"Xuan'er, I heard you arranged for the Purple Heaven Sect to move to Spirit City and asked Spirit Hall to look after them. Is that true?"
At that moment, Bibi Dong asked with a puzzled expression, her face otherwise calm.
"Mm." Qin Xuan explained:
"Xia Hui, the daughter of the Purple Heaven Sect's leader, is my friend."
"This second-rate sect is in an awkward position in the Star Luo Empire and even seems on the verge of closing down."
"I couldn't bear to see that happen, so I thought I'd help the Purple Heaven Sect."
Hearing this, Bibi Dong smiled. "I don't even take a tiny sect like the Purple Heaven Sect seriously."
"Since it's your friend's sect, naturally I, your teacher, will look after them."
"I'll make sure the Purple Heaven Sect gets more business from now on."
"Thank you, Teacher!" Qin Xuan bowed respectfully.
"Mm." Bibi Dong waved her hand, signaling for them to hurry off and hunt Soul Beasts.
Seeing this, Qin Xuan didn't waste any more time and immediately left with Yue Guan.
Along the way, Yue Guan wore a conflicted expression. Several times, he looked as though he wanted to say something to Qin Xuan but was too embarrassed to speak.
Inside the carriage, Qin Xuan kept watching the subtle changes in Yue Guan's expression and had already guessed what was on his mind.
After Dugu Bo was badly injured, Yue Guan must have hurried to the scene to check things out right away.
But he was ultimately too late.
By the time he arrived, I'd already carried off the Herb Garden.
With Yue Guan's intelligence, it wouldn't be hard to guess that I'd taken the Herb Garden.
He's been longing for the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum day and night. I bet he wants to ask me for it.
But because of his status, he can't bring himself to ask me for such a handout.
I have no use for the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, so there's no reason I can't give it to Yue Guan.
After taking it, Yue Guan's strength will soar, and he'll owe me a huge favor!
Once he'd made up his mind, Qin Xuan asked:
"Elder Chrysanthemum, is there something you wanted to tell me?"
"This..." Yue Guan looked rather embarrassed. After hesitating for a long while, he finally asked, "Xiao Xuan, you took Old Poison's Herb Garden, didn't you?"
Qin Xuan gave a soft "Mm" and didn't deny it.
"Then... then did you happen to see a chrysanthemum that glowed with a golden light?" Yue Guan's expression grew excited, and his voice began to tremble.
Seeing this, Qin Xuan replied nonchalantly:
"You mean the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, Elder Chrysanthemum?"
"I've heard a little about the grudge between you and Old Poison."
"You've been longing for this Immortal Herb day and night."
"After all, this Immortal Herb can resonate with your Martial Soul. Once you take it, it won't just cause a Soul Power Surge—it'll also boost your combat strength across the board."
"I was going to give this Immortal Herb to you eventually anyway."
"Since you've brought up the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, I'll give it to you now."
As he spoke, Qin Xuan released the golden, radiant Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum from his ring.
Yue Guan stared at the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, eyes wide. A moment later, his eyes grew moist, and tears streamed down his face.
"Young Master Qin, are you truly going to give such a peerless Immortal Herb to this old man for nothing?"
Qin Xuan looked utterly unconcerned and answered with great generosity:
"Elder Chrysanthemum has rendered outstanding service to Spirit Hall. A mere Immortal Herb is only what you deserve."
"Besides, I know what the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum means to you."
As soon as he finished speaking,
Yue Guan suddenly dropped to one knee on the carriage floor, his expression solemn.
"Thank you, Young Master Qin, for bestowing this Immortal Herb upon me!"
"From now on, I'll serve you with all my strength until my dying breath!"
"There's no need to be so formal, Elder Chrysanthemum. Hurry and put the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum away." Qin Xuan quickly helped Yue Guan to his feet and spoke calmly.
After Yue Guan put the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum into his Soul Tool, he said with deep feeling:
"The improvement to the body is secondary. The most important thing about the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum is that it can complete the Martial Soul Origin and bring about a transformation in the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum."
"My Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum Martial Soul was born without the metal attribute, which made it lean toward the 'plant' type and left its defenses weak."
"After I take this Immortal Herb, it'll restore the metal attribute to my origin and transform my Martial Soul into a top-tier Martial Soul with both metal and wood attributes. It'll no longer be some bizarre half-plant, half-metal thing."
"At the same time, I expect taking the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum to raise my Soul Power by at least two levels, bringing me to level ninety-seven."
"By then, even Sword Saint Chen Xin won't be a match for me!"
"After all, once you've reached Titled Douluo, every level becomes as hard to climb as the heavens."
"Chen Xin may only be one level ahead of me in Soul Power now, but if we actually fought, I'd never beat him!"
Hearing this, Qin Xuan smiled. "It seems the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum was made for you, Elder Chrysanthemum."
"Then let me congratulate you in advance on reaching level ninety-seven!"
"Hahaha, I'll take your word for it!" Yue Guan laughed heartily, clearly in excellent spirits.
"Alas..." Qin Xuan suddenly sighed and said:
"It's just a pity that there are a few Immortal Herbs I don't recognize, and I don't know what they do."
Hearing this, Yue Guan pulled an old book from his storage device and handed it to Qin Xuan.
"This is the Immortal Herb Codex. When you have time, look through it and see whether it mentions any Immortal Herbs you know."
"Thank you, Elder Chrysanthemum!" Qin Xuan quickly put the Immortal Herb Codex into his ring.
The Immortal Herb Codex might prove a great help to him in the future!
Amid cheerful conversation and laughter, the two eventually reached the Star Dou Great Forest.
The outskirts were full of thousand-year Soul Beasts, and Qin Xuan naturally had no interest in them.
Only when they reached the boundary between the Mixed Circle and the Core Circle did Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts begin to appear in greater numbers.
These Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts watched Yue Guan warily, not daring to pounce on him.
Once a Soul Beast reached the ten-thousand-year level, it gained intelligence much like a human's.
From the pressure radiating off the golden-armored man, they could easily tell he was a Titled Douluo. Naturally, the Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts didn't dare provoke him.
"There really aren't many Soul Beasts with dark attributes!" Yue Guan had barely finished speaking when a bolt of black lightning suddenly crashed down near the Lake of Life.
He swept his spiritual power toward the lightning and couldn't help exclaiming:
"It's actually an Evil Thunder Flood Dragon with nearly seventy thousand years of cultivation!"
"It tried to intrude on the territory of those two super Soul Beasts, but the Titan Giant Ape drove it out!"
"An Evil Thunder Flood Dragon!" Qin Xuan exclaimed in shock.
This was a rare Soul Beast with wind, thunder, and evil attributes, perfect for the fifth Soul Ring of the Nine Nether Evil God Tiger!
"Xiao Xuan, I'll go on ahead. Fighting a Soul Beast with sixty thousand years of cultivation is no small matter. Don't get too close later, or you might get caught in the crossfire!"
"Seventh Soul Skill, Martial Soul Avatar!"
As Yue Guan gave his warning, a gigantic Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum five zhang across formed beneath his feet, and he shot swiftly toward the Evil Thunder Flood Dragon.
The distance was ten kilometers, but in just a few breaths, Yue Guan had swept above the Evil Thunder Flood Dragon!
Before you continue