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"Interesting," Ye Wen's lips curled slightly as he asked,
"Your Zhu family must also want to break free from the control of the Star Luo royal family, right?"
This was a sensitive topic. To outsiders, the royal Dai family and their affiliated Zhu family appeared to have an inseparable bond through intermarriage, seemingly as close as glue.
But in reality, this was far from the truth.
In the eyes of the Dai family, the Zhu family was nothing more than a tool to bolster their rule.
Setting aside the royal family, even ordinary nobles often had multiple wives and concubines—let alone the direct members of the royal lineage.
In such a feudal era, pure love was the strangest concept of all.
At just 15 years old, Dai Mubai was already a seasoned playboy, frequently seen in the company of women. The fact that he had even dated twins proved that his exploits began long before his teenage years—a testament to how open this world truly was.
When Ma Hongjun first appeared, he was only around 12 years old but already had a village girlfriend who helped him relieve his urges for free. She eventually broke up with him because she couldn't handle it anymore. This world was indeed promiscuous.
Moreover, frankly speaking, Zhu Zhuqing's first two soul skills were utterly laughable. It seemed clear that the Dai family had deliberately restricted the Zhu family's development when setting these skills.
First Soul Skill: Underworld Piercing Strike.
Second Soul Skill: Underworld Hundred Claws.
To ordinary soul masters, these might seem like decent offensive skills. But what kind of family was the Zhu family?
They were a duke family second only to the royal family. Yet they allowed their children to acquire such garbage-tier soul skills—this alone raised suspicions.
Now, let's compare them to Dai Mubai's soul skills:
First Soul Skill: White Tiger Protective Barrier—a weaker version of Repulsion Fire Ring, capable of breaking certain restraints and enhancing physical attributes.
Second Soul Skill: White Tiger Fierce Light Wave—compensating for the lack of ranged attacks in the early stages.
Third Soul Skill: White Tiger Adamantine Transformation—the most outrageous skill of all. Its original design was to double the user's overall physical abilities for half an hour.
Yet every time Dai Mubai used this skill, he still ended up beaten like a dog. Was it because he was useless, or was the skill itself flawed? Moreover, despite possessing three impressive soul skills, Dai Mubai's win-loss ratio in the spirit battles arena was nearly 1:1—truly pitiful to behold.
Furthermore, most of Dai Mubai's subsequent soul skills focused on enhancing his physical capabilities, with very few direct attack skills.
As for Zhu Zhuqing, her later soul rings were obtained with the help of Shrek Academy, so at least they weren't completely worthless.
Overall, the Dai family treated the Zhu family like pets, giving them an empty title while continuously exploiting their bloodline.
As the strongest candidate for the next empress, Zhu Zhuyun naturally understood the situation within her family better than Zhu Zhuqing. Her expression turned grim as she silently nodded.
In truth, this situation was common knowledge among the nobility of Star Luo. However, out of respect for the royal family's reputation, no one dared to speak openly about it.
"Do you need my help?" Ye Wen said indifferently.
Zhu Zhuyun felt a flicker of hope but quickly suppressed it upon recalling the strength of the White Tiger Emperor, a Title Douluo. She muttered quietly,
"Thank you for your kindness, Senior, but His Majesty possesses the strength of a Title Douluo. We wouldn't want to burden you."
"Heh, do you think I'd dare involve myself if I were afraid of that little tiger?"
Ye Wen spoke with pride.
Actions spoke louder than words. Ye Wen immediately summoned all his soul rings.
Red—Gold Blue—Red—Gold Blue—Red—Red Gold—Red Gold—Red Gold—Gold Blue—Gold—Gold Blue!!!
Though he intentionally suppressed their overwhelming aura, the dazzling display of eleven soul rings left the two sisters momentarily stunned.
Ye Wen hadn't wasted the past decade. With the residual faith power left by the Sea God Poseidon, his cultivation had skyrocketed, reaching level 112.
While he could use divine power to upgrade all his soul rings into god rings, Ye Wen found it wasteful. Aside from upgrading his second soul skill, *Spatial Realm*, and fourth soul skill, *Inner Realm*, into divine techniques, he saw no need to alter the rest. In the current Douluo plane, Ye Wen was already invincible.
The earlier skills were no longer essential. Instead of obsessing over details, he chose to focus on boosting his overall strength. Once his power increased, everything else would naturally follow.
At the godly level, the competition revolved around laws and principles. Low-level soul skills from the early stages were unnecessary—even without activating his soul rings, Ye Wen could still unleash those skills effortlessly.
As the eldest sister, Zhu Zhuyun was the first to regain her composure. Silently counting the number of soul rings, her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Eleven? How is this possible? Could it be that Master Ye Wen is…!?"
The horrifying implications made Zhu Zhuyun hastily pull Zhu Zhuqing down to their knees.
"D-Dare we ask, Master Ye Wen… have you already… ascended to godhood?"
The sheer audacity of this conjecture left Zhu Zhuyun stuttering.
Since the Angel God, the concept of gods had become the stuff of legends. Zhu Zhuyun wasn't entirely sure.
Ye Wen didn't answer immediately. Instead, he used his spiritual power to lift the two sisters to their feet before speaking.
"I have passed the Sea God's trial and now hold the position of Sea God. You may address me as the Sea God."
Instantly, Zhu Zhuyun's breathing quickened, her eyes filled with fervent admiration as she gazed at Ye Wen.
Was this a god come to save the Zhu family? Could their family finally escape this tragic fate?
As for deception? Zhu Zhuyun didn't even entertain the thought. Ye Wen had already demonstrated the strength of a Title Douluo—why would he bother deceiving them?
With such overwhelming power, what more could he possibly lack?
Suppressing her excitement, Zhu Zhuyun knelt halfway to the ground once again and spoke reverently,
"Please, Sea God, save my Zhu family."
Ye Wen looked at Zhu Zhuyun with complex emotions. She was a girl twisted by noble rules, yet he didn't want her kneeling before him.
After hesitating for a moment, Zhu Zhuqing also knelt halfway and voiced her plea to Ye Wen.
After a brief pause, Ye Wen finally spoke, "Your Zhu family isn't worth saving."
At these words, the expressions of Zhu Zhuyun and Zhu Zhuqing darkened.
"I seek to save all sentient beings. Your Zhu family is merely a side matter.
So, answer me—will you assist me?
I make this promise: if my plan succeeds, your Zhu family will be free from its current fate. You will become one of my subordinate families, basking in the glory of the gods and enjoying freedom."
Did they even need to think about it? Zhu Zhuyun immediately kowtowed and exclaimed,
"We humbly obey your divine decree!"
Rising to her feet, Zhu Zhuyun looked at Ye Wen with unbridled enthusiasm.
"Sea God, please give us your orders."
Though the soul masters of the Sea God Island were somewhat fanatical toward him, none were as fervent as Zhu Zhuyun. It seemed the Dai family had truly oppressed her deeply over the years.
But thanks to this, Ye Wen had gained a useful rebellious pawn in the form of the Zhu family.
'Hehehe.'
'Those who follow the righteous path gain much assistance; those who stray from it find little support, Dai family.'
'If heaven decrees your downfall, don't blame me.'
Retracting his divine rings, Ye Wen began outlining Zhu Zhuyun's mission.
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