Dawn had only just begun to break,
A faint sliver of pale light rose in the eastern sky.
Liu Yuan sat cross-legged on the roof, staring fixedly toward the east. He slowly inhaled through his nose, then gradually exhaled through his mouth. His inhalations were long and gentle, his exhalations slight and soft, forming a wondrous cycle.
Once a wisp of purple qi slowly emerged, Liu Yuan focused completely, his eyes locked onto it as though he wanted to draw the purple qi into them.
Only when the colors of the rising sun spread across the sky and the purple qi vanished...
Did Liu Yuan finally close his eyes and exhale a breath of turbid air.
"Phew—"
It drifted away slowly like a long ribbon.
After meditating for a while, Liu Yuan opened his eyes again. The purple gleam flickering within them was the result of cultivating the Purple Demon Eye.
For nearly a year,
He had devoted most of his energy to cultivation.
He had not neglected a single one of the Tang Sect's secret arts.
Moreover, he had passed the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record on to his parents. Just as [Rule Five] stated, Father Liu and Mother Liu had not questioned its origins in the slightest and accepted it without hesitation.
"I wonder when the soul beast will arrive?"
After adjusting his condition,
Liu Yuan flipped down from the roof.
As early as two months ago, he had successfully broken through to Rank 10 and could obtain his first Soul Ring. In order to acquire a suitable one, he had researched quite a few plant-type soul beasts.
In the end, he set his sights on the "Golden-Crowned Poplar."
Although this plant-type soul beast was not among the best and was on the same level as the Demon Eye Magic Tree, it possessed one trait that ordinary plant-type soul beasts could not replace: its highly developed root system.
Thanks to this,
The Golden-Crowned Poplar had become the only plant-type soul beast capable of surviving deep within the desert. Even Blue Silver Grass could hardly compare.
However, when Liu Yuan told Father Liu about this and wanted him to take him into the desert to hunt his first Soul Ring, Father Liu decisively refused, saying that venturing deep into the desert was far too dangerous.
For that reason, he had a better idea.
He would leave it to the Soul Hunting Squad,
And have them bring back a living Golden-Crowned Poplar.
After all, the Golden-Crowned Poplar was only a plant-type soul beast and did not possess much offensive power. Besides, they only needed a hundred-year soul beast, one whose intelligence and instincts were practically nonexistent.
If not for the danger of the deep desert where it grew...
This kind of soul beast might have gone extinct long ago.
Thus, Liu Yuan gladly agreed to the suggestion.
All he had to do now was wait.
By his calculations, traveling from Star Luo City to the desert and back would take a month and a half. Two months... should be about right.
Then, with a thought from Liu Yuan,
The interface of the Douluo Multiverse Order Platform opened.
He glanced through the ten tasks updated today,
Then refreshed it again...
"Boring."
Liu Yuan sighed helplessly.
His strength was still too low, after all, and he could not accept most tasks. Over nearly a year, the tasks he could take were few and far between, and the rewards he received were not particularly impressive either.
Fortunately, something did give him a bit of comfort.
He had discovered what would benefit him the most.
Many Multiverse timelines were set thousands, or even tens of thousands, of years before the era of the Peerless Tang Sect.
In those eras,
Many treasures had yet to have their true value discovered.
For example: Whale Rubber.
In their era, Whale Rubber had become a treasure that strengthened the body, priceless despite being sought everywhere. Yet in those eras, Whale Rubber was merely an aphrodisiac. Though expensive, it was still affordable.
Therefore, whenever he accepted tasks from those eras, as long as the reward was marked "modifiable," Liu Yuan would change it to Whale Rubber. After receiving the issuer's approval, he would claim the task.
Over nearly a year,
He had obtained four pieces of hundred-year Whale Rubber and one piece of thousand-year Whale Rubber.
As for Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber... even in those eras, it was considered extremely valuable, and its value was deemed unequal to that of the tasks and rewards.
Thus, he had not obtained a single piece.
"Sigh—"
After sighing, Liu Yuan closed the platform.
Just as he was about to return inside, "Yuan'er."
Father Liu's voice suddenly came from beyond the main gate.
As the gates of the residence opened,
Father Liu walked in carrying a poplar tree on his shoulder.
The moment he saw the poplar with a crown gleaming gold, Liu Yuan's eyes lit up. "A Golden-Crowned Poplar of around seven hundred years!"
"That's right!"
After setting down the Golden-Crowned Poplar, Father Liu hurriedly called Liu Yuan over. "Come absorb it quickly. You've waited a full two months. You must have been getting impatient, kid." His tone carried a hint of teasing.
He knew Liu Yuan had consumed hundred-year and thousand-year Whale Rubber.
Therefore, absorbing a seven-hundred-year plant-type soul beast with limited offensive power would not be difficult for him.
"I'm fine, I'm fine..."
After stepping forward to inspect it, Liu Yuan nodded in satisfaction.
He tore away the cloth sack wrapped around the base of the Golden-Crowned Poplar, revealing the roots encased in soil by the Soul Hunting Squad.
After clearing away the soil,
Liu Yuan did not waste any time and directly lit a fire.
Because a plant-type soul beast with tenacious vitality like the Golden-Crowned Poplar could not be killed by ordinary means. The best method was to burn its roots clean with fire.
Boom—
The torch fell, and raging flames surged.
Before long,
The Golden-Crowned Poplar's roots were burned to nothing.
As the flames spread, its crown gradually lost its luster. When the golden crown completely withered, a deep yellow Soul Ring slowly emerged and rose into the air, releasing waves of Soul Power.
Buzz—
After extinguishing the remaining flames on the Golden-Crowned Poplar, Liu Yuan stared at the Soul Ring, unable to suppress the excitement in his heart. Once he absorbed it, he would become a true Soul Master.
He then sat cross-legged. With a pull of Soul Power, the deep yellow Soul Ring trembled slightly and floated above Liu Yuan's head.
At that moment, "Sit cross-legged and steady yourself. Focus your mind on your Martial Soul."
Father Liu's expression had turned solemn as he instructed in a deep voice, "Absorbing a Soul Ring is no trivial matter. No matter what happens, you must remain conscious."
"Yes."
Liu Yuan steadied his mind.
With a flash of green light, the phantom of the Origin Willow swayed behind him.
As the Soul Ring above his head descended, the yellow light spilling from it seemed to find an outlet. It immediately flooded into Liu Yuan's meridians like a burst dam.
Feeling this, Liu Yuan quickly circulated the Mysterious Heaven Skill, and gentle Soul Power flowed through every part of his body.
Yet during this process,
As the Mysterious Heaven Skill circulated, the corpse of the Golden-Crowned Poplar emitted an emerald glow beneath the cover of the Source Willow Martial Soul.
Without Father Liu noticing, the green light emanating from the corpse was absorbed one strand at a time by the branches and leaves of the Origin Willow phantom, then slowly merged into Liu Yuan's body.
This change instinctively relaxed Liu Yuan's body and mind. It was as though he had consumed some kind of tonic, something continuously nourishing his body as he absorbed the Soul Ring. Even the process of absorbing the Soul Ring became much easier.
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