Li Chang'an quickly withdrew his Deathgod Domain when he saw Ye Xuan's reaction. Still, his evaluation of this domain rose significantly. Compared to his own oceanic Domain, each had its own strengths—it all came down to different emphases.
"Alright, let's go. I'll take you to my place first so you can settle in and get used to life on the continent. After that, I'll assign you your mission." Li Chang'an reached his hand out to Ye Xuan gently as he spoke.
Their relationship was unique. In just one month, it had developed rapidly. But Ye Xuan always maintained a clear understanding of her position, and this was exactly what Li Chang'an appreciated the most. If Ye Xuan were the jealous type, he really wouldn't know how to deal with it.
"Okay." Ye Xuan slowly placed her hand in his. From this moment on, the only person she would rely on was this man.
Li Chang'an wrapped an arm around Ye Xuan's waist and soared into the sky, flying toward Spirit Hall City.
He had already accumulated enough insights—it was time to begin condensing his second soul core. And now, he had discovered two methods to perfectly fuse dual cores!
When he advanced to the rank of Title Douluo, it would be time to condense the third core. And upon reaching the level of Limit Douluo, the fourth. At that point, his strength would enter an entirely new realm.
On the way there, Li Chang'an flew slowly, explaining various pieces of knowledge to Ye Xuan. After all, she was going to be the leader of his secret squad, so he had to pour in his full effort to nurture her.
Then… well, as Li Chang'an spoke, his hands began to wander midair. Before long, he was already carrying Ye Xuan into a small forest—for a wild life adventure.
It took them about a day to reach the outskirts of Spirit Hall City. Instead of heading straight home, Li Chang'an took Ye Xuan on a stroll around the city, buying her some daily necessities and clothes. He also got her a soul tool for storage. Only then did they return to his family's hotel.
"Mom, have you picked out the people?" Li Chang'an waved his hand dismissively, completely ignoring the look his mother was giving Ye Xuan.
"You rascal, bringing a girl home and not even introducing her?" Mother Li gave Ye Xuan a thorough look, nodding slightly in approval.
'Hmm… her appearance was proper, if a little on the mature side—but that's fine. The real issue is that Li Chang'an already has two girlfriends. What now?'
'That Mu Xi girl was very thoughtful—every time she visited, she helped clean up and often gifted her handmade crafts. And that Hu Liena had a lovely voice, knew how to speak well, and carried herself like a noble. Ugh… such a dilemma…'
Mother Li had met both of Li Chang'an's previous girlfriends and was quite satisfied overall. But now, she also found herself liking this one.
"Mom, are you even listening to me?" Li Chang'an asked again, not realizing his mother was already worrying about who would be the official wife and who would be the concubine.
"I heard you. But I didn't quite catch what you meant. Say it again?" Mother Li replied with a perfectly serious expression, hiding the fact that she hadn't heard a word.
"Her name is Ye Xuan. She'll be living with us from now on and will be in charge of training those kids." Li Chang'an rolled his eyes. Seriously, pretending like she didn't understand—this was lying without even blushing. Thankfully, he didn't inherit that trait from her.
"Alright then, don't worry. She won't be mistreated in our home," Mother Li replied, although her expression dimmed slightly.
'So she's not the future daughter-in-law? That's disappointing.'
"I've found a total of 108 kids. They're being temporarily housed at our estate outside the city. You should go check on them," Mother Li added, handing Li Chang'an the address. She didn't bother to manage it further—after all, the idea of raising a group of loyal elites for the Chamber of Commerce was a sound one.
Li Chang'an visibly froze when he heard "108"
But he didn't have time to dwell on that. After saying his goodbyes to Mother Li, he took Ye Xuan and headed to the Li family's estate outside the city.
The estate was no small place. While most of the buildings housed common farmers, there were plenty of them—more than enough to accommodate the children.
Mother Li's foresight became evident here. Knowing these children would one day be the backbone of the Li family, she had everything arranged properly from the start. Tutors had been hired to teach them reading and writing. Their nutrition was carefully managed, with a steady supply of vegetables and meat.
However, she hadn't hired spirit masters to train them. That kind of move would have drawn too much attention. Basic literacy was fine, but martial training had to remain under wraps.
After hearing the report from the caretaker, Li Chang'an silently gave his mother a thumbs-up. She had saved him a lot of trouble.
'One hundred and eight spirit masters—all orphans—with mediocre martial soul talent, none of whom have broken through level ten. This group… will become one of my greatest trump cards.'
Looking at the group of kids, all under ten years old, Li Chang'an was deeply moved. He silently thanked the system for giving him unlimited potential.
"Ahem. Listen up—I'm Li Chang'an. From now on, I'll be your absolute leader. And the person beside me will be your captain. You can call her Captain Ye."
"I know your martial souls are ordinary, and no academies want you. But I promise you—under me, your futures are full of limitless possibilities!"
"Starting now, we'll divide you into squads based on your martial souls. Each team will include assault, support, and control types. Once teams are formed, you'll go through a basic test. The top 36 will enter the heaven Rankings—those on the list get triple pay and priority in soul rings!"
Then, both Li Chang'an and Ye Xuan revealed their soul rings, immediately silencing the crowd. The memory of that day, of that man's power and his awe-inspiring soul rings, would be burned into their memories. Even after becoming Spirit Saints or Title Douluo, the memory would still chill them to the bone.
Li Chang'an spent three days at the estate. He supervised the grouping, organized sparring, team combat exercises, and encouraged the children. At night, he gave them ideological lessons.
After three days, everything had been put in order. A sense of competition had been established among the kids. Only then did he leave, entrusting Ye Xuan with a three-month military-style training regimen. The goal was strict discipline and obedience. Only after that would he give them soul power fruits and begin helping them break through to obtain soul rings.
Ignoring the children training hard under the sun, Li Chang'an gave Ye Xuan her instructions and headed to the Pope's Palace.
He was good at timing, arriving just as Bibi Dong was having dinner.
At that moment, Bibi Dong hadn't even changed out of her light purple Pope's robes. But her gem-inlaid crown was off, and her slightly wavy long hair cascaded freely down her back. Her pale, slender fingers delicately held a spoon as she sipped porridge. Her small cherry lips looked quite enticing, yet paired with her cold and aloof aura, they formed an unexpectedly captivating contrast.
"Dong'er, long time no see." Li Chang'an's voice rang out from the entrance. He no longer needed to be announced. After confirming there was no one around, he walked in and gave Bibi Dong a bold kiss on the cheek before sitting down beside her.
"Hm? Chang'an, don't be like this…" Bibi Dong's frosty face lit up with joy when she heard his voice. But when she felt his kiss land on her cheek, her face immediately turned crimson.
Even though their relationship had already progressed significantly, Li Chang'an's shamelessness still made Bibi Dong blush like a young girl.
"Dong'er, it's been so long. Did you miss me?" Li Chang'an leaned in with a grin, completely ignoring her protest.
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T/N:
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