For several consecutive days, Yu Qing had been unable to find the "life space equipment" he so desired in the System Mall.
However, he kept a very calm mindset and wasn't discouraged; after all, his balance of yin yang points was still as high as three million, giving him a solid foundation and plenty of confidence. He firmly believed that as long as he persisted in refreshing every day, he would eventually find it.
And those top-quality treasures he had bought during his previous "splurge" of nearly a million yin yang points were also being distributed by him to his beloved wives one after another in a timely manner during these days.
The first to benefit was Zi Ruyi. Ever since the last spirit soul contract, Duan Xin had received a hundred thousand year Spirit Bone from Ember Dragon as a "dowry," whereas Zi Ruyi's Cloud-Shrouding Flower Emperor clearly didn't have as deep pockets as the Ember Dragon.
Now, this hundred thousand year Mental Condensation Wisdom Head Spirit Bone purchased from the System Mall could just make up for her regret.
That night, after completing a hearty and physically and mentally pleasant Yin-Yang Harmonization with Zi Ruyi, Yu Qing gently held his wife. With a flip of his palm, that incredibly precious Spirit Bone appeared in his hand.
"Come, Ruyi," Yu Qing's voice was gentle, carrying a hint of doting. "This is a hundred thousand year Head Spirit Bone your husband specially prepared for you. Take it and absorb it!"
Looking at the treasure before her that could drive any Spirit Master crazy, although a flash of joy and emotion crossed Zi Ruyi's beautiful eyes, she didn't show any overly exaggerated surprise. She had long since grown accustomed to her husband's habit of taking out various shocking treasures from time to time.
She reached out her slender hand, carefully taking the Spirit Bone, feeling the vast mental force and energy contained within, and said softly, "Thank you, husband." After speaking, she proactively tilted her head up and printed a gentle, fragrant kiss on Yu Qing's cheek.
Next was naturally the moment for Zi Ruyi to "repay the favor" with all her effort.
The night grew increasingly charming.
The next day, Yu Qing found Duan Xin in the courtyard (who was attempting to use Dragon Might to scare Dragon Yu). He took out that diamond-shaped crystal emitting terrifying high temperatures and a faint Dragon Might, looking like a burning blood diamond—a hundred thousand year Explosive Flame Holy Dragon spirit ring.
"Xiner," Yu Qing laughed, "this hundred thousand year spirit ring's attributes are extremely compatible with you. Once you reach Rank eighty, go ahead and absorb it."
Duan Xin took the spirit ring, and a burst of excited light immediately erupted from her crimson dragon eyes. She could clearly feel the flame power contained within this Spirit Bone—it was even purer and more overbearing than the Ember Dragon's Origin Dragon Flame. Its accompanying Dragon Might also had a very strong beneficial effect on her Spirit.
"Husband! You're the best!" she cried out joyfully, then as if thinking of something, she asked curiously, "This... such a precious hundred thousand year spirit ring, is it another God Trial reward from that Divinity?" She still remembered Yu Qing using "God Trial" to explain those over-the-top resources.
Yu Qing nodded without batting an eye, "Mhm, most of the God Trial rewards this time were prepared for you all." This excuse was truly useful and saved a lot of trouble.
Hearing this, a flash of understanding and happiness crossed Duan Xin's eyes. She hugged Yu Qing's arm, rubbing against him with her incredible softness, her tone carrying temptation and coquettishness, "Hehe~ Husband, wait for me tonight, okay? I'll definitely 'repay' you well~"
Yu Qing laughed and rubbed her smooth red hair, "Alright~ I'll see how Xiner 'rewards' her husband tonight."
Finally, Yu Qing found the eagerly waiting Purple Pearl. What he gave her was a round, smooth Spirit Pill emitting a strange medicinal fragrance—a top-quality Spirit Pill that could increase spirit power by three Ranks with no side effects. This was enough to push her, currently at Rank sixty-six, to the threshold of Rank sixty-nine in one go.
