"Pills?" Drell picked up the green bottle on the table and opened it. A faint fragrance spread through the air, and the Martial Soul inside him stirred restlessly.
"Close it!" Qingxi hurriedly used her spiritual power to stopper the bottle again.
At the same time, nearly every Soul Master in the auction house sensed something strange about their Martial Souls.
"What is this..." Inside a luxurious private room, a blond youth who had been feigning sleep suddenly opened his eyes.
"What exactly is this?!" Drell stared in amazement at the jade bottle in his hand. For that instant, he had felt his Martial Soul develop a mind of its own.
"An Evolution Pill. It's used to break through the bloodline shackles of a Martial Soul," Qingxi explained.
"This... Are you sure? This has to be a joke!" Drell burst into laughter, looking almost crazed.
He was going insane. What in the world was this?!
No one would believe him if he told them.
Damn it, it could even improve a Martial Soul's bloodline?
"Do you have any idea how utterly fanciful that sounds?"
Qingxi propped her chin on her hand and looked calmly at the middle-aged man as he raved. "Whether it's real or not, won't we find out once it's sold?"
After all, in theory, this thing was only an experimental pill.
"Very well. You have my word, but what about the price?"
"There's only one. It goes to the highest bidder. You can use it right here, and if it doesn't work, you'll get a refund. I'll come find you in three months. Be ready then." She rose, lifted the curtain, and walked out.
Qingxi followed the stairs up to the second floor. She pushed open the door to the first room on the left and entered.
"Master~" A flash of green darted toward her, and Dugu Yan threw herself at her.
"What's wrong?" Qingxi hurriedly dodged.
"Miss Qing." Dugu Bo rose and was about to bow. "At last, I've met Yan'er's master today. I'm truly grateful for your kindness all those years ago..."
His line of Jade Phosphorous Serpent Soul Masters had relied on Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison to dominate the Soul Master World for centuries, yet every generation had suffered from soul poison.
If not for the woman before him, his granddaughter might eventually have met the same fate as her parents.
"Please..." Qingxi hurried forward and caught Dugu Bo's hand, stopping him from kneeling. "There's no need for that, Senior Dugu. I was reincarnated in the Dugu Family's herb garden back then—that was fate. Besides, Yan'er calls me Master now, so she's my disciple."
"You don't understand, Miss Qing. That was a problem that had plagued the Dugu Family for a hundred years. And if not for your gift, the Dugu Family would have died out by now. I might still be stuck at level 90, with no road ahead." As Dugu Bo spoke, tears streamed down his face.
"Grandpa..." Dugu Yan supported him, her eyes full of concern.
She had lost her mother when she was little, and her father had also died from soul poison. She had depended on her grandfather ever since, growing up spoiled and cherished. If her master hadn't pointed it out back then, she might still have had no idea she wouldn't live to see twenty.
"It's all in the past, Grandpa." She helped him sit at the table.
"If there's ever anything this old man can do for you, just ask. I'll repay you."
"Ah..." Qingxi scratched her head, unsure what to do. She hated seeing people cry, especially old people.
"If you really want to repay me, just keep an eye on my true body when you have time. And let me pick a few more Immortal Herbs from the herb garden."
"That won't be a problem. Don't worry, Miss. I've also laid a Poisonous Mist around the herb garden. No one will disturb your cultivation."
"Master." Dugu Yan leaned close to Qingxi's ear and whispered something, glancing at Dugu Bo now and then.
"Huh? Is that so?" Qingxi looked at Dugu Bo, thought it over, then said, "It's not impossible, but it's best to start cultivating the Dao when you're young. Your grandfather's already quite old, so I don't know if it'll work."
In the cultivation world, the best age to test for spiritual roots was generally six to eighteen. Before thirty, it still wasn't too late.
She had never seen anyone begin cultivating at over ninety.
"Master~" Dugu Yan shook Qingxi's arm, coaxing her.
"Let's give it a try." Qingxi reached into her Storage Bag and took out six spirit stones. She set up a simple formation and told Dugu Bo to step inside.
To be honest, using spirit stones to set up a formation saved her a lot of effort.
Inside the formation, everything had been sparse and ordinary. Then a brilliant green light suddenly blazed forth. Dugu Bo had also taken quite a few tempering medicinal baths over the years.
He heard a soft "pop," as if something had broken, but he didn't know that a wisp of spiritual energy had gathered in his dantian.
He had successfully drawn qi into his body.
"A single wood-attribute spiritual root?" A flicker of surprise flashed through Qingxi's eyes. She had never expected that the elderly man before her, who was nearly a hundred, would have a single spiritual root—a true genius.
She couldn't help letting out a long sigh. Such talent, such talent...
The blinding light faded, and the spirit stones crumbled into ash on the ground, then vanished with the wind.
"What is this..." Dugu Bo studied the young woman's complicated expression. Guessing that the result wasn't good, he didn't press her. "I'm already past fifty and have reached the Super Douluo realm. I have no regrets. I only happened to glimpse a sliver of possibility and wanted to try."
"It's all right, Master." Seeing her Master sigh, Dugu Yan had roughly guessed the result and gently comforted her.
"No, Senior, your talent is excellent. In the cultivation world, those with a single-attribute spiritual root advance faster than other cultivators. You have a single wood-attribute spiritual root, while Yan'er has dual wood-and-wind spiritual roots. At the same level of cultivation, Yan'er would have to work twice as hard as you to catch up."
"It's a pity... you're old..."
With talent like that, he would have been considered a genius in her previous life.
A flash of delight crossed Dugu Bo's eyes before fading into silence.
"Yes. I have to admit, I'm old."
"Master, is there really no way?"
"I never said you couldn't cultivate! You'll just progress more slowly. You can teach your grandfather the Azure Wood Heart Method you practice. There might be some minor side effects, but we won't know for sure until the Nascent Soul stage."
Qingxi raised her eyes to the old man across from her. "Once you embark on the path of cultivation, there's no turning back. Do you understand, Senior?"
"Yan'er has already told me what to expect. Thank you, Qing... Master."
"Don't! I haven't taught you anything. If you're so capable, call her Master!" Qingxi pointed at Dugu Yan beside her. "Just this once. Don't do it again."
Before she had the strength to protect herself, she didn't want to take on any more disciples.
Yan'er was still young and too easily swayed by her feelings.
Dugu Bo turned to his granddaughter and awkwardly called, "Master?"
"Grandpa, you're actually listening to Master's nonsense? She's just joking with you." Dugu Yan glared at the grinning woman and stamped her foot in anger.
Qingxi grinned mischievously. "From now on, we're the Evil Cult Trio!"
"Master!!" Dugu Yan shouted angrily.
Suddenly, fireworks crackled and exploded outside the window, and a man's voice rang through the Soto City Auction House.
"Welcome, everyone, to the Soto City Auction House! Today's auction officially begins!"
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