DD Black White [202-204] (Patreon)

Chapter 202: Sneak Attack on Jingliu

After all, it's Elysia—Lu Jingming really couldn't imagine anyone being able to refuse her friendship.

Just like Mobius: outwardly she seems to despise Elysia, but deep down, isn't she just another Elysia simp?

It's like in Liyue—there are only Zhongli simps and twisted Zhongli simps. In the Elysian Realm, there are only Elysia simps and twisted Elysia simps.

He could even picture it: if Elysia came back with him to Haiyuan City, it probably wouldn't take long before she became friends with everyone, no matter how different their personalities were—even people like Jingliu, Herta, and Ji Yingying wouldn't be exceptions.

"By the way, Shui Bing'er, are you all still planning to participate in the Soul Master Tournament?"

Lu Jingming looked at Shui Bing'er curiously.

Based on the feedback he received from the World Tree's stigmata, the Douluo Continent was now livelier than ever, with everyone busy with their own matters.

Under these circumstances, would the Spirit Hall and the two empires really still have the energy to hold the Soul Master Tournament?

Shui Bing'er was slightly stunned, then shook her head helplessly and said with a wry smile, "I'm not too sure either, but judging by the current situation, I'm afraid it's not possible anymore."

After all, that contamination point had already become a serious threat to Heaven Dou City; the Heaven Dou Empire was struggling to cope—who had the time to prepare for a tournament?

If they didn't clear the contamination point soon, Heaven Dou City might cease to exist.

"That makes sense." Lu Jingming nodded thoughtfully.

The tournament was forced to end—the plot had been completely derailed by him.

Without the Soul Master Tournament, Xiao Wu wouldn't have to reveal her identity; Tang San and the others wouldn't be hunted by the Spirit Hall. That classic "Revive, my love!" scene—would it even happen now?

…

…

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

With the full support of Skywater Academy, God Wind Academy, and Blazing Fire Academy—the three major elemental academies—the Jade Chamber was quickly built.

Lu Jingming took out a large number of low-level soul tools and simulated universe login devices from his storage-type soul tool and placed them in the Jade Chamber for sale.

Of course, there were also stigmata and some high-level soul tools among them, but those were the star items, to be released slowly.

In this half month, Elysia had fully adapted to this new world and blended perfectly with the girls at Skywater Academy, becoming great friends with them.

Especially within Shui Bing'er's team, their affection for Elysia had almost reached its peak.

You could say Elysia was thriving at Skywater Academy. Even Huo Wu from Blazing Fire Academy was charmed by her, leaving Feng Xiaotian shedding tears of envy.

As for the Soul Master Tournament, just as everyone expected, it was suspended.

During this half month, the Heaven Dou Empire gathered tens of thousands of troops and invited Thunder Douluo Yu Yuanzhen of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, along with Sword Douluo, Bone Douluo, and Poison Douluo—such a powerful lineup launched another assault on the contamination point.

They thought, with this stronger formation and their well-coordinated soul master legion, they would surely wipe out the contamination point.

But reality gave them a harsh smack in the face.

Thunder Douluo Yu Yuanzhen and Sword Douluo were severely injured, more than half of the army was lost, and the Heaven Dou army fled in panic.

It turned out that in this half month, the contamination point had spawned even stronger monsters of negative energy—Black Zhang Lexuan and Black Keqing, both with Titled Douluo-level power.

Thunder Douluo's martial spirit was suppressed by Black Jinhsi's Jué Dragon and Black Gu Yue's Silver Dragon, plus the Death Dragon Polyxia, so he couldn't even use half his strength before being badly hurt.

Sword Douluo had to take a Martial Spirit Fusion Skill—Holy Spear Reversal—head-on, losing an arm but barely managing to survive.

For this, Ning Fengzhi took Sword Douluo to Lu Jingming and offered some of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's businesses within the Heaven Dou Empire in exchange for Lu Jingming restoring Sword Douluo's arm.

After Lu Jingming accepted the businesses, the Jade Chamber instantly became one of the top chambers of commerce in the Heaven Dou Empire.

With the backing of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, plus the three elemental academies not being easy to mess with, no one dared covet the Jade Chamber.

After this battle, the Heaven Dou Empire was in a state of panic.

Some nobles had already packed up, ready to flee Heaven Dou City at any time. In such tense times, who would care about holding a tournament?

The defeated Heaven Dou Empire did consider asking for help from the Spirit Hall, but the Hall was in deep trouble itself.

Black Fu Hua was putting huge pressure on the Spirit Hall, so much so that Qian Daoliu was considering recalling Qian Renxue to let her take the God Trial ahead of schedule.

As for the Star Luo Empire, things were a bit better—no contamination points of such strength had appeared, but they were still busy fighting against them.

With no other choice, the Heaven Dou Empire could only send troops to clear negative energy monsters at the periphery to slow the spread of the contamination point.

As long as they didn't go deep into the contamination point, they wouldn't trigger attacks from those powerful clones. That was the only bit of good news.

Though this was only treating the symptoms, not the root cause—unless the core was destroyed, the contamination point would keep expanding. But the Heaven Dou Empire had no other choice.

They had already gathered their top forces for one assault; if not for a timely retreat, it would have meant total annihilation.

What's more, the contamination point was constantly growing stronger—no one knew how powerful it would get over time.

So, all the Heaven Dou Empire could do was suppress its spread and prepare to abandon Heaven Dou City if needed.

