"Your Highness, I think I'm about to break through. What should I do?"
She Long clenched his teeth, forcefully suppressing the urge to break through, and asked with difficulty.
At the level of a Title Douluo, each breakthrough was unimaginably difficult.
He had long yearned for a soul power breakthrough but couldn't find a way.
But breakthroughs at this stage caused massive fluctuations—and under their current circumstances…
He and Ci Xue had both concealed their identities as elders of Spirit Hall to guard Xue Qinghe. If he caused a disturbance in Heaven Dou City—or worse, inside the Crown Prince's residence—the royal family would definitely grow suspicious. That could risk exposing their entire operation.
That was why he was enduring it with such difficulty.
But now, his soul power was surging wildly. Even though he was trying to suppress it as much as possible, there simply wasn't enough time to leave the city and break through in secret.
"..."
Xue Qinghe's eyes widened when he heard this.
He thought something was wrong with She Long's body, but to his surprise—it was a soul power breakthrough!
He immediately understood what She Long was worried about.
A Title Douluo from Spirit Hall making a breakthrough in Heaven Dou City—inside the Crown Prince's residence, no less—would immediately draw attention from the royal family.
But he had no solution to offer…
Just then, a figure suddenly appeared in the courtyard, startling both Paimon and Yu Keke.
"Your Highness, my lord…"
The figure cupped his hands toward Xue Qinghe and Aether, looking complicatedly at She Long before saying:
"Your Highness, what should we do now?"
"Uncle Ci, I… I really don't know—"
"Go ahead and break through. No one will sense your presence."
Before Xue Qinghe could finish, Aether raised his hand. A pale blue barrier immediately enveloped the courtyard.
"Brother…"
Xue Qinghe called out, conflicted.
"I never intended to get involved in your affairs…"
Aether waved his hand and continued:
"But if I had to choose, I'd choose your side."
"…Thank you, brother!"
Xue Qinghe cupped his fists deeply and bowed to Aether.
Their disguises had long since been seen through by Aether—yet neither side had ever brought it up. They'd continued interacting normally.
But now that Aether had intervened, that thin veil of secrecy was completely shattered.
She Long gave Aether a grateful look, then finally stopped suppressing his surging soul power.
Buzz—
Soul rings manifested around She Long, his spirit weapon appearing in his hand. The powerful aura of a Title Douluo surged within the small courtyard.
"Break!"
With a low shout, his aura became even more formidable—then suddenly receded. Peace returned to the courtyard.
"Thank you, my lord, for helping me break through!"
She Long retracted his soul power, joy lighting up his face as he knelt on one knee and sincerely thanked Aether.
He wasn't just thanking Aether for helping conceal his breakthrough.
He was also thanking him for the incredible energy contained in that Universal Peace dish!
His soul power had been stuck at Rank 92 for the longest time with no progress in sight.
But after just a single bite of that dish Aether had offered, he suddenly felt an enormous rush of energy surge through him.
That energy wasn't soul power—so he only managed to absorb a portion of it.
But even that small portion was enough to instantly push his soul power up by an entire rank!
How could that have been food? That was clearly a divine elixir any soul master would dream of!
"Consider it Paimon's treat."
Aether casually waved it off and gestured toward Paimon.
"Thank you, Miss Paimon!"
She Long didn't hold back with his gratitude as he bowed toward her.
"Eh? I-I didn't really do anything though?"
Paimon waved her hands repeatedly, completely confused about what was going on.
"Miss Paimon, it was that dish. Without your food, I'm not sure I'd ever have broken through."
She Long smiled brightly.
"I-It's nothing, as long as you liked it. Hehe~"
Paimon scratched her head, a little embarrassed by all the thanks.
She'd just been feeling bad since they'd been staying at Qinghe's place all this time—eating his food, sleeping under his roof, even spending his money.
Now that the Serenitea Pot had been recovered, she figured it was about time to return the favor somehow.
"Um… Since this uncle's feeling better now, can we go back to eating?"
Paimon suggested, then looked toward the approaching Ci Xue.
"And this other uncle—is he one of Qinghe's friends too?"
"Hello Miss Paimon, I'm Ci Xue."
Ci Xue quickly responded to her question.
"Paimon, this is another one of my uncles."
Xue Qinghe immediately explained.
Ci Xue and She Long were both elders from Spirit Hall who had watched him grow up, so calling them "uncle" was only natural.
"Ohh~ Then Uncle, come eat with us too! There's still plenty of food!"
Paimon was always enthusiastic when it came to friends.
Ci Xue beamed at the invitation.
As one of Xue Qinghe's guardians, he had always remained in the shadows while She Long got to sit at the table.
And after hearing She Long broke through just from eating something Paimon brought out, Ci Xue had been dying of envy.
But with that lord remaining silent, he hadn't dared do anything…
Now, glancing at Aether, he was silently seeking his permission.
"Come on, why is everyone just standing there? Paimon's treating today—do as she says."
Aether finally spoke.
He knew that if he didn't give the go-ahead, this Porcupine Douluo probably wouldn't even dare sit down…
"Thank you, my lord! Thank you, Miss Paimon!"
Ci Xue's face lit up. He even gave She Long a quick wink, barely able to contain his excitement.
"Um, my lord… I think I'm about to break through too. Could I trouble you—?"
At the table, Ci Xue had taken just one bite of Universal Peace, and immediately experienced the exact same situation She Long had.
Aether didn't say a word. With a flick of his hand, the pale blue barrier reappeared over the courtyard.
A few minutes later, Ci Xue returned, having successfully broken through—thanking Aether repeatedly.
"Brother, this food…"
Xue Qinghe couldn't hold it in any longer. He pointed at the dishes on the table with a puzzled look.
He had wanted to ask back when She Long broke through after eating it.
He'd eaten plenty himself, but apart from feeling completely refreshed, there was no other effect—let alone any increase in soul power.
But now that even Ci Xue had broken through after eating, he finally summoned the courage to ask.
That dish had to be the key!
"Maybe it's something about how these dishes work in that world…"
Aether could see Xue Qinghe's confusion and replied:
"Most of these dishes are meant to restore stamina. I just wanted to see if you soul power cultivators would get the same effect."
Now that both She Long and Ci Xue had broken through, Aether was beginning to understand.
Food from Teyvat truly had strange properties in this world.
Stamina-restoring dishes made people feel more energized.
But a dish like Universal Peace, which temporarily boosts one's stats in Teyvat, actually let soul masters break through their cultivation bottlenecks here.
Still, why did it only work for soul masters at the Title Douluo level?
Perhaps it was due to the difference between elemental energy and soul power?
_
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