# Chapter 330: The Necessary Ritual

The atmosphere fell quiet. Lu Yuan glanced at them, puzzled.

"What's wrong with you all?"

"Nothing."

Si Tingyu shook her head slightly, answering with a smile.

Small White, meanwhile, was staring at Yeye with undisguised delight.

*As expected of Her Highness! Breaking through without a word to anyone.*

*Doesn't that put her ahead of everyone else?*

*And if Her Highness succeeds, then as her personal handmaid, wouldn't my turn come soon?*

*Well... this is all for the Tianming Empire's sake, of course.*

Small White's thoughts buzzed with giddy anticipation.

Yeye lifted her gaze to Lu Yuan.

"A-Yuan, you said to tell you when I broke through to Battle Sovereign."

Lu Yuan nodded. "Mm. I'll prepare a higher-grade Transcendent Gene for you when the time comes."

"Okay."

Yeye had no objections. Then her eyes brightened with expectation. "Can we have something good to eat now?"

The others snapped back to attention. Si Tingyu and Shuangyue exchanged odd looks at Yeye, then Si Tingyu spoke up.

"Shuangyue and I will handle the cooking."

During the feast, everyone drank generously and ate their fill, the revelry lasting late into the night.

After a night's rest, Lu Yuan arrived at Yeye's door early the next morning. Just as he was about to knock, he paused and turned toward the corner of the hallway, his expression turning strange.

He sensed four presences hiding there.

Li Qinghe, Shuangyue, Wang Lingling, and Amy.

*What are those four sneaking around for?*

He didn't dwell on it. He knocked on Yeye's door, and it opened quickly — Small White had answered.

Seeing Lu Yuan, her normally composed face broke into a smile.

"Young Master Lu, you're here."

"Mm. Where's Yeye?"

"Her Highness is waiting for you inside."

Small White stepped aside with a smile, letting Lu Yuan enter.

Inside the room, Yeye sat on the edge of the bed, gazing placidly at nothing in particular. Knowing her as he did, Lu Yuan figured she was almost certainly just spacing out.

When she noticed him enter, she came back to herself and smiled.

"A-Yuan, you're here."

"Mm. Ready?"

Lu Yuan asked with a smile.

Yeye nodded. "Mm."

By then, Small White had already closed the door behind them.

A suggestive little smile played across her face. "Your Highness, Young Master Lu — I'll stand guard outside the door. Will you be heading to the bathroom for the Gene Inscription?"

Her expression practically radiated eagerness.

Lu Yuan: "???"

Something about the way Small White framed this felt distinctly off.

Why did it sound like she thought they were about to do something illicit?

It was just inscribing a gene!

He wasn't some kind of deviant!

Lu Yuan felt his reputation was being thoroughly slandered.

At that moment, Yeye turned to Small White.

"Small White, go stand guard outside."

Small White's smile froze. "????"

She stared at her princess in disbelief.

*Your Highness, I've been devoted to you heart and soul, and you won't even let me watch?!*

She'd only planned to observe from the side — she certainly wouldn't have gotten involved. Yet Her Highness wouldn't even allow that much.

Small White felt a pang of heartbreak. *All that loyalty, wasted.*

She lowered her head and shuffled out of the room, looking thoroughly pitiful.

Lu Yuan felt zero sympathy. What was going on in that girl's head?

She looked so proper and serious on the outside, but apparently her mind was in the gutter.

He turned back to Yeye with a light smile. "Where would you like to do the inscription?"

Yeye thought for a moment. "Tingxue and the others said they did theirs in the bathtub. It's a necessary ritual."

Lu Yuan: "..."

The corner of his mouth twitched hard. Now he finally understood why they'd all been acting so strangely since yesterday.

So they'd heard about what happened with Tingxue and Rebecca?

*A necessary ritual...*

Heat crept unbidden into Lu Yuan's face, but seeing Yeye's guileless expression, he felt a different kind of embarrassment entirely. She clearly had no idea what she was implying.

He cleared his throat. "Well, if you're fine with it, then so am I."

Yeye nodded.

The two of them entered the bathroom.

