A flash of violet lightning burst forth from Yu Keke's hand, accompanied by her crisp shout, and in the blink of an eye, it struck the withered tree.
Crack!
The tree split apart under the impact of the lightning, then spontaneously burst into flames.
"Whoa~"
Aether let out a low exclamation of awe at the sight.
No wonder this little girl said her technique resembled his. It seemed that after absorbing the soul ring of the Lightning Mink, not only had she inherited its physical traits, but even its lightning power had been perfectly infused into her soul skill.
"Hehe, does it look like yours?" Yu Keke giggled, noticing the surprised looks on Aether and Paimon's faces.
"Mhm! If you didn't have to activate it with that soul ring thing, it'd be just like the Traveler!" Paimon placed her hands behind her back, striking a pose like an expert critic.
"Nope~ This is a soul skill—it only works with soul power and a soul ring." Keke explained, eyes shining as she looked at Aether, filled with longing.
"Not like you, big bro… who just pinches the air and it happens…"
"This is already amazing." Aether patted her little head with a smile.
"Does the lightning do anything extra? Like how that dead tree burst into flames just now?"
"Yep! If it hits an enemy, it paralyzes them. But the duration depends on their resistance and soul power level," she added quickly. After obtaining the skill, she had already figured out its mechanics and eagerly shared everything she knew.
"That's a solid ability." Aether nodded thoughtfully.
"With your soul being a body-type martial soul, and now having a paralysis effect added on top of it, you'll be able to gain a serious edge in battles."
A body-type martial soul was already considered special. When facing opponents of similar or even slightly higher levels who wielded ordinary martial souls, the unique nature of a body soul gave an inherent advantage. Now add a paralyzing soul skill to the mix… one mistake from the enemy, and it could end in a single strike.
"Brother, how long will it take for me to become as strong as you and Paimon?" Yu Keke's large, glimmering eyes curled into crescent moons at the praise, but her heart yearned for the day she could walk beside him as an equal—so maybe, just maybe, she could protect him instead.
"About that…" Aether glanced at Paimon. The little floating companion was quicker to respond:
"Keke, you're already stronger than me! The Traveler always says I only have a fifth of a wild boar's combat power…" She sighed dramatically and shot Aether a disgruntled look.
"That's not true! Paimon's amazing!" Keke waved her little hand earnestly.
"When you get big, you're super strong~"
"Eh? You mean that time?" Paimon blinked, momentarily surprised—she had almost forgotten that she could grow bigger.
Watching Keke chirping like a happy songbird, a rare look of maturity and gentleness crossed Paimon's normally playful expression.
To become stronger…
Ever since she and the Traveler had brought Keke back to life, she hadn't really thought about getting stronger. Even when she brought it up, it was always in jest. Gone was the fierce determination she once had to awaken a martial soul and go charging into the Spirit Hall.
"Mhm!"
Keke nodded eagerly, still unaware of the complicated emotions in Paimon's eyes.
"Buuut~ getting bigger isn't fun. I don't wanna get bigger anymore," Paimon declared, pretending to think hard.
"I'd rather wait for you to grow up, get super strong, and then you can protect me, okay?"
"Okay! I'll get strong, super strong, and protect both Paimon and Big Bro!" Keke clenched her small fists tightly, voice brimming with determination.
"Alright, if you two haven't eaten your fill yet, go ahead and eat more. I'll make some extra. The backup batch got wiped out by that fire cat, and we'll need food ready for when Zhuqing and the others finish their soul bone fusion."
Aether saw where the conversation was heading and gently steered it away.
That topic… had become a knot in his heart.
First his sister, now Paimon… both of them had changed. He couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt.
If he hadn't lost his powers by accident while traveling the infinite worlds—if he had stayed strong during his journey through Teyvat—he wouldn't have been outmatched by the Heavenly Principles. He wouldn't have been separated from his sister.
And if his power had returned in time during their time in Heaven Dou… then maybe Paimon wouldn't have had to…
"Traveler, I want more! Lots and lots!"
Paimon interrupted, her voice cheerful but her eyes keen. Of course she knew what Aether was thinking.
"Alright, alright, I'm going!" Aether smiled, flicking her cheek playfully before turning to cook again. Paimon pouted and shouted after him with mock indignation.
Even though he mentally prepared himself for soul bone fusion to take a while, he hadn't expected it to take this long. It had already been two full days since Zhu Zhuqing began her fusion process.
And that was with both Yue Guan and Gui Mei—two Titled Douluo—assisting her. Without them, the process would have taken even longer.
During their downtime, Aether simply went all-in and brought up the idea of Keke fusing a soul bone too.
Gui Mei didn't even hesitate, thumping his chest in agreement. He owed Aether far too much to ever repay, and helping with this was the least he could do.
Yue Guan, though not directly indebted, naturally stepped up as well. Gui Mei's business was his business, after all, and besides—this was one of the few ways he could be of use to someone like Aether.
To him, a favor from a powerhouse like Aether was worth far more than any hundred-thousand-year soul bone.
And so, after half a day of rest, Yu Keke calmed her spirit and began fusing the soul bone. Yue Guan and Gui Mei stood by her side, focused and vigilant.
Two days passed in a flash. When Keke finally opened her eyes again, Aether immediately sensed the difference.
There was something deeper, more focused in her gaze—clear signs of elevated spiritual power.
Was her quest to become stronger really just so she could one day reach his level…?
He activated his Elemental Sight. The golden quest marker above Keke's head still shone bright and undisturbed.
He recalled the seemingly endless Aranara questline back in Sumeru. At the time, he thought that was unbearable.
But now? Compared to Keke's "Become Stronger" commission… that forest chore was child's play.
At least Aranara gave you rewards between phases. But Keke's quest? From her initial single-digit soul level all the way to level 39 now… and still not a peep of progress.
Not to mention the quest giver went offline halfway through.
Aether silently gave Keke a thumbs-up.
You're something else, Keke… truly something else.