Since that bowl of magical Medicinal Cuisine allowed Purple Pearl's spirit power to Breakthrough to Rank forty-nine, her attitude toward Yu Qing underwent an earth-shaking transformation.
The previously maintained sense of distance and suspicion vanished, replaced by intense curiosity.
She would take the initiative to stay in the wooden house, finding various topics to chat about, her lively purple eyes always focused on Yu Qing.
"Yu Qing, you said before... you're a Scholar from the continent? Mainly researching Spirit theories?" Purple Pearl sat on a wooden stump by the bed, chin in hands, leaning slightly forward, her short purple hair swaying gently.
Yu Qing looked at the Purple Pearl before him, who had transformed from a cold young girl into a "curious baby," and smiled inwardly. He knew the bait had successfully attracted this highly curious "Purple Pearl fish."
"Of course." Yu Qing maintained a gentle and confident smile, "I have in-depth research into the essence of Spirits, the Bloodline grades of Spirit Beasts, and how to absorb spirit rings beyond the limit. It's no exaggeration to say that in these fields, if I claim to be second, no one in the entire continent would dare claim to be first." He released a hint of disguised "great Scholar" reserve and pride.
These "bold words" made the light in Purple Pearl's eyes burn even brighter! She subconsciously clenched her fists, her breathing becoming slightly hurried.
"Absorbing spirit rings beyond the limit?!" she almost cried out in surprise, "Spirit Masters on the continent can already do that?!"
Yu Qing smiled and shook his head: "No, this isn't a universal achievement of the Spirit Master's world. This is a theory unique to me. So far, the only ones who have successfully achieved it are me and my wives." He deliberately paused on the word "wives."
"Wi... wives?!" Purple Pearl was shocked again, keenly catching the plural word, "You... you already have a wife? And more than one?"
Yu Qing nodded frankly: "Yes, currently I have four like-minded companions."
Purple Pearl processed this information, her eyes flickering. But she quickly pulled her attention back to the initial question, testing with cautious expectation: "Then... Mr. Yu Qing, according to your theory... do you have a way to make my Spirit evolve further?"
Spirit evolution—this was a dream Opportunity for any Spirit Master.
Yu Qing's gaze fell on Purple Pearl, and he pondered for a moment: "In my Spirit Origin Theory, any Spirit theoretically has the possibility of evolution. The key lies in supplementing its Origin or encountering a suitable Opportunity."
He shifted the topic, his tone becoming objective and cautious: "However, your Spirit should be the Sea Viper, which is of extremely high quality, a top-tier one among high-level Spirits. To take it a step further... the difficulty is immense."
Hearing the first half, an amazing light erupted in Purple Pearl's eyes; hearing the second half, the light quickly dimmed, and a clear look of disappointment appeared on her face. Was she... still thinking too beautifully after all?
However, Yu Qing didn't shut the door completely. He smiled slightly in comfort: "But there's no need to be discouraged. All things are possible. Even if it can't evolve now, it doesn't mean there won't be a chance in the future. Moreover..." He deliberately paused, and after successfully capturing all of Purple Pearl's attention, he threw out an even more tempting chip: "...even if the Spirit can't evolve for now, I have a way to let you greatly compensate for the gap in Spirit quality through Over-limit Absorption, even gaining combat power far exceeding Spirit Masters of the same Rank! Isn't this more practical than Spirit evolution?"
"Over-limit Absorption!" Purple Pearl's eyes lit up again instantly. Right! If her spirit ring configuration far exceeded ordinary people, she could similarly possess overwhelming power.
She was so excited she could hardly sit still, suddenly standing up, her voice trembling: "Mr. Yu Qing! Is... is everything you said true? Can you really... let me absorb spirit rings beyond the limit?!"
Yu Qing maintained an inscrutable smile and nodded: "Talk is cheap. Since you have doubts, I'll let you see for yourself what true Over-limit Absorption is!"
With that, he had a thought.
Buzz—!
