On the Mist Continent, when faced with danger or situations like the current enemy siege on their home,
females choose their favorite person to stay close and protect them, while the other Beast Husbands handle the combat and kill the enemies.
This is the tradition upheld by every household on the Mist Continent.
However, in the six months since Jinsheng's marriage, there hasn't been any enemy attack. Moreover, owing to Xiao Jinsheng's antagonistic personality, the five men in her household all see her as a mutual enemy, forming a rather cohesive alliance.
Compared to Bai Yan's six Beast Husbands next door who are constantly scheming against each other, Xiao Jinsheng's five Beast Husbands have a relatively harmonious relationship.
But this fragile alliance seemed to shatter tonight.
The four men, after clearing the Fog Corpses outside the villa, went to the basement to skillfully repair the windows.
As everyone busied themselves, Su Ye was seen knocking on Que Zelian's door.
Mo Jiao, Huaiqing, and Yu Yunxiao all ceased their actions, their puzzled gazes fixed on Su Ye.
Xiao Jinsheng, adept at self-regulation, had already coaxed herself to sleep despite being frightened just recently.
She remained unresponsive in her dreams.
Que Zelian could only get up to answer the door. Seeing Su Ye, he seemed surprised, "What's up?"
"Yours." Su Ye handed him a white jade stone the size of a quail egg.
Inside the jade stone, there was a star.
"A One-Star Stone? Where did you get this?" Despite the low level of the Star Stone, Que Zelian was astonished.
It's well known that resources for Star Stones cannot be found in Mist East; they can only be obtained in Mist West.
Of course, if Mist East's fog produces Fog Corpses, killing them gives a rare chance to acquire a Star Stone, although this probability is exceedingly low.
"Found it within the fragmented corpse of the Fog Corpse you shredded," Su Ye explained.
His gaze flitted over Que Zelian's shoulder, landing on Xiao Jinsheng, who was peacefully sleeping, her half-exposed face covered by a blanket on the bed. His brows furrowed subtly.
Su Ye didn't say anything further. After handing over the Star Stone to Que Zelian, he turned and walked away.
"Am I really that lucky?" Que Zelian doubted.
The probability of a Star Stone dropping from a Fog Corpse is one in ten millionth... Could he really hit such odds?
Still, with his current Five-Star strength, a One-Star Stone wouldn't benefit him much.
Recalling Xiao Jinsheng's Spiritual Power being stuck at One-Star, Que Zelian didn't hesitate to wake her up.
Xiao Jinsheng opened her eyes from sleep, about to vent her frustration, only to find Que Zelian's dignified, handsome face staring back at her.
Her already mild temper upon waking immediately vanished.
"I recall your Spiritual Power being stuck at the One-Star bottleneck. Absorb this Star Stone tonight," Que Zelian said, placing the Star Stone on the bedside table.
"Where'd you get this Star Stone?" Xiao Jinsheng asked, curious.
She knew she hadn't assigned a Star Map Task to any of the five men in the past six months, and their Star Stone stock had run out four months ago.
"Su Ye found it on the Fog Corpse that attacked you tonight," Que Zelian's reply lacked the gruesomeness of Su Ye's explanation.
On the Mist Continent, the Terminal treats females and males differently.
Females, lacking physical combat abilities, rely solely on Spiritual Power. Hence, before adulthood, the Terminal provides the survival resources.
Even at the time of marriage, protection shelters are gifted by the Terminal.
Xiao Jinsheng's small villa was allocated by the Terminal during her marriage.
It was a stroke of ill fate. Before adulthood, she was neighbors with Bai Yan, and after marriage, the new house assigned to her was still right next to Bai Yan's.
How could they not be rivals in such circumstances?
Females on the Mist Continent don't have access to Star Stone resources or upgraded Spiritual Power before reaching adulthood. Any enhancement in their Spiritual Power only occurs post-marriage.
Before marriage, both Xiao Jinsheng and Bai Yan were One-Star in Spiritual Power.
