An Unwavering Choice

Huang Tieyi looked at the two lovely women before him. Though they had been tangled together for quite a while, his long-deprived body still stirred with excitement.

"Ladies, sit properly in front of me. I don't want to break through to level 80 Soul Power yet, so I'll transfer my excess Soul Power to you and help you cultivate," Huang Tieyi said with a perfectly straight face.

Still unused to being naked with Huang Tieyi, Xiong An'an and Jin Xiaoyu blushed pink and sat down in front of him.

Huang Tieyi raised both hands, channeled his Soul Power, and pressed his palms to the energy gates on their smooth backs, slowly transferring Soul Power to them.

Feeling the Soul Power enter their bodies, the two women immediately steadied their minds and began cultivating. They circulated their own Soul Power through their bodies, absorbing what Huang Tieyi gave them.

The depth of Huang Tieyi's Soul Power frightened them. By daybreak, Xiong An'an and Jin Xiaoyu had both reached level 60. Huang Tieyi, meanwhile, looked rosy-cheeked, without a trace of fatigue from the expenditure.

"Ladies, you're both at level 60 now. Find suitable Soul Rings and you'll become Soul Emperors. Go take care of your business, and please don't bother me for a while..." Huang Tieyi said pitifully. "You said you'd protect my purity. It would've been enough not to tempt me, but you tormented me like that. You're demons..."

"Oh, stop pretending you didn't enjoy it. Just tell us: did it feel good being spoiled by two gorgeous women?" Jin Xiaoyu asked, pinching Huang Tieyi's ear.

"It felt good..." Huang Tieyi said with a lecherous grin.

"You're hopeless..." Xiong An'an and Jin Xiaoyu left the room in high spirits, leaving Huang Tieyi alone to savor the memory of last night. No, I drank too much water last night. I need the bathroom!

Dugu Sheng spent every day immersed in the Library Pavilion, recording all kinds of Soul Beasts with dragon bloodlines. He then sorted them by attribute and copied his findings into a new notebook. The more books he read, the more convinced he became by the new path Huang Tieyi had proposed: evolving his Jade Phosphor Snake Martial Soul into a dragon.

At first, he had accepted Huang Tieyi's proposal because he did not want to die young. Nor did he want to repeat the life of his father, Dugu Bo, who had married five wives, each of whom had lived with him for less time than the last.

Now he genuinely believed in this path. In dragon evolution, he saw a vast future.

"Dugu Sheng, hello. I'm Ben Zhuo, the Library Pavilion's administrator. I've read the notes you organized. We've never had a classification like yours here before. Could you lend me your notes so I can make a copy?" asked a white-haired old man in glasses, his voice full of sincerity.

"Of course, senior. But what do you mean by 'make a copy'?" Dugu Sheng stood up, somewhat overawed.

"My Martial Soul is a book, and its ability is Photocopying. It copies the contents of a book into a new one," Ben Zhuo explained.

"Then please, senior..." Dugu Sheng promptly handed Ben Zhuo his two notebooks.

Ben Zhuo released his Martial Soul. A book appeared in his right hand, its blank pages turning on their own. Every single page was empty.

Seven Soul Rings—two yellow, three purple, and two black—lit up beneath his feet. With a gentle beckon of his left hand, one notebook flew into the air. He pressed his Martial Soul against it, and both hovered together, their pages turning in unison. With each turn, the notebook's contents appeared on a blank page.

Before Dugu Sheng's astonished eyes, the entire notebook was soon copied. Ben Zhuo returned it to him, then picked up a physical blank book. He pressed his Martial Soul Book against the blank book, and the two floated into the air, their pages turning. The contents recorded in the Martial Soul Book were copied into the physical book, with the lettering adjusted as well.

Using the same method, Ben Zhuo turned Dugu Sheng's other notebook into a book too.

"Dugu Sheng, thank you for your help," Ben Zhuo said with a kindly smile. "You have a calm, steady temperament. I suggest you pursue the solid, enduring path of the earth attribute."

"Thank you for your advice, senior. I'll think it over carefully," Dugu Sheng replied with a nod.

Dugu Sheng returned to his temporary home with the two notebooks and found two beautiful women sitting there eating pastries. His elderly father looked positively benevolent, without a trace of his usual sternness.

"Dad, I'm back." Dugu Sheng set the notebooks on the table, then said to Dugu Feng and Ye Qingqing, "Big Sis, Sister Qing, you're here! That's great. I'll go find Huang Tieyi at Spirit Hall right now. Once Sister Qing has treated me, I'll have him give me Dragon Qi and take the path of dragon evolution."

"A Sheng, don't rush into this..." Dugu Feng said, placing a hand on his. "Do you really think you can evolve your Martial Soul?"

"Of course. It isn't just Huang Tieyi's speculation. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family set a precedent," Dugu Sheng said with conviction. "I believe my Jade Phosphor Snake Martial Soul will gradually evolve into a dragon as I obtain Soul Rings again."

"Have you seen the records of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family's precedent?" Dugu Feng asked softly.

"No, I haven't!" Dugu Sheng paused, then asked, "Big Sis, what do you mean by that? You aren't planning to give up your cultivation and destroy your Soul Rings?"

"A Sheng, I'm not changing my mind. I brought Qingqing here to persuade you not to act blindly or rashly either!" Dugu Feng said sternly.

"Dad, what do you think?" Hearing her answer, Dugu Sheng did not want to argue with her further and turned to Dugu Bo.

"A Sheng, I respect your choice. Whatever you decide, I'll support you," Dugu Bo said firmly. "You're my son, not an extension of me. You have your own life."

"Dad, I choose to cultivate from the beginning. I choose dragon evolution. I was too young when my birth mother died to understand your pain. But when the stepmothers you married later died, I saw how heartbroken you were. A grown man crying in secret, utterly shattered.

"Even if I can't evolve my Martial Soul into a dragon, I still want to rid myself of this poison. I don't want to go through the heartbreak you suffered, Dad," Dugu Sheng said resolutely.

"All right. I'll destroy your Soul Rings now, then have Qingqing treat you..." Dugu Bo said with a nod.

"A Sheng, I'm asking you not to act rashly..." Dugu Feng spoke up once more.

"Big Sis, don't try to persuade me. I won't change my mind." Dugu Sheng's gaze was unwavering. "After all these days reading in the Library Pavilion, I'm convinced that even without Dragon Qi, if I start over, I can evolve my Jade Phosphor Snake Martial Soul into a dragon..."