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It wasn't that Ye Wen doubted Ah Yin's feelings for him.
Rather, he believed that if Ah Yin asked him to test his sincerity using the Love-Breaking Red, he would undoubtedly fail.
Men, after all, were naturally drawn to beauty. Even with someone as stunning as Ah Yin by his side, Ye Wen couldn't deny that he still felt a flutter in his heart when encountering other beautiful women. Such complicated thoughts, no matter how much he tried to remain pure, would never gain the approval of the Love-Breaking Red.
In the original story, Tang San hadn't tested himself with it either—he had simply let his companions do so.
Perhaps only someone like Xiao Wu, with her single-minded devotion, could pass the test. After all, the minds of ordinary people were far too complex.
Ah Yin, on the other hand, would undoubtedly pass. Her thoughts were pure, and she lacked the fickleness caused by humans' tendency to judge by appearances.
But asking his life partner to undergo a test that he himself couldn't pass felt hypocritical.
If testing was inherently double standards, it would leave Ye Wen feeling disgusted with himself. That's why he didn't ask Ah Yin to test herself.
Ye Wen attempted to use his simulated soul skill to analyze the Love-Breaking Red in his hand. As he expected, this object couldn't be parsed—it wasn't an ordinary plant. It seemed shielded by an invisible barrier.
With no other choice, he set it aside for now and began analyzing the other immortal herbs instead.
Compared to ordinary medicinal herbs—even thousand-year-old ones that had become spirit beasts—these immortal herbs were vastly different. Each contained a unique form of primal energy, which Ye Wen speculated was some kind of fundamental essence.
Simulating various ordinary martial souls, Ye Wen observed that when soul masters consumed these herbs, their simulated bodies underwent tremendous leaps in power. The results mirrored the transformations of the Shrek Seven Monsters from the original story.
Gradually, Ye Wen became absorbed in deciphering these primal energies. He had a premonition: once he cracked them, his progress in martial soul research would skyrocket.
Although the Ice and Fire Dual Eye offered little assistance to human cultivation, Ah Yin found the environment here comforting.
Watching Ye Wen grow increasingly engrossed in his research, Ah Yin sighed. He was a good man, albeit somewhat dense at times.
Her gaze shifted to the Love-Breaking Red lying on the ground. Its flower, resembling the face of an infant, drew her in unconsciously.
"Phew—"
A muffled, pained sound interrupted Ye Wen's analysis.
The voice was familiar, and Ye Wen instinctively felt a pang of worry.
"Ah Yin! What did you do?!" Ye Wen exclaimed in alarm.
Ah Yin, with a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth, showed no signs of pain. Instead, her expression was soft, and she smiled gently at Ye Wen.
"Brother, I plucked it."
Ye Wen rushed to heal her, his heart aching as he looked at the woman who had been by his side for over a decade.
"Why did you go through this? I've never doubted you."
"I know. But I wanted to test whether my feelings for you are as sincere as you believe them to be. It seems I truly love you, Brother."
"I know, I know," Ye Wen murmured, pulling Ah Yin into his arms.
Yet Ye Wen understood that Ah Yin's actions stemmed from her insecurities about her origins. She feared he might doubt her loyalty. But after more than ten years together, how could Ye Wen not know her character?
When they first met, she was already a kind-hearted girl. Even after he taught her about the dangers of human society, she remained pure and compassionate. Just look at how she couldn't help but assist Liu Erlong during her struggles. This kind of unadulterated goodness was rare in the world.
"Let's have a child, Brother," Ah Yin whispered softly.
Ye Wen felt as though an arrow had pierced his heart. So this was what had been weighing on her mind.
"Mm, we'll start as soon as we get back. Ten or eight kids, maybe," Ye Wen replied with a smile.
Ah Yin's face flushed with playful annoyance as she lightly smacked Ye Wen.
"You're terrible! Do you think I'm a rabbit, able to bear so many?"
After more than a decade together, the two finally let go of all their inner burdens. At that moment, Ye Wen felt like the happiest man in the world—a loving family, a fulfilling career.
But the thought of Tang San's impending arrival in the future brought a sense of urgency. While Ye Wen could seize all of Tang San's opportunities, who knew what kind of cheat codes the Asura God, the hidden mastermind, might grant Tang San? He needed to grow stronger, faster—to become one of the top-tier experts in the world.
At that moment, Ye Wen resolved: once his first martial soul reached nine rings, he would begin cultivating his second martial soul with a full set of ten-thousand-year soul rings. With nine such rings, even as a newly minted Title Douluo, he would possess superhuman soul power equivalent to level 98.
By then, he could openly challenge the Sea God Island and take the Sea God Trial without fear. Neither Poseidon nor anyone else could stop him.
Two spatial tremors later, forget the Sea God Island or the Fire God Island—anyone who dared obstruct him would be obliterated.
Time passed day by day. Ye Wen's analysis of the immortal herbs' primal energies accelerated. Finally, after two months, he completed the analysis of all the herbs, establishing a sustainable process to extract their primal energies.
While consuming a single immortal herb raw could benefit only one person, this method allowed for the continuous cultivation of dozens of top-tier martial soul masters each year.
The Shrek Seven Monsters twenty years from now? No, it would be the Tian Xing Three Hundred Heroes!!!
Unfortunately, the analysis of the Love-Breaking Red remained a mystery. The energy forming it was far too advanced for Ye Wen's current level to decipher.
Still, the primal energies of the other herbs were enough for Ye Wen to put this research aside for now. He directly had Ah Yin consume the Love-Breaking Red.
As expected of a divine-grade herb surpassing all ordinary immortal herbs, Ah Yin's soul power surged from level 63 to level 70, surpassing Ye Wen's current level of 68.
Thanks to their earlier thorough search of the Sunset Forest, the two were well aware of the high-level spirit beasts there and already had a target in mind.
However, Ah Yin decided to wait until Ye Wen also reached level 70 before they hunted for their seventh soul ring together.
The Evil Fragrance Taro had perished, but true to its nature as a plant-type spirit beast, it left behind plenty of seeds. Ye Wen planted them around the outskirts of the Ice and Fire Dual Eye. Though not as potent as immortal herbs, they could still enhance a soul master's bloodline.
Moreover, before these new seeds grew to the thousand-year mark, there was no need to worry about the beast tide caused by blooming. Truly, plant-type spirit beasts had it tough—their growth was entirely at the mercy of fate.
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