After crossing the long flight of white jade steps, Gu Tian followed Gu Yuena through the imposing throne hall and into a heavy crystal door.
The world beyond the door completely overturned Gu Tian's expectations. It was an incredibly cozy and luxurious private bedchamber. The room was decorated in a dreamy silver and purple, and countless tiny Soul Power crystals were set into the ceiling. They slowly drifted through the air, as if someone had plucked the entire summer night sky and spread it across the roof.
At the center of the room stood a huge round bed carved from starlight crystals. Soft fur from an unknown Soul Beast covered it, white as snow.
Gu Yuena turned around and casually waved a hand.
"Whoosh—"
A ripple of silver energy swept through the air. Her formerly taut silver dress loosened slightly, revealing a wide expanse of exquisite skin, dazzling as frost and snow. Her collarbones were delicate and clearly defined. Below them, her curves rose and fell in a way that could make any man hold his breath. The glimpse of what lay beneath, half-hidden in the starlight, carried a temptation potent enough to make any man lose himself.
At the sight, Gu Tian's heart skipped a beat. His throat went dry, and he had no idea where to look.
Gu Yuena paid none of this any mind. Her purple eyes glimmered with an almost obsessive curiosity. In her mind, the words she had seen in the Sea of Consciousness kept replaying: "First Trial of the Dragon God: take a harem and form genuine bonds."
In her view, wasn't "taking" someone just this most primitive of rituals?
"Come here," Gu Yuena commanded softly.
Gu Tian was bewildered. Before he could react, an irresistible force of space pushed him right in front of Gu Yuena.
The next second, a cool, delicate fragrance filled his nose.
Gu Yuena reached out and firmly gripped Gu Tian by the shoulders. Her stunning face, enough to make all creation pale in comparison, rapidly grew larger in his vision. Then, without the slightest warning, her cool, soft lips pressed tightly against his.
Gu Tian's eyes flew wide open.
The kiss was anything but gentle. It was clumsy, even forceful. Gu Yuena kissed him as though she were stiffly carrying out some kind of ritual, or conducting a violent investigation. She pinned Gu Tian against the edge of the bed, and even with his innate twentieth-level Soul Power, he was no more able to move before the Silver Dragon King than a helpless kitten.
After a long while, their lips parted.
A faint glimmer of moisture flashed in the light. Gu Yuena raised a pale finger and gently wiped her swollen lips. Confusion showed in her eyes as she looked down at Gu Tian.
"Is the First Trial... complete?" Her voice remained cool, but carried a note of impatience.
Gu Tian was still dazed. Feeling the lingering warmth on his lips, he frantically called out in his mind.
"No... nothing's happening," he said helplessly to Ao Linxi in the Sea of Consciousness.
Gu Yuena frowned slightly. Thinking she hadn't used enough force or that the kiss hadn't lasted long enough, she leaned forward and kissed him again without giving him a choice. This time, she even brought a faint trace of divine power to bear, trying to force a resonance within Gu Tian.
Yet even as Gu Tian was kissed nearly breathless, the golden divine trial panel remained completely unresponsive.
Just as Gu Yuena was unfastening Gu Tian's collar, lifting her own skirt, and about to go further, Ao Linxi's voice finally sounded through their mental link.
"That's enough, Gu Yuena. Stop."
Ao Linxi's figure flickered into view above Gu Tian's head. Seeing Gu Yuena looking disheveled from her eagerness to get things done, she couldn't help chuckling.
"The First Trial is about love, about forming an indelible bond of blood. You have to truly understand one another. It can't be achieved through simple physical contact like this."
Ao Linxi explained it plainly. A hint of amusement glimmered in her warm eyes. "Gu Yuena, right now, what you feel for him is mostly respect and curiosity. And he's only been stunned by your beauty. Without genuine feelings, you could kiss him ten thousand times and it would still be a waste of effort."
A deep sense of defeat crossed Gu Yuena's beautiful face. She sighed and slumped onto the edge of the bed. "What a hassle. This kind of human emotional trial is even more complicated than fighting the Divine Realm."
She raised her head, a dangerous glint in her eyes.
