After restoring his eyes to their original color, the world in Li Chang'an's view returned to normal. The threads that had once covered everything disappeared without a trace.
Li Chang'an waved his hand to disperse the water mirror. Now was not the time to study his eyes—what truly mattered was the girl by the shore! With a thought, the surrounding spring water rippled and surged, propelling his body swiftly toward the bank.
"Chang'an-gege..." Dugu Yan watched as her beloved approached rapidly. After the joy of their reunion passed, she suddenly realized that he wasn't wearing any clothes. Flustered, she quickly took out a set of men's clothing from her storage soul guide and handed it to him.
Even though there were no outsiders around, standing naked under the bright sky was still quite embarrassing. As for why Dugu Yan had men's clothing with her, it was perfectly reasonable given their intimate relationship, where they had already bared their hearts to each other and were just one step away from consummation.
Upon reaching the shore, Li Chang'an leaped from the water, the droplets clinging to his body naturally falling away and returning to the lake. He landed barefoot on the ground, took the clothes, and swiftly dressed himself. Only then did he turn his gaze to the visibly haggard-looking Dugu Yan, silently spreading his arms wide.
The girl instantly flung herself into his embrace like a moth to a flame, tightly holding onto his body, greedily breathing in his familiar scent.
"Yan'er, I'm back."
Despite having countless words in his heart, Li Chang'an ultimately only managed this one simple sentence.
"..."
Dugu Yan said nothing, merely hugging him even tighter.
On the side, Dugu Bo watched the heartwarming scene and let out a deep sigh of relief. He chose not to interrupt the young couple, instead silently stepping away to leave the space for them.
Holding Dugu Yan in his arms, Li Chang'an's heart was filled with complex emotions. He had already noticed the Lovesick Heartbreak Red flower in her hand, fully understanding the immense sincerity and devotion required to pluck it.
Truth be told, while he was deeply moved, there was also a rare pang of guilt in his heart.
Of course, he genuinely liked Dugu Yan. Even if his initial interest had stemmed from a desire for her celestial herb, over time, through their growing bond, his heart of stone naturally softened, and he gradually fell for her.
But his feelings for her had not reached the level required to pick the Lovesick Heartbreak Red. He was far from being willing to sacrifice everything and risk his life for her.
Seeing Dugu Yan succeed in obtaining this legendary flower left him both ashamed and touched. He vowed silently to himself that if he ever let this girl down, he would deserve nothing less than to be struck by lightning.
At the same time, he resolved to treat her even better going forward. He would never allow her to suffer the same tragic fate as in the original story—losing her grandfather, the only person she could rely on, only to be heartlessly abandoned by Yu Tianheng, leading to her lonely and miserable death from martial spirit toxicity.
"Yan'er's martial spirit is still too weak," he thought grimly.
"Even after consuming the celestial herb, it's only a Jade Phosphor Serpent, not even reaching the level of a Jade Phosphor Serpent King. At best, her cultivation aptitude now matches someone born with innate full soul power."
"I need to find a way to help her further improve her martial spirit. Ideally, I should completely elevate it—perhaps even surpass the Jade Phosphor Serpent King, reaching a bloodline with god-tier potential, like Di Tian."
"In this world, if you want to enhance a martial spirit, aside from celestial herbs, the only other option is through soul beasts. If she can absorb the right soul rings and bones, her martial spirit will surely evolve!"
"But the Jade Phosphor Serpent is already the pinnacle of snake-type martial spirits. There aren't any higher-level snake bloodlines."
"If we go the route of transforming a snake into a dragon, her bloodline would be suppressed by the superior dragon bloodlines. It might be better to stick to the current path. If you push it to the extreme, a snake can rival a dragon."
"The problem is, where can I find a soul beast capable of evolving her martial spirit? Should I use my own bloodline? But how would I even do that? I'm not a soul beast and don't have soul rings or bones... Wait!"
"In the original story, wasn't there a legendary Ten-Headed Fierce Yang Serpent, a primordial variant, in the Slaughter City?"
"That creature's bloodline isn't native to the Douluo Continent. When Dugu Bo encountered its inner core, he was completely suppressed. There's no doubt its bloodline surpasses the Jade Phosphor Serpent King, likely on par with true dragons!"
"In the original plot, even Ma Hongjun, a phoenix martial spirit user, evolved after consuming its inner core. If it worked for a non-serpent species like him, imagine the benefits Yan'er, as a fellow serpent user, would gain."
"In fact, her martial spirit would likely gain even greater benefits!"
"It seems I'll have to make a trip to the Slaughter City in the future."
"Whether it's to study the formation of inner cores or obtain the serpent's core itself, it's worth the journey!"
"However, in the Slaughter City, soul skills can't be used, and there's also the risk of being targeted by the Asura God... I'll need to plan this carefully."
Countless thoughts flooded Li Chang'an's mind as he even began laying out plans for the future.
After fully awakening the Nine Infants bloodline, Li Chang'an's soul power level didn't skyrocket as one might expect. He had only reached rank 40.
Unlike in some worlds where awakening a bloodline leads to an immediate surge in strength, he gained no inherited cultivation techniques. The Nine Infants bloodline merely enhanced his innate talent, physique, and granted him some special abilities.
Li Chang'an's main body was still following the path of a soul master.
Unlike his serpent clone, his main body still required soul rings to break through levels. Without them, progress was impossible.
This puzzled him greatly.
Why was it that his serpent clone no longer faced restrictions, yet his main body still had to obediently adhere to the soul master's rules by absorbing soul rings to advance?
The only difference between the two was that his main body possessed a martial spirit and had absorbed soul rings. Could that be the reason?
Perhaps his main body's entrapment within the soul master framework was due to these factors.
But how could he break free of this framework?
Would abandoning the path of a soul master be better?
Shaking his head, Li Chang'an dismissed this thought.
Becoming a soul master wasn't something one could simply opt out of. From the moment he awakened his martial spirit and absorbed his first soul ring, he had already been shackled to the framework of a soul master.
Breaking free would require access to another power system—such as dou qi, cultivation techniques, or magic. Otherwise, even if he shattered his soul rings and martial spirit, he'd still be a soul master, unable to escape the framework.
Therefore, without access to a better power system, continuing as a soul master seemed more promising. After all, he still had his beast clone as a backup and many powerful bloodlines hidden within him.
As long as he kept pushing forward and cultivating, his future would be bright. He wouldn't be limited to the narrow path of soul mastery like others in this world.
His future was full of limitless possibilities!
(End of Chapter)