Aromatic Silk Beauty!
In the original story, it had been given to Ning Rongrong, allowing her martial soul to successfully evolve into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, becoming the number one support-type martial soul on Douluo Continent in one stroke.
But now, the Aromatic Silk Beauty was gone. Who knew how long it would take for Ning Fengzhi to realize the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda he had pursued so desperately?
Xu Xiao did not care about any of that. What was Ning Fengzhi to him? A blind investor. Of all these factions, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was the one Xu Xiao hated most after the Clear Sky Sect.
They were far too calculating. He did not like that.
As for the Clear Sky Sect, it was simply because that place loved producing beasts—a breeding ground for beasts. He wondered when those two beasts would appear.
Xu Xiao held the Aromatic Silk Beauty in his hand and gently sucked on its stamen. Vast, pure energy instantly surged into his body.
Xu Xiao immediately sat cross-legged. Under the impact of the Soul Power, his Soul Power steadily rose.
As he refined it, streaks of white light emerged from Xu Xiao's body, and the Spirit Pagoda Martial Soul floated out, circling before him.
The commotion quickly caught Yue Guan and Dugu Bo's attention.
Yue Guan carefully tended to his Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, while Dugu Bo stood nearby guarding Xu Xiao and Gui Mei.
As the two watched Xu Xiao, they wondered why his refinement process was different from their own when they had refined Immortal Herbs.
"Poison Dragon, stop thinking about it. Big Brother's martial soul is powerful to begin with. An unusual phenomenon like this is perfectly normal."
Yue Guan did not mind it. He was already more than satisfied to have what he had today, and Big Brother's progress only made him happier.
Dugu Bo nodded lightly. He understood as well. Only if Big Brother was powerful could they improve. He was envious, but he would not be jealous!
After all, who would not want a martial soul like that?
The white light emitted by the Spirit Pagoda enveloped Xu Xiao. Within the Spirit Pagoda, layer after layer of space opened, only to be sealed shut once more.
Only the lowest level remained open.
Xu Xiao knew nothing of these changes. He was still refining the tremendous Soul Power contained within the Immortal Herb.
The changes in the Spirit Pagoda came quickly and vanished just as quickly. Before long, it returned to Xu Xiao's body.
Everything fell silent once more.
Gui Mei, who had been refining an Immortal Herb nearby, also woke up at this moment. His refinement was complete; his Soul Power had successfully reached level 20, and his martial soul had evolved to the level of ultimate darkness.
"Second Brother, Fourth Brother, what is Big Brother's situation now?"
Gui Mei walked over to the two men and asked softly, afraid of disturbing Xu Xiao.
Yue Guan answered, "Big Brother refined another Immortal Herb after coming out of that lake. He's still refining it now!"
Gui Mei asked, "Did Big Brother say what that dragon he unleashed was about?"
Dugu Bo said, "Second Brother, Big Brother did not have time to explain before he started refining it. And this Immortal Herb seems to have caused changes in Big Brother's Spirit Pagoda."
Gui Mei nodded lightly. It seemed Big Brother was about to give them another huge surprise.
The three exchanged glances, then silently looked toward their Big Brother.
Only when Big Brother grew stronger could they become stronger as well.
As the unusual phenomenon disappeared, Xu Xiao entered a slower phase of refinement. Fortunately, he had previously refined the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot, making his body impervious to fire and water and immune to all poisons.
Refining the Aromatic Silk Beauty was much easier now.
Three days later, Xu Xiao awoke from his refinement, his Soul Power having successfully reached level 20.
And the instant he finished, he understood the changes in his martial soul!
Xu Xiao was so excited that words failed him.
Gui Mei and the other two immediately gathered around him.
"Big Brother!" the three shouted in unison.
Xu Xiao laughed heartily. "My three brothers, it seems all of you have gained quite a bit."
As he spoke, Xu Xiao summoned his Spirit Pagoda. The little tower slowly expanded in the air until it was as large as a pavilion.
"Big Brother, what are you doing?" Gui Mei asked curiously.
Xu Xiao chuckled. "Giving you a surprise."
"Let's go in together!"
Before the Spirit Pagoda, a staircase resembling pure white jade slowly appeared with a wave of Xu Xiao's hand, stretching directly to the feet of the four men.
Gui Mei and the other two's eyes lit up at the sight. This looked rather high-end.
The four slowly stepped onto the stairs and climbed toward the Spirit Pagoda one step at a time.
"After taking the Immortal Herbs, my Spirit Pagoda Martial Soul opened up the space inside."
"And this space is called the Spirit Ascension Platform!"
That was right, the Spirit Ascension Platform!
However, Xu Xiao's Spirit Ascension Platform was completely different from the one created in The Legend of the Dragon King.
This one came with his Spirit Pagoda Martial Soul and had been activated by the impact of the Immortal Herbs' energy.
Without the Immortal Herbs, Xu Xiao estimated that the space inside would not have opened until he reached level 60.
Now that the Immortal Herbs had unsealed this Spirit Ascension Platform ahead of time, it was good news.
The four stopped before the door. Gui Mei asked, "Big Brother, what is the use of this Spirit Ascension Platform?"
They all knew Xu Xiao's martial soul was special and certainly not weak, but they had no idea what it could actually do.
Xu Xiao continued explaining, "Spirit Ascension Platform—naturally, it ascends spirits."
"To put it simply, it can increase the age of your Soul Rings."
"What?!" Dugu Bo's eyes widened. Increase the age of Soul Rings? Was that really something a martial soul could do?
Good heavens, Big Brother's martial soul was far too heaven-defying.
Yue Guan and Gui Mei's eyes also widened as they stared at Xu Xiao in disbelief.
Seeing their shocked expressions, Xu Xiao quickly said, "Of course, it isn't as good as you think."
"Second Brother and Third Brother, your Soul Rings cannot be improved inside it."
The others were puzzled, so Xu Xiao continued, "The Soul Ring age that the Spirit Ascension Platform can raise is tied to the Soul Rings I have absorbed."
"My first Soul Ring is six hundred years old, so the one granted to you is six thousand years old. That means the Spirit Ascension Platform can only raise your Soul Rings to six thousand years."
"Second Brother and Third Brother, your first Soul Rings are already six thousand years old, so they cannot be improved."
"And there is another point: increasing Soul Ring age is not so easy."
Upon hearing this, Yue Guan and Gui Mei lost much of their interest. Their own Soul Rings could not be improved, so it seemed to have little effect on them.
But Dugu Bo was different. He was excited—overjoyed.
"Big Brother, how exactly can they be improved?" Dugu Bo hurriedly asked. His first Soul Ring was inferior to Yue Guan's, and he did not want Yue Guan looking down on him.
Xu Xiao chuckled. "Naturally, through battle."
"There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world."
As he spoke, Xu Xiao pushed open the door to the first floor of the Spirit Pagoda. White light enveloped the four men, and the door closed once again.
"Th-this... is Sunset Forest?"
Gui Mei was startled. They had searched Sunset Forest for the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well for so long that they naturally recognized the place.
Yue Guan gently touched the things around him. They felt incredibly real, as though they had truly arrived in Sunset Forest.
Dugu Bo also curiously walked around, touching this and that.
"Big Brother, what exactly is going on?" The others were even more confused. Could that door be a teleportation passage?
Could entering it bring them directly to Sunset Forest?