Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemum Douluo shook his head and looked at the golden flower, his gaze as tender as if he were looking at his own child.

"The peerless Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum is the only one of its kind in the world. I truly can't bear to part with it. Once it's eaten, it'll be gone, and there'll never be another one. I want to keep it and admire it every day. That would be nice, too."

Gu Qingshan watched Chrysanthemum Douluo's expression and fell silent for a moment.

He understood how he felt.

When someone who loved flowers to the point of obsession encountered the most perfect flower in the world, his first instinct wasn't to eat it, but to keep it forever.

But understanding was one thing; reality was another.

"Elder Chrysanthemum." Gu Qingshan closed the jade box and looked Chrysanthemum Douluo in the eyes. "The Spirit Hall isn't invincible. There may be a deadly crisis in the future. We have to grow stronger as quickly as possible."

Chrysanthemum Douluo's expression shifted slightly.

"The Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum shares its origin with your Martial Soul. You could say it's a perfect match. If you consume it, you're certain to break through."

Chrysanthemum Douluo fell silent.

He was thinking about what Gu Qingshan had said.

The Spirit Hall wasn't invincible? What did he mean?

Across the entire continent, there were only a few Titled Douluo in the open, and most of them were in the Spirit Hall.

The Spirit Hall had Pope Bibi Dong at its helm, several Titled Douluo like Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, and those ridiculously powerful old monsters in the Worship Hall.

Every one of those worshippers was at least Level 95. Some had even reached the Peerless Douluo level at Level 98, or the Level 99 Limit Douluo.

With strength like that, they could crush anyone on the continent.

What crisis could there be?

Chrysanthemum Douluo looked at Gu Qingshan again.

He thought back to what had happened over the past few days.

Gu Qingshan had seen through Dugu Bo's poison at a glance, knew the location and properties of the Immortal Herbs, knew how to temper the body with the Infernal Delicate Apricot and Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, and knew how to use the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

A six-year-old child shouldn't have known any of those things.

This young master was far too mysterious!

Gu Qingshan was Bibi Dong's personal disciple. It wasn't impossible that he would become the Spirit Hall's new pope in the future.

And if he and Gui Mei could align themselves with Gu Qingshan before he had fully matured, becoming the earliest members of his faction, the rewards in the future would be immeasurable.

Chrysanthemum Douluo's gaze fell on the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum in the jade box, then shifted to the Nether Other Shore Flower in another jade box.

If he consumed the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum and Gui Mei consumed the Nether Other Shore Flower, they would both break through.

Then the power of their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, the Polar Static Domain, would surge.

Even now, it could threaten a Super Douluo. If they broke through another level, perhaps even a Limit Douluo would have to think twice before facing them.

By then, he and Gui Mei would be a force no one could afford to ignore.

And if that force stood behind Gu Qingshan...

Chrysanthemum Douluo lifted his head and looked at Gu Qingshan.

The expression on his heavily powdered face shifted from hesitation to resolve.

"Good. I'll consume it now."

The instant it entered his mouth, golden light burst from within him, dyeing the surrounding air gold.

His Martial Soul, the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, appeared of its own accord and began to slowly turn behind him.

Golden medicinal power flowed into his Martial Soul. The phantom of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum grew more solid, its petals plumper and its stamens brighter.

The Level 95 bottleneck that had troubled him for years shattered with a roar. His cultivation climbed all the way to the peak of Level 96 before stopping.

Chrysanthemum Douluo stood still with his eyes closed, feeling the power surging through him.

His aura was far stronger than before. He was like a sword reforged, its edge fully bared.

He opened his eyes and looked at his hands. He couldn't suppress the curve of his lips.

"Level 96... peak." His voice wavered. "Young Master Qingshan, I'm at the peak of Level 96."

"Congratulations, Elder Chrysanthemum." Gu Qingshan smiled.

Chrysanthemum Douluo recovered from his excitement, crouched down, picked up the jade box containing the Nether Other Shore Flower, and held it out to Gu Qingshan in both hands.

"Young Master Qingshan." His voice had returned to normal, but carried a gravity it usually lacked. "I hope you'll leave this Nether Other Shore Flower for Elder Ghost. This Immortal Herb is a perfect match for his Martial Soul. After he consumes it, his strength is sure to increase greatly as well."

"The two of us will do everything in our power to assist you, Young Master Qingshan."

He spoke softly, but Gu Qingshan heard the weight behind his words.

It was a promise—a promise from a Titled Douluo.

No, from two Titled Douluo.

"Good. I accept."

Bibi Dong stared at the flower before her, momentarily lost in thought—a rare sight.

It rested in a jade case, pure white all over. Its petals were as thin as cicada wings, and the whole flower was only the size of a palm. It looked as immaculate as a green lotus and white root.

"Qingshan, what is this?" she asked, her eyes never leaving the flower.

"Teacher, this is an Immortal Herb." Gu Qingshan walked to the table and pointed to the white flower in the jade case. "It's called the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone. It nourishes the tendons and strengthens the bones, while channeling energy through the eight extraordinary meridians."

Bibi Dong nodded, her expression unchanged.

Nourishing the tendons and strengthening the bones, channeling energy through the eight extraordinary meridians.

It sounded impressive, but for a powerhouse at her level, these benefits were little more than icing on the cake.

Her bones, tendons, and meridians had already been tempered to the utmost during the divine trials. Ordinary heavenly treasures were of little use to her.

She was about to say something when Gu Qingshan added, "It also keeps the skin youthful and beautiful."

Bibi Dong's fingers paused.

"Keeps the skin youthful and beautiful?" Her eyes brightened.

"That's right. The medicinal power of this Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone is enough to restore a woman in her forties or fifties to the skin she had at twenty."

The office fell silent for a moment.

Bibi Dong was forty-four that year.

As a Level 98 Peerless Douluo, she aged far more slowly than ordinary people.

At forty-four, she looked only a little over thirty. Her skin was still fair and firm, her figure still graceful, and people still turned to stare at her wherever she went.

But Soul Power slowing the aging process wasn't the same as eternal youth. The fine lines at the corners of her eyes had increased year by year, and the collagen in her cheeks had dwindled year by year.

The changes were almost imperceptible. Ordinary people couldn't see them at all, but she could feel them herself.

"Good. Qingshan, you were thoughtful. I'll accept this Immortal Herb."

"Teacher, there's a particular method for consuming this Immortal Herb. You can't just eat it directly. You have to take it in a specific way."

"What way?"

"Eat only the petals, then suck the stamen at the end. You have to use Soul Power to absorb it, and remain calm throughout the process."

As Bibi Dong listened, a complicated emotion flashed through her violet eyes.

"You even know that?"

Gu Qingshan smiled. "I read it in a book."

Bibi Dong didn't ask anything else.

Following Gu Qingshan's instructions, she began to consume the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone.