# Chapter 346: Delight

Seeing the determination on their faces, Lu Yuan thought it over. Though their cultivation levels weren't particularly high, aside from Small White and Amy, everyone possessed at least Sovereign Grade Transcendent Genes.

He could keep an eye on them when the time came. With their strength, as long as they stayed in the peripheral zones, there shouldn't be any major issues.

*Maybe it really would be fine to bring them along.*

After all, Aberrant Beasts would likely only grow more numerous in the future. Getting some early exposure now could only be beneficial.

With that thought, Lu Yuan nodded and said with a light smile, "In that case, everyone can come."

The group broke into smiles at his words.

Li Qinghe thumped her chest and declared with utmost seriousness, "Don't worry — your big sister here will take good care of them."

Lu Yuan rolled his eyes, then laughed. "We haven't departed yet. There's still about a month of Origin time before we leave — roughly three days in real time. So if you want to come, use the time wisely. Train hard and squeeze out whatever progress you can, just in case something unexpected happens."

Shuangyue snickered, arms folded across her chest, looking quite pleased with herself. "Yours truly is about to break through! Once that happens, I'll be a Battle Emperor — I can look after all of you."

Li Qinghe and Si Tingyu glanced at Shuangyue with some surprise, though it wasn't entirely unexpected. Shuangyue's cultivation had always been slightly ahead of theirs, and her natural talent ran a touch higher. Given similar resources, it only made sense she'd be the first to break through.

Amy struck a proud hands-on-hips pose. "I'm about to break through too!"

Small White offered a gentle smile. "As am I."

Lu Yuan looked at the two of them with mild surprise. Honestly, aside from Li Qinghe and his mentor — both of whom had been Battle Sovereigns already, making their breakthrough to Battle Emperor considerably harder — everyone else except Shuangyue had already broken through.

That left only Amy and Small White.

And now they were both on the verge as well.

*If that's the case, once I inscribe their Transcendent Genes, with the foundation they've built, they should have a real shot at Saint Grade genes.*

The thought of Gene Inscription brought that peculiar ritual to mind, and a strange feeling stirred in his chest. He glanced at the two of them again.

*These two will probably... go through the same thing, won't they?*

*Ahem... when I think about it like that, I'm kind of terrible, aren't I?*

*How did I end up with this many girlfriends...*

*What a scumbag!*

*I despise myself!*

Lu Yuan thoroughly berated himself in his mind — and then felt a small flutter of anticipation.

He smiled and said, "Well then, train hard, all of you. Try to break through within the month, and I'll inscribe your genes when you're ready."

Shuangyue arched an eyebrow, studying Lu Yuan's expression with a sly grin — the look of someone who knew exactly what that entailed.

Amy's cheeks flushed pink, and she dipped her head in embarrassment.

Small White maintained her perfectly composed expression, though her white cat ears twitched ever so slightly, betraying a hint of inner turmoil.

The others glanced between the three of them, their expressions varied.

But all things considered, these three had already fallen behind.

Over the following days, everyone continued their training.

One week later.

Lu Yuan was resting in his room when a knock came at the door. He walked over and opened it to find Amy and Wang Lingling standing outside.

A faint blush colored Amy's cheeks. Wang Lingling wore a warm, gentle smile.

Lu Yuan blinked, looking between them. "Amy, Lingling — what's going on?"

Wang Lingling glanced at Amy, then said brightly, "The young lady has broken through to Battle Sovereign."

Lu Yuan stared at Amy in surprise. "How come you didn't mention it earlier?"

Wang Lingling's smile grew even softer. "She was too embarrassed, of course."

Amy shot Wang Lingling an indignant look. "I was not! I just... I just thought that, well..."

Lu Yuan understood immediately from their exchange. He couldn't help but smile. "Come on in. We'll talk inside."

Amy zipped into the room in a blur. Wang Lingling followed at a leisurely pace, still smiling.

Lu Yuan paused when he noticed Wang Lingling walking in as well and gave her a puzzled look.

"...Lingling, why are you coming in?"

*Isn't there going to be that whole thing afterward? How is this supposed to work with her here?*

Wang Lingling beamed at him. "The young lady is a little nervous, and I'm worried about her. Naturally I should come in and keep an eye on things~ Is that not allowed?"

Lu Yuan shot Amy a look, his expression somewhat peculiar.

Amy sneaked a glance at him, then quickly adopted an air of total innocence.

Lu Yuan sighed with a helpless smile. "Fine. Lingling can stay and watch from the side."

"Mm."

