"Congratulations, my lady, on mastering a portion of the Dragon God's power," Di Tian and the others said in unison, their faces full of joy.
Gu Yuena smiled and nodded, then looked expectantly at Yun Ze. "What do you think?"
Seeing Gu Yuena's eager expression, Yun Ze cooperatively nodded and praised: "Very good. Congratulations on raising your bloodline to a higher level."
"Hehe." Hearing Yun Ze's praise, Gu Yuena laughed contentedly, a little smug, and in an extremely good mood."I've only just reached the half-step Dragon God bloodline now. Once I obtain the remaining Golden Dragon King bloodline and absorb it, I'll truly transform into a Dragon God's bloodline. By then, I'll be the second Dragon God." Gu Yuena's eyes were full of anticipation for the Golden Dragon King's remaining bloodline.
"That bloodline isn't something you can covet just yet. Wait until your divine sense reaches the Divine Origin Realm before considering it," Yun Ze said, pouring a bucket of cold water over her.
"I was just looking forward to it…" Gu Yuena said with slight disappointment, wishing she could absorb the remaining bloodline immediately.
The disappointment only lasted a moment. She quickly consoled herself: "With my current bloodline talent, at most ten years, I'll reach the Divine Origin Realm."
"No, no… at most seven years. The time to absorb the Golden Dragon King's bloodline isn't far away."
Thinking this way, she felt much better, the frustration of not being able to absorb it yet easing away.
Seeing Gu Yuena comfort herself so cutely, Yun Ze couldn't help but smile. This child, after taking human form, her temperament was almost like that of a little girl.
"What are you laughing at? Do you not have faith in me?" Gu Yuena asked, a little unhappy.
Yun Ze shook his head. "No, it's just that your expression just now was rather amusing."
"You think I'm amusing?" Gu Yuena's eyes lit up, dimples showing as she smiled. She cared a lot about those words.
"If you want to think of it that way, I won't argue," Yun Ze replied. Obviously, the "amusing" they spoke of had different meanings.
"Then you do think I'm amusing," Gu Yuena said cheerfully. Though she understood what he really meant, she deliberately twisted his words to tease him.
Di Tian, Bi Ji, and the others looked a bit embarrassed. They felt like they shouldn't be here anymore and considered leaving.
"Go condense your soul ring," Yun Ze said, cutting the topic short. He didn't want to keep dwelling on it.
Gu Yuena hadn't absorbed the Dragon Pearl's pure energy, but her bloodline evolution had still brought her massive energy.This energy pushed her soul power up by six levels, reaching the bottleneck of level fifty.
Perhaps her advancement was even greater than six levels—only now she'd hit a bottleneck, some soul power still concealed.
"Oh." Gu Yuena nodded helplessly, handing the Dragon Pearl to Yun Ze before sitting down to condense her soul ring.
As a soul beast in human form, she didn't need to hunt for soul spirits or rings to break through bottlenecks—she could condense them on her own.The rings she condensed were perfectly compatible, practically tailor-made.
The nature of these rings was very similar to those condensed by soul spirits and could even have their years upgraded through the Spirit Ascension Platform—utterly miraculous.
Yun Ze, having nothing to do, sat aside and cultivated, using the pure energy from the Dragon Pearl.
Two hours later, Gu Yuena finished condensing her soul ring. Her cultivation broke through, her soul power reaching level fifty-three, with the previously hidden portion fully revealed.
This time, she had gained immensely—not only a bloodline evolution, but also a surge in soul power. She was like someone reborn, her strength leaping forward.
"How about we spar again?" Gu Yuena proposed enthusiastically, her confidence inflated by her newfound power.
Previously, they had sparred once—Yun Ze was level twenty-six, she was level forty-three, a difference of over ten levels.Beforehand, she was full of confidence. Afterwards, she was dejected for days, her pride shattered.
If they had been the same level, losing to Yun Ze wouldn't have bothered her—losing would be normal. But she had a soul power advantage of more than ten levels, yet still lost. Of course she was frustrated.
Later, Yun Ze had to comfort her, saying he'd used martial skills not belonging to this world, winning unfairly. Only then did she feel a little better.
"You can use all your… oh no, you can use up to eight pieces of your battle armor." She had been about to allow his full set, but thought better of it—eight would do.
Yun Ze's battle armor was too terrifying. If he used the full set, his strength would skyrocket. Eight was enough.
That way, there'd still be some disparity, giving her a chance to win. Otherwise, she'd lose miserably again.
Although winning under these conditions might seem a bit shameless, so what? It was better than a hopeless loss.
"Sparring is fine, but be prepared to lose. With a twenty-one level gap, if you lose, I'm worried you'll be crushed again," Yun Ze reminded her.
Last time, after losing, Gu Yuena had been so dispirited her appetite halved, walking around listlessly.
Remembering her past embarrassment, Gu Yuena blushed, a little embarrassed. She suddenly felt her request for a sparring match was rash.
But then she thought of her new evolution and greatly boosted strength, and her confidence returned. Puffing out her chest, she declared proudly:"Last time was last time. This time my strength has undergone a complete transformation. I may not lose to you again."
"You really want to spar?" Yun Ze confirmed.
"Of course." Gu Yuena nodded firmly. With her near-Dragon God bloodline and a twenty-one level advantage, she refused to believe she'd lose again.
"Alright then," Yun Ze agreed. Since she wanted it, he'd oblige—sometimes setbacks were the best way to grow.
The sparring wasn't set in the Star Dou Great Forest but at the location where they had tested the Titan Giant Ape mecha before.
It was remote and deserted, no risk of attracting attention—perfect for an all-out battle.
Di Tian, Bi Ji, Zi Ji, Bear Lord, and the Ten-thousand Monster King stood at a distance, eager to witness. They wanted to see the Dragon God's power.
"Who do you think will win?" Bi Ji asked with interest.
"I'd say the young miss," Di Tian answered. Not too firmly, but he thought Gu Yuena had a ninety percent chance.
Zi Ji and the Ten-thousand Monster King nodded in agreement. They leaned toward Gu Yuena winning.
"I'm supporting the young master," Bear Lord said with a different opinion.
The four turned to look at him, surprised. While everyone else favored Gu Yuena, he was deliberately taking the opposite stance?
Under their gazes, Bear Lord lost some confidence and muttered: "Someone's gotta support the young master, right?"
"When did you learn to be so diplomatic?" Di Tian asked, astonished. Suddenly, he felt like this dumb bear was maturing.
"What's with that look?" Bear Lord grumbled, annoyed by Di Tian's strange gaze.
"Nothing, I just think you've grown," Di Tian said dismissively.
(End of Chapter)