With violence as his backing, Mu Ci had no need to argue people into submission like Tang San.
He could simply make a deal with Dugu Bo. All Dugu Bo wanted was a solution to the Martial Soul poison that came with his family's inheritance.
Mu Ci had several methods for that. Tang San's method was one of them, but it only treated the symptoms, not the root cause.
Martial Soul Mutation was another option. Dugu Yan was still young, and her Soul Rings had not yet been fixed. She only needed to consume an Earth Dragon Golden Melon from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye and mutate toward a dragon-type Martial Soul.
As for Dugu Bo, his Martial Soul had long since become the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor, and his Soul Rings were already fixed. He would need a special method.
However, that would require Abundance Power and a certain amount of biological experimentation, so it could only be considered later.
As for his grandmother, Lin Ya, she probably would not have to wait long. After all, Path Power developed relatively quickly in its early stages.
Once he reached the second tier and condensed another God Fruit, it would only take a few years at most. With the Immortal Herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye, becoming a Title Douluo would be easy enough.
Having thought everything through, Mu Ci found himself troubled by one question: how was he supposed to give the God Fruit to his grandfather?
This was a real world. It was impossible for people to believe whatever the protagonist said like they did in novels. His grandfather had been an academy headmaster for decades; a few little tricks would never fool him.
After thinking for a moment, Mu Ci decided to pin the matter on a Deity. He would say that this was a reward granted after being chosen by a Deity. After all, gods really did exist in this world. Didn't Spirit Hall worship one?
Besides, it was not exactly a lie. Was the Abundance Star God not a god? It was merely somewhat more powerful and somewhat more selfless.
Mu Ci sat on the bed and carefully rehearsed what he would say later, lest he reveal a flaw. Then he got out of bed, opened the door, and headed for the room next door.
Mu Changsheng's Breakthrough
Knock, knock knock!
Mu Ci quietly arrived outside Mu Changsheng's door, took a deep breath, and raised his hand to knock a few times.
With a creak, Mu Changsheng opened the door. He looked down at Mu Ci in confusion. "Little Ci, what is it?"
Mu Ci looked around, then slipped mysteriously into Mu Changsheng's room. "Grandpa, hurry and close the door. I have something important to tell you!"
Mu Changsheng closed the door with a face full of confusion, then sat down on the sofa and looked at his eldest grandson, waiting to hear what major matter he had to discuss.
Mu Ci stopped in front of Mu Changsheng and summoned the Abundance God Fruit in his hand. What he said next left Mu Changsheng utterly shocked.
"Grandpa, I've been chosen by a Deity."
"What?!"
Hearing his grandson's words, Mu Changsheng abruptly rose to his feet, disbelief written all over his face and body.
"Little Ci, tell me everything properly."
"Grandpa, it's like this. Ever since I absorbed my first Soul Ring, my Martial Soul has been giving me a strange feeling. It was only after we returned to the inn and rested for a while that I finally understood it completely."
After that, Mu Ci told Mu Changsheng the entire story he had prepared, except he described the Abundance Star God as an existence similar to Spirit Hall's Angel God.
Ever since Mu Ci awakened the Abundant World Tree, that Deity had been watching over him.
It was only after he finished absorbing his first Soul Ring that the Deity finally established contact, granting Mu Ci a God Trial. The fruit in his hand was a gift from that Deity.
Mu Ci handed the Abundance God Fruit to Mu Changsheng and said with a broad smile,
"Grandpa, once you eat this God Fruit and regain your youth, you'll definitely be able to break through to become a Title Douluo. Then our Plant Academy will stand above all the advanced Soul Master Academies in Heaven Dou."
At present, none of Heaven Dou's advanced Soul Master Academies had a teacher or headmaster of Title Douluo rank in the open.
Even Thunder Academy, which had the support of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, only had a Spirit Douluo as its headmaster, the same as the other Elemental Academies.
