[Ding! The invincible family system has been bound. Would you like to install it?]
Before Yu Qing could react, the mechanical voice sounded again.
Yu Qing was completely stunned: "No way... buddy? I've been stuck on this broken continent for thirty years! And you show up now? The party is long over!"
Just as he finished complaining, his eyes suddenly lit up—wait! He was just worrying about where to find a spirit ring for his second Spirit, and now it's being delivered right to his doorstep?
"Install! Install it immediately!" he shouted without hesitation.
[The invincible family system is installing, 1%... 2%... 3%...]
Yu Qing happily started calculating in his mind. The "invincible family system"—just by the name, it sounded like a farming/development genre system! With his current strength as a Titled Douluo, if he just raised his arm, wouldn't beautiful powerhouses flock to him? Building a family would be easy!
This wasn't a system; this was clearly delivering a harem... ah, no, delivering powerhouses to his door!
Thinking of this, the corner of his mouth curved into a wild smile.
[60%... 70%... 90%... 95%...]
Just when he thought everything was going smoothly—
[Hmm? Wait... you don't seem to be my host? Sorry, I bound the wrong person!]
The mechanical voice suddenly changed. Its originally cold tone was replaced by a hint of soft sweetness and panic, like a little girl caught doing something wrong.
Yu Qing: "???"
His eyelid twitched violently.
"Seriously... what kind of AI retard are you?! You can bind the wrong person?! So I got excited for nothing, huh!?"
"What the hell! Are you messing with me!?" Yu Qing couldn't help but roar, his spirit power involuntarily vibrating.
The next moment, his sea of consciousness trembled slightly, and a girl wearing a pale blue flowing dress, looking as delicate as a doll, appeared. Her expression was a little serious, yet guilty, and her small eyes darted around nervously.
After staring at Yu Qing for a few seconds, she suddenly let out a whimper, stomping her feet in panic. A semi-transparent "error" pop-up actually appeared above her head. She frantically swatted the pop-up away and mumbled, "I'm doomed, doomed, doomed... I messed up my first business trip. I'm definitely going to be laughed at for a thousand years when I get back..."
The nearly full installation progress bar instantly dropped back to zero. She spread her palm, and a cluster of colorful light gently emerged, seemingly intending to slip away.
Yu Qing watched, his eye twitching, and finally couldn't help but jump up and start ranting:
"Are you kidding me?! System installation failed? Are you here just to be a joke! You're useless at everything except causing trouble, right?!"
"You even bound the wrong host? Are you an intern system?! You have zero professionalism!"
The girl's face crumpled from the scolding. She refuted quietly and pitifully, "I... I didn't do it on purpose... It's clearly because your mental fluctuations are too special!"
Yu Qing sneered, "Heh, still trying to blame me? I've been here for thirty years, and I've never had a problem before! You suddenly 'pop' out, give me hope, and then pour cold water on me, and you think you're justified?"
"Waa... stop, stop scolding me..." Her voice got smaller and smaller, almost sounding like she was about to cry. "This is my first time binding, so making a small mistake... is, is understandable!"
She secretly glanced up at Yu Qing and added weakly, "Besides, you're not my real host, so why are you so fierce..."
Yu Qing didn't buy it at all; instead, his sneer deepened: "I'm filing a complaint. I'm going to complain about you directly."
A wisp of sharp spirit power condensed on his fingertip, aimed at his own spiritual body: "Tell me, if I self-destruct... will that trigger one of your accident protocols?"
"No no no! Don't do anything reckless!" The girl was so frightened she immediately rushed over and hugged his arm, her small face flushed red. "If I get a complaint, I won't be able to get a dimensional rating upgrade for a thousand years! Please spare me!"
Yu Qing was secretly delighted, but his face remained calm: "Then tell me, what should we do?"
The girl hesitated for a long time, finally seeming to make up her mind. She whispered, "Besides binding... I can give you other compensation. Like... this."
She flicked her finger gently, and a golden sphere of light, surrounded by a four-colored golden halo, slowly drifted toward Yu Qing.
Yu Qing could clearly feel the extraordinary aura contained within—this was definitely a Supreme Divine Artifact-level opportunity!
"What is this?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"This is also a system, the first one I created early on... I can give it to you as compensation." She explained softly, her eyes flickering, seemingly a little reluctant.
Yu Qing nodded and took the sphere of light.
"What is this system called?" he asked while examining it.
"The dao companion system..." The girl's cheeks were slightly red, and her voice grew softer.
Yu Qing paused, blurting out, "Your true form isn't a dragon, is it? Why do you like being so suggestive?"
"I am not!!!" The girl instantly bristled, giving him a puffy-cheeked glare. "Hurry up and listen to my functional introduction! I'm leaving as soon as I finish!"
She began explaining at a rapid pace:
The dao companion system primarily has three abilities:
First, the Dao Companion Function. As long as the partner's appearance, strength, and talent reach a certain standard, you can sign a dao companion contract and receive "yin yang points." yin yang points can be used to redeem System rewards.
Second, Joyful Dual Cultivation. Dual Cultivation with a dao companion can not only increase cultivation level but also strengthen talent and increase potential—however, it consumes the host's own lifespan.
Third, the Descendant System. If a dao companion becomes pregnant, your lifespan limit will increase by 10 to 50 years, and you will receive extra rewards. If the descendant's talent is extremely high, you can also receive a "Descendant Treasure Chest"!