"My lord, I thought this would be enough to complete the task. If it really is just a matter of completing a task like this, I didn't think it would be such a hassle. You can count me. Zi Ji and Bi Ji outside can count too. If that still isn't enough, I'll go to the Extreme North in a few days and bring back Ice Empress and Snow Empress. If that doesn't work, I can bring you Xiao Bai, the Demon Soul Great White Shark, and the mermaid princess, Li Ya, from the deep sea as well. If I send them all to Gu Tian's bedchamber, surely we can form bonds quickly?"
Gu Tian nearly drooled at her words.
Bring back the Ice and Snow Empresses? Send Bi Ji and Zi Ji in too? And all those top-tier Sea Soul Beasts!
This wasn't a divine trial—it was paradise! His heart screamed: Gu Yuena, please, by all means, do exactly as you suggest!
But Gu Yuena's next sigh doused him in cold water.
"Unfortunately, if the trial requires that elusive thing called love, then this kind of forceful approach probably won't work. It seems the road to reviving the Soul Beast Clan really is longer than I imagined."
For Gu Tian, though, the hard part was getting other people to fall in love with him. He was different. He already loved everyone on Douluo Continent equally—well, everyone except Tang San, of course.
Gu Yuena straightened up, her disheveled air giving way to her usual cold composure. She took Gu Tian's hand, the gesture coming quite naturally. Hoping this would gradually nurture their feelings, she led him out of the bedroom and into the center of the Dragon Palace's great hall.
Two enormous creatures had been waiting there for some time.
They were the Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape. The two overlords of the Star Dou Great Forest were remarkably humble in Gu Yuena's presence.
"Greetings, my lord. Greetings... Lord Dragon God's Emissary." Da Ming's deep voice echoed through the hall.
Gu Yuena sat upon the high jade throne, while Gu Tian stood beside her.
"Tell me," Gu Yuena said. Her voice was utterly different from before, now filled with authority. "What is the state of Soul Masters and Soul Beasts on Douluo Continent?"
Da Ming sighed, lowering his massive bull's head slightly as he began to recount the Soul Beast Clan's brutal ordeals in recent years.
"Human Soul Masters have developed too quickly. The rise of Spirit Hall in particular has led to large-scale organized hunts. In the past few years alone, our Star Dou Great Forest has suffered devastating losses. Da Wu and Ah Yin, two of our kind who had reached a hundred thousand years of cultivation, were both attacked by humans. One sacrificed herself, and the other perished."
At the mention of those names, Da Ming's voice filled with sorrow. "Ah Yin's soul returned to the Blue Silver Grass. As for Da Wu... her only daughter, Xiao Wu, ignored our pleas and resolutely chose to cultivate anew as a human, planning to infiltrate the human world and search for a slim chance at survival."
"Xiao Wu?"
Gu Tian's heart gave a sudden thump at the name. He knew all too well what it meant.
"Where is she now?" Gu Tian asked urgently.
Er Ming scratched his head as he recalled. "A few months ago, she crossed the edge of the forest and said she was going to a small place called Nuoding City. It's remote, so she won't easily attract the attention of Spirit Hall's higher-ups. We wanted to send someone to protect her in secret, but she insisted on relying on herself."
Nuoding City!
Gu Tian clenched his fists. He knew it was where fate converged. That fellow Tang San was probably enrolling around this time, too. If Tang San met Xiao Wu first, Gu Tian's First Divine Trial would become much harder.
"Gu Yuena, I have to leave for Nuoding City at once." Gu Tian turned to look at her.
Gu Yuena fell silent for a moment. She looked at the child before her, who possessed only twentieth-level Soul Power, and a complex emotion showed in her eyes. Though she had accepted Gu Tian's status, he was still far too fragile in her eyes.
"The revival of the Soul Beast Clan can't be rushed." Gu Yuena rose, her voice carrying an overbearing authority that brooked no argument. "With your current strength, going out there would be suicide. Er Ming, take him away and keep him in a room in the side hall. He is not to leave Lake of Life until he has mastered the basic fusion of elements."
"Hey? Wait! Gu Yuena, listen to me!"
Before Gu Tian could resist, Er Ming scooped him up with one enormous furry hand, like a kitten, and carried him toward the bedroom behind the hall.
In the Sea of Consciousness, Ao Linxi watched Gu Tian get shut down and burst into another gleeful laugh.