"Where do I stand as your husband?"
Gu Fei's voice was a blade of ice, scraping against the silence between them.
Xun'er looked up, her golden eyes trembling as they met his frozen gaze. She wanted to explain—to deny—but the words withered in her throat.
Gu Fei was right.
She was married. Yet her heart had never truly been his.
Her willfulness, her disregard for his feelings… No, it wasn't mere disregard.
She simply hadn't cared.
[Ding! Xun'er's panic spirals. Emotion value +300.]
"Enough. Let's divorce." Gu Fei's tone brooked no argument. "If you won't give me your body, I'll grant you your freedom."
"I—"
For a fleeting moment, Xun'er almost blurted out "I'll give myself to you tonight."
But the words stuck.
"Am I truly so… unworthy of your trust?" Her voice cracked, her face pale as moonlight.
[Ding! Xun'er's grief and shame surge. Emotion value +300.]
Gu Fei laughed—a sound devoid of warmth. "What trust? You've done nothing to earn it."
"I… I…"
Her mind blanked. No justification came.
"We'll part peacefully. No more humiliation." He turned toward the door. "I'm leaving tonight."
This bamboo house was Xun'er's. In his devotion, Gu Fei had acquiesced to her every whim—even living separately after marriage.
Now? There was no reason to stay.
"NO!" Xun'er lunged forward, desperation clawing at her. "You're my husband! You can't leave!"
Gu Fei paused. His next question was a guillotine:
"Then will you consummate our marriage tonight?"
Silence.
Xun'er's lips parted, but no sound emerged.
"That's what I thought."
He strode out, deaf to her pleas.
The Path Ahead
Night draped the Gu Clan's mountains in silver, the ancient temples below resembling slumbering beasts.
Gu Fei stood alone on a distant peak, the wind biting his cheeks. For the first time in years, his mind was clear.
"No more wasting myself on Xun'er."
The relief was intoxicating.
This mountain had been his home before marriage. Now, it welcomed him back like an old friend.
As he walked, his thoughts turned to the future.
In the Dou Qi Continent, the pinnacle was Dou Di—a god among cultivators. And Gu Fei? He would claim that throne.
Ten years ago, the Emotion Upgrade System had transformed him from mediocrity to the Gu Clan's brightest star.
Its mechanism was simple:
Provoke emotional spikes in those blessed by fate (like Xun'er or Xiao Yan).
Harvest emotion values—the more pivotal the person, the greater the reward.
Upgrade abilities: Cultivation, alchemy, soul strength…
Until now, Gu Fei had fixated on Xun'er. But ordinary targets yielded meager gains—0.1 points per tantrum. A high-value target like Xun'er? Hundreds per breakdown.
To grow stronger, he needed to gather the continent's luck-blessed figures.
[Current Emotion Value: 4000]
A translucent panel flickered before him.
Before the divorce ultimatum, he'd scraped 2000 points. Now? Double.
"Time to invest."
The system screen updated:
[Host: Gu Fei]
Age: 16
Cultivation: 7-Star Dou Ancestor→ Upgrade Available
Talent: Level 101 (Beyond Dou Di Bloodline)
Physique: Level 78 (*7th-Tier Monster Equivalent*)
Soul: Spirit Realm (Initial Stage)→ Upgrade Available
Alchemy: Tier-6 → Upgrade Available
"System," Gu Fei commanded, "upgrade alchemy to Tier-7."
[Ding! 3999 points consumed. Evolution initiated.]
"Hnngh—!"
Knowledge flooded his mind—formulas, fire control, spiritual extraction—decades of alchemy mastery compressed into seconds.
Tier-7. The realm of Pill Kings.
Gu Fei's lips curled. With this system, even Tier-9 wasn't a dream.
Lost in the data stream, he didn't notice the figure watching him from the shadows—a Gu Clan beauty, her eyes alight with intrigue.