Returning to Shrek Academy, Jing Shaoyu didn't even have time to rest before taking Wu Siduo to the Spirit Transfer Pagoda headquarters. Wu Siduo's Nine Nether Hellcat Spirit needed to fuse with a new Soul Spirit.
Thanks to Gu Yue's presence, the process of purchasing a Soul Spirit became extremely simple. They obtained a 150,000-year-old Dark Demon Tiger Soul Spirit for less than ten billion Federation Currency—a bargain. At their level of cultivation, money was the least valuable thing.
While Wu Siduo was fusing with the Soul Spirit, Jing Shaoyu was pulled into Gu Yue's private office.
"Missed me after just a few days apart?" Jing Shaoyu wrapped his arm around Gu Yue's waist, teasing her with a grin.
"Not at all!" Gu Yue denied, her eyes flickering before she adopted a serious expression. "A Yuan, your second Martial Soul still needs two more Soul Spirits, right? I have one that would suit you perfectly. Would you like to see it?"
Jing Shaoyu's expression froze momentarily as thoughts raced through his mind. Could the Soul Spirit Gu Yue was referring to be Di Tian? Was she really willing to part with him?
Indeed, the Soul Spirit Gu Yue mentioned was Di Tian. She had given it deep thought—if they succeeded in establishing a God Realm in the future, having Di Tian become Jing Shaoyu's Soul Spirit would be beneficial for both Di Tian himself and the Soul Beast race as a whole.
She had already discussed it with Di Tian, who had agreed. Now, all it took was Jing Shaoyu's approval, and Di Tian—the former king of Ferocious Beasts—would immediately become his Soul Spirit.
However, Jing Shaoyu already had his own plans and wouldn't change them just because of Gu Yue's suggestion. He chuckled and said, "Actually, I already have plans for the Soul Spirits of my Doomsday Divine Spear Spirit. Tell me about the one you've prepared for me—maybe we're thinking alike."
Gu Yue replied solemnly, "The Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King! Di Tian!"
It really was him! Jing Shaoyu's heart stirred, but he shook his head with a sigh. "Di Tian... He is indeed a good choice. If I didn't have the Holy Demon Dragon King Torso Bone, I might have considered him. It wouldn't be right to have his entire family reunited within me. Besides, I have an even more suitable option in mind."
Seeing Jing Shaoyu reject the proposal, Gu Yue didn't react strongly. What intrigued her was his claim of a "more suitable" choice—was there really a Soul Beast on the continent stronger than Di Tian?
"A more suitable choice?" Her beautiful eyes gleamed with curiosity.
"Yes!" Jing Shaoyu nodded and explained, "Deep in the Douluo Sea, there's a quasi-deity-level Deep Sea Demon Whale King, known as the Demon Empress. She's a better fit for me than Di Tian."
"The Deep Sea Demon Whale King?! How?" Gu Yue's eyes widened in shock. "Wasn't the last million-year-old Deep Sea Demon Whale King slain by Poseidon? How could there be another one?"
"Rumors say the Demon Empress is the wife of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King killed by Poseidon. She harbors hatred for humans because her husband was slain by Tang San, the Poseidon, and has even allied with the Abyss for revenge," Jing Shaoyu said. "I need to control her—as a bridge for our counterattack against the Abyss."
"Alright," hearing this, Gu Yue understood the special significance of the Demon Empress and could only nod helplessly, saying, "It seems Di Tian isn't destined for this fortune!"
"It's fine. Even if Di Tian doesn't become my Soul Spirit, his future achievements won't be low. After all, he's currently the leader of the Dragon Clan," Jing Shaoyu gently stroked Gu Yue's hair, comforting her.
"But the Dragon Clan is gone. What meaning does his title as leader hold now?" Gu Yue murmured gloomily.
Jing Shaoyu fell silent at her words. Of course, he couldn't say that ten thousand years later, the Dragon Horse Galaxy would rise again under the banner of the Dragon Clan. Instead, he chose to change the subject.
"By the way, Yue'er, look at this." He withdrew his right hand and flipped it lightly, revealing a beautiful yet sorrowful flower before Gu Yue's eyes.
"A flower?" Gu Yue looked at Jing Shaoyu in confusion, unsure why he'd suddenly produce a flower. Was he giving it to her? But who gives just a single flower?
"This isn't just any ordinary flower," Jing Shaoyu chuckled calmly. "This is the Lovesick Heartbreak Red!"
"Lovesick Heartbreak Red!" Gu Yue's face instantly lit up with delight, clearly recognizing the flower's reputation.
"Mhm," Jing Shaoyu smiled. "It's for you."
A few days later, the Shrek Seven Monsters finalized their military assignments. Xu Xiaoyan and Ye Xinglan were headed to the East Sea Legion, Wu Siduo to the Central Legion, Mo Hentian and Lan Fozi to the West Sea Legion, while Jing Shaoyu, naturally, was assigned to the Blood God Legion.