By this point, Lu Jingming was considering returning to Haiyuan City.

He had only come to this parallel Douluo world to watch the Soul Master Tournament for fun.

But that idea had fallen through.

Even if the tournament continued, Tang San probably wouldn't participate.

After all, his father Tang Hao was at death's door—how could he have the heart to compete? He was now hiding with Tang Hao at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, racking his brain to remove the death energy from Black Castorice.

Without Tang San, the tournament lost all appeal for Lu Jingming—his interest vanished.

So, Lu Jingming said his goodbyes to Shui Bing'er and the others, left Elysia in this world, and went home.

Returning to the alternate space where Cosmic Juggernaut Inverted Horizons was, he patted the Herta doll on the head as he passed, quickly escaping before she could pull out her giant crystal hammer from under her skirt.

"You! You have an annoying aura on you!" As soon as Lu Jingming left the alternate space, Mobius appeared and blocked his path.

She eyed him up and down, frowning.

"You summoned her?" Mobius asked, though from her expression, she clearly already knew.

Lu Jingming's mouth twitched. That was some real simp energy! He had just gotten back, and Mobius had already tracked him down by aura.

"The scary Elysia harem! Oh, I'm the same, so never mind," he muttered to himself.

"You're just in time—here, this is a gift she asked me to give you." Lu Jingming smiled and took a pink dress from his storage tool.

Judging by the size, it would fit Mobius perfectly.

Mobius's mouth twitched too when she saw it, and she gritted her teeth: "Keep it for yourself."

Then she turned and left. But Lu Jingming keenly noticed a fleeting smile on her face.

"Such a tsundere! Snake, being a tsundere isn't trendy anymore!" Lu Jingming shook his head helplessly.

Clearly, Mobius was happy inside, but had to put on a disdainful facade.

She probably already guessed Elysia was in a parallel world, but didn't seem in a hurry to meet her.

To her, just knowing Elysia was in this world was enough.

Returning to St. Freya Academy, Lu Jingming saw Jingliu sitting alone in a pavilion, holding a jug of wine.

He walked up, snatched the jug from her hands without hesitation, and drank straight from it, unconcerned about indirect kisses.

Jingliu's fingers twitched, barely resisting the urge to draw her sword.

She didn't actually care about things like indirect kisses, but this disciple was just too brazen, making no effort to hide his rebellious thoughts.

Compared to him, even Jing Yuan was a model student—although, to be fair, even Jing Yuan once tried to cut her down when she fell into demonhood.

"Teacher, drinking alone is boring. Let me keep you company." Lu Jingming wiped the wine from his mouth.

He wasn't a big drinker, but had to admit Jingliu's taste in wine was excellent.

"By this world's standards, you're still underage!" Jingliu said as she took back the wine jug.

This wine jug was actually a soul tool—it could hold a huge amount of wine and even improve its quality.

A soul tool with such unique effects could only have come from Herta.

Of course, it was only after much begging and pestering from Lu Jingming that Herta made it, as a gift for Jingliu.

The way Lu Jingming and Herta got along was rather unique: sometimes he'd ask her for help, sometimes she'd ask him, and both seemed to compete to see who could get the other to owe a favor.

It had become their little game.

"Teacher, it's really great to have you all with me!" Lu Jingming rarely drank, so his tolerance was low.

He didn't use soul power to clear the effects, letting the tipsy feeling wash over him.

Jingliu's lips curled in a faint smile. She had drunk far more than Lu Jingming but showed no sign of drunkenness at all.

With the body of a Xianzhou Native, this bit of alcohol couldn't get her drunk, even without soul power.

She was nothing like a certain general who couldn't hold her liquor, nor like the newbie Lu Jingming, who rarely drank.

Lu Jingming was a bit drunk, but still lucid—the words he spoke now were heartfelt.

He could only be his true self in front of Jingliu or big-sisterly figures like Changli.

Alone in a foreign land—as a transmigrator, he always felt estranged from this world, lacking a sense of belonging.

If he hadn't been able to summon Jingliu and the others with the Authority of Reality, he couldn't imagine what he'd have become—maybe even someone he wouldn't recognize.

He wasn't exactly a pure good guy now, but at least he had kept his bottom line.

Those summoned with him, like Robin, with their principles and kindness, also kept him in check, preventing him from losing his humanity.

For example, in his experiments in the parallel world—if not for the presence of the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata and Raiden, he wouldn't have bothered giving those who died to contamination a second life.

Outsiders might see it as fake, but for those experiencing it, it was their real life.

Even if they learned it was all false, many would gladly immerse themselves and convince themselves it was real.

With the wine emboldening him, Lu Jingming became bolder.

He moved closer to Jingliu, his gaze falling on the black cloth covering her eyes.

"Teacher, you're free from your cute Mara form now—why are you still wearing the blindfold?"

He asked, perhaps intentionally, or perhaps drunkenly, calling it the cute Mara form instead of demonic form.

Jingliu's mouth twitched. She'd wanted to correct him, but seeing him drunk, couldn't be bothered and just replied calmly, "Habit."

"Can I take it off?" Lu Jingming tentatively asked.

"Go ahead," Jingliu replied indifferently. She had worn the blindfold for so long, she was used to it, and even after the Mara form was gone, she never took it off.

With her permission, Lu Jingming carefully reached out and untied the black blindfold.