The two women married within the same year; Bai Yan's Spiritual Power has risen to Five Stars, whereas Xiao Jinsheng's stayed stuck at One-Star.
Yet, a female's Spiritual Power Level directly determines the grade and durability of the Star Map Tasks items issued by the Terminal.
This is why, despite Que Zelian's lack of affection for Xiao Jinsheng, he still chose to prioritize strengthening her abilities.
A Star Stone—be it for its original owner or Xiao Jinsheng—was an unprecedented sight.
Under Que Zelian's guidance, she absorbed the Star Stone. The pure energy from the Star Stone filled the necessary requirements for her upgrade to Two-Star Spiritual Power. However, her Spiritual Power showed no sign of a breakthrough.
"No change at all," Xiao Jinsheng remarked, puzzled, as she looked at the shattered remnants of the Star Stone, which had been absorbed into her palm.
Que Zelian was equally dumbfounded.
He had reviewed Xiao Jinsheng's Spiritual Power and knew it was at the verge of breaking through to Two Stars. A One-Star Stone should've been more than sufficient—there was even surplus energy remaining.
Yet, the Star Stone's energy sinking into her Star Sea felt like dropping a pebble into an abyss.
"Do you think there's something wrong with my body?" Xiao Jinsheng touched her dantian area, starting to doubt herself.
"Hold on, I'll call the others to check," Que Zelian realized something was amiss and went downstairs to gather the other four men into the room.
Being surrounded by five stunning men on her bed, Xiao Jinsheng couldn't help but feel both nervous and... flustered.
Thank heavens she recalled the bigger issue at hand. Pushing aside the colorful distractions in her thoughts, she reached out to Yu Yunxiao and Huaiqing on either side: "Hurry and check me out; just don't let it be some terminal illness, OK?"
"If I die, you'll all be doomed as well."
"Got it, shut your mouth now," Yu Yunxiao said, starting his examination using Healing Superpower.
Warm-colored specks of light danced across Xiao Jinsheng's body.
After a thorough scan from head to toe, Yu Yunxiao furrowed his brows. "She's fine."
Her physical condition was even better than his own, despite his habit of staying up late gaming.
Her mental state was far superior to all five of the men in the room.
Huaiqing gently pressed his hand against Xiao Jinsheng's wrist, a soft blue-green glow radiating from him.
After his check-up, he also shook his head, "She's perfectly fine, both mentally and physically."
"Then why can we use Star Stones to level up, but she can't?" Que Zelian asked, perplexed.
"Perhaps it's because her superpower is Spiritual Power?" Huaiqing speculated. "On the Mist Continent, only females possess Spiritual Power as their superpower, so their method of upgrading might differ from ours."
None of the five men had experienced marriage before; Xiao Jinsheng was the only female they'd interacted with, so they lacked any relevant experience.
Moreover, this area housed only two families—Xiao Jinsheng's and Bai Yan's. Though Bai Yan might offer insight, none of the men dared suggest asking her, given Xiao Jinsheng's strained relationship with Bai Yan.
Bringing up Bai Yan would inevitably guarantee Xiao Jinsheng's fury.
"Maybe her Spiritual Power requires more Star Stone energy than ours. Anyway, we'll head to Mist West tomorrow to gather more Star Stones for her to absorb," Su Ye Jin Tong suggested, his natural hostility inadvertently falling on Xiao Jinsheng.
But seeing her crestfallen expression—looking as though she'd been diagnosed with a fatal illness—Su Ye held back the sarcastic remarks he had intended to make.
Forget it. Since Xiao Jinsheng wasn't acting out, he wouldn't target her.
No point making it seem like he was bullying the little female.
By nightfall, everyone was equipped with the necessary gear for the journey to Mist West, just waiting for Xiao Jinsheng to take on a Star Map Task.
As a result, breakfast the next day was especially sumptuous.
Huaiqing, wielding his culinary skills, served pork congee, fresh soy milk, and fried dough sticks.
Xiao Jinsheng savored the flavors, nearly brought to tears.
Yesterday's lunch, prepared by Que Zelian, had been bland and tasteless.