When Gu Yue learned from Lu Jingming that it was Sea God Tang San who was scheming against the Emperor Rui Beast, she wasn't surprised. With her intelligence, she could have figured that out herself.
However, what truly shocked her was the ruthlessness of Sea God Tang San. The fragment of divine consciousness that had merged with the Emperor Rui Beast was actually a part of his daughter, Tang Wutong's, soul. Even a tiger wouldn't eat its own cubs, yet Sea God Tang San had cruelly split his daughter's soul just to scheme against the Emperor Rui Beast.
Such a character brought Gu Yue's wariness of Sea God Tang San to a peak. After all, what wouldn't a person who could be so cruel to their own flesh and blood do? With a person like that targeting the Emperor Rui Beast, how could Gu Yue not worry about its safety?
The Emperor Rui Beast's prior clamor to take on a human form was precisely influenced by Tang Wutong's fragment of divine consciousness.
Faced with this situation, Lu Jingming suggested turning the tables and playing a game of chess with Sea God Tang San to see who would be the ultimate winner. He wanted to make Tang San lose his daughter *and* his pawns. After gaining Gu Yue's consent, the Emperor Rui Beast successfully transformed.
Perhaps due to the influence of Tang Wutong's divine consciousness fragment, the transformed Emperor Rui Beast had golden hair but a face that was somewhat similar to Tang Wutong's.
Di Tian asked Gu Yue to name her, but Gu Yue instead told Lu Jingming to do it. Lazily, he simply gave her the name "Wang Qiu'er." Afterward, Gu Yue brought Wang Qiu'er to St. Freya Academy. She felt at ease only with Wang Qiu'er by her side. After all, the Emperor Rui Beast had been targeted by Sea God Tang San, and no one knew what other devious tricks he might pull.
Lu Jingming's idea was simple. Neither Wang Qiu'er nor Wang Dong'er were the real Tang Wutong; the real Tang Wutong's memories and soul were still controlled by Tang San. As long as Wang Qiu'er didn't voluntarily sacrifice herself or do anything to seek her own death, she would be powerful enough that even if Tang San released Tang Wutong to replace Wang Qiu'er and seize the Emperor Rui Beast's fortune and power of destiny, the ultimate victor would be up for grabs.
Tang Wutong was from the Divine Realm, the daughter of a God-King. Her bloodline was incredibly noble, and she had long ago developed the divine consciousness that only gods possessed. But she had yet to become a true god. If Wang Qiu'er became powerful enough, she would have a chance to take control.
In fact, the most pitiful of them all was Wang Dong'er. Her body belonged to Tang Wutong, but her experiences, her beloved, and everything else would eventually be stolen by Tang Wutong. The real Wang Dong'er had perished in the Valley of Love, and the person who appeared afterward was nothing more than Tang Wutong.
While, strictly speaking, the three souls were one, their experiences, memories, and personalities were different. Could they truly be considered the same person? To Lu Jingming, this was a very controversial question. It was like a certain battle-hardened hero who charged into trees—he only recognized souls.
Wang Dong'er, Wang Qiu'er, and Tang Wutong had tightly linked souls but different personalities. When Wang Dong'er died in the Valley of Love, the persona known as Wang Dong'er disappeared forever, and the one who awakened in that body was Tang Wutong.
So, Lu Jingming thought that Huo Yuhao in the original work was also a marvel. He couldn't have failed to notice the difference between Wang Dong'er and Tang Wutong. But upon reflection, he could understand it. The person Huo Yuhao fell in love with at first sight was the martial soul fusion skill he performed with Wang Dong—the Goddess of Light, who was none other than Tang Wutong. From that perspective, he hadn't chosen the wrong person.
Even with the Simulated Universe for virtual combat, students occasionally sparred in reality, just like Wang Qiu'er and the others were doing now.
Lu Jingming watched the intense battle between Wang Qiu'er and Ji Juechen on the training grounds, a faint smile on his lips. He could see that neither of them had used their trump cards, but their strength was evenly matched.
Wang Qiu'er wielded the Golden Dragon Spear, and her simulated Golden Dragon martial soul possessed the pinnacle of strength. Every move she made was powerful and full of force. Meanwhile, Ji Juechen's cultivation was slightly better, and his sword intent had become purer and stronger after studying swordsmanship with Jingliu.
The battle was a brilliant clash of strength versus technique. Wang Qiu'er was skilled in strength but lacked in technique, while Ji Juechen, a master of the way of the sword, excelled in technique but not power.
Lu Jingming watched for a while and realized that they wouldn't be able to determine a victor anytime soon. He gently patted Meng Hongchen, who had been clinging to him.
"Meng, I have to go. I'll play with you next time."