Seeing Jingliu's beautiful red eyes, Lu Jingming couldn't help but be mesmerized.

The combination of white hair and red eyes was just as deadly to him as Elysia's charms.

"Teacher, your eyes are so beautiful." While complimenting her eyes, his gaze naturally drifted to her peerless face.

Jingliu looked helpless. She always knew this disciple had feelings for her, and now, emboldened by drink, he made no effort to hide it.

She regretted letting him drink.

Suddenly, taking advantage of Jingliu's momentary distraction, Lu Jingming tried to make a move. He leaned in swiftly, his lips mere inches from hers, his breath hot against her skin.

Jingliu, ever sharp, narrowed her eyes—a surge of formless force erupted like a stormy wave. But not before their lips brushed for the briefest, electrifying moment.

Lu Jingming shot out like a cannonball, the lingering warmth of that almost-kiss still tingling on his mouth as he smashed straight into an artificial hill.

The shock instantly sobered him up.

Lying in the rubble, he stared blankly at the clear blue sky, touching his lips—smiling as he realized that he had just felt something soft, if only for a moment. He was sure he hadn't imagined it.

This sneak attack was a failure in one sense, but he did get a little reward.

As footsteps approached, a figure blocked his view of the sky.

"Xiao Ming, you're getting bolder. Aren't you afraid your teacher will really cut you down one day?" Zhang Lexuan crouched and gently brushed the dust from Lu Jingming's face, smiling.

"Teacher couldn't bear to," Lu Jingming chuckled. He realized Jingliu had already left—clearly not wanting to see her bold disciple for a while.

"You must have been planning this for a while, huh? But you failed in the end," Zhang Lexuan teased, tapping his forehead.

She had seen the whole thing and judged Lu Jingming's sneak attack a failure.

"No worries, there'll be more chances. Besides, I still have you, Sister Lexuan," Lu Jingming said breezily, abruptly pulling Zhang Lexuan into his arms.

Before she could speak, he kissed her. His lips pressed against hers urgently, his tongue seeking entrance. Zhang Lexuan parted her lips, welcoming him in. Their tongues danced and twined together in a passionate, sensual embrace. Lu Jingming explored every corner of her mouth, savoring her sweet taste.

After all, they hadn't seen each other in a while. Zhang Lexuan responded warmly—they'd already gone further than a kiss, so there was no shyness. She matched his fervor, her tongue battling playfully with his as she pressed her body closer.

Their kiss deepened, growing more heated by the second. Soft moans escaped Zhang Lexuan's throat as Lu Jingming's skilled tongue stroked hers. The wet sounds of their mouths moving together filled the air.

A few minutes later, they parted, a strand of silver saliva connecting them. Zhang Lexuan was a little breathless, her hair slightly messy. Her lips were swollen and glistening from their passionate exchange. She gazed up at Lu Jingming with desire burning in her eyes, already craving more of his intoxicating kisses.

Lu Jingming licked his lips, stood up, cupped Zhang Lexuan's face, and, gazing into her dreamy eyes, whispered: "Don't be impatient, Sister Lexuan. In two more years, I'll finally be able to have you."

When he said "have you," he put extra emphasis on the words.

In two years, his body would be fully mature; then he'd have no more worries.

The thought made him a little impatient—after all, Zhang Lexuan wasn't the only delicacy waiting for him.

Zhang Lexuan blushed, leaning into Lu Jingming's arms, also filled with anticipation.

She had waited a long time too.

They cuddled for a while, but, hearing someone approaching—since the earlier commotion had drawn attention—they stood and left, leaving the artificial hill for the academy staff to deal with.

….

Boom!

On St. Freya Academy's training field, Meng Hongchen darted back like lightning, narrowly dodging a mighty blow.

The hard stone ground didn't fare as well—her long legs, clad in golden heels, stomped down, sending out a shockwave that shattered the ground into a spiderweb of cracks and left a huge crater.

Clang!

Her ice-blue twin swords blocked a golden spear, but Meng Hongchen's face grew grimmer.

Her hands trembled, barely able to hold on—she was flung back like a kite with a broken string.

Just as she tried to steady herself, she glimpsed a familiar figure out of the corner of her eye.

She had a flash of inspiration and pretended to be weak, falling from mid-air as if helpless.

If she really crashed, even she'd be bedridden for a while.

But she was sure someone would catch her.

Sure enough, a figure appeared behind her, catching her by the waist.

"Miss Meng, it's not good to joke with your body like this," Lu Jingming said helplessly.

He could tell at a glance that Meng Hongchen could have landed safely—she'd just seen him and decided to play helpless.

"I knew you'd catch me," Meng Hongchen stared at Lu Jingming, happiness and joy written all over her face.

Creak!

Just then, a grating sound of teeth grinding came from nearby.

Lu Jingming and Meng Hongchen turned to see Xiao Hongchen glaring at them, face dark, silent.

"Yo, brother-in-law, you're here too!" Lu Jingming greeted cheerfully.

"Who's your brother-in-law, Lu Jingming, you bastard! I'll never agree to this!" Xiao Hongchen exploded.

He never liked Lu Jingming, but his own sister was head over heels, and even their grandfather supported it. He was helpless.

"Next! Are you up for it?"

On the training field, the golden-haired girl who'd just knocked Meng Hongchen away pointed her golden spear at Lu Jingming, eyes full of open challenge.

"No thanks—if I make you cry, you'll just complain to Gu Yue," Lu Jingming chuckled.

