Divide the Immortal Herb

"Xiao Zhen, such heaven-sent treasures should be consumed by you alone. There is no need for us old bones to waste such opportunities."

Golden Crocodile heard Su Zhen's plan to distribute the Immortal Herbs among the various Elders and immediately refused in stern terms.

"Indeed, Xiao Zhen. Consuming more Immortal Herbs to improve your own strength is what matters most. We old fellows don't have many years left to live anyway."

Mighty Lion Douluo echoed from the side, and the other Elders—Azure Luan, Guang Ling, Thousand Jun, and Falling Devil—all agreed.

"Grandfathers, there are plenty of Immortal Herbs, and one person cannot consume too many, or their effects will conflict. Please don't push them away. Only when you consume these herbs can the strength of the Worship Hall see a qualitative leap, and only then can you better protect Little Ao and me in the future."

The Elders could not withstand Su Zhen's persuasion and finally relented, though each only took one stalk and refused the most precious ones.

"Second Grandfather, this is the Earth Dragon Golden Melon, a top-tier earth-attribute Immortal Herb. It can consolidate your foundation and cultivate your essence. Consuming it will strengthen your mastery over the earth attribute of your Golden Crocodile King, and due to the property of 'earth generating metal,' it will push your metal attribute even further. The trace of dragon energy contained within the Earth Dragon Golden Melon might even allow your Golden Crocodile King to evolve."

"Use your soul power to break the skin, chew it in small bites, and then meditate to refine it."

"Xiao Zhen, this Second Grandfather thanks you. If you ever have need of this old bone in the future, just speak up."

"There is no need for that, Second Grandfather. You are all my family."

Golden Crocodile took the Earth Dragon Golden Melon and entered a secret chamber behind the Angel Statue, beginning to consume the Immortal Herb according to the method Su Zhen had taught him.

"Third Grandfather, this is the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone. Its effect is to moisten the sinews and supplement the bones, clear the seven apertures and eight meridians, and it excels at cleansing the marrow, expanding the meridians, purifying the physical body, and strengthening speed. It is most suitable for an agility-attack system soul master like you, and it has a high chance of pushing the wind attribute of your Azure Luan Martial Soul a step further."

"Eat the petals first, then suck on the stamen, and finally sit cross-legged to cultivate."

"Xiao Zhen, thank you."

Azure Luan did not say more; he took the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone and entered a secret chamber to begin refining it.

"Third Grandfather, your Blazing Lion Martial Soul is a top-tier fire-attribute beast martial soul. This Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower is the most suitable Immortal Herb for you. It is an extreme pure-yang fire-attribute herb; consuming it will increase your flame intensity and purify your martial soul's bloodline. Do not chew it, do not swallow it whole; you must use your soul power to guide its absorption."

Mighty Lion looked deeply at Su Zhen without speaking, then reached out to pull him into an embrace, patting his back heavily. Afterward, he took the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower and went to the side to begin absorption.

Su Zhen looked at the restless Guang Ling and rummaged through his Ruyi Hundred Treasure Pouch, eventually pulling out a white flower. The flower was entirely translucent white, shimmering with silver moonlight, its nine petals as clear as glazed glass. The moment it was brought out, it radiated a biting chill.

"Fourth Grandfather, this is the Ice Glazed Moon Soul Flower, a supreme ice-attribute Immortal Herb. Consuming it will cleanse your marrow and meridians, evolve your martial soul, and simultaneously increase your spiritual power and the purity of your ice attribute. It is extremely compatible with your Guang Ling Divine Bow. Furthermore, a soul master who consumes the Ice Glazed Moon Soul Flower can borrow the moonlight to enhance the power of their soul skills and accelerate soul power recovery when under a full moon at night."

Guang Ling took the Ice Glazed Moon Soul Flower with both hands, examining the top-tier ice-attribute herb carefully before looking up at Su Zhen with wide, watery eyes.

"Little Zhen-zhen, how is this old man supposed to repay you?"

"It's alright, Fourth Grandfather. Just help me fight more in the future."

"Good. From now on, if anyone bullies you, just come find this old man. I'll go reason with them for you."

"Fourth Grandfather, eat the petals of the Ice Glazed Moon Soul Flower first, then suck the nectar from the stamen, and sit cross-legged to refine it."

Guang Ling set aside his childlike behavior and ducked into a secret chamber to begin absorbing and refining.

"Sixth Grandfather, Seventh Grandfather, these are two stalks of Ink Jade Divine Bamboo. Normally, only one stalk of this Immortal Herb grows in any given place, but this Ink Jade Divine Bamboo is a mutated herb that grows in pairs. These two stalks share the same root and origin, and their effects are identical. If you two absorb them together, it can allow your minds to resonate, making you act as one in battle."

"Xiao Zhen, this herb is excellent! It is truly suitable for my brother and me; it's as if it were tailor-made for us. What are the effects of this herb?"

After Falling Devil heard Su Zhen explain the unique nature of the Ink Jade Divine Bamboo, his eyes lit up.

"The Ink Jade Divine Bamboo is a top-tier immortal medicinal herb. Its effect is the transformation of rigidity and softness, a nirvana-like cleansing of the marrow. It can greatly increase the toughness and hardness of tool martial souls, and it has miraculous effects on the Coiling Dragon Staff."

