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ED Note: Our gluttonous beast can finally directly communicate with Ling Qingxue! Things will be more fun and chaotic with these two from now on, won't they?
After the two absorbed nearly half of the Earth Spirit Milk, Ling Qingxue carried Wu Liang out.
The entrance to the secret place couldn't be exposed; if all the essence was absorbed, it could potentially affect the stability of the entrance.
This secret place was crucial for Ling Qingxue's advancement; she couldn't afford to lose it.
Wu Liang patted his little belly, slightly displeased.
"Hey, pet owner, you're so stingy! Go down and catch some fish for me to eat."
His mental power had reached 150 points, enough to communicate with Ling Qingxue at the advanced level.
Hearing the childish and rude voice in her mind, Ling Qingxue's face darkened.
"You brat, you should call me Master or Lord. What the hell is a 'pet owner'?!"
Wu Liang wiggled his little feet, full of confidence. Since he was Ling Qingxue's soulmate, she couldn't kill him.
"We're equals, we're both masters. If you'll behave more respectfully to me, I might promote you later."
Ling Qingxue sneered, and a surge of spiritual energy erupted from between her brows.
"Soul Lock!"
This was a common mental technique, yet it easily sealed Wu Liang's mouth shut.
Feeling the binding sensation on his mouth, Wu Liang panicked.
If he couldn't open his mouth, he was doomed. Without food, he couldn't grow, and therefore couldn't level up.
"Please release me! I was wrong, okay?" Wu Liang pleaded.
Ling Qingxue's lips curled into a smile, her eyes gleaming.
"You're right, we're equals, there's no hierarchy. You can call me by my name, but 'pet owner' is not acceptable!"
Wu Liang touched his mouth and smacked twice.
"Fine, from now on, I'll call you Little Xuexue, and you call me Wu Liang, but you have to feed me well. About twenty simple meals a day will do."
Hearing this, Ling Qingxue's face darkened even more.
Twenty meals!
Even if she sold herself, she wouldn't have that much money to buy food for Wu Liang.
In a single meal, Wu Liang could devour several First Level magical beasts' carcasses, worth tens of thousands. That added up to nearly a million a day. How could she afford that?
"No, that's too much. I need a lot of resources to cultivate myself!"
Wu Liang patted his bottom and walked to Ling Qingxue's feet with his four little paws.
"Little Xuexue, you should be able to see my intelligence and my extraordinary potential. I can tell you clearly that I can evolve my bloodline on my own, without you providing evolution potions, but high-grade food is a necessity!"
Ling Qingxue's heart began to pound, her expression filled with disbelief.
Self-evolution wasn't uncommon. Some bloodlines could achieve self-evolution, but it was very rare, almost as rare as divine dragons and phoenixes.
Because they inherently possessed extremely high potential, the purity of their bloodline could continuously increase their own level.
And now she was being told that this ugly little black mongrel had the potential to rival dragons and phoenixes? How could that be possible!
"Hey, hey, hey, who are you calling ugly? This is called… this is called unconventional!"
This hybrid bloodline was extremely chaotic. He was indeed ugly now, but as he continued to evolve, he would become more handsome.
Ling Qingxue said nothing, her eyes filled with deep thoughts.
"When will you be able to undergo your second evolution?"
"Just fifteen more First Level early-stage magical beasts will be enough." Wu Liang replied.
Ling Qingxue's gaze sharpened. "Alright, I'll gather fifteen magical beasts for you to eat as soon as possible. As long as you can continue to evolve autonomously, I'll try my best to provide you with food!"
At this moment, she finally believed in the arrangements of fate.
Reborn once, her destiny had been successfully altered.
She didn't want to end up just getting into a bottom-tier Martial Arts University like in her previous life; this time, her starting point was much higher.
The secret place she had found was just one example. If she obtained that Star Stone, she would truly soar to new heights.
And Wu Liang was the biggest variable in her life!
Why did she think this?
Because an extraordinary being like Wu Liang never existed in her previous life. Even after she became Empress, she had never heard of any magical beast possessing power comparable to a divine dragon, while also having the talent of devouring things.
There were three possible scenarios that could have happened.
One: After Zhang Yuan found Wu Liang's egg, she ate it immediately. After all, in her eyes, Wu Liang was just an ordinary egg without any bloodline—useless for anything other than being eaten. Wu Liang would have died before even leaving Linjiang City.
Two: Wu Liang successfully hatched, but since he lacked any bloodline from the start, he couldn't absorb the energy needed for evolution. Ultimately, he would be devoured by other magical beasts.
Three: The butterfly effect triggered by Ling Qingxue's rebirth altered not only her own fate but also that of Wu Liang. Both of them now faced new destinies.
Ling Qingxue exhaled, the glint in her eyes gradually fading. Was it a change of fate, or the beginning of a new cycle?
It didn't matter. What mattered was that she had always been Ling Qingxue!
[Ding! Ling Qingxue's favorability level increased by 10%, currently at 40%. Devouring All Things talent increased at 40%.]
Wow! Hearing this System notification, Wu Liang's body trembled, almost jumping up.
His "Devouring All Things" talent had reached 40% activation. Now he could increase the conversion rate of what he ate to 40%, not far from 100% absorption.
"Grumpy Empress, you finally believe me! Let's quickly raise our favorability level to the maximum!"
Hearing this, cracks appeared on Ling Qingxue's recently calmed facade.
Grumpy Empress?
"Don't call me that!"
Ling Qingxue was furious. They'd only been in a contract for two days, and she already had three nicknames.
"Pet Owner," "Little Xuexue," and now "Grumpy Empress."
This damned chatterbox!
Wu Liang scratched the two sparse, stray hairs on his head, his interest waning.
Angering his human wouldn't end well; he'd have to go along with her.
Otherwise, he'd be in trouble if she didn't feed him fish later.
These fish were incredibly fragrant, and their internal energy was abundant. If he ate a few, he felt confident he could break through to the next level.
Then, he might even be able to find his own food.
To be so powerful in less than a week, the System was quite capable.
"Okay, Little Xuexue, I'm hungry. Go catch all the fish."
Ling Qingxue gritted her teeth but ultimately gave in to Wu Liang's demands.
Improving her strength was the most important thing right now; everything else was secondary.
She jumped directly into the pool. The cool spring water soaked her dress, making the fine material glisten and cling softly to her snow-white legs and waist, outlining her graceful curves.
Drops of clear spring water rolled down her hair, past her collarbone, and finally disappeared into an unnamed canyon.
Seeing this scene, Wu Liang couldn't help but swallow hard.
Although they weren't the same species, it didn't stop him from appreciating something he liked.
After all, he still had his ‘tools’, and he was still a man!
"Tsk tsk, only 18 years old and already has great potential, what will she be like in the future! Oh, my Empress, don't block the view! Advantages should be shown off, otherwise you're not treating me like family..."
Wu Liang watched with great interest, while Ling Qingxue's ears burned.
For a moment, she even wanted to kill Wu Liang and see if heaven would grant her another chance.
Given another chance, she would definitely not choose that little pervert Wu Liang again!