"You...!" The blonde girl blushed in anger, wishing she could stab him with her spear.

"I'll go." At that moment, Ji Juechen strode onto the field, iron sword in hand.

He looked at the blonde girl with burning fighting spirit; his sword aura blazed.

The blonde girl sensed his fierce intent and grew serious.

She'd been at St. Freya Academy for a while and knew Ji Juechen was a formidable opponent.

Watching Ji Juechen and the blonde girl clash, Lu Jingming fell deep into thought, ignoring the still-clinging Meng Hongchen.

The blonde girl was named Wang Qiu'er—a name Lu Jingming had picked.

He'd simply reused her original fate's name for convenience.

That's right—this girl was the Emperor Auspicious Beast.

After Lu Jingming and Gu Yue returned from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Gu Yue went back to the Star Dou Forest.

When she saw the Emperor Auspicious Beast, she immediately noticed something off.

She discovered a wisp of alien divine sense attached to the beast, and it also had a divine weapon—the Golden Dragon Spear.

The spear, like Gu Yue's Silver Dragon Spear, was a companion weapon of the Golden Dragon King, who was sealed in the God Realm—so the spear's origin was obvious.

Plus, the divine sense fragment had fused completely with the beast's soul—Gu Yue instantly knew someone was scheming with the Emperor Auspicious Beast.

Though she had her suspicions, Gu Yue immediately informed Lu Jingming, choosing to trust the man she'd picked.

Lu Jingming didn't let her down—he knew exactly who was plotting against the Emperor Auspicious Beast.

Chapter 203: Herta's First Kiss

When Gu Yue learned from Lu Jingming that it was actually Sea God Tang San behind the plot against the Emperor Auspicious Beast, she wasn't surprised—her intelligence had already led her to suspect as much.

What truly shocked her was just how ruthless Tang San could be.

It turned out that the divine sense fragment fused with the Emperor Auspicious Beast was actually a piece of Tang San's own daughter's soul.

Even a tiger will not eat its cubs, yet Tang San had the heart to split his own daughter's soul just to scheme against the Emperor Auspicious Beast.

Such a mindset made Gu Yue's wariness of Tang San reach its peak.

After all, if someone is capable of doing that to their own daughter, is there anything they wouldn't do? With someone like that targeting the Emperor Auspicious Beast, how could Gu Yue not worry for her safety?

As for the Emperor Auspicious Beast's constant desire to take human form, that was also due to the influence of the Tang Wutong divine sense fragment.

In response, Lu Jingming suggested turning the tables and playing along with Tang San's game to see who would really win in the end.

He wanted Tang San to lose both his daughter and his troops. With Gu Yue's agreement, the Emperor Auspicious Beast successfully took human form.

Perhaps influenced by Tang Wutong's divine sense fragment, the transformed Emperor Auspicious Beast had golden hair and facial features somewhat reminiscent of Tang Wutong.

Di Tian asked Gu Yue to bestow a name, but Gu Yue left it to Lu Jingming, who lazily named her "Wang Qiu'er."

Afterward, Gu Yue brought Wang Qiu'er into St. Freya Academy.

Only by keeping Wang Qiu'er close could she be at ease, given that Tang San had already set his sights on the Emperor Auspicious Beast; no one could predict what underhanded tricks he might use next.

Lu Jingming's thinking was simple: Wang Qiu'er and Wang Dong'er were not truly Tang Wutong. The real Tang Wutong's memories and soul were firmly controlled by Tang San.

As long as Wang Qiu'er didn't actively sacrifice herself or do anything self-destructive, and grew strong enough, even if Tang San unleashed Tang Wutong and tried to replace Wang Qiu'er to steal the Emperor Auspicious Beast's fortune and destiny, it would remain to be seen who would have the upper hand.

Tang Wutong was born in the Divine Realm, daughter of a God King, with a noble bloodline and divine sense from an early age.

But since she hadn't truly become a god yet, if Wang Qiu'er became strong enough, it wasn't impossible for her to reverse the roles.

In fact, the most pitiful was Wang Dong'er.

Though her body belonged to Tang Wutong, all her experiences, lovers, and everything else would ultimately be taken away by Tang Wutong.

The real Wang Dong'er had already disappeared back in the Yin Yang Love Querying Valley; what appeared afterward was merely Tang Wutong.

Strictly speaking, the three of them originated from one soul, but with different experiences, memories, and personalities, could they really be considered the same person? Lu Jingming found this highly debatable.

Wang Dong'er, Wang Qiu'er, and Tang Wutong were closely connected in soul, yet had distinct personalities.

When Wang Dong'er died in the Yin Yang Love Querying Valley, her personality vanished forever; the one who awakened in the body afterward was Tang Wutong.

So, Lu Jingming thought the original's Huo Yuhao must also be a remarkable person—there's no way he wouldn't notice the difference between Wang Dong'er and Tang Wutong.

On reflection, however, it made sense.

Huo Yuhao fell in love at first sight with the Goddess of Light martial soul fusion he performed with Wang Dong'er, and the Goddess of Light was Tang Wutong—so, in a way, he hadn't chosen wrong.

…

Although the simulated universe could provide virtual battles, students sometimes still sparred in reality, just like Wang Qiu'er and Ji Juechen at this moment.

Watching their fierce fight on the training ground, Lu Jingming smiled faintly.

He could tell neither had used their trump cards, but their strengths were about equal.

