At this moment, Zhu Zhuqing actions left Li Yu somewhat puzzled.
But clearly, Zhu Zhuqing didn't want to leave right now.
First, with her current strength, she wouldn't be able to handle the pressure from the Star Luo Zhu family. Second, staying by Li Yu side, apart from everything else, the speed at which she could cultivate under the influence of the "Life Door" was unmatched elsewhere.
Thus, Zhu Zhuqing greatly cherished the time spent following Li Yu.
Now, it seemed Li Yu was going to make her leave, and naturally, she was unwilling.
After realizing this, Li Yu couldn't help but laugh helplessly.
After some thought, he reached out and gently pressed a silver mark on Zhu Zhuqing forehead.
"I'm not sending you away. Here, if you want to stay, you can stay. There's no time limit."
"However, the Life Door is essentially a servant's mark. Though it accelerates your cultivation, it's not meant to remain forever."
"I will temporarily place the Thorn Dragon by your side. It will protect you when you're in danger."
"But this doesn't mean you can command it."
"Until you're strong enough to handle the threat from the Zhu family, I can ensure your safety."
Li Yu spoke calmly.
He didn't directly solve Zhu Zhuqing problems because, in the end, these were things she needed to face herself.
And, in fact, it was no secret that Zhu Zhuqing was following him.
Even if Li Yu did nothing, with his current deterrent power, the Star Luo Zhu family wouldn't dare take any action.
Placing the Thorn Dragon by Zhu Zhuqing side, aside from protecting her at a critical moment, was also to help her understand spatial power.
Zhu Zhuqing was already skilled in speed, and if she could comprehend spatial power, her strength would certainly grow tremendously.
After doing all this, Li Yu went to see Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu was a secret of the soul beasts, and currently, very few knew about it—either they were dead or part of their own people.
But she was currently just a Four-ring Soul Master, far from becoming a Spirit Saint. Therefore, Li Yu gave her the option to choose for herself.
If she wanted to return to Star Dou, he would eliminate the Life Door; if not, she could stay, and he would also inform her of the general situation in Star Dou.
In the end, Xiao Wu chose not to leave.
From her emotional display, it seemed she was quite scared of people like Emperor Di Tian.
Clearly, the Star Dou Forest was not as peaceful as it appeared, both inside and outside.
Of course, Li Yu didn't probe further, as it wasn't really his concern.
He didn't care about the internal or external conflicts; if they caused him trouble, he would just eliminate them. Plus, after the second Martial Spirit was condensed, he needed a few soul rings.
If he could absorb some evil beast's soul rings, it might save him from arduous training and directly reach level 99.
After all, the effect of absorbing a 100,000-year soul ring directly was different from one obtained through later free distribution of years.
Finally, Li Yu went to see Dugu Yan.
"Li Yu..." Dugu Yan eyes were filled with tears, clearly already aware that Li Yu was about to leave temporarily.
"I'm just leaving for something, not going to die. Why are you crying?" Li Yu laughed, comforting her, though he was both amused and helpless.
Dugu Yan, however, ignored him and wrapped herself around Li Yu.
Li Yu didn't resist, but he didn't embrace her either. After all, even though he appeared as a woman, Dugu Bo had already told her about him "turning into a man."
So, deep inside, Li Yu still felt the need to be cautious.
And right now, not pushing Dugu Yan away wasn't because he wanted to take advantage but because, deep down, whether because of Dugu Bo or something else, he had long treated Dugu Yan as a younger sister.
If he pushed her away, it might seem overly exaggerated.
Thus, he felt somewhat awkward and didn't know how to react.
"Happy wedding, Brother Yu!" At that moment, Dugu Yan let go and stepped back a few paces, smiling as she spoke. "Though it's a bit late, there hasn't been an opportunity before, so you won't mind, right?"
Li Yu froze for a moment, then smiled and shook his head. "Of course, I don't mind."
"Then Brother Yu, don't you want to 'show your real self' to me?" Dugu Yan laughed, her eyes gleaming mischievously as she looked Li Yu up and down.
Li Yu face darkened, but in the end, he still satisfied Dugu Yan request and spoke with her as Li Yu for quite a while.
Afterwards, Li Yu sent a message to Xue Beng, telling him that he was about to leave. He then masked his presence.
For the next few days, he observed in secret.
Watching Xue Beng, with the help of the mark left by Li Yu and Dugu Bo assistance, successfully "took control," and after some minor fluctuations, everything returned to normal.
Xue Beng was diligent and didn't have any ulterior motives.
Li Yu knew it was because of his deterrent force, but still, for now, he acknowledged Xue Beng.
Then, he secretly went to see the retired Emperor Xue Ye, who had been living a peaceful life and was gradually improving in health.
Although the Emperor had abdicated, Xue Beng came by almost every day to accompany him, so he was not unfamiliar with the affairs of the court.
Seeing Li Yu arrival, Xue Ye was surprised but then became more at ease.
Li Yu didn't send a message, just left directly, demonstrating his responsibility for the Heaven Dou Empire.
The retired Emperor, who hoped for the prosperity of Heaven Dou, was naturally gratified.
But when facing Li Yu, he was still anxious and unable to present himself as he would when facing "his daughter-in-law."
Li Yu naturally didn't come to make things difficult for the old man. After chatting casually, he left.
This time, he truly left Heaven Dou City.
However, he didn't go far. He came to the Shuo Feng Cold Plains again, directly entering the domain space and starting closed-door cultivation.
During this time, whenever he had free moments, he kept thinking about the matter of the second Martial Spirit.
Initially, he wanted to proceed "safely."
So, he leaned more toward the second plan, which was to communicate properly with the Evil Eye Tyrant Ruler and have it voluntarily sacrifice itself to become his second Martial Spirit.
But...
If safety was the priority, then why bother with the second Martial Spirit?
Given his current cultivation speed, even without the second Martial Spirit, by simply following the conventional path and using 'Absorption' and 'Dark Demon Devour,' he could definitely reach level 99 before Qian Renxue came out of seclusion.
So, in the end, he persuaded himself and decided to take the risk and go with the first plan—to use his body as a seed and condense his original Martial Spirit.
After serious consideration, he found it feasible.
After all, the rules of this world were different from those of other realms.
The existence of second and even third awakenings meant he didn't need to do everything at once.
He could complete part of it first, then "evolve."
Additionally, absorbing soul rings could continuously alter his Martial Spirit.
Having made up his mind, he immediately began the attempt.