Chapter 690: The Domineering Xu Jingming! Is This Even a Confession?

As Xu Jingming was testing his newly acquired domain ability.

Inside the shattered blood cocoon, Ling Shuang slowly regained consciousness, sitting up from the ground, her snow-white slender body instantly exposed to the air.

Seeing the blanket covering her, she froze for a moment, then slowly realized—her delicate face twisted with complex emotions.

"So it wasn't a dream after all..."

Crackling—

Thunder rumbled; Ling Shuang instinctively looked outside and saw that towering figure shrouded in lightning.

"Jingming..."

Recalling yesterday's frenzy, a flicker of embarrassment passed through Ling Shuang's beautiful eyes.

Now that she thought about it, as an eighth-rank Grand Master,

even in her severely wounded state, she could have forcibly intervened to dispel Xu Jingming's negative emotions.

Yet somehow, she had chosen to personally step in and assist...

"Forcing my way in might have caused Jingming to fail in absorbing the divine blood.

I did it for his sake—yes, that must be it."

Ling Shuang silently told herself.

But she knew deep down it was merely an excuse.

Her feelings for Xu Jingming were deeply complicated.

Back at Devil's University, she had initially regarded him as just an outstanding student.

But Xu Jingming, like a rising sun, gradually radiated dazzling, astonishing brilliance!

Perhaps because she had never before encountered such an outstanding peer of the opposite sex,

his brilliance filled her, as Vice President of Devil's University, with pride—and an inexplicable emotion.

Especially after prolonged interaction, upon discovering his uncommon steadiness, unlike ordinary young men, her fondness for him deepened further.

This led her, before every meeting with Xu Jingming, to unconsciously dress herself up—a habit she had never had before.

Even this time, she had unconsciously chosen this solution...

"Teacher Ling, you're awake?"

At that moment, Xu Jingming noticed Ling Shuang's awakening, retracted his lightning, and walked over with a smile.

"Hmm, you look good—your blood and qi are robust."

Ling Shuang snapped back to reality, smoothed her hair, and tried to speak in her usual tone.

"My blood and qi have fully recovered, but I'm a bit thirsty."

Xu Jingming pulled out a bottle of mineral water from his space ring and drank it all in one gulp.

He then handed another bottle to Ling Shuang, joking casually: "Teacher Ling, you should drink some too—you expended quite a bit yourself."

Hearing this, Ling Shuang's cold, pale face instantly flushed crimson.

At first, Xu Jingming dominated during the divine blood absorption—but later, she had writhed her waist, actively accommodating him.

Maybe it was because it was her first time tasting such a flavor, or perhaps because she had suppressed herself for too long.

In terms of energy expenditure, she had indeed used more.

"You're thoughtful!"

Ling Shuang shot him a glare, then took the water bottle.

Honestly, she really was thirsty.

This interruption eased her previously tense emotions considerably.

After replenishing her fluids, she quickly calmed down, regaining her usual elegance.

Her beautiful eyes fixed on Xu Jingming; after a moment's hesitation, she softly spoke:

"Jingming, what happened a few hours ago was just an accident.

You can treat it as a dream—when you wake up, pretend nothing ever happened, okay?"

Nothing ever happened.

Easy to say, hard to do.

At least, Ling Shuang couldn't do it herself.

But if not this, what else could she do?

Become a couple?

That was impossible.

After all, she was over ten years older—he could almost be her son.

Their status didn't suit either; though not master and disciple, she was still his half-teacher.

Besides, Xu Jingming already had two other lovers.

She didn't want to compete for his affection with those two girls barely in their twenties.

More crucially—Li Family!

The Li family had three ninth-rank councilors!

If Li Hao, who had pursued her for so long, found out she had chosen Xu Jingming as her lover, he'd surely go mad with rage.

Even if Xu Jingming was a prodigy of the summer, he still hadn't reached ninth-rank councilor status.

If Li Hao used the Li family's influence, he could severely hinder Xu Jingming's progress and impede his cultivation.

"Pretend nothing ever happened?"

Xu Jingming frowned, his voice steady and firm:

"I'm sorry, Teacher Ling. Unless you give me a real reason, I can't accept that."

Rejected?

Ling Shuang froze.

Was this the first time Xu Jingming had ever refused her?

"If you want a reason, then I'll give you one."

After several deep breaths, Ling Shuang briefly outlined her concerns.

Including the master-disciple status, age gap, and Song Qiuyun and the Li family.

But to her surprise, Xu Jingming broke into a radiant smile after hearing it all.

"What are you laughing at? I'm serious—I'm not joking." Ling Shuang frowned, emphasizing.

"I'm happy because you listed so many reasons—

but not one of them stems from any actual dislike of me."

Xu Jingming's smile grew brighter as he explained each point:

"For ordinary people, age and status might be obstacles.

But for us cultivators, they're irrelevant.

We're only ten years apart—couples with forty or fifty years between them aren't unheard of.

Besides, Qiuyun and Chu Xuan are both wonderful—they won't cause the problems you fear.

And as for the Li family? Even less of an issue!"

Xu Jingming's sixth-rank peak cultivator aura suddenly erupted!

Boom!!

The powerful aura surged through the entire cave, the brilliant Diantian Divine Thunder radiating a terrifyingly violent energy.

"Two years ago, I was just an awakened one. Today, two years later, I'm about to break through and become a seventh-rank Grand Master!

What does it matter that the Li family has three councilors? They can't touch me now—give me one more year, and I'll crush them effortlessly!"

His firm, resolute voice echoed through the cavern, stirring hearts.

Crush the Li family in one year!

What an arrogant declaration!

Ling Shuang opened her mouth to speak—but found herself utterly speechless.

Yes, she had witnessed Xu Jingming's growth firsthand—it was nothing short of monstrous!

As for the Li family, given Xu Jingming's nature,

if he said it, he would do it.

"So, Teacher Ling.

Since you don't actually dislike me, I won't let you slip out of my grasp."

Xu Jingming's smile faded as he looked directly at Ling Shuang.

His serious expression, and the unwavering confidence blazing in his clear, icy eyes, left Ling Shuang momentarily stunned.

This man was only twenty years old.

Yet his words and actions were forceful, domineering—leaving no room for refusal...

After a long moment, she came back to herself, her clear eyes sparkling with mischief, her red lips curving slightly:

"Was that your confession?"

"Sort of. So, Teacher Ling, do you accept?"

"You've said all this—how could I refuse?"

Ling Shuang murmured, pressing her crimson lips together.

Every excuse she had, this man had dismantled one by one.

What is there left to worry about?

PS: Ling Shuang makes her debut in chapter 95, and was designated as one of the heroines from the moment she appeared.

It took until chapter 690 for them to finally become a couple—by far the longest timeline among all.

Among the three heroines, I spent the most effort on Ling Shuang.

Love stories are truly hard to write; I revised this chapter several times, and this version is barely satisfactory.

If fellow readers feel this is decent, feel free to send a few free gifts~~