Captain Jack's farewell banquet at Vast Sea City's largest hotel was indeed extremely lavish.
The long wooden table was laden with a dazzling array of delicacies: Steamed King Crab, bright red and glistening; Charcoal-Grilled Tuna, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside; Lobster with Vermicelli and Garlic, fragrant and enticing; Braised Devil Ray with rich sauce; and various unnamed deep-sea shellfish and specialty sea vegetables, all accompanied by barrels of iced craft ale and local fruit wine, making one's mouth water.
From the moment the afternoon sun began to set, the group gathered around the table, clinking cups and feasting. The boisterous laughter and finger-guessing game sounds of the crew were incessant, and the atmosphere was extremely lively. Captain Jack was clearly a regular here, calling the hotel owner 'brother' and constantly ordering more dishes and wine, fulfilling his duties as a host to the fullest.
After several rounds of drinks and numerous dishes, the streetlights outside began to illuminate the early evening.
Captain Jack's tanned face was flushed. He unsteadily stood up, picked up a large sea bowl filled with amber-colored liquor, and walked over to Yu Qing. His tongue was a bit tied, but his tone was exceptionally sincere: "Yu, Brother Yu! This, this parting... *hic*... who knows when we'll, we'll meet again! Come! Let's drain this bowl! We're still good brothers!" With that, he tilted his head back and "gulped, gulped" down the liquor in the bowl. The liquid flowed down the corners of his mouth, wetting his clothes.
Yu Qing also picked up his wine bowl, a perfectly timed tipsy smile on his face, and responded: "Old Brother Jack... don't, don't worry! If you can't, can't make it in Vast Sea City... then come find me in Heaven Dou City! I'll definitely make sure you... *hic*..." Before he could finish, he let out a loud burp, swayed twice, and his wine bowl clattered onto the table, spilling the remaining liquor. He slumped onto the tabletop like a puppet with cut strings, emitting a faint snore, as if completely passed out.
"Ha! Haha! Weak! Too weak!" Captain Jack pointed at the "unconscious" Yu Qing, laughing triumphantly, and slapped Yu Qing's back hard. "That's all you can drink? Even the women under my command can drink more!" He burped, but his tone became a little more serious: "However... brother, your words... I'll remember them! If I really can't make it... I'll definitely, definitely come to you!"
After speaking, he swayed to his feet, looked around, and spotted Purple Pearl sitting quietly in the corner with an expressionless face. He then slurred, "Hey! That, that purple-haired girl! My, my brother is passed out! You, you take him upstairs... to, to the room to rest properly!"
Purple Pearl rose as instructed, walked to Yu Qing's side, and with some effort, helped the "dead drunk" man up, supporting him as they walked towards the stairs.
Captain Jack squinted his drunken eyes, watching their figures disappear around the staircase corner. Only then did he exhale a long, heavy breath laden with alcohol, collapsing back into his chair. Rubbing his throbbing temples, he muttered in a low voice, his tone betraying both heartache and lingering fear: "This guy... he looks like a frail scholar... but when he drinks, he's a bottomless pit! If we kept drinking... this trip would have been for nothing... Fortunately, fortunately, he collapsed first..."
...Third floor, guest room corridor.
The moment the room door clicked shut, Yu Qing, who had been "dead drunk" and practically leaning all his weight on Purple Pearl, suddenly opened his eyes. His gaze was clear and sharp, without a trace of intoxication.
"You... you weren't drunk?" Purple Pearl released her grip in surprise, her purple eyes wide.
Yu Qing smiled and stretched his slightly stiff shoulders: "If I kept drinking, Captain Jack's profits from this voyage would probably all end up in my stomach. Although that guy is greedy for money, he's quite righteous. Hosting this farewell banquet was already a huge expense for him, so I just pretended to be drunk to give him a way out."
Hearing this, Purple Pearl suddenly understood and couldn't help but let out a giggle, playfully rolling her eyes at Yu Qing: "You men... you're all so concerned about saving face!"
After a simple wash-up, the two went to bed early. There was no special cultivation tonight, as they needed to get up early to travel tomorrow and conserve their energy.