This arrangement had its reasons. Xu Xiaoyan's Xu family held influence in the East Sea Legion, Wu Siduo's Wu family in the Central Legion, and Mo Hentian's Mo family in the West Sea Legion. Ye Xinglan, being closest to Xu Xiaoyan, chose to go with her, while Lan Fozi wanted to join the West Sea Legion, hence pairing with Mo Hentian.
As for Wu Siduo, going to the Central Legion was practically like returning home, as the Central Legion's headquarters were in Star Luo City. Originally established for surveillance and suppression, the Central Legion later came under the control of the former Douluo faction after the complete retreat of the Sun Moon nobles, with the Wu family being one of its primary forces.
Based on proximity, Jing Shaoyu first escorted Xu Xiaoyan and Ye Xinglan to East Sea City.
"Shaoyu, Xinglan, I need to go home and discuss things with my family. Would you like to come with me?" Xu Xiaoyan asked as the train neared East Sea City.
"No need," Ye Xinglan refused decisively. "I'd like to visit Shaoyu's home this time. I never paid much attention before, but now I want to take a good look. Is that okay, Shaoyu?"
As she spoke, she clung to Jing Shaoyu's arm, her pretty face unusually pleading and coquettish.
"Of course," Jing Shaoyu's heart skipped a beat, and he agreed immediately.
Xu Xiaoyan naturally understood what Ye Xinglan was up to, but she wasn't annoyed—in fact, she supported it. However, her expression was full of teasing amusement as she looked at Ye Xinglan and quipped, "Alright, alright. I hope you get to see everything inside and out this time, Xinglan."
Ye Xinglan caught the underlying meaning in Xu Xiaoyan's words, her cheeks flushing red. Without responding, she silently rested her head on Jing Shaoyu's shoulder.
That night, at Jing Shaoyu's home in East Sea City.
Although Jing Ziyuan had already resigned from her position at the East Sea City's Lord's Mansion, Ouyang Jian still retained this house for them, even transferring the property directly under Jing Shaoyu's name.
In the bedroom, Ye Xinglan lay completely bare on the bed, her jade-like body trembling slightly—not from fear, but from excitement and anticipation. Her eyes were tightly shut, the bashfulness of maidenhood preventing her from opening them, yet her curiosity was overwhelming, causing her long lashes to flutter intensely.
She had waited for this day for a long time. With such a perfect opportunity now, of course she wouldn't let it slip—otherwise, they wouldn't have been so persistent in having Jing Shaoyu escort them here.
Faced with such an eager beauty, Jing Shaoyu naturally wouldn't refuse.
Thus, mandarin ducks entwined their necks in dance, while jadeite merged in joyous union.
By the next morning, when Jing Shaoyu stood by his bed with a helpless expression, Ye Xinglan sat upright on the bed, her body radiating a platinum glow. Sword shadows circled around her like planets orbiting a star, their sharp sword energy lingering persistently as her aura steadily rose.
"Brother Shaoyu, don't look so glum!" Xu Xiaoyan couldn't help but giggle behind her hand when she arrived and saw Ye Xinglan's extraordinary state and Jing Shaoyu's resigned expression. "This is a good thing! Xinglan's Soul Power will increase by at least five levels from this."
"Ah!" Jing Shaoyu sighed. "If it's like this every time, I might as well just die."
"How about..." Xu Xiaoyan's eyes sparkled mischievously as she eagerly suggested, "We give it a try?"
"..." Jing Shaoyu immediately pulled her into Na'er's room next door.
Indeed, practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. After multiple attempts between Jing Shaoyu and Xu Xiaoyan, they finally confirmed that only the first time yielded the best results. After that, no matter how many times they tried, the gains were no different from normal meditation training.
This put Jing Shaoyu's mind at ease—at least his future marital bliss was secured, and he wouldn't have to dread intimacy with his wives every time.
It took Ye Xinglan a full day and two nights to completely refine and absorb the vast energy and laws contained within the essence of heaven and earth.
The first thing she did afterward was seek out Jing Shaoyu to share her gains.
Just as Xu Xiaoyan had predicted, Ye Xinglan's Soul Power had increased dramatically, jumping directly from level 72 to level 78—a six-level boost from a single night of passion. This would make any Soul Master who trained diligently for a decade just to gain one level weep in despair.
Ye Xinglan's Martial Soul remained the Star God Sword, unlike Xu Xiaoyan's Star Staff Spirit which had evolved into the Starry Sky Divine Staff. This was largely due to the Star God Sword's inherent strength—unless Ye Xingran broke through to godhood, it was unlikely to undergo any qualitative improvements.
However, she had successfully opened a Spiritual Domain, becoming the first among the women to do so.
Aeon Flash—to everyone's surprise, including Jing Shaoyu, Xu Xiaoyan, and even Ye Xinglan herself—her Spiritual Domain turned out to be an extremely rare time-based one. They had all assumed it would manifest as a sword path domain.
Of course, the time-based domain was naturally stronger than the sword domain, and Ye Xinglan's Aeon Flash domain was clearly extraordinary. Since it had just awakened, they weren't in a hurry to draw conclusions. At the very least, they would wait until Ye Xinglan became familiar with it and developed it further before making any judgments.
