Soul Hall's Attention, Naming

"Protector Wu, are you truly certain?"

Inside a dark palace, a man draped in a black cloak, his face obscured, sat upon the throne at the head of the hall and asked in a deep voice. As the leader of the Soul Hall branch stationed in the northwest of the Dou Qi Continent, he was the highest authority here, and his strength was the greatest among them all.

"Reporting to Hall Master Mo, it is indeed so. I only caught a glimpse from afar, but that spatial barrier was incredibly profound. Furthermore, a wisp of white flame hovered at the top; while it appeared holy and eerie on the surface, it filled me with a suffocating sense of crisis."

Protector Wu cupped his hands and knelt on one knee, his demeanor respectful. Even now, the mere thought of that flame made his heart palpitate. He figured that if he had been arrogant enough to attempt to touch the barrier at the time, he likely would have been incinerated into nothingness in an instant.

"Hiss... could it be the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame??"

What Hall Master Mo could not fathom was that the Jia Ma Empire was merely a small, remote empire in the northwest corner of the Dou Qi Continent. The strongest individuals in the entire empire were only at the Dou Emperor level. This place possessed neither rare treasures nor sacred cultivation grounds, so what reason could possibly attract a Dou Sheng expert?

No, this matter must be reported upward. However, before that, he needed to observe it himself. If any mistakes were made, he would surely face the dissatisfaction of those big shots in the Central Plains.

"You will lead the way, and we shall go to inspect it together. If it is truly as you say, this matter must be reported to the Soul Hall headquarters in the Central Plains. Perhaps the Jia Ma Empire hides some unknown secret; it is highly likely that some rare treasure or a secret realm might appear. When that time comes, the Soul Hall in the Central Plains will surely bestow some rewards."

These words left Protector Wu feeling restless and eager, and he immediately nodded in agreement. A few minutes later, two black figures flew straight out of the palace, heading rapidly in the direction of the Jia Ma Empire.

A week passed quietly. During this week, no movement came from Ya Fei's room. Zhang Nian attributed this to Ya Fei's low cultivation base and her ordinary human bloodline; under such circumstances, it was understandable that she could not digest the medicinal power very well. Meanwhile, Medusa had successfully broken through to a two-star Dou Emperor with the aid of two grade six medicinal pills, and Zhang Nian himself had focused on his cultivation. After all, he was not a true Dou Sheng, and he no longer possessed a Dou Sheng Experience Card.

"Hoo..."

[Ding! Disciple Medusa is cultivating. Current cultivation speed: 300 Dou Qi per hour. Returning...]

[Ding! Current return multiplier: 2000]

[Ding! Returned 600,000 Dou Qi]

Exhaling a breath of stale air, his strength had already reached the three-turn Dou Zun level. Being able to improve so quickly was entirely thanks to the Return System. Medusa, having fully integrated her bloodline, now had a Dou Qi growth rate of 300 per hour—three times what it was at the start. Of course, this was also aided by the cultivation cheat, the Fallen Heart Flame, as Medusa was constantly tempering her Dou Qi with the inner fire released by the flame.

As for Zhang Nian himself, he was even more formidable. Possessing the Heavenly Derivation Saint Physique, his cultivation speed was naturally a thousand miles a day. It was no exaggeration to say that if the Nine-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python's Dou Qi growth was 300 per hour, his own growth rate was 30,000. However, even such an exaggerated speed was not as pleasing as the gains brought by the system.

"As long as Medusa works hard for a few more days, she will soon reach the strength of a Dou Sheng. Although it is still not enough to be considered top-tier, it will be enough to make most people shrink back in fear."

Zhang Nian began to calculate in his heart. Although he no longer had a Dou Sheng Experience Card, he was also on the verge of becoming a true Dou Sheng himself.

"Right..."

He suddenly remembered that Medusa was an honorific title for the queen of the Snake-People Tribe. The original Medusa was meant to become the new king of the tribe, which was why Granny Snake and the elders beside her addressed her as Medusa. Now that she had become his disciple, it was time to give her a new name.

He stood up and walked to the door of Medusa's room, happening to see the maids Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong waiting outside. Upon seeing that it was Zhang Nian, the two were shocked and hurriedly bowed, saying, "Welcome, Honorable Saint."

He waved his hand casually and said, "Mm, rise. Is Medusa still cultivating?"

Xiao Qing kept her head lowered, her voice timid as she replied, "Reporting to Honorable Saint, yes, Miss has been inside the room and has not come out for two days."

Zhang Nian was well aware of this, but he had to ask the questions that needed asking, even though the system's cultivation feedback echoed in his mind at regular intervals.

"Do you need me to announce your arrival?" Xiao Hong asked from the side with a graceful voice, waiting for Zhang Nian's instructions.

After a moment of thought, he decided it was better to give Medusa a name first; perhaps such a gesture would increase her favorability. Girls, after all, always needed these things. Although he had quite a few disciples now, the real powerhouse of cultivation still relied on Medusa. As for Yun Yun... Zhang Nian already planned to give the other pill to her.

"Creak~"

As the door was slowly pushed open, the beauty resting in the training room was disturbed. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and she immediately opened her eyes, staring impatiently toward the door. Thinking it was Xiao Qing or Xiao Hong being inconsiderate, she was about to reprimand them when she suddenly saw a familiar figure. Zhang Nian, dressed in white, was looking at her with a smile. She hurriedly straightened up, walked toward the door, and said in a melodious voice, "Master, what made you think to come see me? Please rest assured, I have not slacked off; I have been focusing on my cultivation these days."

He had felt plenty of her "focused cultivation." Zhang Nian himself hadn't been cultivating very seriously these days, but he had been busy breaking through realms. It was a very comfortable feeling; his strength grew rapidly, and his domineering physique allowed him to perceive the insights into spatial power that came with each breakthrough.

"Mm, I know. The maids outside told me you haven't left the room for two days. Cultivation also requires a balance of tension and relaxation; long periods of closed-door training are not necessarily useful. Especially since you should be able to feel it yourself—after your bloodline awakened, your cultivation speed increased, and with the addition of the Fallen Heart Flame, your strength growth is far beyond what it used to be. What you need now is a calm state of mind."

Zhang Nian was spouting nonsense with a straight face, but the beauty before him muttered something, appearing lost in thought.

"A state of mind..."

Seeming to accept her master's teaching, Medusa nodded solemnly and said, "Master, I will remember that."

He smiled slightly, his gentle gaze seemingly expressing what was in Zhang Nian's heart: That's right, very good, a teachable student.

"However, I came to see you for another matter." He paused here, and seeing Medusa staring at him with a serious expression, he continued, "I only learned in the last few days that Medusa is an honorific title for the queen of the Snake-People Tribe. Since you have joined my sect, you should go by your own name. Did you have a name before?"

Emm...

"Medusa is both a title and a name; there was nothing else..." Her figure stiffened slightly, and Medusa's eyes flickered for a moment. After thinking for a while, she replied, though a hint of anticipation could be faintly heard in her tone.

"Then, how about from today on, I call you..."