Yeye stood blankly before the bathtub, looking at Lu Yuan with innocent eyes — as if asking what came next.

After all, Si Tingxue and Rebecca had only mentioned one detail: the bathroom.

Those who understood, understood. But someone like Yeye only knew the location and nothing beyond that.

Meeting those guileless eyes, Lu Yuan cleared his throat and forced himself to speak.

"So, uh, Yeye — you should probably take off your clothes. Otherwise there'll be a lot of blood during the inscription. And sitting in the bathtub will make cleanup easier."

Comprehension dawned in Yeye's eyes.

She gave a small nod. "Okay."

Moments later, Yeye had undressed. Her snow-white skin was luminous, the black tail and ears forming a vivid contrast that was nothing short of breathtaking.

Lu Yuan stole a glance, then quickly looked away.

Today's priority was the Transcendent Gene inscription. He was afraid that lingering too long might test his self-control.

Even someone as guileless as Yeye felt a touch of shyness. A rare flush crept across her cheeks as she covered herself and sat down in the bathtub, her back to Lu Yuan.

"What next?"

Lu Yuan took a deep breath, then produced a collection of evolved spirit fruits and spirit liquids — permanent enhancers for physical strength and Mental Power — and handed them to Yeye.

"Eat these first."

Every single one was at least King Grade.

He'd given Yeye some before, but back then he'd been purchasing raw materials from the Auction House and evolving them himself, which limited the supply. This batch had been exchanged for Merits at the Merit Hall — different varieties and higher quality than the previous set.

With these, Yeye's base attributes would see a massive boost.

Yeye eyed the spirit fruits, each one shimmering with a different hue, and her eyes lit up. She nodded vigorously.

Taking a purple fruit the size of an apple, she bit into it. A satisfied smile spread across her face.

"It's delicious."

Lu Yuan couldn't help but laugh. Only she would judge priceless spirit fruits by how they tasted first.

"If you like them, eat more."

"Mm."

Before long, Yeye had consumed every spirit fruit and drop of spirit liquid. Her aura had surged dramatically.

And that was from base attribute gains alone.

Next, Lu Yuan produced several Gene Armaments.

Since Yeye had just broken through to Battle Sovereign, these were all Sixth-rank, their quality reaching Saint Grade.

The Gene Armaments floated in the air, pulsing with dark light. Even Yeye couldn't help widening her eyes.

"These are... Saint-grade?"

Even her ancestors hadn't possessed many Saint-grade artifacts.

Saint-grade equipment was extraordinarily precious and cost a fortune in Merits. Hunting Saint Beasts to obtain them was equally daunting — not only were such creatures exceptionally rare, but their combat prowess rivaled or even exceeded that of same-rank Battle Saints. They were formidable, cunning, and notoriously difficult to kill.

And even slaying a Saint Beast didn't guarantee a Saint-grade drop.

That was precisely what made them so valuable.

Lu Yuan smiled. "These are all Sixth-rank Saint-grade."

Yeye's surprise deepened. Sixth-rank Saint-grade Gene Armaments could only come from Sixth-rank Feral Beasts possessing Saint-grade bloodlines — far rarer and more precious than ordinary Saint Beasts.

Although Yeye preferred not to overthink things, she was sharp enough to grasp just how exceptional these treasures were. It was hard to fathom how Lu Yuan possessed so many.

Still, she didn't dwell on it. She simply nodded, collected everything, and began bonding the armaments to herself.

With her current attributes, Yeye could equip battle armor and a weapon, and even fit two rings. Her combat power surged yet again.

Once she'd finished bonding the Gene Armaments, Lu Yuan considered for a moment, then looked at her.

"Yeye, I'm going to give you two options. The first is inscribing a Sovereign Grade gene — with your current strength, there's essentially no risk. It would be effortless. The second is inscribing a Saint Grade gene. At your level, I can't guarantee the inscription will succeed... but what I can promise is that even if it fails, I can bring you back. You won't die. Which do you choose?"

Yeye didn't hesitate for a second.

"The second one."

She'd never heard of a Combat Technique that could resurrect the dead, but her trust in Lu Yuan was unconditional. If he said he could do it, she believed him.

