"Something came up last night!"
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, on obtaining the achievement "Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained." Attribute Points +20, Skill Points +20, Store Points +20.]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, on obtaining the achievement "Arden Xu Legacy." Attribute Points +30, Skill Points +30, Store Points +30.]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, on obtaining the achievement "Graduation from XXX." Attribute Points +10, Skill Points +10, Store Points +10.]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, on obtaining the achievement "Conqueror of the Mini Cup." Attribute Points +20, Skill Points +20, Store Points +20.]
[...]
Early morning. Arden Xu leaned against the headboard, beginning to review the achievements he had harvested through his diligent efforts the previous night.
Of course, half the credit belonged to the still-sleeping Ju Fufu.
"Mine... is only worth 10 points? So cheap!" Arden started his complaining mode. "And what the heck is this 'Arden Xu Legacy'? Could it be... Xu Xian and the Snake? Then I... cough, cough, cough!"
Arden coughed, forcing himself not to think further down that line.
"And this 'Mini'..." Arden turned his head to look at Ju Fufu, who was still not awake on the other side of the large bed.
He intended to verify it.
"Hmm, hmm."
A moment later, Arden nodded in agreement. "That description is completely accurate."
"Mmm... hmm~~~"
Perhaps it was the morning sun, or maybe some movement, but Ju Fufu let out a soft moan and slowly woke up.
"Ah~~ woo~~"
As usual, Ju Fufu straightened up and sat up in bed.
"Huh?"
Then, her stretching arm bumped into something that wasn't usually there.
Ju Fufu turned her head and met Arden's half-smiling, half-smirking eyes.
"..."
The lingering, intimate memories from the previous night flooded her mind like a tide.
"Awoo~~!"
With a strange cry, the shy Ju Fufu burrowed back under the covers.
"Hey, hey! Am I that scary? You were pretty open about it last night," Arden teased.
"Nyaaaaaaaa..."
Bringing it up made it worse. At Arden's words, Ju Fufu under the covers curled up even tighter into a ball.
"Uh... alright then!" Arden shrugged helplessly. "You rest some more. I'll prepare breakfast today."
.....
The dining table was covered with a simple breakfast.
Red bean rice, rich with special meaning; nutritious fried eggs; and appetizing pickled vegetables.
"Um, um, um! Another bowl!"
Having seemingly come to terms with it, or perhaps having accepted her fate, Ju Fufu stopped overthinking and began eating voraciously!
Arden didn't say much. He took the empty bowl to serve the fifth helping of red bean rice.
As a Thiren of Tiger descent, Ju Fufu had always had a big appetite, but this level was rare. However, Arden knew the reason why.
The [One Dragon, Nine Phoenixes Art] was very effective!
Attribute increases weren't generated out of thin air; they required an increase in energy, and the body's energy came from eating.
In the past, when Arden added too many points at once, he would also feel abnormally hungry.
"Want more? There's still some in the pot."
Seeing Ju Fufu finish another bowl of red bean rice, Arden inquired thoughtfully.
"No more, burp~~ I can't eat anymore~~ burp~!"
After finishing her tenth bowl, Ju Fufu was finally full.
"Oh, right. I have something good here. Eating it strengthens the body. I'm giving it to you!"
Saying this, Arden took out a small square box and handed it to Ju Fufu.
"This is... could it be?"
Ju Fufu stared at the small box, her expression adorable with her mouth slightly agape and her little tiger teeth showing. Yes, it was that 'could it be'.
"A wedding ring?!"
It couldn't be helped. The small box looked too much like a ring box, especially after last night. Any girl would think that, right?
"Uh... it's a bit early to talk about rings."
But it wasn't. Arden reached out and tapped Ju Fufu's head, producing a thunk sound, as if it were hollow inside.
"Ouch~!"
Ju Fufu covered her forehead, letting out a cute sound.
"A wedding ring is for the wedding. Besides, even if I went to have one custom-made last night, it wouldn't be ready this fast."