A deep, vast Qi emanated from Yu Qing's body! Although the Life Golden Leaf Martial Soul did not possess him, its spirit rings emerged one by one under Yu Qing's intentional guidance, slowly pulsing around him!
Black, black, black, black, black, red, red, red, red!
Nine spirit rings!
Especially the last four—vivid red, hundred thousand year spirit rings like precious jade. The moment they appeared, the simple wooden house creaked, and the air became thick and heavy.
!!! Purple Pearl's pupils suddenly contracted to the limit! She felt as if struck by an invisible giant hammer, taking a step back sharply, her breathing stopping instantly, her mind going blank.
Five black, four red!
This spirit ring configuration completely subverted her understanding of Spirit Masters, a terrifying configuration that surpassed all records in ancient texts and broke all common sense.
She could only open her mouth wide but couldn't make a sound, staring fixedly at Yu Qing with eyes that looked at a god, a monster, an incomprehensible existence, her delicate body trembling slightly from extreme shock.
After a long while, she took a sudden breath like a dying fish, her chest heaving violently, her voice hoarse and dry: "Hun... hundred thousand years... four... this... this is... Over-limit Absorption...?"
Yu Qing slowly retracted the spirit rings, and the suffocating pressure receded like a tide. His expression was calm as if he had done something trivial, and he spoke faintly: "Now, do you believe it?"
Believe! How could she not believe! Seeing with her own eyes was far more persuasive than a thousand words; this was a violent impact where her worldview was completely shattered and then rebuilt.
Purple Pearl swallowed hard, trying to calm her racing heart and turbulent emotions. She looked at Yu Qing's calm face, and that sentence echoed in her mind again—"So far, the only ones who have successfully achieved it are me and my wives."
Wives... an incredibly bold, even crazy thought instantly entwined around her heart like a vine breaking through the soil.
She suddenly clenched her fists, her nails almost sinking into her palms. Her eyes, which were still somewhat hesitant and struggling, instantly became incomparably firm, as if she had made a certain decision.
She raised her head to bravely meet Yu Qing's gaze, a burning flame in her purple eyes—the ultimate desire for power.
She took a deep breath, her voice trembling slightly from tension and excitement, but her tone was exceptionally clear and firm: "Mr. Yu Qing... you said just now that you have four wives?"
Yu Qing raised an eyebrow as if a bit surprised, but still nodded: "Yes, currently four."
Purple Pearl's chest heaved violently, as if using all her strength, she pointed at herself, her purple eyes staring fixedly at Yu Qing as she asked an earth-shattering question:
"Then do you think... I can become your fifth wife?"
"Pfft—" Yu Qing almost choked on his own saliva! He widened his eyes and looked at the serious Purple Pearl before him with an extremely startled and unbelievable gaze, her expression one of desperate determination.
Is this girl so fierce? So direct? According to his understanding, wasn't Purple Pearl supposed to be more interested in women? Why did she want to join his Dao Companion group now?
Although he was indeed peerlessly charming and had the Charm Halo, wasn't this progress a bit too fast? And the feeling of straightening a blooming lily seemed quite rewarding.
Countless thoughts flashed through Yu Qing's mind in an instant, but on the surface, he quickly composed himself and regained his calm. He didn't agree immediately but asked Purple Pearl with a serious expression: "Are you sure? Do you know what this means?"
His serious attitude made Purple Pearl even more determined. She didn't back down, meeting Yu Qing's gaze and nodding heavily, her eyes firm: "I'm sure! I want to become strong! I want to evolve my Spirit! I want to absorb spirit rings beyond the limit! Your appearance has given me unprecedented hope and guidance! This is the only way I can think of to reach that path!"
Yu Qing fell silent for a moment as if weighing his thoughts. After a long time, he finally spoke, his tone still serious: "Even if you are willing, things aren't that simple. Although my wives are not difficult to get along with, each one is one in ten thousand. To join us, you must gain the approval of all of them."
Sure enough, hearing this, Purple Pearl's brow furrowed slightly, a hint of worry appearing on her face: "Are they hard to get along with? Will they reject a newcomer?"
