Upon sensing the dissatisfaction in Qin Ming's tone, Xu Yang immediately understood the reason and smiled as he explained, "Teacher Qin Ming, didn't we come to the Heaven Dou Spirit Arena precisely to temper our real combat abilities? Winning or losing doesn't matter to me. It's rare to encounter a kindred spirit in battle—how could I not go all out?"
"But what about the upcoming team spirit battle?!" Qin Ming retorted. "Relying on only Yan Zi—a Control System Soul Elder who can't use her poison—there's no way to gain an advantage. If we run into a team composed entirely of Soul Elders, we'll be completely overpowered."
"Relax! Under the sun, I recover quickly. There are still three hours before the first team battle—plenty of time for me to fully recover!"
"In that case, I'll be waiting for good news."
Hearing Xu Yang's confidence, Qin Ming realized he had his own plans and didn't press further. He turned to watch the other matches, particularly focusing on Yu Tianheng and the others to formulate tactics for the upcoming team battles.
"Yan Zi, take me to a balcony where there's sunlight. I need to rest properly for a bit!"
"Alright!"
Dugu Yan nodded and led Xu Yang to the highest area of the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena. There were private viewing boxes there, basked in sunlight and with a perfect view of the main battle arena below. Given their identities, securing a box was easy.
Soon, the two were brought to the top-level suite. Inside were not only sofas and chairs but also a bed, a restroom, and refreshments like a fresh fruit platter and delicious dishes on the coffee table. Several scantily-clad maids stood nearby. Each was attractive, with a professional smile and graceful posture.
These maids were assigned to serve guests in the private suites and were all virgins, available at the guests' request.
"Get out!" Dugu Yan's voice turned cold.
The maids didn't argue. One by one, they bowed politely to Dugu Yan and Xu Yang before exiting the room.
Once they were alone, Xu Yang saw the soft, large bed in the middle and immediately collapsed onto it, falling into a deep sleep, his gentle snores soon emerging.
Dugu Yan walked over and opened the skylight above the room, letting sunlight stream in.
Xu Yang's body trembled slightly as he instinctively began absorbing the power of the sun, rapidly restoring his soul power, stamina, and mental strength.
Dugu Yan sat at the edge of the bed, gazing at the sleeping Xu Yang. She gently touched his smooth cheek, her thoughts unknown. Her pretty face slowly turned red. In the end, she even took off her shoes, climbed onto the bed, and lay beside him, embracing him.
Half-asleep, Xu Yang felt someone cuddling him. But he was too exhausted to care and didn't sense any ill intent, so he let it be.
Time passed quickly. The sun set, and the moon rose.
The team battle time in Heaven Dou City was scheduled from 6 PM to 10 PM. This was when most nobles and spirit masters were at rest, making it the busiest time for the Spirit Arena—also the peak hours for gambling and illicit transactions.
DONG! DONG! DONG!
"Yan Zi, Xu Yang, the team battle is about to begin!"
Just then, Ye Lingling's cool voice rang out from outside the room.
Hearing her voice, Xu Yang woke up. He immediately noticed that half his body had gone numb. Something heavy was pressing against his chest. Looking down, he saw Dugu Yan lying on top of him, her beautiful face smiling playfully as she stared straight at him.
Clearly, Dugu Yan had also been awakened by Ye Lingling's voice. However, she made no move to get off him. Instead, she remained pressed against him, her cheeks flushed and her eyes sparkling.
"Lingling, wait a bit! We'll be right there!"
"Alright, hurry up!"
Ye Lingling didn't suspect anything—assuming Xu Yang was still recovering his soul power. Hearing Dugu Yan's response, she left to regroup with the team.
As the footsteps faded, Dugu Yan looked up at Xu Yang and smiled. "Xu Yang, how does it feel to be hugged by me?"
"Not that great. My body's gone numb from your weight."
Xu Yang rolled his eyes. With most of his soul power already recovered, he began circulating it to ease the numbness and get his blood flowing.
Dugu Yan's expression turned slightly disappointed.
Seeing this, Xu Yang let out a bitter smile. He gently nudged Dugu Yan's head off his chest and sat her upright. Then he said seriously, "Yan Zi, I don't know what you're thinking. If you're only feeling grateful because I saved you and resolved your martial soul defect, and you think that gratitude equals love, then that probably isn't true love. We're both still just kids. You're not even ten yet. Our experiences, knowledge, and worldview haven't matured to that level. It's not the right time to talk about love."
At the same time, he sighed inwardly. Soul Land really lives up to its reputation as a land of romance. Even ten-year-old girls are thinking about love. If it were a native of Douluo Continent, they might've accepted this kind of affection.
But Xu Yang was a transmigrator. His values and worldview were shaped by the education of his previous life. He absolutely couldn't accept the love of a ten-year-old child.
Besides, his past life had taught him that in the adult world, interests outweighed everything. Without a foundation in material security, love rarely lasted. Too many couples turned into enemies when faced with harsh realities.
In this world, that foundation translated to strength, background, and wealth.
Currently, he was the disciple of Ning Fengzhi. He lacked neither background nor money, but his strength was still lacking. He couldn't afford to get distracted by emotions at this point.
"But right now, you're the only one I like and am willing to accept!" Dugu Yan blurted.
"Sigh..." Xu Yang sighed inwardly. He knew that if he didn't explain things clearly, this little girl wouldn't give up. So he said solemnly, "I can't accept your feelings. You know I'm the disciple of Ning Fengzhi, the Sect Leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. According to the sect's marriage customs, my wife is very likely to be my junior sister, Ning Rongrong. It's impossible for it to be someone else."
Although Ning Fengzhi had never said this directly, he had hinted at it many times. As long as Ning Rongrong's innate talent was sufficient, she would be the next Sect Leader, and Xu Yang would marry into the sect, just like Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo—becoming a spiritual pillar of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
As expected, after hearing this, Dugu Yan fell silent and sat off to the side.
Although Soul Land didn't follow monogamy, many wealthy merchants, nobles, and members of powerful factions had more than one wife—not to mention concubines and lovers—all for the sake of producing more offspring.
Powerful martial souls ran in the bloodlines of large clans and sects. The more children they had, the greater the chance one would be born with innate soul power of level nine or above. Just one such genius could determine the future of a clan.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin