Domain, Sacrifice

Seeing her son quietly watching the Blue Silver Grass break through, Ouyang Xi called again, "Good boy, come quickly. Once you absorb this Four-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Grass, you'll be able to break through."

Yet Xiao Linyi remained still. Ouyang Xi was a little displeased. Her good boy was no longer close to her—before, whenever she called, he would run over and throw himself into her arms.

Lin Qingxuan stopped his wife. "All right. A Soul Beast's breakthrough is a rare sight. Since Xiao Yi is interested and wants to watch, let him."

Only then did Ouyang Xi let it go and wait quietly.

Xiao Linyi merely watched the Blue Silver Grass struggle to break through. Looking at this Blue Silver Grass, which had no possibility of advancing any further, he found it strange.

"Why? You clearly have no chance of breaking through. Your life is nearing its end. Is this a dying struggle?"

Naturally, the Blue Silver Grass could not answer Xiao Linyi. It simply gathered all its life force and attempted to break through again and again, only to be stopped each time by the Ten Thousand Year Bottleneck. As its life force was drained away, the Blue Silver Grass's leaves began to yellow and shrivel, yet it seemed unaware of it all, stubbornly charging at the Ten Thousand Year Bottleneck.

Once...

Twice...

Countless times...

Xiao Linyi did not know how many times the Blue Silver Grass had charged forward. He only watched as its aura grew weaker and weaker, while it continued assaulting the Ten Thousand Year Bottleneck as though it never knew exhaustion.

As if sensing the Blue Silver Grass's stubbornness, Xiao Linyi murmured, "Is this your will? There is a saying in the Otherworld about cause and effect. My mother's aura stopping you earlier was the cause. Then, apologizing to you on her behalf and helping you now should be the effect."

Xiao Linyi summoned his Golden Tree Spirit. But Xiao Linyi currently had no Soul Skills, so how could he help?

The next moment, as though inspiration had struck, Xiao Linyi poured his soul power into his martial soul. A golden halo spread outward from the Golden Tree, rapidly draining his soul power as it expanded to cover an area nearly a hundred meters wide.

Within the halo's range, the powers of Radiance and life gathered madly, following Xiao Linyi's guidance and flowing into the Blue Silver Grass.

The three people beside him were all stunned by this sudden sight before crying out, "A domain?!"

For Soul Masters, Soul Skills came in countless varieties due to the existence of Soul Beasts. But if they had a choice, domain-type Soul Skills would definitely be among their first choices—perhaps even their only choice.

Yet Xiao Linyi did not even have his First Soul Ring. That left only one possibility: an Innate Domain!

"Favored by the heavens. Truly favored by the heavens," Mu En sighed softly.

Lin Qingxuan and Ouyang Xi's eyes were filled with relief and pride.

As Xiao Linyi released his Golden Domain, the Blue Silver Grass, whose aura had already begun to weaken, once again shone with brilliant blue light. A faint emotion of joy and gratitude flowed out, though no one noticed it.

The Blue Silver Grass gathered its life force and soul power once more, charging toward the Ten Thousand Year Bottleneck.

Once again...

Twice...

Three times...

The Ten Thousand Year Bottleneck was like an insurmountable mountain, blocking the Blue Silver Grass's path forward.

Ten minutes passed. The Blue Silver Grass had launched an unknown number of assaults, yet every one of them had failed.

Xiao Linyi was only a Soul Master. Even though his Innate Soul Power exceeded rank ten, domains consumed an enormous amount of soul power. Lasting ten minutes was already proof of the exceptional quality of Xiao Linyi's soul power.

Watching the Blue Silver Grass's aura decline once more, a trace of gloom flashed through Xiao Linyi's eyes. Had it still failed?

"Seventh Soul Skill, Martial Soul Avatar."

The sudden powerful fluctuation of soul power startled Xiao Linyi awake. Following the sound, he saw that Lin Qingxuan had activated the Martial Soul Avatar of his Life Wutong.

The Life Wutong was a top-tier auxiliary Healing System martial soul. The Wutong tree, dozens of meters tall, slowly unfurled, emanating dense life energy.

Two green beams brimming with vitality shot from the Wutong tree toward Xiao Linyi and the Blue Silver Grass.

"Dad?"

"Since you want to help it, then Dad will lend you a hand."

What kind of formidable healing ability did a rank seventy-eight Soul Saint with a top-tier Healing System martial soul possess when using his Martial Soul Avatar? Xiao Linyi found out today.

