Medicine Bath Body Tempering, First Meeting with the Fox

"His Highness the Holy Son, this way, please."

Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan's voice carried a deliberate gentleness, and his face bore that signature bewitching smile. He turned slightly and made a gesture of invitation. Yang Yu said nothing more and followed. The vast, solemn Empress's council hall fell behind them, and the invisible pressure seemed to lessen as well.

Yue Guan did not walk quickly, seemingly accommodating Yang Yu's short little legs. The two passed through the interior of Spirit Hall. The corridors were wide and tall, their floors paved with polished stone slabs reflective enough to show one's silhouette. Enormous murals hung along the walls at intervals, depicting sword-wielding angels, burning demons, and the like, exuding religious majesty and the weight of history. Occasionally, attendants or maids in uniform hurried past. The moment they spotted Yue Guan from afar, they immediately stopped and bowed deeply, not daring to raise their heads. No one dared cast so much as a glance at Yang Yu. The entire place was frighteningly quiet, with only the faint echo of their footsteps.

Yang Yu followed silently, observing his surroundings as he walked. This place was enormous, like a maze. Heavy metal doors stood shut on either side of the corridors from time to time, carved with intricate patterns. Occasionally, he could sense faint energy fluctuations coming from beyond them. The Soul Power in the air was absurdly dense. With every breath, he felt his body automatically absorb energy, leaving him comfortably warm.

After walking for roughly ten minutes, Yue Guan stopped before an especially ornate pair of double doors. They were made from some kind of deep purple wood, inlaid with silver lines that formed the image of a blooming chrysanthemum—the appearance of Yue Guan's Martial Soul, the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.

Yue Guan extended his hand, releasing a trace of Soul Power from his palm before pressing it against a spot on the door. Without a sound, the heavy wooden doors slid apart.

A rich, almost overwhelming medicinal fragrance rushed at him, carrying warm steam as it instantly enveloped Yang Yu. He could not help taking a deep breath, feeling every pore on his body open.

Beyond the doors was an enormous chamber. Both the floor and walls were paved with warm jade, radiating a soft glow. At the center of the room was a bath pool comparable to a small swimming pool! Its water was an exceedingly gorgeous dark gold, with tiny bubbles rolling across the surface. Dense energy mist constantly rose from it, lingering in the air without dispersing. Numerous profound runes had been carved around the pool's edges, currently giving off a faint glow as though maintaining the water's energy balance.

"His Highness the Holy Son," Yue Guan said, pointing at the dark golden water with a trace of barely perceptible pride in his tone. "This is the Hundred Herbs Soul Quenching Soup. It was made with one hundred and eight extremely rare spiritual herbs, supplemented by the essence blood, marrow, and bones of three ten-thousand-year soul beasts. I personally prepared it, then refined it over Spirit Hall's core-earth fire vein for a full forty-nine days."

He paused and looked at Yang Yu. "The medicinal potency of this soup is exceptionally tyrannical. An ordinary Soul Master, even a Soul Grandmaster, would have their meridians burst from the violent medicinal power within moments, turning into blood and pulp. Yet it is also a peerless treasure medicine for tempering the body, strengthening one's foundation, widening the meridians, and nourishing the Martial Soul Origin! Especially for someone like you, who has just awakened and possesses a God-Tier Spirit, it is the perfect aid for laying an unsurpassed foundation!"

Yue Guan looked at Yang Yu. "Your Highness possesses Innate Soul Power Level Thirty, and your foundation is incomparably solid. But your body is ultimately only that of a six-year-old. This medicinal soup can stimulate your body's potential to the greatest extent, allowing the strength of your body to catch up with your vast Soul Power as soon as possible. It will also lay the firmest possible foundation for absorbing high-year soul rings in the future."

Yang Yu looked at the churning dark golden medicinal soup and could clearly sense the terrifying energy contained within it. This stuff had definitely been piled together through sheer money and resources! Spirit Hall's foundation truly was no joke.

"What do I need to do?" Yang Yu asked directly, his voice calm. He understood that the benefits would be immense, but the process certainly would not be pleasant.

"Remove your clothes and enter the pool," Yue Guan said. "The process will be agonizing. The medicinal power will be like billions of steel needles, forcibly piercing and scouring every inch of your flesh, Bones, and meridians. What you need to do is guard your mind, circulate your Soul Power with all your strength, and guide the medicinal power to temper your body. Endure for as long as you can! I will stand guard beside you. Once you can no longer bear it, I will pull you out immediately."

