When Gu Yue learned from Lu Jingming that it was actually Sea God Tang San behind the plot against the Emperor Auspicious Beast, she wasn't surprised—her intelligence had already led her to suspect as much.
What truly shocked her was just how ruthless Tang San could be.
It turned out that the divine sense fragment fused with the Emperor Auspicious Beast was actually a piece of Tang San's own daughter's soul.
Even a tiger will not eat its cubs, yet Tang San had the heart to split his own daughter's soul just to scheme against the Emperor Auspicious Beast.
Such a mindset made Gu Yue's wariness of Tang San reach its peak.
After all, if someone is capable of doing that to their own daughter, is there anything they wouldn't do? With someone like that targeting the Emperor Auspicious Beast, how could Gu Yue not worry for her safety?
As for the Emperor Auspicious Beast's constant desire to take human form, that was also due to the influence of the Tang Wutong divine sense fragment.
In response, Lu Jingming suggested turning the tables and playing along with Tang San's game to see who would really win in the end.
He wanted Tang San to lose both his daughter and his troops. With Gu Yue's agreement, the Emperor Auspicious Beast successfully took human form.
Perhaps influenced by Tang Wutong's divine sense fragment, the transformed Emperor Auspicious Beast had golden hair and facial features somewhat reminiscent of Tang Wutong.
Di Tian asked Gu Yue to bestow a name, but Gu Yue left it to Lu Jingming, who lazily named her "Wang Qiu'er."
Afterward, Gu Yue brought Wang Qiu'er into St. Freya Academy.
Only by keeping Wang Qiu'er close could she be at ease, given that Tang San had already set his sights on the Emperor Auspicious Beast; no one could predict what underhanded tricks he might use next.
Lu Jingming's thinking was simple: Wang Qiu'er and Wang Dong'er were not truly Tang Wutong. The real Tang Wutong's memories and soul were firmly controlled by Tang San.
As long as Wang Qiu'er didn't actively sacrifice herself or do anything self-destructive, and grew strong enough, even if Tang San unleashed Tang Wutong and tried to replace Wang Qiu'er to steal the Emperor Auspicious Beast's fortune and destiny, it would remain to be seen who would have the upper hand.
Tang Wutong was born in the Divine Realm, daughter of a God King, with a noble bloodline and divine sense from an early age.
But since she hadn't truly become a god yet, if Wang Qiu'er became strong enough, it wasn't impossible for her to reverse the roles.
In fact, the most pitiful was Wang Dong'er.
Though her body belonged to Tang Wutong, all her experiences, lovers, and everything else would ultimately be taken away by Tang Wutong.
The real Wang Dong'er had already disappeared back in the Yin Yang Love Querying Valley; what appeared afterward was merely Tang Wutong.
Strictly speaking, the three of them originated from one soul, but with different experiences, memories, and personalities, could they really be considered the same person? Lu Jingming found this highly debatable.
Wang Dong'er, Wang Qiu'er, and Tang Wutong were closely connected in soul, yet had distinct personalities.
When Wang Dong'er died in the Yin Yang Love Querying Valley, her personality vanished forever; the one who awakened in the body afterward was Tang Wutong.
So, Lu Jingming thought the original's Huo Yuhao must also be a remarkable person—there's no way he wouldn't notice the difference between Wang Dong'er and Tang Wutong.
On reflection, however, it made sense.
Huo Yuhao fell in love at first sight with the Goddess of Light martial soul fusion he performed with Wang Dong'er, and the Goddess of Light was Tang Wutong—so, in a way, he hadn't chosen wrong.
…
Although the simulated universe could provide virtual battles, students sometimes still sparred in reality, just like Wang Qiu'er and Ji Juechen at this moment.
Watching their fierce fight on the training ground, Lu Jingming smiled faintly.
He could tell neither had used their trump cards, but their strengths were about equal.
Wang Qiu'er wielded the Golden Dragon Spear; her simulated martial soul, the Golden Dragon, embodied the ultimate in power—every move was powerful and overwhelming.
Ji Juechen, slightly stronger, had improved greatly by studying swordsmanship with Jingliu; his sword intent was purer and more formidable than ever.
This duel was a collision of strength and skill—Wang Qiu'er excelled in raw power but was a bit lacking in technique, while Ji Juechen was a master of swordsmanship, strong in skill but not in power.
After watching for a while, Lu Jingming realized the two would be hard-pressed to determine a winner anytime soon, so he gently patted Meng Hongchen, who had been clinging to him.
"Meng, I have something to do. I'll play with you next time."
"Oh, okay…" Meng Hongchen reluctantly let go, her eyes lingering on him as he left.
Passing by Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo, who were also watching, Lu Jingming reached out to give each a playful head pat.
Then, noticing Ye Guyi's golden hair, he was about to do the same, but Ye Guyi dodged, glaring at him.
Seeing Ye Guyi, Lu Jingming couldn't help but think of Qian Renxue.
