she was going crazy!
"Sister, you're here... could you help me get some clothes?"
Zhou Lingxue nodded and left, returning shortly with a tight-fitting shirt and a pair of hot pants.
Liu Lianmeng: "..." *Do you have nothing else normal to wear?* She felt paralyzed. If Zhou Lingxue knew her thoughts, she would have cried injustice—she really didn't have anything else!
Liu Lianmeng quickly put them on under the covers.
"Roar!"
Another dragon roar! Liu Lianmeng’s eyes widened; she moved toward the window, but her legs gave way, causing her to drop to her knees. She peeked through the curtain and saw Ye Qing practicing below. Seeing his fierce, wind-whipping punches, her beautiful eyes grew wide in disbelief!
*Whoosh!* She felt as if she had been pulled into an alternate dimension. In this space, she transformed into a long dragon, but the Ye Qing before her was like a Vajra, holding a demon-subduing pestle, ruthlessly subduing her!
The overwhelming pressure made her shudder. When she regained her senses, she was horrified. What kind of technique was this? If she felt such immense pressure from this far away, what would it be like to face him directly? How could this guy be so fierce? It was impossible!
Then, she felt a soft sensation on her head. *I don't want to be a head-rest!*
"Husband is amazing, right? Sister, you don't know—he isn't an ordinary Spirit Tamer. He can perform infinite contracts without damaging his essence."
Boom! Zhou Lingxue’s words hit like a thunderbolt, leaving Liu Lianmeng stunned. *What? Infinite contracts? No damage to the essence?* That meant she had been overthinking everything? And she had even tried to fight him? Her mentality shattered.
After composing herself, Liu Lianmeng realized the terror of such a talent. She hadn't lost out at all! As an E-grade Zhangqiu Iron Pot, what did she have to lose?
"Sister, what is your Spirit?" Zhou Lingxue asked, looking down. However, she noticed an awkward problem: because she was looking down, she couldn't actually see the top of Liu Lianmeng's head while she was sitting on the floor.
Liu Lianmeng felt the pressure from above and her mouth twitched. *Don't keep asking! I'm the weak one you're talking about!* "I... I'm an E-grade Zhangqiu Iron Pot."
"Huh?" Zhou Lingxue blinked. Liu Lianmeng felt tears welling up. The blows she’d taken this morning were worse than last night!
"I know!" Zhou Lingxue clapped her hands. "You must be like me!"
"What do you mean?" Liu Lianmeng looked up.
"I used to be a Tetanus Blade, F-grade. Basically just a rusty sword with no combat ability that everyone despised! But after contracting with my husband, I evolved. He has magical power; you must be in the same situation!"
"Re... really?" Hope surged within Liu Lianmeng.
"It must be! You’re definitely special! Let's ask him when he's done!" Zhou Lingxue said excitedly.
"Okay!" Liu Lianmeng felt like crying for joy. She looked at Ye Qing as if he were her savior.
The two watched him until he finished, then hurried downstairs.
"Wait! The room isn't cleaned up yet!" Liu Lianmeng thought, though she followed along, hobbling slightly.
Downstairs, Ye Qing saw Liu Lianmeng and had to admit that the outfit actually suited her well.
"Husband, is Little Sister Lianmeng in the same situation as me?" Zhou Lingxue asked.
Ye Qing led them back to the room and placed his hand on Liu Lianmeng's collarbone. A searing heat flooded her body. *Whoosh!* A gust of wind swept through the room. The next moment, Liu Lianmeng’s body became ethereal and transformed into a giant tripod!
*Thump!* The villa seemed to shake as the tripod landed.
*This!* Ye Qing stared at it. *This is the Shennong Cauldron?* It was incredibly heavy, covered in ancient patterns as if carved by history itself. It was primitive, sacred, and exuded a faint medicinal fragrance.
"This is Little Sister Lianmeng's transformed weapon spirit!" Zhou Lingxue gasped.
Ye Qing nodded. Legend said the ancient Shennong used this cauldron to taste hundreds of herbs and refine divine medicine, and over time, it gained consciousness. It could harmonize yin and yang to refine medicine automatically!
"Alright!" Ye Qing commanded, and Liu Lianmeng reverted to her human form. She looked shocked, staring at herself—she wasn't a Zhangqiu Iron Pot anymore?
"Ye Qing..."
"Hmm?"
"Husband..." Liu Lianmeng corrected herself, "What just happened?"
Ye Qing explained it to her.
"No wonder!" Liu Lianmeng nodded like a chick pecking at grain. "My mind is filled with so much information about alchemy now!"
"Let's go. We'll buy some Spirit Plants and refine medicine," Ye Qing said. At the start of the apocalypse, all things mutated, and plants that absorbed energy became Spirit Plants—the raw materials for medicine. They were scarce, so it would cost him. Fortunately, he still had some low-grade Crystal Cores left.
"Let's go!" Liu Lianmeng felt like her heart was full. She could finally shake off the title of "trash" and wouldn't have to rely on her father's protection anymore! As she took a step, she felt her legs go weak and blushed at the sight of her bruised knees.
"Sister Lingxue, come here for a second!" She pulled Zhou Lingxue back upstairs. They returned a moment later; Liu Lianmeng was now wearing white silk stockings to cover the marks.
...
Out on the street, the three attracted many gazes.
"Holy crap? Look, isn't that Ye Qing and his spirit, and the girl from before is there too!"
"Wait, why did you stop talking? What are you looking at?" The others followed his gaze and their expressions twitched. *Those knees under the white silk... how did that happen? Could it be...?*
"Is Ye Qing really crazy? Did he actually contract multiple spirits?"
"It certainly looks like it!"
"Hmph! That kid is too arrogant. He’s enjoying himself now, but he’ll suffer later!"
They walked on, filled with sour grapes.
At the market, Ye Qing weighed his remaining Crystal Cores. The situation wasn't optimistic. Spirit Plants were rare and expensive. He settled on some affordable ones with healing properties.
After returning home, Ye Qing placed his hand on Liu Lianmeng's collarbone again. "Eek!" she gasped as she transformed into the Shennong Cauldron.
Ye Qing picked it up—it was heavy, even for him—and moved it to the courtyard. He tossed the Spirit Plants inside.
*Whoosh!* A deep blue flame erupted from within the cauldron.
"Wow! That startled me! Husband, look!"
"Excellent," Ye Qing smiled. "Now we just sit and wait."
Meanwhile, on campus, an older man in a Zhongshan suit, accompanied by a woman in formal attire, walked by. "It’s good to see such vibrant students," Yu Chengzhi said. "I wonder if we can find some good talent to poach for our university."
"If Li Peng hears you’re here to poach his best students, he might kick you out," the woman teased.
Yu Chengzhi chuckled. As they walked, he overheard some students talking: "Hey, did you hear? Ye Qing performed multiple contracts!"
"What? Multiple contracts? He’s courting death! That damages the essence!"
Yu Chengzhi’s interest piqued. He moved closer to listen. *F-grade spirit mutating into something above S-grade? And now multiple contracts? This kid is either a genius or a fool.*