Godhood's First Trial, Fame Across the Continent

Back in the room, I called Qing Luo and Yu Xiaolou inside and took out four jade boxes. Each box bore a label—Aromatic Silk Beauty, Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid, Narcissus Jade Bone, and Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew.

Qing Luo held the jade box that belonged to her, her fingers tracing its surface for a long while without daring to open it. "Young Master, this is too precious."

"If I'm giving it to you, take it. Open it and have a look."

She lifted the lid. A golden tulip lay quietly inside, its petals gleaming with a silk-like luster, an orange flame burning at its center. That was the soul flame of the Aromatic Silk Beauty, the finest among immortal herbs. It could completely transform any plant-type martial soul.

Yu Xiaolou opened his box as well. The Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid was snow-white all over, each of its eight petals marked with a pale golden line like naturally formed Soul Power circuits. The little fatty's hands trembled as he held it tightly, terrified of dropping it.

"Brother Tian Lin, I won't explode if I eat this, right?"

"You will." Only after seeing his face turn pale did I add the second half. "You'll explode with filth all over your body. The Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid cleanses the meridians and marrow. It can improve the cultivation speed of those with low Innate Soul Power."

Of the two jade boxes before me, the Narcissus Jade Bone was a jade-white rootstock, warm and smooth to the touch, carrying a faintly sweet fragrance. Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew was stored in a small transparent jade vial. The liquid was clear as water, yet whenever it swayed, silver streaks of light remained on the inner walls. One would increase Soul Power, while the other would enhance spiritual power.

The door was tightly shut and the curtains drawn. The three of us sat cross-legged on our own meditation cushions, leaving a step's distance between one another.

Yu Xiaolou took a deep breath and stuffed the entire Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid into his mouth, chewing it up. The orchid melted upon entering his mouth, its sweet juice sliding down his throat. Three breaths later, his face turned bright red, and thick gray sweat began seeping from every pore, carrying a sour stench. Those were the accumulated impurities in his meridians. The smell instantly filled the room.

"Don't hold it in. Let your Soul Power follow the medicinal energy." I raised a hand and laid down a barrier of Soul Power to block out the stench, then picked up the Narcissus Jade Bone and bit off a small piece.

The immortal rootstock turned into warm liquid in my mouth and flowed down my throat, exploding into pure Spirit of Vegetation within my stomach. At the same time, I tilted my head back and drank all the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew in one gulp. The icy liquid slid down my throat and shot straight toward my brow, like a basin of freezing water poured over my mind.

The medicinal energy of the Narcissus Jade Bone traveled downward, seeping into my meridians, bones, and organs. Every inch of flesh was being crushed, rebuilt, and strengthened. The medicinal energy of the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew traveled upward, charging into my sea of consciousness. My spiritual power, already several times stronger than that of Soul Masters at the same level, began expanding wildly under its force. The range of my spiritual perception spread from a single room to the entire courtyard, then across the whole sect. I could hear the whispers of the bamboo forest behind the mountain, the hum of disciples circulating Soul Power in the Martial Arts Arena, and even the crisp crack of a pinecone shell breaking beneath a squirrel's teeth three miles away.

Qing Luo was the last to take her immortal herb. She held the Aromatic Silk Beauty in her palm and released her Dragon Scale Vine martial soul. Vines burst from her hand. The instant they touched the tulip's petals, the orange soul flame suddenly swelled, engulfing her whole body. The Dragon Scale Vine began growing madly, the scales along its body rising one by one as its purple-gold glow grew brighter and brighter.

Half an hour later, Yu Xiaolou was the first to open his eyes. He was completely wrapped in a layer of black grime, so foul-smelling that he nearly vomited himself. But he had no time to be disgusted, because he discovered that the Soul Power in his body was surging at an unprecedented speed. It shot all the way to level twenty, while every trace of impurity within him had been thoroughly cleansed.

"Brother Tian Lin! I'm level twenty! Level twenty!" He sprang up from the floor, then gagged at the stench coming from his own body before scrambling out the door to find water and wash himself.

A little less than half an hour later, the orange soul flame around Qing Luo abruptly contracted. Her Dragon Scale Vine had completely changed. The vines, once only as thick as a pinky finger, had grown a full size thicker. The scales on their bodies had shifted from purple-gold to dark gold, each one edged with a faint orange glow. A tiny golden tulip phantom had sprouted from the dragon-claw fork at the vine's tip. Its petals slowly rotated, releasing a wisp of pollen laced with dragon-breath toxin with every turn.

"Young Master, my martial soul..." Qing Luo lowered her head and stared at it.

"My martial soul's quality has improved again, and my Soul Power has reached level twenty too. What grade is this flower, exactly?"

"Aromatic Silk Beauty. The finest among immortal herbs. It can elevate the very essence of plant-type martial souls."

I looked at the golden tulip phantom on her martial soul. "Your Dragon Scale Vine can no longer be called Dragon Scale Vine. Give it a new name."

Qing Luo thought for a moment. "Dragon Scale Tulip Vine."

"I think that works."

Then I closed my eyes and continued guiding the two currents of medicinal energy through their final fusion. The Narcissus Jade Bone had widened my meridians by more than double, and every inch of bone had become denser and tougher. The increase in spiritual power from the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew was even more astonishing. My perception range had expanded from three miles to six, and its precision had improved immensely. Before, I could only sense the strength and direction of Soul Power fluctuations. Now, I could clearly distinguish their attributes and the speed at which they circulated.

My Soul Power continued climbing—level twenty-five, level twenty-eight—until it finally stopped firmly at level thirty. The two immortal herbs working together had directly raised me to level thirty.

The instant my Soul Power broke through level thirty, the droplet of origin power left behind by the Spirit of Vegetation inheritance deep within my sea of consciousness slowly unfolded. It transformed into the phantom of a Heaven-Reaching Giant Tree, identical to the one I had seen in that mysterious space. Its branches and leaves stretched through my consciousness, every leaf glowing.

Then an ancient, vast, majestic voice rang out in my mind.

"The God of Myriad Woods godhood inheritance has officially begun. The inheritor has activated the godhood mark and meets the conditions to trigger the first trial."

"Godhood inheritance, first trial: Fame Across the Continent. Requirement: Before the age of twenty, spread your deeds to every corner of the continent. The greater your fame, the higher your trial completion."

As the voice faded, the giant tree phantom slowly shrank, condensing once more into that droplet of emerald-green origin power. Yet it was now a full circle larger than before. A pale golden halo had appeared around it, and nine grooves could vaguely be seen on the halo. The first groove already glimmered with faint golden light.

The first trial... Fame Across the Continent? I opened my eyes, unable to stop the smile tugging at my lips.

Qing Luo had been watching me anxiously. Seeing the corner of my mouth move, she finally sighed in relief. "Young Master, you're finally awake. You scared me to death. You were absorbing for so long that I thought something had happened."

I did not answer Qing Luo. Instead, I thought to myself that once I obtained my third soul ring, I would travel the continent and make a name for myself.