Three days later...
Lu Feng finally reached his limit. His consciousness slipped away, and he collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious.
Time blurred.
When awareness slowly returned, the first thing he felt was a warm, sweet liquid trickling into his mouth.
Then, a familiar, delicate fragrance filled his senses,
The soft, orchid-like scent that belonged to Zhu Zhuqing.
And that sweet taste? It was her kiss.
His mind flooded back in an instant.
He realized Zhu Zhuqing was holding some sweet liquid in her mouth and feeding it to him.
After swallowing the water, he heard Zhu Zhuqing's voice, trembling with relief as she murmured to herself, "He drank it—he can drink water now!"
She took another gulp, leaned down, and pressed her soft, pouty lips to his.
The sweet stuff flowed into him again.
Then he started sucking back, pulling on her lips like a hungry kid latching onto a bottle.
Her body shook a little.
Before she could pull away, Lu Feng's arms shot up and wrapped tight around her waist.
She'd been half-kneeling, but now she tumbled right on top of him.
Zhu Zhuqing let out a little yelp.
But she didn't fight it.
She didn't even flinch or push back.
Instead, a huge, happy smile spread across her gorgeous face.
Her eyes were hazy, full of want.
She leaned into him, welcoming every move he made.
She wasn't as awkward as she'd been three days ago, her touch felt smoother now.
After what felt like forever, their lips finally parted.
Nestled against his chest, her voice was as soft as a whisper: "You're terrible… Waking up and immediately doing this."
In front of Lu Feng, she was no longer the icy, untouchable goddess who kept everyone at arm's length.
That had only ever been armor, a shell to protect herself.
And he had broken through it, reaching the warmth beneath.
Lu Feng grinned. "How long was I out?"
"About an hour," Zhu Zhuqing said. "If you hadn't woken up soon, I was going to call for help. But your breathing and heartbeat were steady, so… I tried my own way to help you recover."
"Your 'own way' is amazing. Let's do it again," Lu Feng teased, puckering his lips exaggeratedly.
Being fed water mouth-to-mouth by goddess? Absolute bliss.
"No way! Now that you're awake, you don't get that privilege."
Zhu Zhuqing wriggled free with a nimble leap, her laughter ringing through the forest like wind chimes.
Doing something like that out of nowhere was just… too embarrassing.
At first, she'd tried using a water flask, but Lu Feng couldn't swallow.
In her panic, this had been the only solution she could think of.
Curious, she asked, "Did you succeed? Did you absorb the spirit ring?"
"Yep."
Lu Feng summoned his martial soul and channeled his soul power.
In an instant—
A purple spirit ring rose from his feet.
"A… a thousand-year spirit ring?!" Zhu Zhuqing's voice cracked with disbelief.
Normally, a soul master's first spirit ring would be considered excellent if it reached a few hundred years.
The highest she'd ever seen was three hundred years.
And the strongest spirit beasts in the Black Forest only went up to five hundred.
Yet here was Lu Feng was, with a thousand-year ring on his very first try.
"This one's around three thousand years actually," Lu Feng added, just as stunned as she was.
"THREE THOUSAND?!"
Zhu Zhuqing's jaw dropped.
"You- you're monstrous. I've never heard of anyone absorbing a thousand-year ring as their first! Even the greatest geniuses in history couldn't do it and you just took a three-thousand-year one?!"
"Well, I am Zhu Zhuqing's man. If I'm going to protect her properly, I can't afford to be ordinary."
Lu Feng kept his tone light, but inside, he was thrilled.
His gaze swept over the surrounding plants, gratitude shining in his eyes.
Without the forest's help, without every tree, every blade of grass sharing his burden and lending him their strength, he might've only managed a two or three hundred-year ring at best.
But now?
He was finally a true soul master.
Lu Feng's confidence surged as he beckoned playfully, "Come here, little kitten, your brother haven't kissed you enough yet."
