After returning to the dormitory, Su Ze washed up, then began reading the medicinal-plant guidebook.
He focused on finding Immortal Herbs that could help a Lightning Attribute Martial Soul evolve.
Soon, he found a name!
Thunder Flame Tyrant Dragon Ginseng!
Appearance: Its entire body glimmered with golden lightning. Its ginseng root was covered in scale-like patterns, with many twists near the base that faintly resembled a dragon's head.
Properties: It carried the Lightning Attribute associated with Light and bore the aura of a Dragon-type Martial Soul.
This made it exceptionally compatible with Lightning Attribute Martial Souls and Dragon-type Martial Souls.
Instructions: When consuming it, do not eat the tendrils or leaves, as those were where its Lightning Attribute was weakest. Eating them would not only fail to provide any meaningful enhancement, but might also cause trouble.
Reading the detailed description, Su Ze's eyes lit up.
There was an Immortal Herb like this. He remembered that, in the Original Work, Dai Mubai had taken it.
He had then broken through directly from level 98 to level 100.
But now, Su Ze would get to it first.
He looked over the description.
It was exceptionally compatible with Martial Souls possessing the Light Attribute, Lightning Attribute, or Dragon Attribute.
His Martial Soul was a combination of Sikong Zhen and the Storm Dragon King.
Sikong Zhen corresponded to the Light Attribute and Lightning Attribute.
The Storm Dragon King, meanwhile, corresponded to the Dragon Attribute.
He was determined to claim this Immortal Herb.
When he had absorbed the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone earlier, he had already faintly sensed the form of his Storm Dragon King.
After taking this Immortal Herb, his Martial Soul should be able to evolve once again.
He would fully unlock its complete form.
The ordinary Sikong Zhen Martial Soul was already a top-tier Super Martial Soul, comparable to the Six-Winged Archangel.
So, with Sikong Zhen combined with the Storm Dragon King's complete form, he could definitely reach the level of a God-Bestowed Martial Soul!
Thinking of this, Su Ze began looking forward to meeting Dugu Bo.
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
In the towering Heaven Dou Imperial City.
Inside the Crown Prince's residence.
"Su Ze really is a genius. He actually defeated Yu Tianheng."
"I remember Yu Tianheng was supposed to be the strongest student at Heaven Dou Royal Academy!"
"He truly lives up to my expectations."
Qian Renxue looked at the tall, slender Snake Lance Douluo in golden armor. Hearing the news he had brought, she spoke with admiration.
Even as an exceptionally ambitious genius herself, Qian Renxue acknowledged Su Ze's talent.
She even felt that he was her equal.
At just seven years old, he had already managed to defeat Yu Tianheng.
She had also heard that, in a Lightning Attribute Simulated Environment, he had absorbed every bit of the Lightning Element within it.
Such a genius only strengthened Qian Renxue's resolve to recruit him.
"Your Highness, Su Ze truly is a genuine genius!"
"I investigated his background. He came from a junior academy in Nuoding City!"
"He was a well-known genius at the academy, too. I heard that he trained extremely hard."
"With talent like that, and the Willpower to train so diligently..."
"If he survives, he's bound to become a Titled Douluo!"
Snake Lance Douluo thought of the boy he had met earlier and couldn't help clicking his tongue in amazement.
According to his investigation, the boy spent his days at the academy cultivating and fighting others.
With such talent and hard work, it was no wonder he had reached level 26 before turning eight.
Snake Lance Douluo now felt that this boy named Su Ze might even be more outstanding than his young master.
After all, Snake Lance Douluo could see that his young master still had the bad habits of arrogance and pride.
"Uncle Snake Lance is right. Su Ze truly is a genius."
"So I'll have to change my plan. I can't simply wait and slowly win him over with favors, the way I do with others."
"I'm going to recruit him directly."
Qian Renxue had thought it through. With the talent Su Ze had shown, there would be no shortage of factions willing to help him, even if he ran into trouble.
She couldn't afford to wait any longer.
She had to offer him benefits as soon as possible and bring him under her command.
"Uncle Snake Lance, isn't the Royal Auction tomorrow? They'll be auctioning off all kinds of resources that benefit Soul Masters' cultivation!"
"Send Su Ze an invitation. Tell him that I'll pay for anything he wants at the auction."
The Heaven Dou Empire held a grand auction once a year.
All sorts of valuable resources could be found there.
The year before last, they had even auctioned off a Soul Bone.
As a result, every auction brought together the major factions of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Those who attended were all rich or influential.
Naturally, the Heaven Dou Empire kept strict control over who was allowed in.
Without an invitation, outsiders couldn't attend the Heaven Dou Auction.
Of course, as Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, the identity Qian Renxue had assumed, she could easily bring someone inside.
To recruit a genius like Su Ze, Qian Renxue was prepared to spend generously.
She was willing to cover any expenses up to five hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins.
As long as she could recruit Su Ze.
