Douluo Dalu 3: Legend of the White Fox

In just half a day, news of Yun Ming's marriage to Leng Yaozhu spread across the continent.

Some were delighted, while others were troubled.

Qian Gu Dongfeng couldn't stop laughing.

The hawkish faction of the Federation Council contacted him multiple times, but he ignored them.

"Is the Spirit Pagoda planning to ally with Shrek Academy?" Many high-ranking officials of the Federation were worried. Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect were already closely linked. If the Spirit Pagoda joined their alliance, the Federation government would struggle to contend with their combined power.

Despite their complaints, the Federation's top officials had no choice but to attend the wedding at Shrek Academy.

"Skycovering Douluo, Heavenly Phoenix Douluo, I wonder how Yuanen Yehui's Fallen Angel spirit is doing now," Yuanen Zhentian mused within the Yuanen Clan's domain.

Upon hearing of Yun Ming's wedding, he decided he had to attend.

Years ago, when Yuanen Yehui's mother broke through to become a Title Douluo and accidentally opened a portal to the Demon Plane, Yun Ming had stepped in to save the Yuanen Clan from annihilation.

Now, no matter what, he had to personally visit and express his gratitude.

Moreover, he wanted to check on Yuanen Yehui.

It wasn't just the Yuanen Clan—one hidden family after another, as well as various sects, were preparing gifts and getting ready to attend the wedding at Shrek Academy.

Among those most furious about this development were the former suitors of Yali.

For instance, Crimson Dragon Douluo Feng Wuyu and Scarlet Dragon Douluo Zhuo Shi.

Though they hadn't wanted Yali to become the Sea God Pavilion Master, they certainly didn't want to see her suffer either.

That morning alone, Feng Wuyu and Zhuo Shi—both Title Douluos—challenged Yun Ming to duels over a dozen times.

They took turns attacking him, and even fought together.

But in the end, Yun Ming suppressed them both with just one hand.

"Boss, most of Yali's admirers are still in Mingdu. Once they arrive, we'll team up and beat you up together!" Zhuo Shi said, still unwilling to accept defeat as he was pinned to the ground.

"Marrying Leng Yaozhu is one thing, but making her equal to Yali? What happened to your promises to us?" Feng Wuyu added.

"I've already explained it to you," Yun Ming sighed. "The continent is in turmoil. Marrying Her Excellency the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo is a political move to unite the Spirit Pagoda and to ensure that the Child of Destiny remains at Shrek Academy. This was Yali's idea as well."

"Shrek Academy has stood strong for 20,000 years. So what if he's the Child of Destiny? Even if he joins the Spirit Pagoda, Shrek will still be the number one academy in the world." Zhuo Shi snorted.

"Someone's coming—I won't waste any more time with you." Yun Ming looked up at the sky. The first to arrive was none other than the Tang Sect's Amorous Douluo, Zang Xin.

—

Meanwhile, Xia Yi left Shrek Academy once more.

After receiving a message from Leng Yaozhu, he lost all interest in Yun Ming and Leng Yaozhu's marriage.

There was no need to pay attention—he just had to wait five days and watch the drama unfold.

With a short break from his academy duties, Xia Yi decided to find Gu Yue and see if he could forge a set of battle armor.

He hadn't yet obtained Leng Yaozhu's method for refining Starfall Iron and had already wasted two pieces.

So, he went to the Shrek City Blacksmith Association.

To his surprise, they actually had some in stock—but only five pieces.

After selling two pieces of spirit-forged alloy, Xia Yi bought all five pieces of Starfall Iron.

Though Starfall Iron was expensive, unprocessed raw materials were far cheaper than spirit-forged alloys.

Even after the purchase, he still had a considerable amount of Federation coins left.

"Five pieces should be enough." Xia Yi hailed a cab and headed straight for Gu Yue.

—

The Star Dou Forest's base in Shrek City was a massive estate.

It had originally belonged to the Spirit Pagoda, but after Gu Yue joined the organization, it was transferred to the Star Dou Forest's ownership.

Gu Yue fabricated the identity of a hidden aristocratic family, with its core members being Emperor Beasts like Di Tian. Through this, she established cooperation with the Spirit Pagoda.

This estate was their first gift—a meeting present.

It was equipped with a complete signal-blocking system, ensuring that even Shrek Academy had no idea who lived there.

As soon as Xia Yi entered, he saw Gu Yue, Wu Jin, Zi Ji, Bi Ji, and Di Tian gathered around blueprints, deep in discussion.

On the side, a soul television played tutorials Xia Yi had purchased from Shrek Academy.

Meanwhile, Ten Thousand Demon King and Red King scratched their heads in frustration.