Due to the delay of a day, the trio immediately headed to the military port of East Sea City after Ye Xinglan woke up, where they met Xu Xiaoyu, the lieutenant commander of the East Sea Fleet. In the coming days, both Xu Xiaoyan and Ye Xinglan would serve on Xu Xiaoyu's ship.
This was only temporary. It might not be long before the two girls stood on equal footing with Xu Xiaoyu—or even became his superiors. After all, both girls were already Soul Saints, nearing Soul Douluo cultivation, while Xu Xiaoyu was merely a newly promoted Soul Emperor.
"Brother Xiaoyu, I'm entrusting Xiaoyan and the others to you. Make sure to protect them!" Jing Shaoyu urged.
"Obviously! I'm her brother—of course I'll protect them!" Xu Xiaoyu retorted irritably. Although he had tacitly accepted Jing Shaoyu's relationship with Xu Xiaoyan, seeing his future brother-in-law entangled with other women still annoyed him.
"Brother, stop bragging. Who's protecting who is still up for debate!" Xu Xiaoyan rolled her eyes. "Your little sister is a Soul Saint now!"
"Right, right. Then, Miss Xiaoyan, please protect this humble Soul Emperor, alright?" Xu Xiaoyu immediately conceded.
"Oh, one more thing," Jing Shaoyu said before leaving, grabbing Xu Xiaoyan and Ye Xinglan's hands. "Once your Soul Power breaks through to level 80 together, send me a message through Uncle Zang. I'll have him deliver the Ink Jade Divine Bamboo and Qiluo Tulip to you."
"Got it!" both girls nodded simultaneously.
Jing Shaoyu returned from East Sea City to Shrek City, disembarking at Star Luo City along the way because Wu Siduo had already returned there and was waiting for him at the Star Luo Soul Guidance Train Station.
"So, how was Xinglan? Did you have fun with Xiaoyan too?" The moment they met, Wu Siduo said something that nearly made Jing Shaoyu lose his composure.
"Ahem—" He coughed a few times before replying, "You girls really share everything, huh?"
"Of course! After all, we're such good~ sisters~!" Wu Siduo smiled brilliantly, her beauty like spring blossoms reflected in water, though her tone carried a teasing edge. "But right now, you belong to me alone! Little Yu, take me home now!"
With that, the peerlessly beautiful young mistress of the Wu family embraced Jing Shaoyu, her graceful figure pressing against the young man's body as she rested her head against his chest.
"As you command, my lady!" Jing Shaoyu chuckled, carrying Wu Siduo into the Wu family's private car.
The black sedan headed toward the White Tiger Manor.
The Wu family received Jing Shaoyu with great solemnity. At the evening banquet, aside from Old Lady Qi, the attendees included Wu Baining, the head of the Wu family, and Qi Feiyu, the head of the Qi family. This Qi family was, naturally, the descendants of the Nether Spirit Cat Zhu family who remained on the Douluo Continent—also the maternal family of Old Lady Qi and Wu Siduo's mother.
At the banquet, Jing Shaoyu learned of a rare occurrence—Dai Yueyan had actually found a Nether Spirit Cat Soul Master capable of Martial Soul Fusion with him, and one of the same age at that. This news thrilled Dai Yueyan and the accompanying officials from the Star Luo Empire, though the Wu and Qi families were far from pleased.
After all, their lineage harbored enmity toward the Star Luo Continent faction.
Jing Shaoyu naturally paid no mind to such matters; he was merely there for the gossip. Given the current state of the Douluo Federation, the likelihood of them declaring war on the Star Luo Empire was slim. With internal threats unresolved, how could they afford to deal with external ones?
And what were these internal threats? Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect silently disapproved, while the Holy Spirit Church and the Abyss quietly approved.
Once the banquet concluded, Jing Shaoyu was taken by Wu Siduo to her private chambers. The Wu family had not arranged a guest room for him—a silent implication that spoke volumes.
"I told you, today you belong to me!" Wu Siduo pushed Jing Shaoyu onto the bed, straddling him, her delicate face flushed with a mix of shyness and excitement. Gone was her usual aloofness, replaced by the wild dominance of a tigress.
"Go ahead, I won't resist." Jing Shaoyu lay still, wearing a faint smirk, as if inviting her to take the lead—only fueling Wu Siduo's frustration.
And so, the jade furnace cooled, the icy mat lay forgotten, as passion melted powder and fragrance soaked the pillows.
By the next morning, having mentally prepared himself, Jing Shaoyu no longer felt any emotional turbulence. He simply informed Old Lady Qi and Wu Baining that Wu Siduo was in the midst of cultivation and should not be disturbed.
Though puzzled, the old lady and Wu Baining immediately restricted servants from entering Wu Siduo's chambers and the surrounding areas, imposing a near-lockdown.
Fortunately, Wu Siduo needed only a single day to fully refine and absorb the essence of heaven and earth Jing Shaoyu had gifted her, awakening from her meditative state.
(End of Chapter)