Bai Shu was somewhat puzzled. Didn't the original story say that the greatest effect of these two Immortal Herbs was to forge a body immune to ice and fire and enhance one's talent? It never said they could restore youth.
"Young Master, this is what happened..." Xie Biyan had lived for over a century, after all. He quickly reined in his turbulent emotions and gave Bai Shu a detailed explanation.
After listening to Xie Biyan's account, Bai Shu's expression turned strange before realization dawned on him.
The reason was simple. It was not the Immortal Herbs that had changed, but the person taking them.
The reason Tang San had changed so little in the original story was that his martial soul was purely life-aspected, fundamentally opposed to these two top-grade poisonous herbs.
As a result, although Tang San had absorbed the Immortal Herbs, much of their most tyrannical ice-and-fire poison had been neutralized and wasted. Nearly all the remaining energy had been used to transform his martial soul and body.
But Xie Biyan was different. He possessed a top-tier Poison Attribute martial soul.
The reason he had become so frail and aged by around two hundred years old was certainly partly due to hidden injuries left behind by his battles in youth. More importantly, however, he had spent years testing poisons on himself and cultivating poison techniques, allowing deadly toxins to erode the source of his life.
Now that the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot, two supreme Immortal Herbs, had entered his body, one ice and one fire, one yin and one yang, they directly refined and fused the mixed toxins within Xie Biyan into the most fundamental ice-and-fire poison. At the same time, they repaired his hidden injuries and the life source eroded by toxins.
With that, Xie Biyan's lifespan had returned to normal. Since he still had four or five hundred years left to live, he naturally recovered to the middle-aged state when his vitality had been at its peak!
"So that's how it is. Good thing I didn't take those two Immortal Herbs, or they really would have been wasted."
Having understood everything, Bai Shu took a deep breath and suppressed his excitement before asking the question that concerned him most. "Old Xie, then your strength..."
"Thanks to the Young Master's blessing!" Astonishing brilliance erupted in Xie Biyan's eyes. "This subordinate's Soul Power has recovered and broken through to level ninety-seven! Moreover, I have already touched the threshold of level ninety-eight!"
"Level ninety-seven?!" Bai Shu sucked in a sharp breath. He knew better than anyone what that number represented! Excluding Spirit Beasts, across the entire continent, even counting Tang Chen, only four and a half people had a higher level than Xie Biyan.
"I never expected such an enormous improvement!" Bai Shu hurriedly asked, "How long will Old Xie need before breaking through again?"
"This... is difficult to say." Xie Biyan pondered for a moment. "But it should not take too long. This time, I gained insight into the mystery of the two ultimate poisons of ice and fire: mutually opposed, yet perfectly blended together. I can already begin condensing a Second Soul Core. If I succeed, breaking through to level ninety-eight will naturally follow!"
"Level ninety-eight? A Second Soul Core?" Bai Shu simply did not know how to describe his current feelings. Immense joy surged through his mind in wave after wave.
What did a level ninety-eight Super Douluo with Dual Soul Cores represent? Under normal circumstances, even against a level ninety-nine Limit Douluo without a Soul Core, he would have more than enough strength.
Still, Bai Shu was not blinded by delight. He knew full well that the three remaining Limit Douluo on Douluo Continent could not be judged by conventional standards.
Tang Chen was manageable enough. Half-dead and trapped in Slaughter City, he could be treated as nonexistent as long as no one provoked him.
But Qian Daoliu of Spirit Hall and Bo Saixi of Sea God Island were different.
Not only could Qian Daoliu borrow the Angel God's power, he also possessed the Angel Sacred Sword left behind by the Angel God.
Bo Saixi was even more absurd. Her ninth soul skill was directly Sea God's Descent.
Forget level ninety-eight—Xie Biyan would most likely still be unable to defeat her even at level ninety-nine.
Of course, those were their ultimate trump cards. Once used, the price was also one they did not wish to bear.
So, all in all, as long as he did not force those two to flip the table, Bai Shu could basically strut across this continent unchallenged!