Wang Qiu'er wielded the Golden Dragon Spear; her simulated martial soul, the Golden Dragon, embodied the ultimate in power—every move was powerful and overwhelming.

Ji Juechen, slightly stronger, had improved greatly by studying swordsmanship with Jingliu; his sword intent was purer and more formidable than ever.

This duel was a collision of strength and skill—Wang Qiu'er excelled in raw power but was a bit lacking in technique, while Ji Juechen was a master of swordsmanship, strong in skill but not in power.

After watching for a while, Lu Jingming realized the two would be hard-pressed to determine a winner anytime soon, so he gently patted Meng Hongchen, who had been clinging to him.

"Meng, I have something to do. I'll play with you next time."

"Oh, okay…" Meng Hongchen reluctantly let go, her eyes lingering on him as he left.

Passing by Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo, who were also watching, Lu Jingming reached out to give each a playful head pat.

Then, noticing Ye Guyi's golden hair, he was about to do the same, but Ye Guyi dodged, glaring at him.

Seeing Ye Guyi, Lu Jingming couldn't help but think of Qian Renxue.

He was curious—were these two related? In this world, Qian Renxue's godhood had shattered ten thousand years ago, and she had remained at level eighty-nine for life.

Although some mischievous ideas crossed his mind, Lu Jingming had no intention of revealing the existence of parallel worlds just yet.

"This experiment was a success—I've definitely felt the feedback. Now I just need to wait for the fruit to ripen, and the god position will naturally condense."

Lu Jingming walked into Herta's laboratory and immediately saw The Herta sitting grandly at the main seat.

She wore her usual witch outfit, her beautiful legs in black stockings elegantly crossed, and a group of busy Herta puppets scurried around her.

"Oh, planning to start phase two already? I told you before, the gods here are all mediocrities. That Sea God guy—there are plenty of ways to deal with him. You're just overly cautious."

Herta lifted the brim of her witch hat and glanced at Lu Jingming.

She had already dissected this world inside and out, the Divine Realm included.

She had even calculated the method to elevate the Divine Realm into a god-star.

Of course, analyzing the whole universe is a bit of an exaggeration—Herta wasn't some giant mechanical head, and without the power of the Path of Erudition, she was no longer the Emanator of Nous. But she was still a bona fide genius.

For a genius, the methods the Divine Realm gods had failed to find after countless ages were quickly discovered.

That's why she so bluntly called the Divine Realm gods mediocre. They wasted time, never innovating—how tedious.

Lu Jingming didn't argue.

He knew he really had been too apprehensive about the Divine Realm and Tang San because of ingrained impressions.

With his current power, he wasn't a match for the Divine Realm in a direct fight.

But sometimes, direct confrontation wasn't necessary. With Herta's endless methods, she could naturally find ways to limit Tang San.

"It's confirmed—the planet's feedback can indeed condense a god position." As Lu Jingming spoke, the Stigmata on the back of his hand lit up with green divine light.

Though the god position was still in its infancy, it proved he was on the right track.

"Now we just need to clear the contamination points, convert enough negative planetary energy into positive, and then the planet will evolve, and I'll be able to condense a God King-level position."

Lu Jingming smiled. The feedback from a single planet was enough for a God King.

He was already planning his second god position, so he intended to take action on the Douluo Continent.

But first, he had to take care of his biggest threat—Tang San.

He wasn't just thinking of himself, but of others too.

Zhang Lexuan, Xu Jiujiu, Meng Hongchen, the people of Haiyuan City—anyone with potential and opportunity, he wanted to help them become gods.

That's the so-called "when one rises, all those around benefit." Anyone who followed him wouldn't be left out.

"So next, I'll leave things to you, Herta."

"No problem. Beg me for it!"

"Please, Lady Herta—the brilliant, peerless beauty!" Lu Jingming praised her with a straight face.

He was already used to this.

But he thought, next time Herta wanted him for experiments, she'd have to give him a little more than just a few words.

His gaze involuntarily fell to Herta's black-stockinged legs. Given her character, their increasingly harmonious relationship, and the unknowns he brought her, maybe he really had a shot at getting close.

For the girls of this world, he kept himself in check; but for his waifu summoned from another world, he felt a little indulgence was fine.

Like with Jingliu—if he didn't pull off a few sneak attacks, she'd always see him as a disciple, not a suitor.

The same went for Herta: if he didn't take the initiative, she'd always see him as a rare experiment, and once she figured him out, she'd lose interest.

Lu Jingming knew he wasn't a super-genius like Ruan Mei or Screwllum who could become Herta's best friend on talent alone, so he had to put in extra effort.

Of course, with the Authority of Reality he possessed, the possibilities he brought were endless—even Herta would never fully figure him out, so he didn't have to worry about her losing interest.

But Lu Jingming's goal was not just to be friends or partners with Herta—he wanted her to be his wife, the kind who could start a family.

Hearing his compliments, Herta was quite pleased. She nodded at once, "I'll block the Divine Realm's observation of this planet and give that Sea God something to deal with."

She knew just blocking observation could push Tang San to desperation—he'd need other distractions.

Last time, using Mobius' hand and following Tang San's divine sense avatar, she'd already left herself a backdoor in the Divine Realm.

If she could mess with the Golden Dragon King, causing trouble for Tang San was easy.

"I have an idea that might add a powerful member to World Serpent."

