Chapter 51: Advancement to the Stellar Realm!
How beautiful! Seeing Long Xiaoqing ‘wear’ her new flesh and wooden body, coming ‘alive’ once more, Yang Ye felt as though he was about to have a nosebleed.
That flawless and bare physique possessed a fatal allure for the passionate Yang Ye.
“Put on some clothes!”
Yang Ye tossed a set of expensive, freshly washed garments to Long Xiaoqing and immediately turned to leave the bedroom.
On the coffee table in the upstairs living room, a large pile of beast cores had accumulated—over two hundred in total. Among them, several star-level cores, shining like rubies, stood out conspicuously amid the sea of blue planet-level cores.
There were twelve star-level cores altogether—ten at the early stage of the star realm, two at the mid-stage. These were Long Xiaoqing’s spoils from two days and nights of relentless hunting.
When Long Xiaoqing returned, her flesh and wooden body were covered in scars, and her true form was similarly battered. The star beasts of the ocean possessed fighting power far beyond that of human cultivators at the star realm.
Although Yang Ye required far more energy than others to advance to the star level, these twelve star-level beast cores were enough to propel him to the mid-stage of the star realm.
“My husband, I’ve finished dressing.”
Yang Ye was staring at the pile of beast cores in a daze when Long Xiaoqing, now clothed, stepped out of the room.
She wore a sleek black bodysuit made from star beast leather, hugging her figure and full of elasticity, accentuating every curve of her new flesh form.
Yang Ye had prepared this leather attire for Long Xiaoqing for combat convenience, with no ulterior motive.
Steadying himself, Yang Ye took out a black leather coat from his storage ring and draped it over Long Xiaoqing’s shoulders.
That looked much better.
“Whew—”
Yang Ye let out a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, Long Xiaoqing tiptoed over, wrapped her arms around Yang Ye’s neck, closed her eyes, and tilted her head slightly upward.
Seeing her flawless face so close, her quivering lashes and rosy lips, Yang Ye finally couldn’t hold back—he lowered his head and captured Long Xiaoqing’s lips.
After a long moment, they separated. Long Xiaoqing giggled and nestled into Yang Ye’s shoulder.
Yang Ye embraced her, running his fingers through her glossy, jet-black hair.
The two quietly savored the feeling, their hearts filled with contentment.
“Xiaoqing!”
Yang Ye suddenly spoke.
“Hmm?” Long Xiaoqing looked up, her bright eyes wide with curiosity.
“Well... Let’s do it again!”
Yang Ye grinned.
“Alright!” Long Xiaoqing closed her eyes once more, seeking another kiss.
...
“Boom, boom, boom, boom...”
After a series of heavy impacts, Yang Ye crashed fiercely to the ground.
He sprang up immediately, wiped the blood from his mouth, and gritted out, “Again!”
“Whew—”
As soon as Yang Ye finished speaking, Long Xiaoqing, clad in her black leather suit, shot toward him like a bolt of black lightning, raising her long, beautiful leg to sweep at him.
Yang Ye pushed off with both feet, leaping away just in time to evade her attack.
But as soon as he landed, Long Xiaoqing struck again.
Yang Ye lifted his arms to shield his chest.
With a thud, Long Xiaoqing’s shin slammed hard into his forearms.
The powerful force sent Yang Ye flying once more.
Long Xiaoqing’s favorite tactic was to knock her opponent into the air, then suddenly increase her attack speed, unleashing a barrage of strikes on those suspended above the ground.
This time was no different. While airborne, Yang Ye caught sight of a black shadow above him.
He twisted his waist sharply, spinning his body so fast that he shifted more than a meter in midair, narrowly dodging Long Xiaoqing’s next attack.
With a thud, Long Xiaoqing landed, her leg smashing into the turf.
The ground, unable to withstand her force, exploded with a loud bang.
As earth and grass fragments sprayed everywhere, Long Xiaoqing leaped upward, flipped in the air, and hurtled toward Yang Ye like a cannonball.
Yang Ye had just landed when he saw Long Xiaoqing attacking from above.
