Chapter 1: Chapter 1: Marrying Liu Erlong, Yu Xiaogang Offers His Blessings
"Bow to each other as husband and wife!"
"The ceremony is complete!"
"Escort them to the bridal chamber!"
Night fell, and the bright moon hung high in the sky.
In a luxurious manor within Notting City, lanterns were strung up everywhere, casting a festive glow. Banquets were held, and joyous laughter filled the air.
The entire estate brimmed with celebratory energy.
"Zhou Lang and Miss Liu truly are a match made in heaven, a perfect couple!"
"Indeed! Zhou Lang is not only incredibly handsome but also immensely knowledgeable, a true scholar. It's just unfortunate… sigh."
"What's there to lament? Even though Zhou Lang's martial soul is low-grade and his innate soul power is only half a rank, hasn't he said it himself?"
"There are no useless people, only useless hearts. The size of your heart determines the stage you stand on. Even a mortal body can rival the gods!"
"Do you know? Zhou Lang once defeated two Soul Masters with a single move using his self-created soul skill, Thirteen Deadly Swords. At the time, he didn't even have a single soul ring, and his soul power was only at rank three. He killed them before they could even summon their martial souls!"
[Note: The term "Lang" (郎) is an affectionate term, often used in historical or romantic contexts, meaning "young man" or "beloved." It is a poetic and intimate way to refer to someone, akin to calling them "darling" or "dear." Says google, haha.]
The guests buzzed with animated discussions, and the man they spoke of—Zhou Yi—was none other than the owner of the manor. Today marked his grand wedding with Liu Erlong.
After Liu Erlong was escorted to the bridal chamber, Zhou Yi, with his refined and charming demeanor, greeted the guests with a warm smile.
"Congratulations, Zhou Lang! Wishing you marital bliss, a harmonious union, and many children!"
"Congratulations, Zhou Lang! May your union last forever!"
"Thank you, thank you!" Zhou Yi responded with a polite smile.
Yet his heart had long flown to the bridal chamber.
Zhou Yi wasn't originally from this world.
He had transmigrated from Earth, his soul awakening in the body of a six-year-old child. Upon realizing he was in the world of Douluo Continent, Zhou Yi was filled with hope, dreaming of cultivating to godhood.
Reality, however, struck him with a cruel blow.
His martial soul was a sealed iron sword.
His innate soul power was only half a rank.
Even after sixteen years of relentless cultivation, enduring unimaginable hardships, he was now 22 years old and had barely managed to reach the rank of Great Soul Master. Without a fortuitous encounter, it was impossible for him to advance to Soul Elder in this lifetime.
The reason? His martial soul was simply too inferior.
Fortunately, a month ago, Zhou Yi awakened his golden finger: the Many Children, Many Blessings System.
The system rewarded him for taking wives and fathering children.
Each child he had would grant him an increase in lifespan, soul power, soul bones, or even martial souls as rewards. The first generation's rewards were especially generous—each son or daughter guaranteed a minimum of ten years of lifespan and ten years of cultivation, with additional rewards being random.
Grandchildren would provide half the reward.
Great-grandchildren, half again.
And so on.
However, the system had a safeguard: even after countless generations, the rewards would never diminish to zero.
Moreover, if any of his descendants possessed innate soul power and began cultivating, their progress would feed back to Zhou Yi.
No longer needing to grind endlessly or seek fortuitous encounters, Zhou Yi decided to take it easy.
Why bother with the struggles of life-and-death battles?
Wasn't it better to marry, have children, and enjoy life?
The system did have one requirement: the women he married had to have a beauty score of at least 80, with 100 being the maximum.
This was no small challenge.
For example, in The Snowy Path of a Heroic Man, Xu Fengnian's beauty scale rated Yu Youwei at only a little over 80 points.
Fortunately, Soul Masters were highly esteemed in society.
Though Zhou Yi was just a low-ranking Great Soul Master, among ordinary people, he was a figure of unparalleled status. Finding an ordinary beauty with a score above 80 wasn't a problem.
Moreover, Zhou Yi wasn't just any Soul Master—he was a true theoretical master.