"Not a chance! Hmph!" Zhu Zhuqing lifted her chin defiantly, hands on her hips, putting on an exaggerated show of pride.
A smirk curled Lu Feng's lips. "Then take this, First Soul Skill: Root Entanglement!"
Behind him, his Star Tree martial soul swayed with a rustling sound, and suddenly, dozens of emerald-gold vines, some tangible, some illusory, shot toward Zhu Zhuqing.
Zhu Zhuqing reacted with lightning reflexes. Sensing the attack, she let out a soft laugh, her toned legs coiling before she sprang upward, landing gracefully on the branch of a towering tree just barely dodging the vines.
"Not bad for a first soul skill," she teased, "but if you think you can catch me with it, dream on. Your soul power's still far below mine."
"Oh?" Lu Feng's grin widened.
With a thought, the emerald vines twisted and lengthened, shooting toward her again.
Zhu Zhuqing moved to evade only to freeze mid-motion.
Her feet were already trapped.
Unbeknownst to her, thin tendrils had silently sprouted from the tree itself, coiling around her ankles.
She hadn't expected it, Lu Feng's roots didn't just extend from his Star Tree...
He could manipulate the forest's own vines too.
A flicker of surprise crossed her face.
No more holding back.
In an instant, her Nether Moon Cat martial soul flared to life. Two yellow spirit rings rose from her feet as her nails elongated into sharp cat claws. With a swift slice, she severed the roots binding her-
But it was too late.
The thicker, emerald-gold vines from Lu Feng's Star Tree were already upon her, coiling around her body like serpents striking their prey.
In seconds, she was completely entangled, wrapped into a tight bundle.
"Haha!" Lu Feng laughed triumphantly as his skill landed perfectly.
The thick vines acted like extensions of his own arms, hauling the voluptuously-curved "kitten" straight back to him.
And here was the real marvel
He could feel through them.
Every shift of her soft body against the vines registered in his senses though, admittedly, it wasn't quite the same as holding her directly.
But seeing Zhu Zhuqing all tied up like this had its own unique charm.
"Y-You cheated! This doesn't count!" The flustered beauty protested, clearly unwilling to admit defeat.
"Second Soul Skill- Nether Moon Hundred Claws!"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Struggling just enough to free her arms, Zhu Zhuqing unleashed a flurry of razor-sharp slashes, her most powerful attack, sending hundreds of claw strikes in an instant, aiming to shred the vines apart.
But the roots from Lu Feng's Star Tree martial soul were far tougher than she expected.
Her claws met them with a harsh, metallic screech, leaving only shallow scratches behind.
Not a single vine was severed.
This was shocking, her Nether Moon Cat martial soul was a top-tier martial soul, and her Hundred Claws could tear through soldier's armor like paper.
"Let me go! Let me go!" She huffed, squirming in frustration.
Only when she was dragged right in front of him did Lu Feng, still grinning, finally release the vines, pulling her into his arms instead.
"I-I feel... numb. Did I... get poisoned?"
Her movements had grown sluggish.
Upon closer inspection, the emerald-gold vines were covered in countless tiny, needle-like thorns.
Unnoticed, they had pierced through her tight leather outfit, pricking her delicate skin and injecting a paralyzing toxin.
Lu Feng quickly steadied her. "Sorry, first time using this skill, I didn't hold back enough."
As he spoke, Zhu Zhuqing's body grew heavier, her legs wobbling. If not for his support, she would've crumpled to the ground.
"I... can't... move my limbs... Your roots... are toxic... and they're draining my soul power..."
Lu Feng realized, this was his first soul skill's hidden effect.
Paralyzing venom!
Soul power absorption!
Not only did the thorns inject toxins, they also stole the opponent's soul power, transferring it to him.
Still smiling, Lu Feng reassured her: "No worries. My roots can poison, but they can also cure. Just let me give you another shot, come stick your butt up."