Seeing his gentle, well-behaved daughter, the Heaven Dou Emperor felt both comforted and guilty.
He gently patted Weina's shoulder and sighed. "You've suffered, Weina."
"If our Heaven Dou had a powerful expert worthy of showing off, why would we need to send you into a political marriage?"
The Heaven Dou Emperor looked despondent as he murmured, "Over the past ten thousand years, Shrek has practically monopolized all the top experts of the three Douluo nations."
"Star Luo never went through a split, and its national strength far surpasses both ours and Douling's."
"Although Douling is in roughly the same situation as our Heaven Dou, they don't have to face the Sun Moon Empire directly."
"In recent years, the Sun Moon Empire has been growing increasingly restless."
"Without top experts to hold the fort, once war breaks out, our Heaven Dou... sigh!"
The Heaven Dou Emperor let out a soft sigh and looked at Weina. "Although the Body Sect has few members, it is immensely powerful and deeply established."
"It's just that this sect acts far too freely and cannot be controlled."
"If you can truly become a couple with Long Aotian, it will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our imperial family."
"As long as we can break the deadlock and establish deep ties with the Body Sect."
"In time, the Heaven Dou Empire may be able to possess a true guardian sect of its own—one that is not controlled by Shrek!"
Watching the longing in her father's eyes, Weina fell silent.
As a member of the imperial family, she had been expected to shoulder greater responsibilities since childhood, and she had matured earlier than most.
Yet every girl had fantasies and hopes for her future and the person she would spend her life with.
Although Long Aotian was not bad, being bound to such a predetermined marriage inevitably made her feel resistant.
That was why Weina returned to the Imperial Palace for a while every so often, to ease the frustration in her heart.
She had been back for over half a month this time. Tomorrow, she would have to return to the Body Sect.
After chatting for a while longer, the Heaven Dou Emperor finally rose to leave.
Watching her father's departing figure, Weina's bright eyes grew slightly unfocused.
"Could it really be... that I can only choose Long Aotian?"
She let out a faint sigh and turned to return to her room.
The next day.
The sun shone brightly, and the sky was clear.
A perfect day for moving house and going out.
By the lake, Ye Linyuan looked at his own little villa and sighed. "That was really fast!"
Beside him, Long Aotian and the other younger disciples laughed and chatted, all extremely pleased with their work.
Long Aotian patted Ye Linyuan on the shoulder and smiled. "The basic structure is done. Once we decorate the inside and get some furniture, you'll have a home of your own."
Ye Linyuan cupped his hands toward them. "Thank you, Senior Dragon. Thank you, everyone."
"Young Sect Master, you're too polite. This is what we should do."
"Ah, we're family. What's there to thank us for?"
"Young Sect Master, just call me by my name. We aren't that far apart in age, and being called senior brother or senior sister feels too distant."
"Hehe, names aren't important. Young Sect Master, can we have hotpot again like we did that day? I caught several Soft Bone Rabbits in the forest. They'll definitely taste amazing in hotpot!"
The moment that suggestion came out, everyone else's eyes lit up. They all looked eagerly at Ye Linyuan.
The sound of people swallowing rose one after another.
Ye Linyuan found it amusing and agreed. "No problem."
"My teacher and I are heading out for a while, so we can have a good meal before we leave."
Long Aotian asked in confusion, "Lin Yuan, you just got here. Why are you leaving again?"
Ye Linyuan smiled. "My cultivation method is somewhat different from yours. I may need a special environment to assist me, so my teacher is taking me out to look for one."
As soon as he said that, everyone immediately looked curious.
Long Aotian's heart stirred, and he became interested.
"By the way, little junior brother, come to think of it, we still haven't seen your martial soul."
"How about we have a match?"
The others immediately joined in. "Young Sect Master, let's have a round!"
"I heard that a super fierce beast like the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger is incredibly powerful. Even Sea God Tang San nearly suffered at its hands ten thousand years ago. I've never actually seen one before."
"Exactly! Young Sect Master is the only person in ten thousand years to possess the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger as a martial soul, and you even have Twin Martial Souls. Let us see it!"
Seeing how enthusiastic they all were, Ye Linyuan found it difficult to refuse.
After thinking for a moment, he smiled and agreed. "All right, then."
The instant Ye Linyuan agreed, Long Aotian's gaze became burning hot.
He was quite proud of his own talent.
Among the youngest generation of Body Sect disciples, he was unquestionably the foremost in combat strength.
Long Aotian held no ill will toward this junior brother who had suddenly appeared, but he could not avoid the competitive spirit of youth.
The thought of sparring with Ye Linyuan had actually been buried in his heart for quite some time.
He really wanted to see what made Ye Linyuan worthy of such high regard from their teacher, to the point that their teacher even believed he had the potential to become a god!
The commotion immediately drew the attention of the other people in the Body Sect.
They were equally curious about Ye Linyuan's martial soul and strength, and they gathered around.
On the roof of a villa some distance away, Du Busi stood with his hands behind his back, watching the scene with interest.
Beside him, Jin Peng asked curiously, "Sect Master, how long do you think Lin Yuan can last against Aotian?"
Du Busi glanced at him. "How long can he last? It's still hard to say whether Aotian can even beat him."
Jin Peng's eyes widened. "What? Sect Master, you're not joking, are you?!"
"Aotian is already a two-ringed Soul Grandmaster. Even if Lin Yuan has Twin Martial Souls, he only has one Soul Ring. How could Lin Yuan possibly beat him?"
Thinking of Ye Linyuan's monstrous first Soul Ring and Soul Skill, Du Busi curled his lips. "Aotian is indeed a once-in-a-thousand-years genius."
"But Lin Yuan..." He gently shook his head, his face full of emotion. "He is a monster rarely seen even once in ten thousand years!"
In the clearing.
Long Aotian stared intently at Ye Linyuan and said in a low voice, "Little junior brother, your Soul Power is currently at level fourteen."
"I'll suppress my own Soul Power to the same level and won't use my second Soul Skill."
Ye Linyuan was slightly stunned and looked at Long Aotian strangely. "Senior Dragon, are you sure?"
Long Aotian nodded proudly. "I, Long Aotian, am not someone who bullies the weak. I will never take advantage of you or suppress you with my cultivation level."
On the rooftop.
Hearing Long Aotian's words, Du Busi shook his head helplessly. "All right, no need to watch. Aotian is doomed to lose."
"That idiot doesn't even know the other party's basic information, yet he dares to be so overconfident. I truly taught him for nothing!"
After cursing him twice in disappointment, he actually turned around and left.
Jin Peng stood there with a stunned expression.
Was it really that exaggerated?
Long Aotian was no weakling!
With his strength that crushed those of his generation, the sect master had actually concluded that against Ye Linyuan at the same level—
he was guaranteed to lose?!
Before you continue