Dragon Scale Rice, Xuan Zi

After the seeds were planted, Lin Yi gained another daily task. Every morning, he would sit cross-legged beneath the Golden Tree, transforming into a diligent little farmer. He spread out his Golden Domain, drawing upon the power of Extreme Light and Extreme Life to temper the seeds and promote their growth.

Growing beneath the Golden Ancient Tree and assisted by Lin Yi's domain, the Spirit Pattern Rice's growth and improvement in quality were almost visible to the naked eye beneath the radiance of two plant gods. Moreover, Lin Yi was watering it with Dragon Blood—though only the blood of sub-dragon species such as Earth Dragons.

Even so, the Spirit Pattern Rice underwent earth-shaking changes.

The current Spirit Pattern Rice was not only suffused with the aura of light and life, but also emitted a faint dragon aura. The name Spirit Pattern Rice was no longer suitable; perhaps Dragon Scale Rice would be more fitting.

Originally, neither Mu En nor Lin Qingxuan would have agreed to such a time-consuming waste as planting Dragon Scale Rice. However, once Lin Yi gave the reason that he was using it to train his domain, no one stopped him.

After all, as the Dragon Scale Rice grew, Lin Yi's increasing proficiency with his domain was obvious to the naked eye.

The mystery lay in the fact that every stalk of Dragon Scale Rice required different amounts of Extreme Light and life energy. Lin Yi needed to perceive those differences, then use his domain to carry out the closest possible thing to truly meticulous cultivation.

Under such detailed training, Lin Yi's control over his domain and his own power became ever more refined.

Thus, Lin Yi spent his mornings tempering his domain among the Dragon Scale Rice while farming and cultivating at the same time. In the afternoons, he studied Soul Tools with Lin Qingxuan, and at dusk, he went to Mu En to learn about Martial Souls. Every day was packed to the brim.

But things could not always go smoothly. One morning, while Lin Yi was using his Golden Domain to stimulate the Dragon Scale Rice's growth, he suddenly noticed a disheveled figure standing nearby at some unknown time.

"Elder Xuan."

The visitor was Xuan Zi, the strongest person beneath Mu En in Sea God Pavilion.

Lin Yi was not familiar with Elder Xuan. They had only met once in Sea God Pavilion. Later, he heard that Elder Xuan had been placed under House Arrest by Mu En and forbidden from leaving Sea God Island, so he had remained in seclusion and was seen even less often.

Why had he suddenly come looking for him today?

"Hahaha!" Before saying anything, he burst into laughter. Lin Yi thought about it. In the tropes of that Otherworld, this seemed to be a way of showing goodwill, but it was an old cliché...

"Kid, your training method is pretty good. You've got ideas."

Lin Yi was somewhat baffled. What did this old man want? Had he come just to praise him?

When he had first seen the old man in Sea God Pavilion, Lin Yi had assumed he was some unkempt master and had considered whether to build a relationship with him. Later, he found out that the old man was simply like this.

"I do not deserve Elder Xuan's praise. May I ask what brings Elder Xuan here?"

Lin Yi did not beat around the bush and asked directly. His own master was the Pavilion Master of Sea God Pavilion. Within Shrek Academy, Lin Yi was not afraid of offending anyone. He could afford to be this willful.

Caught somewhat off guard by Lin Yi's blunt question, Xuan Zi looked a little embarrassed. He gave a few dry laughs, as though making up his mind about something.

Lin Yi merely watched the dirty old man curiously.

"Kid, how much are you selling this rice for?"

"???"

Lin Yi did not understand. Everyone in Sea God Pavilion knew that this Dragon Scale Rice was meant to treat Mu En's injuries. Even if Elder Xuan had not heard the news, seeing Lin Yi use Extreme Light and Extreme Life, along with the Dragon Blood used for watering, should have let him guess something. Why did this Elder Xuan... seem like he was missing a screw?

Still, the old man was incredibly powerful and not someone Lin Yi could brush off. He could only answer truthfully, "Elder Xuan, this rice is not for sale. It is meant to treat my master's injuries."

Hearing that, Xuan Zi seemed to recall something. "When Elder Mu said you wanted to clear out a plot beneath the Golden Tree, it was to plant this?"

Lin Yi nodded in confirmation.

"This..." Xuan Zi hesitated.

"Elder Xuan, what do you want this rice for?"

"To eat." Distracted, Xuan Zi did not think much about Lin Yi's question and revealed his true purpose.

Then Xuan Zi realized that he had accidentally told the truth. But the words had already left his mouth, so he could only explain the situation honestly.

Only then did Lin Yi understand. Elder Xuan's Martial Soul was called the Godly Taotie Bull and possessed the Taotie bloodline. Just like the Taotie Lin Yi knew from that Otherworld, it loved to eat. For Taotie, eating was cultivation.

Because Xuan Zi's Taotie bloodline was incomplete, his Martial Soul's flaw was especially severe. He could hardly go without eating or drinking. Once his appetite arose, he truly could not care about anything else. Because of this, Xuan Zi had nearly ruined matters several times in the past. Fortunately, he was powerful enough that nothing ever reached an irreparable point.

And the Dragon Scale Rice Lin Yi had planted was simply too high in quality. Though it had not yet matured, it already exuded a fragrant aroma that was incomparably alluring. How could Xuan Zi, who bore the Taotie bloodline, endure that?

Now that Lin Yi understood Xuan Zi's purpose, he had no more doubts. But regarding the Dragon Scale Rice, he could only apologize to him. This time, he had planted only half a mu, and it was not yet mature. He had no way of knowing what effects it would have, so he truly could not satisfy Xuan Zi's appetite.