His entire body brimmed with strength. His soul power recovered even faster than it was consumed, and the dimmed domain brightened once more, gathering dense Radiance and life energy again before pouring them into the Blue Silver Grass without reserve.

A domain brought by a Soul Master with dual Extreme Attributes, combined with the support of a top-tier Healing System Soul Saint—one emphasized quality, the other quantity. The Blue Silver Grass had never fought such a well-supplied battle in its life.

The Blue Silver Grass gathered its life force and soul power, charging madly at the Ten Thousand Year Bottleneck. Perhaps its countless previous attempts had finally taken effect, because the seemingly indestructible bottleneck finally loosened slightly.

However, after countless assaults, even with the help of Xiao Linyi and Lin Qingxuan, the father and son, the Blue Silver Grass's body still suffered severe damage. It was the backlash from forcing a breakthrough.

The Blue Silver Grass seemed not to feel the state of its body at all. It simply continued charging, continuing to attempt a breakthrough.

At this point, the Blue Silver Grass's body was nearly shattered. Its sparse, tattered leaves seemed to proclaim that its life was about to end.

"That's enough. You've already done your best. Stop here." Xiao Linyi's eyes filled with reluctance.

The Blue Silver Grass did not respond. Or perhaps it had not heard him.

Its nearly shattered body suddenly ignited with blue flames, and its aura surged sharply to its peak.

Xiao Linyi did not understand what was happening, so he looked toward his father.

Lin Qingxuan maintained his Martial Soul Avatar and sighed. "It has ignited its Origin Life Force."

"What will happen?"

"If too much Origin Life Force is consumed, it means one's life has reached its end. If it is ignited willingly, death is certain."

Xiao Linyi seemed unable to understand. "Why? Even if it breaks through to ten thousand years, what then? Its life will already be gone."

Mu En, who had not spoken and had only watched quietly, walked to Xiao Linyi's side and rubbed his head. "Child, the path to becoming stronger can never be smooth all the way. Sometimes, you must have the resolve to gamble everything. Though this Blue Silver Grass is only a Soul Beast, I hope you can learn something from it."

Xiao Linyi fell silent. Looking at the Blue Silver Grass that had gambled everything, he nodded gently after a long while. "Master, I understand."

After igniting its Origin Life Force, the Blue Silver Grass compressed everything it had to the utmost limit, then blasted toward the Ten Thousand Year Bottleneck. Amid a faint, deafening boom, the aura emanating from the Blue Silver Grass suddenly grew several times stronger.

The Ten-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Grass had broken through.

Yet the aura of the Blue Silver Grass that had broken through the ten-thousand-year threshold remained powerful for only an instant before plummeting at an astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, it had fallen to its lowest point.

Looking at the shattered Blue Silver Grass and its feeble aura, Xiao Linyi did not know what to say. Lin Qingxuan had already dispelled his Martial Soul Avatar. The Blue Silver Grass no longer needed it now.

Xiao Linyi did not retract his domain. Dense life energy was poured into the Blue Silver Grass, only to leak back out through its shattered body. Even without anyone explaining, Xiao Linyi knew that this Blue Silver Grass's life had reached its end.

Walking up to the battered Blue Silver Grass, Xiao Linyi did not know what to say. The three people beside him did not stop him either. A Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast was indeed dangerous, but this Blue Silver Grass was far too weak now. It could not even threaten Xiao Linyi.

"Thank you..." A faint spiritual fluctuation came from the Blue Silver Grass. After breaking through to ten thousand years, its intelligence had greatly opened.

Xiao Linyi pursed his lips, still not knowing what to say. In this situation, what could he say...?

In the end, Xiao Linyi merely reached out and touched the Blue Silver Grass's battered body.

"Accept my final gift."

A faint spiritual fluctuation came from the Blue Silver Grass's body. Before Xiao Linyi could ask anything, dazzling flames ignited around the Blue Silver Grass once more.

The three people beside him did not stop it, because they sensed no danger or hostility from the Blue Silver Grass.

Only Mu En's eyes revealed shock, because he seemed to have seen this situation in the academy's records before.

As the flames burned, the Blue Silver Grass's originally shattered body seemed to melt, seeping into Xiao Linyi through the hand that had been touching it.

The Blue Silver Grass itself had vanished, as though it had never existed. Only the yellowed, shriveled, fallen leaves remaining where it had stood seemed to tell of its former existence.

Seeing this, Mu En finally became certain. This was indeed the legendary ritual recorded in the academy's archives—Sacrifice!