As for that infinitely potential Deep Sea Demon Whale spirit soul that cost him a huge sum of five hundred thousand yin yang points, Yu Qing didn't plan to give it to her for the time being. For no other reason than Purple Pearl's current strength and Physique were still far from being able to gain the recognition of that proud spirit soul. She would need to reach at least Rank eighty and have her Physique further tempered before she could attempt the contract.
Upon receiving the Spirit Pill, Purple Pearl was naturally ecstatic. She immediately began "repaying the favor," though it was also mixed with her strong desire to "have a child."
"Husband..." After the clouds dispersed and the rain stopped, the first thing Purple Pearl did was touch her flat belly and look at Yu Qing eagerly, "Did I get pregnant this time?" This had become her standard question after every harmonization.
Yu Qing helplessly yet dotingly scraped her nose, "Not yet~"
Purple Pearl immediately scratched her belly in frustration, "Oh man! You useless belly! Look at the Wu Xiang and Wuyue sisters, then look at you—working so hard at 'harmonization' every day and still not pregnant! It's making me so mad!"
Yu Qing was amused by her cute appearance and comforted her, "Take it slow, you can't rush it. The higher the spirit power Rank, the stronger the level of life, and the probability of conceiving offspring naturally decreases accordingly. This is the Law of heaven and earth."
Purple Pearl was quite open-minded; after being depressed for a while, she cheered up again. She jumped off the bed, took a shower, and then rushed off to seek advice from the "model of success," Shui Wuyue.
Yu Qing looked at her energetic back, shook his head with a smile, tidied up, and left the house, intending to find Dugu Bo for a chat.
Recently, Dugu Bo's behavior had been a bit "abnormal." He would occasionally disappear for a day or two, but every time he returned, his face carried an irrepressible smile, as if an old tree were blooming. He was like a completely different person compared to his previous gloomy, stiff-faced self, which made Yu Qing very curious.
Arriving at the small courtyard where Dugu Bo lived, Yu Qing was surprised to find that the place had almost completely changed.
Originally, this place was filled with strange, colorful, and obviously extremely poisonous herbs and flowers, with almost nowhere to step, and the air was filled with a faint, fishy-sweet scent. Now, many poisonous herbs had been carefully transplanted to corners or specific areas, and a large open space had been cleared in the center of the courtyard, paved with neat bluestone slabs, and even a set of stone tables and stools had been placed there. The entire courtyard looked cleaner, more spacious, and even had a bit of elegance.
Dugu Bo himself was rolling up his sleeves, sweating profusely, and carefully transplanting a strange poisonous flower—purple-black in color with petals like a ghost's face—into a specially made ceramic pot.
"Yo! Old Man Dugu," Yu Qing spoke teasingly, "Is the sun rising from the west? You're actually willing to move your precious darlings? What kind of play is this?"
Dugu Bo didn't even look up, continuing to focus on tinkering with his flowers, only replying irritably, "Go away! What do you know, kid? It's all for my other half! I can't let these treasures accidentally poison the lady who finally agreed to spend the rest of her life with me! If that happened, who would I cry to?" Although his tone was dismissive, the care and joy within it couldn't be hidden.
Hearing this, Yu Qing raised an eyebrow, "Oh? So that means the lady agreed to live in seclusion with you here at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well?" He knew that while this place was good, it was not a habitable place for ordinary people or even average Spirit Masters due to the surrounding poisonous miasma.
Only then did Dugu Bo straighten his back, a hint of pride on his face, "Naturally!"
Yu Qing sized him up. Indeed, after resolving the backlash of the Jade Phosphor Serpent, Dugu Bo was no longer the shriveled, sinister old man he once was. Now, he looked like a handsome, tall middle-aged man in his early forties, combined with the strength of a Titled Douluo and a deep foundation in poisons.
Hmm... he indeed had the capital to attract ladies.
"Madman Ye," Dugu Bo patted the dirt off his hands and asked, "You kid don't visit without a reason. What mischief are you brewing by coming to find me today?"
