The last time Ning Rongrong had clamored to come play with Yu Tianheng had been half a year ago.
By then, Ning Rongrong had awakened her Martial Soul some time before and had finally caught Yu Tianheng coming out of seclusion.
She had rushed over to tell Yu Tianheng the good news.
When Yu Tianheng learned that Ning Rongrong had level-nine Innate Soul Power, he was not surprised.
If not for the defect in her Martial Soul, he even thought Ning Rongrong's Innate Soul Power would have been higher.
It seemed he would have to find a chance to help her Martial Soul evolve when the time came. After all, she would be his woman someday.
Just then, the system, which had been silent for years, suddenly spoke.
[Ding! Congratulations, host. You have enough contribution points and have received one random summation opportunity. Would you like to use it?]
Listening to the system's mechanical announcement, Yu Tianheng's lips curved slightly upward.
He had waited a long time for this day.
"Use it!"
[Ding! Congratulations, host. You have obtained Soul Ring Summation!] [Soul Ring Summation in progress...]
When he heard the words "Soul Ring Summation," Yu Tianheng could hardly contain his excitement.
He wondered what kind of changes it would bring him this time.
[Ding! Soul Ring Summation successful! As a reward, the host's First Soul Ring and Second Soul Ring have been upgraded to Million-Year Soul Rings. Given the host's currently low Soul Power Level, the system has temporarily sealed them, upgrading them only to Thousand-Year Soul Rings. As the host's Soul Power Level rises, the seals can gradually be removed.] [Ding! Million-Year Soul Rings can create Martial Soul Slots. Please choose carefully, host!]
With its announcements complete, the system fell silent once more.
"Martial Soul Slots."
Yu Tianheng murmured to himself. That caught him a little off guard, though he was not too surprised.
After all, in Douluo II, the Million-Year Soul Ring Tian Meng had given Huo Yuhao had provided him with a Martial Soul Slot.
At the same time, he had already settled on suitable choices for the two slots.
Yu Tianheng walked out of the seclusion chamber, stretched, and breathed in the fresh air.
Just as his body and mind were relaxing, a guard suddenly ran in.
"Congratulations on coming out of seclusion, young clan leader! Reporting to the young clan leader! Someone wishes to see you! She has been waiting for several days. I made special arrangements for her to stay somewhere while she waited. Would you like to see her, young clan leader?"
"Who is it?"
Yu Tianheng asked lazily.
"Reporting to the young clan leader, she said her name was Dugu Yan."
At the name Dugu Yan, Yu Tianheng could not help but freeze.
Ever since returning to the clan, he had been busy managing clan affairs and cultivating every day, and had never returned to Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
He had not seen Dugu Yan for over two years either.
He had just been thinking that he should find time to go back.
He had not expected Dugu Yan to come to him of her own accord.
"Take me to her."
"Yes!"
Led by the guard, Yu Tianheng arrived at an elegant side courtyard in the clan compound.
The moment he stepped into the courtyard, a sharp feminine cry came from inside the house.
"Who is it?"
"Haven't you been waiting for me for days?"
Yu Tianheng replied slowly.
The next moment, the door flew open, and a graceful figure in green flashed past.
She threw herself straight into his arms.
In the two-plus years since they had met, Dugu Yan's appearance had not changed much.
She had grown quite a bit taller, though, and looked rather like a sixteen-year-old girl.
"Tian Heng, why haven't you come back to see me?"
Dugu Yan sounded a little aggrieved.
She had waited every day for Yu Tianheng to return, yet after all this time had passed,
she had only been able to hear news of him through rumors outside.
"I've been busy cultivating lately, and there have been plenty of clan matters to handle. I couldn't find the time. I was just getting ready to go back and see you, but I didn't expect you to come here."
Yu Tianheng spoke gently, reaching out to stroke Dugu Yan's back and comfort her.
Soon, Dugu Yan noticed something amiss.
She raised her eyes and asked in confusion,
"You've reached level thirty already?"
She could hardly believe it, but the presence she felt from Yu Tianheng was definitely not something a Soul Grandmaster could possess.
"Yes. What level are you now?"
"I'm only level twenty-two. I thought I could catch up to you if I worked hard at cultivation. How did you get so far ahead so fast?"
To ease how much she missed him, Dugu Yan had devoted nearly all her time to cultivation.
That would have been unthinkable for her before.
"It's all right. Just take it slowly. Don't rush and suffer Qi deviation."
Given the nature of Dugu Yan's Martial Soul, the slightest carelessness could cause the poison to turn on her.
Although he knew how to solve the problem, he still did not want Dugu Yan to suffer.
After the two whispered together for a while, Dugu Yan took Yu Tianheng's hand and headed for the door.
"What's wrong? Where are you going?"
Yu Tianheng narrowed his eyes slightly and asked in confusion.
"You're already engaged to the princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile. No! I won't accept it! I'm taking you home right now and having Grandpa arrange an engagement for us too!"
Ever since hearing about Yu Tianheng's engagement to Ning Rongrong, Dugu Yan had been bottling up her resentment.
Now she finally had a chance to let it out!
"Huh? Wouldn't that be a little too hasty?"
"What's hasty about it? If I don't hurry up, you'll already be married to someone else by then!"
Dugu Yan raised her chin, her face full of haughty defiance.
"Your grandfather is my senior, after all. It wouldn't be quite right for me to turn up uninvited like this."
"Look at this."
Hearing that, Dugu Yan smiled slyly and produced an invitation as if by magic.
A great emerald-green snake was engraved on the invitation.
"I'd already pestered Grandpa many times to invite you himself. I wanted to give you the invitation before, but I heard you were in seclusion the whole time, so I had to deliver it myself."
Yu Tianheng could not help but smile wryly. "You really are a clever little thing."
Still, the poison in Dugu Bo's body should have begun turning on him by now.
They would all be family sooner or later, so it would be nice to help Dugu Bo resolve that problem while he was at it.
After Yu Tianheng informed his grandfather, Yu Yuanzhen sent two Soul Douluo-level experts to escort them.
As one of the few Titled Douluo on the continent, Yu Yuanzhen had dealt with Dugu Bo before.
He also had Yu Tianheng take along a good number of gifts.
But when he learned that Yu Tianheng was also going to get engaged to Dugu Yan,
Yu Yuanzhen could not help laughing. "You're young, boy, but you've learned quite a bit. Take this along too."
Yu Tianheng froze for a moment when he saw the gift his grandfather had prepared.
It was a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone from a seventy-thousand-year-old Heavenly Nether Poison Python.
"I obtained this by chance some time ago, but this Soul Bone isn't suited to our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. It might not do you much good to absorb it, so you might as well take it with you."
Yu Yuanzhen stroked his beard, stopping just short of saying outright that the Soul Bone was a betrothal gift.
Yu Tianheng naturally knew how scarce Soul Bones were in this era.
His grandfather might have put it that way, but it was really for Dugu Yan.
"Thank you, Grandpa!"
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was some distance from Sunset Forest.
Three days later, the two Soul Douluo safely escorted Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan to the forest's outskirts.
"Tian Heng, don't let them go in. Grandpa set traps deep in Sunset Forest. They might get hurt if they rush in without knowing."
Dugu Yan gave him the warning just before they entered the forest.
"All right, we'll do as you say."
After telling the two men to camp there and wait, Yu Tianheng followed Dugu Yan deeper into the forest.