Yi Chen was quite fond of Ah Yin. He had never expected that pursuing his goal would come with rewards, too.
As expected of the system.
It was not especially generous, but it was still pretty good.
As long as he married Ah Yin, he would receive the Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul, a Five Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, and an external soul bone.
If that Five Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring were added to the Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul...
Yi Chen could declare himself invincible below level 99. Above level 99, he could trade his life for his opponent's.
That was only a conservative estimate, since he had no idea how great the gulf between a Titled Douluo and a deity was.
It's been three years. I wonder where Ah Yin is now.
Yi Chen pondered this, recalling their first meeting. He had been hunting soul beasts in the Sunset Forest to obtain his seventh soul ring.
[Ding! The host shares a direct karmic connection with his confidantes. Therefore, related individuals can be located through the Confidantes section.]
At that, Yi Chen acted with a thought.
Sure enough, he found Ah Yin.
[Ah Yin: Currently located in the Balak Kingdom-Suotuo City.]
With Ah Yin's exact location in hand, a smile appeared on Yi Chen's face.
Establishing his family would begin with Ah Yin.
With that thought, he left the great hall and summoned Zi Zhenzhu.
"Master, what are your orders?"
Yi Chen said calmly, "Manage Tongtian Island well. Hmm, we need to make some changes this time. Although Tongtian Island counts as an established faction, we don't need to recruit too many people. Keep a strict watch on that."
Zi Zhenzhu froze for a moment, then nodded.
"Understood."
"I'll be away for a few days. Be careful while you're here."
"Yes."
"Young Master Tang Hao, please stop pestering me. I'm perfectly happy on my own. Take these things back."
In a village outside Suotuo City.
An exceptionally beautiful woman dressed in blue, with a gentle bearing, frowned slightly and spoke with a hint of helplessness.
Standing before her was a handsome young man, his face filled with fervor as he gazed at her without concealing his admiration.
"Miss Ah Yin, please don't refuse. I'm not pestering you. I just think your life here is too hard. Please accept this food and these gold soul coins for now. Think of them as a loan from me, all right?"
By the end, his voice carried a pleading note. He looked every bit the groveling lapdog.
If anyone from the Clear Sky Sect had seen him like this, they would probably have been dumbstruck.
This man was Tang Hao, a direct descendant of the Clear Sky Sect and a likely successor to the position of sect master.
Moreover, he was a genius. Though only approaching forty, he was already a level 86 Soul Douluo.
That was an exceptionally lofty standing.
He had always been proud and arrogant, looking down on everyone. Yet after leaving the Clear Sky Sect two years ago to gain experience, he had met Ah Yin and been stunned by her heavenly beauty. As they became acquainted, he gradually began pursuing her and revealing his feelings.
"There's no need, Young Master Tang Hao. I'm doing very well here. If you stop behaving like this, we can remain acquainted. Otherwise, please leave."
Ah Yin gave Tang Hao no opening whatsoever. Even someone as gentle as her had grown impatient, and her tone had turned somewhat cold.
She was the Blue Silver Emperor in human form. She needed contact with humans to break through to Titled Douluo and then become a god.
Since Tang Hao had seemed decent enough, she had agreed to get acquainted with him, treating him as a chance-met friend.
But once Tang Hao began pursuing her...
She became thoroughly repulsed and immediately rejected him, giving him no chance at all.
Yet Tang Hao continued clinging to her and pestering her relentlessly.
It annoyed her more and more.
Especially after she heard that Tang Hao already had a wife, yet still came to pester her while neglecting his own wife entirely.
That made Ah Yin even more averse to him.
But she knew Tang Hao was stronger than her, and this was the human world, so she endured it again and again.
Recently, however, Tang Hao seemed to have thrown all restraint aside, coming to see her with an almost crazed persistence. She was beginning to consider moving.
Hearing Ah Yin's words, Tang Hao froze. His pride took a blow, and he became visibly dejected.
He lowered his head, his gaze turning utterly sinister. His face even twisted with menace, and resentment filled his heart.
He was a proud prodigy of the Clear Sky Sect. Within three years at most, he would definitely become a Titled Douluo.
His prospects were boundlessly glorious.
Yet he, whose life had always been smooth sailing, kept suffering setbacks at the hands of a woman. It left a fire of anger bottled up inside him.
Several times, certain thoughts had even flashed through his mind.
He could forcibly take Ah Yin back to the Clear Sky Sect.
But he suppressed that idea again, feeling that if he could win Ah Yin's heart, sweetness would finally follow all this bitterness.
With that thought, he raised his head again and forced a smile. "In that case, let's just be friends. I'll leave now."
Tang Hao left the things on the ground, then turned and departed swiftly.
Seeing this, Ah Yin looked at the things on the ground, picked them up, and tossed them into a corner of her house.
The assorted gifts in that corner were already piled into a mountain, with dust settling over them.
Ah Yin had never used a single thing Tang Hao had given her.
Crash!
Inside Suotuo City, Tang Hao's face twisted viciously as he smashed his wine cup, cursing and spitting out wine-scented breath.
"I treat her so damn well, and this is how she treats me? Damn it..."
"No. I have to have her!"
After drinking, Tang Hao revealed his truest self.
On either side of him, two alluring women moved closer, running their hands over him.
"Oh, young master, don't be angry. That country girl is shortsighted and doesn't know a favor when she sees one..."
Smack!
Before the woman on his left could finish, Tang Hao slapped her straight to the floor. She slumped there, trembling, not daring to make a sound.
"Young master, I actually think the fact that she's still willing to see you means you still have a chance."
The woman on his right hurriedly said, "You should create a little danger for her. Have her come under attack, for example, and then step in as the hero who saves the beauty."
Tang Hao froze at those words, then his eyes lit up.
"That makes some sense. You've given me a useful strategy. When you need a soul ring in the future, I'll help you hunt a soul beast."
Hearing this, the woman on his right hastily said, "It's my honor to offer you advice, young master..."
Without waiting for her to finish, Tang Hao grabbed her head and pushed it down.
"No need to say all that. If I succeed, you'll get your share of the rewards."
Soon, Tang Hao wore an enraptured expression, imagining himself playing the hero and saving Ah Yin in a few days.
Two days later.
Tang Hao appeared in Ah Yin's village with several Soul Douluos.
"Rest assured, Master. I, Tai Tan, will make certain you get this Ah Yin."
Beside him stood a burly old man. He was Tai Tan, chief of the Strength Clan, a clan affiliated with the Clear Sky Sect.
A level 85 Power Attack System Combat Soul Douluo.
Tang Hao nodded and said indifferently, "Mm. Go."
"I truly don't understand how this woman can be so ungrateful. Does she think nothing of our Clear Sky Sect?"
The speaker beside him was a thin old man, Bai He, chief of the Speed Clan.
A level 81 Agility Attack Combat Soul Douluo.
"She is your future mistress. Watch your words."
Tang Hao's icy warning made Bai He realize his mistake at once. Cold sweat poured down him, and he hurriedly apologized.
"You go too. Follow the plan."
"Yes."
Watching the two Soul Douluos lead several Soul Saints into action, Tang Hao could not help laughing aloud, as though he could already see Ah Yin lying in his arms.
Boom!
At that moment, a commotion had already erupted in the village.
Tai Tan and Bai He had begun their attack!