Hearing there was another surprise in store, Oscar hurried to the side with the Soul Bone and began absorbing it.
Meng Yiran followed his example, eagerly anticipating the surprise Lan Minghua had mentioned.
Before long, Wu Song returned, carrying the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger Offspring, which was barely clinging to life.
"Sect Master, I found the Soul Beast you wanted."
"Mm, thanks for the effort."
Lan Minghua tossed the barely breathing Dark Demon Evil God Tiger to Zhu Zhuqing. "Kill it and absorb its Soul Ring."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded, finished it with one slash, then sat cross-legged and began absorbing the ring.
With Lan Minghua watching over her, the process went smoothly.
After she finished absorbing it, Zhu Zhuqing's Soul Power rose from level thirty to level thirty-two.
Then she continued absorbing the Soul Bone, looking forward to Lan Minghua's surprise.
Another half a day passed, and all three of them had finished absorbing their Soul Bones.
After absorbing the Soul Bone, Oscar's Soul Power increased by two levels, reaching level thirty-five.
Meng Yiran's Soul Power also increased by two levels after absorbing hers, reaching level thirty-three.
After absorbing the Dark Attribute Soul Bone of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, Zhu Zhuqing's Soul Power surged by six levels, reaching level thirty-eight.
(Note: In the original work, Ning Rongrong absorbed a Soul Bone whose attributes matched hers and gained six levels.)
That wasn't all. Zhu Zhuqing had also gained the Soul Bone Skill, Evil God Wind Shadow Step.
This Soul Bone Skill could instantly grant an extreme boost in speed. It also let its user merge with the gale and unleash wind blades capable of slicing through anything as they moved.
Oscar looked crestfallen. He, the eldest disciple, had been surpassed so easily.
Seeing this, Lan Minghua chuckled softly. "Don't be upset. You'll all be back on the same starting line soon."
At that, Oscar and Meng Yiran both looked eager.
After all, being overtaken by Zhu Zhuqing, the weakest among them, didn't feel good.
Lan Minghua didn't keep them waiting. He picked out a few Immortal Herbs and handed them to the three of them.
For Oscar, he chose Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. It would cleanse and refine his body, help him cultivate Indestructible Vajra Body more effectively, and improve his talent.
For Zhu Zhuqing, he chose Water Lily Jade Muscle Bone again. It could cleanse and refine her body and improve the quality of her Martial Soul.
For Meng Yiran, he chose Eight-petaled Immortal Orchid. It would let her cultivate Soul Power rapidly, and its effects would last until she reached level seventy.
After all, Meng Yiran's talent and Martial Soul weren't particularly strong, so Eight-petaled Immortal Orchid was a better fit for her.
"Eat them and refine their power. You'll get a surprise you never expected."
Lan Minghua didn't explain what the Immortal Herbs did, leaving them to find out for themselves.
The three accepted the herbs, put them in their mouths, chewed a few times, and swallowed. Then they sat cross-legged and began cultivating.
Lan Minghua had no intention of sitting idle. He'd given away so many things and done so much, so he ought to have earned plenty of Master Teacher Points.
System, check how many Master Teacher Points I have left!
[Beep! Congratulations, host. You have accepted Meng Yiran as a disciple and earned 800 Master Teacher Points.] [Congratulations! Your disciples have all broken through level thirty. You have earned 500 Master Teacher Points × 3.] [You have bestowed Soul Bones and Immortal Herbs upon your disciples and earned 500 Master Teacher Points × 3.] [Master Teacher Points remaining: 4000.]
Worried that the damn system might have skimmed some off the top, Lan Minghua carefully tallied everything himself.
I had 200 before. Accepting Meng Yiran as a disciple earned me 800, then 500 × 3 × 2 on top of that. That makes 4000. Looks like the damn system isn't trying to pocket my points this time.
System: Who do you think you're looking down on?!
Lan Minghua nodded in satisfaction. This had been a great haul, well worth making the trip to Star Dou Great Forest himself.