"Oh, okay!" Meng Hongchen's eyes were full of reluctance as she slowly released her arms from around Lu Jingming, her gaze following his departing back.
As Lu Jingming passed Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo, who were also watching the match, he reached out and gave both of them a head-pat. Afterward, his gaze fell on Ye Guyi's golden hair. He was about to do the same, but Ye Guyi dodged with wide eyes. Seeing Ye Guyi, Lu Jingming couldn't help but think of Qian Renxue. He was a little curious about whether there was any connection between the two of them, after all, in this world, Qian Renxue's divine position was shattered ten thousand years ago, and she was stuck at level eighty-nine for life.
Although some mischievous thoughts crossed his mind, Lu Jingming had no intention of revealing the existence of parallel worlds for now.
"This experiment was a success. I did feel the feedback. Now I just need to wait for the fruit to ripen, and the divine position will naturally form."
Lu Jingming walked into Herta's laboratory and immediately saw the great Herta sitting majestically in the main seat. She was wearing her usual witch outfit, her beautiful legs in black stockings elegantly crossed. Around her, a group of Herta puppets bustled about.
"Oh, are you planning to start the second phase? I've told you before, the gods of this world are all mediocre. I have plenty of ways to deal with that Sea God brother. You're just too cautious."
Herta slightly raised the brim of her witch hat and glanced at Lu Jingming. She had already analyzed this world thoroughly, and the Divine Realm was no exception. In fact, she had even calculated the method for the Divine Realm to ascend and become a Divine Star.
While it was an exaggeration to say she had analyzed the entire universe—Herta wasn't that big machine head, and she no longer possessed the power of the Path of Erudition—she was a genuine genius. For a genius, the path and method that the gods of the Divine Realm had failed to find over countless years, she had found in very little time. Because of this, she didn't hesitate to call the gods of the Divine Realm mediocre. They wasted time and remained stagnant, making no progress and having no new ideas. It was incredibly boring.
Lu Jingming didn't refute Herta's words. He knew in his heart that he had indeed been overly wary of the Divine Realm and Sea God Tang San due to his preconceived notions. With his current forces, he was no match for a head-on confrontation with the Divine Realm. However, a head-on clash wasn't always necessary. As a genius, Herta had a myriad of methods, and she naturally had a way to restrain Sea God Tang San.
"It can now be confirmed that the planet's feedback can indeed condense a divine position," Lu Jingming said, extending his right hand. The stigmata on the back of his hand lit up with a verdant divine light. Although the divine position was still in its embryonic form, it undoubtedly proved that his direction was correct.
"Now we just have to wait for the points of filth to be cleared, and a large amount of the planet's negative energy to be converted into positive energy. At that time, the planet will evolve, and I will be able to condense a God-King level divine position."
Lu Jingming smiled. The feedback from one planet was enough to form a God-King position. At this moment, he was already planning for his second divine position, so he intended to take action on this Douluo Continent. Before that, he had to first deal with the great threat of Sea God Tang San. He not only had to consider his own divine position but also those of others. Zhang Lexuan, Xu Jiujiu, Meng Hongchen, and even the people of Haiyuan City—as long as there were conditions and opportunities, he hoped to help them become gods. This was probably what was meant by "when one person ascends, their followers ascend with them." He wouldn't mistreat anyone who followed him.
"So, I'll be counting on you for the next step, Herta."
"No problem, if you ask me nicely!"
"I'm begging you, brilliant, unparalleled, captivating Herta!" Lu Jingming praised her with a calm expression. He was already used to this kind of situation. However, he thought to himself that the next time Herta wanted him to do an experiment, he wouldn't just agree after being begged. He would at least get some benefits.
His gaze unconsciously fell on Herta's beautiful legs in black stockings. With Herta's character, their increasingly harmonious relationship, and the many unknowns he could bring her, there might be a chance to get a kiss. He had always maintained basic restraint with the girls of this world, but he felt that it was okay to "act crazy" sometimes with his summoned "waifu."
It was like with Jingliu. If he didn't do some "wild things" like his sneak attack before, she would only ever see Lu Jingming as a disciple, not a suitor. The same went for Herta. If he wasn't proactive, she would only see him as a rare experimental subject, and once she had studied him thoroughly, she would lose interest.
Lu Jingming knew that he wasn't a super genius like Ruan Mei or Screwllum who could stand alongside Herta, and he couldn't become her close friend or partner on talent alone. So, he had to put in more effort. Of course, with Lu Jingming's Authority of Reality, he could bring too many unknown factors for even Herta to study thoroughly, so he didn't have to worry about Herta losing interest in him. But Lu Jingming's goal was more than just being Herta's friend or partner; he wanted her to be his wife, the kind he could have kids with.
Herta was very pleased with Lu Jingming's praise and immediately nodded. "I will shield the Divine Realm's observation of this planet and, by the way, give that Sea God something to do."
