Chapter 412: I Can Handle It
To prove her words weren't false, Xu Meijing waved her hand and produced her Soul-Refining Cauldron.
Compared to Yang Haoran's Soul-Refining Cauldron, Xu Meijing's was noticeably inferior. Its surface still appeared rough, and its color was only slightly darkened; it was still a considerable distance from being truly ink-black.
However, it was still much better than a raw Soul-Refining Cauldron embryo, indicating that she had put in a significant amount of effort into its refinement this year.
"See? My Soul-Refining Cauldron is already more than halfway refined. If nothing unexpected happens, after I return from the Underworld this time, I'll dedicate all my time to refining it, just like you."
With that, Xu Meijing put away her still-unfinished Soul-Refining Cauldron and continued, "Do you know why I haven't successfully refined my Soul-Refining Cauldron this year? Not finding a Place of Extreme Yin in time is only one reason. Another is that I got tangled up in something else and couldn't break free."
As she spoke, Xu Meijing suddenly unleashed a terrifying surge of power. Feeling this immense Spirit Power, the smile on Yang Haoran's face stiffened, a hint of shock in his heart.
The Spirit Power Xu Meijing was currently radiating was simply too strong. Not only had she caught up to him, but she had also left him far behind.
Last year, Xu Meijing had received more Soul Pills than Yang Haoran when they submitted their souls. But even if Xu Meijing had completely refined all the Soul Pills she received, her Spirit Power shouldn't have exceeded his by so much, especially since his own Spirit Power had also increased considerably since last year.
Xu Meijing saw the shock in Yang Haoran's eyes, particularly the sudden stiffening of the smile on his face, which filled her with a sense of triumph and satisfaction.
Now that her Spirit Power had once again surpassed Yang Haoran's, and by more than just a little, she naturally felt avenged and triumphant.
"Last year, I told you I would definitely surpass you this year. How about it? I wasn't bluffing, was I?"
Xu Meijing's arrogant, yet smug voice snapped Yang Haoran out of his daze, and the smile on his face returned to normal.
"How did you do it? " Yang Haoran asked curiously.
"Simple. I got more Soul Pills than you last year," Xu Meijing replied with a smile.
That answer was clearly too far-fetched. Yang Haoran didn't say anything more, just maintained a smile and quietly watched Xu Meijing.
Seeing Yang Haoran's expression, clearly filled with disbelief, Xu Meijing chuckled, "Heh heh, looking at you, it seems you don't quite believe what I'm saying."
"Your performance is too clumsy," Yang Haoran chuckled.
Xu Meijing smiled and waved her hand, then said with a laugh, "Fine, I won't tease you anymore. You're no fun at all. Actually, I had another fortuitous encounter this year, which is why my strength increased so much. But even without that encounter, if I had refined all the Soul Pills I obtained, my Spirit Power would still have surpassed yours."
Even if Xu Meijing hadn't explained, Yang Haoran would have known that she must have had some other fortuitous encounter; otherwise, her Spirit Power could never have surpassed his by such a margin.
As for what kind of encounter it was, he saw that Xu Meijing had no intention of mentioning it, so he naturally didn't press the issue.
Although they had grown quite close over the past two years, they were not yet a couple. They both understood certain things, but neither had yet "pierced that thin layer of paper. " To be precise, their relationship was currently merely that of good friends.
"Quickly put away your Soul-Refining Cauldron. This thing shouldn't see the light of day. Don't always take it out and show off in front of me. Look how strong I am now; have I ever flaunted it in front of you?"
Yang Haoran chuckled wryly, "Aren't you doing exactly that right now?"
"This isn't flaunting; I'm merely telling you a fact."
As Xu Meijing spoke, she retracted her Spirit Power, while Yang Haoran shook his head with a smile and put away his own Soul-Refining Cauldron.
"Now you have a Soul-Refining Cauldron. If your strength still can't surpass mine when we meet again next year, then I might genuinely start to look down on you," Xu Meijing said with a smile.
