After leaving side by side, Xiao Chen and Yue Mei arrived at an open space deep within the tribe.
It was quiet all around them.
Xiao Chen looked at Yue Mei and slowly spoke.
"Thanks for what you did just now."
Xiao Chen said.
No matter what, Yue Mei had stood up for him in that situation.
Xiao Chen felt he should at least express his gratitude.
Yue Mei glanced at him. "What are you thanking me for?"
"For standing up for me just now."
Xiao Chen said.
Yue Mei gave a bitter smile.
Although she had stood up for Xiao Chen, she hadn't been able to help much.
She still wasn't a match for Mo Basi.
"Since I've already married you, I won't let anyone speak ill of you from now on."
Meanwhile, the Second Elder and several other elders had gathered together.
They sat around a stone table, all looking rather grim.
"You all saw what just happened, right?"
The Second Elder said gravely, "Xiao Chen defeated Mo Basi with a single palm strike."
"After taking the Blood Burst Pill, Mo Basi's strength had risen to Nine-Star Dou Wang!"
One elder said, his voice full of disbelief.
Another elder said, "Wasn't Xiao Chen a Three-Star Dou Zhe before?"
"How did he suddenly become a Nine-Star Dou Wang?"
"What on earth is going on?"
The Second Elder gritted his teeth.
"I can't make sense of it either."
The men exchanged glances, each seeing shock and confusion in the others' eyes.
"Could the Queen have helped him improve his strength?"
One elder asked tentatively.
"Otherwise, how could a good-for-nothing with the strength of a Three-Star Dou Zhe improve so quickly?"
"Impossible."
The Second Elder shook his head. "The Queen is powerful, but even she couldn't turn a Three-Star Dou Zhe into a Nine-Star Dou Wang overnight."
"Then what happened?"
The Second Elder fell silent for a moment.
"I don't know."
The Second Elder said, "But one thing is certain."
"Xiao Chen probably isn't the good-for-nothing he used to be..."
The Second Elder said gravely, "He's now a Nine-Star Dou Wang."
"Throughout the entire Snake-People Tribe, there's probably no one who can match him except the Queen."
The elders all fell silent.
It was hard for them to accept this news so soon.
"What are we supposed to do from now on?"
One elder asked. "We gave him a hard time plenty of times before."
"What else can we do?"
"He's a Nine-Star Dou Wang. We can't keep offending him, can we?"
After returning to his quarters, Mo Basi went straight to bed.
He was covered in wounds, and his clothes were stained with blood.
Several members of the Snake-People Tribe followed him inside. They were startled when they saw what he looked like.
"Lord Mo Basi, what happened to you?"
One of them asked urgently. "Who hurt you this badly?"
Mo Basi didn't answer.
"Lord Mo Basi, should I go get a healer from our tribe?"
Another member asked.
"No need."
Mo Basi said coldly.
"But your injuries are so severe..."
The member began to say more.
"I said there's no need!"
Mo Basi roared.
The Snake-People were startled and quickly fell silent.
Mo Basi lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling with a terribly dark expression.
He had lost.
He had lost to Xiao Chen.
He had lost to a good-for-nothing he had always looked down on.
"How is this possible..."
Mo Basi murmured, his voice full of unwillingness.
He couldn't understand it.
How had that good-for-nothing Xiao Chen improved his strength so quickly?
"Everyone, get out."
Mo Basi said coldly.
The Snake-People exchanged glances, not daring to say anything more, and hurriedly left.
Mo Basi was alone in the room.
He closed his eyes, replaying the scene from earlier over and over in his mind.
Xiao Chen's palm strike had looked ordinary, yet Mo Basi hadn't been able to stop it at all.
That power had been astonishingly strong.
He simply hadn't been able to withstand it.
"Nine-Star Dou Wang..."
Mo Basi murmured under his breath.
He clenched his fists, then let them fall helplessly.
Mo Basi couldn't understand it.
A good-for-nothing with the strength of a Three-Star Dou Zhe.
How had he managed to reach Nine-Star Dou Wang so quickly?
He turned over, and pain shot through his wounds, making him suck in a sharp breath.
"Xiao Chen..."
Mo Basi gritted his teeth as he spoke the name.
That evening, Xiao Chen and Yue Mei returned to their quarters.
Yue Mei closed the door and turned to look at Xiao Chen.
Her expression was calm.
But as she looked at Xiao Chen, a blush flickered across her cheeks.
It was something no one had ever seen on Yue Mei's face before.
"Xiao Chen."
Yue Mei suddenly spoke.
"Hmm?"
Xiao Chen looked at her.
Yue Mei didn't say anything. She simply reached out and began to undress.
Xiao Chen looked at her without moving.
Yue Mei stepped closer and gazed at him.
"Why don't we..."
Yue Mei said, blushing slightly. Then she slowly leaned down and pressed herself against Xiao Chen.
The next morning, as Xiao Chen opened his eyes, a mechanical voice sounded in his mind.
"Ding! Calculating Multi-Child Multi-Blessing reward."
Xiao Chen immediately focused.
"Host has completed the task of expanding the family."
"Distributing reward..."
"Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have received the Multi-Child Multi-Blessing reward!"
"Host's strength has increased to: Three-Star Dou Huang!"
Xiao Chen abruptly sat up.
Three-Star Dou Huang!
He had jumped straight from Nine-Star Dou Wang to Three-Star Dou Huang!
Xiao Chen clenched his fists, feeling a vast power surge through his body.
It was the power of a Dou Huang.
It was countless times stronger than Nine-Star Dou Wang.
"Three-Star Dou Huang..."
Xiao Chen murmured, unable to keep the corners of his mouth from lifting.
He glanced at Yue Mei beside him. She was still asleep.
Xiao Chen lay back down, closed his eyes, and felt the power within him.
Three-Star Dou Huang.
In the Snake-People Tribe, no one could match him anymore except the Queen.
And this was only the beginning.
Once the Queen returned from the human empire and helped him take a concubine, Xiao Chen's strength could surge once again.
He believed that as long as he had enough time,
he wouldn't fear even a Dou Zong expert, let alone a Dou Huang expert.
Xiao Chen's eyes were full of anticipation.
He sat up, walked to the window, and pushed it open.
The dry morning air streamed inside.
Xiao Chen took a deep breath and clenched his fist.
The power of a Three-Star Dou Huang coursed through his body, filling him with strength.
Xiao Chen said softly, "The system really hasn't let me down."
He turned around and looked at Yue Mei, who was still asleep.
This woman had gone from looking down on him at first to standing up for him now.
She had certainly changed quite a bit.
Xiao Chen walked back to the bed and sat down.
Yue Mei rolled over without waking.
Xiao Chen looked at her without saying anything.
Several lines appeared on the system panel in his mind.
Host: Xiao Chen Strength: Three-Star Dou Huang Wife: Yue Mei (Eight-Star Dou Wang)
Xiao Chen looked at the panel, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
Just then,
Yue Mei, still asleep, noticed the Dou Qi surging within her body and suddenly sensed that something was wrong.
She immediately woke with a start.
Yue Mei realized that her strength had improved too!
Her face filled with shock.
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