Thank you to our new Patrons: SilverWolf, Melon, Sam Olsen, Thomas Gill and P Tydd! Your support means the world to me <3 We are up to Chapter 710: Xiao Wu's Loyalty – Final Part on Patreon!
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Staring into the Silver Dragon King's earnest gaze, Ye Wen fell silent for a moment before gently shaking his head.
"Not enough. And I can't fully trust the dragon race.
Perhaps you don't fully grasp the nature of humanity, but let me give you a simple example.
In any given region, two male tiger-type spirit beasts cannot coexist peacefully—inevitably, one will die."
It was the classic "one mountain cannot hold two tigers" problem. The Silver Dragon King nodded in understanding.
Moreover, the perspective of god-level experts naturally differed from that of ordinary beings. The line between humans and beasts had long blurred. At this level, both Ye Wen and the Silver Dragon King were gods.
Mentioning their respective races was merely a remnant of past attachments.
Furthermore, thanks to Ye Wen's earlier hints conveyed through Xue Di to Di Tian, the Silver Dragon King already understood her current predicament.
Her gaze drifted for a moment before hardening with resolve.
"The dragon race and humanity will ultimately come together."
Ye Wen raised an eyebrow. "On what basis?"
"Because I will marry you and align myself with your vision, jointly safeguarding Douluo Star," the Silver Dragon King softly replied.
Contrary to her expectation, Ye Wen didn't react with shock. Instead, he sat silently in his chair, seemingly lost in thought.
The Silver Dragon King's knowledge of Ye Wen came entirely from Na'er, so she knew how deeply devoted Ye Wen was to his wives. Political marriages like this had never been part of his character.
But soon, realization dawned on her.
This man was a legend who had risen from obscurity to become the supreme deity of Douluo Star. How could such petty emotions sway his wisdom? Perhaps he had foreseen this day all along.
The Silver Dragon King asked, "What do you think?"
Though Ye Wen had anticipated this moment and even entertained similar thoughts, having it brought up by the other party made him somewhat uncomfortable.
But spirit beasts were indeed straightforward. This was something he should have said first.
For instance, "Silver Dragon King, surely you wouldn't want the dragon race…"
Ye Wen silently nodded, remaining wordless for a while before adding, "It must be your true body—you can't use Na'er's body; it makes me uneasy.
And since you're Na'er's creator, you could also be considered her mother. If you marry me, then Na'er will formally become your daughter as well."
The Silver Dragon King gave a slight nod, her heart feeling oddly stirred. Yet she kept her thoughts unspoken, instead experiencing a strange sense of excitement.
Seeing the Silver Dragon King agree, Ye Wen felt a portion of his grand plan fall into place, allowing him to breathe a small sigh of relief.
However, there was still no emotional foundation between them, and many details required careful negotiation.
Because the Silver Dragon King's divine position specialized in creation, as long as she had the materials and references, she could recreate the extinct true dragon race.
The initial territory would undoubtedly be the Star Luo Great Forest, areas Ye Wen had long forbidden for soul hunting.
After a millennium without human interference, the quality of spirit beasts in the various hunting forests had significantly improved compared to a thousand years ago. Even millennium-level spirit beasts were now commonplace, while century-level ones were practically worthless.
But over the years, Ye Wen had come to realize the flaws in his previous system.
There were now very few ordinary people on Douluo Continent who lacked soul power.
Moreover, due to prolonged peace and the advent of offensive soul-guiding tools, though these soul masters possessed decent combat strength, they lacked high-intensity real-world battle experience.
The technological leap required for a perfect virtual reality system was simply too vast, and progress had stagnated.
Even divine energy wasn't a solution—though versatile, it wasn't omnipotent.
Thus, while rudimentary virtual reality technology existed, it was fake—very fake—and held no practical value.
Though arena battles still occurred, they only involved a small fraction of the population. Most people, content with comfortable lives, had chosen other professions.
Therefore, Ye Wen decided to change the way soul masters obtained soul rings. The era where all soul masters could acquire soul rings from Spirit Ring Pillars based on their citizen status was over.
The Soul Master Era 2.0 had begun—
The age of simple cultivation combined with compulsory soul master education was gone. All soul masters below the Soul King realm would now have to rely on their own strength to hunt spirit beasts and obtain soul rings.
Of course, Ye Wen wouldn't simply send these novices to their deaths.
After all, even a century-level spirit beast from a thousand years ago required several Great Soul Masters to subdue.
Though offensive soul-guiding tools now existed, combat skills still needed proper cultivation.
While Ye Wen couldn't prevent large factions from cheating, the first four soul rings were merely appetizers.
Starting with the fifth soul ring—the ten-thousand-year soul ring—Ye Wen established a new evaluation system.
If a soul master's comprehensive abilities corresponding to their cultivation direction were insufficient, they wouldn't receive a soul ring.
This restriction would continue until the seventh soul ring.
Of course, if someone wanted to hunt on their own, Ye Wen wouldn't stop them. But if they cultivated useless individuals unfit for the future, they'd bear the consequences themselves.
Obtaining the seventh soul ring required passing another evaluation system.
The most loyal members of the merfolk, under Ye Wen's command, would serve as examiners to assess the abilities of these prospective Soul Sages. Those who failed would not receive a soul ring.
By the Soul Sage realm, one was already considered a minor expert. Thus, Ye Wen planned to provide specialized free training for them.
Of course, those confident in their abilities could still venture into the spirit beast forests to hunt. Ye Wen wouldn't stop them.
The same applied to subsequent realms.
However, Ye Wen also offered significant incentives. If a soul master displayed extraordinary strength and became a Title Douluo, the Holy Spirit Empire would sponsor their advancement to the divine official realm. This offer immediately ignited excitement among the elite ranks.
The era of pursuing quantity was over. Ye Wen now sought quality.
Though some weaker soul masters complained about this more brutal era, Ye Wen paid them no mind.
For in the future Ye Wen envisioned, bloodshed and war were inevitable.
After all, no matter how abundant Douluo Star's resources were, they were still finite. If they remained confined to Douluo Star's development, the exhaustion of resources would eventually lead to the collapse of the entire civilization.
The once-gentle and death-fearing Ye Wen had, over a millennium, developed a streak of iron-blooded resolve.
As for why he initiated this era of slaughter while allowing the dragon race to proliferate in the various hunting forests—
First, the dragon race's innate talents were already at the pinnacle among spirit beasts.
If these weak soul masters could easily kill them, it would only prove that this new generation of dragons was useless.
Moreover, the Silver Dragon King believed in survival of the fittest. The dragon race had never feared battle.
Both parties tacitly agreed. The spirit beast forests truly became the Silver Dragon King's domain.
A brand-new era was about to dawn.
With a gentle smile, Ye Wen affectionately ruffled the now-softened Na'er's head, his eyes filled with indulgence.
"Are you alright, Na'er?"
"Mm, thank you for your concern, Father," Na'er softly replied, her gaze complex as she quietly left Ye Wen's office.
------------------------------------------------------
Support my writing journey: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow