The End of the Metamorphoses and a Possible Cause, the Blooming Flower of Elements
"Yanyan, how are you feeling?"
Seeing the noticeable changes in his granddaughter, Dugu Bo asked with concern.
"I feel great. My affinity and ability to draw in the Heaven and Earth Essence and earth have noticeably improved, and my cultivation speed has also increased slightly."
Setting down her bowl of porridge, Dugu Yan answered with a joyful expression.
Then she turned to Tang Shan, her voice clear and gentle, carrying an unusual tenderness, "Thank you."
Tang Shan: "This was originally taken from your grandfather's Medicine Garden, why are you thanking me?"
Dugu Bo's lips twitched slightly, but in the end he said nothing.
What does transformation feel like?
Tang Shan was somewhat curious.
"I didn't feel anything special. It was like sleeping in an extremely comfortable space, feeling warm all over. When I woke up, the transformation was complete."
Dugu Yan reflected on how she had felt just now.
What about consumption?
"It certainly took a lot of energy." Dugu Yan picked up the bowl of porridge to show her. "It wasn't very noticeable right after the transformation, but I quickly felt weak."
"Let's observe for a few more days and see. It's not too late to start the second transformation after we've fully processed and analyzed the gains from this one."
Dugu Bo made a decision.
Tang Shan also highly approves of this.
For the next period of time, Tang Shan traveled back and forth between the Crown Prince's Residence and the Dugu Manor. On one hand, he trained the Body Soul Master at the Crown Prince's Residence, and on the other hand, he went to the Dugu Manor to observe the follow-up of Dugu Yan's transformation. The progress on both sides was quite gratifying.
Two more people at the Crown Prince's Residence's residence have mastered the Stance Technique, but unfortunately, these two belong to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and cannot be considered Xue Qinghe's direct descendants;
Meanwhile, at the Dugu Manor, the benefits of Dugu Yan's first transformation had fully manifested: her Innate Soul Power increased by one level, and her cultivation level broke through from level twenty-seven to level twenty-eight. Her cultivation speed significantly accelerated, and her physical flexibility, strength, and Soul Ring carrying capacity all improved. However, since she was originally a snake Martial Soul, her flexibility was already extremely exaggerated, so this improvement was merely icing on the cake.
Once the foundation laid by the first transformation is solid, the second transformation will begin as scheduled.
This time, her physical condition improved in every way, and even more so, the Ninefold Bloom's sculpting of her appearance became increasingly exquisite.
Dugu Yan's face seemed to have been sketched with the most delicate brushstrokes in the world, shedding her girlish innocence, and her beauty and charm bloomed in layers, heading towards the direction of bringing disaster to the country and the people, and being so beautiful that she could topple a country.
If her beauty was previously merely described as "pretty" or "beautiful," then after being refined twice by the Ninefold Bloom, her beauty had penetrated to the bone, becoming an unparalleled beauty etched into people's hearts.
A few days later, the atmosphere in the living room of the Dugu Manor was no longer as relaxed as before. Dugu Bo frowned, while Dugu Yan held the Ninefold Bloom in both hands, her fingertips slightly clenched, and the disappointment in her eyes was almost overflowing.
"How could it reach its Limit after only two transformations?"
Dugu Bo was completely puzzled.
In his view, with his granddaughter's talent, even if she couldn't reach the ultimate nine transformations, five or six would be no problem. But after two transformations, Dugu Yan was unable to pluck the third petal of the Ninefold Bloom.
Just then, a loud knocking sound rang out on the door.
Dugu Bo raised an eyebrow, glanced at his granddaughter beside him whose eyes were dim and who showed no intention of getting up, sighed helplessly, and turned to walk towards the gate.
"Kid, you're here?"
As he opened the door, Dugu Bo looked at Tang Shan outside with a displeased expression.
Tang Shan blinked, peeked into the mansion, and asked, somewhat puzzled, "Senior, why are you the one who opened the door?"
Dugu Bo raised an eyebrow. "You want Yanyan to open the door for you?"
