For the past three months, Tang San had either been cultivating or on his way to cultivate.
He had pushed nearly every moment of his time to its limit.
By day, he honed his Soul Power and polished his combat skills. At night, he helped Dugu Bo purge the Jade Phosphorus Snake Poison from his body.
As the poison was cleared day by day, Dugu Bo's health improved steadily.
The wariness he had originally felt toward the Tang Wu and Tang San brothers began to melt away, little by little, during their days spent together.
The three of them had somehow become friends despite their difference in age.
One day.
With a bang, Tang San's Soul Power finally broke through its bottleneck and reached level forty.
Guided by some mysterious intuition, Tang Wu led Tang San southwest.
They had arrived at the Blue Silver Forest.
It was an endless forest, its verdant expanse stretching as far as the eye could see. Every Blue Silver Grass plant stood much taller than those outside, with thick leaves and sturdy stems that swayed gently in the breeze, giving off a faint, fresh scent.
The instant the two stepped into the forest's outskirts,
an old, gentle voice suddenly sounded in both Tang Wu and Tang San's ears.
It seemed to come from deep underground, yet also from the leaves of every Blue Silver Grass plant, ethereal and far-reaching:
"Children, you've finally come. I've been waiting for you for a long time."
As the words fell, the Blue Silver Forest ahead parted on its own, opening a broad, straight path.
"Welcome... home."
Seeing the entire Blue Silver Forest part to open a path for the two brothers, Tang San's pupils contracted slightly, and his feet halted instinctively.
His hand lifted unconsciously. Blue Silver Grass flickered in his palm, and his body slipped into a state of alert on instinct.
"Brother, relax." Tang Wu patted Tang San on the shoulder. "He won't hurt us."
Tang San glanced at his younger brother.
Tang Wu's face showed not a trace of tension, only the ease of someone returning home.
After a moment's hesitation, Tang San finally reined in his Soul Power and followed.
The passage wasn't long. After walking for a few minutes, the view ahead opened up.
As far as the eye could see, Blue Silver Grass blanketed the mountains. Every plant stood several times taller than those outside.
Their blue leaves bowed slightly, humble in their posture, as if loyal subjects were welcoming the arrival of their emperor.
And in the very center of the Blue Silver Forest stood a Blue Silver Grass plant as robust as a great tree.
Its stem was as thick as a barrel and stood three or four zhang tall. Its entire body was a deep blue-purple, and its layers of leaves gave off an ancient, weighty aura of Soul Power.
This was the Blue Silver King's true form, a Blue Silver Grass plant with a cultivation of seventy thousand years.
Tang Wu and Tang San approached. The Blue Silver King's main stem trembled slightly, as though examining the newcomers closely.
Its gaze first settled on Tang San's face, lingering there for a moment before turning to Tang Wu and scrutinizing him again and again.
At last, the Blue Silver King's leaves quivered gently, and it let out a long sigh:
"Empress... this child is the very image of you."
Tang San trembled from head to toe.
"You knew my mother!" He lunged forward, his voice suddenly changing. His eyes reddened almost at once.
"What exactly happened to my mother? Why have Xiao Wu and I never seen her, from the time we were little until now?"
By the time he finished, his voice was already trembling.
Tang Wu stood to one side without interrupting, silently watching everything unfold.
The Blue Silver King fell silent for a long while.
At length, it let out a deep sigh:
"Alas..."
"Actually... your mother was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast who took human form."
The air fell silent for a moment.
Tang San's breathing caught, but his expression wasn't as shocked as he had expected.
After what had happened with Xiao Wu, he had already begun to suspect the truth. Now, he had merely received confirmation.
The Blue Silver King continued, "Back then, the Empress insisted on entering the human world. She later met your father, and they fell in love..."
"As for what happened after that, this old man doesn't know."
The Blue Silver King seemed to sense the turmoil in Tang San's emotions, and its tone softened:
"You are the Empress's child. Her blood flows through your veins, and you are only two or three Soul Rings away from awakening the Blue Silver Emperor on your own."
"Today, allow me to give you a helping hand, young lord."
As its voice fell,
the entire Blue Silver Forest seemed to come alive all at once.
Tens of thousands of Blue Silver Grass plants trembled in unison, each offering up its Soul Power. Blue points of light rose from their leaves like fireflies, gathering into a dazzling river of light that flowed toward Tang San from every direction.
The lights gently enveloped Tang San, layer upon layer, eventually forming a vast blue cocoon.
Tang San disappeared within the cocoon, quietly undergoing a transformation.
Tang Wu stepped back and waited quietly at the side.
After doing this, the Blue Silver King's main stem turned slightly, and its gaze fell on Tang Wu.
"Second young lord, your Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline... awakened long ago."
Tang Wu raised an eyebrow. "You could tell?"
"The moment you took your first step into this forest, this old man sensed it." The Blue Silver King's voice held a touch of emotion.
"The Empress's bloodline flows through you more purely than it does through the young lord. You no longer need our help."
Then it changed the subject. "Still, helping you condense a life-bound Soul Ring is well within my abilities."
A flicker of delight crossed Tang Wu's eyes.
Two months earlier, he had already reached the bottleneck at level fifty.
But he had held off on obtaining his fifth Soul Ring, waiting for Tang San and avoiding the risk of unstable Soul Power undermining his foundation. He had forced himself to wait until now.
Since the Blue Silver King had offered, there was no reason to refuse.
"Fine. Let's begin now."
Tang Wu nodded.
The Blue Silver King's leaves rose high once more. Even denser blue lights gathered, this time converging on Tang Wu.
The instant the lights entered his body, Tang Wu felt a warm torrent rush through his meridians, and every pore in his body seemed to open.
The fifth Soul Ring condensed with astonishing ease, without the slightest hint of difficulty.
Yellow, purple, purple, red, black.
The five Soul Rings lined up in succession, their colors an exceedingly strange combination.
The black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring was a life-bound Soul Ring that the Blue Silver King had helped condense. Its age would continue to increase as Tang Wu grew stronger, giving it limitless potential.
As for the fifth Soul Skill...
Tang Wu closed his eyes and sensed it, the corners of his mouth slowly lifting.
Blue Silver Emperor Domain.
Its effect was simple and direct: it expanded into a domain with a ten-meter radius, granting Tang Wu an incredibly powerful life force.
Even better, this Soul Skill activated passively. He didn't need to expend Soul Power to activate it himself.
That meant that from now on, as long as he was alive, the domain would exist forever.
Within ten meters, his life force would be inexhaustible, and his recovery ability would far surpass that of Soul Masters at the same level.
Combined with his absurdly powerful fourth Soul Skill...
Tang Wu waited there until the morning of the third day.
A crack suddenly appeared on the cocoon.
At last, a hand reached out from inside.