Yang Yu nodded without much hesitation. In a few quick motions, he removed the coarse cloth clothes he had brought from Sacred Soul Village, revealing the somewhat frail body of a child. Then he walked to the pool's edge and cautiously extended a foot, touching the dark golden water.

Hiss!

An indescribable burning sensation surged from his toes in an instant, as though he had stepped into molten metal! Immediately afterward came countless fine stabs of pain, like innumerable red-hot needles piercing him all at once!

Yang Yu gritted his teeth. No longer hesitating, he plunged his entire body directly into the pool!

"Argh—!"

Intense pain swallowed him like a tsunami! The dark golden medicinal liquid seemed to come alive, turning into countless tiny flame drills covered in barbs that crazily bored into his skin, muscles, blood vessels, and even the gaps between his bones! Every cell in his body cried out under the unbearable strain, as though he would be completely torn apart and melted in the next instant!

Yang Yu's little face instantly twisted, and his body began convulsing violently beyond his control. He clenched his teeth so hard that blood seeped from his gums. The agony nearly shattered his consciousness!

At that moment, two vast dormant powers deep within him were completely awakened by the extreme pain!

Buzz!

At his Dantian, the phantom of the thirty-sixth-grade Chaos Creation Lotus abruptly appeared! Verdant life radiance surged out like a tide, instantly flowing through every tiny meridian in Yang Yu's body. Wherever the Power of Creation passed, the minute injuries torn open by the violent medicinal power were repaired and healed at an astonishing rate, becoming even tougher than before! At the same time, the chaotic petals at the center of the Creation Lotus slowly rotated, releasing a peculiar suction force that silently broke down, devoured, and transformed the excessively scorching, destructive elements of the violent medicinal power into relatively mild energy.

Almost at the same time, Yang Yu's spine seemed to come alive. A deep, ancient dragon roar exploded within the depths of his soul! The power of the Dragon of Eternity and Time had been triggered! An invisible domain that controlled time faintly spread outward with him as its center. Within that tiny domain, the flow of time seemed to have been forcibly slowed by a fraction! The waves of extreme pain that crashed over him like tides seemed to have their "frequency" stretched ever so slightly, granting Yang Yu an incomparably precious, almost negligible chance to catch his breath!

The Power of Creation repaired his injuries, while the Power of Time slowed the impact of the pain!

The instinctive protection of the two God-Tier Spirits displayed heaven-defying effects at this crucial moment of life-and-death tempering!

Yang Yu fiercely seized this sliver of opportunity! Enduring pain so severe that even his soul trembled, he focused every shred of willpower and frantically circulated the most basic Spirit Hall Basic Meditation Method that Bibi Dong had casually implanted into his mind! The technique was crude and simple, yet at this moment, it became the only way to guide the violent medicinal power in his body that was on the verge of losing control!

Boom!

His Level Thirty Innate Soul Power surged explosively under the reinforcement of the origins of his two Martial Souls, like a gasoline barrel set ablaze! The energy of the dark golden medicinal liquid was wrapped up by his Soul Power and repeatedly, brutally scoured and hammered his muscles, bones, skin, organs, and viscera! Every scouring brought heart-rending pain, but after every scouring, the Power of Creation repaired him, making his body that much tougher!

At the poolside, Yue Guan's peach-blossom eyes, which had been fixed on the pool the entire time, suddenly widened!

He had expected Yang Yu to hold on, considering his Innate Soul Power Level Thirty and the solid foundation that came with it. But he had never imagined this scene!

The dark golden pool water formed a small whirlpool centered around Yang Yu! The violent medicinal power seemed to have found an outlet, crazily pouring into that tiny body. Yang Yu's body trembled violently, his skin red as blood. He could even see the faint throbbing of tiny blood vessels beneath his skin under the impact of the violent energy, as though they might burst at any moment. His expression was twisted and savage with pain, his teeth grinding audibly.

But! He did not collapse! He did not scream! He had not even passed out after a quarter of an hour and needed to be pulled out, as Yue Guan had expected!

Two completely different auras emanated from that small body, yet both made even him, a Titled Douluo, feel his heart race in alarm! One contained vigorous vitality, stubbornly repairing all injuries; the other carried an indescribable ancientness and majesty, faintly distorting the light and energy fluctuations in a small area around Yang Yu, as though it were... interfering with time?

What shocked Yue Guan even more was Yang Yu's willpower! His ruthless determination to guard his mind amid such extreme agony, even while frantically circulating the meditation method to guide the medicinal power, was nothing like that of a six-year-old child! He was like a ferocious beast struggling to survive in desperate circumstances!