When the stunning Liu Erlong, whose beauty exceeded 90 points, expressed her affection for him, Zhou Yi saw no need to search elsewhere.
Marrying Liu Erlong first and reaping the system's rewards seemed like the perfect plan.
As for whether Liu Erlong would object to him taking more wives in the future, Zhou Yi was confident in his charm.
If his strength were greater, he would even consider marrying Bibi Dong!
After all, Zhou Yi had transmigrated earlier than most, and Bibi Dong was still a young girl.
Due to the limitations of his martial soul and the absence of the system at first, Zhou Yi had spent years in painstaking cultivation and research. Like Yu Xiaogang, he delved deeply into martial soul theory and even created his own soul skills.
Soul power, in essence, was no different from inner energy or true qi; it was merely a different term.
Combining his knowledge from his past life, Zhou Yi innovated and developed the Thirteen Deadly Swords, a sword technique that, when infused with soul power, struck with lightning speed and deadly precision.
Often, his opponents couldn't even summon their martial souls before being slain.
During his journey, Zhou Yi encountered many prominent figures—Bibi Dong, Yu Xiaogang, Liu Erlong, Flender, Tang Hao, Qian Xunji…
His theory of the Eighteen Core Principles of Martial Souls completely overshadowed Yu Xiaogang's Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls, reducing the latter to mere scraps.
Yu Xiaogang claimed, "There are no useless martial souls, only useless Soul Masters."
Zhou Yi countered, "There are no useless people, only useless hearts. The size of your heart determines the size of your future. Even mortals can stand shoulder to shoulder with gods."
Yu Xiaogang insisted there were limits to the age of soul rings that Soul Masters could absorb at each rank.
Zhou Yi refuted, "The age limit for absorbing soul rings depends on numerous factors: martial soul, physique, bloodline, mindset, perseverance, compatibility, environment, and more. Each person is unique. There are no absolute limits. The greater your heart, the greater your potential."
"Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. Without countless trials, all theories and hypotheses are mere speculation."
Yu Xiaogang was left humiliated and speechless, unable to refute Zhou Yi's superior theories.
Zhou Yi's self-created soul skills and unparalleled theories earned him immense admiration from countless Soul Masters, particularly among the weaker ones, who viewed him as an idol.
By comparison, Yu Xiaogang, overshadowed in both intellect and appearance, was utterly ignored by Bibi Dong, who admired Zhou Yi's brilliance.
Yu Xiaogang, feeling inferior, eventually gave up his unrealistic hopes of winning Bibi Dong's affection. His pride shattered, he sought solace with Liu Erlong and Flender.
When Yu Xiaogang met the bold and fiery Liu Erlong, he was instantly smitten.
But before anything could begin, Zhou Yi casually revealed that they were half-siblings.
Once again, it was Zhou Yi!
Though Yu Xiaogang burned with resentment, he couldn't refute Zhou Yi's claims.
As time passed, the intelligent and charismatic Zhou Yi naturally won over Liu Erlong's heart.
However, at the time, Zhou Yi wasn't interested in marriage.
It wasn't until he awakened the Many Children, Many Blessings System that he decided to marry Liu Erlong, knowing her talents, fiery dragon martial soul, and high potential would greatly increase the odds of producing talented descendants.
"Xiao Gang, Old Flender."
Zhou Yi approached the short-haired Yu Xiaogang and bespectacled Flender, greeting them with a smile.
"Zhou Yi, congratulations on your wedding!" Yu Xiaogang said, his expression complicated. As Liu Erlong's elder cousin, he forced a smile and offered his blessing. "Take good care of Erlong. Wishing you a happy marriage and many children!"
Yu Xiaogang's face flushed crimson, though it was unclear whether it was due to the alcohol or his suppressed emotions.
What greater pain was there than attending the wedding of the woman you love, only to see her wed another man?
"Don't worry. I'll take good care of Erlong," Zhou Yi assured him, patting Yu Xiaogang on the shoulder.
After drinking a few cups with them, Zhou Yi moved on to greet other guests.
He didn't linger. After all, a single night of spring is worth a thousand pieces of gold.
What time was there for idle chatter?
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