Lust at First Sight, Mate Selection Criteria, Gains, and Growing Closer

On the way back to the village, Ling Luochen was far too weak, so Qiangu Yunche had no choice but to carry her in a bridal carry.

And for the ever-cool and aloof Ling Luochen, this was the first time she had ever been so close to a man, especially when they had known each other for less than a day.

So even though she deliberately suppressed it, a faint blush still appeared on her snowy, fair cheeks.

Halfway through the flight, perhaps finding the atmosphere too awkward, Ling Luochen actually took the initiative to start a conversation.

"What was that thing you gave me to eat just now?"

Qiangu Yunche lowered his head and smiled mysteriously. "A secret blue pill."

Ling Luochen pursed her lips. "I'm asking seriously."

"...Fine." Qiangu Yunche could tell that Ling Luochen was someone with no sense of humor deep down, so he stopped joking. "It was an essence produced by a Soul Beast whose true form possessed Ultimate Ice. You've already felt its effects."

"A Soul Beast with the Ultimate Ice attribute?" Ling Luochen cried out in surprise, and her eyes instantly brightened considerably.

Ling Luochen had personally experienced just how heaven-defying the effects of that tiny ice bead, no bigger than a cherry, were. Not only had it temporarily raised her ice attribute to a level close to Ultimate Ice, but it had also left behind immense energy within her that still needed to be refined.

If she could fully refine that energy, her Soul Power would rise by at least half a rank, and the temperature of the ice elements she controlled could drop by several more degrees!

More importantly, if she had enough of this stuff, Ling Luochen was one hundred percent confident that she could evolve her Martial Soul into Ultimate Ice.

And that was undoubtedly what she desired most.

Qiangu Yunche looked down at Ling Luochen's bright eyes and could not help smiling. "What, you want more?"

"Mhm..." Unexpectedly, Ling Luochen admitted it outright. She then added, "I know this thing is precious, but since you were willing to take it out and even let me use it, that proves you must be willing to trade. It only depends on how much I can offer."

After a pause, Ling Luochen said faintly, "But our Ling Family probably has nothing worth your attention, so I can only think of one possibility."

"You took a liking to me because of my looks."

Qiangu Yunche: "?"

"Not entirely." After a moment, Qiangu Yunche smacked his lips and corrected her, not forgetting to add, "You're pretty smart, too."

He did not deny that he had such thoughts. Compared with Xu Jiujiu's radiant and noble type, his tastes actually leaned more toward beauties like Ling Luochen—cool, aloof, and abstinent.

The desire for food and sex was human nature. Qiangu Yunche had never avoided such matters, nor did he feel embarrassed by them.

The reason he valued Ling Luochen, aside from that aspect, was also because of the relationship between their two families and Ling Luochen's potential.

If her Martial Soul could evolve into the Ultimate Ice element, she would be a guaranteed seed for becoming a Limit Douluo and could offer him a certain degree of help in the future.

Of course, all that depended on Ling Luochen not having been brainwashed by Shrek Academy yet.

Hearing Qiangu Yunche's words, Ling Luochen said with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, "I'm just too lazy to talk, not stupid. How could I not see through your intentions?"

"Besides, I don't actually dislike you. At the very least, unlike those men who wear their filthy thoughts openly on their faces, you don't make me feel physically disgusted. And honestly, you fit my criteria for choosing a partner quite well."

Qiangu Yunche was intrigued. "Would you mind telling me your criteria?"

Ling Luochen had regained a little strength, and her voice was finally no longer so weak. "It's simple. Handsome and tall, with a good background, emotionally intelligent, doesn't make me feel physically disgusted, more talented than me, and able to beat me."

"That's simple?" Qiangu Yunche said, his eyes widening.

"People are divided into high and low, beasts into ranks and classes. Given my background and talent, isn't that simple?" Ling Luochen asked calmly.

"...Fine, you win." Qiangu Yunche thought about it and found that there really was nothing wrong with it, but his understanding of Ling Luochen had been completely overturned.

By the time the two of them returned to the village, the battle in the sky was already nearing its end.

Ling Jingfeng had guessed correctly. The leader of the Evil Soul Masters stationed here truly was a Title Douluo, and an exceptionally powerful one at that, with Soul Power at rank ninety-four.

Evil Soul Masters differed from ordinary Soul Masters. Their cultivation speed in the early stages was astonishingly fast, and their combat power far surpassed that of ordinary Soul Masters. At the Soul Douluo level, they could already possess strength comparable to that of an ordinary Title Douluo.

But once their cultivation entered the Title Douluo realm, it became extremely difficult for them to improve further.

On the other hand, every additional rank brought a massive increase in strength.

