"Why aren't you happy even after winning the championship?" After leaving the Star Dou Battle Network, Xia Yi noticed that the usually excited Mu Xi seemed downcast and couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Even though I won the championship, I feel unworthy of it," Mu Xi said with her head down.
"Is it because Yue'er and I intentionally withdrew from the match?" Xia Yi asked in confusion.
"No." Mu Xi shook her head lightly and said in a soft voice, "Although I won the championship, this competition also showed me my shortcomings. Compared to those geniuses, I'm still too weak. Aside from the Samadhi True Fire, I lag behind them in many areas."
"That's not the right way to think. The Samadhi True Fire is also part of your strength, isn't it?" Xia Yi gently pulled Mu Xi into his arms and smiled comfortingly.
"That's true, but I still want to improve in all aspects, so I won't have to rely so heavily on the Samadhi True Fire," Mu Xi said, leaning on Xia Yi's shoulder.
Previously, Mu Xi didn't like soul master battles and didn't care much about her combat ability.
And not just Mu Xi—strictly speaking, nearly all blacksmiths are like that.
This is mainly because blacksmithing demands a tremendous amount of energy and focus.
Unless you're a genius like Xia Yi, it's very difficult to improve your forging skills without affecting your development as a soul master.
To boost their forging abilities, most soul masters have to gradually abandon combat, and some even resort to using harmful drugs to cultivate because they don't have time to train.
Over time, their combat ability drops significantly.
If you're no good in battle, you can only throw yourself deeper into forging to stand out.
And the more you focus on forging, the more your combat ability declines.
It's a vicious cycle.
It's not that blacksmiths don't want to shine like other soul masters in combat—it's that they simply can't.
Mu Xi was the same. She didn't like soul master battles before because she knew she wouldn't get good results.
Although this time she relied on the Samadhi True Fire to fight her way to the championship...
The sense of accomplishment was something she had never experienced before.
Xia Yi hugged Mu Xi a little tighter and said, "It's great that you think that way. Your martial soul has already started evolving under the influence of the Samadhi True Fire. It will definitely become a top-tier martial soul in the future. But no matter how powerful a martial soul is, it still needs the soul master to be strong for it to truly shine. Didn't Yue'er train you before? If you need anything, you can go directly to her—or even to Zhu'er or Yulai. They're all top-tier fire-attribute soul masters. And don't forget me—we'll all help you."
"Mm!" Mu Xi nodded firmly.
"But even if you want to get stronger, there's no rush. Didn't I promise to celebrate with you after the tournament? Go ahead, how do you want to celebrate?" Xia Yi turned to look at her, a brilliant smile on his face.
"Don't make fun of me. Aren't you a champion too?" Seeing his smile, Mu Xi punched him playfully in the chest.
Xia Yi caught her soft fist and laughed. "It's not the same. The soul master tournament is the main event, filled with elite experts. Peak Soul Douluos are everywhere. In the mecha battle, there were hardly any peak Soul Douluos. So your championship is worth more than mine."
"Go ahead and mock me, humph!" Mu Xi took the opportunity to lean back into his embrace, wrapped her arms around his waist, looked up at him with bright eyes, and said expectantly, "Xia Yi, let's have a wedding."
"A... wedding?" Xia Yi froze. He had really never thought about it.
"What, is there a problem?" Seeing his reaction, Mu Xi became anxious, and her gaze dimmed.
"No problem." Seeing the look in her eyes, Xia Yi couldn't bring himself to refuse—nor did he have a reason to.
He hugged her tightly again, kissed her golden hair, and said with determination, "Okay, we'll have a wedding."
"Mm!" Hearing Xia Yi's affirmation, Mu Xi immediately smiled and happily rested in his arms, savoring the happiness of the moment.
Xia Yi held her tightly. This was indeed something he had overlooked.
He hadn't considered Mu Xi's feelings.
He had mistakenly lumped her together with Gu Yue and the others.
Even when Leng Yaozhu had officially confirmed her relationship with him, she couldn't wait to announce it to the world and share her happiness.
So how could Mu Xi be any different?
Only Gu Yue might not care much about a wedding.
But she likely still hoped for one.
Mu Xi and the others were different—even Leng Yaozhu and Leng Yulai had probably been waiting for Xia Yi to bring it up.
Especially Leng Yulai. If he didn't give her a wedding or a proper status, even Xia Yi himself would feel like a jerk.
This wedding had to happen.
No matter how difficult it was, it had to be done.
Sure enough, when Xia Yi brought up the wedding to Leng Yaozhu and Leng Yulai, as soon as Leng Yulai heard he wanted to hold a wedding, she jumped into his arms like an octopus and kissed him excitedly. "I support the wedding! Hehe, I want to marry brother-in-law openly and proudly!"