Lu Yuan smiled and nodded. "Then the second option it is."

He reached out, and Yeye's Life Spirit coalesced in his hand.

This was the second Life Spirit he'd created for Yeye. The first had been stored elsewhere, and since resurrection could only occur at the Life Spirit's location, it was better to create a fresh one here.

In truth, Lu Yuan now had several methods to revive her. He could use temporal power to rewind her body to its state before the inscription — that would work too. But to cover every contingency, he'd made all possible preparations. He couldn't afford any surprises.

Otherwise, he'd never forgive himself.

Yeye gazed curiously at the green Life Spirit in his hand.

Lu Yuan smiled and explained. "This is one of my Combat Techniques. It condenses your life imprint into a Life Spirit. If something goes wrong during the inscription, you can be revived through it."

Awe flickered in Yeye's eyes as she studied the glowing orb.

"That's incredible."

Lu Yuan chuckled and tucked the Life Spirit away into the shadows.

Then he produced three black orbs of light.

"All three of these are Saint Grade dark-type Transcendent Genes. Which one do you want?"

He held the three out to Yeye, letting her choose for herself.

As Saint Grade Transcendent Genes, each one was extraordinarily powerful. These three had been evolved from rare lower-grade dark-type Transcendent Genes, making them even more precious than typical Saint Grade genes.

The first was Shadow Blade — a devastating offensive Combat Technique. Beyond its raw destructive power, it could capture the shadow of a slain enemy and forge it into a puppet under the wielder's control. Most remarkably, these puppets required no energy from their master, drawing power directly from the void while retaining the full strength their originals possessed in life.

That alone was terrifying.

The second was Nightfall Spirit Body — an amplification-type Combat Technique that dramatically enhanced the power of darkness. It boosted all attributes, with the greatest gains in agility and strength, and also significantly increased the potency of all dark-type Combat Techniques.

The third was Shadow Sacred Realm — a domain-type Combat Technique similar to Lu Yuan's own Shadow Sacred Domain. While it lacked the Shadow Clone and its various abilities, it greatly amplified the sensory suppression inflicted on enemies within the domain — even surpassing what Lu Yuan's Shadow Sacred Domain could achieve. It also buffed the wielder operating inside it.

All three were devastatingly powerful.

Even Yeye, who normally never suffered from indecision, found herself genuinely torn.

Her delicate brows furrowed, her black cat tail swaying rhythmically as she pondered — so absorbed that she'd forgotten to keep herself covered.

Lu Yuan found this a bit awkward but didn't remind her.

After all, Yeye was making one of the most important decisions of her life. Interrupting her now would be inconsiderate.

He had always been such a thoughtful, considerate man.

Lu Yuan felt rather moved by his own virtue.

After a moment, Yeye looked up at him, her dark eyes tinged with helplessness.

"A-Yuan... which one should I pick? They all seem amazing. I wish I could inscribe all of them."

Seeing her forlorn expression, Lu Yuan couldn't help but laugh.

"Wanting to inscribe them all — I've had that exact thought myself."

He considered for a moment. "How about Shadow Sacred Realm? It suits you best. Your existing techniques lean toward stealth and misdirection, and within a Shadow Sacred Realm, you'd be able to leverage them to even greater effect — appearing and vanishing without a trace."

Lu Yuan remembered well that Yeye already possessed techniques like Shadow Clone. Pairing those with a shadow domain would be a potent combination.

At least, he himself had found the synergy highly effective.

Of course, Yeye's Shadow Clone couldn't compare to his Shadow Divine Messenger in terms of raw lethality. If she chose Shadow Sacred Realm, she'd be trading killing power for enhanced stealth and cunning.

That was an unavoidable trade-off. Without the ability to evolve genes, she couldn't excel in every area simultaneously.

If it were possible, Lu Yuan would gladly help Yeye evolve her genes too. Unfortunately, his own Transcendent Genes had already reached their evolutionary ceiling, and helping others evolve theirs remained beyond his capabilities.

Hearing his analysis, Yeye stopped deliberating and nodded.

"Then I'll inscribe Shadow Sacred Realm."