Special Training for Gu Tian

Inside Gu Tian's room, the lights were blazing.

The walls were studded with top-tier night-luminescent pearls from the deep sea, casting a soft, radiant glow. Gu Tian sat on the stone bed, bored out of his mind, his head filled with nothing but the image of Xiao Wu's pair of pink rabbit ears. The more he thought, the more anxious he became, terrified that the hypocrite Tang San would get to her first.

"Thump, thump."

Heavy footsteps approached, making the very earth seem to tremble.

A massive shadow blocked the light at the doorway as Er Ming walked in, carrying a food basket woven from thick vines. With hands the size of millstones, he clumsily produced a platter of spirit beast meat radiating intense vitality, along with a few crystal-clear spirit fruits.

"Lord Dragon God Envoy, the Master ordered me to bring you your meal," Er Ming rumbled, his voice echoing through the cramped room.

Gu Tian looked at the rare ingredients—enough to drive any outsider spirit master mad—but he had no appetite. He darted over to Er Ming in a few strides, grabbed his thick finger, and lowered his voice. "Brother Er Ming, I'm begging you, please put in a good word for me with Gu Yuena. It's really urgent regarding Xiao Wu; I have to leave immediately."

"No, no, don't call me brother, I can't handle that!" A flicker of simple-minded honesty crossed Er Ming's not-so-bright eyes as he crouched down, stirring up a gust of fishy wind.

"But, my lord, you can rest easy." Er Ming leaned in close, his voice dropped to a whisper that still sounded like rolling thunder. "The Master doesn't actually intend to keep you locked up. She's just afraid you'll suffer losses out there, so she wants to train you herself, boost your strength, and then send you into the human world."

Hearing this, the heart that had been hanging in Gu Tian's throat finally settled. Since Gu Yuena had such plans, he only needed to demonstrate a sufficient rate of progress, and leaving the Star Dou Great Forest would be a matter of days.

With his taut nerves relaxed, Gu Tian felt in the mood for conversation. He sat cross-legged back on the stone bed, munching on a spirit fruit while chatting idly with Er Ming.

"Er Ming, you said earlier that Xiao Wu went to seek revenge, but honestly... I'm worried." Gu Tian bit into the fruit, his gaze turning profound. "Especially after hearing you mention Ah Yin and Tang Hao, I can't help but feel there's more to it than meets the eye."

Er Ming's expression dimmed. He stroked his knees with his massive palms and sighed, "Sister Ah Yin was truly a tragedy. To think she chose to sacrifice herself for that Tang Hao. Still, such a spirit of self-sacrifice for love is something even we spirit beasts find moving."

"Self-sacrifice for love?"

Gu Tian let out a cold snort, spat out the fruit pit, and a trace of mockery flashed in his eyes. "Er Ming, you're still too naive. Have you ever thought about why Tang Hao, a Titled Douluo, was driven into a dead end by Martial Soul Hall? Why did his wife have to sacrifice herself exactly when he needed a ninth spirit ring?"

Er Ming froze, his massive head tilting in confusion. "Wasn't it... because their tracks were discovered by Martial Soul Hall?"

"That is exactly the most suspicious part." Gu Tian began to spin his conspiracy theory, his tone dripping with suggestion. "Tang Hao was the most brilliant genius of the Clear Sky Sect. For a powerhouse of his level, is it really that hard to hide someone's aura? Unless he exposed them on purpose. He was gambling—gambling on Ah Yin's love for him, gambling on that hundred-thousand-year spirit ring and that incomparably precious spirit bone. In his eyes, Ah Yin might not have been a wife, but a spirit ring waiting to be harvested."

Upon hearing this, Er Ming's breathing grew noticeably heavy, the sound of his gasps echoing through the hall. He had never considered the matter from this angle before. In his understanding, human love was noble, but Gu Tian's words tore a bloody gash through his pure worldview.

"You mean... Tang Hao did it on purpose?" There was a hint of rage in Er Ming's voice.

