"City Lord, this is an Immortal Herb."
Li Xin tossed Dugu Bo aside and presented the herb imbued with immortal essence.
Ye Han reached out to take it, a flicker of displeasure passing through his eyes.
"Nine-Rank Dragon Ganoderma? Is this all of Dugu Bo's sincerity?"
In the original story, this thing had helped the Grandmaster break through the level-thirty bottleneck.
It was the finest of lingzhi mushrooms—not a true Immortal Herb, merely infinitely close to being one.
"Mm... Where is this...?"
Suddenly, Dugu Bo, who had been unconscious on the ground, stirred.
Li Xin cast him a condescending glance and declared majestically, "This is the Lord of Chang'an City. Hurry and pay your respects!"
Hearing that, Dugu Bo instantly came to his senses and raised his eyes toward Ye Han.
At first glance, he appeared quite young. Yet the longer Dugu Bo looked, the more he felt the oppressive force of laws bearing down on him.
What an overwhelming presence. Authority without anger, as though he had been born alongside the chaos of the universe!
Dugu Bo's pupils contracted. He hurriedly climbed to his feet, cupped his hands, and bowed respectfully.
"I am Poison Douluo Dugu Bo. Greetings, Lord of Chang'an!"
Ye Han said nothing and merely glanced at Shangguan Wan'er beside him.
Shangguan Wan'er understood at once. Her cool yet authoritative voice rang out.
"Dugu Bo, you said you came to make a deal with our City Lord. Where is your sincerity?"
Dugu Bo quickly understood what she meant and hastily took out a small green pouch to offer up.
Shangguan Wan'er drew it over with Soul Power and presented it to Ye Han.
What exquisite control over Soul Power!
At that instant, Dugu Bo's heart tightened. This woman had to be a Title Douluo as well.
"Wishful Hundred Treasure Pouch?"
Ye Han took it and opened it for a look.
And what did he find? Every Immortal Herb was inside!
With Dugu Bo's cautious nature, he had actually brought all the Immortal Herbs with him.
He must have known that he could not hide them from the master of the greatest force in the world.
"Not bad. You know how to behave. You came because of the flaw in your martial soul, didn't you?"
Ye Han nodded slightly, standing with his hands behind his back as he looked down at Dugu Bo.
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Dugu Bo hurriedly nodded, but then suddenly realized something and cried out in shock.
"You know about the flaw in my martial soul? How did you know?!"
Ye Han did not answer and went straight to the point.
"The Ultimate beyond Chang'an City's Ark Gate can easily resolve the flaw in your martial soul."
"But these Immortal Herbs can only be exchanged for one Graceful Healing. You have a granddaughter, don't you? What about her?"
Dugu Bo was startled. Ye Han even knew of this. He immediately dropped to his knees and pleaded.
"As long as you can bestow two portions of Graceful Healing upon me, I will agree to any condition!"
The corners of Ye Han's lips rose slightly as he said with authority, "In that case, bring your granddaughter and join Chang'an. From this day onward, you will be loyal to me."
"But let me warn you: once you join, you may not leave. Otherwise, you understand the consequences."
Before Dugu Bo could react, Shangguan Wan'er was the first to move. She leaned close and whispered, "City Lord, wouldn't this be inappropriate? It goes against the rule you set that Chang'an would not recruit Soul Masters from the outside world..."
Ye Han raised a hand slightly to interrupt her. Times had changed, and the system's meaning was now obvious.
If he wanted to obtain Faith Power in the future, he had to acquire it from characters who had appeared in the original story.
Changes were therefore unavoidable, though he certainly would not recruit people recklessly just for Faith Power.
People like Dugu Bo and his granddaughter, who had no real dark marks in the original story, were acceptable recruits.
But trash like Tang San and "Big Shit"? Even if those things knelt and begged to join, they could keep dreaming!
Chang'an was a hidden city. Joining it was equivalent to losing one's freedom in the outside world.
Though Dugu Bo was unwilling, he hurriedly kowtowed in agreement for the sake of saving himself and his granddaughter.
"I am willing! From this day onward, I, Dugu Bo, shall live in submission to Chang'an and to you, City Lord! Should I ever harbor rebellious thoughts, I shall accept any punishment! I beg you, City Lord, bestow The Ultimate's Graceful Healing upon me!"