Hearing this, Mu Changsheng shook his head solemnly and said in a grave voice,
"Little Ci, since this is a treasure bestowed upon you by a Deity, you should consume it yourself. Grandpa is already old. Don't waste such a divine treasure on me!"
After saying that, Mu Changsheng sighed, deeply powerless in the face of his age.
"Grandpa, that's exactly why you should eat this fruit. Its effect is to restore youth and increase lifespan. Only you and Grandma need that in this family."
"I'm still young. I have no use for this thing right now. Besides, I'll obtain more things like it in the future through the trials.
"Grandma, Father, Mother, and the others will have them too. By then, you and Grandma will both be Title Douluos and can stay together for another hundred years."
The moment Mu Changsheng heard his eldest grandson mention Lin Ya, his face filled with hesitation. Mu Ci had struck directly at his weakness.
Seeing the hesitation on his grandfather's face, Mu Ci's smile grew even brighter. He knew that as long as he mentioned Grandma, Mu Changsheng would never be able to refuse.
On this land of Douluo Continent, cursed by the God of Love, no matter the relationship or position, everything else had to step aside when one's lover was involved.
"Alright, Little Ci. Then we'll wait a few days before returning. The sooner this is handled, the better. If a good thing isn't used immediately, sooner or later it will end up benefiting someone else."
Mu Changsheng took the Abundance God Fruit and nodded solemnly at Mu Ci. Then green Soul Power burst from his body as he directly summoned his Martial Soul.
Martial Soul Possession.
The phantom of the Everlasting Tree appeared behind him, while eight Soul Rings in the optimal configuration emerged beneath his feet.
Third Soul Skill, Tree of Resilience. Fourth Soul Skill, Cage Barrier.
The third and fourth purple Soul Rings beneath Mu Changsheng's feet flashed, and countless brown roots began crawling along the bedroom walls.
In the blink of an eye, the entire room was wrapped in countless roots, with not even a sliver of light able to pass through.
At the same time, under the effects of the third Soul Skill, the roots layered and interwove with one another, becoming like an impenetrable wall of metal.
"Little Ci, we'll stay here for now. With the support of my two Soul Skills, even a seven-ring Spirit Saint won't be able to break into this room anytime soon."
After informing Mu Ci, Mu Changsheng began consuming the Abundance God Fruit. The golden fruit was not as hard as it looked. The moment it entered his mouth, it turned into a stream of golden light and flowed into his stomach.
At once, Mu Changsheng felt warmth spread through his body, as though he were soaking in a hot spring. Every inch of flesh, blood, and meridian within him shone.
His cells became full, his muscles began to swell, his skin regained its firmness, and his bones grew tougher.
The wrinkles on his face began to vanish. His graying hair darkened from the roots, and his entire body seemed to return to the peak state of a thirty-year-old man. Under the effects of Abundance Power, Mu Changsheng's mind also sank into the deepest sleep.
To Mu Ci's eyes, from the instant Mu Changsheng swallowed the Abundance God Fruit, his entire body seemed to have been cast from gold before being wrapped in a curtain of golden light. He looked like a fetus, his aura weak yet long and steady.
With nothing else to do, Mu Ci began meditating. Time passed bit by bit. Whenever he was thirsty or hungry, he ate from the supplies in his Soul Tool. About two days passed like this before the cocoon of light finally stirred.
Crack, crack~
The cocoon of light made a sound like an eggshell breaking, and fine cracks appeared across its surface.
Hahahaha~
Amid loud, ringing laughter, the cocoon of light exploded into countless specks that scattered in every direction.
Mu Changsheng's body now looked as though it had been forged from bronze and iron. There was not a single wrinkle left on his face, and his flowing hair was black and thick. He actually looked several years younger than Huo Kuang, whom they had met a few days ago.
"Grandpa, put your clothes on first." The moment the cocoon exploded, Mu Ci turned his head aside. Even if it was his grandfather, he did not really want to see that.
