After all, in a fantasy sewer like the Douluo Continent, the opportunities offered by Immortal Herbs were so outrageous that no transmigrator could afford to pass them up.
Otherwise, giving the Immortal Herbs to Tang San would be like letting an enemy cheat.
Zhou Tong could never stand for that.
"You look about the same age as Lingling, young friend. Just call me Aunt Ye."
Ye Xiyue took Ye Lingling by the hand and walked over to Zhou Tong.
"You two can spend more time together from now on."
"My Nine-Heart Begonia Family will never treat its benefactor unfairly."
"May I ask which academy our little hero studies at?"
Zhou Tong smiled faintly. "My name is Zhou Tong. I just graduated from Notting Academy, and I'm about to head to Heaven Dou Royal Academy."
At that, Ye Xiyue's beautiful eyes widened in surprise. "What a coincidence. Lingling is a student at Royal Academy too."
"You'll be classmates from now on."
A hint of delight appeared in Ye Xiyue's eyes. "This isn't the place to talk. Zhou Tong, you saved Lingling's life. Would you be willing to stay at my home as our guest for a few days?"
"That would be great. I was just planning to head to the imperial city."
Zhou Tong agreed at once.
It was so unsafe out here. What if he ran into bandits?
Having this group escort him back would save him plenty of trouble.
Heaven Dou Imperial City.
The Ye Family of the Nine-Heart Begonia.
"Your Second Soul Ring is a thousand-year one?"
Ye Xiyue stared at the faint purple ring around Zhou Tong, her eyes wide with astonishment.
"How could your body possibly withstand such powerful Soul Power?"
"A thousand-year Soul Ring is something only a Soul Elder can absorb."
Ye Lingling's delicate lips parted as she stared at the purple Soul Ring in disbelief.
She had seen Zhou Tong's Soul Rings earlier, but only glanced at them and hadn't given them much thought.
Now that she examined them closely, she finally spotted the telltale signs.
It was simply terrifying.
"What an unparalleled genius! This is the first thousand-year Second Soul Ring the continent has ever seen!"
Ye Xiyue's beautiful eyes were filled with astonishment.
Seeing this Soul Ring only strengthened her resolve to befriend Zhou Tong.
He was undoubtedly a genius!
In the future, Zhou Tong would become at least a Titled Douluo—and might even reach level ninety-nine and become a Peerless Douluo!
The Nine-Heart Begonia Family was a family of support-type Soul Masters, and had always enjoyed befriending the powerful, especially talented Soul Masters.
"Zhou Tong, you really are a genius!"
Ye Xiyue could barely hide her admiration.
"I just got lucky. I was actually planning to absorb a Hundred-Year Soul Ring, but I happened to get the chance to absorb this one."
Zhou Tong waved it off.
"I'm curious. How were you able to absorb a Soul Ring beyond your limit?"
Ye Xiyue asked curiously.
"I have a trick: training my body by eating Whale Rubber. It works wonders."
Zhou Tong made up an excuse on the spot to brush the question aside.
They truly had no idea that Whale Rubber could be used to train the body.
He could definitely fool them with that.
"Training your body with Whale Rubber?"
"Isn't Whale Rubber used in the bedroom?"
"My family has practiced medicine for generations and knows medicinal ingredients inside out. I've never heard of Whale Rubber being edible."
Ye Xiyue looked a little uneasy.
She was an expert in medicinal herbs, after all, and her family ran a pharmacy.
"Whale Rubber is edible, and it's excellent for body training. You just didn't know about it."
"If you don't believe me, try a little and see for yourselves."
Zhou Tong said with certainty.
Ye Xiyue suddenly understood.
She hadn't expected this young man to know about medicinal herbs too.
"Little brother, you saved Lingling and even told me such an important secret."
"My Ye Family must thank you."
"I have a pound of ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber. You can have it."
"Is there anything else you'd like?"
Ye Xiyue offered immediately.
Zhou Tong had saved her daughter's life. She had to reward him generously.
At that, Zhou Tong raised an eyebrow, and an idea came to him.
His next goal was Dugu Bo's Immortal Herbs.
But many of the Immortal Herbs at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well were uncommon medicinal ingredients. Since Ye Xiyue knew about herbs, he could ask her to teach him about them.
"I'm actually very interested in medicinal herbs, and I want to find some ingredients for body training."
"I was wondering if you had any books on medicinal herbs that could broaden my knowledge, Auntie."
Ye Xiyue smiled. "You've come to the right person. When it comes to books on medicinal herbs, my family has more than anyone."
Not long afterward, Ye Xiyue took Zhou Tong to the Ye Family's library and let him browse whatever he wanted.
She even allowed Zhou Tong to take a few books with him.
Zhou Tong was naturally delighted. He threw himself into studying medicinal herbs and searching for books about Immortal Herbs.
To his surprise, he really did find a few relevant books.
"Immortal Herb Compendium."
"Collection of Rare Herbs of the Douluo Continent."
"Great, I'll take these two books."
He spotted detailed records of Immortal Herbs such as Aromatic Silk Beauty, and grew instantly excited.
With these books, identifying Immortal Herbs would be no trouble.
One month later.
Early morning.
As the sun rose, Zhou Tong headed straight out of the city toward Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
A sprawling cluster of magnificent buildings appeared on the horizon. Heaven Dou Royal Academy stood nestled among mountains, backed by hills and beside water, with mist curling around it.
"What a grand place."
Zhou Tong sighed, then stepped onto the broad stone stairs leading to the academy gates.
After a while, he finally reached the entrance.
A guard in full armor immediately stopped him.
"Young man, you've come to the wrong place."
"This is Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Anyone who isn't a student here is forbidden to enter."
Zhou Tong replied proudly, "I'm here to enroll."
The guard looked surprised. "The academy's enrollment period ended this year. You're a little late."
"However, if you have a letter of recommendation, we can report your arrival."
Zhou Tong instead took out a token, decorated with intricate patterns and bearing the large character "Xue."
"I don't have a letter of recommendation, but someone told me I could get in with this token."
The guard took the token solemnly and examined it twice. He sucked in a sharp breath. "The Crown Prince's token!"
Stunned and uncertain, he studied Zhou Tong and asked cautiously, "Which noble family are you from, young genius?"
"I'm not a noble. I'm just a commoner."
"Just tell me—can I get in or not?"
Although Heaven Dou Royal Academy's rules said it didn't accept commoner Soul Masters, Xue Qinghe was the exception to those rules!
Zhou Tong wanted to see if they dared turn him away.
The guard frowned, his face clouded with uncertainty. He knew the academy's rules: Soul Masters who weren't nobles couldn't enter. But since the Crown Prince had given his approval, the rules could be bent.
Anyone backed by the Crown Prince was no ordinary person. Better not to offend him.
He hurriedly said, "Since you have the Crown Prince's token, the academy certainly won't turn you away."
"Please wait a moment while I go inside and report this."
As soon as he finished speaking, the guard spun around and sprinted into the academy.
Zhou Tong stood calmly where he was, admiring the scenery of Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
"As expected of the empire's wealthiest academy."
"Even the landscaping is made with luxurious materials."
Before you continue