On the way, Yue Guan seized the chance to teach Dong'er about Soul Beasts. Ye Tian listened closely from the Mental Space.
A Soul Douluo was passing on his experience without reservation. Thanks to his Martial Soul, Yue Guan had particularly deep knowledge of plants.
After an hour on the road, Ye Tian was utterly absorbed. If his knowledge of herbs had been a 1 before, it was now a 10.
Yue Guan led Dong'er through the forest for a while, and soon noticed a faint rustling from the shadows.
He flicked two fingers, and the hidden Soul Beast let out a shriek as it flew out of the bushes.
It was a huge spider, as big as a millstone, with vicious fangs.
"Dong'er, this Wolf Poison Spider is about five hundred years old, just right for you to absorb. Take the dagger and go kill it."
Dong'er nodded. The spider's hideous face didn't frighten her at all. She walked up to the immobile creature and plunged her dagger into its heart.
A few seconds later, a Soul Ring appeared. Yue Guan immediately reminded Dong'er what to do. She sat cross-legged, summoned her Martial Soul, and began absorbing her first Soul Ring.
Feeling Dong'er's condition, Ye Tian relaxed after a moment.
With the Foundation Strengthening Pill, Dong'er had completely made up for the past six months of development. Her physical constitution was now every bit as strong as that of a seven- or eight-year-old child.
It took her only fifteen minutes to absorb the Soul Ring completely.
She opened her eyes, and a yellow ring appeared behind her. As the Soul Ring flashed, Dong'er spat out a streak of cold light. It shot across the air and struck a tree trunk ten meters away.
With Yue Guan's keen eyesight, he saw the change in the trunk clearly.
The half-meter-thick trunk had been pierced straight through, and the wound had turned black around the edges. Clearly, Dong'er's first Soul Skill had inherited the spider's venom as well.
"Dong'er, what level is your Soul Power now?"
Dong'er closed her eyes to feel the Soul Power inside her, while secretly asking Ye Tian, "Brother Ye Tian, should I tell him the truth?"
"Tell him. This is the perfect time for you to show off your talent!"
Dong'er nodded, opened her eyes, and answered frankly, "Lord Yue Guan, my Soul Power is at level fourteen."
"Excellent! Excellent!"
Yue Guan threw back his head and laughed several times, looking at Dong'er with growing affection.
There were other geniuses with Innate Full Soul Power in the palace, but the fastest among them had taken half an hour to absorb their first Soul Ring—and even then, they had only reached level twelve or thirteen afterward.
That one-level difference meant at least a month of hard work. As soon as Dong'er entered the academy, she would be ahead of everyone else.
Besides, Yue Guan had just watched her carefully. Even while absorbing that five-hundred-year Soul Ring, Dong'er had shown hardly any pain. That meant she could raise the age of her second Soul Ring even further. Perhaps she really could absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring!
"Lord Yue Guan, is everyone else different from me?"
"Of course. Even geniuses have their differences!"
Yue Guan gazed at Dong'er admiringly. A thought suddenly occurred to him, and he asked gently, "Dong'er, would you be willing to take me as your master?"
As if afraid she might refuse, Yue Guan immediately laid all his cards on the table.
"I, Yue Guan, am forty-five years old and already an eightieth-level Soul Douluo. My Martial Soul, the Strange Stamen Heavenly Chrysanthemum, is one of the finest Plant-type Martial Souls. I have a chance of breaking through to Titled Douluo by the time I'm fifty!"
"Besides, I have a close friend, and the two of us can perform a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. He's just as strong as I am. With our combined strength, we can already defeat even a Titled Douluo!"
"Across the entire continent, there are only a little over twenty Soul Masters with titles!"
Yue Guan spoke with obvious pride, but Ye Tian noticed a hint of unease in his eyes as he looked at Dong'er.
It didn't take Ye Tian long to figure out why.
He had built up Dong'er's physical constitution with Foundation Strengthening Pills. And when he had just spoken with Dong'er about the process of absorbing her Soul Ring, it had all gone smoothly, without the slightest pain.
Dong'er had reached level fourteen after her breakthrough, which meant the Foundation Strengthening Pills had raised her original level-ten Soul Power by at least one level.
A six-year-old Soul Master at level fourteen—Yue Guan figured that if he didn't act now, someone else would claim her by the time they returned to Spirit City.
"Dong'er, it's up to you."
Ye Tian didn't interfere with her choice.
Dong'er considered it for a moment, then knelt and bowed to Yue Guan.
"Your disciple Dong'er pays her respects, Master!"
"Hahaha, my good disciple, get up!"
Yue Guan beamed as he helped Dong'er to her feet. "Come, come! I'll take you to meet my old friend!"
Yue Guan carried Dong'er on his back and hurried back to Spirit City. Once they reached his residence, he arranged a room for her and began digging into his personal stash.
There was thousand-year-old ginseng, crystal flowers...
He brought out every precious medicinal herb he had collected over half a lifetime and hauled them into the alchemy room as if they cost nothing.
Before Dong'er went to the academy, he would lay the best possible foundation for his disciple!
"Dong'er, starting tomorrow, you'll drink a packet of medicinal herbs every morning and evening. I'll also arrange for someone to train your body. Only by pushing your stamina to its absolute limit can you get the most out of the herbs!"
"Understood, Master. Thank you!"
"I have some things to take care of over the next few days, but I'll be back in time for your enrollment in seven days. If you need anything, just call the steward."
Yue Guan gave her a long, careful set of instructions before leaving. As soon as he was out of the residence, he rushed next door and called on his good friend, Old Ghost.
Last year, he had found a five-thousand-year-old Blood Ginseng near an eighty-thousand-year-old Shadow Tiger. He had planned to let it grow a little longer, but now it was just the thing to help Dong'er improve her cultivation!
"Brother Ye Tian, my master is a good person!"
Hearing that, Ye Tian gave a wry, helpless smile. Well, Yue Guan had gone to so much trouble for her, and all he got was a "good person" label.
Dong'er chatted with Ye Tian for a little while, then soon fell asleep. Night fell, and the day's settlement began.
"The host has substantially changed a character's fate and prevented the birth of the next generation's Child of Destiny, earning 5,000 Fate Points."
Ye Tian was surprised by the huge number of Fate Points.
He hadn't done much today. Could Dong'er's own choices count as his doing, too?
Ye Tian thought it over. The only reason today's reward could have been so generous was Dong'er's decision to become Yue Guan's disciple.
He already knew that Dong'er was Bibi Dong from a parallel world. Without his interference, Dong'er would surely have revealed her talent for Twin Martial Souls.
Now that Yue Guan had acted early, Qian Xunji, as the pope, probably wouldn't try to steal his subordinate's disciple.
If that was the case, then once Dong'er came of age, Tang Hao of the Clear Sky Sect would emerge and take Ah Yin away after she transformed into human form. Wouldn't that mean Tang San would never be born?
And if Tang San never existed, then the future Sea God and Asura God, with their Dual Godhood, would never come to be. By then, Dong'er would inherit the Rakshasa Godhood and face no risk of falling.
The moment Ye Tian unconsciously accepted that this was a parallel world, one scheme after another began springing into his mind.
As for this world's God King Tang, he'd just have to enjoy Ye Tian's hospitality. Heh!
Before you continue