He was curious—were these two related? In this world, Qian Renxue's godhood had shattered ten thousand years ago, and she had remained at level eighty-nine for life.
Although some mischievous ideas crossed his mind, Lu Jingming had no intention of revealing the existence of parallel worlds just yet.
"This experiment was a success—I've definitely felt the feedback. Now I just need to wait for the fruit to ripen, and the god position will naturally condense."
Lu Jingming walked into Herta's laboratory and immediately saw The Herta sitting grandly at the main seat.
She wore her usual witch outfit, her beautiful legs in black stockings elegantly crossed, and a group of busy Herta puppets scurried around her.
"Oh, planning to start phase two already? I told you before, the gods here are all mediocrities. That Sea God guy—there are plenty of ways to deal with him. You're just overly cautious."
Herta lifted the brim of her witch hat and glanced at Lu Jingming.
She had already dissected this world inside and out, the Divine Realm included.
She had even calculated the method to elevate the Divine Realm into a god-star.
Of course, analyzing the whole universe is a bit of an exaggeration—Herta wasn't some giant mechanical head, and without the power of the Path of Erudition, she was no longer the Emanator of Nous. But she was still a bona fide genius.
For a genius, the methods the Divine Realm gods had failed to find after countless ages were quickly discovered.
That's why she so bluntly called the Divine Realm gods mediocre. They wasted time, never innovating—how tedious.
Lu Jingming didn't argue.
He knew he really had been too apprehensive about the Divine Realm and Tang San because of ingrained impressions.
With his current power, he wasn't a match for the Divine Realm in a direct fight.
But sometimes, direct confrontation wasn't necessary. With Herta's endless methods, she could naturally find ways to limit Tang San.
"It's confirmed—the planet's feedback can indeed condense a god position." As Lu Jingming spoke, the Stigmata on the back of his hand lit up with green divine light.
Though the god position was still in its infancy, it proved he was on the right track.
"Now we just need to clear the contamination points, convert enough negative planetary energy into positive, and then the planet will evolve, and I'll be able to condense a God King-level position."
Lu Jingming smiled. The feedback from a single planet was enough for a God King.
He was already planning his second god position, so he intended to take action on the Douluo Continent.
But first, he had to take care of his biggest threat—Tang San.
He wasn't just thinking of himself, but of others too.
Zhang Lexuan, Xu Jiujiu, Meng Hongchen, the people of Haiyuan City—anyone with potential and opportunity, he wanted to help them become gods.
That's the so-called "when one rises, all those around benefit." Anyone who followed him wouldn't be left out.
"So next, I'll leave things to you, Herta."
"No problem. Beg me for it!"
"Please, Lady Herta—the brilliant, peerless beauty!" Lu Jingming praised her with a straight face.
He was already used to this.
But he thought, next time Herta wanted him for experiments, she'd have to give him a little more than just a few words.
His gaze involuntarily fell to Herta's black-stockinged legs. Given her character, their increasingly harmonious relationship, and the unknowns he brought her, maybe he really had a shot at getting close.
For the girls of this world, he kept himself in check; but for his waifu summoned from another world, he felt a little indulgence was fine.
Like with Jingliu—if he didn't pull off a few sneak attacks, she'd always see him as a disciple, not a suitor.
The same went for Herta: if he didn't take the initiative, she'd always see him as a rare experiment, and once she figured him out, she'd lose interest.
Lu Jingming knew he wasn't a super-genius like Ruan Mei or Screwllum who could become Herta's best friend on talent alone, so he had to put in extra effort.
Of course, with the Authority of Reality he possessed, the possibilities he brought were endless—even Herta would never fully figure him out, so he didn't have to worry about her losing interest.
But Lu Jingming's goal was not just to be friends or partners with Herta—he wanted her to be his wife, the kind who could start a family.
Hearing his compliments, Herta was quite pleased. She nodded at once, "I'll block the Divine Realm's observation of this planet and give that Sea God something to deal with."
She knew just blocking observation could push Tang San to desperation—he'd need other distractions.
Last time, using Mobius' hand and following Tang San's divine sense avatar, she'd already left herself a backdoor in the Divine Realm.
If she could mess with the Golden Dragon King, causing trouble for Tang San was easy.
"I have an idea that might add a powerful member to World Serpent."
Lu Jingming, hearing Herta was going to cause trouble for Tang San, and recalling how she'd provoked the Golden Dragon King to attack the Divine Forbidden Grounds, suddenly had a brilliant idea.
He acted immediately, activating his Authority of Reality.
A surge of power filled his palm, and a flame appeared. Within the fire, a red jewel gradually materialized, as if stepping from fantasy into reality.
"No matter how many times I see it, it's amazing—you can turn imagination into reality. This power is similar to Emanator's but fundamentally different."
Herta watched with interest.
To her, Lu Jingming's power was wondrous—no less than that of the Star God, perhaps even greater.