"Hiss... no wonder he is someone Your Majesty the Empress has taken a liking to... Twin God-Tier Martial Souls... a monster! What an absolute monster!" Yue Guan's thoughts churned violently. The bewitching smile on his face had frozen, leaving only utter shock. He asked himself: if he had been thrown into this pool at the age of six, he likely would not have lasted even ten breaths before becoming a heap of rotten flesh!

Time passed bit by bit. Half an hour... one hour... an hour and a half...

The color of the dark golden water had noticeably faded, and the rolling bubbles had weakened considerably. Yang Yu's body in the pool was still trembling, but the movements seemed less intense. The agonized, savage look on his face eased somewhat, and his tightly clenched teeth loosened a little. He seemed to be gradually adapting to this inhuman torment. Beneath his crimson skin, there was now a faint, warm jade-like luster.

Yue Guan's eyelids twitched wildly. This Hundred Herbs Soul Quenching Soup had actually been forcibly absorbed and consumed by nearly thirty percent by this little monster! It was simply unheard of! Even a Soul King's physique might not be able to withstand such prolonged tempering!

At that moment, the ornate purplewood door to the chamber was gently pushed open from outside, leaving a narrow crack.

A small head cautiously peeked inside. Long pink hair draped smoothly over her shoulders, and her large, seductive eyes carried a natural charm as they shifted, like those of a crafty little fox. She looked about seven or eight years old and wore a well-tailored Spirit Hall Academy uniform that outlined the delicate curves just beginning to develop. She was Hu Liena, the core member of Spirit Hall's Golden Generation and Bibi Dong's other personal disciple.

She had been drawn here by the dense, peculiar medicinal fragrance. Worship Elder Yue Guan's Medicine Garden and personal alchemy chamber were nearby. She often came to play and was familiar with the scents here. But today's medicinal aroma was so tyrannical that it startled her, and it carried a peculiar allure as well. Curious, she wondered who was using Worship Elder Yue Guan's precious medicinal pool. Could it be her teacher? Or perhaps one of the Worship Elders?

She pushed the door open a little wider and secretly peered inside.

The first thing she saw was Worship Elder Yue Guan standing beside the pool, his grave face tinged with shock. Following his gaze, she saw the small figure in the pool.

It was a boy who looked even younger than her. He was soaked in the dark golden medicine, with only the part above his shoulders exposed. Steam rose around him, obscuring his face, but she could see that his eyes were tightly shut, his brows deeply furrowed, and his teeth clenched, as though he were enduring tremendous pain. His skin was bright red, yet beneath it shone a faint, strange jade-like radiance.

"Grandpa Yue Guan, who is that?" Hu Liena could not help asking softly. Her voice carried a young girl's natural sweetness and charm, breaking the room's silence.

Startled by her voice, Yue Guan abruptly turned around. When he saw Hu Liena, his brows faintly furrowed before his habitual smile returned. "It's Nana. This is not somewhere you should be. Go back now."

"No," Hu Liena said. She was rather bold and directly pushed the door open before walking in. She curiously moved closer to the pool and stared at Yang Yu in the water. "Grandpa Yue Guan, this medicinal soup looks incredibly powerful! He... he looks like he's in so much pain. What is he doing? Cultivating? How can he stay in there for so long? I already feel awful just standing here!" She was still several steps from the pool, yet the violent energy aura leaking from it already made her chest feel tight and her breathing short.

Yue Guan was about to speak.

At that moment, Yang Yu's body in the pool suddenly jerked! The dark golden medicinal water around him began boiling violently! An energy fluctuation even more violent than before erupted with a bang!

"Hmm?!" Yue Guan's expression changed. Thinking Yang Yu had finally reached his limit, he was about to intervene.

But in the next instant, an indescribable suction force erupted from Yang Yu's body! The remaining pale golden medicinal liquid in the entire bath pool surged frantically toward his body like a hundred rivers returning to the sea! It moved so quickly that a visible funnel-shaped vortex formed in the pool!

"This... this is... he's devouring the medicinal power?!" Yue Guan was completely dumbstruck, his eyes nearly popping out! This medicinal power was incomparably tyrannical. Even absorbing it required careful guidance—how could anyone forcibly plunder and devour it like this?! What was this child's body made of?!

Hu Liena took a frightened step back, covering her mouth with a small hand, her large eyes filled with horror. She felt as if that boy had become a bottomless pit, ready to drain the entire pool dry! The violent energy fluctuations instinctively terrified her!

Boom!

The last trace of dark golden medicinal liquid vanished into Yang Yu's body. The entire bath pool became crystal clear, leaving only a thin layer of dull medicinal residue at the bottom.