Yu Qing shook his head: "It's not rejection, but a peer review. They are excellent enough themselves, so they will naturally measure future sisters with the same high standards. This isn't making things difficult, but a responsibility. After all, the path we are taking is unique, even Heaven-Defying, and the quality of our partners is crucial."
Hearing that it wasn't intentional difficulty but out of peer review and responsibility, Purple Pearl felt relieved instead. She suddenly puffed out her chest, a confident and even somewhat proud expression appearing on her beautiful face: "I understand. If it's a peer review, then I accept. I'm quite confident in my own talent and potential!"
She was a Genius Spirit Ancestor who reached Rank forty-nine at seventeen, possessing a top-tier Sea Viper Spirit; she believed she was qualified to accept any scrutiny.
Seeing Purple Pearl's confident and high-spirited appearance, an imperceptible smile curved at the corners of Yu Qing's mouth.
Very good, the fish has voluntarily swum into the net and is very active.
In the following days, Yu Qing and Purple Pearl became increasingly familiar with each other.
Yu Qing discovered that once this girl set aside her initial coldness and aloofness, her personality was actually careless and straightforward, even a bit boyish. Getting along with her wasn't like interacting with a beautiful young girl, but rather like making a boisterous "brother."
Yu Qing also took this time to start fulfilling part of his promises.
He first used gentle Medicinal Cuisine and spirit power guidance to easily raise Purple Pearl's spirit power Rank from forty-nine to the Rank fifty Bottleneck.
Then, when Yu Qing deemed her physical condition to be at its best, he took out a ten thousand year spirit bone flickering with a dark luster and extremely majestic energy fluctuations—an Eighty-thousand-year Demon Soul Python Right Leg Bone.
"This... this is?!" Seeing the Spirit Bone, Purple Pearl's eyes went straight, and her breathing suddenly became hurried.
A ten thousand year spirit bone!
"For you." Yu Qing's tone was flat as if giving an ordinary gift. "Relax your mind. I will guide the Spirit Bone energy to perform ten sessions of spirit power Body Tempering for you. The process will be somewhat painful, but if you persevere, it will be enough for the fifth spirit ring you absorb to reach twenty thousand years."
Purple Pearl was too shocked to speak, only nodding mechanically.
Yu Qing had her sit cross-legged, placed the Spirit Bone on Purple Pearl's Right Leg Bone, and then formed hand seals, drawing the majestic energy from the Spirit Bone into countless threads, like numerous tiny spirit power hammers, beginning to repeatedly strike and temper Purple Pearl's Meridians, bones, and flesh.
This was precisely the Profound Truth of the Thousand Refinements Method.
"Ugh... ah—!" Intense pain instantly struck. Purple Pearl couldn't help but groan, her forehead instantly covered in cold sweat, her body trembling violently, but she gritted her teeth hard and endured it with amazing willpower.
A hint of admiration flashed in Yu Qing's eyes as he carefully controlled the tempering intensity.
When the last spirit power Body Tempering ended, the Spirit Bone had been completely absorbed by Purple Pearl, but it also left her slumped on the ground in exhaustion, her whole body as if pulled from water.
But she could also clearly feel the transformative changes in her body! Her Meridians were wider, her bones tougher, and her blood and Qi more vigorous! She had absolute confidence in absorbing a twenty-thousand-year fifth spirit ring now.
"How do you feel?" Yu Qing withdrew his hands and asked with a smile.
Purple Pearl struggled to sit up, looking at Yu Qing with an extremely complex gaze—gratitude, shock, admiration, and a hint of indefinable thumping in her heart. Her voice was hoarse but incredibly sincere: "It's so happy to be your wife..."
Spirit Bone, Body Refining methods, cultivation guidance, various magical Medicinal Cuisine... this man was simply an omnipotent, perfect husband. She was incredibly glad at this moment that she had made that bold decision.
Yu Qing looked at her and smiled without speaking. In his mind, the System prompt sounded quietly: [Purple Pearl favorability +10, current favorability: 75 (More than friends, less than lovers)].
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