Chapter 223.1: Intimacy
Dragons were almost extinct today, and few people alive had actually seen a real dragon on the Douluo Continent. However, the legends and chronicles had always been there.
The dragons who descended directly from the Golden Dragon and the Silver Dragon were the rarest amongst the dragons, but they were touted as the most pure-blooded species, and also known as the strongest of the dragons.
Elder Mu’s Radiant Holy Dragon was only a subspecies of the Silver Dragon, a dragon that controlled the power of light.
The Golden Dragon didn’t have the all-inclusive elemental prowess that the Silver Dragon did, but the Golden Dragon possessed a strange power that could break through all things, and this was how its title, Ancestor of Strength, came about.
Wang Dong’s Radiant Butterfly Goddess and Huo Yuhao’s Spirit Eyes were already considered exceptionally rare. However, even Huo Yuhao’s Ice Jade Empress Scorpion was inferior when compared to the Golden Dragon. This was because the Golden Dragon was also an Ultimate martial soul, and its Ultimate factor was Strength. Ultimate Strength was more powerful than a single Ultimate Element in the end.
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er could guess that Wang Qiu’er was probably quite powerful, as she was able to join the inner courtyard as a student from another academy, but they hadn’t expected her to be that powerful. Even though she didn’t have twin martial souls, her martial soul was the strongest among all the martial souls that both Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong had ever seen.
Zhou Yi was full of admiration as she said, “So someone on the Continent actually inherited the Golden Dragon martial soul!” She was a teacher from Shrek Academy, so she had the same intense longing for the Golden Dragon. If she hadn’t been in front of her two students, she would have probably gone to check it out herself.
Huo Yuhao quickly calmed down and said to Wang Dong, “In that case, her martial soul has nothing to do with you. We should just treat her like a normal student.”
Wang Dong’er pouted and said, “But...she looks just like me, what if you recognize the wrong person?”
Huo Yuhao smiled and said consolingly, “It will be fine as long as that doesn’t happen. We have the Haodong power, and we will feel it the moment we touch each other. No matter how powerful Wang Qiu’er is, she doesn’t share martial soul fusion skills with me, and she doesn’t have our Haodong power. Don’t think too much. We have to work a little harder now, we’re not far from the start of the competition.”
Wang Dong’er nodded, she knew that Huo Yuhao was right. Wang Qiu’er looked exactly like her, but even something was miraculous as this didn’t prove anything. However, she still felt as if something was amiss from beginning to end. She could confirm that she wasn’t related to Wang Qiu’er by blood, but ever since she first laid eyes on her, and especially when she saw her eyes, Wang Dong’er still had that familiar feeling.
They chatted idly with Zhou Yi for a while longer before Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er bid their farewells. They had to pick up the pace when it came to their cultivation, and Huo Yuhao also had to swiftly conclude the situation with the Spirits and hand the entire issue over to the Sea God’s Pavilion.
On their way back to the Sea God’s Island, Wang Dong’er lowered her voice and said, “Yuhao... what you said yesterday was right. She does look more like the Goddess of Light in the Raiment of Light than I do. Do you think she’s been sent by the heavens to steal you from me? Did you not say that the Goddess of Light was the image you fell in love at first sight with?”
Huo Yuhao caressed her flowing hair, and he said in amusement, “Stop thinking about it. Have I not said this before? The goddess is right beside me. She will never be you, no matter how identical the two of you look. There’s nothing at all between me and her... but we have been living together ever since we joined the academy. I’ve hugged you to sleep before, so you can’t recant!”
“Psh! Hugged you to sleep, that sounds disgusting! I don’t care, you have to stay away from her next time, alright?” Wang Dong’er spoke with a look of stubbornness and determination.
Huo Yuhao chuckled and said, “Alright, alright! I can promise you that. You’re quite possessive, huh... but that proves you care about me! From today onwards, we should move back in together. Of course, we’ll only be cultivating, and only then can we be together at all times. That should work, eh?”
Wang Dong’er thought about it for a moment before saying, “Alright.”
“Eh? You’re really agreeing to that?” Huo Yuhao stared at her in surprise. “You’re not afraid of the differences between guys and girls anymore?”
A radiant smile flashed across Wang Dong’er’s face. “We’ll only be cultivating together. Furthermore, even if you want to do something mean to me, you might not even be able to take me down. Don’t forget, you’re just a Soul King, while I’m a Soul Emperor.”
“This… are you trying to be a bully?”
“Yes! I want to bully you. I can’t do that?” Wang Dong’er spoke with a sweet smile on her face. They were now by the shore, and she grabbed Huo Yuhao’s hand. The Haodong power began to circulate, and the two of them soared into the sky as they flew towards the Sea God’s Island at the lake’s center.
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There was a pair of pretty eyes staring slackly at their shadows in midair not far from where they left the ground. There was a clear look of confusion in those eyes. “How can this be? Why is there a girl that looks exactly like me? What’s going on?”
