Evening fell over Mingdu's district of the highest nobility — at Wang Chen's new residence.
Standing before the gate, Juzi, who had lifted her disguise and restored her stunning beauty, waited obediently for Wang Chen's return.
She looked toward the direction of the imperial palace and thought to herself:
"He went to see His Majesty at noon, and it's already been all afternoon. Why hasn't Wang Chen returned yet?
If he had offended the Emperor, the Wang family would surely be implicated — things wouldn't be this calm.
So there's only one possibility: Wang Chen is being valued highly by the Emperor, and that's why he's been kept there for so long."
At this thought, Juzi couldn't help but clench her small fists in excitement.
She felt fortunate that she had seized the opportunity earlier — offering her intelligence, pledging her loyalty to Wang Chen, and recognizing him as her master.
Had she missed that chance, even if she wanted to "cling to his thigh" now, she wouldn't have made the list.
Juzi knew very well: as long as Wang Chen gained the Emperor's trust, then with his talent and strength, it would take only a few years for him to stand at the pinnacle of the Sun Moon Empire.
As his follower, she would also rise with him — tasting the view from the summit, and one day taking revenge against the White Tiger Duke.
A genuine smile appeared at the corners of Juzi's lips.
"From now on, I'll help Wang Chen with my mind and strategies, stay by his side, and become his trusted confidant.
It's a pity he doesn't seem to be lustful — otherwise… if I gave myself to him, became his woman, that would be the position of greatest trust."
As Juzi waited prettily at the door for Wang Chen's return from the palace,
the many maids of the Wang household looked at her transformed beauty with eyes full of envy, jealousy, and resentment.
Before, they had thought Juzi — a merely delicate-looking servant girl — was an overreaching fool who didn't know her place, daring to dream of climbing into Lord Wang Chen's bed.
But to their surprise, Juzi's true appearance was so breathtaking — she had simply disguised herself as plain before.
One maid gnashed her teeth and said,
"I didn't expect her to be this beautiful! No wonder she dared to seduce the master!"
Another said,
"Judging by that look, she's probably succeeded. Maybe she won't become the main wife, but most likely she'll end up a concubine.
To become Lord Wang Chen's concubine — that's my dream come true."
A maid with black hair sighed,
"From now on, she won't even be on the same level as us. Ugh… she'll probably end up managing us instead."
"Damn it, if only I were prettier — I'd have tried too!"
Juzi, whose cultivation wasn't particularly strong, couldn't hear their distant chatter,
but from their expressions and glances, she could easily guess what they were talking about.
She didn't care in the slightest. Let them envy her — she would rise higher and higher, to heights they could only look up to.
Upstairs on the second floor, Ye Guyi stood by the window, looking down at Juzi waiting at the door, and gave a soft snort.
"Hmph, always trying to please him."
Ye Guyi herself had also wanted to wait by the door for Wang Chen,
but upon seeing Juzi there, she immediately changed her mind.
If she went down to wait with Juzi, wouldn't it look like she was competing for Wang Chen's favor with a maid?
Thus, proud little angel Ye Guyi stayed upstairs instead, watching from the window for Wang Chen's return.
That way, the moment he appeared, she could rush to greet him.
Beside her, Zhao Yurou heard Ye Guyi's words and showed a trace of helplessness in her eyes.
"Guyi, this child… she's wonderful in every way, but far too proud.
She should learn a bit from that Juzi girl."
Through the window, Zhao Yurou observed Juzi. From the very first glance, she could tell Juzi must have risen from the bottom,
and that her natural talent wasn't exceptional.
She could tell because of Juzi's aura.
Juzi's temperament was completely different from that of Ye Guyi, born gifted,
and from the noble daughters of great clans, who carried the pride and grace of the elite.
Juzi had neither the arrogance of a prodigy nor the refined air of nobility.
To someone experienced like Zhao Yurou, that was obvious at a glance.