Lu Yuan and Amy headed to the bathroom. Wang Lingling didn't follow — she knew Amy was about to undergo Gene Inscription, and she couldn't afford to interfere.

By now, inscribing Transcendent Genes for the girls was something Lu Yuan had grown quite practiced at. He'd done it several times, after all.

Amy selected her gene, and the moment inscription began, agonized screams erupted from the bathroom. Lu Yuan had already prepared and immediately began administering treatment.

Outside the bathroom, Wang Lingling sealed the surrounding area with her power of light to contain the sound. Without that, Amy would have died of embarrassment.

Hearing Amy's cries of pain, Wang Lingling couldn't help but clench her fists, worry flickering in her eyes. She'd undergone the Saint Grade inscription herself without incident, but that didn't stop her from fretting over Amy.

Time passed. Gradually, Amy's screams faded, and the turbulent energy inside the bathroom settled into calm. Only then did Wang Lingling exhale in relief, a smile returning to her face.

She knew it was nearly over.

Amy had successfully inscribed a Saint Grade Transcendent Gene.

Inside the bathroom.

Having completed the final step — killing the residual will within the Transcendent Gene — Amy opened her eyes. Seeing the blood covering her entire body, she wrinkled her nose and whimpered, "So gross!"

She tried to stand but couldn't manage it. The process had consumed too much of her energy, and her body hadn't recovered yet. She turned to Lu Yuan with pitiful, pleading eyes.

"You big liar — help me rinse off."

Lu Yuan smiled and washed her clean, then carried her out of the bathroom.

In the bedroom, Wang Lingling sat on the edge of the bed. When she saw Lu Yuan emerge with Amy in his arms, the worry in her eyes had vanished entirely, replaced by a warm smile. "Congratulations, my lady."

Amy perked up instantly, her weary face practically glowing. "Hmph! But of course — do you even know who you're talking to?"

Wang Lingling continued with that sweet smile of hers. "Yes, yes, yes. So then... it's time for the last step, isn't it?"

Amy's expression froze solid. Lu Yuan could feel her body go rigid in his arms.

She turned to look at him, a glint of steely resolve in her eyes. Then she squeezed them shut and declared, "Do it! Knock me out!"

Lu Yuan stared. "...?"

He looked at Amy — who wore the expression of a martyr marching bravely to the gallows — and a slow question mark materialized in his mind.

*Knock her out?*

*Why would I knock her out?*

*Does this girl have some kind of unusual preference?*

*...No way, right?*

His head swimming with question marks, Lu Yuan instinctively turned to Wang Lingling.

Her face was alight with pure, unbridled delight — a rare look of excitement he almost never saw on her.

Lu Yuan's expression went flat.

He understood now. Amy had definitely been set up by Wang Lingling.

He fixed Wang Lingling with an exasperated glare, then turned back to Amy, whose eyes were still clenched shut, her face taut with anxiety. "Why would I need to knock you out?"

Amy's eyes flew open. She looked at him in bewilderment. "I-isn't there a last step? If I'm unconscious, it won't hurt. That's what Lingling told me — she said it was from personal experience."

Lu Yuan's mouth twitched.

*Knew it.*

"...Lingling was lying."

Amy went rigid. Her eyes blew wide, and she whipped around to glare at Wang Lingling.

Seeing Amy's mortified fury, a look of deep satisfaction settled over Wang Lingling's features.

*This* was exactly why she'd come in — to witness that very expression on her young lady's face.

*Perfection.*

In a flash, she appeared beside Lu Yuan, planted a quick kiss on his lips, and slipped away before Amy could grab her — already gliding toward the door.

At the same time, Wang Lingling's voice echoed in Lu Yuan's mind through telepathy:

*"Be gentle with her, Yuan~"*

Lu Yuan watched Wang Lingling open and close the door in one seamless motion, then turned to Amy, who was seething helplessly. He couldn't hold back a laugh.

Amy puffed out her cheeks, glaring at him with wide, indignant eyes. "You big liar! You're laughing! You're bullying me too!"

Lu Yuan flashed a wicked grin. "You might want to save that line for later."

*...Ten thousand words omitted...*

Early the next morning, Amy dragged herself out of bed on trembling legs and crept from Lu Yuan's room, sneaking back to her own. No amount of persuasion from Lu Yuan could make her stay — she insisted she didn't want anyone to find out. It would be too mortifying.

She even forced herself downstairs for breakfast, stubbornly acting as if nothing were the matter.

In the main hall, Yeye sat on the couch, waiting for the meal to be served.

