Chapter 298: The Pit
Seeing the resolute look in the Silver Dragon King's eyes, Ye Wen paused for a moment, then shook his head slightly.
"That's not enough, and I can't fully trust the dragon race. You may not understand humanity's nature, but let me offer you a simple analogy. No territory can house two tigers without one meeting its end."
The Silver Dragon King nodded, fully understanding the underlying "one mountain, one king" philosophy. For her, species boundaries were already blurred; both she and Ye Wen were gods. If they spoke of races, it was only due to old attachments.
After a moment of hesitation, her gaze regained its steadiness.
"The dragon race and humankind will eventually unite," she asserted.
Ye Wen raised an eyebrow. "And why's that?"
"Because I will marry you and follow your path, guarding Douluo Star together with you," she said softly.
To her surprise, Ye Wen didn't show the shock she had expected; he simply sat there silently, seemingly deep in thought. The Silver Dragon King, remembering what she'd learned through Na'er's memories, knew he was intensely loyal to his wives, unlike someone who'd consider a marriage for political reasons. Quickly, she realized Ye Wen wouldn't be thrown by emotions so easily he'd likely anticipated such a proposal.
"Well, then?" she asked.
Although he had entertained this possibility, hearing her suggestion first left Ye Wen feeling strangely unsettled.
"Beasts are direct indeed," he thought. "I should've been the one to propose."
With no reply, he nodded, breaking the silence at last. "It will have to be your true form, not Na'er's. That would make me feel... off. And as Na'er's creator, you're essentially her mother. If we marry, she'll formally become your daughter as well."
The Silver Dragon King gave a slight nod, though a peculiar feeling stirred within her that she chose to leave unspoken. Instead, a quiet excitement began to build.
With her agreement, Ye Wen felt a measure of satisfaction; a piece of his larger plan had fallen into place. However, given the lack of emotional connection between them, several details still needed to be worked out.
Since the Silver Dragon King's godly powers lay in creation, she could revive extinct dragon species as long as she had reference materials and resources. Initially, he'd designated the Star Dou Forest as their territory a place off limits to hunters for centuries. Now, having been left in peace for a millennium, the various soul beast forests had grown substantially stronger, with thousand year soul beasts found in abundance.
Reflecting on the past thousand years, Ye Wen noted flaws in the system he'd implemented. Ordinary people with no spirit power were now rare on Douluo Star. With advancements in weapon technology and a lack of warfare, many spirit masters had become unpracticed in true combat, despite having decent power levels.
Ye Wen realized it was time for the next phase in the evolution of spirit master training. Douluo Star's Spirit Master Era 2.0 was about to begin.
Gone were the days of relying solely on mandatory education and spirit training; now, spirit masters below the Soul King level would have to hunt for their spirit rings in the wild. Of course, Ye Wen wasn't simply sending them to their deaths. Even a hundred year soul beast once required multiple spirit masters to subdue. Though they now had offensive soul tools, they still needed rigorous combat training.
Although major families might find ways to sidestep the rules, the initial four rings were just the beginning. For the fifth ring the ten thousand year spirit ring Ye Wen established a rigorous assessment program. Only spirit masters meeting a set threshold would qualify for higher level rings, from the seventh ring onwards. Those passing these assessments would have access to free advanced training.
Soul masters who demonstrated extraordinary skill or power would be promoted directly to Title Douluo, with further support from the Empire to pursue godhood. This level of motivation electrified the ranks, and soon, complaints from weaker souls were drowned out by the fervor of those committed to advancement.
Gone were the days of seeking quantity. Ye Wen now prioritized quality. Though some complained about the new "blood soaked era," Ye Wen dismissed their concerns.
Reflecting on the nature of resources, Ye Wen knew Douluo Star alone could never support an endlessly growing population. To fulfill his vision for a prosperous future, he needed a self sufficient, combat ready society capable of exploring beyond their world.
While advocating for a new era of combat, he'd also opened the forests to dragons. Only the worthy would thrive in these forests. As top tier predators, if dragons couldn't defend themselves against human hunters, they didn't deserve a future among the stars.
Seeing the Silver Dragon King's agreement to this natural selection process, Ye Wen knew that both dragon and spirit master would rise or fall by their own strength.
Looking down, Ye Wen gently ruffled Na'er's hair with a soft smile.
"Are you alright, Na'er?"
She looked up at him, a hint of emotion in her eyes. "Thank you, Father," she replied softly, before slipping out of his office, her gaze lingering briefly.
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