Those who climbed up from the bottom always carried a certain spirit —
a tenacious, unyielding drive to rise upward.
Even when humble as dust, even when they were nothing,
they still possessed a burning desire to grasp everything and reach the peak.
Such people cared little for so-called "face" — they acted rationally, even ruthlessly, to achieve their goals.
"If Guyi could learn that," Zhao Yurou thought,
"she'd move through life like a fish in water.
Even if she couldn't have Wang Chen all to herself, she'd surely hold an important place in his heart."
But alas — Guyi was still too proud to lower herself.
Looking at Ye Guyi pouting and glaring unhappily at Juzi,
Zhao Yurou's eyes softened with affection.
"Well, that's fine too. Proud little Guyi is the most adorable."
At that moment, not far from the Wang estate, a small black dot suddenly appeared in the sky, rapidly enlarging — in the blink of an eye, it became a handsome young man.
It was Wang Chen, just returning from the imperial palace.
His return instantly set the entire Wang household astir.
Every clan member came out, cheering joyfully.
Wang Chen smiled and waved to them.
He first went to visit his parents, reassuring them that everything had gone smoothly.
Then he met with the Wang family elders to discuss the construction of their new territory.
Only after handling all these affairs did Wang Chen return to his own residence.
His new home was a grand three-story villa.
The third floor was his private residence,
the second held guest rooms and various halls,
and the first contained servant quarters and storage rooms.
The villa also featured a massive courtyard — still largely empty, yet to be arranged.
As soon as Wang Chen arrived, Juzi, who had been waiting, hurried up to greet him.
"Master, you're back."
Her eyes reflected Wang Chen's figure, her tone gentle and filled with devotion — as though he was her entire world.
Any ordinary young man might have been instantly captivated by such beauty and tenderness.
But Wang Chen — having tempered himself in the Underground Alliance, now the patriarch of the Wang family,
with great power, strong will, and mature temperament,
and soon to be granted the title of Duke, to enter the Royal Hall of Offerings as a Court Worshipper —
he was far beyond being swayed by mere beauty.
Now, countless people sought to curry favor with Wang Chen.
Women drawn to his power and status could circle the Wang estate ten times over.
At present, his fame even overshadowed that of the Second Prince.
After all, for one so young to slay a Titled Douluo — no one doubted that his future was limitless.
Wang Chen nodded and said,
"Juzi, prepare dinner and the medicinal bath.
The household maids will be under your supervision for now.
If you wish to follow me, show me your capability."
The unspoken meaning was clear — if you want more, prove yourself.
If she couldn't even manage the maids properly, she'd have no chance at anything else.
Wang Chen acknowledged the usefulness of Juzi's previous intelligence; thanks to her,
he had avoided certain pitfalls during his audience with Xu Jing,
ensuring he did not unknowingly displease the Emperor.
So, if she proved capable, he didn't mind promoting her later.
"Yes, Master," Juzi replied, bowing deeply, excitement in her eyes,
then left energetically with the maids to prepare dinner and the bath.
Meanwhile, from the second floor, Ye Guyi saw Wang Chen return.
She immediately leapt lightly out the window, landing gracefully before him.
"Wang Chen, did the Emperor give you any trouble?" she asked with concern.
Unlike Juzi, Ye Guyi lacked subtlety — Juzi would never have asked that question.
If the Emperor had made things difficult, she knew she couldn't help; and since Wang Chen had returned safely, that already spoke for itself.
But as the saying goes, "Fools have their blessings."
Looking at the innocent Ye Guyi, Wang Chen couldn't help but tease,
"Guyi, what, would you avenge me if he had?"
Ye Guyi: "(ω｀ll) Th-that's…"
Seeing her flustered look, Wang Chen laughed heartily.
The tension he'd carried all day in the palace finally eased.
Ye Guyi stomped her foot.
"Hey! I was just worried about you!"
Wang Chen smiled, patting her head.
