Star Dou Great Forest, Mixed Region.
Time passed slowly. Zhang Lexuan was still sitting cross-legged, absorbing the soul ring energy. Although the ten-thousand-year whale glue helped, and her body could barely withstand the immense energy of a hundred-thousand-year soul ring without exploding, the process was still quite difficult. Her brow was furrowed in pain.
Fortunately, Zhang Lexuan eventually succeeded in absorbing it.
Seeing Zhang Lexuan, whose soul power had surged and who had successfully absorbed the hundred-thousand-year soul ring, Ji Lin — who had been guarding her all this time — let out a quiet sigh of relief.
After absorbing the soul ring and officially breaking through to Level 83, becoming a Soul Douluo, Zhang Lexuan opened her eyes and immediately saw the concern in Ji Lin's gaze. Warmth filled her heart, and her eyes toward Ji Lin grew softer.
Sensing Zhang Lexuan's gaze, Ji Lin quickly asked, "Lexuan-jie, how are you feeling?"
"I feel great. Although it was painful, I succeeded in the end. No wonder it's a hundred-thousand-year soul ring—it granted me two soul skills and raised my soul power by two levels."
It was known that the higher the level of a soul master, the harder it was to advance. At the Soul Douluo level, every level usually took years to achieve.
Zhang Lexuan's two-level advancement was entirely due to the immense energy of the hundred-thousand-year soul ring.
She stood up to stretch her body, which had stiffened from sitting for half a day.
Ji Lin walked forward and took a dagger from his soul tool, beginning to dissect the corpse of the Silvermoon Flood Dragon Emperor. The meat of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast was not something to waste.
This was premium food—even the Star Luo Empire's royal family rarely got to taste something like this. He had to bring some back for his Jiujiu-jie to try.
"Lexuan-jie, take some back too. This is hundred-thousand-year dragon meat—not something you come across every day."
While working, Ji Lin called for Zhang Lexuan to help. The Silvermoon Flood Dragon Emperor was enormous—this meat could last him quite a while.
Zhang Lexuan smiled, shook her head, and stepped up to help with her own tools.
Suddenly, Ji Lin pulled out a soul bone emitting a silver glow from the corpse and handed it to Zhang Lexuan.
"I almost forgot—hundred-thousand-year soul beasts always drop a hundred-thousand-year soul bone. Lexuan-jie, take this soul bone. It's best for the same person to absorb both the soul ring and soul bone from the same beast."
Zhang Lexuan shook her head and declined. "If it weren't for you all, I'd have died to the Silvermoon Flood Dragon Emperor. You've already let me absorb its soul ring—I don't even know how to repay you. I really can't take this soul bone. It's better if Chi Yuan-sama or you keep it."
Chi Yuan, who was leaning against a tree with arms crossed, calmly shook her head. "I don't need it. The attributes don't match, and I already have a soul bone."
Ji Lin quickly added, "It doesn't match me either. The best fit is you, Lexuan-jie. Plus, it's a torso bone. I already have a better torso bone waiting for me."
Seeing that neither Ji Lin nor Chi Yuan wanted the soul bone, Zhang Lexuan was surprised but still shook her head.
"I've already received so much. Even if you two don't need it, surely someone around you does. At worst, you can trade it for other rare items. It'll be useful one way or another."
Seeing how stubborn Zhang Lexuan was, Ji Lin's eyes lit up with a new idea.
"How about this, Lexuan-jie—you take this soul bone, along with the earlier ten-thousand-year whale glue and soul ring. Let's count it all as my betrothal gift. When I come of age, will you marry me?"
Ji Lin's words left Zhang Lexuan stunned.
Her delicate face flushed red, and she replied in a flustered voice, "What nonsense are you talking about! Xiao Lin, you're still young. I'm more than ten years older than you—we're not suitable."
But Ji Lin had grown serious. Looking into her eyes, he said clearly and firmly, "Lexuan-jie, I'm serious. I'll take responsibility."
Zhang Lexuan froze. She knew what Ji Lin meant—he would take responsibility for what had happened in the cave. Thinking about that warmed her heart and deeply moved her, though she remained hesitant.
"But you're still too young. There's too big an age gap between us."
Her voice was soft, a little downcast.
Ji Lin smiled nonchalantly.
"Lexuan-jie, we're both destined to become Titled Douluo. We'll live for hundreds of years. A hundred years from now, we'll both be over a hundred—age won't matter then."
Seeing Ji Lin so sincere and serious, Zhang Lexuan took a deep breath and calmed her heart. Then she smiled and said, "Alright, since you put it that way, I'll accept your betrothal gift for now. But if you regret it later, I won't give it back!"
What had happened in the cave had already made her rethink a lot. Though the "hero saves beauty" scenario was cliché, it worked. On top of that, she and Ji Lin had, by fate or accident, become intimately involved, so she accepted his betrothal gift.
Watching Zhang Lexuan accept the soul bone from his hand, Ji Lin nearly jumped in joy. He knew she had accepted him. As soon as he came of age, he could marry a goddess-tier wife.
As for Xu Jiujiu, Ji Lin would find a way to explain things to her later. He was confident.
Don't be fooled by how Douluo Continent was called a romance land in its past life. In truth, it was not monogamous. Duke White Tiger, Dai Hao, had more than one wife. Otherwise, there wouldn't be both Huo Yuhao and Dai Luoli. The Star Luo Emperor Xu Jiawei definitely had more than one wife too.
It made sense. Martial souls in Douluo Continent were passed on by blood. To carry on strong martial souls, one had to spread their lineage. One wife simply wasn't enough.
Xu Jiujiu, being from a royal background, understood that even better than Ji Lin. So no need to worry.
He just had to handle Zhang Lexuan properly—she was far harder to deal with than Xu Jiujiu.
But Ji Lin's ambitions didn't stop there. Marrying a few beautiful wives was nothing. He wanted to become a god—to ascend with his wives, and achieve immortality together.
That's why he had already sent people to monitor the White Tiger Duke's mansion. As soon as Huo Yuhao left that place, Ji Lin would act.
He wanted to see if he could cut in and snatch the Judgment of Shamash, the heavenly power residing in the Ice Silk Worms of Destiny. To become a god, unless the treasure chest system yielded a powerful divine item, the Sky Dream Ice Silk Worms was his best shot.
Whether inheriting a divine position or creating his own, the Sky Dream Ice Silk Worms's million-year soul ring and essence were essential.
The biggest variable was that Ji Lin did not possess a spiritual-type martial soul. Though his spiritual power was immense, far exceeding that of ordinary soul masters and even comparable to spirit specialists, not being a spirit-type meant the Ice Silk Worms might not choose him.
Still, Ji Lin wasn't so vile as to kill Huo Yuhao preemptively just to eliminate the competition. He had no grudge with Huo Yuhao. If he seized Yuhao's future opportunity before he obtained it, that didn't count as stealing—after all, it was still ownerless. Taking it wouldn't make him feel guilty.
So no, he wouldn't kill Huo Yuhao—he'd just act first and see if he could snatch the Sky Dream Iceworm.
If he could, great. If not, he wouldn't force it.
He believed that even without the Ice Silk Worms, with the treasure chest system, he would still become a god.