Improvement

Under the gaze of so many, a crimson flush bloomed across Hu Liena's fair cheeks.

Glaring at Lin Chuan in shy annoyance, she turned her focus to the Lovesick Heartbreak Red.

Following the steps, she decisively drew a dagger from her Soul Tool, pricked her middle finger, and dripped a single drop of her heart's blood.

The bright red blood landed precisely on the petals of the Lovesick Heartbreak Red, causing them to ripple gently as if falling into a calm lake.

In an instant, the entire Lovesick Heartbreak Red took on a more jade-like quality, resembling a piece of exquisite porcelain fresh from the kiln, radiating a soft halo under the sunlight.

The energy it emitted isolated the surrounding area, enveloping only Hu Liena, as if a vast sea of flowers had manifested in shades of azure and crimson.

Her heart had been occupied by Lin Chuan's image from the very beginning, so naturally, she would not be double-minded.

There was no division or hurt in their status, their time together, or their experiences; every beautiful memory they shared was etched deep within her heart.

Throughout the process, Hu Liena did not encounter any backlash; on the contrary, it went quite smoothly.

The vibrant colors released by the Lovesick Heartbreak Red soon faded away slowly.

Perhaps this is the benefit of being a love-struck fool.

Before long, a crisp "click!" sounded, and the Lovesick Heartbreak Red snapped off on its own.

Immediately, its body transformed into medicinal liquid and merged into Hu Liena's body, solidifying her foundation, nourishing her meridians, and cleansing her channels.

As the king of Immortal Herb, the Lovesick Heartbreak Red possessed numerous medicinal effects.

It provided the basics—solidifying the foundation, activating the blood, and nourishing the meridians—and refining its medicinal properties would increase one's spirit power by at least ten levels for anyone below a Spirit Emperor.

Its most unique effect, however, was the ability to bring the dead back to life and restore flesh and bone.

Seeing the protective treasure light of the Lovesick Heartbreak Red swirling around Hu Liena, Lin Chuan did not disturb her as she refined its medicinal properties.

In the courtyard, Xie Yue and Yan also began their own refinement.

Immortal Herb meant for solidifying the foundation had mild medicinal properties, and the two of them appeared quite relaxed during the process.

Ling Yuan also looked forward to the improvement she would gain after refining her own Immortal Herb, but given her current mission and status, she held back and remained still.

Lin Chuan turned his gaze to Zhu Zhuqing, who was also motionless, and said to the two of them:

"You two should find a place to refine and absorb your Immortal Herb as well. I'm going out to handle a matter and will be back shortly."

With those words, he walked slowly toward the courtyard gate.

He could tell that Zhu Zhuqing felt uneasy.

Regarding her, Lin Chuan hadn't initially expected Ling Yuan to take her on as a disciple.

But thinking about it, it was acceptable; Zhu Zhuqing's personality destined her to be no mediocre person.

Thus, Lin Chuan had given her a quasi-Immortal Herb—not because he fell in love with every woman he met, but to prepare for his future personal guard.

Everything requires groundwork.

Moreover, his main goal right now was not to cultivate a personal guard.

It was to check if Shrek Academy had set out to hunt a spirit ring for Oscar, so he could seize the opportunity.

The reason he hadn't asked was that he felt it was better to see for himself than to ask; questioning Ling Yuan about monitoring others would be somewhat awkward.

But given the situation, it was nine times out of ten, and this trip was just to confirm the facts.

Seeing Lin Chuan's figure disappear completely and the courtyard gate close once more, Zhu Zhuqing finally let out a sigh of relief.

When she had faced Lin Chuan earlier, she felt immense pressure; perhaps the gap in strength and status made her feel timid, leaving her unable to speak.

Once he was gone, she was no longer restrained.

After finding a secluded spot, she looked at the Immortal Herb in her hand with bright eyes, consumed it directly, and sat cross-legged to begin refining.

As Ling Yuan consumed her own Immortal Herb, the gentle medicinal power flowed through her meridians, the warmth making her feel extremely comfortable.

Meanwhile, Suotuo City was not far from Shrek Academy.

Using the spirit skill of the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone, Lin Chuan arrived at Shrek Academy in less than half an incense stick of time.

