In Long Yuan's dormitory, the lights were off and everything was quiet. Gu Yuena sat cross-legged on the sofa, eyes closed as she meditated.
She drew in a breath and looked inward. Her Soul Power completed a full cycle before returning to her dantian.
As the Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena's meridians were exceptionally clear. For her, cultivation was simply a process of rebuilding, with no bottlenecks to speak of.
The vital energy of heaven and earth surged toward her like a tide, jostling to be absorbed.
The energies representing the seven elements were especially eager. Gu Yuena gulped them down like a giant whale drawing in water.
For some reason, her cultivation speed was much faster today, particularly her absorption of water-element energy.
She felt as though she were immersed in the sea. Countless streams of water-element energy washed over her body, cleansing away her mental fatigue.
Even with every breath, she could sense the scent of the sea.
Wait—the scent of the sea?
Gu Yuena's eyes snapped open. In the darkness, a pair of bright, watery-blue eyes stared right at her!
"Waaah!"
Gu Yuena jumped in fright and immediately used spatial teleportation to put some distance between them. At the same time, a silver-white spear, somewhat like the Golden Dragon Spear, appeared in her hand.
Seven balls of light, each a different color, appeared around her. Their colored glows intertwined, as though they had dressed her in a skirt of rosy clouds.
"Who are you? How did you get in here?!" Gu Yuena demanded in a low voice. The red ball of light representing the fire element began to blaze fiercely, radiating scorching heat as if it were about to shoot out at any moment.
"P-please forgive me, my lord!"
"What do you mean, 'my lord'? I'm telling you—"
"Click—"
With a soft click, the dormitory lights came on, banishing the darkness and illuminating the girl in the distance, who was cautiously holding her head.
"No need to be so tense." Long Yuan walked in from the side with a smile, giving Gu Yuena a strange look. "Look at how ready you are to fight."
Gu Yuena's gaze shifted between Long Yuan and Lan Fozi. Then she immediately understood what was going on and pounced on Long Yuan. "I knew something felt off! So you've been pulling the strings behind my back!"
As she spoke, Gu Yuena shook Long Yuan roughly by the collar.
Long Yuan could barely take any more shaking, so he quickly subdued Gu Yuena before she could keep causing trouble. "Have you had enough? She's still watching you. Could you act a little more like a lord?"
"What do you mean, 'lord'?" Gu Yuena glanced at the girl in the distance, who carried the scent of the sea. "A Sea Soul Beast?"
Seeing Gu Yuena's confused expression, Long Yuan tapped her forehead and said with exasperation, "What, a Sea Soul Beast doesn't count as a Soul Beast? Isn't it only right for her to call you her lord?"
Seeing that Gu Yuena was about to kick up a fuss again, Long Yuan hurriedly wrapped his arms around her, stopping her from moving. "All right, all right. You're magnanimous, my lord. Please forgive this humble servant just this once."
Gu Yuena nervously squirmed twice.
"Hmph, who wants to be magnanimous..."
When she realized she couldn't break free, she grew even more flustered. Her little face flushed as she lowered her head and whispered, "Th-there's still someone watching..."
"Hahaha!" Seeing how shy Gu Yuena looked, Long Yuan's fingers itched. He unabashedly pulled her into his arms and sat down, then waved to Lan Fozi, who was staring blankly from afar. "Don't just stand there. Come over."
"Ah, oh, okay..."
Lan Fozi's gaze kept darting between Long Yuan and Gu Yuena.
So these were the two lords? Why did they seem different from what she'd expected?
When she reached them, Lan Fozi still bowed respectfully.
"All right, don't be shy. Show some spirit." Long Yuan pulled Gu Yuena's hands away from where she was covering her eyes, then introduced them. "This is Lan Fozi. Her true form is a Deep Sea Demon Whale. The reason this typhoon lingered over Eastsea City was because of her. I've called her back now, so the typhoon's effects should gradually lessen before long."
With nothing left to hide behind, Gu Yuena straightened up and looked at Lan Fozi with a dignified expression.
She nodded lightly and said calmly, "Mm. There's no need for formalities."
Although she had one hand held by Long Yuan and the other, along with her waist, wrapped in his arms, leaving her awkwardly seated in his lap, Lan Fozi still sensed a trace of pressure.
Mm...
It definitely wasn't Long Yuan secretly cooperating with Gu Yuena to release a little Dragon Might...
Gu Yuena noticed something was off too. She fidgeted in his lap, then turned and glared fiercely at Long Yuan.
Honestly, why did he have to add to the act right then?
"Oh, I was just trying to make the Silver Dragon King look a little more imposing," Long Yuan said with an awkward chuckle. He let Gu Yuena go and sat beside her.
"I can't be bothered to argue with you," Gu Yuena muttered under her breath. Then she turned to Lan Fozi. "A Deep Sea Demon Whale? I remember the Deep Sea Demon Whale Clan has always been known for its sinister aura. Why does your energy seem so pure?"
The Deep Sea Demon Whale Clan was known as the Evil Soul Masters among Sea Soul Beasts. They were, so to speak, hated by everyone.
Of course, cultivating as a member of this clan was remarkably easy and fast: they simply Devoured.
By continually Devouring Sea Soul Beasts, they could grow stronger at a tremendous pace, even breaking through the million-year limit! It was a talent countless land-dwelling Soul Beasts could only dream of.
The price, of course, was that members of the Deep Sea Demon Whale Clan usually carried an extremely tainted, sinister aura. In severe cases, it could even affect their minds.
But Gu Yuena couldn't sense even a trace of taint or chaos from the girl before her. Her aura was like a sea without wind—peaceful, yet concealing immense power.
"Ah." Long Yuan sighed and leaned close to Gu Yuena's ear. "She's the last member of the Deep Sea Demon Whale Clan. Her father was the million-year Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, but Tang San killed him. Her mother is now the Demon Empress of the Holy Spirit Cult, a million-year Soul Beast who's done a pretty good job of protecting her daughter."
After hearing Long Yuan's words, Gu Yuena couldn't help looking at Lan Fozi with a little more sympathy.
Lan Fozi hadn't listened closely and didn't know what the two lords had just said. But she didn't mind. Instead, she explained, "I've never Devoured other Sea Soul Beasts, because I've always felt it wouldn't be right. So I've always cultivated by absorbing the natural treasures of the sea. I was still young back then, but a lot of Sea Soul Beasts couldn't beat me. And if they could, my mother would help me."
Of course, she didn't mention that those unlucky Sea Soul Beasts had ultimately ended up in her mother's mouth, while she ate all the natural treasures they had been guarding.
Gu Yuena nodded and led Lan Fozi off to the side.
When it came to Lan Fozi, Gu Yuena's wisdom was still a cut above the rest. She quickly took the lead, charmed the girl completely, and their relationship improved by leaps and bounds.
Long Yuan watched silently from the side. Gu Yuena had finally found someone on whom she could put her wisdom to use, so he decided it would be best not to spoil things for now.