"Grind the Ink Jade Divine Bamboo into powder, dissolve it in water, and drink it, then circulate your soul power through your meridians to absorb it."

"Xiao Zhen, this kindness will never be forgotten."

Thousand Jun and Falling Devil bowed deeply to Su Zhen in unison. Su Zhen dared not act arrogant and quickly stepped forward to help the two grandfathers up.

"Grandfathers, please do not belittle this junior. It is my honor to be able to help you."

The two Elders exchanged a look, took the Ink Jade Divine Bamboo, and entered the secret chamber to begin their absorption.

"Phew~, the Immortal Herbs for the grandfathers are finally distributed. My throat is almost dry from all that talking."

Su Zhen exhaled lightly and took a water flask from his ring to take a drink.

"Brother Zhen, will the grandfathers be able to break through their cultivation levels after absorbing the herbs?"

Oscar asked softly. Back at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Spring, Su Zhen had told him that the younger one was when consuming Immortal Herbs, the better the effect. Since the grandfathers were not young, he worried the herbs might not provide the best assistance.

"The reason Immortal Herbs are called 'immortal' is that their effects are heaven-defying, providing the user with unparalleled help. Even if the grandfathers are older, the intended effects will still manifest."

Su Zhen believed the herbs would work on the Elders; after all, even that waste Yu Xiaogang was able to evolve Luo Sanpao into a Golden Sacred Dragon using an Immortal Herb.

"Teacher, are you truly not going to absorb an Immortal Herb? I still have many here."

Su Zhen approached Qian Daoliu and tried to persuade him once more.

"Xiao Zhen, I am already a level ninety-nine Limit Douluo. If I were to take another step, I would be a god. But that step cannot be crossed simply by consuming an Immortal Herb. In this life, I have you and Little Xue; as long as you can grow up smoothly, this old man will have no regrets."

As Qian Daoliu spoke, he walked to the base of the Angel Statue, looking up at the ancestor and faith of their Qian family.

Su Zhen felt a pang in his heart as he watched Qian Daoliu's back. He knew that in the end, his teacher would sacrifice himself to allow Qian Renxue to become a god—the fate of every guardian of a god's throne.

I must not let the teacher repeat the ending from the original timeline. There must be a way to save him while still allowing Sister Xue to become a god.

Su Zhen clenched his fists, contemplating every opportunity across the entire Douluo Continent that might change Qian Daoliu's fate.

The Worship Hall fell silent as the Elders absorbed their herbs. With nothing to do, Su Zhen sat on a prayer mat with Oscar and began to cultivate.

Two hours passed quietly, and the silent Worship Hall finally produced a strange sound.

Golden Crocodile walked out of the secret chamber. His once-white hair had turned completely black, and he looked much younger. The aura flickering around him carried a sense of oppression at every moment.

"This aura... Second Grandfather, you've broken through to level ninety-nine!"

"Hahaha, Xiao Zhen, this is all thanks to you. The old man has finally crossed that threshold; the barrier between level ninety-eight and ninety-nine has held me back for decades. My Golden Crocodile King has also evolved into a Golden Dragon Crocodile thanks to the Golden Dragon Sweet Potato."

Golden Crocodile summoned his Martial Soul. The originally golden crocodile body was coated in a layer of earthy-yellow light, its thick limbs becoming leaner yet containing power far more terrifying than before. Two golden dragon whiskers sprouted from the corners of the crocodile's mouth, and two dragon horns rose high atop its head.

"Second Brother, your Martial Soul is much more imposing than before."

Azure Luan walked out from the secret chamber, his joy evident in his lighthearted tone.

"Third Brother, you've broken through as well?"

Golden Crocodile observed Azure Luan's aura and asked.

"That's right, I've broken through to level ninety-eight. Although my Martial Soul didn't evolve, my control over the wind attribute has reached an unprecedented level, and my speed has been elevated to true god-like velocity."

"God-like velocity? Can you dodge my arrows?"

This time, Guang Ling walked out. He came to Su Zhen's side, tucked the boy under his arm, and vigorously ruffled his hair.

"Xiao Zhen, I really have to thank you properly this time. This old man has broken through to level ninety-seven. The ice attribute of my Guang Ling Divine Bow has been elevated to the point where it can instantly freeze everything, and the speed of my arrows is several times greater than before."

"So all my brothers have come out. It seems everyone has made a breakthrough."

Falling Devil's flippant voice drifted over. He and Thousand Jun had also finished absorbing their Immortal Herbs. Both had broken through to level ninety-seven, and due to the herbs and their inherent synergy, they had birthed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill unique to the two of them.

"Hahahahahaha, I've finally broken through!"

Mighty Lion's booming voice arrived, followed immediately by a terrifying heatwave capable of melting everything.

With his Martial Soul Possession active, he appeared before the group. The original Blazing Lion had shrunk in size, but the power of its flames had increased at least several-fold. Its reddish-brown fur was dyed with layers of gold, and a golden flame pattern slowly emerged in the center of the lion's forehead.

"Mighty Lion Douluo, Martial Soul Explosive Flame Lion King, level ninety-eight assault-type battle soul master."

Mighty Lion loudly proclaimed his breakthrough.

Su Zhen watched the various elders in the Worship Hall congratulating one another, the corners of his mouth curling upward slightly.