On one hand, Yu Qing missed his five wives dearly; on the other hand, he needed to quickly help Purple Pearl acquire her sixth soul ring.
The next morning, as dawn broke, the two quietly left the hotel, traveling light and without disturbing Captain Jack and the crew, who were still sound asleep. Yu Qing identified the direction, then took Purple Pearl into the air, transforming into two streaks of light, and sped towards the Star Dou Great Forest.
After Purple Pearl's Spirit evolved into the Purple Moon Sea Dragon, its quality became extremely high, and the requirements for spirit rings also became more lenient.
Flood Dragon-type and Sub-dragon-type Spirit Beasts were naturally the best choices. Even closely related Spirit Beasts like snakes and pythons, as long as their age and attributes were suitable, she could absorb them. And after ten rounds of spirit power tempering and the subtle transformation from Yin Yang Dual Cultivation, her physical strength was enough to withstand a spirit ring of around forty thousand years!
Yu Qing, with her, went all out, and in just seven or eight days, they covered a vast distance and entered the outer regions of the Star Dou Great Forest.
They did not linger in the outer regions, but directly delved into the mixed zone. Yu Qing's mental force spread out like the most precise radar, carefully searching for a Spirit Beast suitable for Purple Pearl.
Their luck was quite good this time. Near a dark swamp deep within the mixed zone, Yu Qing sensed a cold, powerful energy fluctuation with a hint of pure moonlight.
"Found it," Yu Qing whispered, signaling Purple Pearl to conceal her aura.
The two approached silently, pushing aside dense bushes, and saw a strange sight: in the center of the swamp, a giant beast over ten meters long was absorbing moonlight. Its entire body was covered in silver-gray scales, reflecting a cold luster under the sparse moonlight. Its body resembled a snake, but its head was already raised, with a single horn growing, and even three tiny fleshy protrusions beneath its belly. It was clearly around thirty-seven thousand years old!
"It's a Moon Scale Flood Dragon!" A hint of joy flashed in Yu Qing's eyes. "This type of Spirit Beast is very rare, possessing both poison and spiritual attributes. Its bloodline is rare, and its compatibility with your Purple Moon Sea Dragon Spirit is extremely high!"
Purple Pearl looked at the divine giant flood dragon, her eyes also bursting with delighted light, and she nodded heavily.
Yu Qing didn't hesitate at all. His figure flickered, appearing like a ghost above the Moon Scale Flood Dragon. His right hand was instantly covered in a layer of purple, and with fingers spread, he pressed down on the Moon Scale Flood Dragon below!
"Star Luo Hand: Suppress!"
Buzz—!
A gigantic purple handprint, formed from countless star runes, appeared out of thin air, instantly suppressing the Moon Scale Flood Dragon.
Yu Qing lifted the Moon Scale Beast in front of Purple Pearl. Purple Pearl, holding a poisoned dagger (given to her by Yu Qing for self-defense), precisely stabbed it into the relatively vulnerable eye of the Moon Scale Flood Dragon, piercing straight into its brain!
Pfft!
The Moon Scale Flood Dragon's massive body twitched violently a few times before completely losing its life. A pitch-black spirit ring slowly emerged from its corpse.
The entire process was clean and swift, completed in one go!
"Quick, absorb it!" Yu Qing retracted his Star Luo Hand and reminded her.
Purple Pearl immediately sat cross-legged, her Purple Moon Sea Dragon Spirit possessing her, and began to guide the immense spirit ring energy into her body.
The absorption process was exceptionally smooth. The Moon Scale Flood Dragon's attributes were highly compatible with Purple Pearl's Spirit. Although the spirit ring energy was vast, it wasn't violent; instead, it possessed a cool and gentle quality. Coupled with Purple Pearl's powerful physique, far exceeding those of her peers, she successfully absorbed this thirty-seven-thousand-year spirit ring in just two hours!
Buzz!
A powerful aura erupted from Purple Pearl's body! Her spirit power level instantly soared!
Sixty-one, sixty-two, sixty-three, sixty-four.
Her spirit power surged all the way to level sixty-four before stopping!
