Hearing Gu Xuan's unabashed declaration about "giving every girl he loved a home," Ye Lingling felt a surge of heat rush to her face. She rolled her eyes so hard she nearly saw her own brain, her lips twitching, nearly unable to hold back a curse.
'What the hell do you mean, "giving every girl you love a home"? You just love everyone you see!' Despite her thoughts, she didn't pull her hand away. Beneath his flirtatious, rogue-like exterior, she had begun to see the steel of a man who carried the weight of a Clan's future. He was a guy who talked a big game with his "flower-words," but his actions—gifting her a treasure that could save her bloodline—possessed a gravity that no mere flirt could emulate.
Back at the academy, they returned to their respective mimicry cultivation grounds. Gu Xuan's grounds had long been completed, and he had even added the dragon bone Xue Qinghe gifted him. These grounds acted like small cultivation accelerators; although Gu Xuan had only broken through to Rank 45 less than a month ago, he was already at the mid-stage of that rank. This was due to both his tireless cultivation and the passive benefits brought by his 30,000-year Spatial Demon Dragon fourth soul ring.
Speaking of which, He rarely had the chance to go all-out with his fourth soul skill, Spatial Portal. In the past, he had only been forced to use it while being "educated" by Chen Xin or Gu Rong. The skill was fundamentally the same as his grandfather's signature move, allowing him to fold space and step through rifts. Currently, his range is capped at a diameter of one kilometer.
While that might seem modest compared to Gu Rong's ability to traverse hundreds of miles, it was a terrifying prospect for a Soul Ancestor. In a battle between peers, a one-kilometer instant repositioning tool made Gu Xuan essentially untouchable. He could manifest behind an enemy, strike with the Darkgold Terrorclaw, and vanish before they could even register the pain.
Over the next half month, Gu Xuan practiced at the academy and sparred daily with Yu Tianheng's team. Their bond deepened; the team members might have been rough around the edges, but they were deeply grateful. Without Gu Xuan, breaking through to become a Soul Ancestor this early would have been impossible. They were now genuinely eyeing the championship for the Continental Elite Tournament in two years.
Half a month flew by, and Ye Haitang approached Gu Xuan again. She had officially accepted the proposal to join the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. After seeing the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well with her own eyes, she simply couldn't refuse. She had also met Yang Wudi. The "Madman of Medicine" and the "Queen of Plants" had clashed almost immediately over the optimal way to nurture the Immortal Herbs. While Yang Wudi was a peerless alchemist, his heavy-handed approach to plant-rearing was refined by Ye Haitang's natural affinity for botanical life. She had demonstrated her expertise on the spot, earning the old goat's respect.
Gu Xuan handed her a pre-written letter for Ning Fengzhi. Ye Haitang would live at the Well to manage the herb garden, while the rest of her family would live within the Clan's main estate. This served both to prevent her from embezzling the treasures and to protect her family. Since she had decided to join, she didn't mind—as long as she remained loyal, her family would flourish.
To Gu Xuan's surprise, the Ye Family consisted of over a thousand people, including over six hundred soul masters. Most were at the Soul King or Soul Emperor level—a truly elite family. They even had five Soul Douluos. Zhang Jinyuan and You Mingluo were Rank 86 and 88, respectively. You Mingluo, Ye Lingling's grandfather, even had the potential to become a Titled Douluo since he was only in his fifties.
Interestingly, Ye Lingling's original name was You Lingling, but she took the surname "Ye" upon awakening the Nine-Hearted Begonia—a testament to the Martial Soul's absolute status. Her grandfather's soul was the Battle Dragon Halberd, providing a perfect offense-defense-support trio alongside Zhang Jinyuan's Lion King Armor and Ye Haitang's healing.
With the merger settled, Gu Xuan gave the Eight Petal Immortal Orchid to Ye Lingling. Her soul power, which was already at the peak of Rank 39, instantly hit Rank 40. Gu Xuan then escorted her to the Sunset Forest. Dugu Yan had discovered a 6,000-year Life Flower, a plant-type soul beast perfectly compatible with Lingling's healing attributes.
While capturing the Life Flower, they encountered a 15,000-year-old Earth-Abyss Demon Spider guarding it in a symbiotic relationship. Dugu Bo captured the spider as well; he remembered a girl in the Clan named Li Li whose Man-Faced Demon Spider Martial Soul would be a perfect match for it. It would make an excellent fourth soul ring for her.
After Ye Lingling absorbed the Life Flower's ring, her soul power surged from Rank 40 all the way to Rank 45, putting her on the same level as Gu Xuan. This was the combined result of the Immortal Herb and the high-level soul ring.
Most importantly, Ye Lingling could feel that the curse on her Martial Soul had vanished. She could now have as many children as she wanted without fear, and she no longer had to worry about her grandmother committing suicide to pass on the legacy. She collapsed into Gu Xuan's arms, weeping tears of pure joy.
Gu Xuan realized he needed to finalize his marriage arrangements with her soon. A Nine-Hearted Begonia without a curse was a force to be reckoned with, and it had to stay within his grasp.
'Well,' he thought, his mind already racing toward the political fallout. 'The Nine-Hearted Begonia is officially ours. But once Yan Yan finds out I've "secured" her best friend... I'm going to need a very, very good explanation.'
(End of Chapter)
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