Lu Jingming, hearing Herta was going to cause trouble for Tang San, and recalling how she'd provoked the Golden Dragon King to attack the Divine Forbidden Grounds, suddenly had a brilliant idea.

He acted immediately, activating his Authority of Reality.

A surge of power filled his palm, and a flame appeared. Within the fire, a red jewel gradually materialized, as if stepping from fantasy into reality.

"No matter how many times I see it, it's amazing—you can turn imagination into reality. This power is similar to Emanator's but fundamentally different."

Herta watched with interest.

To her, Lu Jingming's power was wondrous—no less than that of the Star God, perhaps even greater.

As long as he was strong enough, his Authority of Reality could, in theory, accomplish anything—even omnipotence.

Sometimes, Herta wondered—was she really brought into this world by Lu Jingming, or just a figment of his imagination, or a projection/alternate of the real Herta?

But that was unanswerable for now, and she wasn't one to get hung up on such things.

She knew she truly existed in this world at this moment, and that was enough. She wasn't going to worry about the details.

Herta could tell Lu Jingming coveted her physically, but she wasn't bothered—that was enough.

As the fire faded, Lu Jingming smiled and handed her the red jewel. "Here—the Haste Gem. I have the perfect candidate, and he has a major flaw. I look forward to the birth of the World Serpent's Seventh Throne: the King of Plague."

"Is this kind of playing house really that fun?"

Herta rolled her eyes but still took the gem, her gesture hiding a bit of affection.

"It's fun!" Lu Jingming answered without hesitation.

Since he'd come to this world with a powerful cheat, he was going to enjoy it to the fullest.

The Douluo Continent was currently calm—the Sun-Moon Empire was building power; other empires were catching up. No major events were expected for years.

So Lu Jingming wanted some fun, while also gaining more benefits for himself, his partners, and his people.

"Boring," Herta said.

She'd rather research the simulated universe than play with power games. The unknown was more appealing to her.

"If you have time for that, why not find me more materials? When will you help me build a space station?"

Herta had lost interest in Douluo Star—she wanted to go into space for deeper research.

She had the technology, but lacked the necessary materials and equipment.

"Space station? Why not build a Celestial Ark?" Lu Jingming suddenly suggested.

"I could build one, but do you have enough materials and energy?" Herta scoffed.

She knew the Ark's structure inside out, but each was like a mini-world, with countless inner realms—requiring huge energy to travel the universe.

The Xianzhou Alliance pulled it off because the Stellaron Hunters provided infinite Imaginary Energy. Did Lu Jingming have that?

"Can't the Herrscher Core work?" Lu Jingming asked eagerly, holding up the Haste Gem.

The core could connect to the Imaginary Space and generate endless Honkai energy, which should be enough to power an Ark.

"In theory, yes, but the Herrscher Core's output is too low. Still, I could help you develop a stronger Honkai engine using it. The real issue is materials. You can't even leave this planet, and you're already dreaming of building an Ark!"

Herta poked his forehead.

She knew that using Authority of Reality to create materials was wasteful—his power wasn't infinite.

"Materials… Oh, I almost forgot!" Lu Jingming slapped his forehead.

He used his power again. With a surge, a golden regular hexahedron floated in his hand.

"The First Divine Key—Void Archives. It can replicate any material you fully understand using Honkai energy. With your knowledge, anything you analyze can be reproduced."

Herta's eyes shone with delight.

She took the Void Archives and instantly became its master, as easily as she had with Pursuit's End key before.

"This power's interesting—very suitable for me." Herta was thrilled.

With enough energy, she could create anything she fully understood—even an Ark, in theory.

Making an Ark was still unrealistic for now, but satellites, tech devices, and soul tools would be easy.

Most importantly, she could use it to reproduce rare cosmic materials, giving Lu Jingming a way to gather what he needed.

Building an Ark was a massive project—each was the size of a planet, with countless inner realms.

"You're being very generous today," Herta said, playing with the Void Archives.

Usually she had to plead for a sample, but now he'd just handed this over—using so much Authority of Reality.

"No big deal, I gained a lot this time," Lu Jingming smiled.

After causing chaos in the parallel world and involving the Spirit Hall, two empires, Sea God Island, and the City of Slaughter, he'd reaped great rewards—not just planetary feedback and the start of his god position, but a lot of Authority of Reality. Otherwise, he'd never have given up Void Archives.

He'd wanted to save up enough power to summon his waifu Acheron and chop up the Divine Realm, but that required a massive reserve, and he had too many other needs.

And besides, that would be boring—it was more fun to spar with Tang San.

This time, he was ready to give Tang San a little gift.

"Rare to see you so generous. Want a reward? An Ark is unrealistic, but a space battleship is doable."

Herta tossed the Void Archives and circled him.

"What would I do with a battleship? How about a kiss instead?"

Compared to a battleship, Lu Jingming wanted something special from her—a kiss.

"Wow, you're really shameless!" Herta raised an eyebrow, then kissed his cheek without hesitation.

"I keep my word. All right, you can go." She immediately changed her tone, shooing him away.

"Uh…" Lu Jingming was a bit stunned, touching his cheek where the warmth still lingered.

He said, "No, I meant here, not the cheek!" and pointed to his lips.

Herta looked at him in disdain. "You wish! My first kiss isn't that cheap. Not so easy to get!"

"Fine!" Lu Jingming wanted to argue Void Archives wasn't cheap, but he'd gotten this far—he could wait for the rest.

