Qian Ran grabbed Bing Di and Xue Di by their hands and gently ushered them into the fitting room.
Moments later, sounds not suitable for children emanated from within.
The store attendants outside blushed furiously as they waited, avoiding each other's gazes.
Less than ten minutes later, Qian Ran emerged with the two women. He wasn't the type to lose control in public, but he had indulged in a brief moment of intimacy, lightly caressing their silky legs and stockinged feet.
Once out, Qian Ran promptly settled the bill.
The clothes and accessories they'd picked were all tossed into his spatial ring, where the maids would neatly organize everything. Qian Ran didn't have to worry about a thing.
"How much would that storage soul tool cost?" one of the store attendants whispered, her eyes wide with astonishment.
The manager, more knowledgeable, was equally stunned. "That's a fortune. Most storage soul tools on the market only have a few cubic meters of space. But his… it's like it has no limit."
Qian Ran's ring, awarded by the system, was far beyond anything available on the Douluo Continent. While his wealth was immeasurable, most of the treasures he possessed were unique, transcending the value of this world's currencies.
After spending the day shopping, Qian Ran treated the three women to a luxurious dinner, sampling some of the finest delicacies the Sun and Moon Empire had to offer.
Originally, Qian Ran had planned to spend the night at a high-end hotel, but thoughts of Nana prompted him to change his mind. It wouldn't be right to neglect her on the very first night.
"Ke Ke, isn't that Qian Ran?"
Ju Zi and Ke Ke were taking an evening stroll when they spotted Qian Ran and the three women. Their presence was impossible to ignore—wherever they went, they became the center of attention.
While not everyone was leering, most assumed Qian Ran and the women were nobles and dared not approach them for fear of causing trouble.
"That guy is with three more women? Unbelievable! What a playboy!" Ke Ke exclaimed, her heart twisting with jealousy.
The three women around Qian Ran were all stunningly beautiful, making Ke Ke feel a pang of inferiority.
She had always believed herself to be on par with Nana. Aside from her shorter stature, she thought she had plenty of qualities that rivaled or even surpassed Nana's.
But these three women were on a whole other level.
Each one was flawless, radiating a goddess-like perfection.
Even Ju Zi, who was usually composed, couldn't help but be amazed. It was rare to see such beauty, even in the Sun and Moon Empire.
The unique aura exuded by Bing Di and Xue Di in particular was overwhelming, as if they could outshine any woman without even trying.
"Are they from our academy?" Ju Zi asked, puzzled.
"Impossible. If there were girls like that in our academy, we'd definitely know about them. Who knows where Qian Ran picked them up? That jerk!" Ke Ke fumed, glaring at Qian Ran from a distance.
If Qian Ran was surrounded by women this stunning, what chance did she stand?
"Don't be upset. They're gone now," Ju Zi said, smirking as she flicked Ke Ke on the forehead. Ke Ke's feelings for Qian Ran were written all over her face.
Women often fell for exceptional men quickly, far more so than they did for ordinary ones.
"Ju Zi… am I really that bad?" Ke Ke asked, burying her face in Ju Zi's shoulder for comfort.
"Of course not! You're amazing. There are so many people chasing after you at the academy. Those women may look glamorous, but you're just as great in your own way," Ju Zi reassured her, squeezing her hand.
Even as she said it, Ju Zi couldn't shake the feeling that she was sugarcoating the truth.
If they were being honest, Xue Di and Bing Di's beauty was otherworldly. As soul beasts in human form, their bodies were flawless, surpassing the limitations of ordinary human genetics.
On top of that, their immense power made them even more radiant. Stronger soul masters and soul beasts naturally developed more refined appearances.
By any metric, Xue Di was a 98 out of 100 in beauty, while Ju Zi and Ke Ke hovered around 92.
But attraction wasn't all about numbers.
For Qian Ran, any woman scoring 85 or above was sufficiently beautiful. Beyond that, what piqued his interest was novelty and excitement. Physical beauty alone wasn't enough—it was creativity and flair that truly captured his heart.
The Holy Spirit Cult
In a dimly lit chamber of the Holy Spirit Cult, Ye Xishui reviewed the intelligence reports handed to her.
"Qian Ran… Martial Soul Sect… Six-Winged Angel…"
"Could it be that the Spirit Hall still exists and has been developing in secret?" Ye Xishui murmured, her brows furrowing in deep thought.
The emergence of the Six-Winged Angel had left her uneasy.
For evil soul masters, a martial soul as divinely powerful as the Six-Winged Angel was a natural nemesis. While they were formidable against regular soul masters, they were incredibly vulnerable to the purifying light of a Six-Winged Angel.
Back during the peak of the Spirit Hall's reign, no one even mentioned evil soul masters because they were eradicated as soon as they surfaced. With the Spirit Hall's countless branches across the continent, they never had a chance to grow. Even the strongest evil soul masters couldn't stand against the might of the Six-Winged Angel.
Only after the Spirit Hall fell in the great war 10,000 years ago did the evil soul masters begin to rise, culminating in the Holy Spirit Cult's current scale.
The reappearance of the Six-Winged Angel was a devastating blow to Ye Xishui's plans.
"Qian Ran has come to the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy. The Martial Soul Sect must be incredibly bold. Do they not realize the Holy Spirit Cult operates in the Sun and Moon Empire?" Ye Xishui muttered.
"Are you talking about the boy from the Advanced Soul Master Academy tournament? He's in Mingdu now?" Dragon Douluo Long Xiaoyao asked, visibly surprised.
"Yes. And shortly after his arrival, one of our small outposts near Mingdu was destroyed. It must have been his doing," Ye Xishui said with a hint of irritation.
If Qian Ran knew about the Holy Spirit Cult and still acted against them, it was undoubtedly a provocation.
"Do you think the Martial Soul Sect is truly a continuation of the Spirit Hall?" Long Xiaoyao asked with a wry smile. If the Martial Soul Sect had several Title Douluos with the Six-Winged Angel martial soul, it would spell disaster for the Holy Spirit Cult.
"Perhaps. But so what? This isn't 10,000 years ago. The Holy Spirit Cult is not so easily defeated, especially with Mingde Hall as our ally. If the Martial Soul Sect challenges us, we can simply let Mingde Hall deal with them. In fact, this could work in our favor—having a common enemy like the Martial Soul Sect might keep Xu Tianran loyal to us," Ye Xishui said, her lips curling into a sly smile.
A powerful adversary like the Martial Soul Sect ensured that Xu Tianran wouldn't dare betray them, not if he wanted to achieve his ambition of unifying the continent.
"In time, I'll pay this boy a personal visit. I want to see just how formidable this Six-Winged Angel truly is," Ye Xishui said, her tone laced with malice.
(End of Chapter)