He clenched his fist and punched upward toward her.
Bang—
His fist collided with the sole of Long Xiaoqing’s foot, producing an explosive noise.
Long Xiaoqing was knocked back by the recoil, flipping in midair and landing smoothly on the ground.
Yang Ye’s feet, however, were deeply embedded in the earth, and the tremendous force radiated from his legs, blasting a massive crater in the ground.
The Yang Family manor, once smooth and spacious, was now riddled with holes and scars everywhere.
“Whew—”
Yang Ye let out a deep breath, sitting down heavily in the mud pit.
Long Xiaoqing approached the edge of the pit, smiling as she said, “Husband, congratulations! You’ve unlocked the fourth seal of the Solar Gloves.”
Yang Ye nodded happily. It was the tenth day, and he’d managed to break the fourth seal. He was confident that, in less than twenty days, he’d unlock all nine seals on the Solar Gloves.
Once he advanced to the star realm and with the defensive power granted by the Solar Gloves, those hundred-plus star experts from Fusang would be no match for him!
Yang Ye reached out for Long Xiaoqing to pull him out of the deep pit.
Then, he immediately took out two planet-level beast cores and swallowed them.
The Solar Gloves had formidable defense, but their energy consumption was terrifying.
If not for Long Xiaoqing supplying him with a large number of beast cores, Yang Ye could imagine he’d never be able to continue cultivating.
After more than ten minutes, having absorbed the energy from the two beast cores, Yang Ye smiled and said, “My progress is speeding up. The astral bodies in the star sea can be transformed into stars at any time.”
“Husband, are you going to advance now?” asked Long Xiaoqing.
Yang Ye shook his head. “No. I’ll wait until I unlock the ninth seal of the Solar Gloves.”
With that, Yang Ye focused his mind and silently recited the incantation taught by Wood Steward.
The Solar Gloves emitted a pale blue glow, and the fourth seal was broken.
A force many times stronger than before enveloped Yang Ye.
...
Time passed day by day.
In the blink of an eye, it had been twenty-five days since Inspector Ye had ‘vanished.’
Though nearly a month had gone by, the name ‘Inspector Ye’ remained as popular as ever online.
Half a month earlier, Speaker Tian Zhongtian gave a televised address, assuring the people of China that, at the latest, Inspector Ye would appear in Xiajing within two weeks to give the Fusang delegation their ‘answer.’
During this period, countless negative opinions about Yang Ye circulated online.
Some said Inspector Ye had seen Fusang’s overwhelming power and chose to hide, becoming a turtle in its shell. Others claimed Inspector Ye bullied the weak and feared the strong, running from real opponents. Some accused Inspector Ye of causing chaos in Xiajing for fame and fortune, absconding with trillions in tax money...
Only after Tian Zhongtian’s clarification did these rumors begin to subside.
It was now the twenty-sixth day.
“Boom, boom, boom, boom...”
A flurry of fists and kicks struck Yang Ye’s arms, producing a series of loud impacts.
Yang Ye stood unmoving, while Long Xiaoqing’s black-clad figure darted around him without pause.
“That’s enough! I’m done!”
Suddenly, Long Xiaoqing stopped, looking defeated.
By now, Yang Ye had unlocked the ninth seal of the Solar Gloves. With their defensive power, even Long Xiaoqing’s full-force attacks couldn’t break through.
After two days of cultivation, Yang Ye was able to fully withstand Long Xiaoqing’s assaults.
Seeing her frustrated expression, Yang Ye chuckled.
Finally, he could feel a sense of superiority when facing Long Xiaoqing. Yet his combat strength still didn’t surpass hers.
Without the defense of the Solar Gloves, a single breakthrough strike from Long Xiaoqing would injure him.
Over the past month, not only had Yang Ye progressed rapidly, but Long Xiaoqing had also made great strides.
Yang Ye wrapped his arms around Long Xiaoqing’s slender waist, planted a firm kiss on her cheek, and said with a smile, “Your husband can finally advance to the star realm!”