Herta could also tell that simply shielding his observation might make Sea God Tang San desperate, so she had to find something else to distract him, so he wouldn't have time to pay attention to the happenings here. With Mobius's help, she had already left a contingency plan in the Divine Realm by following Sea God Tang San's divine consciousness avatar. If she could even stir up the Golden Dragon King, it was no problem at all to create some trouble for Sea God Tang San.
"I have an idea, and it might even add a new general to World Serpent."
When Lu Jingming heard that Herta was going to cause trouble for Tang San, he recalled how Herta had previously instigated the Golden Dragon King to charge at the Divine Prohibition Land seal to divert Sea God Tang San's attention. A brilliant idea suddenly popped into his mind.
Lu Jingming put his idea into action immediately. He activated the Authority of Reality. As the Authority of Reality was used, a powerful force capable of turning the imaginary into the real surged from his palm. A ball of fire suddenly bloomed, and wrapped in the flames, a red gem was gradually materialized from nothing, as if it had stepped into the real world from a nonexistent realm of illusion.
"No matter how many times I see it, it's still so incredible. To be able to materialize things from imagination. This power is somewhat similar to the Path of Enigmata, but there's a fundamental difference." Herta watched the scene with great interest. In her eyes, the essence of Lu Jingming's power was simply miraculous, not inferior to that of a Starry God. It might even be stronger. After all, if Lu Jingming were strong enough and had enough Authority of Reality, he could truly make anything he imagined a reality, even reaching a state of omniscience and omnipotence.
Sometimes, Herta couldn't help but wonder if she was truly materialized from a game world by Lu Jingming into reality, or if she was just an illusory existence imagined in his mind, or even a projection or counterpart of the real Herta. However, these questions were difficult to answer definitively in a short time, and she wasn't the type of person to obsess over such things. She knew that she existed in this world now, and that was enough. She didn't intend to dwell on the other minor details.
With Herta's intelligence, she could naturally tell that Lu Jingming desired her body, but she wasn't repulsed by it, and that was enough.
The firelight gradually dissipated, and Lu Jingming smiled as he handed the red gem to Herta. "Here, the Gem of Epidemic. I already have a perfect candidate in mind, and he has a big flaw. I am very much looking forward to the birth of the Seventh Herrscher of World Serpent, the Herrscher of Epidemic."
"Is this kind of playing house game fun?" Herta rolled her eyes beautifully, but still reached out and took the gem. Her seemingly disdainful action actually contained a kind of special indulgence.
"It's a lot of fun!" Lu Jingming answered without hesitation. Since he had transmigrated to this world and had such a powerful cheat, of course, he wanted to experience it in the most interesting way.
The current situation on the Douluo Continent was relatively peaceful. The Sun and Moon Empire was busy accumulating strength, and the other empires were also catching up in secret. No major events were expected to happen in the next few years. So, Lu Jingming wanted to find some fun and, by the way, get more benefits for himself, his companions, and his subordinates.
"Boring," Herta said helplessly. For a genius like her, Lu Jingming's way of playing was not interesting at all. Compared to a game of building up a faction, she would rather spend time researching the Simulated Universe. After all, unknown fields were more appealing to her.
"If you have this much free time, you might as well find me more materials. When can you help me build a space station?" Herta had already lost her passion for studying the Douluo Star. She wanted to go to outer space to conduct more in-depth research. However, although she had the technology, the prerequisite conditions were difficult to meet. Both the construction techniques and equipment, as well as the quantity of materials, were severely lacking.
"A space station? How about we build a Xianzhou instead!" Lu Jingming rubbed his chin and suddenly proposed this bold idea.
"A Xianzhou? It's not impossible for me to build one, but do you have enough materials and energy?" Herta pouted. She naturally knew about the Xianzhou Alliance of the Hunt and had studied the structure of the Xianzhou in depth. As long as the resources were sufficient, it wouldn't be difficult to build another Xianzhou. But the key was that each Xianzhou was like an independent world with countless pocket dimensions inside. To allow a Xianzhou to travel freely in the universe, the required energy was immense. The reason why the Xianzhou Alliance could do it was that the Starry God of the Hunt had opened up its Path, providing an inexhaustible supply of Imaginary energy. But did Lu Jingming have such a condition?
"Won't a Herrscher Core work?" Lu Jingming held up the Gem of Epidemic and looked at Herta with anticipation. How fun would it be to build a Xianzhou of his own? A Herrscher Core could connect to Imaginary Space and convert it into an endless supply of Honkai energy. It stood to reason that Honkai energy, as a form of Imaginary energy, even though it had been modified, should be able to replace Path energy to power the Xianzhou.