If he got a kiss today, the first kiss couldn't be far off.

Chapter 204: Battle Royale Tournament

Thinking about his possible future success with Herta, Lu Jingming felt great.

He waved cheerfully and left the lab.

When the door closed and he was gone, Herta slowly raised her hand, touching her lips and muttering, "What a strange feeling…"

She shook her head, trying to dispel the odd sensation, and tossed the gem into the Herta's magic mirror.

…

…

In the Divine Realm's Phoenix Valley, above a magma lake, a tall, handsome red-haired youth sat alone.

A melancholy aura surrounded him as he gazed blankly at the sky, lost in memories.

"He's still the same… Who knows how many years it's been since he left this lake?"

Nearby, a pink-haired girl and a handsome youth watched the brooding Phoenix God, Ma Hongjun. The girl sighed.

"Fatty… sigh," said Food God Oscar.

Compared to Ma Hongjun, Oscar felt lucky.

He, too, was only a second-class god and couldn't bring family to the Divine Realm, but at least Ning Rongrong had ascended with him. He hadn't suffered Ma Hongjun's heartbreak, being separated from his beloved forever.

Ma Hongjun had nearly inherited the first-class Fire God's position, but due to his own laziness, he failed. Instead, he settled for the second-class Phoenix God.

That one step made all the difference.

He couldn't take people with him—not even his beloved Bai Chenxiang, or the man who raised him, Flender.

Oscar and the others couldn't truly understand his pain, but they could imagine it.

Since ascending, Ma Hongjun had hidden in the Phoenix Valley's magma lake, training madly to numb himself and escape his pain.

But sometimes, like now, he'd fall into memories and couldn't escape.

There were plenty of great goddesses in the Divine Realm. With his status and a God King as his brother, he could easily find another companion.

But since ascending, he never left the magma lake and had no social life apart from his old friends.

"Let's go. In this state, he won't talk to us," Oscar sighed.

They'd hoped to invite him out, but it was pointless.

Ning Rongrong looked sad—she, too, had suffered loss, but at least she still had someone; Ma Hongjun had no one.

As Oscar and Ning Rongrong turned to leave, neither noticed a red gem quietly falling into the magma lake.

Nor did Ma Hongjun, lost in his pain.

Thus, he didn't notice the purple Honkai energy gradually merging with the fire spirits in the lake, then entering his body with each breath.

Who knows how long passed before Ma Hongjun came to his senses.

"If only, back then, Third Brother had helped me bring Chenxiang to the Divine Realm—he had the God King's authority to do it!"

He was startled by the thought and shook his head, trying to drive it away.

He knew, rationally, that failing to bring Bai Chenxiang was his own fault, not Tang San's.

Tang San had already broken the rules helping the Shrek Seven Monsters ascend; the God of Destruction resented him for it.

Even his own master, Yu Xiaogang, hadn't made it—how could he expect Tang San to bring Bai Chenxiang?

He understood all this, but that thought was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, sending ripples through his heart.

…

Meanwhile, the Haste Gem had fully dissolved into purple Honkai energy, merging with the lake and being absorbed by Ma Hongjun.

Herta, using her ability to observe parallel worlds, watched the whole process with satisfaction.

Ma Hongjun, as Phoenix God, was fire-attribute—perfectly compatible with the Haste Gem.

And with such a gaping flaw in his heart, it wouldn't be long before a Herrscher persona emerged.

Thus, in the Divine Realm, a powerful Flame Herrscher would soon be born.

Ma Hongjun was a second-class god, but after years of training, he'd reached first-class strength.

Once Herrscher-ized, with molecular control, he could break through to God King power.

Herrscher transformation would bring him a Herrscher weapon, and his power would soar to the top of the Divine Realm.

And this was the gift Lu Jingming had prepared for Tang San.

Naturally, he wasn't helping the enemy—after becoming a Herrscher, Ma Hongjun would no longer be himself.

He would inevitably clash with the Divine Realm, and even if suppressed, Lu Jingming's goal would be achieved.

One day in the Divine Realm equals a year below; subduing a God King-level being is no easy feat.

There were five God Kings in the Divine Realm, but Tang San, the Evil God Ji Dong, and the Kind God Lie Yan were all new; only Destruction God and Life Goddess were truly old and strong.

Because of Ma Hongjun's identity, it would mainly be Tang San and his allies who acted, while Destruction and Life would likely watch.

By the time the Divine Realm suppressed the Flame Herrscher, Lu Jingming's plans on the lower plane would be complete.

With Herta blocking Divine Realm observation, there would be a long gap in their monitoring of the Douluo Continent.

A show in the Divine Realm was brewing, but Lu Jingming wasn't rushing to plant a second World Tree.

First, he wanted to raise the overall strength of both Douluo Continents.

Some contamination points were just too strong, especially the one modeled after his Haiyuan City.

He could handle one or two, or ask Jingliu for help, but the more strong fighters existed, the faster the planet would evolve and the quicker he could condense his god position.

With that in mind, he decided to host a grand tournament centered on the simulated universe.

He already had a clear plan for the event.

Through generous prizes, he could indirectly empower some strong people and have them work for him.

A hundred-thousand-year soul bone or Stigmata, or simply raising the age of a soul ring—these could make someone much stronger.

For example, Sword Douluo with a hundred-thousand-year soul bone or Stigmata would undergo a tremendous power-up and help clear more contamination points.

