You've got to be kidding.
Faced with an overbearing Titled Douluo who killed without batting an eye, Su Yuntao wouldn't dare wag his tongue, even if he had a hundred times the courage!
Watching Su Yuntao's terrified, deferential expression, Xu Zhao gave a slight nod.
He'd given him the stick; now it was time for the carrot.
After all, though Su Yuntao was weak, he was at least a diligent "tool."
"I don't like owing people favors."
Xu Zhao flipped his wrist and took a purple mushroom from the Wishful Hundred Treasure Pouch.
The moment it appeared, a strange fragrance filled the entire office.
Just one sniff made Su Yuntao feel the Soul Power in his body, which had been stuck for ages, loosen slightly!
"This... This is..."
Su Yuntao's eyes widened as he stared fixedly at the purple mushroom. His instincts told him it was a peerless treasure!
"A Nine-Grade Purple Mushroom."
Xu Zhao tossed it into Su Yuntao's arms as casually as if he were throwing a rock, not an Immortal Herb.
"It's not a top-tier Immortal Herb, but it can strengthen your foundation, nourish your energy, and boost your cultivation."
"You've been stuck at level twenty-six as a Soul Grandmaster for a long time, haven't you? Your talent is limited, and your meridians have become rigid."
"Find a quiet place, take it, and cultivate to refine its energy."
"It can not only help you break through your bottleneck and reach level thirty as a Soul Elder, it can also improve your Martial Soul's potential, giving you a chance to reach the Soul Ancestor level in the future—even the Soul King level."
Hearing this, Su Yuntao froze completely.
He clutched the Nine-Grade Purple Mushroom, his hands trembling violently as tears burst from his eyes.
A Soul Elder?
A Soul Ancestor?
Even a Soul King?!
Heaven knew how many years he'd worked hard at cultivation, yet he was still only a Soul Elder.
All he could do was serve as an official in this remote little city, scraping by until he died.
He'd thought his life would stay that way.
But now, this mysterious Titled Douluo had casually granted him a chance to defy fate!
"Your Excellency... I'll never forget your great kindness!"
Su Yuntao dropped to his knees and kowtowed so hard his forehead bled. His voice choked with emotion.
"If Your Excellency ever needs anything, I'll brave fire and water without hesitation!"
Xu Zhao paid no mind to Su Yuntao's pledge of loyalty. At this point, the loyalty of a Soul Grandmaster meant little to him.
"I'm leaving."
Xu Zhao spoke calmly, then turned to Lan Yiyi beside him.
"Yiyi, let's go to that Blue Silver Forest."
"Yes, Heir Prince."
Lan Yiyi nodded obediently, looking at Xu Zhao with eyes full of admiration.
The next moment,
the two vanished from the office.
All that remained was Su Yuntao, clutching the Nine-Grade Purple Mushroom and crying like a two-hundred-pound child.
After leaving Notting City,
Xu Zhao checked their direction, then shot into the sky with Lan Yiyi, transforming into a streak of light as they sped toward the forest where the eighty-five-thousand-year-old Blue Silver King lived.
It was a sacred place for Blue Silver Grass.
And it was the next stepping stone on Xu Zhao's path to invincibility!
With Lan Yiyi in tow, Xu Zhao shot across the sky like a meteor and plunged straight into the lush, primeval forest.
As soon as they landed, a fresh, rich aura of life swept over them.
The vegetation here was unusually lush. The ground, in particular, was blanketed in a thick layer of Blue Silver Grass.
The grass was sturdier than the Blue Silver Grass outside, its leaves greener, and every plant brimmed with vitality.
"Brother Zhao..."
Lan Yiyi closed her eyes and took a deep breath, looking blissful.
The Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline within her rejoiced, as if she'd returned to her mother's embrace.
"I can feel it... So many of my kin are here."
Lan Yiyi opened her eyes, a strange light flickering in her watery blue gaze. She pointed into the depths of the forest, her voice alight with excitement.
"And deep in there, there's an incredibly powerful, ancient presence!
It feels like a kind elder calling to me!"
"That's the Blue Silver King's presence!"
At her words, Xu Zhao's lips curved with satisfaction.
He'd found the right place.
"Come on. Let's go meet this 'elder.'"
Xu Zhao took Lan Yiyi's hand and darted through the dense forest.
The Blue Silver Grass around them seemed to sense something and parted on its own, clearing a path for the two of them.
Some of the older Blue Silver Grass even bent slightly, as if bowing to the girl with the royal bloodline.
The farther they went, the older the Blue Silver Grass became.
Hundred-year, thousand-year, and even ten-thousand-year Blue Silver Grass could be seen everywhere.
It was an extraordinary sight, one that would have been unthinkable elsewhere.
At last,
the two reached an open clearing.
At its center grew an enormous plant.
It stood ten meters tall, its entire body a deep, inky blue. Countless thick vines coiled and twisted like horned dragons, stretching hundreds of meters in every direction.
Faint golden light flowed across every leaf, and an immense Soul Power ripple radiated from it, enough to make one's heart race.
This was the Blue Silver King, whose cultivation had reached eighty-five thousand years!
"Your Majesty... It's Your Majesty's presence..."
The instant the two entered the clearing,
an ancient, excited mental voice rang directly in their minds.
The enormous Blue Silver King shuddered violently. Countless vines whipped about wildly, as if expressing its overwhelming joy.
Tears even seemed to appear on its aged face, woven from vines.
"How many years has it been... At last, I've sensed Your Majesty's presence again!"
"Our great empress, you've finally returned!
Have you come to lead your people at last?!"
The Blue Silver King's voice trembled, filled with reverence and awe.
Its massive body slowly bowed low, all its vines pressed against the ground.
Facing Lan Yiyi, it assumed the most humble posture of submission.
Lan Yiyi was taken aback by this sudden outpouring of enthusiasm.
Although she possessed the Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline, she had grown up on the Sun Moon Continent and didn't feel a particularly strong sense of belonging to the Blue Silver Clan here in Douluo Continent.
Lan Yiyi instinctively turned to Xu Zhao for support.
Xu Zhao gently patted the back of her hand, signaling that she didn't need to be nervous. Then he stepped forward and regarded the agitated Blue Silver King calmly.
"It thinks you're the Blue Silver Emperor of this generation."
Xu Zhao spoke in an even tone, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"But it's not mistaken.
The purity of your bloodline does qualify you to become the new Blue Silver Emperor."
Only then did the Blue Silver King notice the human man beside Lan Yiyi.
It hadn't paid much attention to him before. In its eyes, aside from the empress, all humans were mere ants.
However,
the moment its mental power swept over Xu Zhao, its aged face went rigid.
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