Gu Yuena's Hopes, a Wife?!

Hu Liena looked at Bibi Dong, her heart stirring.

Her teacher was already a Level 98 Super Douluo, with Twin Martial Souls and a portion of Rakshasa Divine Power.

Yet even with such strength, she had only ranked last.

What level were the seven ahead of her?

Just then, a deep-blue pillar of light descended from the Golden Rankings.

It passed through endless space and plunged into the deep sea.

Bibi Dong watched the light.

"The reward has been delivered."

Hu Liena asked softly, "Teacher, will the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King really become a Third-Level God?"

"If the Golden Rankings say so, they won't be wrong."

Bibi Dong raised her scepter.

"Yue Guan recorded where the reward's pillar of light landed earlier."

"The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King should be somewhere in the depths of the Boundless Sea."

She paused.

"Pass down my orders. Have the Coastal Branch Hall continue gathering intelligence on the sea."

"If they find any trace of the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, they must report it immediately."

Hu Liena nodded.

Bibi Dong looked up at the sky again.

She knew full well that a nine-hundred-and-ninety-thousand-year Soul Beast with divine-level cultivation was no longer prey an ordinary Titled Douluo could covet.

But the temptation of a nine-hundred-and-ninety-thousand-year Soul Ring and Soul Bone still kept her from letting go completely.

Spirit City.

The Worship Hall.

Qian Daoliu stood at the center of the hall, his golden robe falling to his feet.

He gazed at the words on the Golden Rankings and remained silent for a long time.

Golden Crocodile Douluo and the other enshrined stood on either side, their expressions equally grave.

"A nine-hundred-and-ninety-thousand-year Soul Beast."

Golden Crocodile Douluo spoke slowly. "Cultivation like that goes beyond everything we know about Soul Beasts."

Qian Daoliu raised his eyes.

"The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's power is already close to that of a true god."

"Once he claims his reward, he'll possess the cultivation of a Third-Level God."

Light Feather Douluo stood nearby, looking uncharacteristically serious.

"Great Enshrined, between you and the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, who is stronger?"

The hall fell silent.

Every gaze settled on Qian Daoliu.

Qian Daoliu pondered for a moment.

"In the ocean, I might not be able to defeat him."

"Even outside the ocean, his cultivation has nearly reached a million years."

"The gap between us wouldn't be very large."

Golden Crocodile Douluo's expression changed.

"Great Enshrined, you're Spirit Hall's strongest expert."

Light Feather Douluo immediately added, "Exactly."

"You have the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, and you can even draw on Angel Divine Power."

"Other than Bo Saixi, who could rank above you?"

Qian Daoliu shook his head.

"Tang Chen ranked eleventh."

"The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King ranked eighth."

"And Bo Saixi and I aren't much stronger or weaker than the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King."

At those words, everyone in the hall looked shaken.

"So I may not even make the top five."

Golden Crocodile Douluo opened his mouth but did not immediately argue.

Qian Daoliu was the Great Enshrined of Spirit Hall, the unshakable strongest in their eyes.

But the Golden Rankings had revealed, entry after entry, that many unknown beings still hid across the continent.

Qian Daoliu looked toward the sky.

"All we can do now is keep watching."

"Until the rankings are revealed, no one knows how many people are still ahead."

The Star Dou Great Forest.

The Lake of Life.

Gu Yuena stood beside the lake, silver hair spilling over her shoulders.

She looked at the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's entry on the Golden Rankings, surprise flickering in her violet eyes.

"Nine hundred and ninety thousand years of cultivation."

"And after claiming the reward, he'll break straight through to Third-Level God."

Di Tian, Bi Ji, Xiong Jun, and the Myriad Demon King all raised their heads toward the sky.

Gu Yuena lifted a slender hand, and ripples spread across the lake.

"These Heaven Rankings can actually give a Soul Beast the cultivation of a god."

Her voice held more gravity than usual.

Soul Beasts could not normally become gods.

The rules laid down by the Asura God had barred the Soul Beast Clan's path.

Even if Soul Beasts cultivated for a million years, they could only continue amassing power. They could never truly enter the Divine Realm.

Yet the Golden Rankings before her had bypassed that rule entirely.

"They didn't grant the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King a divine position, yet they gave him the cultivation of a Third-Level God."

