Late at night over the Indian Ocean, Li Xiang and Jiang Cai’Er were traveling three meters beneath the surface in the Sea-Stepping Spirit Whale Ship.
The turquoise waves rolled as the Sea-Stepping Spirit Whale Ship drifted with the current. Before long, a pod of dolphins began to swim alongside them.
Li Xiang held Jiang Cai’Er in his arms, both of them completely bare. He used his Spiritual Sense to inspect his body and found that the eleventh Spiritual Power vortex he had just formed was also located in his kidneys.
The last time, when he had advanced to the Tenth Tier, the Spiritual Power vortex had formed in his left kidney, creating a Companion Rune for "Endurance." This time, it was in his right kidney, as humans have two.
The Companion Rune this time was also "Endurance."
In other words, Endurance ×2.
Before this, only "Divine Movement" had two runes.
With just one "Endurance" Inscription, his Fighting Power—and stamina—had already been formidable, more than enough to leave Jiang Cai’Er completely overwhelmed. Now that he had another one, Li Xiang was left speechless. "..."
His other Superpower Attributes had also increased by about 5-10%. His Extreme Speed rose to nearly 13 Mach, and his strength increased to 240,000 jin. His Earth Vein Perception Ability also expanded to a radius of about 24 kilometers.
As expected, the side length of his Otherworldly Warehouse doubled once again.
Previously, the warehouse’s side length was 1,024 meters; now it was 2,048 meters. As a cube, its total volume had expanded to 2,048m × 2,048m × 2,048m, for a total of 8,589,935,000 cubic meters.
To use ship displacement as an analogy, this was equivalent to 8,589,935,000 tons. The warehouse had gained a vast amount of new space. It had been more than half full before, but now it was once again incredibly empty. ’My speed of gathering resources really can’t keep up with my upgrade speed.’
As the red sun slowly rose from the horizon, Jiang Cai’Er awoke. Li Xiang guided the Sea-Stepping Spirit Whale Ship to the surface, and the two watched the sunrise together.
The nascent sun dyed the seawater crimson, a sight so beautiful it would inspire poets to verse. But Li Xiang glanced down at the beauty in his arms and suddenly felt the "sunrise at sea" was nothing special. It couldn’t compare to Jiang Cai’Er in the slightest.
Having tasted the forbidden fruit, they now knew its flavor and couldn’t resist indulging again, which added a unique thrill to the experience.
Jiang Cai’Er took the initiative to recite poetry, delivering more than ten poems in fits and starts, each one breathtaking.
What surprised Li Xiang even more was that as Jiang Cai’Er continued to recite her poetry, she actually leveled up again.
After they were finished, Jiang Cai’Er revealed her secret. She had discovered that when Li Xiang had "forced" her to compose poetry to express her feelings before, it had caused her Spiritual Power to surge and become purer.
While she was sleeping, her Quantum Computer had run a deduction. It suggested that improvising poetry might align with the "Word Spirit Law." For instance, a line of poetry like "On celestial steps, I grasp the Simurgh Phoenix’s song" corresponded to the Spiritual Power resonance during Dual Cultivation, while "The tide swallows the dragon and tiger’s breath, beginning its clarification" mapped to the energy purification process. By turning abstract insights into concrete literary creations, she could trigger the special advancement path of the "Poetry Sword Dao."
Li Xiang clicked his tongue in amazement. He never expected his accidental methods to have such a benefit.
Jiang Cai’Er was now at Tier Eight, only three tiers below Li Xiang. He estimated she had probably surpassed Luo Feifei.
However, Luo Feifei had apparently been suppressing her cultivation at the Seventh Tier for a long time, so she might have already reached the Eighth Tier as well.
Still, for Jiang Cai’Er to jump four tiers at once was an unprecedented feat, unlikely to ever be repeated.
The two discussed and summarized the reasons for her rapid advancement. They concluded it was due to a synergy of factors: the unique effects of the "Star Dome Concerto: Simurgh’s Nine Melodies" Cultivation Technique, their complementary Spiritual Power, the aid of Spiritual Medicine, and Jiang Cai’Er’s special constitution and Superpower.
For example, Li Xiang focused on his physical body, while Jiang Cai’Er specialized in a Spiritual Element intelligence-based Superpower. Their yin and yang were in harmony, and their Spirit Bodies were complementary.
Li Xiang’s abundant physical Spiritual Power acted like a "Physical Server," providing an energy source for Jiang Cai’Er’s high-dimensional "Virtual Program." In turn, Jiang Cai’Er’s Spiritual Power was like an "Overclocking Algorithm," helping Li Xiang organize the flow of Spiritual Power within him. This solidified his foundation, purified his energy, and allowed his body to hold even more Spiritual Power—effectively "expanding his capacity."
As a result, Li Xiang’s Lifebound Runes were also optimized, becoming faster to activate and consuming less Spiritual Power.
There was another factor: Jiang Cai’Er’s unique Quantum Computer Superpower. Long before their Dual Cultivation, it had already simulated a probability cloud to deduce the optimal upgrade path. (When she had suggested Dual Cultivation to Li Xiang during their Earth Pivot Tour, it wasn’t just out of a maiden’s Ai Mu, but also due to this consideration.) During the actual event, her consciousness had already completed millions of virtual upgrade experiments within the "Eye of Laplace." The real-world Spiritual Power breakthrough was merely the execution of a pre-planned program.
"So what are your Companion Runes?" Li Xiang asked.
Jiang Cai’Er chuckled, her eyes curving like crescent moons. "Nothing new appeared. The ones I already had just doubled."
This meant her four Inscriptions—Memory Palace, Matrix Diagram Quantum Computer, Imaginary Number Corridor: Ring of the End, and High-dimensional Manifold: Laplace’s Eye—were all now ×2. But her Computing Power had increased by far more than just double.
