Night deepened.
Outside the window, Nuoding City had already fallen asleep. The occasional chirping of insects made the night feel especially quiet.
On the spacious wooden bed in the apartment, Gu Tian gently held Xiao Wu in his arms. The profound sense of security brought by the Dragon God Bloodline had finally lulled Xiao Wu, who had just undergone a dramatic emotional upheaval, into a deep sleep. Her pair of soft pink ears drooped limply onto the pillow, and a faint tearstain still clung to her long eyelashes, making her look utterly pitiful.
But what made Xiao Wu happy was that she and Gu Tian were now officially together. The past was in the past, and a rabbit had to keep looking forward.
Gu Tian watched her quietly. Only after making sure the little rabbit had fallen into a deep sleep did he slowly close his eyes and sink his consciousness into the Sea of Consciousness.
The Sea of Consciousness remained a vast ocean of nine colors.
In front of the sleek, modern white villa, Ao Linxi was reclining on a beach chair, her fair thighs exposed. She swirled the red liquid in her hand, a teasing smile glinting in her warm eyes.
"Well, well, if it isn't our harem king?" Ao Linxi teased when Gu Tian's figure appeared. "You've already won over that little rabbit? The way she was looking at you at the end, you'd think she wanted to eat you like a carrot."
A carrot? Gu Tian thought of his "little Gu Tian" below. It wasn't all that different from a carrot, was it? If Xiao Wu really wanted to eat it, he'd put it in her mouth tomorrow morning.
Heh heh heh.
Gu Tian awkwardly rubbed his nose and walked over to sit on a nearby stool. "Come on, Lin Xi. Don't make fun of me. Can I claim the reward for the First Trial now?"
At the mention of business, Ao Linxi's smile faded a little. She casually tapped the air and snapped her fingers.
"Of course. But be prepared—the return of the Nine Great Dragon Kings won't be a quiet affair."
The instant Ao Linxi finished speaking, the Sea of Consciousness, which had been as calm as a mirror, suddenly churned violently.
Without warning, the temperature began to rise. The heat didn't come from outside; it was as if it had erupted from the very depths of his soul. In just a few seconds, thick white steam rose from the surface of the sea, and the nine-colored glow all around them was tinged a violent crimson.
The temperature kept climbing, showing no sign of letting up. Gu Tian could even feel the sand beneath his feet growing scorching hot, as if the entire Sea of Consciousness had become a massive furnace.
Rumble!
A section of the nine-colored starry sky suddenly split open. A crimson fireball a hundred meters across streaked through the heavens with enough force to destroy all things, then plunged straight onto the beach beside the villa.
The fireball exploded, and a violent wave of flames swept in every direction.
Amid the crimson blaze, a graceful figure slowly emerged.
Ao Linxi's lips curved into a smile. She stood up and immediately went over to give the newcomer a big hug.
"Welcome back, little Chiyan."
"L-Lord?"
The woman called Chiyan looked surprised. Somewhat dazed, she returned Ao Linxi's embrace. As she felt the long-lost aura of her Progenitor, the wild power of her fire element instantly grew much more docile.
Gu Tian stood some distance away, staring blankly at the woman before him.
She was the Fire Dragon King, Chiyan.
Her long, brilliant red hair flowed down to her waist like blazing fire, its tips faintly sparkling with golden-red embers. A pair of exquisite dark-gold dragon horns rose from her forehead, surrounded by tiny spirals of flame. Her eyes were red, but the pupils at their centers were shaped like white stars.
Her figure was stunningly voluptuous. She wore a dark-red leather crop top patterned with golden dragon motifs, leaving a generous expanse of enticingly fair skin bare. Her long legs were straight and strong, and her perfectly defined abs peeked out from beneath her top. Her whole being radiated a wild, aggressively beautiful allure.
"...That's my plan." Ao Linxi released Chiyan and introduced her. "And this is the Dragon God's chosen successor, Gu Tian."
Chiyan's ruby-red eyes settled on Gu Tian. She raised an eyebrow, strode over to the sofa, and sat down. Then, with astonishing strength, she grabbed Gu Tian, who was still dazed, and pulled him over, seating him right on her lap.
"This kid is the Dragon God's successor? He's quite handsome, but... a little too young."
Chiyan lifted a slender finger and playfully hooked it beneath Gu Tian's chin. The wave of scorching heat and the cool, feminine fragrance washing over him made the boy's face turn bright red in an instant.
"All right, Chiyan, stop teasing him," Ao Linxi said, helplessly rubbing her forehead.
Chiyan laughed a few times and let Gu Tian go. Her expression grew a little more serious. "Since he's your choice, Lord, I'll naturally give him my full support. I've brought you a welcoming gift, but given your current cultivation, the First Soul Ring I give you can only reach about a thousand years for now. As your Soul Power Level rises, I'll increase its age further."
She raised her right hand and clenched it in the air.
A dark-gold Soul Ring radiating terrifying heat took shape in midair. It then slowly shrank and settled around Gu Tian's right wrist.
"Besides that, there's this."
Chiyan lightly tapped the air with her fingertip. A bone-shaped phantom gleaming like red jade appeared, then sank into Gu Tian's right arm.
"This is the Fire Dragon King's right arm bone. It's also a thousand years old, but it'll evolve as your cultivation improves. It gives you more than a simple boost in strength; it also grants you a powerful domain skill."
At Chiyan's guidance, Gu Tian tried to activate this new power within the Sea of Consciousness.
First Soul Skill: Burning Sun of the Thousand Radiance.
Soul Bone Skill: Fire Dragon Mountain-Crushing Force.
Domain Skill: Red Lotus Karma Fire Domain.
As the Soul Ring and Soul Bone were fully absorbed, Gu Tian felt the Soul Power in his body surge through a bottleneck. Driven by that immense divine power, his Soul Power Level rose by three levels, settling firmly at twenty-three.
"Your First Soul Skill, Burning Sun of the Thousand Radiance, and your Soul Bone Skill, Fire Dragon Mountain-Crushing Force, are both single-target attacks that deal massive damage. When you activate the Red Lotus Karma Fire Domain, fire-element damage within its range doubles. But your basic strength is too weak right now, so the boost isn't all that noticeable," Chiyan explained.
"This feeling..." Gu Tian clenched his right fist, intoxicated by the illusion that he could shatter the stars with a single punch.
"Xiao Tian, the Dragon God's Second Trial is similar to the First Trial, except the number of people required has increased. For the Second Trial, you have to fall in love with two women."
Ao Linxi walked over to Chiyan and spoke softly. "Chiyan, from today on, you can also appear outside Gu Tian's body and protect him by his side. But here in the Sea of Consciousness, you can conjure any decorations or delicacies you want."
Chiyan stretched, her magnificent curves on full display before Gu Tian. "That sounds nice. I'd like to see what Douluo Continent has become after all this time."
"By the way, Lin Xi, you said we could conjure anything we wanted. Is that really true?" Gu Tian asked, puzzled. He'd long wondered why all sorts of strange things kept appearing beside Ao Linxi out of nowhere.
"Of course. And you're the true master of this Sea of Consciousness, so your permissions should be even greater."
Anything you wanted could be made to appear? Seriously? Gu Tian wasn't convinced. "Then... like this?"