Lin Fan took the bowl of porridge and drank a couple of mouthfuls, then remembered something.
He looked up. "Xiao Lan, you said I was unconscious for two days. Does that mean Dong'er and the others are back?"
A flicker passed through Blue Silver's eyes. "No. That's why I said we'd wait for the teacher to return."
Lin Fan nodded. "All right. I hope nothing happened to them."
"Don't worry," Blue Silver said. "The villagers have hunted for generations. They're all experienced."
Then she changed the subject. "Oh, the Village Chief came to see you while you were unconscious. He asked me to let him know when you woke up."
As far as Lin Fan knew, the Village Chief was still helping the villagers clear the path blocked by the mudslide.
He felt bad about it. "Sorry for all the trouble I've caused you."
"It's no trouble." Blue Silver stood up. "Keep eating. I'll go tell the Village Chief."
"Mm."
Blue Silver left the room and soon arrived at the Pope's Palace.
"Blue Silver, has Lin Fan woken up?" Qian Xunji asked when he saw her.
"Yes, Your Holiness." Blue Silver bowed, then raised her head. "I asked him why he'd passed out, but I didn't quite understand his answer."
Qian Xunji immediately asked, "What did he say?"
Blue Silver repeated Lin Fan's words exactly.
"Lines that change color before his eyes?" Qian Xunji frowned. He seemed to recall Lin Fan saying something like that before.
At the time, he had assumed it was a sign that Lin Fan's sight was returning and had paid it no mind.
But after hearing Blue Silver's account, he realized it might not be that simple.
"I believe Lin Fan mentioned this not long ago," Qian Xunji said. "I didn't think much of it then."
"Given that he coughed up blood and lost consciousness from exhausting his Mental Power, I suspect those lines are a manifestation of a Mental Power ability."
Blue Silver looked surprised. "You mean he has an ability related to Mental Power, Your Holiness?"
"But didn't you say Lin Fan had no abilities at all, and that he wasn't even from Douluo Continent?"
"It's only a guess," Qian Xunji said helplessly. "His sudden arrival on Douluo Continent was unusual in itself."
"Or perhaps, after spending so long here, the Soul Power of Douluo Continent stimulated his potential and awakened some kind of Martial Soul."
"So if those multicolored lines he sees really are a manifestation of Mental Power, his talent for it far surpasses all of ours."
Blue Silver considered this. "Should we wait until his eyes heal, then confirm it?"
"There's no rush," Qian Xunji said. "He said he coughed up blood after touching those lines. That means the ability is still unstable, and forcing its use would harm him. We can test him after his damaged Mental Power recovers."
Blue Silver nodded. "All right. I'll head back, then."
She turned to leave, but Qian Xunji stopped her.
"Wait."
Blue Silver halted and looked back at him.
"Besides that, does Lin Fan suspect anything?" Qian Xunji asked.
"According to him, it's a lingering effect of his head injury," Blue Silver said. "He genuinely seems to think those lines are caused by blood pooled in his brain. He hasn't considered anything else."
Qian Xunji nodded. "Good. Let him keep believing that."
Blue Silver left the Pope's Palace.
Late that night.
Feeling a little better, Lin Fan lay in bed, staring at the lines before his eyes. For a long time, sleep eluded him.
"These Nerve Lines are a mess. They're all tangled together."
As he studied them, a thought struck him. "Wait. Where do they start? These Nerve Lines should have a source."
With that in mind, he followed one of the lines with his gaze, looking deeper and deeper.
But the farther he looked, the harder it became to see. It was as if the line had no source at all.
"I really want to tug on one and see if it breaks."
Then he remembered what had happened two days ago and abandoned the idea.
"Better leave it alone. I'll have the village doctor take a look when she gets back."
The day after Lin Fan woke, Bibi Dong and her companions returned to Spirit Hall, weary from their journey.
"Disciple greets her teacher!"
"Greetings, Your Holiness."
Bibi Dong stood in the middle, with Yue Guan and Gui Mei on either side of her, as they paid their respects to Qian Xunji.
"You're back. How did it go? Did you find the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well Lin Fan mentioned? And those wondrous Immortal Herbs?"
If they had found nothing, Qian Xunji would no longer trust Lin Fan's words.
But if they had, then everything Lin Fan had said was true.
Before Bibi Dong could speak, Yue Guan burst out excitedly, "Your Holiness, it's true! The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and the Immortal Herbs Lin Fan described really exist."
"I saw them myself. They're even more extraordinary than he said."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yue Guan eagerly showed the results of their trip.
Yue Guan released his Soul Power and Martial Soul. Qian Xunji shot to his feet in shock. "Level 95 Soul Power! You were only level 93 when you left a few days ago. How did you reach level 95 so quickly?"
"I really did find the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well," Yue Guan said with delight. "It matched my Martial Soul. After I ate it, my Martial Soul became flawless, and my Soul Power rose by two levels."
"You ate it?" Qian Xunji froze. "What about you, Dong'er? Gui Mei?"
Gui Mei replied, "Your Holiness, I only gained one level, but I'm confident I can reach the Super Douluo realm."
Bibi Dong spoke next. "Teacher, my Soul Power was lower, so I gained five levels. But..."
She trailed off.
"But what?" Qian Xunji pressed.
"My Twin Martial Souls are gone," Bibi Dong said. "They fused into a new Martial Soul, which I named the Netherworld Sky Spider. My Soul Rings have become three purple and three black."
"I don't know whether that's good or bad."
"What?" A flicker of surprise crossed Qian Xunji's eyes. "Use Martial Soul Possession. Let me see."
Bibi Dong channeled her Soul Power and activated Martial Soul Possession, taking on the appearance of the Netherworld Valkyrie from the darkness once more.
Qian Xunji studied her for a long time.
Bibi Dong stood there awkwardly. No matter how she looked at it, going from two Martial Souls to one seemed like a loss.
Yue Guan quickly spoke up. "Your Holiness, the Saintess may have lost her two Spider Emperor Martial Souls, but this new Martial Soul is stronger than both of them."
"I suspect the fusion caused it to evolve into a God-Level Martial Soul."
"A God-Level Martial Soul?" Qian Xunji withdrew his gaze and said slowly, "Judging by its presence and aura alone, the new Martial Soul is indeed much stronger than either Spider Emperor was."
"But those were Twin Martial Souls. She's lost the chance to acquire more Soul Rings."
Bibi Dong did not dismiss her Martial Soul. Instead, she channeled the Netherworld Sky Spider's Soul Power. Dark green patterns flared across her purple-black armor, and eight Netherworld Spider Spears spread out behind her, their tips gleaming with a cold, dark green light.
"Teacher, look."
She raised her left hand. The Netherworld Sky Spider's phantom appeared above her palm, its purple-black form larger than either the Death Spider Emperor or the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor had been.
Its aura was so concentrated it seemed almost solid. Dark green and purple-gold patterns of light flowed along every Spider Spear.
"Although the fusion of my Twin Martial Souls left me with only one, the Netherworld Sky Spider retained both the Death Spider Emperor's deadly poison and the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor's devouring ability."
"It even awakened its innate Martial Soul talent early... a domain!"
Before you continue