Chen Feng couldn't stop him in time and could only watch as Little Tiger bobbed and sank in the pool, though he wasn't overly worried since the Iron-Backed Silver Tiger naturally loved the water.

"So comfortable…" A faint moan drifted into Chen Feng’s mind from Little Tiger. "Boss, come on in too!"

"...It's just taking a hot bath, do you have to make such a fuss about it?" Chen Feng mentally retorted.

"No, this is a Biyun Spring!" Little Tiger quickly clarified.

"A contraception spring…" Chen Feng nearly fainted.

"..." Little Tiger was so stunned by his words that it took a long moment to recover. "Boss, it's not 'contraception'... it's Biyun Spring, which means it's a natural medicinal spring, capable of healing injuries!"

"A medicinal spring?" Chen Feng finally realized that the rapid healing of his arm must be thanks to soaking in this hot spring.

Logically, a shattered arm, even with Light-elemental restoration magic, would require multiple sessions to heal properly. Yet, in less than a day, there were already signs of recovery. If one truly sought a rational explanation, it could only be attributed to this strange hot spring.

Chen Feng felt a stirring of interest. He stripped off his clothes and jumped into the pool. Having fallen from the peak earlier, he hadn't had time to undress; this time, he was going to enjoy a proper soak!

Little Tiger, seeing his naked boss plunge into the water from the bank, closed its large eyes with a sigh of resignation: Was signing a soul blood pact with a human like this the right choice?

Recalling the earnest teachings of its parents before their demise, Little Tiger couldn't fully grasp their reasoning for this action, but looking at its current Boss, it let out a soft lament... Could forming a contract with someone like this truly accelerate its own power growth?

The man and the tiger soaked in the warm pool for half the day, only hauling themselves ashore when exhaustion finally set in. This session left Chen Feng feeling even hungrier, his vision swimming. However, the injury on his arm had unexpectedly improved significantly. While he still couldn't exert force, normal daily use was no longer a problem.

Chen Feng couldn't help but marvel, "The remedies in this world are astonishing. Back on Earth in my past life, a broken bone took a hundred days to mend; even with a ten-thousand-year-old Lingzhi mushroom, it wouldn't heal this fast!"

Little Tiger shook the water droplets from its fur and stretched languidly. "Boss, looking at you, you haven't eaten anything, have you?"

Chen Feng nodded. "There are so many fruits here, but I have no idea which ones are safe to eat!"

"...Seriously? Boss, you’re too green!" Little Tiger made a gesture of disdain, flicking its tail as its round eyes scanned the surroundings. "These fruits are all treasures. Look over there, the Nanming Snow Pear, the Dizang Dragon Whisker, the Drifting Oil Fruit, the Three-Leaf Dew Milk... This, this..."

Little Tiger’s voice caught in its throat. Through their soul link, Chen Feng easily sensed a violent fluctuation in its spirit.

"What did you see that has you so agitated?" Chen Feng mumbled, following the direction of its gaze, which landed on the very same 'little brother' plant he had noticed earlier.

"That’s the Heavenly Dragon Yang Fruit!" Little Tiger could no longer conceal its excitement, leaping up and bolting towards the plant as fast as it could.

Chen Feng followed, somewhat puzzled by Little Tiger's fervor, and asked, "Is the Heavenly Dragon Yang Fruit that powerful?"

Little Tiger gave him a look that clearly implied, I don’t even know you. It harshly scorned his ignorance.

Observing Little Tiger’s behavior, Chen Feng pondered for a moment before a sudden realization dawned. "You... don't have some sort of physiological issue, do you? Why are you so interested in this virility tonic..."

"..." Little Tiger rolled its eyes. "The Heavenly Dragon Yang Fruit is an extremely rare medicinal component. It flowers every hundred years and fruits every hundred years, but the mature fruit only exists in the world for a single day. A Fighter who consumes it can directly advance to a Battle Master! And you... you just called it an aphrodisiac!"

"Fighter to Battle Master?" Chen Feng swallowed hard. "There are things this monstrous in this world!"

Little Tiger stared at the Heavenly Dragon Yang Fruit, terrified it might fly away, utterly obsessed. "It looks like it will be fully mature in another three months!"

Hearing it wouldn't be ripe for another three months, Chen Feng stopped looking. He sighed; his stomach was screaming in protest. Since these were all medicinal herbs that could be eaten casually, he wouldn't be polite. He circled around and spotted a single plant on a nearby circular mound, completely bare save for four fruits. He plucked one and popped it into his mouth.

It was an even stranger fruit, a dark, purplish hue, dotted with pale yellow specks across its surface. It vaguely resembled a phoenix spreading its wings in flight, appearing quite bizarre.

Chen Feng found it slightly sweet; it dissolved upon reaching his throat, and a cool, surging energy began to spread slowly from his abdomen, bringing an unprecedented comfort throughout his body.

"It really is a good thing!" Chen Feng jumped up and plucked the remaining three fruits, consuming them all.

Only then did Little Tiger snap out of its fascination with the Heavenly Dragon Yang Fruit. It looked at the half-eaten fruit remaining in Chen Feng's hand and cried out, "Boss! You ate that... thing?"

Chen Feng nodded. "Yeah, pretty tasty! Want one too?"

"...Do you know what that is?" Little Tiger felt on the verge of collapse and urgently warned, "Sit down and circulate your energy quickly! Otherwise, you’ll be burned alive!"

Chen Feng felt no abnormality whatsoever and was skeptical. "What kind of fruit is this? Burned alive?"

Little Tiger gasped, "That is the Scorching Flame Ghost Fruit! The most potent fire-elemental fruit in existence, said to only grow where a Phoenix has shed its feathers. Forget you; even if I ate it, there would only be one path for me: instantly incinerated by the fire elements within, leaving nothing but a pile of white bones!"

Magical Beasts’ bodies are vastly superior to humans. Seeing how cautious Little Tiger was, Chen Feng shrugged dismissively, preparing to boast a little, when a searing, fire-like pain erupted from his abdomen. He froze internally: Has it really begun!

Beads of sweat streamed down his face. He dared not feign strength any longer and immediately sat cross-legged on the ground, circulating the air vortex within him to mitigate the frantic surge of heat rising from his core.

Chen Feng practiced the cultivation methods from KOF (King of Fighters), specializing in Kyo Kusanagi’s unique techniques. His meridians possessed a natural immunity and capacity for fire elements, but even so, the intense burning sensation caused his internal organs to churn as if they were on fire.

Seeing his Boss turn fiery red, his dark hair standing on end while waves of heat radiated off him, Little Tiger quickly extended a paw and placed it on Chen Feng’s body, unleashing its Wind-elemental mana to help. However, a scent of scorching char filled the air. The tiger's paw felt like it had touched a white-hot piece of charcoal, forcing a sharp cry of pain as it immediately retracted.

"WHOOSH!"

The clothes on Chen Feng’s body ignited, transforming into a column of flame!

In this world, even fire-elemental Dou Qi cultivators could manifest flames on their bodies, but only those reaching Battle Master rank could solidify their Dou Qi into a detached flame hovering more than thirty centimeters away; otherwise, the scorching high temperature would certainly burn them to death!

Although the KOF techniques were bizarre and powerful, Chen Feng was currently only a Rank Two Fighter, and his internal air vortex could only manifest about 10% of its true strength. Bearing such intense heat was taxing him beyond his limits; his insides felt like they were about to explode—the negative effects of the Scorching Flame Ghost Fruit were truly erupting!

Little Tiger watched in growing dread, thinking its Boss might actually perish right here.