Mu Changsheng, still intoxicated by his youthful body and breakthrough in Soul Power, heard his grandson's words and abruptly stopped laughing. Looking down, his old face instantly reddened, and he hurriedly took out clothes from his storage Soul Tool and put them on.
"Ahem, good grandson, Grandpa is in excellent condition now. My Soul Power has already broken through to level eighty-nine. I'm not far from level ninety now, and I'll be able to break through within two years at most."
"Then, after more than a thousand years, the Mu Family will finally have another Title Douluo!"
Mu Changsheng awkwardly changed the subject to himself and began describing the changes that had occurred after consuming the God Fruit.
Seeing his grandfather talk about his current condition, Mu Ci listened carefully. After all, this was an Abundance God Fruit created in the Douluo Universe. He could not afford to overlook it.
Mu Changsheng roughly described every subtle change in his body, inside and out, without hiding anything. His wife would be consuming one later as well, so nothing could go wrong.
After hearing Mu Changsheng's account, Mu Ci nodded in relief. It was almost identical to the information fed back by his Martial Soul. At last, he was reassured and began asking about what came next.
"Then, Grandpa, you can start considering your ninth Soul Ring."
"You don't need to worry about that. When the time comes, your grandmother can ask Spirit Kite Douluo to assist me. There definitely won't be a problem."
"Alright, let's clean up and bring this good news home."
With a wave of his hand, Mu Changsheng removed the root barrier he had set up two days ago, turning it into Soul Power that dissipated into the air.
After tidying up, they took a carriage back toward Godwood City.
Explaining the God Trial
"Grandpa, we're almost there."
Mu Ci opened the side window of the carriage and leaned out to look into the distance.
In the distance, Godwood City sat among the mountains of Luolin Province like a colossal beast. Even after years of repairs, the twenty- to thirty-meter-high city walls could not conceal the historical weight accumulated over the ages.
This soul-hunting journey, which had lasted nearly half a month, gave him a genuine sense of just how vast Douluo was. It was not something that could be described by a few lines in a book.
The Great Fierce Land, which had yet to appear in the world and was unknown to all.
The Sun Moon Continent, suspended beyond the sea, with its Soul Tool system utterly different from that of Douluo Continent.
And Star Luo Continent, which would not be discovered until more than ten thousand years later, among other places—all of them filled Mu Ci with boundless longing.
The carriage slowly traveled along the bluestone road, passing through all of Godwood City and heading toward Mu Mansion.
Creak~
The carriage stopped at the entrance, its wheels letting out a grinding sound against the ground.
The servants stationed at the gate had spotted it long ago and hurried over to welcome them. But the moment they saw the middle-aged man step down, they began stammering.
"M-Master?" The servant's face was full of disbelief. If he had not served the Mu Family for decades and seen Mu Changsheng's younger appearance before, he would have called for help already.
"Yes, it's me. Where is Madam now?" Mu Changsheng did not blame the servant for his reaction. Given his current appearance, anyone familiar with him would have doubts.
Hearing Mu Changsheng's words, the servant quickly replied, "When we saw the carriage earlier, we already sent someone to notify the old madam. She is waiting for you in the main hall."
Upon hearing that his wife was already in the main hall, Mu Changsheng immediately pulled Mu Ci along and hurried forward. He did not want to wait even a moment longer; he wanted to share his joy with Lin Ya right away.
Mu Mansion Main Hall.
Lin Ya and Li Qin had been waiting in the main hall ever since receiving the servant's report.
Tap tap tap~
A string of hurried footsteps reached their ears, and they immediately rose from the sofa to greet them.
"Mom!" "Little Ya!"
Before they could react, one large and one small figure had already pulled their most beloved people into their arms.
Li Qin lowered her head to look at her son, who had grown noticeably bigger, her eyes filled with heartache.
Ever since Mu Ci was born, he had never been away from her for so long. What was more, this time he had gone to the most dangerous place on the continent, Star Dou Forest.
Before you continue