Shrek Academy was currently operating as usual; his kidnapping of Xiao Wu and poaching of Zhu Zhuqing were more like minor episodes.

Shrek Academy had since recruited two new students with decent talent, one boy and one girl.

During this time, Tang San's injuries had mostly healed, though he was constantly worried about Xiao Wu in his heart.

Comforted by the others at Shrek, he worked even harder and had broken through to level twenty-nine not long ago, which also helped narrow down the timeframe.

Lin Chuan had come to confirm the status of Oscar, but upon arriving at Shrek, he found that none of the students were there.

The entire academy was empty, with no sign of Tang San or Oscar and the others.

His vast spiritual power swept across the village, and if he hadn't sensed two teachers above the level of Spirit Emperor still present, Lin Chuan would have almost thought the Shrek Dean had led everyone away.

However, after a search, he found no sign of Flender, nor was there any trace of a Spirit Saint within a radius of several dozen meters.

He hadn't specifically monitored Shrek during this time, so he didn't know the details of the situation here.

"But that is fine."

Withdrawing his spiritual sense, Lin Chuan exhaled softly, wind gathering beneath his feet, and he sped off toward his own courtyard.

Regarding the Eight Spider Lances, he had laid many secret traps.

He had people watching Meng Yiran, and whatever Spirit Ring she hunted or situations she encountered would be revealed upon interrogation later.

As for Shrek, so what if Tang San had gotten to it a step before him?

An External Soul Bone could not perfectly integrate with the entire body right from the start, and even after integration, it was not fully refined.

Even if Tang San absorbed the External Soul Bone, he could simply kill him and seize the bone; in any case, the deadline he had given the other party to live was only until after this opportunity had passed.

Not killing him was mostly because he wanted to use him as a backup plan for obtaining the Eight Spider Lances.

Now, it seemed the opportunity was quite significant.

It was not until the next morning, as the dawn light was faint and the purple mist arrived from the east, that everyone woke up one after another.

Feeling the abundant spirit power within their bodies and their lightened frames, joy was written all over their faces.

Yan could clearly sense that his fire attribute had become more ferocious, even causing his blood to become extremely scalding.

Wisps of hot white mist slowly rose from his skin, and his heart pounded incessantly, as if it were about to leap out of his chest: "Boom! Boom! Boom!"

His Flame Lord martial soul had become more majestic and pure.

Slender ribbons formed from solidified lava extended from his shoulders, moving without wind and trailing behind him, looking extraordinarily divine.

At the same time, Ling Yuan's martial soul had also successfully transformed, and the aura she emitted was more surging than before.

The Blazing Spirit Kite martial soul manifested, flapping its wings as it soared into the high sky.

"Chee!"

A sharp, highly piercing cry of a phoenix rang out.

Seeing that this was trending toward waking up the entire city, Lin Chuan felt his thoughts clear, and a spatial ability that transcended sound instantly sealed the patch of heaven and earth where they were located.

Having been nurtured by Giratina, his Inversion Domain was improving step by step.

Its current effect had already increased from a ten-meter range to a radius of thirty meters, meaning a diameter of sixty meters.

Coupled with his eerie ability to devour the souls of others and the effects of his domain, he could, with a mere thought, casually harvest the souls of beings whose strength and mental power were inferior to his own.

At this moment, If he were on a battlefield, he would be a nearly unsolvable existence for anyone below the level of a Super Douluo.

Within the domain, Ling Yuan had not yet woken up.

Under the enhancement of eight Spirit Rings, her martial soul had already begun to show signs of mutation.

Now, with the assistance of the Immortal Herb, the wings of the Blazing Spirit Kite had become broader, each feather standing out in three dimensions, its crimson tail feathers long and slender, and on its thick, pillar-like legs, four crescent-like claws glinted with a cold light.

Its beak had become increasingly sharp and hooked, and its keen eagle eyes glowed with an orange-red hue like molten lava.

Overall, it was clearly larger and more oppressive than before; the changes were not just in the improvement of its talent, but also in its temperament and physique.

It was as if it had ascended from an ordinary bird to a king of birds.

Ling Yuan was also doing her best to absorb the medicinal properties of the Immortal Herb, her aura becoming increasingly turbulent as waves of spirit power rippled outward again and again.