Yu Qing chuckled and didn't beat around the bush. With a flip of his palm, a Spirit Pill the size of a longan, emitting a faint glow and a restrained medicinal fragrance, appeared at his fingertips.
"This is a new type of Medicinal Pill I've researched, called the 'ring ascension pill'," Yu Qing explained. "As for the effect... as the name suggests, it can slightly increase the age of a spirit ring. However, as for the specific efficacy, I need someone to experience it first-hand. Senior Dugu, are you interested in being the first person to try it?"
Hearing this, Dugu Bo laughed and scolded irritably, "Hmph! I knew it! When you need something, it's Senior Dugu; when you don't, it's Old Poison this, Old Poison that. So you've come to use me as a test subject?"
That said, how could Dugu Bo, as a Titled Douluo, not be tempted by such a Heaven-Defying thing as increasing the age of a spirit ring? While his mouth was dismissive, his movements weren't slow at all; he directly reached out to take the Medicinal Pill, looked at it carefully, and then threw it into his mouth and swallowed it without hesitation.
Once the Medicinal Pill entered his stomach, it quickly turned into a warm current that was gentle yet contained a strange power of Law, merging into his limbs and bones, and finally converging toward the spirit rings within his body.
A moment later, Dugu Bo suddenly opened his eyes! An unbelievable shock and wild joy erupted in his emerald snake eyes.
"This... this Medicinal Pill..." His voice trembled slightly, "Madman Ye! What kind of Heaven-Defying thing is this?! The effect is too strong!"
Yu Qing smiled confidently, "How's the effect? Which spirit ring was upgraded? By how much?"
Dugu Bo said excitedly, "It's the ninth spirit ring. My ninth spirit ring was originally obtained by hunting a Jade Phosphor Serpent of over seventy-nine thousand years, and it was always just one step away from eighty thousand years. With just one Medicinal Pill, it... it actually broke through directly to eighty thousand years!" Although it only increased by less than a thousand years, for high-level spirit rings, every bit of age increase was precious, especially for the crucial ninth spirit ring. This significance was extraordinary!
Yu Qing nodded with satisfaction. The effect was even better than he had expected. It seemed he could stockpile more of these "ring ascension pills" in the future to use as rewards to motivate the members within the Sect who made outstanding contributions; it would definitely be a supreme grace.
In a great mood, Yu Qing started gossiping again, "By the way, Senior Dugu, who exactly is your mysterious 'other half'? Which family's lady has such good taste? Give me a hint?"
Unexpectedly, Dugu Bo kept his mouth tightly shut this time, looking mysterious and refusing to say anything, but the proud smile on his face... grew even brighter. "Go away, you'll find out when the time comes. It's a secret for now!"
This piqued Yu Qing's curiosity even more. He muttered to himself, "This old man didn't use some 'dishonorable' means to 'trick' some direct descendant lady of a major Sect into coming here, did he?"
Soon... Yu Qing knew the answer.
A few days later. When Dugu Bo finally brought his mysterious "other half" back to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and introduced her to everyone, Yu Qing's eyes went wide as he looked at the elegant woman standing beside Dugu Bo.
She was a beautiful woman who looked to be about thirty years old.
She wore an elegant light green dress, her temperament as gentle as water, and her demeanor was dignified and proper. Most strikingly, when she slightly shyly released her Spirit, a dazzling seven-layered glazed pagoda floated in her palm!
Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda!
The number one support system Tool Spirit in the world, the direct Legacy Spirit of one of the Upper Three Sects—the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School!
This woman named Ning Fengya actually hailed from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, and looking at the quality of her Spirit and her age and temperament, she was by no means an ordinary clan member, but most likely a core direct descendant.
Yu Qing looked at Dugu Bo, who was grinning from ear to ear with a face full of pride, and his expression was quite complex, filled with admiration.
Good heavens! Old Man Dugu, you really don't make a sound until you stun everyone! You silently "kidnapped" a direct descendant lady of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School; such vision, such methods—admirable, truly admirable.
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