"If it wasn't on purpose, why hasn't he returned to his sect all these years, instead hiding in Holy Soul Village with his newborn son, drowning his days in alcohol?" Gu Tian sneered, adding fuel to the fire. "Was it to soothe his guilty conscience, or was he waiting for the long years it would take for Ah Yin to reincarnate so he could harvest her again? Tang San is his son, but he inherited Tang Hao's genes, and now that Xiao Wu is at the same academy as him, she's practically a lamb walking into a tiger's den."

"Damn, why didn't I think of that!" Er Ming slammed his fist into the ground, and the hard bluestone floor instantly cracked with dense fissures. While he didn't believe it entirely, Gu Tian's logic was far too self-consistent, especially when combined with the inherent greed of humanity, forcing him to harbor doubts.

"Alright, Er Ming, don't let Gu Yuena know about this for now; her state is unstable." Gu Tian brushed the crumbs from his hands, his eyes firm. "That's why I must get stronger quickly and go rescue Xiao Wu."

Er Ming stood up and left, lost in thought, clearly heavily swayed by Gu Tian's words.

The next morning.

The surface of the Lake of Life was shrouded in a thin layer of purple mist.

Gu Tian was brought to an open space by the lakeside, where Gu Yuena had been waiting for some time. Today, she had changed into a sleek, white, form-fitting outfit with a long cape draped over her back, perfectly outlining her near-perfect curves. Her long hair was pinned up high with a jade hairpin, giving her a heroic and spirited air, much like a female swordswoman.

"I must improve your combat ability in a short time, lest you be a total weakling once you enter human society." Gu Yuena turned around, her expression serious, though a trace of imperceptible shyness flickered in her purple eyes.

"Ahem, but before training begins, we need to resolve the issue of how you address me."

Gu Tian paused, confused. "Address you? What should I call you? Master? Or Instructor?"

"No." Gu Yuena shook her head. She took a deep breath, as if having made a monumental decision, and her voice, though cold, reached Gu Tian's ears with perfect clarity.

"From today on, when it is just the two of us, you are to call me 'Wife'."

Gu Tian froze on the spot, his jaw nearly hitting the ground. Was this transition too fast? Yesterday it was imprisonment, today it was roleplay?

"Isn't... isn't that a bit inappropriate?" Gu Tian scratched his head awkwardly, while in his mind, Ao Linxi was already laughing until she couldn't breathe.

"It is very appropriate." Gu Yuena explained with a straight face. "The Master once said that the content of the God Test is to fall in love. Subconscious cognition can alter a person's emotional tendencies. When you repeat this title every day, your subconscious will gradually believe that I am your partner, thereby accelerating the achievement of that bond of true heart."

She looked at Gu Tian, her tone serious and earnest. "Say it, let me hear it."

Gu Tian swallowed hard. Looking at the peerless beauty before him—a woman capable of causing the Divine Realm to collapse—his adult soul found the method shameful, but his mouth was honest.

"W... Wife?"

Gu Tian's voice trembled, his heart pounding like a drum.

The tips of Gu Yuena's ears turned visibly red, but she quickly resumed her cold, instructor-like demeanor and gave a slight nod.

"Very good. Cognitive training complete. Now, we begin formal cultivation. Although your spirit power has reached level twenty, your control over attributes remains at the most primitive stage. Next, I will teach you how to mobilize the Dragon God origin to sense the nine great elements in nature."

Gu Yuena took Gu Tian's hand and guided him to sit cross-legged. The cold, delicate sensation sent shivers through him, and the shameful title echoed repeatedly in his mind.

Seeing Gu Tian distracted, Gu Yuena gave his head an angry tap. "What are you thinking about! Focus."

"Oh, oh! Right." Gu Tian put his hands behind his back and turned his head away. "I'm going to start focusing now."

"I really can't do anything with you." Gu Yuena closed her eyes and kissed Gu Tian. "Now, can we begin?"