Changes Over Two Years

Two years passed like sand slipping through one's fingers, gone in an instant.

During this time, Lin Hai had gained immensely.

Most notably, he had grown much taller, becoming ever more slender and... elegant, like a jade tree standing in the wind.

The light in Hu Liena's eyes had nearly solidified into something tangible.

From time to time, she would quietly tease him with her martial soul talent. That utterly natural seductive charm... tsk, it was simply the finest immersive teaching.

A gulf still remained between him and Xie Yue and Yan.

Especially Yan. Over the past two years, he seemed to have finally realized his own feelings for Hu Liena.

Whenever Hu Liena looked at Lin Hai with sparkling eyes and shifting glances, Yan's face would darken as though splashed with ink, turning every shade imaginable.

Unfortunately, looks were decided by fate and beyond anyone's control.

Even that symbolic head of red hair remained proudly upright. Not a single strand... would lie flat.

Repeated defeats, yet he fought on—who else could it have been but Yan...

His Soul Power Level was also firmly suppressed. Lin Hai did not even need to summon his martial soul to beat him into submission.

After several challenges and close exchanges of fist-to-flesh intimacy, even someone as naturally stubborn and strong-willed as Yan could only call out in pain, lower his banner, and completely lose his temper.

The accumulation of two lifetimes' worth of souls, along with the Bodhi Ancient Tree's transformation, had given Lin Hai insight and resourcefulness far beyond those of his peers.

Over these two years, one of his greatest gains had been successfully extracting an almost enormous amount of pharmaceutical and toxicological knowledge from Chrysanthemum Douluo, Yue Guan.

Naturally, the price had been rather "steep"—he had practically been forced to listen to Chrysanthemum Douluo recount the magnificent first half of his life.

From obscurity to receiving his title, from his tangled, inescapable fated bond with Ghostly Charm to his old love-hate history with Dugu Bo...

Every last detail, without exception.

The only matter Chrysanthemum Douluo guarded with absolute secrecy was precisely what Lin Hai was most curious about:

Just how had this man turned the indestructible body granted by the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum into the dazzling worldly bloom before him, swaying gracefully and ready to blossom at any moment?

With the extraordinary comprehension granted by the Bodhi Ancient Tree, Lin Hai could often keenly point out subtle flaws in Chrysanthemum Douluo's theories and even offer unique insights. Each time, Yue Guan would clap in amazement and exclaim that true kindred spirits were hard to find.

Whenever that happened, Lin Hai would smile outwardly, though inwardly he always felt that the chrysanthemum situation down there was becoming rather tense.

He was certain that he had already become indispensable to the second half of Chrysanthemum Douluo's story.

"Chrysanthemum, in this life, I'll make sure you and Old Ghost grow old together," Lin Hai silently swore.

"Even Asura won't be able to take you away. I said so!"

Where did his confidence come from? Naturally, from the Shuofeng Brand Flame Water Jade! Of course... if Chrysanthemum truly reached that point, it would be best if he could leave Lin Hai an intact corpse.

What else could he do? Could he expect this fellow to produce a soul ring and spirit bone?

Aside from deeply studying medicine and poisons under Chrysanthemum Douluo, Lin Hai had not neglected other fields either.

He had dabbled in music theory and swordsmanship alike. He knew the road ahead was vast, and only through all-around development could he become the team captain...

Speaking of which, Spirit City truly deserved its reputation as a holy land for soul masters. The variety of martial souls among its soul masters could only be described as all-encompassing.

Whenever he practiced the zither, enthusiastic fellow disciples would always come close and say, "That won't do. Come play the flute instead."

Whenever he practiced sword strikes, kind-hearted seniors would likewise get right in his face and say, "That weapon lacks power. Learn to use a halberd instead!"

Demons danced wildly, each harboring their own schemes...

His relationship with his teacher, Bibi Dong, had become increasingly harmonious and amicable.

Especially after Lin Hai's "dedicated research" had "accidentally" uncovered Whale Rubber's astonishing effects in strengthening the body.

And after he had subsequently created the unique Three Talents Meditation Method.

Bibi Dong's satisfaction with this disciple had risen by at least four plus signs.

There was no need to elaborate on Whale Rubber's merits. Under the pretext of researching medicinal properties, Lin Hai had effectively "rediscovered" them, making the entire process perfectly justifiable.

After Spirit Hall stockpiled large quantities of Whale Rubber and announced the findings, the soul master world was shaken.

The greatest beneficiaries of Whale Rubber were low-level soul masters. Its effects were bound to spread widely and could not be kept secret.

From then on, Whale Rubber became a scarce commodity. High-year Whale Rubber was even harder to obtain than a single drop of gold.

The Three Talents Meditation Method completely overturned traditional cultivation concepts.