As Xia Yi had expected, they couldn't grasp human knowledge on their own.

Even now, they had only just broken through to Rank 2 in their secondary professions.

They couldn't understand a thing about what Gu Yue and the others were discussing.

When Xia Yi walked in, Zi Ji and Bi Ji immediately stood up. Zi Ji even ran over, holding a blueprint.

"Xia Yi! Xia Yi! Look at this! I designed the soul circuit for my arm armor to enhance my attack power, but the Master thinks it should improve penetration instead. But my dragon claws are already sharp enough! There's no need to enhance penetration!" Zi Ji excitedly explained.

If this battle armor was completed, she would be the first soul beast to wear one.

Just imagining it made her giddy with excitement.

She had always envied how humans looked majestic in battle armor and mechas.

Now, she would finally have her own.

At first, Gu Yue had planned to have Xia Yi forge armor for Bi Ji first.

But after begging Bi Ji for half a day—making countless promises, including letting Bi Ji go first when it came to making mechas—Zi Ji finally convinced her to let her be the first.

"Hmph. We'll be facing humans equipped with battle armor and mechas. Do you really think your claws alone can break through their defenses?" Gu Yue huffed.

"With battle armor enhancing me, against an opponent with equal soul power, I can tear through anything!" Zi Ji declared confidently.

"What level is this soul circuit?" Xia Yi asked, staring at the intricate design on the blueprint.

"Level 6," Zi Ji said proudly. Level 6 soul circuits were for two-word battle armor.

She intended to go straight for a two-word set.

"Level 6?" Xia Yi took a deep breath. He recalled that Zi Ji and Bi Ji were only Rank 5 in their secondary professions.

Had she already broken through?

"I practiced all night using Shrek Academy's course material and broke through this morning," Zi Ji said, her deep purple eyes filled with excitement and gratitude.

Without Xia Yi, she and the others would never have made it this far.

"Go with attack power. I'll use Starfall Iron to forge your arm armor, ensuring penetration won't be an issue." Xia Yi decided.

"Starfall Iron? No way!" Zi Ji shook her head.

She didn't want a thousand-refined metal.

"Trust me. I can spirit-forge Starfall Iron and fuse it with other metals. It won't lower the quality of your armor." Xia Yi reassured her.

Zi Ji's eyes lit up.

"Really." Zi Ji's eyes lit up instantly.

"Yes!" Xia Yi nodded and said, "First, think about what your second metal should be."

"I've already decided. I want Demon Prison Demon Prison Alloy. Not only does it align with my attributes, but it can also enhance my attack power," Zi Ji said.

"Alright, give me your designed blueprint, and I'll forge it for you," Xia Yi said in a deep voice. With Bi Ji nearby, he didn't have to worry about a lack of life force in the air while forging the Starfall Iron.

"Wait a moment, I still need to make some minor modifications," Zi Ji said as she took the blueprint back and continued discussing it with Bi Ji and Di Tian.

The three of them, along with Xia Yi, were the main force behind crafting the battle armor.

Zi Ji was directly making a two-word battle armor. Gu Yue, as a Level 4 designer, wasn't skilled enough.

She could only offer some opinions on the broader design.

For the finer details, Zi Ji had to design them herself.

Then Bi Ji and Di Tian would manufacture it.

Gu Yue watched as Bi Ji, Di Tian, and Zi Ji became deeply engrossed in their discussion, her beautiful eyes becoming misty.

Seeing their enthusiasm, she saw the vitality of the soul beasts.

This was a kind of vitality she had never seen in soul beasts before Xia Yi appeared.

Since Xia Yi arrived, this vitality had been growing stronger and stronger.

"This is what soul beasts should be like. Only soul beasts like this have a future full of hope," Gu Yue thought, subconsciously looking at Xia Yi. Without him, even if she led the soul beasts to victory over the humans, they would still be as lifeless as before, without hope.

"Why are you looking at me?" Xia Yi smirked.

"Isn't being handsome meant for people to admire?" Gu Yue teased with a smile.

Before long, the final design for Zi Ji's battle armor for both arms was completed.

To ensure fusion, Xia Yi kept his second soul skill activated throughout the forging process. With the assistance of the Fox Thought Technique, the fusion rate of the left arm armor reached 95%, and the right arm reached 96%.

After handing the gauntlets over to Di Tian and Bi Ji for engraving the soul-guided array, Zi Ji began designing her battle boots.

By the time she submitted the design for her boots to Xia Yi, it was already past 8 PM.

Since Xia Yi was very focused on forging, by the time he finished, it was nearly midnight.