"I have already adjusted the system rewards according to the rules of the Douluo Continent. Rewards will manifest as spirit rings, Spirit Bones, Spirits, and so on... I also added some extra small features; you can explore those yourself." She finished quickly, clearly wanting to end this immediately.
Yu Qing frowned and pressed, "Are there God Position rewards?"
"Don't worry, there are!" The girl nodded hurriedly. "As long as you have enough dao companions, the System Mall has a chance to refresh with a God Position."
"How many exactly?"
"Around... twenty?"
The corner of Yu Qing's mouth twitched: "...Is there a standard?"
"They have to be at least Four-Star Dao Companions!"
Yu Qing rubbed his forehead: "Whether I can gather twenty Four-Stars in this lifetime is a question..."
"Relax, relax~" The girl tried to comfort him. "If you have a large number of high-level descendants, there's also a chance to get a God Position reward! Of course... that depends on luck~"
Speaking of which, she seemed to remember something. She flicked her finger, and a soft white light quietly merged into Yu Qing's body.
"What is this now?" Yu Qing looked at her in confusion.
"A small compensation... This is the 'Charm Halo,' which will make it easier for you to attract high-star dao companions~ See? I'm being generous!" she said with a giggle, clearly trying to butter him up so he wouldn't complain.
Yu Qing instantly found her much more agreeable. He cupped his hands and said, "Thank you."
"Then... you won't complain about me anymore, right?" she asked cautiously.
"I won't. You can go."
"Yay! Then I'm leaving! Goodbye—oh no, may we never meet again~" She sighed in relief, turned, and disappeared with a 'whoosh' from Yu Qing's sea of consciousness.
Yu Qing shook his head and refocused his attention on the four-colored sphere of light. The sphere slowly merged into his glabella, and the next moment, a virtual screen unfolded before his eyes:
[host: Yu Qing]
[Age: 30]
[First Spirit: Gold-Patterned Purple Leaf (spirit rings: Purple, Purple, Black, Black, Black, Black, Red, Red, Red)]
[Second Spirit: black star sinking abyss (spirit rings: None)]
[Realm: Level 94 Titled Douluo]
[Lifespan: 30 / 450]
[Core Cultivation Method: Star Meditation Scripture]
[Self-Created Secret Method: Star Burning Battle Method]
[Self-Created Spirit Abilitys: Four Forms of Star Shattering, Sunken Abyss Star Extinguishing Slash, Star Flash, Star Luo Hand]
[Spirit Bones: Star Horn Demon Whale Torso Bone (two hundred thousand years), Red Cloud Star Vine Emperor Left Arm Bone (hundred thousand years), Silver Scale Worm Emperor Left Leg Bone (hundred thousand years), Azure Gloom Ancient Tree Right Leg Bone (one hundred eighty thousand years)]
[Dao Companion Count: 0]
[Descendant Count: 0]
[yin yang points: 0]
[Halos: Eye of Fortune, Charm Halo]
"Two hundred thousand years? I always thought it was hundred thousand years... Tsk, my luck is unbelievable."
Who would have thought that the whale glue in the hands of an ordinary merchant in a remote coastal town actually concealed a two hundred thousand year torso bone?
He shook his head, stopped thinking, flashed several times to exit the underground, and sped toward the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Ten days later.
On the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, a bustling small town.
Yu Qing, covered in dust and grime, walked into a restaurant, still carrying a faint scent of blood mixed with vegetation. He was starving and just wanted to eat a hearty meal.
"Waiter!" He found a seat and called out loudly, "Bring me two servings of every meat dish you have!"
The waiter froze for a moment, looking at the man, who was slightly disheveled but had sharp eyes. He hesitated before answering, "Y-yes, sir."
Yu Qing flicked his finger, and a gold spirit coin landed on the table with a 'ding.'
"Hurry up with the food. This gold spirit coin is your tip."
The waiter's eyes immediately lit up. His attitude did a complete 180-degree turn; he nodded repeatedly in flattery and quickly ran toward the back kitchen.
Before long, braised pork trotters, chicken roasted the size of a washbasin, a whole roasted lamb leg... ten large plates of heavy dishes were served one after another, their aroma filling the air.
"Dig in!" Yu Qing grabbed the roasted chicken with one hand and tore off a lamb chop with the other, eating without any pretense but thoroughly enjoying himself.
After spending half a year in the Star Dou Great Forest, constantly gnawing on dry rations and jerky, his mouth had completely lost its flavor. This meal was exceptionally satisfying.
Just as he was about to focus all his energy on the roasted lamb leg, the restaurant door was pushed open with a 'creak.'
Two women walked in.
Leading the way was a purple-haired woman with a cold demeanor and a tall figure. Following her was a short-haired girl with lively eyes, who seemed more energetic. Both were around twenty years old, and their spirit power fluctuations clearly indicated they were Spirit Kings.
"We finally made it to the Star Dou Great Forest! Sis, can we go inside and find my fifth spirit ring after we eat?" the short-haired girl said with a giggle.
The purple-haired woman nodded lightly, her gaze sweeping across the restaurant, finally settling on an empty table in the corner.
And directly opposite that table—was Yu Qing, currently gnawing furiously on a lamb leg.