On the outskirts of Sunset Forest, an endless sea of Blue Silver Grass swayed in the wind, rippling like emerald waves.
A faint life-glow flowed across every blade of Blue Silver Grass, gathering into a vast, boundless green ocean.
At the ocean's center, a figure sat cross-legged.
He looked to be a youth of seventeen or eighteen, with ink-black hair cascading like a waterfall and a face so handsome he seemed otherworldly. Yet a weariness and detachment far beyond his years had settled between his brows.
He wore a simple, unadorned robe of blue-green.
His eyes were closed, his breathing long and steady.
With every breath he drew, the entire sea of Blue Silver Grass rose and fell ever so slightly. The life force of countless plants was drawn toward him, flowing into his body.
With every breath he released, an even purer and more abundant vitality poured from him, nourishing the sea of grass in return.
The entire kingdom of Blue Silver Grass seemed to have become an extension of his body—a vast, resonant living entity.
His name was Chen Xuan, a transmigrator from another world.
In this life, the Martial Soul he had awakened was the most ordinary kind, Blue Silver Grass, hailed as a Trash Martial Soul.
His talent was mediocre, and his Soul Power advanced slowly.
If he had followed the usual path of cultivation, he might have spent his entire life struggling just to reach the threshold of a Soul Emperor.
But he was, after all, a transmigrator.
With knowledge and awareness far beyond the people of this era, he had carved out a path no one had ever walked before.
He discovered that, as a Plant-type Martial Soul, he was naturally able to communicate with plants.
So he no longer fixated on hunting Soul Beasts to obtain Soul Rings. Instead, he chose to protect, nourish, and enlighten the plants of the world.
From a single blade of grass, to an entire forest, and then to all the plants on the continent.
He used his own Soul Power as a catalyst to nourish all things, and in turn, they repaid him with the purest power of faith.
This power of faith could not only be converted into Soul Power, but also nourish his soul and slow the aging process.
A hundred years had passed.
Time had left not a single trace on his face, yet his cultivation had already reached its peak. He had entered the realm of a Level 99 Limit Douluo.
Now, he was at the final threshold of his breakthrough.
He was only one step away from becoming a god.
To gather an even greater power of faith and break through this final barrier, Chen Xuan released the life essence he had accumulated over a century without holding anything back.
"Hum—"
Centered on him, a visible ripple of life spread outward.
In an instant, all things stirred back to life.
Withered branches sprouted fresh leaves, fading flowers bloomed anew, and every plant within a hundred miles began growing at a frenzied pace.
The rich aura of life surged into the sky, even tinting the clouds on the horizon with a faint shade of green.
Countless plant consciousnesses, some faint and others powerful, awakened at that moment and offered their most devout faith to their king.
Just then, Chen Xuan's brow twitched ever so slightly.
Amid the torrents of countless streams of faith, he unexpectedly caught a highly unusual ripple of emotion.
That consciousness was noble and ancient, carrying the sovereign majesty unique to an emperor. It was none other than the pinnacle of all Blue Silver Grass—the Blue Silver Emperor.
But at that moment, the consciousness of this empress was terribly weak, like a flickering candle in the wind.
What surprised him even more was the emotion it conveyed.
It wasn't the compassion and serenity he had expected, but boundless grievance and... regret?
Chen Xuan opened his eyes, a thoughtful glint passing through his deep gaze.
"Blue Silver Emperor..."
He calculated the timeline based on what he knew of the story. More than a decade ago, Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao had attacked the Spirit Hall, and his wife had died.
Then this generation's Blue Silver Emperor had to be Tang San's mother, Ah Yin.
"Wasn't she supposed to sacrifice herself for love?"
Chen Xuan remained calm.
Still, he had never been interested in prying into other people's private affairs.
He had no ties to Tang Hao's family, and no reason to get mixed up in their troubles.
Just as he was about to withdraw his mind and ignore this unusual emotion, a mechanical notification suddenly rang in his mind.
[ Ding! Host meets the system-binding conditions. Strongest Master System initializing...] [ Ding! System initialization successful!] [Newbie Quest released: Take the Blue Silver Emperor, Ah Yin, as your disciple.] [Quest Details: Go to Holy Soul Village, find Ah Yin in her Blue Silver Grass form, and have her accept you as her master.] [Quest Reward: Increase the age of all the host's Soul Rings by ten thousand years!]
A flicker of emotion crossed Chen Xuan's face.
"A system?"
After a hundred years as a transmigrator, his heart had long since stilled. He had stopped expecting this long-delayed golden finger.
But this reward...
Increase the age of all his Soul Rings by ten thousand years!
His Soul Ring Configuration was already quite impressive. If every ring gained another ten thousand years, the energy within them would undergo a qualitative transformation. Perhaps it could help him push open the gates to godhood in one fell swoop!
The reward was so generous he couldn't refuse.
Besides...
Chen Xuan's gaze returned to that feeble consciousness.
The Blue Silver Emperor was a supreme existence in the plant world.
If he could take her as his disciple, the power of faith she could provide from the plants would be immeasurable.
That, too, would greatly accelerate his path to godhood.
No matter how he looked at it, he had to make this trip.
"Ah Yin..."
Chen Xuan murmured the name.
"After sacrificing herself all those years ago, she should be nothing more than a seed now, planted by Tang Hao near Holy Soul Village."
"Bringing a blade of Blue Silver Grass back to life won't be difficult for me."
He slowly rose to his feet. The surging life energy around him instantly withdrew, returning to stillness.
He took one step, and his figure vanished from the spot, as though he had never been there.
A secluded hillside outside Holy Soul Village.
Jagged rocks jutted out amid a tangle of weeds.
A tall man sat dejectedly on a boulder, his entire body reeking of liquor and stale sweat.
His hair was as disheveled as a chicken's nest, and his unkempt beard covered most of his face. Only his bloodshot, murky eyes remained visible.
The Clear Sky Douluo, once feared across the continent, now looked like a fallen drunkard, utterly wretched.
He clutched a black wine gourd in his hand, taking a swig every so often, his gaze fixed on an unusual clump of Blue Silver Grass before him.
Golden patterns edged its leaves. Even in broad daylight, it gave off a gentle glow, making it seem both noble and fragile.
"Ah Yin..."
Tang Hao's voice was hoarse and dry, thick with pain.
"Do... you hate me?"
He gave a bitter laugh and took another long swig of wine.
"I'm a bastard, a liar through and through!"
"Do you think we met by chance? We didn't... I knew from the start that you were a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. I approached you on purpose, all because I wanted your Soul Ring!"
His words crashed like thunder across the silent hillside.
The leaves of the golden-patterned Blue Silver Grass began to tremble violently.
Tang Hao didn't notice. He remained sunk in his own remorse and torment.
"Even the people from the Spirit Hall... I deliberately led them there!"
His voice carried a hint of frenzied sobbing.
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