Not only could it clear the meridians and temper the body, it could also hone Spiritual Power at the same time. It was an unparalleled secret art embodying the unity of three aspects.

Lin Hai had developed it using the Mysterious Town Golden Body and Heart Bell Soul Forging soul skills as its foundation, integrating several high-level Meditation Methods.

Based on a cultivator's talent and aptitude, it was divided into Heaven, Earth, and Human versions.

Lin Hai generously donated the Earth-tier and Human-tier versions to Spirit Hall, where they became foundational inheritances.

As for the most profound Heaven-Tier Meditation Method, its threshold was so high that, in all of Spirit Hall, only four people—including Lin Hai himself—were currently able to study it. It had been designated Spirit Hall's highest secret.

After conducting an almost excessively stringent background investigation into Lin Hai, the Worship Hall finally tacitly accepted his status as the Pope's direct disciple.

Especially after he presented the secret uses of Whale Rubber and the Three Talents Meditation Method, two great gifts capable of changing the continent's future balance of power, the change was immediate.

Even Golden Crocodile Douluo, the hot-tempered Second Worship, would now instinctively clear his throat before speaking to Lin Hai, trying to make his voice a little gentler...

The reason was obvious—when one took something from another, one's hand became short; when one ate another's food, one's mouth became soft.

After taking and eating so much, how could he have the nerve to speak loudly?

At the same time, the Bodhi Ancient Tree rooted in Lin Hai's Sea of Consciousness quietly welcomed two "harvests."

After two years of nurturing, two Bodhi Seeds had formed on its branches.

Lin Hai naturally understood this item's effects in his original world, but the rules on Douluo Continent were entirely different. Would its effects change as well?

He was not completely certain.

To that end, he had spent a great deal of effort researching it in secret. The matter was too significant, and he could not explain its origins to Chrysanthemum Douluo, so he could only investigate on his own.

The final conclusion of his research shocked even Lin Hai, who had been born in a new century and raised beneath the red flag in his previous life.

The Bodhi Seed possessed three heaven-defying effects:

Source of Evolution: It could cause plant-type soul beasts or martial souls to evolve. The stronger the foundation, the weaker the effect.

Soul Ring Seed: A plant-type martial soul could use it as an energy core similar to a God-Bestowed Spirit Ring, directly absorbing it as its own soul ring.

Key to Comprehension: It could subtly increase the user's comprehension.

Its energy would first satisfy the needs of evolution. Any surplus would then be converted into soul ring energy, and only afterward would it be used to slowly improve comprehension.

The effects of every stage had limits determined by the individual's aptitude.

If excess energy could not be fully absorbed and used within a certain period, it would gradually dissipate.

As for insufficient energy? As the essence produced by the Bodhi Ancient Tree once each year, it contained vast and surging energy.

Yet such heaven-defying effects were of no use to Lin Hai himself.

And because of their "lopsided specializations," Bibi Dong and Hu Liena could not use them either.

For them, the only effect would be increasing comprehension, which would be far too wasteful.

Today held extraordinary significance for Lin Hai.

His Soul Power cultivation had finally broken through the threshold of level thirty.

At the same time, deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the final trace of sluggish resistance in the preliminary refinement of the round bronze cauldron that had floated there for so long—the Bu Yuan Cauldron—completely dissolved.

Lin Hai gazed at the Bu Yuan Cauldron floating above his palm, ancient and mysterious light flowing across it, and a sense of achievement at having first glimpsed its mysteries rose within him.

Yes, merely completing its preliminary refinement had taken two years.

The might of a divine artifact was as vast as an abyss. To completely refine the Bu Yuan Cauldron, he would need to reach at least the realm of a Peerless Douluo.

It was like the Divine Artifact Spirit Ring he had previously absorbed. Its power would likewise be gradually unsealed as his own realm rose.

The effects gained by attaching soul rings during the early stages were comparable in power to what this preliminary refinement had granted him.

The significance of this preliminary refinement was that he could finally pry open a corner of the Bu Yuan Cauldron's wonders! Refining ordinary Elixir Pills and fragrances was now effortless.

A faint smile crept onto Lin Hai's lips.

"At last, I can make good on it..."

Naturally, he was thinking of the promise he had once silently made—to personally refine one-of-a-kind gifts for his teacher and Little Fox.

Having made up his mind, Soul Power flowed from his fingertips and stirred the divine fire contained within the Bu Yuan Cauldron. The cauldron hummed softly as misty vapors rose.

An hour later, the cauldron's aura subsided. Two exquisite, translucent jade bottles rested quietly upon the table:

One bottle of Condensing Frost Containing Sandalwood, clear and tranquil, yet carrying the dignified richness of time's accumulation.

One bottle of Flowing Fragrance Intoxicating Fruit, sweetly alluring and brimming with the lively freshness of flowers and fruit.