The Martial Soul of the Evil Soul Master Title Douluo stationed here was a blood-red giant scythe that radiated a dense bloody aura. Judging from the quality of his Martial Soul, it was undoubtedly a top-tier weapon Martial Soul. Though he lacked a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring, his Soul Ring configuration consisted of three purple and six black rings.

That configuration was already enough for him to easily suppress an ordinary Super Douluo.

If it had been those trash Title Douluos from the Heavenly Soul Imperial Family fighting alongside Ling Jingfeng instead, they would probably have been beaten to the point of crying for their fathers and mothers by now.

However, this Blood Scythe Douluo was clearly very unlucky.

Unless the Holy Spirit Cult's leader and deputy leader had personally come, any other Evil Soul Masters who encountered this trio would definitely be doomed.

After Yang Shu dealt Blood Scythe Douluo the final blow, the three of them landed together and happened to see Qiangu Yunmei smash the last Evil Soul Master into a pulp with a single strike of her staff.

Seeing this, Ling Jingfeng could not help sighing. "Old Qiangu, your Qiangu Family is going to defy the heavens. Once Yunmei and Yunche cultivate to our level, won't the entire continent belong to your Qiangu Family..."

Qiangu Qing revealed himself and immediately burst into laughter. "Then just marry Luochen to Yunche. Afterward, we'll give half the continent to your Ling Family."

Ling Jingfeng merely smiled at that. "Let's not interfere in the younger generation's affairs. If you truly mean it, then take better care of Luochen for me in the future."

Those words were practically no different from entrusting her to someone after his death.

Qiangu Qing frowned slightly. "Has the infighting in your Ling Family already become this serious?"

Ling Jingfeng let out a deep sigh. "Ever since Zhan Yu died, the family has fallen completely into chaos. I've seen enough close relatives turn against one another over benefits. Otherwise, why do you think I sent Luochen to Shrek Academy?"

Qiangu Qing said nothing more, because from far away, he had already seen his great-grandson flying over from the direction of the back mountain while carrying Ling Luochen in a bridal carry.

Especially since the two were chatting and laughing as they flew, making it difficult to imagine that they had only met yesterday.

Qiangu Qing was a little dazed. Even when he was young, he had not been short on romantic entanglements, but he had never been as fast as Qiangu Yunche...

But after coming back to his senses, Qiangu Qing felt more gratification and pride than anything else.

Good boy. Worthy of being my great-grandson. He truly surpasses his predecessors.

Ling Jingfeng followed Qiangu Qing's gaze, and his expression changed slightly as well.

Just as the two stood there in speechless silence, Qiangu Yunche had already arrived nearby while carrying the faintly blushing Ling Luochen.

Seeing the strange expressions on the faces of the elders, Ling Luochen felt like dying of shame and indignation. But she had expended too much energy earlier, so even after landing, she still had to hold onto Qiangu Yunche to stand steadily.

Qiangu Yunche gave a light cough and explained, "When Sister Luochen and I went after that Evil Soul Master Soul Douluo, she used all the Soul Power in her body to unleash a control-type Soul Skill, which is why she's so weak."

But seeing that none of their expressions changed in the slightest, Qiangu Yunche felt as though his explanation had been completely wasted.

However, Qiangu Qing and the others said nothing further. Instead, they took out Blood Scythe Douluo's belongings: a high-grade storage ring and three Soul Bones.

The three Soul Bones were a right arm bone, a right leg bone, and a torso bone. All were over ten thousand years old, but they had been tainted by blood energy and needed purification before ordinary Soul Masters could absorb them.

"Old man, you take the right arm bone. The other two Soul Bones go to us. How about it?" Qiangu Qing proposed.

Ling Jingfeng shook his head. "You take them all. The Soul Bones are useless even if you give them to me. As for Luochen, after I die, the Soul Bones on my body will all be passed down to her."

As soon as those words left his mouth, Qiangu Yunche could clearly feel Ling Luochen's grip on his arm suddenly tighten considerably.

The topic was too heavy, so it was skipped over again.

After another long silence, Ling Jingfeng sighed softly before speaking again to break the strange atmosphere.

"Let's talk after we return. The people from the Heavenly Soul Imperial Family should be arriving soon. Let them clean this place up."

With that, he was the first to rise into the air, followed closely by Qiangu Qing and the others...

Qiangu Yunche glanced at Ling Luochen, whom no one was still paying any attention to, with a teasing look in his eyes.

Ling Luochen's mouth twitched, and she said in embarrassment and anger,

"What are you waiting for? Are you planning to chat with these corpses?"

"Oh, then I'm leaving." As he spoke, Qiangu Yunche spread his wings and flew into the air.

Ling Luochen froze, and the cool expression on her face had no idea how many times it had shattered today.

A moment later, her slightly gritted voice rang out.

"Don't leave yet. Take... take me with you..."

Qiangu Yunche smiled without speaking, but in the end, he still landed again...