Nine-Heart Begonia

Among the many unsolved mysteries in the original story, one was the identity of Ning Rongrong's mother—and Ning Fengzhi's lover. Su Yuntao now felt he had found the answer.

Night fell. Horned Scale Horses had excellent night vision, so Su Yuntao and the others could keep traveling through the vast darkness.

By the time the sun shone down on Su Yuntao again, the group had arrived at a secluded mountain valley.

Shui Xinhan told everyone to get off the horses, then led them farther into the valley with practiced ease.

It was an exceptionally peaceful valley, filled with flowers and trees. The fresh air flowing through it made Su Yuntao feel refreshed and carefree.

Before long, a crystal-clear stream appeared before them. A short distance beyond the opposite bank stood a small manor.

"Dean Shui!" Two black-clad men appeared from nowhere and bowed respectfully.

Shui Xinhan smiled faintly. "I'm here to see your madam."

"Dean Shui, this way, please," one of the men said respectfully.

A Soul Douluo from the auxiliary system was immensely valuable, but far too weak in combat. Clearly, these black-clad men had been assigned specifically to protect Ye Lingrong.

As they entered the manor, a woman who looked to be under thirty appeared before Su Yuntao.

She was tall and slender, with a full bosom and a height of around five foot nine. Her short purplish-brown hair and luxurious purple robes accentuated her noble, immaculate air.

"Sister Shui!" Ye Lingrong smiled. "It's been so long."

Shui Xinhan stepped forward and took Ye Lingrong by the arm. "Lingrong, you're such a joker. Didn't we see each other just three months ago?"

Ye Lingrong smiled sweetly. "I used to spend every day with Sister Xinhan. Of course it feels like we've hardly seen each other these past few years."

"Lingrong..." Shui Xinhan sighed. "Everyone has to shoulder more responsibility once they reach a certain age. I miss the old days, but we can never go back to them."

Ye Lingrong looked a little wistful, too. "That's true, Sister Shui. I have children of my own now, and I don't have the energy I used to."

Shui Xinhan smiled. "Let's not dwell on such gloomy things. Look who I brought along."

"Bing'er, Yue'er." A warm smile spread across Ye Lingrong's face.

"Aunt Ye!" Shui Bing'er and her sister eagerly burrowed into Ye Lingrong's arms, making Su Yuntao a little envious.

"Sister Xinhan, who's this young man?" Ye Lingrong asked curiously, studying the handsome young Su Yuntao.

"Lingrong, this is Su Yuntao, a new student at Skywater Academy."

"Huh?" Ye Lingrong asked, puzzled. "Doesn't your academy never accept male students, Sister Xinhan? Does this boy have some special talent?"

Su Yuntao could no longer take it. "Senior Ye, just call me Yuntao."

"All right, all right!" Ye Lingrong laughed. "You may be young, but you certainly don't have a young person's mindset."

Su Yuntao nearly spat blood at that.

"Lingrong, don't let his age fool you. Yuntao is only fourteen, but he already has his fifth Soul Ring."

"What?" The smile on Ye Lingrong's face froze, and shock flooded her features.

Seeing that, Su Yuntao's discomfort vanished. Five enormous Soul Rings—two yellow, two purple, and one black—rose from beneath his feet.

"Sister Xinhan, your Skywater Academy has Bing'er, and now you've gained Yuntao, whose talent is even more terrifying. In twenty years, the whole continent will tremble before Skywater!"

Shui Xinhan nodded solemnly. "Exactly. As long as Bing'er and Yuntao grow up safely, they'll surely lead the continent one day."

A fiery glint appeared in Ye Lingrong's eyes. She looked at Su Yuntao as if he were a priceless treasure.

Suddenly, a faint, delicate fragrance drifted through the air, and a strange flower appeared in Ye Lingrong's hand.

It was a purple begonia, with vivid petals and graceful blooms. Its leaves and branches swayed softly in the breeze, its blossoms drooping like a modest lady veiling her face with her hair, tender and full of feeling, her charm inviting pity.

At the same time, eight Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, and black—appeared beneath Ye Lingrong's feet. She might have been little known on the continent, but there was no doubt that she was now the greatest auxiliary Soul Master in the whole land.

With eight Soul Rings, her support abilities were definitely stronger than those of Soul Sage Ning Fengzhi.

"Eight hearts, eight intentions—Nine-Heart Begonia!" Ye Lingrong cried, and all eight Soul Rings on her body lit up.

A gentle purple light then surged into Su Yuntao's body. He felt that the energy was vast beyond measure. Once inside him, it flowed through his organs like a warm current.

Su Yuntao was caught between pain and pleasure. The warmth was intoxicating, but an itching, aching sensation spread through his entire body. The scars he had carried for more than twenty years were healing anew.

Suddenly, the steady stream of purple light began to weaken. The itching and aching across Su Yuntao's body faded, and something surged up his throat. He opened his mouth and spat onto the ground, coughing up a mouthful of black blood that had been festering for a thousand years.

The Nine-Heart Begonia truly deserved its reputation as the greatest healing Martial Soul in the world. The tales of it reviving the dead and restoring flesh to bare bones were no empty rumors. Su Yuntao felt indescribably comfortable; every injury, great and small, inside his body had been cleared away.

"Senior Ye, thank you."

Ye Lingrong smiled. "No need to thank me. I simply wanted to build a connection with a future pinnacle powerhouse in advance."

"Senior Ye, you flatter me. Your talent is extraordinary, no worse than mine."

"Haha." Ye Lingrong beamed. "Yuntao, you really know how to flatter someone. How could my talent compare with yours? I didn't break through to Soul Sage until I was thirty-six, while you're already a Soul King."

Su Yuntao looked at Ye Lingrong, then at Shui Xinhan. Both were top talents of the previous generation: one had reached Soul Sage at thirty-five, the other at thirty-six.

Both had nearly reached the threshold of Title Douluo before they were fifty. Given time, they would certainly become Title Douluos.

"Senior Ye, there's no need to be modest. I doubt there's an auxiliary Soul Master on the continent today who can cultivate faster than you."

An auxiliary Soul Master who could become a Soul Douluo before fifty had a cultivation speed that truly set the ceiling for the auxiliary system. Oscar's talent was probably greater than Ye Lingrong's, but his cultivation speed—only level twenty-nine at fourteen—was simply far too slow.

"Yuntao, actually, my cultivation speed only ranks second among auxiliary Soul Masters. Is there someone who cultivated faster than me?"

"Oh?" Su Yuntao asked in surprise. "Whose cultivation speed could possibly surpass yours, Senior Ye?"

Ye Lingrong smiled faintly. "You've probably heard of him. He's Ning Fengzhi, the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. He broke through to Soul Sage at thirty-four. He even cultivated faster than Sister Xinhan!"