Tang Shan shook his head frankly and said straightforwardly, "I feel like you've never really welcomed me when we meet, so I'm just curious since you're the one opening the door today. I don't mean anything by it."
Dugu Bo's facial muscles twitched almost imperceptibly for a moment - It's not that I don't welcome you, it's that I'm afraid you'll run away with my precious granddaughter!
Suppressing his anger, Dugu Bo's expression turned serious as he stepped aside to clear the doorway. "You've come at the right time. We originally planned for Yanyan to begin her third transformation today, but she just tried, and she can't pluck the petals."
"That shouldn't be the case." Tang Shan stroked his chin, his brows furrowing. "Even with the worst luck, it shouldn't only be enough for two transformations."
"If you dare say that in front of Yanyan, I'll teach you a lesson!" Dugu Bo warned irritably.
"Don't worry, senior."
As Tang Shan entered the living room, he saw that Dugu Yan had already composed herself and stood up to greet him with a smile, "Tang Shan, you've come."
But the smile was forced, and her once bright purple eyes were now as dull as dusty gems.
Unfortunately, Tang Shan is the kind of person who is exceptionally oblivious to emotional details—not that he didn't see them, but rather that he subconsciously ignored them, focusing only on the issue of the Ninefold Bloom.
"Can't you pick it off?" Tang Shan walked closer and asked softly.
Dugu Yan pursed her lips and didn't speak, but simply raised her hand and pointed to the third layer of petals of the Ninefold Bloom.
Soul Power swirled around her fingertips as she exerted a slight force, trying to pluck at the petals. But no matter how hard she tried, the petals remained firmly attached to the calyx, unmoving.
Tang Shan's expression darkened; Dugu Yan was indeed temporarily unable to continue picking the Ninefold Bloom.
"Release your Martial Soul and let me see it." After a moment, Tang Shan spoke in a deep voice.
Dugu Yan did as she was told and obediently activated her Martial Soul.
Pale green Soul Power surged from her body, and the next second, her legs intertwined and merged like a serpent, transforming into a long, lustrous snake tail. The snake tail was covered with dense, emerald green scales, each scale as exquisite as a finely carved piece of jade.
The face, which originally carried a touch of childishness, shed its immaturity the moment the Martial Soul Possession, gaining a touch of cold and mature beauty. The purple pupils suddenly turned into vertical lines, becoming clear vertical pupils, carrying the unique majesty of a snake-type Martial Soul, making people dare not look directly at them easily, yet the stunning beauty between her brows and eyes was captivating, forming an extreme contrast.
The snake's tail gently coiled, lifting her increasingly exquisite body after her Martial Soul Possession, her skin glowing faintly under the reflection of her Soul Power.
Tang Shan's gaze faltered for a moment. He had never imagined that Dugu Yan would look like this after Martial Soul Possession. Her icy expression, intertwined with the alluring charm emanating from her very bones, was like a thorny datura, tempting people step by step towards depravity.
Fortunately, his will was strong enough that he quickly regained his senses. His gaze was fixed on Dugu Yan's scales as he carefully examined the changes in her Martial Soul. After a moment, he suddenly asked, "Yanyan, what kind of Soul Beast did you hunt for your First Soul Ring?"
"It's a Jade Phosphorus Snake with five hundred years of cultivation." Before Dugu Yan could speak, Dugu Bo, who was standing to the side, answered first.
Dugu Yan nodded slightly.
Tang Shan pointed to the scales on her snake tail, his tone becoming more certain. "Your Martial Soul has undergone a latent mutation, which you may not have noticed yourself. The emerald green of your scales is more vibrant than before, yet it possesses a restrained quality that makes people subconsciously overlook this change. This should be the result of the complete fusion of your First Soul Ring's Jade Phosphorus Snake bloodline and your Second Soul Ring's Faceless Snake bloodline under the catalysis of the Ninefold Bloom."
I predict that once you absorb the Third Soul Ring and obtain a new Soul Beast bloodline, you should be able to pluck the third petal.