"Leng Yulai, behave yourself!" Leng Yaozhu was so angry she nearly gritted her teeth to pieces. She dragged Leng Yulai off Xia Yi and said to him, "This isn't a good idea. If you really go through with it, you're basically putting yourself over an open flame."
Xia Yi's situation was too unique.
Don't forget—bigamy is a crime in the Federation.
Previously it was tolerated. Thanks to Leng Yaozhu's status and identity, no one wanted to make trouble for Xia Yi over a small matter.
The general public had already accepted that Xia Yi had multiple women.
Maybe it was because he was so open about it, never hiding anything—so when people thought of it, they just thought "romantic." It wasn't praise or criticism.
Very few used it to attack or smear him.
But if he publicly held a wedding, it would be different. The bride would certainly not be just one person.
Some things might be tacitly accepted, but that doesn't mean they can be publicly flaunted.
If that happened, Xia Yi would be blatantly violating the laws of the Sun-Moon Federation.
People would definitely step forward to condemn him.
Leng Yaozhu did look forward to it too, but she was no longer a little girl. She had to consider the consequences a public wedding might bring to Xia Yi.
After all, this is a civilized society. Even the Emperor of the Sun-Moon Federation has only one Empress.
"Back then even Yun Ming openly married my sister—why can't brother-in-law?" Leng Yulai argued enthusiastically. "I've made up my mind. We must have a grand wedding."
"Leng Yulai, get lost as far as you can! Don't cause trouble! Do you think this is the same as before? Back then, Shrek City was autonomous and outside of the Sun-Moon Federation's jurisdiction. Now the continent is unified. It's not the same!" Leng Yaozhu slammed the table.
But Leng Yulai wasn't scared at all. She grinned mischievously and said, "Sun-Moon Federation? Heh! If they dare stop us, I'll rebel. Let's see what they can do then."
"You—" Leng Yaozhu was speechless at her fearless sister.
Leng Yulai's tone may have sounded like a joke, but Leng Yaozhu could tell she was serious—absolutely not joking.
If the Federation really tried to stop her from being with Xia Yi, she would truly rebel.
She used her joking tone to express her resolve.
Of course, the Federation wouldn't be stupid enough to go that far.
As long as Xia Yi insisted, the Federation couldn't really stop him.
Leng Yaozhu was more worried about how public backlash might affect Xia Yi.
"Yulai, don't make your sister mad." Xia Yi sighed, watching the two sisters argue. They clearly cared about each other deeply, yet they always bickered.
Since Xia Yi brought Leng Yulai back to the Spirit Transmission Tower, their bickering hadn't stopped.
Mainly because Leng Yulai was too uninhibited—she always said exactly what she felt in front of both Leng Yaozhu and Xia Yi.
She never hid her emotions.
And she wasn't afraid of upsetting either of them.
"Tch, she calls herself my sister but even hesitates about having a wedding with you." Leng Yulai, still dissatisfied, grumbled.
"Alright, enough." Xia Yi quickly pulled Leng Yulai into his arms to keep her from making Leng Yaozhu even angrier.
He understood Leng Yulai's way of expressing love better than anyone—always wild and unfiltered.
Sometimes even he had a hard time handling her, let alone Leng Yaozhu.
Seeing Leng Yulai quiet down, Leng Yaozhu looked at Xia Yi again and said, "It's not that I don't want a wedding or to be with you openly. My desire is no less than Yulai's—it's just that…"
"I know my Zhu'er is doing it for my sake." Xia Yi interrupted her gently, pulling her into his other arm, holding both sisters tightly, and said softly, "Zhu'er, I know how much you've sacrificed for me, even putting your own feelings aside. But I've thought it through— I can't let you all be with me without names or titles. I won't let you be wronged. So this wedding must happen. No matter the cost—it's worth it."
"Okay. I'll listen to you." Now that Xia Yi had spoken this far, Leng Yaozhu had no choice but to agree. Even if she could endure being wronged, she couldn't let Leng Yulai continue to be.
At least she and Xia Yi had publicly acknowledged each other.
But what about Leng Yulai?
She had suffered too much for Xia Yi—and for her sister's happiness.
Though she seemed carefree and indifferent on the surface...
From "Master" to "Lord" to "Brother-in-law," Leng Yulai always looked cheerful and unfazed. But she wanted—more than anyone else—to be with Xia Yi openly.
That's why she was so emotional when he brought up the wedding.
Even if she had to defy the Federation, she wouldn't back down.
Thinking of all this, Leng Yaozhu's heart ached. This wedding would finally make up for everything Leng Yulai had endured.
And maybe that was one of the reasons Xia Yi was so determined to hold the wedding.
Even just for Leng Yulai—he would overcome any challenge.
"I also want us registered officially in the Sun-Moon Federation—so we're legally married," Xia Yi said again.
"No problem. Leave it to me," Leng Yaozhu nodded firmly once more.