The heavy wooden door banged softly as it swung open.
Liu Erlong stepped out, her figure fiery and upright as ever, but her eyes betrayed the exhaustion of a woman who had burned herself out on the wrong man.
She sighed, long and bitter. Her heart felt torn ragged, yet strangely… free.
She had once loved Yu Xiaogang.
Yes. The Yu Xiaogang from twenty years ago—though his martial soul was flawed, though his road was blocked after Soul Elder—he studied nonetheless, thirsting for knowledge. In those younger years, he radiated promise. Ambition. Even beauty in his stubbornness.
That was the man she admired.
But the Yu Xiaogang before her today? Caught in self-pity, wrapped in cowardice, unable to face his own heart. A man who fled twice from responsibility—first from love, then from marriage. He no longer dared even approach her shadow.
Love? It had died long ago.
The realization sat like steel in her chest. Erlong clenched her fists once, then relaxed with a bitter smile.
Enough. I, Liu Erlong, am done.
"Smelly man," she muttered under her breath, fire flickering in her pupils. "You dare play with my heart? Fine. But you will never touch what I hold precious. My children are mine. My Xiaobei is mine."
Her words, spoken with finality, snapped the last tether tying her to Yu Xiaogang.
And just then—
Ding!
The system's crisp chime blossomed in Su Bei's mind.
[ Goddess Target Locked – Liu Erlong ]
[ Current Strategy Value: 50 ]
[ Condition Met: Target regards host as sole emotional sustenance ]
[ Bonds with Yu Xiaogang: Severed. Awakening Level: 70% ]
[ Reward Unlocked – Select One (B-Tier): ]
① Title: "As Host" – The host gains a dominant aura. All relationships publicly tied to the host receive trust and acknowledgment without suspicion.
② Fire Dragon Legacy (Partial) – Inherit fragments of Liu Erlong's fire dragon bloodline; offensive power +20% permanently. Fire-attribute skills gain +1 rank in natural harmony.
③ Heavenly Binding Contract – Form a life-bound pact with Liu Erlong. When her strength rises, you gain partial shared feedback (5% stat share).
Su Bei's eyes flickered.
System, you really know how to tempt a man…
The first option handed him social capital: protection, recognition, the "official seal" of beauty made divine. The second was raw power—Dragon fire, enough to make even Tang San cough blood if used right.
But the third option… bond and siphon a Soul Saint's stats with each rise?
Su Bei smirked faintly. Why not eat both the cake and the bakery in time? For now… benefits first.
His choice crystallized in thought.
[ Selection Confirmed – Option ②: Fire Dragon Legacy ]
A wave of molten heat crashed into his veins.
His body trembled, a golden-red fire flickering under his immaculate skin. For a heartbeat, his bones crackled like burning logs, flesh bright as if made of molten jade.
[ Fire Dragon Legacy Absorbed ]
[ Permanent Stats Gained: +20% Attack and Internal Power ]
[ Fire Attribute Harmony Achieved – Offensive Abilities gain +1 Natural Rank ]
Su Bei felt his fists tighten, the world around him sharper, hotter.
He flexed a hand idly. Even holding only Rank 11 spirit power, his palm strikes would now blister stone. His smile burned faintly cruel.
Hah. Even God Kings should beware. This is what happens when the goddess system buffs me.
Erlong approached from behind, her fiery aura calmer now, like a hearth instead of raging wildfire. She crouched slightly, brushing Su Bei's shoulder, her smoky scent mingling with confidence and warmth.
"My Xiaobei," she murmured. "Don't look at that coward back there. From today, you have me. That is enough."
Su Bei tilted his head, meeting her eyes—the cold fury against Yu Xiaogang still simmered, but softer heat glowed in their depths when they rested on him.
It was possessiveness. Pride. Dependence.
Her heart, forcibly severed from Yu Xiaogang, had anchored itself. To him.
Su Bei, jade-lit face serene, allowed a faint smile to rise. Good. Another goddess path secured. Yu Xiaogang, your 'harem' is stripped before it even began.
Meanwhile, Tang San, waiting anxiously at the door, had heard enough of the shouting. He silently replayed Su Bei's words—of cowardice, betrayal, and manipulation.
Yu Xiaogang's proud theories had once sparked curiosity within him, but now? A haze of doubt clouded his gaze. He looked down at his clenched hands, at the faint whip of Blue Silver Grass around his finger tips.
"…Can I really entrust my path… to such a man?"
His eyes flicked toward Su Bei, luminous beauty reflected in pupils shaken. But that boy—he shines with confidence. Knowledge. Kindness. Even his warnings bore fruit. Can I… follow him instead?
At the college gates, the drama of the ages had played out differently.
Liu Erlong stood, her fiery figure steady as iron, hand protectively at Su Bei's back. At her side, Xiao Wu clung to his arm, lips pursed but eyes shimmering with faith.
And only meters away—Yu Xiaogang wilted, pale and silent before the woman he once cloaked in love. His voice gone, his aura shrunken.
The porter, an ordinary man, rubbed his eyes, muttering, "That boy… is too dazzling. Even stronger than Soul Saints, somehow…"
But Su Bei only smiled faintly to himself, aura now threaded with dragon flame.
Notting, the place of beginnings. Let's ruin this farce from the root.
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