Ning Fengzhi and Xue Qinghe spoke amicably together, while Wulin mainly listened while playing with Little Jing.
It was a harmonious atmosphere, but Ning Fengzhi suddenly decided to drop out for a while.
"I still have plenty of paperwork to be done, so I will take my leave first. Qinghe, you stay and chat with Wulin."
Ning Fengzhi said, being the leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, he had a bit of authority to his tone.
Xue Qinghe nodded his head up and down, "Alright, Teacher. I will see you another time."
Ning Fengzhi briskly left the room, leaving Wulin, Little Jing and Xue Qinghe alone in the lounge hall.
Wulin looked at Xue Qinghe, and Xue Qinghe looked back at Wulin.
A small smile crept up Xue Qinghe's face, and he said, "I heard Little Ke came here earlier. I hope she wasn't a bother for you."
Wulin shook his head and waved his hand like a merchant rejects a silly offer.
"It wasn't a problem. Xue Ke is welcome to visit whenever she wishes." His voice was steady and sonorous.
The smile on Xue Qinghe's lips widened from eye to eye, and he greatly nodded his head in gratefulness.
However, his eyes quickly narrowed, and he leaned forward, "Do you know who she came to meet?"
His voice was audibly lower like he was afraid someone other than the three of them would hear him.
His narrow eyes and shifty look made him look like someone secretly trying to learn about someone's love life.
Seeing him like this, one wouldn't connect Xue Qinghe as the regal crown prince, but instead as a curious older brother.
He was an expert at human relations, and he could quickly draw in amicable feelings with his precise actions.
Wulin determined that this was the mission that Emperor Xue Ye gave Xue Qinghe.
He had to find out who Xue Ke was getting close to, and if she had the potential of having a relationship with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
What Xue Qinghe was really asking was whether Xue Ke met with Ning Yuzi or Wulin.
"She came to meet the girls, and they are quite friendly with each other."
Wulin pointed at Little Jing in his lap as she spoke, she already changed her position to straddle his legs and hug his chest.
Her eyes were closed, and he could feel her heart pounding away at a relaxed rate.
She already gave up control of her tails, and they were swaying around randomly.
Her ears would twitch from time to time like she was being jolted from the brink of slumber.
Wulin knew how much of a sleeping monster Little Jing was. If she weren't playing with others, she would be sleeping.
He gave up and soothingly stroked her tails that resembled fluffy white snakes drunk on wine.
Xue Qinghe watched Little Jing with surprise and whispered, "Is she always like this?"
Wulin smiled lightly and nodded his head, "Yeah... If she gets too comfortable, she just falls asleep."
However, it was more than just being a cute gesture. It connotes Little Jing's strong trust for Wulin in protecting her.
She was sure that Wulin would protect her from anything that comes her way, so she could peacefully sleep no matter the situation if Wulin was with her.
The two of them conversed a little more about Xue Ke and various other things.
"Little Brother, how confident are you in winning the championship of the Continental Spirit Master Tournament?" Xue Qinghe asked seriously.
"I heard that Spirit Hall has three people who have already reached the Spirit King realm, just like you."
"Hmm..." Wulin thought for a second, "Who knows, they might have some tricks up their sleeves."
Of course, he was lying to mask his real strength to Qian Renxue.
"Really? I heard you were able to fight the Spirit Fusion from the Shrek Academy Team on your own, aren't you strong enough to win on your own?"
Qian Renxue's suspicions weren't unfounded, as the power of a Spirit Fusion was genuinely incredible.
One must remember that the Spirit Fusion between Chao Tianxiang, the Serpent Grandmother, and Meng Shu, the Dragon Grandfather, could fend off against even Titled Douluo's.
Chao Tianxiang's cultivation is only at the Spirit Saint-level, while Meng Shu is a Spirit Douluo.
In the latter stages of cultivation, every breakthrough is the difference between heaven and earth.
For a Spirit Saint and Spirit Douluo to fight a Titled Douluo evenly, it proves the unmatched power of a Spirit Fusion.
However, Wulin was adamant on denying his capabilities and disagreed, "It is not the same. They had just started training their Spirit Fusion and have no proficiency."
"For what they gained in strength, they lost in control. Mu Bai and Little Qing's strength was useless because they couldn't hit me."
It was the same as suddenly making a bipedal person quadripedal; they wouldn't understand how to move or feel comfortable when running.
Enlightenment flashed across Xue Qinghe's eyes, and he sat up, "I see. I certainly wouldn't be proficient if I were to walk on all fours suddenly."
"Also, the overall power of the Spirit Hall Academy team is stronger than my Seven Treasure Team," Wulin added.
"If the three Spirit Kings have a Spirit Fusion, I may be unable to deal with it."
Although he spoke humbly, inwardly Wulin was sure he could fight against Hu Liena and Xie Yue's Spirit Fusion.
Even if he were unable to face it on his own, ultimately, there was still Feng Feng and Little Yue's Spirit Fusion.
They created their Spirit Fusion much before Mu Bai and Little Qing, and have practised their control of it a lot.
If they fought together, Feng Feng and Little Yue would easily beat Mu Bai and Little Qing's Spirit Fusion.
Xue Qinghe nodded his head in agreement, "It will be a difficult battle. However, as someone from the Heaven Dou Empire, I hope you can win."
He stared at Wulin with intense, piercing eyes, and his voice had a tone of authority, indicating that he wished for Wulin to win the championship.
Wulin could tell that Xue Qinghe was being sincere, which is contradictory to her identity as part of Spirit Hall.
After all, the rewards for the first place are beyond conventional prizes, and it would be a great shame if Spirit Hall gave it away.