The sun rose.
Su Ze awoke from his meditation and went to the window. When he saw the Blue Silver Emperor on the windowsill swaying faintly in the sunlight, his eyes brightened with delight.
Ever since he had brought it out of the cave, the Blue Silver Emperor had quickly recovered from its listless state.
It had now grown to half a meter tall.
Its vitality was truly astonishing.
With vitality like this, the Blue Silver Emperor's Martial Soul should have been cultivated along the path of life.
If it reached its full potential, it might even regenerate severed limbs in an instant.
Su Ze even thought that if the Blue Silver Emperor pursued the path of life, it could surpass the Jade Swan.
Although the Jade Swan was acclaimed as the continent's strongest healing Soul Beast,
its own store of pure life force could never compare to the Blue Silver Emperor's.
After all, the Jade Swan was only a single individual, while the Blue Silver Emperor could continually draw life force from the surrounding Blue Silver Grass.
If a Martial Soul like that followed the path of life, its future achievements would be limitless.
Speaking of which, Su Ze couldn't help thinking of Tang San.
If Tang San had taken the Blue Silver Emperor down the path of life, then he could have used one hand to constantly restore his life force with the Blue Silver Emperor.
And with the other, he could have wielded the Clear Sky Hammer, swinging it wildly.
Just thinking about it was terrifying.
He would have been a berserker with an Infinite Health Bar.
If Tang San had followed that path, Su Ze could hardly imagine how absurdly high Tang San's Combat Power might have become.
Fortunately, Yu Xiaogang had been there.
He had led Tang San away from the broad road ahead and made him choose to add the Poison Attribute.
That had given Su Ze a chance to defeat a Child of Destiny like Tang San in the future.
As Su Ze thought about it, he was just about to leave.
The moment he opened the door, he saw a powerful-looking man in golden armor standing there.
Snake Lance Douluo?
Su Ze looked puzzled. Why had Snake Lance Douluo come to see him?
"Su Ze, I'm here on the Crown Prince's orders to invite you to the Heaven Dou Auction, which is held once a year."
"Here's your invitation. Be sure to attend. His Highness the Crown Prince will be waiting for you."
An invitation?
Su Ze took the white invitation, puzzled.
He watched as Snake Lance Douluo vanished in an instant.
After thinking it over, Su Ze understood.
Qian Renxue must have heard that he had defeated Yu Tianheng at the academy.
She wanted to increase her offer and win him over.
Looking at the white invitation bearing the character for "Xue," Su Ze felt it had come at just the right time.
Qian Renxue wanted to recruit him and had invited him to the auction.
If there was anything he wanted to buy,
Qian Renxue would surely pay for it to win him over.
He might even save tens of thousands of Gold Soul Coins.
"An annual auction!"
"And one hosted by the Heaven Dou Royal family! Let's see what kinds of treasures they have."
Thinking this, Su Ze turned and went back to the dormitory. He was going to an auction, after all, so he needed to put on something nice.
Meanwhile, in a small class at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
Dugu Yan looked at Ye Lingling in surprise.
"Leng Leng, you said your mother has taken on a new disciple?"
"And he's a student at Heaven Dou Royal Academy?"
"Your mother never takes disciples. Why did she make an exception this time?"
"By the way, what's your junior brother like?"
Ye Lingling shook her head, looking confused.
"I don't know why Mother decided to do that, either!"
"As for my junior brother, he seems all right!"
As she spoke, Ye Lingling couldn't help remembering what she had said to Su Ze the night before.
The tips of her ears turned red again as she felt a little embarrassed.
Dugu Yan immediately noticed her reaction.
"Leng Leng, why does your face turn red when you talk about your junior brother?"
"You only met him yesterday. Have you already fallen for him?"
"Could your mother have taken him on as a disciple because she wants him to be your child groom?"
Dugu Yan grinned and leaned close to Ye Lingling's ear, teasing her softly.
"Just imagine it—a senior sister and her junior brother. That's pretty exciting, huh? Heh heh..."
Ye Lingling couldn't handle Dugu Yan's teasing. Her cheeks flushed as she immediately protested.
"Drop dead, Yan Yan! Don't talk nonsense."
"I'm not a pervert like you. You once told me you liked boys younger than you."
"I think you're the one fantasizing about him."
Hearing Ye Lingling bring up her little preference, Dugu Yan's face reddened too, and she quickly changed the subject.
"All right, all right. Leng Leng, tell me about your little junior brother."
"Didn't you say he's a genius?"
"How talented does someone have to be for Aunt Ye to take him as a disciple?"
Dugu Yan had a strong impression of Aunt Ye, who was gentle yet had a mind of her own.
She treated people warmly, was beautiful, and could be very stern when she needed to be.
She also took the passing down of her legacy extremely seriously.
Even her grandfather, Dugu Bo, had praised Aunt Ye to her many times.
Just who was this boy she had never met, to be accepted as a disciple by someone like her?
