Scheming for Electrolux, a Princess Opens Her Heart

After staying in Star Luo City for about half a month, Xu Jiujiu finally delivered the spiritual secret techniques and Soul Tool Qiangu Yunche needed.

"Yunche, this Rank 8 Soul Tool is called the Ice Hidden Silkworm Crown. It is a Rank 8 spiritual-attribute Soul Tool produced by Mingde Hall. Its materials are exceptionally precious and even include a damaged ten-thousand-year Ice Silkworm skull."

"The Ice Silkworm clan's most famous life-preserving skill is Simulation. Through spiritual fluctuations, it distorts the surrounding space and can imitate Martial Souls, body shape, appearance, even the colors of Soul Rings, and all manner of other things."

Xu Jiujiu's gentle voice echoed through the hall as she pushed over the icy-blue, crown-shaped Soul Tool along with a golden scroll.

"This is the Star Crown Sect's inherited secret technique, the Star Concealment Technique. It uses the power of the stars to conceal one's origin. When used together with the Ice Hidden Silkworm Crown, it is more than enough to evade the senses of ordinary Super Douluo."

"Thank you, Jiujiu." Qiangu Yunche thanked her earnestly. With these two items, he would have another hidden layer of protection while traveling the continent.

"If you really want to thank me, then accompany me around Star Luo City once more before you leave."

Xu Jiujiu said with a smiling gaze.

Putting everything else aside, she truly liked the freedom and ease she felt when she was with Qiangu Yunche outside. Only at such times did she seem able to set aside the duties and burdens of being an imperial princess.

Qiangu Yunche smiled and nodded. Xu Jiujiu had helped him so much; there was no way he would refuse such a small request.

After eating and shopping all afternoon, the two sat that evening in a sky-high restaurant overlooking more than half of Star Luo City. As they listened to the musicians' soothing performance, they enjoyed exquisite dishes prepared by a chef whose skills were no worse than those of the royal chefs.

The candlelight flickered, setting off Xu Jiujiu's snowy skin and flower-like beauty. Her eyes seemed to hold hidden autumn waters, while her radiant face appeared to soften the entire night.

She elegantly lifted her wineglass and took a sip before softly asking,

"Yunche, you said earlier that your family's residence is within the Heaven Star Mountain Range, right?"

Qiangu Yunche nodded.

"At most, within a year, I'll be going to the Southern Dense Forest to hunt Soul Beasts and obtain my fifth Soul Ring. At that time, I'd like to visit your home. Would I be welcome?" Xu Jiujiu asked with a smile in her eyes, her azure gaze vast as the sea.

"Can I say you wouldn't be?"

Qiangu Yunche replied with a soft laugh. At the same time, he knew that after Xu Jiujiu obtained her fifth Soul Ring, it should also be the beginning of the original story—the time when he turned twelve and needed to travel abroad.

Fate could sometimes be so wondrous that one could not help suspecting everything had been arranged by destiny.

Qiangu Yunche's plans for what came next were simple as well.

Before turning twelve, he would find an excuse to lead the family's experts in raiding the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, then look for an opportunity to visit the Star Dou Great Forest and witness the beginning of destiny.

Of course, he was not particularly interested in the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.

First, he did not possess a spiritual-type Martial Soul. Second, he had once sworn that he would obtain his seventh Soul Ring by hunting the eight-hundred-thousand-year Deep Sea Demonic Whale King Demon Empress.

Although that still sounded somewhat like a fantasy, it was not entirely impossible. The risk was simply far too great.

And without the possibility of becoming his seventh ring, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's million-year Soul Ring might not provide Qiangu Yunche with as much enhancement in any other ring position as an ordinary, powerful hundred-thousand-year ferocious beast.

As for a second ice-attribute Martial Soul, Qiangu Yunche remained uninterested.

Compared with a beast Martial Soul like the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, if he could possess a second Martial Soul, Qiangu Yunche would rather it be a body Martial Soul.

The status of beast Martial Souls and tool Martial Souls might constantly change with the times, but the stability and strength of body Martial Souls had always been beyond doubt.

More importantly, as long as it was not some particularly bizarre body part, nearly any other body Martial Soul could highly, or even perfectly, match the Evil-Breaking Dragon Soul Spear's ultimate offensive power.

Furthermore, Qiangu Yunche knew that if he really stole even the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, he could forget about everything else and just wait for the God King to send him Wang Dong's gift package.

