Nine-Heart Begonia

Among the many unsolved mysteries of the original work, one was the identity of Ning Rongrong's mother and the secret lover of Ning Fengzhi. Su Yun Tao now felt he had found the answer to that question.

As night fell, the Horned Scale Horse, a mount known for its excellent night vision, allowed Su Yun Tao's group to continue their journey through the vast darkness.

When the sunlight shone upon Su Yun Tao once more, the group had arrived at a secluded valley.

Shui Xinhan signaled for everyone to disembark, then led them toward the heart of the valley with the familiarity of one who had traveled this path many times.

It was an incredibly tranquil valley; the surrounding flowers, trees, and the fresh air flowing through the sky made Su Yun Tao feel refreshed and relaxed.

Before long, a crystal-clear stream appeared before them, and not far across the water stood a small manor.

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

Shui Xinhan smiled slightly. "I am here to see your mistress."

The men in black replied respectfully, "Please follow us, Dean Shui."

Although an auxiliary-type Spirit Douluo was immensely valuable, their personal combat strength was often too weak; it was clear these men were specifically assigned to protect Ye Lingrong.

Upon entering the manor, a woman who looked to be under thirty appeared before Su Yun Tao.

She was slender with a full bust, standing about one meter seventy-five tall. Her short, brownish-purple hair and a luxurious purple gown accentuated her nobility and sanctity.

"Sister Shui!" Ye Lingrong smiled. "It has been a long time."

Shui Xinhan stepped forward and took Ye Lingrong's arm. "Lingrong, you really know how to joke. Didn't we just see each other three months ago?"

Ye Lingrong smiled brightly. "I used to be with Sister Xinhan every day, so of course, these past few years feel like we haven't met enough."

"Lingrong," Shui Xinhan sighed. "Everyone must shoulder more responsibilities once they reach a certain age. I miss the old days, but we can never go back to how things were."

Ye Lingrong felt a touch of melancholy as well. "That is true, Sister Shui. I have my own child now, and I don't have the same energy I once did."

Shui Xinhan laughed. "Let's not talk about such dreary things. Look at who I've brought with me."

"Bing'er, Yue'er." A gentle smile bloomed on Ye Lingrong's face.

"Aunt Ye!" Shui Bing'er and her sister excitedly dove into Ye Lingrong's embrace, leaving Su Yun Tao feeling somewhat envious.

"Sister Xinhan, who is this child?" Ye Lingrong asked, looking curiously at the handsome young Su Yun Tao.

"Lingrong, this is Su Yun Tao, a newly recruited student at Skywater Academy."

"Oh?" Ye Lingrong asked, puzzled. "Doesn't your academy have a tradition of not accepting male students, Sister Xinhan? Does this child have some extraordinary talent?"

Su Yun Tao could no longer hold back. "Senior Ye, you can just call me Yun Tao."

"Good, good, good!" Ye Lingrong laughed. "I didn't expect such a young child to have such a mature mindset."

Su Yun Tao nearly coughed up blood at her words.

"Lingrong, don't let his age fool you. Although Yun Tao is only fourteen, he has already obtained his fifth spirit ring!"

"What!" The smile on Ye Lingrong's face froze instantly, and a look of profound shock washed over her.

Seeing this, the discomfort in Su Yun Tao's heart vanished. Two yellow, two purple, and one black spirit ring rose from beneath his feet.

"Sister Xinhan, your Skywater Academy already has Bing'er, and now you have the even more terrifyingly talented Yun Tao. It seems that in twenty years, the entire continent will tremble for Skywater!"

Shui Xinhan nodded solemnly. "Indeed. As long as Bing'er and Yun Tao grow up smoothly, they will surely lead the continent in the future."

A burning light appeared in Ye Lingrong's eyes; she looked at Su Yun Tao as if he were a rare, priceless treasure.

Suddenly, a faint fragrance emerged, and a strange flower petal appeared in Ye Lingrong's hand.

It was a purple Begonia flower, vibrant and graceful. Its leaves and vines swayed in the breeze, drooping like the shy face of a lady hidden behind her hair—deeply affectionate and heart-stirring.

At the same time, eight spirit rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, and black—appeared at Ye Lingrong's feet. Though she was not famous on the continent, she was undoubtedly the strongest auxiliary-type spirit master alive.

Possessing eight spirit rings, her auxiliary power was certainly stronger than that of the Spirit Sage Ning Fengzhi.

"Eight Hearts Eight Intents, Nine-Heart Begonia!" Ye Lingrong whispered, and all eight of her spirit rings lit up.

A gentle purple light surged into Su Yun Tao's body. He felt the energy was vast, flowing through his internal organs like a warm current.

Su Yun Tao felt both pain and pleasure; on one hand, the warmth was addictive, but on the other, his entire body began to itch and ache as old scars from the past twenty years began to heal.

Suddenly, the continuous flow of purple light began to weaken. The itching sensation faded, and something surged violently toward his throat. Su Yun Tao opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of black, thousand-year-old blood.

The Nine-Heart Begonia truly lived up to its reputation as the world's number one healing spirit; the legends of it bringing the dead back to life and regrowing flesh and bone were not unfounded. Su Yun Tao felt an indescribable comfort, as all the minor injuries and bruises in his body had been completely cleared.

"Thank you, Senior Ye."

Ye Lingrong smiled. "No need to thank me. In truth, I only wanted to build a rapport with a future peak powerhouse in advance."

"Senior Ye is too kind. In fact, your talent is extraordinary and no less than mine."

"Haha," Ye Lingrong said happily. "Yun Tao, you really know how to talk. How could my talent compare to yours? I only broke through to Spirit Sage at thirty-six, while you are already a Soul King."

Su Yun Tao looked at Ye Lingrong and then at Shui Xinhan. Both were top-tier geniuses of the previous generation—one had broken through to Spirit Sage at thirty-five, the other at thirty-six.

Both were nearing the threshold of Titled Douluo before the age of fifty, and in time, they would surely reach that rank.

"Senior Ye, you don't need to be humble. I suspect there isn't another auxiliary-type spirit master on the continent today whose cultivation speed could surpass yours."

For an auxiliary-type spirit master to become a Spirit Douluo before fifty, their cultivation speed was truly the ceiling of the profession. Although Oscar's talent might have surpassed Ye Lingrong's, his cultivation speed at fourteen—only level twenty-nine—was simply too sluggish.

"Yun Tao, my cultivation speed actually only ranks second among auxiliary types. Is there someone whose speed is even faster than mine?"

"Oh?" Su Yun Tao asked, surprised. "Who could possibly surpass you, Senior Ye?"

Ye Lingrong smiled slightly. "You should have heard of this person. He is the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Fengzhi. He broke through to Spirit Sage at thirty-four; his cultivation speed is even faster than Sister Xinhan's!"