While the player is in Battle Through the Heavens, the system is in The Great Ruler.

Chapter 265 Preparing the Betrothal Gifts, Returning to Dragon Island

Soon after,

After settling Mo You in

Lu Yu was finally able to rest for a while. Standing on the top floor of the Lingbao Pavilion, he gazed in the direction of the Ancient Realm and began to plan his trip to the Ancient Clan to propose marriage.

The following day, he summoned the core members of the Spirit Treasure Pavilion. Inside the magnificent council hall, Venerable Tianhuo, Qinglin, Ziyan, Cailin, and several direct elders gathered together, all with expectant expressions on their faces.

"The reason I have invited you all here today is to discuss the matter of going to the ancient tribe to propose marriage."

Lu Yu got straight to the point, “As one of the eight ancient clans, the betrothal gifts of the Ancient Clan must not only be proper but also reflect the profound heritage of my Lingbao Pavilion.”

Venerable Tianhuo stroked his beard and pondered for a moment before speaking first: "Ninth-grade pills are certainly indispensable. The Pavilion Master is now a ninth-grade Xuan Dan alchemist. If he could personally open the furnace and refine a few, even the eight ancient clans would not find them lacking."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "This item can not only demonstrate the profound heritage of my Lingbao Pavilion, but also showcase the Pavilion Master's alchemy skills, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone."

Qinglin blinked her emerald eyes and softly suggested, "There is also a Heaven-rank combat technique called 'Great Creation Palm' that Young Master obtained from the ancient ruins some time ago. Such a precious combat technique may catch the eye of the ancient clans."

Zi Yan waved her hand dismissively, her tone hearty: "Our Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan also has some treasures. Just ask if you need anything. We can't let people look down on us."

Cai Lin leaned back lazily in her chair, a slight smile playing on her lips: "If you ask me, if you give away a portion of those array formation inheritances you possess, the ancient clan will definitely accept you as their son-in-law..."

Her beautiful eyes flickered with a hint of mockery, "After all, a formation inheritance that can rival a Dou Sheng powerhouse is not something that ordinary treasures can compare to."

The elders also offered their suggestions, creating a lively atmosphere.

An elderly man with white hair clapped his hands and laughed, “I remember there is a ten-thousand-year-old Blood Spirit Ginseng in the storehouse. Such a rare and precious herb is a life-saving medicine and would be perfect as a betrothal gift.”

Another alchemist in a blue robe added, "We might as well add a few bottles of specially made Grade 8 pills, which would show both sincerity and dignity."

The young elder, seated at the end of the table, cautiously suggested, "I wonder what Miss Xun'er likes? Perhaps we could craft a set of magical jewelry..."

Lu Yujing listened to everyone's suggestions, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest, a look of understanding gradually appearing in his eyes. After the discussions subsided slightly, he slowly rose, his voice clear and bright:

“What you all say makes sense. In that case, let’s present three Rank 9 pills, a scroll of Heaven-Rank combat techniques, and a set of formation inheritances as the main gifts, supplemented by the special pills and spiritual artifacts of my Spirit Treasure Pavilion.”

His gaze swept over everyone present, finally settling on Venerable Tianhuo and Cailin: "As for the specifics, I'll leave it to Elder Yao and Cailin to arrange."

Venerable Tianhuo stroked his beard and smiled, "Rest assured, Pavilion Master, I will do my best to prepare."

Cai Lin nodded slightly, a half-smile curving her red lips: "I will personally select a few exquisite magical artifacts and jewelry to make sure that Sister Xun'er is satisfied."

Lu Yu glanced at her, ignoring the Medusa Queen's sarcastic remarks, and gazed towards the direction of the ancient realm outside the palace, his tone firm: "In that case, I will set off for the ancient realm at the beginning of next month."

He looked around at everyone present, his expression turning serious: "During my absence, Elder Yao will be in charge of all affairs of the pavilion."

After a brief pause, he added, "If a powerful enemy attacks, you can go to the back mountain to seek help from Senior Mo You."

Venerable Tianhuo solemnly cupped his hands and said, "Rest assured, Pavilion Master, I will do my utmost."

This arrangement reassured everyone present. With a five-star Dou Sheng in charge, and the wise and prudent elder, Venerable Tianhuo, in charge, the Lingbao Pavilion was as stable as Mount Tai.

……

The next day,

In a secluded courtyard deep within the Lingbao Pavilion.

Lu Yu was completely focused on deducing the array patterns of the Zhou Tian Xing Chen Locking Spirit Array. The profoundness of this mid-grade Earth-level spirit array far surpassed that of the spirit arrays he had learned before.

Although I had already gained a basic grasp of this spirit array during my seclusion, there was still a considerable gap between my current level and the ability to set it up quickly and at will.

This is precisely why he didn't use this formation when he fought Hun Miesheng; the entire process of killing Hun Miesheng was simply not enough for him to complete the setup of this spirit formation.

The way of spirit arrays is different from the way of alchemy. Although some spirit arrays can indeed assist in cultivation, their main purpose is still in offensive and defensive combat.

For this reason, although spirit arrays can often enable one to fight enemies of higher levels, there is always a difficult-to-overcome flaw: the setup time is too long.

The higher the level of the spirit array, the more obvious this flaw becomes. The only way to overcome this weakness is to improve proficiency in the array through repeated practice, thereby shortening the time required to set it up. This process requires persistent training and is by no means something that can be done by shortcuts.