Though Xuan Zi was rash, he was not brainless. Knowing that this was meant to treat Mu En's injuries, he naturally would not act recklessly. He could only leave rather dejectedly.

Lin Yi thought the matter would end there. Yet over the following days, he discovered that his Dragon Scale Rice had gained a field guardian...

Naturally, that person was Xuan Zi. He did not snatch, eat, or make trouble. He simply stood by the field every day, greedily staring at the Dragon Scale Rice with a drooling expression. A chicken leg in one hand and a gourd in the other, he ate while enjoying the fragrance of the Dragon Scale Rice.

Lin Yi could only stare in disbelief. Was this really how a rank ninety-eight Super Douluo was supposed to behave?

Yet Lin Yi could not drive him away. The man was only there to look, and he was a dignified Elder of Sea God Pavilion. What was the big deal? At most, it was Xuan Zi who looked bad.

Still, as Lin Yi watched Xuan Zi drinking by the field while savoring the Dragon Scale Rice's scent, he could not see any sign that this Taotie Douluo cared about saving face.

For the sake of the Dragon Scale Rice and his own peace of mind, Lin Yi decided to do something.

First, complaining to Mu En was certainly not an option. After all, this really was not a big matter for the Taotie Douluo.

Second, driving him away by force was absolutely out of the question. This was a peak Super Douluo, one of the strongest among the strong. A strong person's dignity could not be provoked. No matter how important or talented Lin Yi was, he needed to keep that in mind.

Persuading him to leave tactfully? One look at Xuan Zi was enough to tell him that would not work.

After thinking it over, Lin Yi decided to start with Xuan Zi's Martial Soul. In the end, Xuan Zi was simply greedy for food. He just needed to find something else delicious and lure him away.

Thus, Mu En, Lin Qingxuan, and Ouyang Xi all noticed a slight change in Lin Yi recently: he had begun to have fun as well.

Every day, he dragged Beibei around Shrek City in search of all kinds of delicacies. Not only that, but he also started trying to cook for himself, with Beibei responsible for tasting the dishes.

Seven days later, setting everything else aside, Beibei declared that he could not take it anymore.

In only seven days, Beibei had nearly wept. Going out to look for food was not a problem—when he was tired from cultivation, he would sometimes stroll around as well. But Lin Yi's cooking...

The flavors were quite extraordinary. In any case, after seven days, Beibei said that he still had to look after Mu En in his old age. He truly could not afford such torment.

Another gain was that Lin Yi had become fairly familiar with Xuan Zi. After all, Lin Yi's goal had been to coax Xuan Zi away, so he naturally brought him the delicacies he found outside to taste, hoping he could persuade him to leave. As for the food Lin Yi cooked himself, even Beibei could not stomach it, much less Xuan Zi, an old glutton.

But after going back and forth like this, Lin Yi suddenly realized that he had nearly maxed out Xuan Zi's favorability. Xuan Zi now looked at Lin Yi with remarkable kindness. After all, no foodie could refuse someone who kept feeding them.

As they chatted, Lin Yi gradually gained a deeper understanding of Xuan Zi's Martial Soul.

As for Beibei, Lin Yi said that he did not need him for the time being, so he could do as he pleased.

Beibei: "!!!"

In the time that followed, Lin Yi began studying Xuan Zi's Martial Soul.

After spending time together, Lin Yi discovered that this old man was actually rather simple-minded. At the very least, Lin Yi felt he was quite easy to fool.

Lin Yi had never put aside his research into Martial Souls, and Xuan Zi's Godly Taotie Bull was undoubtedly highly worthy of study.

The Godly Taotie Bull possessed the Taotie bloodline, one of the Nine Sons of the Dragon. It had a goat's body, tiger teeth, human claws, eyes beneath its armpits, and a pair of absurdly large bull horns. It was a top-tier Earth Attribute Beast Martial Soul.

As Lin Yi considered Xuan Zi's Martial Soul, he began to analyze it.

"Taotie bloodline. Gluttony is both its flaw and its method of cultivation. This Martial Soul is quite strange."

"Still, the human body is marvelous. Under normal circumstances, it would not produce a Martial Soul with such an obvious defect. Yet this world always seems to have exceptional cases, like Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire Phoenix before."

"But the Godly Taotie Bull's flaw is rather strange. It does not seem especially serious, yet it severely disrupts normal life. Something feels off."

"What is the origin of this Martial Soul?"

At that thought, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck Lin Yi. "Taotie... Godly Bull?"

"If it can bear the Taotie bloodline, then this bull naturally cannot be an ordinary bull. A godly bull..."

With a soft laugh, confidence gleamed in Lin Yi's eyes. "So the answer was on the surface all along."

Looking at Xuan Zi, who was eating with great relish nearby, Lin Yi said, "Elder Xuan, stop eating for now. Let's go see my master. I have something important to say."

"You can go yourself. Why drag me along? If I stay here guarding the Dragon Scale Rice, I can eat for another two hours."

Seeing Xuan Zi so engrossed in food that he could not pull himself away, Lin Yi's face darkened. His Blue Silver External Soul Bone activated, leaves surging out to pull Xuan Zi upright. Lin Yi, who cared about cleanliness, could not possibly grab the dirty old man directly.

"It concerns your Martial Soul. Stop eating for now."

A sharp light flashed through Xuan Zi's eyes. He looked at Lin Yi seriously, and seeing no trace of jest in his expression, he wasted no words. Soul Power instantly enveloped Lin Yi, and with a flash, they arrived on the third floor of Sea God Pavilion.