Arden rolled his eyes.
"Oh... then what's inside?"
Hearing this, Ju Fufu wasn't disappointed. Instead, she grew more curious.
"Of course, something good!"
Without teasing her further, Arden directly opened the small wooden box.
"A... a pill! Gulp~~!"
Looking at the golden pill inside the small wooden box, Ju Fufu's eyes widened. Smelling the fragrant aroma wafting from it, she felt her stomach, which had just accommodated ten bowls of red bean rice and twenty fried eggs, starting to feel hungry again.
"That's right, this is the [Tiger Strength Pill]!"
Having earned quite a few store points from Ju Fufu, Arden used these points to exchange for some items, including three [Tiger Strength Pill]. Their effect was to enhance the user's innate aptitude for 'Strength'.
Arden took one himself. The second one was a gift for Ju Fufu, a sort of return.
After all, 'Tiger Strength' came from the tiger herself.
As for the remaining pill, Arden planned to save it for his not-yet-formalized master, Yixuan, as a betrothal gift... a master-disciple gift!
Before crossing over, Arden had seen many videos about how parents treat twins or multiples. The key principle was fairness: if one has it, the other must have it too, whether it's the style and color of clothes, the type and purpose of stationery, or even accidentally poking a hole in a steamed bun with chopsticks—you have to make a hole in all the other buns too.
Arden believed the same principle applied to a harem.
.....
Full and satisfied, and after taking the [Tiger Strength Pill], Ju Fufu grabbed Arden and headed outside.
"Brother Arden, let's go practice outside!"
Don't misunderstand, everyone. Ju Fufu wasn't suggesting going to the 'field' with Arden for that kind of practice. She meant actual martial arts practice.
Without the discomfort of the first time, Ju Fufu actually felt very good, with a sensation of being light as a swallow.
There was a training ground in the backyard. Ju Fufu wanted to test the effects of the cultivation art, the [Tiger Strength Pill], and the so-called attribute bonuses there.
"Flaming Claw!"
Ju Fufu unleashed a flurry of scratches on a wooden stake, like a Pokémon's Fury Swipes.
Crack!
Before long, the wooden stake broke.
"Tiger Charge!"
Then, Ju Fufu switched to a metal stake and continued scratching.
Under Ju Fufu's fierce attacks, the unfortunate metal stake was like a bamboo pole. Soon, claw marks appeared one after another, and it seemed to be gradually thinning and softening.
"....."
For some reason, looking at the metal stake under Ju Fufu's claws, Arden felt a phantom pain.
I must be careful with this super terrifying tiger in the future. If I make her go crazy...
The consequences would be unimaginable! The lightest outcome would probably be being cut off from posterity. (O_O)
This continued for five minutes.
"That should be enough," Arden called a stop to Ju Fufu before the metal stake was completely destroyed. "How do you feel?"
"Awoo~~ I feel very good... I could say, there's never been a better feeling than now!"
Ju Fufu felt that her physical strength had increased somewhat, but only modestly. However, her agility and endurance had increased substantially.
Compared to her yesterday, if she encountered Thanatos again, she definitely wouldn't be so helpless.
To use an inappropriate analogy, Ju Fufu felt she had suddenly gone from C0 to C6!
After Ju Fufu, Arden also practiced a bit.
Contrary to Ju Fufu, his strength increased considerably, and next to his panel attributes, there was an added parenthesis. The number inside was the attribute bonus Ju Fufu shared with him.
Another day passed, and night arrived.
Ju Fufu's personal belongings had all been moved to Arden's room. Perhaps anticipating this day long ago, Arden's room here was a large master bedroom. Not only was the bed huge, capable of accommodating three to five people, but the space was also very spacious, enough to hold many personal items.
"Dear wife, let's rest early."
Arden felt that, rather than training hard during the day, it was better to put in more effort at night, striving to uncover more achievements before the enrollment assessment. That would be a greater boost for both of them.