Yang Yu abruptly opened his eyes!

Whoosh!

Two concentrated beams of light, almost tangible, shot from his eyes like lightning, lingering for a full breath before slowly withdrawing!

He slowly rose from the pool. His once somewhat frail body now had smooth, firm lines, while his skin possessed a warm jade-like luster, as though it contained explosive power. He even seemed to have grown a little taller. Though he still looked like a six-year-old child, his entire aura had undergone a complete transformation! The remnants of childishness and confusion were entirely gone, replaced by calmness, restraint, and a sharpness hidden deep within his eyes!

A powerful aura naturally emanated from him—the fluctuation of peak Level Thirty Soul Power! Yet it was far more condensed, profound, and oppressive than that of an ordinary Level Thirty Soul Master! It even faintly carried the pressure of a higher-level soul master!

He stood in the clear pool water as droplets slid down the firm lines of his muscles. Lowering his head, he clenched his fist and felt the surging power within him, as vast and mighty as a great river! His Bones were tough as iron, his meridians broad and resilient, and his organs brimming with life! The pain that had nearly torn apart his soul now seemed like a nightmare, leaving behind a powerful physique that had been completely reborn!

He had succeeded! The effects of the Hundred Herbs Soul Quenching Soup were even more terrifying than he had expected! Yang Yu was exhilarated.

He raised his head and swept his gaze across the poolside.

Worship Elder Yue Guan was staring at him as if he had seen a ghost, his mouth slightly open, seemingly still unable to recover from the shock of Yang Yu "devouring" the medicinal power.

Beside Yue Guan stood a little girl with pink hair and fox-like eyes. Covering her mouth, she stared at him without blinking, her big eyes filled with shock and curiosity.

Their eyes met.

Hu Liena's heart skipped a beat under Yang Yu's gaze. Though the sharp radiance in his eyes had just faded, they remained deep and piercing. She instinctively lowered the hand covering her mouth, and two faint blushes appeared on her pretty face. Why was this little brat's gaze so frightening? And... he was naked!

Yang Yu was also taken aback. This girl... pink hair, fox eyes... Hu Liena? Bibi Dong's other disciple? The Saintess of Spirit Hall from the original story?

For a moment, the atmosphere became strangely quiet.

"Cough!" Yue Guan finally recovered from his shock and cleared his throat, breaking the silence. With a flick of his wrist, a brand-new set of finely made black training clothes trimmed in gold appeared in his hand. He respectfully offered them to Yang Yu. "Congratulations, His Highness the Holy Son! Your body tempering is complete! The strength of your physique and the depth of your foundation are unprecedented in my lifetime! Please get dressed."

His Highness the Holy Son? Hearing that title, Hu Liena's fox-like eyes instantly widened! Holy Son? When had Spirit Hall gained a Holy Son? A new disciple her teacher had accepted? Him?!

Yang Yu took the clothes and quickly put them on. They fit perfectly. The fabric was soft and breathable with a faint coolness, clearly no ordinary item.

"Grandpa Yue Guan, he... he is?" Hu Liena finally could not hold it in any longer. She pointed at Yang Yu, her voice filled with surprise and curiosity.

Yue Guan's smile returned as he introduced them. "Nana, this is His Highness Yang Yu, Your Majesty the Empress's newly accepted personal disciple and also Spirit Hall's Holy Son." Then he turned to Yang Yu. "Your Highness, this is Hu Liena, Your Majesty the Empress's other personal disciple."

"Y-you, hello." Hu Liena looked at the boy before her, who was even shorter than she was but whose gaze made her feel somewhat uneasy. Trying to appear calm, she greeted him. Holy Son? Teacher actually accepted a male disciple? And directly named him the Holy Son? Why?!

Yang Yu saw the undisguised curiosity, doubt, and faint defiance in Hu Liena's eyes. He calmly nodded. "Hello."

His voice was not loud. It carried a trace of hoarseness from the painful tempering he had just endured, yet it was unusually steady.

Hu Liena wanted to say more. Suddenly, a cold, majestic, unquestionable voice rang out as though directly within all three of their minds:

"Come to the Rear Hall Training Ground." It was Bibi Dong's voice!

Hu Liena shuddered. Yue Guan also immediately wiped every expression from his face, becoming incomparably respectful.

"Yes, Teacher—Your Majesty!"

Yang Yu's eyes narrowed slightly. The Rear Hall Training Ground? It seemed this Empress teacher of his could not wait to see the quality of her "peerless jade."