Only after a long while did Bai Shu finally calm his excitement. He said to Xie Biyan, "Old Xie, the matter of the Soul Core may have to wait two days. Come with me to Notting City first."
"Yes, Young Master." Xie Biyan answered respectfully, harboring no objections whatsoever to Bai Shu's arrangement.
Bai Shu nodded, then turned and pointed at a ganoderma whose cap resembled an umbrella and radiated a faint purple glow. He said to Dugu Bo:
"Senior Dugu, this is Ninth-Grade Purple Ganoderma. It stabilizes one's foundation, replenishes vital energy, and increases cultivation. It can help Spirit Masters break through bottlenecks and shatter their shackles. Although its effect on Titled Douluo is limited, it is a rare treasure for anyone below that level."
"Pick one and take it to the Heaven Dou City Auction House for auction. As for the auction date... set it one month from now."
"Remember," Bai Shu emphasized, "make sure to stress that this Ninth-Grade Purple Ganoderma has the miraculous effect of making up for congenital deficiencies and breaking through bottlenecks. Have the Heaven Dou Auction House use this as a selling point and spare no effort in publicizing it. I want the entire Heaven Dou Empire, even small border cities, to know about it."
What Bai Shu was referring to was naturally the Ninth-Grade Purple Ganoderma Yu Xiaogang had eaten in the original story. The purpose of the auction was to fish.
He was fishing not only for Yu Xiaogang, but also for Bibi Dong. The reason he had set the auction date so late was mainly to make an additional preparation.
If Bibi Dong showed no reaction, he could find a way to pass the news to Yu Xiaogang. With Yu Xiaogang's personality, he would definitely go to Spirit City to seek Bibi Dong.
"Yes, this subordinate will contact the Heaven Dou Auction House immediately upon returning."
Although Dugu Bo did not understand the deeper meaning behind Bai Shu's actions, he would no longer question any of Bai Shu's decisions. He only wanted to fulfill his duties as a subordinate and cling tightly to this unprecedentedly massive thigh.
Bai Shu suddenly remembered something and instructed him again, "Oh, right. Ask the Auction House whether they have any high-year Whale Rubber for sale. Buy several pieces for me, preferably ones over ten thousand years old."
"Uh, Whale Rubber?" Dugu Bo's expression instantly became strange.
He subconsciously looked at Bai Shu's somewhat slender frame, then glanced at the innocent Xiao Wu beside him. His expression shifted from complicated, to regretful, and finally gained a trace of sympathetic understanding.
He sighed inwardly. Sigh, the Young Master has peerless talent and a mind like a demon's, but he is still too young. He already needs that sort of thing at this age... and he is asking for ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber right away. The problem must be serious! Heaven truly envies genius!
Bai Shu immediately noticed Dugu Bo's concerned gaze toward a "kidney warrior." The corner of his mouth twitched violently, and the veins on his forehead throbbed twice.
"What nonsense are you thinking?!" Bai Shu interrupted his wild thoughts irritably. "Whale Rubber can improve one's physique, temper the muscles and bones, and increase the age limit of soul rings a Spirit Master can absorb! I'm buying it to lay a foundation for Xiao Wu and Sister Yanzi!"
"Increase soul ring... age limits?!!"
The strange expression on Dugu Bo's face instantly froze. His eyes widened abruptly, nearly bulging from their sockets, as he asked in utter disbelief, "Y-Young Master... y-you... what did you say?"
The restrictions on soul ring age limits were an ironclad law that had never wavered since Spirit Masters first appeared. He had never imagined there was actually a way to break that limit.
What shook him even more was that Bai Shu had casually told him such a shocking secret! This unguarded trust filled Dugu Bo with countless emotions in an instant, moving him so deeply that he did not know what to say.
At the same time, he regretted not meeting Bai Shu earlier. If they had met even two months sooner, his granddaughter's Second Spirit Ring might likewise have had a chance to reach the thousand-year level.
Fortunately, it was not too late now, so Dugu Bo agreed without another word.
"Rest assured, Young Master. This subordinate will gather as much high-year Whale Rubber as possible."
Before you continue