A chaotic eruption of compound elemental reactions exploded in that confined space.
The [Universal Battery], sitting at the blast center, quickly changed from colorless to pale violet, then deep violet.
Within moments, all the energy was completely absorbed.
The area fell silent again.
Xia Zhi reached out and retrieved the [Universal Battery].
[Current Charge: 53.6%].
A single seven-element combo had only filled it halfway—and that was with the Electro double efficiency bonus.
Still not enough.
He put it back, added seven more elemental scrolls.
Boom. Another blast. The orb turned a brilliant amethyst hue.
[Current Charge: 100%].
At the same time, a new line appeared on the system panel:
"[Universal Battery] has completed one full charge cycle. Total charge capacity increased by 0.01%."
Xia Zhi reabsorbed it into his body, walked to the bedside, and picked up the [Essence Bottle].
Last night's batch of [Bliss Rice Wine] had [contained] for a whole night. Time to start mixing.
First, he needed to fix the alcohol content.
Xia Zhi bought a new item from the [Shop].
[Pure-Brew Fruit]
Quality: Gold
Type: Consumable
Trait: Concentrated
Effect: Emits a fragrant alcoholic aroma into the air; its flavor evolves over time into various dreamlike notes. Its pulp is rich in vitality—a single drop can turn a pool of fresh water into strong liquor.
Hidden Effect: Slowly heals psychological trauma after consumption.
Price: 500 Points
It had similar traits to the [Rainbow Fruit], including [Concentrated] and a hidden healing effect.
Xia Zhi took it out, used the [Universal Syringe] to extract a single drop of juice, and dropped it into the [Bliss Rice Wine].
The [Essence Bottle] had the [Mixing] trait, allowing the low-alcohol rice wine to blend perfectly with the fruit juice.
After mixing, he tasted a sip—fiery and intense, but with an ecstatic, blissful mouthfeel.
He added a drop of [Rainbow Concentrate] and mixed again.
Now just the scent of the wine was enough to intoxicate with dreamlike joy.
Xia Zhi poured the whole batch out, filling over a hundred bottles.
He planned to give a hundred to Venti and keep the rest for close friends.
Once everything was done, he released the time barrier in the room and saw that a message had arrived on his phone, resting on the nightstand.
He picked it up and checked.
It was from Shenhe, next door.
Just two simple words.
[Miss you.]
Xia Zhi chuckled and replied.
[Does your senior, Ganyu, miss me too?]
A moment later, another message arrived.
[She says she does.]
These girls, really.
It was probably because he hadn't gone over to be with them last night—stayed with the little girl instead—and they weren't used to it.
Xia Zhi walked through the wall and headed over.
And… that's all we'll say about that.
Well—maybe this much: the [Universal Battery]'s stamina restoration effect was excellent. Even after such an intense bout of "combat," it hadn't used up even 1% of its charge.
---
Early in the morning, Yaoyao was already up and outside, practicing her spear techniques.
Xia Lin stepped out of Xia Zhi's room, returned to her own room to change out of her pajamas, freshened up, and then ran to the edge of the clearing to watch Yaoyao train.
After watching for a while, Xia Lin seemed to sense something and suddenly looked up into the distance.
Another slender figure was standing on the corridor, watching Yaoyao practice just as intently.
Who was that?
The girl squinted to get a better look—and paused.
She recognized the face.
She had just seen her yesterday morning.
That was one of Klee's friends, wasn't it? Her name was… Noelle?
Was she here at the church again looking for someone?
Puzzled, Xia Lin stared at the figure standing in the distance.
At that moment, the figure also noticed her gaze and gave a slight nod in greeting. After watching for a few more seconds, she turned and walked away.
Xia Lin stood still, watching Noelle's silhouette disappear around the corner of the corridor.
She had no idea why she'd come here.
Shrugging it off, she turned her attention back to Yaoyao's spear practice.
—
Morning training ended.
Xia Zhi emerged from his room and walked up to another door, raising his hand to knock.
"Who is it?"
"It's me."
"Cousin?"
Quick footsteps followed from inside, and the door opened to reveal Xia Ci peering out curiously.
"You're here early!"
"I need to talk to you guys about something."
"Oh?"
"Is now a good time?"
"Of course! Come in, come in!"
Xia Zhi stepped into the room.
The air inside carried a fresh, grassy scent—distinctly Xia Ci's own.
As for Xia Zhen, who shared the room with her, she still didn't have a physical body, so she didn't emit any scent at all.
As soon as Xia Zhi entered, Xia Ci closed the door behind him.
"What's this about?"
"It's about Cousin."
"Huh?"
Xia Zhen seemed to have just woken up, half-lying in bed with a sleepy expression, yawning. "You need me?"
Xia Zhi nodded. "Yeah. I found a way to help you restore your soul body faster."
Xia Zhen perked up instantly. "Really?"
Xia Zhi walked over to her bedside, pressed a hand to his chest, and pulled out a [Universal Battery].
The expressions on Xia Ci and Xia Zhen's faces turned odd the moment they saw the glowing violet sphere in his hand.
Xia Zhi blinked. "What?"
Xia Zhen stared at the orb and couldn't help but ask, "Cousin… is that your Gnosis?"
"My Gnosis? No."
Xia Zhi shook his head.
"But you could consider it something similar."
The two goddesses exchanged thoughtful glances.
"Hold still."
"Huh?"
Xia Zhi pressed the [Universal Battery] toward Xia Zhen's chest.
She didn't move, watching as the purple orb slowly merged into her soul body.
"It's going in…"
Once it fully merged, she felt a strange new energy surge through her.
Her formerly thin and frail soul body was rapidly stabilizing, knit together by a mysterious force.
"What is this…?"
"How do you feel?" Xia Zhi asked.
"It's like something's… filling me up… I feel so full… wait—slow down…"
Standing by the bed, Xia Ci listened to her best friend's flustered muttering and remarked, "Cousin, is this your new toy? It seems pretty powerful. From the look on her face, it's like you're breaking her."
"Breaking her?!"
"Cousin, how do you feel right now?"
"How do I feel?"
"Your hand. It's still there."
"…"
"You haven't pulled it back this whole time. Her chest must feel amazing, huh?"
"…"
Well, he had touched it quite a few times during massages already.
----
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