"Wan'er, Jiang Che hasn't come out for a whole week. Do you think something's wrong?"
Outside the Dragon Palace, dozens of young women of varying appearances had gathered.
Though Yu Wan'er was petite and not the most striking among them, Jiang Che's favoritism toward her had subtly elevated her as the group's de facto leader.
"Right, right! Wan'er... Could Jiang Che have been drained dry by those mermaids?" Bai Qiangwei covered her mouth with a delicate hand, her face etched with worry.
"N-no way! What do we do if Brother Jiang Che’s essence is drained? That would be..." Bai Jie, an obsessive fangirl of Jiang Che, looked even more distressed.
"Hmph... That scoundrel? Even a hundred fox spirits probably couldn’t drain him, let alone a few measly mermaids."
Yu Wan'er snorted, her tone laced with irritation. She was annoyed too—how could Jiang Che just vanish like this, indulging with the beauties of the Nine Heavens?
"Ugh! The moment he finds new playthings, he forgets his old flames. Let him rot with those stinky mermaids!"
Despite her sharp words, the sour tang of jealousy was unmistakable.
"Wuwu... Poor Sister Shen Yu, so simple-minded and already expecting a baby... while Jiang Che shamelessly frolics with other girls."
At the mention of Shen Yu, the girls' expressions flickered with envy.
As Jiang Che’s women, they were all sisters and avoided outright rivalry, but each secretly longed for more of his affection. Having his child would deepen their bond with him.
But if everyone started popping out babies, they’d end up back at square one—possibly even losing some of his attention to the children. It was a dilemma.
Everyone wanted to be that special girl!
Yet... Shen Yu, oblivious to her privilege, rarely sought Jiang Che out unless he initiated. She spent her days tinkering with who-knows-what.
"I... I miss Jiang Che too. What about you, sister?" Xiao Sisi nudged Xiao An'an beside her.
"Uh... I miss Jiang Che’s cooking. I’m hungry, sis..." Xiao An'an rubbed her stomach.
In the week without Jiang Che, she was arguably one of the girls who missed him most—for his culinary skills.
"You—" Xiao Sisi facepalmed. Her gluttonous sister was hopeless. While the others fretted, all she could think about was food.
Just then, an anomaly erupted near a side chamber of the Dragon Palace’s main hall!
Above the seabed dome, dark thunderclouds coalesced, their rumbling casting shadows across the sky.
"Th-that’s a tribulation lightning! Who’s undergoing a breakthrough?"
The spectacle yanked the girls’ attention away from their grievances.
"That direction... It’s Sister Chen Ningshuang’s secluded cultivation site!"
"Ningshuang reached Divine Transformation already? So fast?"
Shock flashed across their faces, but they quickly understood.
As Jiang Che’s partners, they rarely cultivated on their own after he taught them dual cultivation techniques. Their progress came mostly from his "guidance."
Aside from Dong'er, the adorably dense martial fanatic, Chen Ningshuang was the only one who preferred solitary cultivation.
As for Dong'er’s strength? No one knew for sure, only that she was formidable. She meditated day and night, barely eating or drinking, her eyes lighting up only in Jiang Che’s presence.
"Should we inform Jiang Che about Sister Ningshuang’s tribulation?"
"Of course! I’ll drag that scoundrel out myself. How dare he skip his own woman’s tribulation? He’ll die on some vixen’s belly one day."
"Oh, Wan'er, have you seen Yao Yao lately? I feel like she’s been absent," Qin Qiaoqiao suddenly asked, blinking.
"Yao Yao? She started secluded cultivation too, after some... incident," Yu Wan'er replied offhandedly, though a flicker of complexity passed through her eyes.
Ye Mengyao—just two weeks ago, she’d joined Qin Qiaoqiao in urging Yu Wan'er to tolerate Jiang Che’s philandering. But Yu Wan'er knew better: Ye Mengyao had her own unresolved feelings, expertly hidden.
Jiang Che’s harem was clearly expanding into the Nine Heavens. Given his brilliance, he’d inevitably attract countless prodigies there, outshining them all...
"Whatever. As long as we keep Jiang Che’s heart tied to us, even if he adds an empress to his collection, she’ll have to call us 'elder sister'! Hehe!" Yu Wan'er planted her hands on her hips.
Of course, her confidence was a facade. She wasn’t a succubus—there was no foolproof way to monopolize Jiang Che’s heart.
"Exactly! Even if a true immortal joins his harem, she’ll bow to you as 'Elder Sister Wan'er'!"
Flattered, Yu Wan'er’s pride swelled—until she realized the voice wasn’t one of the girls’.
"Of course—wait, huh?!"
By the time she processed it, Qin Qiaoqiao and the others had already rushed into Jiang Che’s arms.
Absence made the heart grow fonder, and a week apart had them yearning—especially Bai Jie!
"Ahem, let’s discuss this later. First, I need to check on Ningshuang’s tribulation."
Jiang Che coughed lightly. If not for his Great Sun Saint Body, he’d never have been able to stride out so effortlessly. Walking? More like stumbling while clutching the walls.
The "fish meat" had been... exceptionally tough, requiring seven full days of roasting, frying, and simmering to tenderize. Even a culinary god like him had struggled.
Jiang Che, the young master of cuisine, had a thing for "fish."
From Little Yu'er (Yu Wan'er) to Little Yu'er (Shen Yu), and now Little Fish (the mermaids).
As for the week’s "battle results"?
Let’s just say Jiang Che earned 10 million dual cultivation points.
...
"Jiang Che, Sister Ningshuang’s tribulation..." Bai Qiangwei murmured.
As a possessor of the Melody Saint Body, her cultivation was nearing Divine Transformation too—likely facing her own tribulation by month’s end.
"Relax, it’s just the Thousand Calamities Tribulation. For Ningshuang, it’s trivial. She has my talismans... Wait—no!"
Jiang Che’s eyes narrowed.
A brilliant idea struck him!
Back when his "little brother" Jiang Ruoxu underwent tribulation, Jiang Che had pulled strings to accidentally forge him an Indestructible Heavenly Body—a quasi-immortal physique!
Could he harness the heavenly tribulation’s power, combined with his Void Immortal Body and system items, to mass-produce supreme physiques?!
Instantly, he knew it was possible.
Jiang Che had long wanted to upgrade all his women’s constitutions to boost their cultivation potential.
But swapping physiques was costly. While ordinary saint bodies were affordable (decent ones cost millions of points, mediocre ones under a million), Jiang Che insisted on only the best for his harem.
But immortal bodies are just too expensive, costing hundreds of millions at the drop of a hat. If I were to replace them all... it'd easily take tens of billions of points.
So... Mother of the Heavenly Dao, I'm counting on you!