Gu Yuena looked up at the rankings.

"This is beyond what an ordinary god could accomplish."

Di Tian's eyes shone with excitement.

"My lord, the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's cultivation may be astonishing, but he is no match for you."

"If he can receive a reward like that, you're certain to rank higher."

Xiong Jun immediately said, "My lord's power far surpasses that sea beast's."

"When my lord appears on the rankings, the reward will surely be even more precious."

Gu Yuena ignored Xiong Jun's agreement.

Studying the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's reward, she gradually reached a conclusion.

"The Snow Empress received a Tribulation-Transcending Pill and the Snow Empress Sword."

"The Evil-Eyed Tyrant received a Tribulation-Transcending Pill and Thousand-Eyed Golden Light."

"And the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King received the cultivation of a Third-Level God and a Water-Attribute Divine Artifact."

Bi Ji said softly, "My lord, I've noticed a pattern."

Gu Yuena turned toward her.

Bi Ji studied the Heaven Rankings and analyzed them carefully.

"The rewards from the Heaven Rankings all suit those who receive them."

"The Snow Empress is about to face Tribulation Lightning, so she received a Tribulation-Transcending Pill."

"She excels in the Ice and Snow Sword Dao, so she received the Snow Empress Sword."

"The Evil-Eyed Tyrant needs to survive Tribulation Lightning and excels in Spiritual Power, so he received a Tribulation-Transcending Pill and Thousand-Eyed Golden Light."

"The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King wants to break through to a million years of cultivation, so the Golden Rankings gave him divine-level cultivation outright."

Bi Ji paused.

"He lives in the deep sea and wields water-attribute power, so he also received a Water-Attribute Divine Artifact."

Gu Yuena nodded lightly.

"The rewards don't just match their recipients' abilities. They also lean toward what those recipients want most."

She pressed a hand to her chest.

Her injuries had persisted for countless years.

If the Golden Rankings bestowed rewards according to each recipient's needs, what she needed most was to heal.

Di Tian looked at Gu Yuena.

"My lord, you'll surely receive a reward that can heal your injuries."

Gu Yuena gazed up at the Golden Rankings in the sky, the lake breeze gently stirring her silver hair.

After a moment's thought, she felt Bi Ji did have a point.

Every reward the Golden Rankings had given matched what its recipient needed most.

Gu Yuena lowered her gaze to the lake.

The clear water reflected her delicate features.

"You mean what I want most could become my reward from the Golden Rankings?"

Bi Ji stood behind her, emerald hair falling past her waist.

She nodded gently.

"Haven't you always wanted to heal your injuries, my lord?"

"Once you recover, you can gather the Dragon God's Power again and lead the Soul Beast Clan back to its former glory."

Bi Ji looked toward the sky.

"If the Golden Rankings can see my lord's wishes, your reward may be one of those things."

"Healing your injuries, bringing the Dragon God back to life, or freeing the Soul Beast Clan from the Divine Realm's oppression."

"Whichever my lord wants most, the Golden Rankings may grant it."

Gu Yuena did not answer at once.

She extended a slender hand, and the ripples on the lake slowly stilled.

Healing her injuries, reviving the Dragon God, restoring the Dragon Clan's former glory.

Those had indeed been her wishes all along.

But beyond them, she held another wish in her heart.

She wanted to experience human emotions for herself.

She wanted to know what human love truly felt like.

Not out of duty or for the sake of her people, but simply to love someone and spend her life beside him.

Gu Yuena's fingertips rested lightly against her chest.

There, she had always kept a hope she had never shared with anyone.

If she could find true love, she wanted to have a daughter with him.

Their daughter might inherit her silver hair and violet eyes, or she might have a personality and a life all her own.

Gu Yuena would raise her herself, watching her learn to speak, learn to walk, and learn to call her mother.

At the thought, Gu Yuena's eyes softened.

Noticing the change, Bi Ji asked softly:

"Does my lord have another wish?"

Gu Yuena lowered her hand and looked back up at the Golden Rankings.

"What I want does go beyond those things."

"But I can't tell you what it is."

Bi Ji froze for a moment.

Gu Yuena offered no further explanation.

She simply stood beside the lake, quietly awaiting her own ranking and reward.