The effect of these Ninefold Bloom on you is not simply a physical enhancement, but rather to promote the fusion between you and your Soul Ring bloodline, allowing your Martial Soul to mutate in a more perfect direction.
Is this true?
Upon hearing this, Dugu Yan's dim purple eyes brightened slightly.
Actually, she wasn't fixated on the medicinal properties of the Immortal Herb; it was just that Tang Shan had given her such a precious treasure, yet she hadn't been able to fully utilize its value, and she felt she had let him down.
"I can't be 100% sure either; this is just a speculation based on the changes in your Martial Soul." Tang Shan shrugged helplessly. After all, the Ninefold Bloom wasn't Immortal Herb that appeared in the original story, so he couldn't accurately determine its effects.
"It's alright, Yanyan." Seeing this, Dugu Bo quickly comforted her, "After your last transformation, your cultivation level reached the peak of level twenty-nine. As long as you cultivate diligently for a while, you'll soon break through to level thirty. When you absorb your Third Soul Ring, you'll know whether it's as this kid said or not."
Yes, we're only one step away from level 30; we'll be able to verify the answer then.
Dugu Yan took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions in her heart. The disappointment in her eyes gradually faded, and she regained her usual radiance.
"Just like Grandpa said, we'll be able to verify it soon, so don't worry, and don't let the matter of the Immortal Herb disrupt your cultivation rhythm," Tang Shan added, trying to comfort him.
Dugu Yan withdrew her Martial Soul, and her snake tail slowly transformed into legs, restoring her appearance as a young girl.
She looked up at Tang Shan, her purple eyes filled with a hint of reproach, and rolled her eyes at him, saying, "What a blockhead!"
Tang Shan was baffled by that look, wondering why Dugu Yan was rolling her eyes at him.
He was completely unaware of what was happening, but Dugu Bo, standing to the side, was heartbroken. "It's over, it's over! Judging from this, my granddaughter is probably really going to fall for this kid!"
If Golden Crocodile Douluo knew Dugu Bo was thinking at this moment, he would most likely beat him up. "How about we switch?" Xiao Xue is more and more enthusiastic each time, but every time she says "left and right arms" or "capable subordinate." If she had half as much straightforwardness as your granddaughter, I could also legitimately go to that kid and ask him for advice on the techniques of fusing Qi and Blood, Soul Power, and Mental Power!
On the other side, in a spacious hall, seven distinct elemental forces were surging wildly. The clarity of water, the heat of fire, the weight of earth, the speed of wind, the holiness of light, the solitude of darkness, and the etherealness of space—the seven colors of light intertwined, and the elemental fluctuations surged like layers of turbulent waves.
"Match it!"
A clear shout rang out.
In an instant, the seven elements that had been raging wildly suddenly subsided, no longer Collision with each other. The power of the four elements—water, fire, earth, and wind—was the first to condense, transforming into four crystal-clear elemental flowers that landed steadily below, forming a solid base. Next, the power of light and darkness Entanglement and condensed into a black and white two-tone flower, supporting the four basic flowers and forming the tower's body. Finally, the ethereal power of space spiraled upwards, transforming into a shimmering silver spatial flower that landed at the very top, becoming the tower's spire.
Seven flowers, layered upon each other, coalesce into a delicate flower tower the size of a palm, with each layer of the tower corresponding to an element.
The next second, the pagoda trembled slightly, its layers began to merge, and the light grew increasingly intense. Under the watchful eyes of three people who were both tense and shocked, it finally coalesced into a giant seven-colored flower.
Petals of seven colors—blue, red, yellow, cyan, black, white, and silver—unfurl layer by layer, each petal as clear as jade, shimmering with the luster of its own element. At the heart of the flower, the power of the seven elements intertwines and swirls, forming a small vortex within which terrifying energy is brewing wildly, as if it could explode at any moment.
Her fair, delicate hands cradled the mixed-element flower, and the volatile elements became as docile as if they had met their master in her hands.
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