Still, although Qiangu Yunche had no interest in the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, he was quite interested in that fragment of Lao Yi's soul.

After all, Lao Yi's sheer power and terrifying nature definitely placed him among the very top ranks in all of Soul Land 2.

Creating divine super-artifacts, crafting a demi-plane with his bare hands, creating Soul Spirits—those earth-shattering feats had all been accomplished by him.

Looking at Huo Yuhao's entire path to godhood in the original work, if the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm existed to secure his lower limit, then Electrolux had been born entirely to raise his upper limit.

Now that Qiangu Yunche had Life Gold with him, the temptation he held for Electrolux's soul fragment, which retained only a trace of intelligence, should be far greater than Huo Yuhao's. As long as the timing was right, he might not be unable to contend for Electrolux.

And as long as he had Electrolux, the Soul Spirit system would serve as a stepping stone when he integrated the faith power of humans and Soul Beasts in the future, making everything much easier.

By the time they finished their meal, the night had deepened completely.

As the imperial capital, the lights in Star Luo City's central district were almost never extinguished. Soft streetlamp halos fell upon the ground, illuminating the figures of the young man and young woman walking ahead.

Qiangu Yunche had his hands in his pockets, his gaze slightly lazy. The dazzling lights and bustling pleasures along the roadside failed to draw even a fraction of his attention.

Xu Jiujiu followed closely behind him, but she was already shorter than Qiangu Yunche, and with her high heels on, she soon fell a short distance behind him.

"Yunche, wait for me. Don't walk so fast."

Qiangu Yunche turned around. Just as he was about to tease Xu Jiujiu, he heard her cry out. Her body immediately became unsteady, and she stumbled straight toward him.

Why was this scene so cliché?

Though he sighed inwardly, Qiangu Yunche honestly stretched out his hands and caught Xu Jiujiu's already fully developed, incomparably alluring body.

One of his arms easily wrapped around her slender willow-like waist. Beneath the streetlamps, Xu Jiujiu's skin was fair and luminous, as though the slightest force would leave red marks behind. Especially the shyness that naturally surfaced on her face after Qiangu Yunche held her waist—it was utterly pitiful and endearing.

"Twisted your ankle?"

Qiangu Yunche glanced at Xu Jiujiu's reddened ankle, somewhat suspicious that she had done it on purpose.

"Mm, it hurts a little." Xu Jiujiu supported herself with one hand on Qiangu Yunche's shoulder. Her eyes were especially bright beneath the night sky, making the faint trace of pain in them nearly impossible to catch.

Qiangu Yunche looked at her without speaking, then merely bent down.

"Get on. I'll carry you for a while."

Xu Jiujiu did not hesitate much before extending her jade-like arms around Qiangu Yunche's neck.

The warm evening breeze brushed past them, and the leaves beside the road rustled. Beneath the mottled shadows of the trees, their hair somehow became entwined, even their breathing gradually falling into the same rhythm.

Xu Jiujiu lay on Qiangu Yunche's back, feeling the strong back before her and his steady heartbeat. Somewhere deep in her heart, a corner seemed to quietly collapse.

"Yunche, do you think I'm very hypocritical? Ever since I met you, nearly everything I've done has been mixed with strong motives and considerations of profit. Even when I'm with you, I seem so cheap and casual."

"Have you? All I saw was a princess whose girlish nature was awakened again because of my appearance. And right now, I'm merely taking my friend with an injured ankle home. Why make things so complicated?" Qiangu Yunche's voice seemed to melt into the wind. Xu Jiujiu could not hear it clearly, but the corners of her lips unconsciously curved upward.

Before long, they arrived at the Starlight Auction House.

Qiangu Yunche set Xu Jiujiu down, smiled and waved, softly said a word of farewell, then turned to leave.

But after taking only a few steps, Xu Jiujiu's voice sounded behind him.

"Yunche, I'll see you in the Southern Territory in a year."

Qiangu Yunche did not turn around. He merely raised a hand and made an OK gesture.

Xu Jiujiu watched Qiangu Yunche's back disappear at the end of the street, an inexplicable sense of emptiness rising in her heart.

But she quickly stopped thinking about it, turned, and headed toward the Star Gathering Platform specially built for her atop the Starlight Auction House.

She felt that it was time to speed up her cultivation.

That was the only way she could make greater contributions to her country, wasn't it?