"Who knows what will happen next year? What if you have another fortuitous encounter? " Yang Haoran countered with a laugh.
"Where would I find so many fortuitous encounters? Do you think they're like white cabbage, found everywhere on the streets?"
Xu Meijing rolled her eyes at Yang Haoran, then dispelled the restrictive barrier around the study and walked towards the door.
"You rest here for a bit. Brew whatever tea you want yourself. I need to brief my subordinates, and then I'll take you to the Underworld to spend some New Beginning Coins."
Xu Meijing hadn't planned to go to the Underworld today, so many things had yet to be arranged.
She hadn't expected Yang Haoran to be so eager. However, since she had decided to go to the Underworld with him, she wouldnaturally not go back on her word.
Xu Meijing left with a flourish, and Yang Haoran didn't stand on ceremony. He brewed a pot of tea for himself, then his attention was drawn to the collection of books in Xu Meijing's study.
Less than ten minutes later, Xu Meijing returned to the study. Seeing that Yang Haoran seemed quite interested in her book collection, she spoke up.
"Take any book you like, but I'm lending them to you, not giving them. You must return them to me when you're finished."
Yang Haoran chuckled, placing a book he was holding back in its spot. "I am indeed very interested in the books you've collected. I'll definitely borrow a few to read when the time comes."
"Whenever you want them, just come and get them. I've finished making all the arrangements. I'll accompany you to the Underworld now. However, this study is too small to summon the Ghost Gate, so we'll need to go somewhere else."
As Xu Meijing spoke, she tore open a spatial rift, then gave Yang Haoran a look.
Yang Haoran nodded, then followed Xu Meijing into the spatial rift, disappearing from the study.
When they reappeared, the two were in the conference room where the Ghost Gate had been summoned last time.
Xu Meijing's conference room was spacious enough to summon the Ghost Gate without any issue. Furthermore, the place was quite secluded; few people apart from those from the Ancheng Underworld Division knew about this conference room, and Yang Haoran was one of the few. Therefore, summoning the Ghost Gate here meant there was no concern about being discovered by others.
Upon arriving in the conference room, Yang Haoran prepared to summon the Ghost Gate, but just as he began to form the hand seal, Xu Meijing stopped him.
"Let me do it. You're so weak right now, it's better to save every bit of Spirit Power you can, wouldn't you agree?"
Faced with Xu Meijing's teasing, Yang Haoran felt utterly helpless. He knew that if his strength didn't catch up to Xu Meijing's, she would probably tease him like this every time they met in the future.
With a bitter smile, he didn't stop Xu Meijing, letting her form the hand seal and summon the Ghost Gate.
The Ghost Gate materialized, and the powerful oppressive aura was still present, but due to their increased strength, the pressure it exerted on them had considerably lessened.
"Let's go quickly. Don't waste any more time here," Xu Meijing urged.
Yang Haoran nodded, then manifested a protective barrier, enveloping both him and Xu Meijing. The purpose of this barrier, naturally, was to resist the immense oppressive force released by the Ghost Gate.
"Don't try to be brave. If you can't handle it, just say so. Your big sister's got your back."
Inside the barrier, Xu Meijing glanced at the shield Yang Haoran had manifested, then teased him again with a triumphant smile in her voice.
"I could handle it last year, so this year won't be an exception, of course," Yang Haoran chuckled.
"I can actually handle it too. Don't believe me? You can try," Xu Meijing said with a smile.
Yang Haoran thought for a moment, then replied with a smile, "I'll tell you when I can't bear it anymore."
Xu Meijing smiled, said nothing more, and walked towards the Ghost Gate with her hands in her pockets, an air of nonchalance about her, but more than that, an aura of pride and arrogance.
Stepping through the Ghost Gate, their figures vanished. As they disappeared, the Ghost Gate twisted for a moment before similarly vanishing.
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