"That guy really is talented. And you've probably heard of him—his name is Su Ze!"
"He's the genius Soul Master who reached level 26 at just eight years old!"
"Wasn't Yu Tianheng defeated by him?"
Whenever she talked about Su Ze, Ye Lingling's pretty cheeks puffed up again.
That annoying little brat was clearly younger than her, yet he liked to call her Little Senior Sister.
What an obnoxious guy!
Just thinking about him made Ye Lingling's teeth feel a little itchy, like she wanted to bite something.
"Su Ze!"
"You mean that Lightning Attribute Soul Master?"
Dugu Yan's expression changed as that annoying yet unforgettable face flashed through her mind.
"Exactly, it was him!"
Ye Lingling hadn't noticed her best friend's tone change slightly and admitted outright that Su Ze was her junior fellow disciple.
"That despicable guy!"
Dugu Yan ground her teeth in anger.
That bastard was the junior fellow disciple of her very best friend.
She remembered how he had easily defeated her and called her a coward.
Dugu Yan trembled with anger.
Just then, Ye Lingling lowered her head and caught sight of a pair of impressive curves.
The moment she saw them, Ye Lingling slumped helplessly over the table.
She was starting to accept the title of junior fellow disciple.
She really was "small."
On the Douluo Continent, Soul Masters grew up very quickly. Although Dugu Yan was not yet fifteen,
her figure and development were already on par with those of an average adult woman.
Those long, slender legs, paired with a willowy figure that blossomed in all the right places—
they made Ye Lingling incredibly envious.
Her mother had a great figure, too.
But somehow, she hadn't inherited any of it.
Ye Lingling lowered her head dejectedly.
"Leng Leng, we shouldn't waste any time. After class, you're going to introduce me properly to your junior fellow disciple."
"I want to see for myself what your junior fellow disciple Su Ze is up to."
Dugu Yan clenched her teeth.
Her grandfather had already gone to investigate Su Ze's identity.
And she planned to test Su Ze herself. What was he after, getting close to her and then to her best friend?
Hearing Dugu Yan's tone, Ye Lingling realized something was wrong.
"Yan Yan, do you know Su Ze?"
"No, I don't!"
Dugu Yan shook her head.
Her history with Su Ze involved a flaw in her family's Martial Soul.
Even though Ye Lingling was her closest friend, she couldn't bring herself to reveal it.
Su Ze had no idea that Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling were talking about him at that very moment.
He had picked out a presentable outfit and was preparing to head to the auction.
As he walked along the road, Yu Tianheng appeared in front of him.
"Su Ze, after you left yesterday, I got struck by lightning a few times. In the middle of that crisis, I broke through to level twenty-nine!"
"It'll only be a few months before I reach level thirty!"
"I came here to tell you that once I reach level thirty, we'll have another Soul Duel."
Yu Tianheng spoke with a smug look on his face.
He thought he'd figured out the secret behind Su Ze's strength.
Yesterday, he'd gone to Thunder Gorge and, without putting up any defenses, had been knocked unconscious by a lightning strike. Yet, against all odds, he'd happened to break through to level twenty-nine.
That breakthrough had convinced Yu Tianheng that Su Ze had gained his strength by getting struck by lightning.
Now that he'd confirmed it,
Yu Tianheng's confidence had returned.
Since he understood how Su Ze had become so strong,
he figured that if he got struck by lightning every day, he'd become just as powerful.
Su Ze laughed at Yu Tianheng's inexplicable words. "Senior Yu, have you lost your mind?"
"Is the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan always this shameless?"
"You want to become a Soul Elder and then have a Soul Duel with me? How is that fair?"
"Don't you know the Great Soul Arena forbids Soul Grandmasters from fighting Soul Elders?"
Su Ze thought Yu Tianheng was utterly shameless to even suggest something like that.
To be honest, Yu Tianheng also thought it was undignified, and he was embarrassed by it.
But there was no helping it. After his earlier defeat,
the whole Heaven Dou Royal Academy was now saying that the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan didn't live up to its reputation.
Not only had he heard the rumors, but his clansmen had, too.
If he didn't prove himself soon, Yu Tianheng's position would be in jeopardy.
"So, are you afraid or not?"
"If you can defeat me as a Soul Elder, I'll give you twenty thousand Gold Soul Coins and agree to one more condition."
"And don't worry. If you lose, you don't have to pay me a single Gold Soul Coin. All you have to do is admit that your Martial Soul is inferior to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon."
Su Ze's eyes lit up at Yu Tianheng's words.
He was very interested in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
He'd read in books that the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was the continent's foremost expert in using lightning.
They even kept a Hunting Ground within the clan, specifically for Lightning Attribute Soul Masters.
It was home to many rare Lightning Attribute Soul Beasts.
He was about to break through to level thirty.
It was time to start thinking about his level-thirty Soul Ring.
Before you continue