The current Jiang Cai’Er was even more unfathomable, almost demonic in her power. No, an ordinary demon couldn’t compare to her.
"Doubles are great. I have two doubles myself," Li Xiang whispered a few words in her ear, causing her pretty face to turn bright red.
Li Xiang suggested, "We just broke through, so our foundations aren’t very stable yet. How about we solidify them a little more?"
"No..." Jiang Cai’Er cried out softly, but she was soon lost to Li Xiang’s one hundred and eight martial arts techniques.
Around ten in the morning, Li Xiang took a satellite phone out of his Otherworldly Warehouse. Jiang Cai’Er used it to call her mother and tell her she was safe, explaining that she and Li Xiang had gone to the provincial capital for a trip and would be back late.
In any case, the marriage was already set, and the college entrance exams were over, so Aunt Jiang couldn’t be bothered to manage her. She just reminded her to be safe and have fun.
After the call, the satellite phone was tossed back into the warehouse.
Jiang Jianguo and Aunt Jiang were actually quite pleased with the marriage. Most importantly, their daughter wasn’t marrying far away—she would be in the same village. This was much better than the daughters who married far off and didn’t come back for years at a time.
Li Xiang and Jiang Cai’Er spent more than ten hours frolicking on the sea. Jiang Cai’Er finally begged for mercy again and again, admitting she truly couldn’t take it anymore, so the two finally headed home.
To Jiang Cai’Er’s amazement, Li Xiang was a total monster. After going at it for a whole night and day, he was still as energetic as ever—truly the man with the greatest fighting power on Earth.
Because of this, his travel speed wasn’t affected in the slightest, and he could still fly at his top speed of 13 Mach.
As for the issue of pregnancy, there was no need to worry. Jiang Cai’Er was now a Tier Eight Extraordinary Being and could use her Spiritual Power to... clean things up. If she didn’t want to conceive, it wouldn’t matter how hard Li Xiang tried.
"We should at least wait until my sophomore year, when I’m 20, right?"
Although Li Xiang really wanted children, he respected her wishes.
In Jiang Cai’Er’s own words, she was still a baby herself and really didn’t want a baby.
In the following days, Li Xiang and Jiang Cai’Er went out nearly every night, visiting scenic spots all over the Earth—the sea, mountain peaks, dense forests, the depths of the underground... Jiang Cai’Er completed her transformation from a girl into a woman. Nourished by Li Xiang, her face grew even more beautiful and charming, and her figure subtly began a second stage of development, giving her an extra touch of Charm.
Perhaps because her previous "accumulation" was depleted, Jiang Cai’Er didn’t break through again. She followed Li Xiang’s example and focused on solidifying her foundation. Li Xiang, on the other hand, due to their frequent Dual Cultivation and his unlimited supply of Spiritual Medicine, was already nearing the brink of Tier Twelve. He could break through at any moment, but he was also suppressing it, hoping to achieve a more perfect and solid foundation before advancing.
Li Xiang’s Spiritual Power deepened by the day, while Jiang Cai’Er, with his help, shored up her weaknesses and attained Minor Spirit Body Achievement.
「Time flew by, and June 23rd arrived. The Sichuan Province college entrance exam scores were freshly released.」
Jiang Cai’Er checked her score immediately: 748. It was exactly what she had predicted, not a single point more or less. While everyone else was marveling at her high score, Li Xiang knew the truth. ’This girl is unreal. How can she control her score with such precision?’
Li Xiang accompanied Jiang Cai’Er to school. The moment they stepped through the gates, two groups of people swarmed them from the left and right.
"Hello, Jiang Tongxue! I’m from the Tsinghua University admissions office. We’ve customized an integrated Bachelor’s-Master’s-PhD program for you. We can add an independent research direction for you in the Qian Xuesen Mechanics Class at any time!"
"Hello, Jiang Tongxue! I’m from the Peking University admissions office. Our Yuanpei College has already passed a special proposal allowing you to major in five, or even more, subjects simultaneously! We also have an integrated Bachelor’s-Master’s-PhD program, with plenty of options."
A score of 748 was, without a doubt, the highest score in the college entrance exam this year, making her the national top scorer.
Such a high score was unprecedented. Although there had once been a score of 749, that student’s actual exam score was only 729; the other 20 points were bonus points for winning a first-place prize in the Math Olympiad.
Jiang Cai’Er’s score, however, was earned purely from the exam, with no bonus points whatsoever.
She was simply a genius.
And Jiang Cai’Er wasn’t the type to just bury her nose in a book. She had previously posted numerous videos on social media showcasing her talents.
She was also a quick-witted poet. Her speech at the recent pep rally and her poem, "Goose’s Aspiration," had created quite a stir. Her calligraphy was praised by famous masters, and she was stunningly beautiful—a goddess whose looks were on par with the top superstar, Luo Feifei.
Whether it was her talent or her looks, she was impeccable.
Many previous top scorers had been criticized for being unattractive due to their unkempt appearances, but Jiang Cai’Er would never face such a problem.
From ancient times to the present, "looks" have always been quite important. Whether it was becoming an official in ancient times or taking the civil service exam today, being good-looking (having a dignified appearance) was always a plus.
Once her score was announced, everyone believed that within 24 hours, Jiang Cai’Er would become a god-level academic celebrity known throughout the country—the kind who would appear on national news and be fought over by major media outlets.
The fact that Tsinghua and Peking University had been staking her out since early morning, flanking her to snatch her up, said it all.
The two groups from the admissions offices had even considered sneaking to Jiang Cai’Er’s house to recruit her. The only reason they hadn’t was that they had just landed in Rongcheng that morning and had rushed over in such a hurry that they hadn’t had the chance yet.