"In theory, it is feasible, but the output of a Herrscher Core is too low. However, I can use this to help you develop a stronger Honkai energy engine. But the problem is, what about the materials? You can't even leave this planet right now, and you're already fantasizing about building a Xianzhou!" Herta reached out her finger in annoyance and poked Lu Jingming's forehead. She knew that while Lu Jingming's Authority of Reality could materialize all kinds of materials, it would be a huge waste to use the Authority of Reality to exchange for materials. After all, his Authority of Reality wasn't infinite.
"Materials? Oh, I almost forgot, I have this too!" Lu Jingming suddenly slapped his forehead in realization. Immediately, he used the Authority of Reality again. As a large amount of Authority of Reality was consumed out of thin air, a golden regular hexahedron slowly floated in his hand.
"The First Divine Key, the Key of Emptiness. It has the Authority to comprehend and replicate. With your knowledge, Herta, any material you have fully analyzed can be converted using Honkai energy."
Herta's eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in them. She immediately reached out and took the Key of Emptiness. Almost instantly, she and the Key of Emptiness completed their synchronization, and the First Divine Key recognized her as its owner. The process was as smooth as when the Thousand-Slasher recognized its owner, with almost no rejection.
"This ability is quite interesting, very suitable for me." Herta showed a strong interest. With her knowledge base and enough energy, she could use the Key of Emptiness's Authority to manufacture a Xianzhou on the spot. Of course, this was assuming she had enough Honkai energy. While hand-crafting a Xianzhou was still unrealistic for now, hand-crafting satellites, other technological creations, or even various soul tools was no longer difficult for Herta, who now possessed the Key of Emptiness.
And most importantly, the Key of Emptiness could now replicate any cosmic material that Herta understood. The materials that were extremely rare and hard to find in this universe now had a new way of being acquired. This way, Lu Jingming's dream of building a Xianzhou also seemed possible.
Of course, this would undoubtedly be a huge project. The sheer size of a Xianzhou was equivalent to a planet, and with the countless pocket dimensions opened inside, its scale was far beyond that of an ordinary planet.
"Why are you so generous today, you little rascal?" Herta tossed the Key of Emptiness in her hand and walked around Lu Jingming, suddenly saying. In the past, she had to ask him nicely if she wanted to study items from other worlds, but now Lu Jingming was so generous. One had to know that a weapon with Authority like the Key of Emptiness required a large amount of Authority of Reality to materialize.
"It's not bad. I made a lot of money this time." Lu Jingming's lips curled into a faint smile. The commotion he caused in the parallel world this time was not small. The Spirit Hall, the two great empires, Sea God Island, and the City of Slaughter were all drawn into it, and his gains were naturally quite bountiful. This time, he not only received feedback from the planet, and his divine position began to condense, but he also received a lot of Authority of Reality as a reward. Otherwise, he would have been reluctant to take out the Key of Emptiness.
After all, he had always wanted to accumulate enough Authority of Reality to summon his "waifu," Firefly, to instantly slash the Divine Realm. But upon reflection, summoning a full-powered Firefly or a weakened version would require a massive amount of Authority of Reality. Given his current situation, he simply didn't have such a huge reserve, as he needed to use Authority of Reality for many other things. Moreover, instantly slashing the Divine Realm seemed too boring. It would be more interesting to slowly maneuver against Sea God Tang San.
Just like this time, he was already preparing a "welcome gift" for Sea God Tang San.
"Since you're so generous, do you want a reward? A Xianzhou isn't realistic right now, but I can build you a cosmic battleship." Herta tossed the Key of Emptiness in her hand, circled Lu Jingming, and suddenly said. The Key of Emptiness was a huge help to her and could assist her in many experiments. She didn't mind giving Lu Jingming a reward.
"What would I do with a cosmic battleship right now? How about you kiss me instead?" Compared to a cosmic battleship, Lu Jingming hoped for a more special reward from Herta, like a kiss.
"Oh, you're not even trying to hide your desires!" Herta slightly raised her eyebrows, then didn't hesitate to give Lu Jingming a peck on the cheek. "I keep my word. Alright, you can go now." After giving the reward, Herta's expression changed instantly, and she unceremoniously began to shoo him away.
"Uh!" Lu Jingming was a little stunned. He instinctively touched his cheek, where the dampness and warmth were still clearly felt. His lips twitched slightly. "No, I meant to kiss me *here*, not my cheek!" he said, pointing to his lips.
Herta looked at him with a look of disdain. "You're dreaming. Is my first kiss that cheap? It's not that easy to get!"
"Fine!" Lu Jingming really wanted to argue that the Key of Emptiness was not cheap at all, but he had already gotten a good deal today. In any case, there would be many opportunities in the future. Since he could get a kiss on the cheek today, he thought it wouldn't be too long before he got Herta's first kiss.