Zi Ji, full of energy, eagerly took the boots to Bi Ji and Di Tian to have them engraved with the soul-guided array.

Xia Yi, on the other hand, was completely exhausted. After taking a shower, he went straight to his room to rest.

Under normal circumstances, with the life-reflecting effect of the Genesis Hammer, Xia Yi could endure forging for three days and nights without issue.

But using the Fox Thought Technique to assist fusion was a different story—it drained his energy significantly.

Spirit forging itself was mentally exhausting, and the Fox Thought Technique combined both soul power and spiritual energy.

If Xia Yi's spiritual power hadn't already reached the mid-to-late Spirit Sea Realm, allowing him to match Soul Kings or even Soul Emperors, he might have only managed to forge one piece a day.

Today, after forging four alloy pieces in a row, for the first time, he felt exhaustion during forging.

Even more than when he had crafted the battle armor wings for Shen Yi.

So, he quickly fell asleep.

Xia Yi didn't know how long he had been sleeping when he suddenly felt his hand resting on something soft.

The sensation immediately drove away his sleepiness. Instinctively, he tried to turn over and sit up, but as soon as he moved, a delicate hand pressed on his shoulder.

She pushed him back onto the bed.

Then, a gentle movement, and a delicate body lay on top of him.

"Zi Ji's gauntlets and arm armor, along with her battle boots and lower leg armor, are now completed. They turned out great," Gu Yue's soft voice reached him as she completely pressed herself against him.

Since it was nighttime, Xia Yi couldn't see her. But as she spoke, waves of warm breath hit his lips and nose.

Through Gu Yue's slightly hurried breathing, Xia Yi could tell that if he just tilted his head up, he would meet those enticing lips.

"This is what I should be doing," Xia Yi muttered, too startled to move. Whether in his original form or human form, this was the first time he had felt so at a loss.

He was only wearing sleepwear, and he could feel that Gu Yue was also only in her sleepwear.

"If… I mean, if one day you find out you're not a soul beast, would you still help Star Dou Forest?" Gu Yue asked softly.

"I would!" Xia Yi nodded firmly. "Zi Ji, Bi Ji, and the others trust me. I won't betray their trust."

"But I feel that's not enough," Gu Yue shook her head and smiled seductively. "I want to tie you to Star Dou Forest forever."

"You're playing with fire. If you keep this up, you'll have to bear the consequences," Xia Yi gritted his teeth. Gu Yue was only a little over thirteen years old, but with her Silver Dragon bloodline, her figure was already better than more than half of adult women.

Such a perfect body pressing against him—Xia Yi was amazed at his own self-control.

More importantly, in such close proximity, both of them could feel each other's rising body heat.

"Playing with fire? Then I'll burn for you. Didn't you say back in East Sea City that dragons are naturally lustful? Tonight, I'll show you what a dragon's nature truly is, so you don't go running off to your little lover, Mu Xi," Gu Yue was determined when she decided to visit Xia Yi at night.

She gritted her teeth, and her trembling hand reached for Xia Yi's only piece of sleepwear.

"Stop messing around!" Xia Yi was truly afraid. He proactively wrapped his arms around Gu Yue, holding her tightly.

Gu Yue's legs struggled slightly but were soon trapped by Xia Yi's own legs, leaving her with no chance to escape.

The moment their legs touched, they both froze.

Xia Yi could feel Gu Yue's breathing become several times more rapid.

"Go to sleep," Xia Yi finally said after a long silence.

"Fine," Gu Yue muttered, unable to move as Xia Yi held her firmly. Her arms were trapped against her chest, the only thing she could move being her head. She bit her lip and sank her teeth into Xia Yi's shoulder, sucking hard.

If I can't have you, I'll at least leave a mark.

Xia Yi winced but endured the pain without making a sound.

After a while, Gu Yue finally let go of his shoulder, forcefully pulled her arms free, and wrapped them around Xia Yi.

"I'll let you off for tonight," she whispered, settling against his chest and closing her eyes.

Though the room was dark, Xia Yi could sense the faint smile on her lips.

She knew Xia Yi didn't want their relationship to be reduced to a mere transaction.

Or rather, he didn't want what they had to turn into a mere exchange.

What Gu Yue didn't know was that at this moment, inside his head, Xia Yi was screaming at himself.

"Xia Yi, what the hell are you doing?! Just go for it! What are you hesitating for? Are you even a man? Do you know this kind of hesitation is going to get you struck by lightning?!"

Even Xia Yi didn't understand his own thoughts.

He knew what Gu Yue wanted, but he didn't know what he wanted.

Maybe it was just too sudden. He had no time to prepare.

But for something like this—did he really need to prepare?