Amy fought to keep her wobbling legs steady as she walked over and sat down, her expression carefully neutral.

She greeted Yeye with a bright smile. "Morning, Yeye!"

Yeye nodded, then studied Amy for a moment. Her typically placid voice carried an uncharacteristic note of concern. "Amy, you should really rest today. We all did when it was our turn."

Amy: "???"

The smile on her face froze solid.

Off to the side, Wang Lingling was, for once, at a loss for words. Her sound barrier had dissipated the moment she left the room the night before — which meant she'd heard everything. The entire night.

Another week passed.

After dinner, Small White looked at Lu Yuan and spoke. "My lord, I've broken through as well."

Her expression was as serious as ever, but inside, she was brimming with excitement.

*I've caught up to Her Highness once again!*

*This is for the Tianming Empire. If I can bear his children, the Empire will have prodigious descendants carrying Divine Grade genes.*

*I need to put in even more effort!*

While rather vivid scenarios played out in Small White's imagination, Wang Lingling pursed her lips. "Oh my, who would have thought — even Miss Small White has broken through? How wonderful for you."

Faced with Wang Lingling's loaded sarcasm, Small White merely spared her a glance and let out a quiet huff, declining to fire back for once.

*I'm in too good a mood today. I won't stoop to that woman's level.*

Yeye gave Small White a thumbs-up — an endorsement straight from the Tianming Empire's princess herself.

It would have been more dignified if she hadn't been chewing with her mouth full at the time.

Off to the side, Li Qinghe jabbed at her rice in sullen jealousy.

The others smiled and offered their congratulations. Though Small White was serious and composed by nature, she treated everyone with exceptional care. Whatever task was entrusted to her, she handled it flawlessly — which had made her remarkably popular within the group. She'd built good relationships with nearly everyone.

Even Anastasia occasionally borrowed Small White from Yeye to help manage various affairs. With her busy schedule, even her own council of advisors sometimes couldn't keep up, but Small White handled such matters with effortless competence. She had a genuine gift for it.

Lu Yuan smiled. "Good. I'll inscribe your gene after dinner."

Small White's eyes lit up. For once, she didn't restrain herself, breaking into a bright smile as she nodded firmly. "Mm!"

After dinner, Lu Yuan brought Small White back to his room. Like Yeye, Small White had a darkness affinity, and there was no shortage of Saint Grade genes to choose from.

She made her selection, and the inscription began.

When it was over, blood covered Small White from head to toe, hiding her porcelain skin beneath a coat of crimson. Even her normally pristine white cat ears and tail drooped listlessly, stained with red.

She struggled to push herself upright. Lu Yuan rubbed the top of her head and said gently, "Let me handle it, Small White. You're always pushing yourself so hard. It's okay to lean on me a little. I've told you so many times — to me, you're the same as everyone else."

Small White went still. Then moisture welled in her eyes as she gazed up at him. The serious composure she always wore softened, giving way to something tender and vulnerable.

"I want you to give me a bath, Yuan~"

*...Ten thousand words omitted...*

After Small White, another ten days passed. Just before the departure date, Shuangyue finally completed her inscription as well.

But her approach was nothing like Small White's or Amy's.

The instant she broke through, she snatched up her Communication Crystal and contacted Lu Yuan without a moment's hesitation.

Lu Yuan had just finished training and returned home. He answered the Communication Crystal to find Shuangyue's face filling the display.

She grinned broadly. "Yuan, where are you? I've broken through — I want to do the Gene Inscription right now!"

Her impatience brought a strange look to his face.

"...I just got back from training. I'm at the house."

"I'm on my way! Wait for me!"

Everyone else was still training, so Lu Yuan sat alone on the living room couch. Before long, Shuangyue came barreling through the door like a gust of wind.

The moment she spotted him, her eyes lit up. She dashed over, grabbed his hand, and hauled him toward the stairs. "Yuan, come on — Gene Inscription! Let's go!"

Lu Yuan let himself be dragged along, studying the overeager Shuangyue with some bewilderment. "What's the rush, Shuangyue? It's not even departure day yet."

Shuangyue pulled him down the corridor without breaking stride. "Who said anything about the departure? I just want to get the inscription out of the way so we can explore some of those... positions and techniques I've been researching online."

Her eyes gleamed with eager anticipation.

Lu Yuan: "???"

His mouth twitched as he stared at the expectant Shuangyue.

*Good lord. True to form — an absolute veteran.*

For once in his life, Lu Yuan was rendered completely speechless.