Zhao Ling had originally thought the matter would blow over, but he quickly realized he was wrong.
That girl Xiao Wu kept coming to him, persistently asking when it would be her turn, leaving Zhao Ling utterly exasperated.
Well then—Zhao Ling didn't hold back. On the fifth day after being with Xiao Rou, he took Xiao Wu as well.222
Of course, Ah Yin and Liu Erlong, worried that Zhao Ling might be too rough and scar Xiao Wu psychologically, thoughtfully accompanied her in the ordeal. Their gesture deeply moved Xiao Wu, and naturally, it gave a certain someone free rein to act like a complete beast.
After becoming Zhao Ling's women, both Xiao Rou and Xiao Wu noticed that the heady infatuation they once felt had faded.
But they also realized that their love for Zhao Ling had filled their hearts entirely. Once they became his women, there was simply no room for another man in their lives.
Xiao Rou felt this most profoundly. She used to occasionally think of her late husband.
But after becoming Zhao Ling's woman, she found that her memories of him had turned distant, as if he were a stranger. She felt absolutely no emotional stirrings anymore.
She used to be a woman of deep feelings, yet now, her heart was completely detached from her deceased husband. At times, she even thought it was a good thing he had died—if he hadn't, how could she have found her true love?
Whenever such thoughts surfaced, Xiao Rou felt a twinge of guilt. One day, she confided these feelings to Xiao Wu.
To her surprise, Xiao Wu said that ever since she became Zhao Ling's woman, she too had grown emotionally distant from her father. Now, all she felt was love for Zhao Ling and familial affection for Xiao Rou and Tang Wutong.
As the two were sharing these thoughts, Zhao Ling happened to pass by and inadvertently overheard their conversation.
He couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath—he hadn't expected that even after the system had optimized the Lady Killer level 2 effect, it would still be this overpowering.
It wasn't just Xiao Rou and Xiao Wu who were affected like this—Dong'er, Yin'er, Long'er, and Xi'er were likely the same.
That meant he needed to treat them well. They now had only him—if he were to abandon them, he'd be worse than a beast.
From then on, Ah Yin, Liu Erlong, Xiao Rou, and Xiao Wu all noticed that Zhao Ling had grown even more tender toward them.
Of course, when it came to bed matters, he was still as wild as ever—but at least he wasn't thoughtlessly rough anymore.
And so, amid their shameless and indulgent lifestyle, five years quietly passed.
In those five years, Zhao Ling's spirit power had risen from level 94 to level 98. His first Spirit now had a ring configuration of three black and six red rings, thanks to the regular upgrades in age he obtained.
As for his second Spirit, all its rings were gifts from the system—rings that could automatically increase in age as his strength improved.
Now, the ring setup on his second Spirit had reached seven red and one orange-gold ring, enhanced both by his own growth and the system's periodic upgrades.
However, the system still hadn't given him the final ring, so he had yet to break through to level 99.
In the context of the original story's first arc, Zhao Ling's spirit ring configuration was already absurdly powerful.
Yet he wasn't satisfied. After all, the protagonists of the third and fourth arcs were each more outrageous than the last.
Still, Zhao Ling was confident that while his ring configuration might not outclass those of Tang Wulin or Lan Xuanyu at the same level...
...he could still beat them to a pulp. The reason? His physique had evolved from a mid-tier Barbaric War Body to a high-tier Barbaric War Body.
Combined with his previously awakened trait of growing stronger during battle, Zhao Ling's physical enhancement had reached roughly fifteenfold.
In addition, over the past five years, the system had granted him five high-grade techniques from advanced fantasy worlds—three of Earth-grade upper tier and two of Heaven-grade lower tier.
Now, he felt confident that even if he fought the gods of the Sea God Realm, as long as he didn't face a God King-level entity, he wouldn't be at a disadvantage.
Ah Yin, Liu Erlong, and Xiao Rou had all made significant progress in strength too.
Ah Yin had reached level 76, Xiao Rou had reached level 74, and Liu Erlong had climbed to level 72.
Naturally, as heroines of the first and second parts of the original story, Xiao Wu and Tang Wutong's growth was even more extreme. Their innate talents were already monstrous—and with a 10% enhancement from the "Zhao Ling's Diary Copy," it was pushed even further.
Most importantly, Zhao Ling had given Xiao Rou, Xiao Wu, and Tang Wutong special immortal herb-based pills to boost both their levels and innate potential.
The formula for the pills came from the system, since immortal herbs were far too precious to waste.
The system didn't let him down. It provided a recipe that used immortal herbs as the main ingredient, supported by more common herbs.
Zhao Ling used the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid as the core and refined a batch of pills, producing eight in total, which he named the Eight Immortal Pills.
Each pill could boost the user's level by two to three stages and marginally enhance their aptitude. The real advantage lay in the quantity—they could be taken multiple times.
As a result, over the course of five years, Xiao Wu and Tang Wutong's spirit power soared at a jaw-dropping rate. Xiao Wu jumped from level 37 to 66, and Tang Wutong skyrocketed from level 25 to 63.
Their insane progress made Xiao Rou, Ah Yin, and Liu Erlong green with envy.
Especially Tang Wutong—she was only level 25 five years ago, and now she was nearing level 63. That kind of growth was downright inhuman.
Meanwhile, Bibi Dong had also surged in power, reaching level 82 over five years. According to the original story, it would have been impossible for her to reach Spirit Douluo level at 22.
But Zhao Ling had given her a Strange Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum during his first return to Spirit City, which significantly boosted her power and aptitude. Combined with the 10% enhancement from the Diary Copy, her growth had far outpaced the original.
As for Bo Saixi, already a 99th-level Limit Doulou, her power hadn't increased further over the past five years.
However, her Sea God affinity kept rising, and it seemed only a matter of time before she passed the Sea God Trials and became the new Sea God.
A pleasant surprise was that she was now pregnant. Three months after Zhao Ling had escorted her back to Sea God Island, she discovered she was with child.
But for some unknown reason, the child had remained in her womb for a full five years.
Her belly was only slightly rounded even after all that time, which Zhao Ling found deeply baffling.
Most babies are born after ten months—why had this one not shown any signs of being born after five whole years?
Could it be like that story from Stellar Transformations, where the female lead carried a child for thirty-six thousand years?
No way, right? It couldn't be… right?