Golden spiritual seals coalesced at his fingertips, constantly combining and evolving in the air. The seals intertwined to form intricate star trails, each containing profound stellar power. Just as he was about to complete a crucial step, perfectly connecting the thirty-six star trails, his brow suddenly furrowed, and the fluid movements of his hands paused.

"Zi Yan, stop hiding, come out."

A faint rustling sound came from behind the artificial hill. The purple-haired girl reluctantly walked out, her pretty face full of annoyance at being discovered: "How come you can always find me? I was clearly being very careful to hide my presence."

Lu Yu dispersed the spiritual imprint in his palm and shook his head helplessly: "This courtyard has long been covered by my spiritual array. I noticed you as soon as you came in. The spatial talent of the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan is indeed remarkable, but they are still lacking in skill to completely avoid the detection of a low-grade spiritual array."

Zi Yan pouted unconvinced, but her gaze was involuntarily drawn to the array patterns in the air that had not yet completely dissipated: "Is this the new spirit array you practiced? It looks much more powerful than the previous one."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu smiled faintly and with a light tap of his fingertips, he collected all the remaining array patterns: "So, what brings you here specifically to see me?"

"It's all because my breakthrough last time caused too much of a stir."

Zi Yan crossed her arms and nonchalantly raised her chin, "Those old guys from the three Dragon Islands are secretly plotting to make me the Dragon Emperor, as they've heard that East Dragon Island is supporting me."

A disdainful smile curled at the corner of her lips: "Them? I am now a five-star Dou Sheng. If they dare to provoke me, I'll let them see the true power of the new Dragon Emperor of the Ancient Void."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu nodded thoughtfully: "As far as I know, the strongest of the Dragon Kings of the other three Dragon Islands is only a three-star Dou Sheng, which is indeed no match for you."

He changed the subject, staring intently at Zi Yan: "But what you care about isn't their strength, but rather the possibility that internal strife will deplete the overall strength of the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan, right?"

Zi Yan paused for a moment, then snorted softly, "I suppose so. After all, we're all from the same clan, and if we really fight, there will inevitably be casualties."

Lu Yu nodded, then said, "This matter is easy to handle. Just punish the ringleader; there's no need to investigate the other clansmen too deeply..."

"Anyway, with your current strength, dealing with them will be a piece of cake."

Upon hearing this, Zi Yan's eyes lit up, and she nodded repeatedly: "You're right! We should settle accounts with those who led the trouble. As long as the other clansmen are willing to submit, I will naturally not make things difficult for them."

As she spoke, she frowned, a hint of distress in her eyes: "But how do we distinguish who is the mastermind and who is an accomplice? We can't possibly interrogate them one by one, can we?"

Seeing this, Lu Yu couldn't help but chuckle: "What's so difficult about that? Among the magical beast race, strength is paramount. Just suppress the Dragon Kings of the three Dragon Islands directly."

Zi Yan tilted her head and thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said, "That makes sense! Let's beat them into submission first!"

Her eyes lit up, and she tugged at Lu Yu's sleeve: "But you have to come with me!"

Lu Yu gently shook his head: "This is the internal affair of your Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan, and it is inappropriate for a human like me to interfere."

"What do you mean by 'outsider' or 'not outsider'!"

Zi Yan pouted in dissatisfaction, "You are the husband personally chosen by me. Go there as the Dragon Emperor's husband and see who dares to say a word against it!"

Lu Yu was amused by her confident words and was about to speak when Zi Yan leaned closer and lowered her voice, saying, "Besides, don't you want to see how I, the Emperor, will deal with the Dragon Clan? Maybe... we can even find some treasures that will be useful to you."

"A treasure that will be useful to me?"

Lu Yu frowned slightly, instinctively wanting to decline, but then a thought struck him, remembering the Dragon-Phoenix Origin Fruit Tree that required the blood of an ancient dragon and a demonic phoenix to cultivate. If he could truly slay the three Dragon Kings this time…

Seeing that his expression softened, Zi Yan pressed her advantage, saying, "I've heard that there's a Dragon Blood Spirit Pool on West Dragon Island, which is said to have miraculous effects on tempering the body. Aren't you practicing body-refining techniques lately?"

These words truly struck a chord with Lu Yu. He desperately needed such rare and precious materials to cultivate the Thunder Emperor's Undying Body; if he could truly obtain dragon blood to temper his body…

Seeing that he was already interested, Zi Yan blinked and added fuel to the fire: "South Dragon Island also has a lot of rare poisonous creatures. Sister Cai Lin is already a three-star Dou Sheng, but Sister Little Fairy Doctor is still stuck in the Dou Zun realm. Don't you want to help her find some suitable cultivation resources?"

Lu Yu's expression shifted slightly upon hearing this. Xian'er's cultivation progress was indeed lagging behind the others because she lacked the bloodline of a magical beast. If they could find suitable poisonous natural treasures on Dragon Island...
"You, Ziyan," he shook his head helplessly, lightly tapping Ziyan's forehead with his fingertip, "you've learned to cater to people's tastes."

Zi Yan proudly raised her chin, gave a light snort, and said, "Just tell me if you're going or not."

Seeing her like this, Lu Yu finally gave in: "Fine, I'll go with you this time."

"That's pretty much it!"

Zi Yan immediately beamed and pulled him outside, saying, "Let's not delay, let's head to Donglong Island now!"

Watching her joyful figure disappear into the distance, Lu Yu couldn't help but chuckle. Despite being a five-star Dou Sheng (Battle Saint) Dragon Emperor, she still retained such a childlike nature. However, since he had promised, he naturally had to plan things out carefully for her.

(End of this chapter)