Purple Pearl opened her eyes, feeling the abundant spirit power within her, her face filled with incredible ecstasy: "I, I really succeeded! Level sixty-four!"
Yu Qing smiled and nodded: "Normal. The spirit power accumulated from Yin-Yang Harmonization before has been completely unleashed."
After acquiring the spirit ring, the two did not linger in the Star Dou Great Forest. Yu Qing took Purple Pearl into the air, heading north at an astonishing speed towards the Sunset Forest.
Eager to return home!
The long journey was inevitably monotonous.
Occasionally, they would stop when they felt truly bored and restless, finding a secluded and safe spot, setting up a barrier, and engaging in a delightful Yin-Yang Harmonization to alleviate the loneliness of their journey.
Purple Pearl was quite willing to participate in such "entertainment activities." After all, Yin-Yang Harmonization not only brought physical and mental pleasure but also genuinely increased spirit power during the subsequent Yin Yang Conjunction Dual Cultivation. Why not?
It's just that... every time they finished harmonizing, Yu Qing's "restless" hands would naturally rest on her proud 'conscience'.
That night, the clouds had cleared and the rain had stopped.
Yu Qing's large hand once again precisely covered that soft and ample 'conscience'.
"Husband..." Purple Pearl's cheeks were flushed, and she cast a coquettish glance at Yu Qing, her tone teasing, "You... you like my 'conscience' that much?"
Yu Qing, with a serious expression, as if conducting academic research, evaluated: "Elastic but not stiff, soft but not sagging, as warm and smooth as jade, difficult to grasp with one hand... truly a top-grade 'conscience'."
Purple Pearl was amused by his feigned seriousness. She deliberately twisted her body, making the full curve of her 'conscience' shift into enticing shapes in his palm, and pressed on: "Then... compared to your other wives, whose 'conscience' is better? Hmm?"
Yu Qing paused, sheepishly withdrew his hand, rubbed his nose, and evasively chuckled: "Well... they each have their own merits, very distinct styles! Like spring flowers and autumn moons, it's hard to say which is superior! I like them all, all of them!"
"Hmph! Smooth talker!" Purple Pearl pouted, clearly not satisfied with his noncommittal answer, but she didn't press further.
She collected her thoughts and began to circulate her cultivation technique, refining the residual Yin-Yang Power within her body to further nourish her Spirit and consolidate her cultivation.
Yu Qing chuckled, also closing his eyes to refine the Yin-Yang Power and increase the age of his fourth spirit ring.
His Yin-Yang Complementary Dual Soul Cores had long since recovered, and had even become a blessing in disguise, operating more smoothly and efficiently than before, with both spirit power condensation and recovery speed increasing.
If it hadn't been for Purple Pearl this time, it would have been impossible for him to completely repair his soul cores in less than half a year.
In the following days, the two traveled day and night, almost constantly on the road, apart from necessary rest and occasional "harmonization for boredom."
From Vast Sea City, to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for spirit rings, and then all the way north to the Sunset Forest, this arduous journey took them less than four months! This speed was truly terrifying!
One day, a familiar and vast forest outline finally appeared on the horizon.
Sunset Forest!
Looking at the sea of trees ahead, bathed in the setting sun as if draped in a golden-red veil, a warm, heartfelt smile involuntarily appeared on Yu Qing's face.
He naturally reached out and tightly clasped Purple Pearl's small hand beside him.
Purple Pearl's hand trembled slightly. The closer they got to their destination, the stronger her apprehension became.
About to face five "sisters" she had never met but had heard of from Yu Qing, she couldn't help but feel nervous and uneasy, afraid that she wouldn't be accepted.
But the warmth and strength emanating from Yu Qing's palm, and his firm grip, seemed to possess a magical power, instantly dispelling her unease and bringing an indescribable sense of security.
"Let's go," Yu Qing turned his head, giving her a reassuring smile.
"Mm!" Purple Pearl nodded heavily, gripping Yu Qing's hand back.
Their figures flashed, like tired birds returning to their nest, plunging into the lush forest filled with familiar scents.
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