Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng, Han Yun Douluo

The resonant strains of a zither echoed through the sixty-ninth floor...

Water wound around stone rockeries, while petals drifted down from the tall trees, adorning the babbling stream.

This place seemed less like the interior of the Heavenly Spirit Pagoda and more like a secluded paradise nestled in the wilderness.

A woman sat atop a stone hill, her deft hands moving gently as she played her zither Martial Soul, plucking out a stream of exquisite melodies.

This was a simulated cultivation ground. Its spacious, tranquil environment was best suited for Soul Masters with sound attributes to reside in for long periods.

Several hundred meters behind the woman playing the zither.

The babbling water gathered into a pool, its surface covered in scattered petals.

A mass of threadlike purple crystal drifted beneath the pool's surface, occasionally shedding wisps of flowing light.

Far away, beneath the rockery where the music originated.

A pair of twin sisters leaned against opposite sides of the flowering tree trunk, staring toward the pool and occasionally whispering to one another.

Both sisters had long hair, smooth and soft as silk, tied into ponytails that flowed down to their waists.

Their faces were extraordinarily alike, as though cast from the same mold. Their only differences lay in their hair and eye colors.

On the left side of the trunk stood the elder sister. She had long platinum hair, azure eyes like a clear sky, and a steady yet stern gaze;

On the right stood the younger sister. She had long silvery-white hair, emerald eyes like a spring lake, and a lively gaze that concealed a hint of slyness.

These two women were the secret weapons that the Spirit Pagoda had kept hidden away: the Bai Sisters.

The elder sister, Bai Haoze, was poised and aloof, while the younger sister, Bai Zhicen, was cheerful and lively.

"Hey, Sis, he's so handsome. Even prettier than you."

"Shh. The Pagoda Master's order was to investigate him. It's rare for him to take off his clothes, so try to see clearly what kind of physique he has."

"But Han Yun Douluo is right here. Is there even anything left for us to do?"

"Then what do you think the Pagoda Master sent us here for?"

The melodious zither and babbling water concealed the sisters' hushed conversation beneath the tree at the foot of the hill.

Yet beneath the cold pool at the end of the stream, amid that thick mass of purple crystal hair, a pair of eyes opened, flashing with golden light.

"Pff—"

"Splash..."

Long Zijin burst from the water and turned to look a hundred meters behind him. With a cold snort, he said, "Did I give you permission to look?!"

His voice was like a dragon's roar, sending ripples spreading across the water.

After being shouted at like that, the sisters immediately and sensibly retreated.

Even they did not understand why two dignified high-level Soul Masters would fear the rebuke of a child. Perhaps it was simply because they had been caught spying.

Droplets of water trickled down his chin and fell back into the pool.

Refreshed by this simulated cultivation ground, Long Zijin felt his spirits improve, the moisture in his Flower Immortal Body completely replenished.

He raised his right wrist beneath the water, holding a jade box more than two palms wide in his hand.

The lid was opened, and a delicate fragrance curled across the pool's surface, soothing and refreshing.

Inside lay a precious ginseng root, like blood-red crystal, resting quietly in the box. Rings of patterns rose along its surface, resembling a coiled dragon lying prone within jade.

It was an eighth-grade Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng.

"Alas..." A trace of sorrow welled in Long Zijin's eyes as he murmured, "Old Ninth, I never imagined I would see your remaining legacy in this form."

This Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng was the present-day legacy left behind by his former ninth son. No wonder it was a dragon-type medicinal herb with a gemstone attribute.

Memories of the past surfaced in his mind. Sorrow and fury filled Long Zijin's eyes as he looked toward Di Guangming at the entrance to this floor, who had politely turned away.

Yet the turbulent emotions in his gaze subsided after only a second.

Yes. No matter how much hatred and resentment there had been, the endless passage of time had long since returned it all... to silence.

He continued examining the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng, already considering how to use it for maximum benefit.

According to the Mysterious Heaven Hundred Treasures Record, Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng differed from other medicinal herbs. It did not undergo a slow growth cycle; the moment it formed, it was already an eighth-grade treasure herb.

If placed near the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and nurtured for a thousand years, it could transform into a tenth-grade immortal ginseng.

According to the Mysterious Heaven Hundred Treasures Record, once Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng formed at the eighth grade, its effects were no weaker than those of tenth-grade immortal medicine. Once it advanced to the level of a ninth-grade Ginseng King, it would surpass most tenth-grade immortal medicines.

By the same reasoning, if Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng truly became tenth-grade, or even attained the peerless eleventh-grade level, it could rival twelfth-grade divine medicine.

Furthermore, according to Tang San's experiments, this Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng could be paired with Lovesick Heartbreak Red. Together, they could cause a Soul Beast bloodline to evolve in a single day.

Xiao Wu's remaining body after her sacrifice had consumed it, transforming directly from a red rabbit into a golden rabbit.

And gold was the symbol of divinity in the Soul Beast system. Just as with the surface of a Soul Ring beyond one hundred thousand years, every additional hundred thousand years would add another golden fissure.

Once there were as many as ten golden fissures, they could link together, allowing the gold to spread across the entire ring's surface and transform it in one step into a God Ring!

If the Flower Immortal Physique replicated what Tang San and Xiao Wu had done back then, once it consumed the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng...

Long Zijin had no trouble imagining that his mass of purple crystal hair would most likely evolve into a purplish-gold color.

But now was absolutely not the time to consume it. An eighth-grade Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng could perfect the Flower Immortal Body, but it was still far from enough to help forge the Third God Ring.

Long Zijin sought not immediate gain, but to accomplish two things at once. The perfection of every ring concerned whether he could someday use cultivation at levels eighty or ninety to crush the Silver Dragon King, who would recover to God Rank before him.

He raised his left wrist, and a golden-red peony bloomed from his veins.

Long Zijin brought the Lovesick Heartbreak Red in his left hand close to the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng in his right, and a sense of intimacy naturally arose between them!

He gently brushed the ginseng with the flower and softly said, "Chiwen, don't worry. I will surely rebuild the Sub-Dragon race."

Still in its ignorant stage, the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng could only shake its tendrils as hard as it could, offering the most enthusiastic response possible.

Next, he would take the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng to a certain place and help it attain the tenth and eleventh grades. It would then combine with the twelfth-grade Lovesick Heartbreak Red to forge the Third God Ring.

Suddenly—

"Splash!"

Long Zijin thrust both hands beneath the water at once, instantly putting away his Lovesick Heartbreak Red Martial Soul and the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng.

"Han Yun Douluo?"

A full-figured woman appeared on the shore behind Long Zijin.

The woman had gentle features and a dignified bearing. Holding a guzheng, she stood on the bank, her cool temperament spilling forth like a cold spring.

She was Han Yun Douluo, Qiangu Qingfeng's wife and the sister-in-law of the Heavenly Spirit Pagoda's master.

Her eyes, like cold springs, quietly watched the figure whose shoulders alone were exposed. In a gentle voice, she said, "My surname is Xia."

"Oh?" Long Zijin turned around, and a layer of Crow-Absolute Stone clothing seeped out over his body.

He leaned against the shore and said, "May I ask what advice Sister Xia has for me?"

"Or did I disturb the chill and solitude of this place?"

"Heh." Called young, Han Yun Douluo covered her mouth and smiled, shaking her head slightly. "No, you are also a rare sight to behold."

"It's just that from your voice, I seemed to notice that you have studied music before, and your skill is not low."

"So I came to confirm it."