Four thousand Master Teacher Points—that meant forty draws!
He usually did ten draws at a time. Hopefully, these forty wouldn't be a complete bust.
At the moment, aside from growing stronger through the Wretched Fate Hua template, his only other way to improve was through the system's draws.
Without an Experience Card, he'd be at a slight disadvantage.
After all, without an Experience Card that granted him Wretched Fate Hua's peak strength, he'd only be a Soul Douluo who was pretty good in a fight.
If the Spirit Hall wasn't intimidated by the strength he'd already shown and kept sending people after him, things could get pretty dangerous.
Lan Minghua hoped that wouldn't happen. As the leader of the Hidden Sect Heavenly Dragon Gang, wouldn't it be mortifying to lose face like that?
"No. I absolutely can't let that happen. System, give me twenty draws!"
[Beep! 2000 Master Teacher Points deducted. Congratulations, host. You have obtained the following items.] [Thank you for participating. Thank you for participating... Thank you for participating. Character: Vermilion Bird (Purple).] [Thank you for participating. Thank you for participating... Thank you for participating. Character: Black Tortoise (Purple).]
"Pfft. Two Pure Pity Draws, and I didn't even get a single white-grade item!"
Lan Minghua's mouth twitched. How had he become a Non-Chief?
"System, I'm warning you: don't use your authority to get back at me."
System: Your luck is bad. Don't slander me!
Actually, the system couldn't be blamed. The fault lay with the draw mechanics.
After all, he'd gotten a gold-grade item early, so under normal circumstances he wouldn't get anything good for dozens of draws afterward.
Of course, that only applied to Non-Chiefs. European Emperors never had to worry about this happening.
"Ugh. System, give me another twenty draws!"
[Beep! 2000 Master Teacher Points deducted. Congratulations, host. You have obtained the following items.] [Thank you for participating. Thank you for participating... Thank you for participating. Flying Prop Item Sword (Purple).] [Thank you for participating. Sword Nine Yellow Inheritance Card (Gold). Thank you for participating. Item: Peerless Sword Box (Purple).]
Lan Minghua's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected to get another gold-grade item early.
"Gold? Sword Nine Yellow's inheritance?! I got a gold-grade item early again!"
Lan Minghua had thought he'd need to keep a low profile for a while and raise his Roleplay Progress to get an Experience Card.
And now, he had something that could make him stronger!
He eagerly checked the details of Sword Nine Yellow's inheritance.
[Item: Sword Nine Yellow Inheritance Card.] [Effect: After use, the host will obtain Sword Nine Yellow's complete inheritance. Only the host may use it.]
Simple and clear.
Lan Minghua silently thought, System, use the Sword Nine Yellow Inheritance Card!
[Beep! Sword Nine Yellow Inheritance Card successfully used!]
In an instant, Lan Minghua entered his own mindscape.
An old man with a missing front tooth appeared before him, then began demonstrating with a sword.
Sword One: One sword clears the dust, dragons and serpents roam.
Sword Two: Two Principles Twin Lotus.
Sword Three: Sword Qi weighs three catties atop the blade.
Sword Four: Four drifting clouds rise and fall.
Sword Five: Wind and snow send Guanyin westward.
Sword Six: Six paths locked in reincarnation for sixty years.
Sword Seven: Seven swords sweep every star from the sky.
Sword Eight: One final song makes the Eight Immortals kneel.
Sword Nine: A lame horse and yellow wine, six thousand li.
After the demonstration ended, Lan Minghua's eyes snapped open, a sharp glint flashing within them.
Then his body became a source of Sword Qi. It surged skyward, piercing the clouds.
Under the sunlight, the Sword Qi gleamed brilliantly, like a dazzling river stretching across the heavens.
As Wu Song struggled to withstand the Sword Qi nearby, his eyes burned with excitement.
With a single thought, Lan Minghua reined in the Sword Qi around him, as if nothing had ever happened.
"Old Huang's inheritance really is powerful."
Before you continue