However, knowing how much Qian Renxue despises her mother, she probably wants Bibi Dong to suffer some losses.
Wulin smiled and responded, "We will do our best. Believe in me, and we will take the championship."
To Qian Renxue, Wulin's smile of pure confidence and deep, firm voice was akin to a lone soldier facing hundreds of enemies.
However, this lone soldier was unfazed by their numbers; he stood at the chokepoint and would be immovable by the winds and rain.
Despite Qian Renxue thinking that Wulin didn't have a strong chance of winning, mainly because she had never seen him fight before, she felt that she could rely on him.
A strange feeling of warmth unknowingly budded in her chest, and Qian Renxue flashed a bright smile.
Unfortunately, it was the smile of a man, so Wulin did not react to it, or understand the feelings behind it.
After a second, Qian Renxue quickly retracted the smile and said, "It is about time for me to return."
"Oh! I will take you to the gate." Wulin replied, but Qian Renxue tried to stop him.
"It's alright. I know the way back. Plus, you will wake Little Jing if you move around."
"Nonsense, this little thing doesn't wake up for a long time." Wulin pulled Little Jing off and laid her on the sofa, before putting a blanket on top of her.
Wulin escorted Xue Qinghe back to the gate entrance in silence. It wasn't awkward; they just didn't have anything to talk about together.
At the gate entrance, Xue Qinghe turned to Wulin and said, "Little Brother, my birthday will be two days before the Ranking Competition, and I want to invite you and your companions to participate in it."
He looked at Wulin curiously, like he was searching for some clues of his answer through his facial expressions.
Wulin was a little surprised but quickly nodded his head, "Of course I will participate! The girls will be happy to hang out with Xue Ke as well."
Xue Qinghe was happy with Wulin's swift response, "That's great! I have already given a formal invitation to Teacher. I will see you at that time."
Wulin waved while Xue Qinghe boarded his imperial carriage. It had been waiting by the stables until Xue Qinghe was ready to leave.
The horses neighed as the coachman directed them back to the Heaven Dou Empire.
Wulin returned to the main palace and contemplated on the gift to give Qian Renxue.
He felt he was doing pretty well in building an amicable relationship, though it also helped that Qian Renxue was acting nicely.
However, he would have to try harder if he wanted to change Qian Renxue's mind and condemn Spirit Hall's practices.
He didn't know what he could give her since she was a girl that was posing as a male.
At the same time, she probably wasn't the kind of girl that became excited over material gifts like normal girls.
They say the key to a man's heart is through his stomach, but Wulin found the same could be right for women if the taste were good enough.
He couldn't bring food for Qian Renxue to eat, but he could still bring some wine.
Wulin planned on gifting Xue Qinghe some Monkey Wine from his Purifying Bottle Gourd Spirit Ability.
Of course, Xue Qinghe is still an uncertain figure, so Wulin wouldn't give him something that could benefit him.
The Monkey Wine will have no effects other than tasting amazing.
Since he focused on getting his Fifth Spirit Ring to the same age as his other Spirit Rings, the taste of the Monkey Wine has increased exponentially.
Now, Wulin could age his Monkey Wine to 40,000 years old. It was undoubtedly the most aged wine in human history.
Wulin thought about giving Xue Qinghe a couple of bottles of a few thousand years old Monkey Wine.
He also recalled that Xue Qinghe displayed an interest in his metal handiwork, admiring the life-like resemblance his work had to real Spirit Beasts.
Wulin could make a few more life-like Spirit Beasts for her to have in her room, and a necklace to wear at all times.
However, would a necklace be too much? He felt that gifting jewellery might seem too intimate, and others could see Wulin in a strange light.
Wulin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his eyes, "There is plenty of time, and there are more important things first to come."
Wulin's mind became ironclad, and he tossed his worries away, focusing solely on the next event, the tournament.
Today, all the participating children are signing up at the main square, getting their names taken by an elder.
After the closing of the registration, the elder will draw up a random tournament bracket for Wulin to host.
Wulin swiftly returned to the lounge hall to see Little Jing when he found an extra person in the room.
Little Yue and Little Jing were coiled up like twin snakes, sleeping peacefully on the sofa.
==
Name: Chen Yue
Spirit: Ancient Ice Phoenix
Spirit Rank: 44
==
Wulin used his Observation Ability on Little Yue, discovering that she made a breakthrough in this time.
A wide grin spread across Wulin's face. Every time his girls grew stronger, Wulin could feel a little safer in his heart.
Because he understood how overwhelmingly powerful some beings are, he felt that the girls were fragile baby rabbits.
He didn't have the heart to wake the two up and move them, so Wulin gently nudged them forward and lay beside them.
He laid on his side and snuggled up behind Little Yue, pressing his body against her soft and spongy frame while burying his head in her hair.
-
-
-
Hi guys, I have some big news about this novel, and it is not good news. I will be going on Hiatus for what I assume to be quite a long time. I am unable to keep up with the weekly chapters and with university starting, I don't have the time to worry about these mental burdens.
I am not going to stop writing, I just won't be posting it on webnovel for a while and I won't set deadlines for myself. I might even take small breaks in between to begin other novel ideas that I have been ruminating.
Anyway, if you want to continue reading as I slowly update, I have made a new Patre0n that has the per creation payment system.
Per Creation means that you will be charged for every chapter I post, up to a monthly limit set by you. If I don't post for an entire month, you will not be charged at all.
My Patre0n is in my cover page.
www.patre0n.com/WulinPC
change the '0' to 'o'
— Novo capítulo em breve — Escreva uma avaliação