Lu Jingming's movements accidentally woke Keqing, who slept beside him.
Half-awake, Keqing remembered what had happened earlier.
Though they hadn't gone all the way, their intimacy still left her blushing deeply.
"Why are you still here? I'm not fooling around with you today—I have work to do."
Keqing tried to sound calm and natural, pretending nothing had happened, but her flushed ears betrayed her embarrassment.
Lu Jingming found her act amusing, but knew better than to tease her for fear she'd ignore him for days.
He simply smiled and said nothing.
Soon, the sound of running water came from the bathroom—Keqing had gone to shower.
Lu Jingming closed his eyes, focusing on the surging soul power within him.
He could feel that he was close to breaking through the bottleneck to rank seventy, and was preparing to form his first soul core.
Of all his powers, he was most familiar with Black Abyss, so he chose to make his first soul core one of destruction.
As a soul master with an ultimate attribute, his soul power was far purer and denser than others.
Forming a soul core meant gradually liquefying his soul power, then compressing it into a crystal—the soul core.
In this era, soul masters usually only formed a soul core when on the verge of becoming a Title Douluo.
A soul core was the key to entering the Title Douluo realm; without it, one could never truly progress.
But Lu Jingming knew deeper secrets.
In fact, a soul master could refine their soul power before rank seventy, compressing it at rank sixty-nine to form a soul core upon breaking through—greatly extending lifespan and enhancing the true form's effects.
Forming a soul core before rank seventy brought huge advantages, and made breaking into Title Douluo easier.
That was why Title Douluos had grown more common in later generations.
Ultimate attribute soul masters had an even greater advantage in this process—their soul power was naturally purer, making not only the first but also the second and third soul cores easier to form.
Thus, ultimate attribute soul masters were still highly valued on Douluo Continent.
Lu Jingming now met all the requirements.
His soul power was almost fully liquefied; just a little push would crystallize it into his first soul core.
He could achieve this with his own talent, without rare treasures—such was the power of talent.
On Douluo Continent, bloodline was everything.
Martial spirits were inherited, and the strength of one's spirit determined one's potential, progress, and achievements.
In a sense, bloodline decided everything.
Lu Jingming was no exception—had he not started with the god-level Black Abyss White Flower martial soul, even with cheats, he could never be as strong as he was now.
Even if he could still become stronger, his speed and ultimate potential would never have matched his current level.
Soon, Keqing finished her shower, wrapped in a towel, drying her hair as she walked out.
Her pale skin glowed softly, droplets tracing down her neck.
"Turn around!" Keqing pointed at Lu Jingming, signaling him to look away as she changed.
Lu Jingming twitched his lips—after all their intimacy, was there still need for shyness?
But this was his beloved wife, so he indulged her.
He turned around as told, thinking there would be many more chances to see her in the future.
Seeing him so obedient, Keqing looked satisfied.
She changed clothes, not worried he'd peek—she trusted him.
"Good, you're pretty well-behaved. Since you're so good, I'll grant you a wish next time," Keqing said, even replacing her stockings with a new pair of black ones—her favorite, and also Lu Jingming's.
"That's a promise—you can't take it back!" Lu Jingming was delighted by the surprise.
Keqing's wardrobe was simple; though she looked good in anything, she rarely varied her outfits or wore jewelry, and only liked black stockings.
Lu Jingming had always wanted to see her in white stockings, and now, with her promise, he could look forward to it.
Of course, everyone has their own style.
Keqing suited black stockings—mysterious and sexy.
Jinhsi and Firefly, on the other hand, suited white stockings, as did March 7th and Castorice, who looked especially sweet and charming in them.
Still, pretty girls could look good in anything—gorgeous clothes needed beautiful people to do them justice.
"I, Keqing, never go back on my word!"
Keqing put her hands on her hips, giving Lu Jingming a cute, slightly proud look.
"Alright, alright, I trust you!" Lu Jingming raised his hands in mock surrender, smiling flatteringly.
"That's better. I'm going back to the office. Who knows if they've fixed my office yet. It's your fault—I'll have to come up with an explanation!"
Keqing glared at Lu Jingming, then left.
Lu Jingming shrugged, then once again connected to Key of Infinity.
He planned to find a quiet place to form his soul core, and Herta's domain was perfect.
It was quiet and full of energy.
Inside, Herta herself was away, off to create a black hole in space.
Lu Jingming wanted to watch, but that was far beyond his current soul emperor level.
He found a spot near a few Honkai energy reactors Herta had set up, where the energy was most active—perfect for forming a soul core.
As he began channeling the world's energy into himself, he entered a unique state.
His consciousness seemed to leave his body, expanding outward and merging with the vast world.
It was as if he floated in a sea of energy particles, all surging toward him.
Death, destruction, life, and thunder energies were especially active, eager to be absorbed.
Other energies also gathered, but none were as compatible with him as those.
All this energy surged into him, making his body tremble; each vibration warped the air around him as the energy condensed.
As he absorbed, the soul power in his dantian grew brighter, shining like a constellation.