The owner of these enchanting eyes was Wang Qiu’er. She had just completed her registration, and she watched Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er hold hands as they flew away. She frowned faintly and walked towards the shore. It was also time for her to enter the Sea God’s Island.
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Huo Yuhao returned directly to his room once they reached the Sea God’s Island, and began to write down the steps to create Spirits, along with the Pact Sealing Spell. This was the most important thing at hand to him.
Wang Dong’er didn’t disturb him, and cultivated by herself to one side.
Huo Yuhao took an entire day to pen down the method of creating Spirits, and added “to be verified” at the end. There hadn’t been enough experiments or trials on Spirits yet, and it couldn’t be pushed out as the norm. There was far too much to do; refining, perfecting, and making the creation process as safe as it could be wasn’t something that could be done in a year or two. No matter how wealthy Shrek Academy was and how many resources they possessed, there was still a lot of work to be done. The hardest component to settle was searching for soul beasts in their declining years for negotiation and discussions.
It was already difficult to find old soul beasts, and it was even harder to find intelligent ones. Shrek Academy would have to find old soul beasts with intelligence, and those with a mentality that leaned towards a fear of death, because only then would they choose the path of a Spirit.
The most troublesome part about creating a Spirit pact was that these soul beasts had to volunteer, and they had to be entirely agreeable. The Spirit pact would transcend soul rings, and the soul beast’s acceptance was probably the most important part of that process.
Huo Yuhao recorded everything down, then sought out Yan Shaozhe and showed it to him before anything else. He described everything in detail, and went over it several times before he rearranged his draft and handed it over to Elder Xuan.
Elder Xuan immediately sealed the final draft into the Library of the Sea God’s Pavilion. According to Elder Xuan, the Library of the Sea God’s Pavilion was well-fortified, and Shrek Academy would probably have ceased to exist if this place was broken into.
It was late into the night by the time everything was settled. Even with Huo Yuhao’s vitality and endurance, he could still feel intense exhaustion and fatigue.
Staying inside the Sea God’s Pavilion was convenient. After he finished the job with Elder Xuan, he returned to his room directly.
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Wang Dong’er was not yet asleep, but neither was she cultivating. Instead, she was quietly waiting for him by the table. There were four exquisite dishes laid out there, along with a bowl of porridge.
“You’re back! Let me heat it up.” Wang Dong’er immediately stood up and started to pour the food into boxes.
Huo Yuhao stepped forward hurriedly and said, “There’s no need, I like to eat cold food. I’m sorry, Dong’er, it’s my fault for being late, you must have been waiting anxiously for a long time. You should go ahead and rest first. If something like this happens again, you don’t have to wait for me.”
Wang Dong’er looked up and stared at Huo Yuhao with a slightly dazed look. She could tell that he was a little exhausted, but his eyes were still filled with warmth, and his gaze was just so serene and tender. She told herself in her heart, This man is mine! Why do I love waiting for him, and why do I enjoy the feeling of waiting for him to return so much?
Huo Yuhao stared into Wang Dong’er’s blue eyes, and pulled her back down onto her seat. “What’s wrong? What are you thinking about? Are you still thinking about that Wang Qiu’er?” He filled a bowl of porridge for Wang Dong’er as he spoke.
Wang Dong’er hurriedly pushed it back to him. “I’ve already eaten. You should eat quickly; fortunately, the porridge is still warm. You should teach me how to cook! That way, I don’t have to find food for you from the canteen, and I can make a meal for you myself.”
Huo Yuhao shook his head without hesitation. “No.”
Wang Dong’er was perplexed as she exclaimed, “Why not? Sentimental attachment?”
Huo Yuhao stared at her white and pale hands and said, “I don’t want you to worry about any day-to-day things at all; I want you to live like a queen. I should be the one cooking for you every day! I will take care of you, I will shower you with love, and I will stay by your side for eternity.”
He said all this while he was still eating. However, the way he said was so natural, as if everything had long been engraved into his bones, and he was simply expressing everything matter-of-factly.
Faint tears began to well up in Wang Dong’er’s charming eyes. “You’re so good to me, Yuhao.”
Huo Yuhao laughed and said, “Why are you crying when I’m being nice to you? Stop crying. It’s useless to just say these things. I will prove my words with actions.” He flexed his lean right arm as he spoke.
Wang Dong’er giggled and said, “Don’t forget, you’re still a Soul King.”
Huo Yuhao said, “This has nothing to do with strength, mentality is the key!”
Wang Dong’er laughed and said, “Let’s not talk about all that. The Sea God’s Fate concluded soon after we left. He Caitou and Xiao Xiao finally got together! They didn’t have it easy, and the truth is that I could tell fifth senior sister was conflicted inside, but she chose him in the end. What’s inside is far more important than appearance! Second senior brother may be a little ugly, and he’s a little too dark-skinned, but he’s truly very good to her.”