"I'm fine. Everything went smoothly — the Emperor didn't make things difficult for me."
Then he changed the subject.
"Guyi, have you eaten yet?"
She shook her head.
"Not yet — I was waiting for you."
"Then wait for the maids to finish dinner. We'll eat together."
Ye Guyi nodded softly, gazing at Wang Chen's tall figure and perfect profile.
Somewhere deep inside, she wished she could grow stronger —
strong enough to help him, instead of always hiding behind him,
leaving him to face everything alone.
Time passed quickly. About an hour later,
after dinner with Ye Guyi and the others, Wang Chen returned to his room on the third floor.
Inside the bedroom, Wang Chen sat cross-legged,
took out a delicate jade box from his storage soul tool, and slowly opened it.
At once, a torso soul bone — gleaming like sapphire — rose from within, radiating powerful soul energy,
and faintly echoing with a dragon's roar that stirred the heart.
It was a 50,000-year-old Sea-Breaking Demon Flood Dragon Torso Bone —
just from the name alone, one could tell it came from the ocean.
It belonged to a powerful soul beast of the dragon bloodline,
whose strength rivaled even that of 70,000-year beasts.
To hunt such a creature at sea, even a Titled Douluo risked failure.
Moreover, as the Sun Moon Empire lacked the rich soul beast resources of the three Douluo nations,
a high-quality soul bone like this was even more valuable and rare here.
This time, during his visit to the palace, Wang Chen had carefully concealed his true nature,
presenting himself as a pure, cultivation-obsessed prodigy — leaving no flaw for the Emperor to notice.
In return, his gains were great:
aside from being granted the title of Duke and a Worship position,
this single 50,000-year torso bone alone was enough to make Ninth-rank Soul Engineers and Titled Douluo fight over it.
Wang Chen held the soul bone in his hand, playing with it — its surface cool and smooth to the touch.
After a moment, he put it back into the jade box and stored it away again.
Though the soul bone's quality was high and would greatly enhance his body once absorbed,
Wang Chen had no plans to use it yet.
His standards had already risen far beyond this level.
With power comparable to a Titled Douluo and still growing rapidly,
even a 100,000-year soul bone would only barely satisfy him now.
So, after some thought, he decided to save it for future emergencies —
or perhaps to reward a subordinate who performed great service.
Just then, Wang Chen suddenly felt the Black Book within his soul tremble.
His eyes lit up with excitement.
"Has it recovered again?"
At once, he sank his consciousness inward to inspect it.
Indeed — the once-damaged cover had now mostly repaired itself, faintly radiating a mysterious light.
As he examined it closely, Wang Chen noticed a new mark on the third page —
a golden sigil formed of countless intricate runes.
Extending his consciousness into it, Wang Chen instantly understood its function.
By consuming spiritual power, one can temporarily enhance comprehension.
The more spiritual power consumed, the greater the boost.
Wang Chen's heart trembled — this ability was heaven-defying! It was exactly what he needed most right now.
He knew that to break through from Titled Douluo to Super Douluo, one must grasp the realm of Heaven–Human Unity.
And to create one's own Godhood, one had to comprehend the Laws themselves.
All of that depended on comprehension.The further one advanced, the more crucial comprehension became.
Many Titled Douluo throughout history had spent their entire lives failing to comprehend Heaven–Human Unity, forever stuck at level 94 — unable to step into level 95 as a Super Douluo.
Wang Chen had once worried that he, too, might be limited by insufficient comprehension.
But now — he no longer had to worry.
With the Black Book in his hand, Wang Chen was the greatest genius in the world!
Immediately, he decided to test the new function. He channeled half of his spiritual power into the golden sigil.
In that instant, his thoughts became extraordinarily clear.
Confusions he had long struggled with in cultivation vanished; even the world itself seemed transparent before his eyes.
Wang Chen entered a state of enlightenment —the first true enlightenment of his life.
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