As long as he was strong enough, his Authority of Reality could, in theory, accomplish anything—even omnipotence.
Sometimes, Herta wondered—was she really brought into this world by Lu Jingming, or just a figment of his imagination, or a projection/alternate of the real Herta?
But that was unanswerable for now, and she wasn't one to get hung up on such things.
She knew she truly existed in this world at this moment, and that was enough. She wasn't going to worry about the details.
Herta could tell Lu Jingming coveted her physically, but she wasn't bothered—that was enough.
As the fire faded, Lu Jingming smiled and handed her the red jewel. "Here—the Haste Gem. I have the perfect candidate, and he has a major flaw. I look forward to the birth of the World Serpent's Seventh Throne: the King of Plague."
"Is this kind of playing house really that fun?"
Herta rolled her eyes but still took the gem, her gesture hiding a bit of affection.
"It's fun!" Lu Jingming answered without hesitation.
Since he'd come to this world with a powerful cheat, he was going to enjoy it to the fullest.
The Douluo Continent was currently calm—the Sun-Moon Empire was building power; other empires were catching up. No major events were expected for years.
So Lu Jingming wanted some fun, while also gaining more benefits for himself, his partners, and his people.
"Boring," Herta said.
She'd rather research the simulated universe than play with power games. The unknown was more appealing to her.
"If you have time for that, why not find me more materials? When will you help me build a space station?"
Herta had lost interest in Douluo Star—she wanted to go into space for deeper research.
She had the technology, but lacked the necessary materials and equipment.
"Space station? Why not build a Celestial Ark?" Lu Jingming suddenly suggested.
"I could build one, but do you have enough materials and energy?" Herta scoffed.
She knew the Ark's structure inside out, but each was like a mini-world, with countless inner realms—requiring huge energy to travel the universe.
The Xianzhou Alliance pulled it off because the Stellaron Hunters provided infinite Imaginary Energy. Did Lu Jingming have that?
"Can't the Herrscher Core work?" Lu Jingming asked eagerly, holding up the Haste Gem.
The core could connect to the Imaginary Space and generate endless Honkai energy, which should be enough to power an Ark.
"In theory, yes, but the Herrscher Core's output is too low. Still, I could help you develop a stronger Honkai engine using it. The real issue is materials. You can't even leave this planet, and you're already dreaming of building an Ark!"
Herta poked his forehead.
She knew that using Authority of Reality to create materials was wasteful—his power wasn't infinite.
"Materials… Oh, I almost forgot!" Lu Jingming slapped his forehead.
He used his power again. With a surge, a golden regular hexahedron floated in his hand.
"The First Divine Key—Void Archives. It can replicate any material you fully understand using Honkai energy. With your knowledge, anything you analyze can be reproduced."
Herta's eyes shone with delight.
She took the Void Archives and instantly became its master, as easily as she had with Pursuit's End key before.
"This power's interesting—very suitable for me." Herta was thrilled.
With enough energy, she could create anything she fully understood—even an Ark, in theory.
Making an Ark was still unrealistic for now, but satellites, tech devices, and soul tools would be easy.
Most importantly, she could use it to reproduce rare cosmic materials, giving Lu Jingming a way to gather what he needed.
Building an Ark was a massive project—each was the size of a planet, with countless inner realms.
"You're being very generous today," Herta said, playing with the Void Archives.
Usually she had to plead for a sample, but now he'd just handed this over—using so much Authority of Reality.
"No big deal, I gained a lot this time," Lu Jingming smiled.
After causing chaos in the parallel world and involving the Spirit Hall, two empires, Sea God Island, and the City of Slaughter, he'd reaped great rewards—not just planetary feedback and the start of his god position, but a lot of Authority of Reality. Otherwise, he'd never have given up Void Archives.
He'd wanted to save up enough power to summon his waifu Acheron and chop up the Divine Realm, but that required a massive reserve, and he had too many other needs.
And besides, that would be boring—it was more fun to spar with Tang San.
This time, he was ready to give Tang San a little gift.
"Rare to see you so generous. Want a reward? An Ark is unrealistic, but a space battleship is doable."
Herta tossed the Void Archives and circled him.
"What would I do with a battleship? How about a kiss instead?"
Compared to a battleship, Lu Jingming wanted something special from her—a kiss.
"Wow, you're really shameless!" Herta raised an eyebrow, then kissed his cheek without hesitation.
"I keep my word. All right, you can go." She immediately changed her tone, shooing him away.
"Uh…" Lu Jingming was a bit stunned, touching his cheek where the warmth still lingered.
He said, "No, I meant here, not the cheek!" and pointed to his lips.
Herta looked at him in disdain. "You wish! My first kiss isn't that cheap. Not so easy to get!"
"Fine!" Lu Jingming wanted to argue Void Archives wasn't cheap, but he'd gotten this far—he could wait for the rest.
If he got a kiss today, the first kiss couldn't be far off.