Ye Han looked toward Shangguan Wan'er and said warmly yet commandingly, "Wan'er, go. Bring a portion of The Ultimate and heal Chang'an's new subject."
Then he handed over the Wishful Hundred Treasure Pouch and instructed her in a lowered voice, "Also, test whether what I had in mind before is feasible."
Whether human or otherwise, anything incomplete that entered The Ultimate could be reborn.
Not only would the effect not weaken, it would become even purer under The Ultimate's grace.
Immortal Herbs were objects of immortal grade, however. Whether they could be reborn was still uncertain, and Ye Han now wanted to find out.
If it truly worked, they would have an inexhaustible supply of Immortal Herbs. At that point, everyone in Chang'an could have their "bread."
"Wan'er obeys!"
About two and a half incense sticks later.
Shangguan Wan'er returned, holding a Sacred Pillar suffused with faint golden radiance.
It was a Holy Grail temporarily constructed from the chaotic power of the Heart of Dawn.
The liquid inside was clear and transparent, yet it emitted a life aura that made one's heart tremble.
It was the Spring of Life drawn from The Ultimate!
"City Lord, The Ultimate has been brought."
Shangguan Wan'er offered the Holy Grail before Ye Han.
Ye Han raised a hand in indication and turned the Holy Grail toward Dugu Bo.
"Drink it, and the flaw in your martial soul will be completely eradicated."
Dugu Bo accepted the Holy Grail excitedly. Without the slightest hesitation, he drained it in a single gulp.
In an instant, he felt a vast energy of laws, like primordial chaos splitting open, flood into his body.
In only a moment, all discomfort vanished. The flaw in his martial soul was truly gone!
He instinctively circulated his Soul Power and found it flowing several times more smoothly than before. He even faintly sensed signs of breaking through his bottleneck.
"This... it's already healed?!"
Dugu Bo's eyes widened, and even his voice trembled.
"This is simply a miracle... No! This is practically the embodiment of heaven and earth's laws!"
Ye Han stood with his hands behind his back, smiling faintly.
"Then go back and bring your granddaughter to join Chang'an. She will naturally receive a portion when the time comes."
Before Dugu Bo could offer his profuse thanks.
Ye Han waved a hand and gave Li Xin a look.
Li Xin understood and left the place with Dugu Bo.
After the two departed, Ye Han looked at Shangguan Wan'er and asked, "What happened with the Immortal Herbs?"
Excitement was difficult to hide in Shangguan Wan'er's eyes as she hurriedly replied, "City Lord, it worked! Every Immortal Herb can regrow endlessly! They are inexhaustible and limitless!"
The corners of Ye Han's lips curled up slightly, satisfaction flashing in his eyes.
"Pass down the order! Every citizen of Chang'an, regardless of identity or position, may register to receive an Immortal Herb suited to them!"
"In Chang'an, there are no privileges. All beings are equal!"
Upon hearing this, Shangguan Wan'er immediately accepted the order and left.
The next second, the system's voice sounded in Ye Han's mind.
[Ding—!] [Detected that [Dugu Bo] has developed faith in the host, contributing [666] Faith Power!] [Current Faith Power: [10193]. The threshold for advancing to [Level 92] has been reached. The host's level is about to increase!]
"One Dugu Bo could add this much? As expected of an important character from the original story."
Before level ninety, every hundred points of Faith Power raised one level.
After level ninety, every five hundred points of Faith Power raised one level.
That meant nine thousand Faith Power for level ninety, and nine thousand five hundred Faith Power for level ninety-one.
Now that he had reached ten thousand Faith Power, he was breaking through to level ninety-two!
If one Dugu Bo provided so much, then recruiting a few more important figures from the original story would make reaching level ninety-nine effortless, wouldn't it?
"This City Lord will enter seclusion for half a day. All of you, guard Chang'an well and do not let trivial matters disturb the peace."
Ye Han used his Ark Core martial soul to instantly transmit his voice to all the heroes born alongside him.
He then used his third soul skill, Divine Radiance: Descent, teleporting to the City Lord's secret chamber to enter seclusion and break through.
Before long, the sky grew dark.
Outside the Great Wall's northern gate, two figures quietly approached.
A closer look revealed that they were Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong.
Zhu Zhuqing walked at the front, her eyes filled with determined light.
She swore to herself that she would join Chang'an City, grow stronger, and fulfill the two-and-a-half-year appointment!
Before you continue