As he himself grew stronger, the planet would evolve faster—a win-win.

For Haiyuan City now, those resources were renewable, so prizes could be given freely.

And a tournament would help pass the time during this quiet period.

The simulated universe created a hyper-realistic virtual world, attracting not just soul masters, but nobles and merchants.

They could sample virtual delicacies and see fantastical sights.

It also became a stage for showing off—exclusive fashion and titles made gatherings a parade of wealth.

Many entertainment features were added, including virtual games.

Wealthy non-soul-masters loved these games. In real life, they had to bow to higher nobles or soul masters, but in the simulated world, they could use money to buy status and power.

Even strong soul masters who didn't spend money could lose to them in-game.

This gave them a true sense of pride.

As a result, the simulated universe brought huge revenue to Haiyuan City.

Lu Jingming imported all kinds of games from his previous world, and with Douluo's population starved for entertainment, they lined up to pay.

In a way, this was a good deed. With virtual amusements, bored nobles no longer bullied commoners, and the atmosphere improved.

Before, nobles bullied the weak for fun. Now, with better entertainment, they had no reason for such risky behavior.

Shrek's monitoring team found their job much easier.

Previously, they traveled the continent punishing abusive nobles. Now, they could focus on evil soul masters.

As Lu Jingming said, many bad behaviors come from boredom. Give people something to do, and they won't bother with cruelty.

Of course, some psychopaths still existed, but they were in the minority and easier to spot and deal with.

…

At the moment, Shrek's Xiao Xiao and Ma Xiaotao were playing a fighting game called "King of Fighters."

Xiao Xiao played Athena; Ma Xiaotao played Mai Shiranui, with Han Ruoruo, Wu Ming, and others watching.

With her superior skills and reactions, Ma Xiaotao won with a smooth combo and was more excited than after a real duel.

She finally understood why everyone played games after training.

If not for Wu Ming dragging her in, she would have missed out on all this fun.

Xiao Xiao was a bit frustrated. She was a skilled gamer, rarely losing to friends, but here, she lost to everyone—even Han Ruoruo, a first-timer, whose soul master-level reflexes carried her through.

Xiao Xiao missed Wang Dong, who had left Shrek Academy to search for Huo Yuhao.

After Huo Yuhao was expelled and taken by Snow Empress, Wang Dong left in anger.

Jiang Nannan rarely stayed at the academy, preferring the Jade Chamber.

Xu Sanshi had a girlfriend, Bei Bei had left to find Tang Ya, and He Caitou had returned to the Soul Tool Department.

The Shrek Seven Monsters' reserve team was all but disbanded.

The former official members had mostly graduated or left.

Now, only Ma Xiaotao and Xi Xi remained.

Xiao Xiao, as the Sea God Pavilion Master's disciple, still enjoyed special training, but she often missed Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong.

Despite her disappointment with the academy's actions, she didn't leave—without a powerful background, her parents wouldn't allow it.

Besides, Shrek did invest in her growth, hoping the new generation would flourish.

Without Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao, Xiao Xiao joined a new group and got along well with the inner court sisters.

She could still see Wang Dong in the simulated universe, though he was in low spirits after failing to find Huo Yuhao, even with the sect's help.

Xiao Xiao worried but could do nothing as a mere Soul Elder.

At that moment, while watching Ma Xiaotao and Wu Ming play, Xiao Xiao noticed a red dot in her field of vision—a new email.

Curious, she opened it and was shocked—it was an announcement from the simulated universe.

"Sister Xiaotao, look at your email!" Xiao Xiao cried out.

"Battle Royale Tournament? What's this?" Ma Xiaotao, Han Ruoruo, and the others immediately checked.

["Dear users, the simulated universe will host a Battle Royale Tournament on June 10th. Rules, entry requirements, and prizes are as follows—"]

"June 10th, that's next month! What's going on? A hundred-thousand-year soul bone! Has he gone mad?" Ma Xiaotao was stunned by the prizes.

Regardless of the tournament format, just the prizes were enough to shock anyone—first place got a hundred-thousand-year soul bone and Stigmata, runner-up and third place could get ten-thousand-year soul bones, Stigmatas, or high-level soul tools.

Even Shrek Academy would be reluctant to offer such prizes.

But this was just a virtual event prize.

Such rewards would make the soul master world go wild—even Title Douluo would be tempted.

Knowing the simulated universe was run by Haiyuan City and Lu Jingming, Ma Xiaotao was shocked by his generosity.

"Entry requirements: under 20, teams of seven, up to 100 teams. Xiaotao, we must tell the academy to sign up right away."

Han Ruoruo instantly made the call.

Regardless of Lu Jingming's motives, Shrek couldn't miss out—these prizes were just too good.

"With the age and team limits, I bet the top prize is just for show. Who could beat St. Freya Academy's monster team?"

Wu Ming folded her arms, unimpressed.

Since she, Han Ruoruo, and Ma Xiaotao were too old, they couldn't enter.

And she couldn't imagine any under-20 team beating St. Freya's monsters.

So in her view, the amazing prizes were just a gimmick, likely to end up with St. Freya's team anyway.

"Even if we don't win, second and third prizes are great. We can't pass this up," Han Ruoruo said.

Besides, other academies and sects would join. This time, entry wasn't limited to soul master academies.

That meant the competition would be fiercer than ever, since some sects were even stronger than the academies.