Deep within the quiet side hall.
Behind the tightly shut, heavy stone doors, the raging torrent of energy gradually subsided.
Seated cross-legged on a cushion, Xiao Dong wore a faint flush of heat on his handsome face. The medicinal power of the Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill, which had run wild within him, had been completely absorbed through Homelander's formidable physique and the refining power of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame.
Boom!
As the final barrier in his meridians shattered, a vast, surging wave of soul power swept out from Xiao Dong like a towering breaker!
Level fifty-four!
Level fifty-seven!
Level sixty!
His skyrocketing soul power finally settled firmly at the threshold of a fully attained level sixty!
"Whew..."
Xiao Dong slowly opened his eyes. Two lightning-sharp gleams flashed deep within his dark pupils as he exhaled a long breath of white vapor, the corners of his mouth lifting into a grin of irrepressible delight.
The peak fourth-grade Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill truly had not disappointed him.
In a mere half an incense stick of secluded cultivation, he had crossed a full seven levels of soul power in one leap, reaching the pinnacle of level sixty!
"Now that my soul power has reached the peak of level sixty, all I need is to casually pick up a sixth soul ring, and I can officially enter the ranks of Six-Ring Soul Emperors..."
Xiao Dong slowly clenched his fists, his heart burning as he felt the terrifying power surging through his body.
More importantly, once he successfully broke through to the Soul Emperor realm, the seventh seal on the Xiao Yan Inheritance deep within his mind would naturally unlock!
A Dou Emperor-level inheritance!
"Hmm?"
Just as Xiao Dong was silently weighing his plans, his brow suddenly lifted. His Super Hearing and tremendous spiritual perception keenly caught a disturbance coming from the front gate of the Separate Courtyard.
"Such a powerful presence. It seems to be a level ninety-four Power Attack System Titled Douluo."
Xiao Dong narrowed his eyes, sweeping his X-Ray Divine Gaze through the overlapping courtyard buildings. A cold, amused smile immediately curled his lips.
"Quick work. To think she'd follow the trail of the pill's fragrance to my doorstep so soon..."
At that moment, outside the main gate of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's residence.
A tall, mature woman in form-fitting dark green leather armor hovered quietly half a foot above the ground, her bearing valiant and striking, her beautiful eyes filled with uncertainty and surprise.
She was none other than Martial God Douluo, Xian Lin'er, who had followed the pill's aura all the way from the Valley Outside the City!
Looking at the exquisite Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda emblem carved into the plaque above the gate, the dean of Shrek Academy's Soul Tool Department could not help knitting her willow-leaf brows tightly.
This is actually the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's Separate Courtyard residence here...
Xian Lin'er murmured inwardly, her face filled with disbelief.
Ten thousand years had passed, and the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had long since lost the supreme prestige it once held among the Upper Three Sects. Its influence dwindled by the day, and even its highest ranks of combat power had suffered a gap. How could it possibly have recruited an Alchemy Grandmaster capable of stirring phenomena throughout heaven and earth?!
"Your... Your Majesty, War God?!"
The Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect disciples guarding the gate nearly dropped to their knees when they recognized Xian Lin'er. Not daring to show the slightest neglect, they hurriedly bowed in fearful reverence and welcomed the continent-renowned Titled Douluo into the reception hall.
Meanwhile, at a corner of the rear courtyard's covered walkway.
Having just finished bathing and changing, Ning Tian, Wu Feng, and Xiao Xiao walked together with delighted smiles, preparing to visit Xiao Dong in the side hall and offer their thanks.
All three had changed into fresh, lightweight dresses that hugged their figures. After undergoing Marrow-Cleansing and Bone-Refining with the Spirit Liquid, their delicate bodies were as white and smooth as freshly peeled eggs. Their lovely faces still bore a touching blush and traces of moisture, and as they walked, an intoxicating maidenly fragrance drifted from them.
However, the moment the three girls entered the corridor leading to the reception hall, the figure in dark green leather armor at its center, radiating overwhelming pressure, made Ning Tian freeze in her tracks!
"That's..."
Ning Tian's beautiful eyes widened as far as they could, all color draining from her delicate, refined face as she cried out, "The dean of Shrek Academy's Soul Tool Department, Her Majesty Martial God Douluo, Xian Lin'er?!"
Hearing Ning Tian's horrified cry, Wu Feng and Xiao Xiao jolted in surprise and hastily turned their gazes toward her.
She was a beautiful, mature woman who appeared to be in her thirties. Her tight dark green leather armor outlined a pair of ample peaks that seemed ready to burst free, while her long, firm, sensual thighs and supple, slender waist radiated an astonishing wild allure. Yet what left the two girls struggling to breathe was the supreme might of a level ninety-four Titled Douluo faintly emanating from her!
A Titled Douluo!
And one who held the exalted position of dean at Shrek Academy!
In an instant, Wu Feng and Xiao Xiao were filled with profound awe and anxiety, even holding their breath involuntarily.
At the center of the hall, Xian Lin'er slowly turned around. Her spirited phoenix eyes swept over the three girls, and without wasting time on pleasantries, she spoke in a cool, direct voice:
"Do not be alarmed, Young Sect Master Ning. Though I have come unannounced today, I am not here to trouble your Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. I merely have a question."
Xian Lin'er drew a deep breath, the high chest of her leather armor rising and falling sharply as she fixed Ning Tian with a burning gaze.
"That faint medicinal fragrance of supremely pure blood and vital energy in the barren mountains outside the city earlier-what expert did it come from?!"
At this earth-shattering question, all three girls trembled violently, their beautiful eyes instantly filling with storm-tossed waves of shock!
Xiao Dong... had actually been right!
That Blood-Tempering Body Pill, which he had seemingly thrown together on a whim out in the wilds, had truly drawn a level ninety-four Titled Douluo to their doorstep to seek medicine in the blink of an eye!
Seeing the utter shock on their faces, Xian Lin'er assumed they had reservations about revealing their sect's secrets. Her phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, and she softened her tone as she said earnestly:
"I know that such divine medicine is a supreme opportunity that wrests fortune from heaven and earth. But I have been trapped at the level ninety-four bottleneck for years without the slightest progress. I desperately need such a Divine Pill to shatter the shackles of fate and advance to Super Douluo. As long as you are willing to introduce me to that grandmaster and persuade him to part with it, no matter how demanding your sect's terms of payment may be, both Shrek Academy and I, Xian Lin'er, will accept them in full!"
For a Divine Pill capable of helping her break through, the normally unyieldingly proud Martial God Douluo had even lowered herself before everyone!
Feeling the urgency and longing in Xian Lin'er's words, the three girls' hearts pounded wildly.
However, after personally experiencing the heaven-defying miracle of a tiny drop of Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid raising their soul power by several levels in succession, they felt that this dignified Titled Douluo's loss of composure and fervor were perfectly understandable.
Drawing a deep breath, Ning Tian shook her head with a wry smile and bowed.
"Dean Xian, you give us far too much credit. Such an unparalleled Divine Pill, capable of stirring phenomena throughout heaven and earth, could never be refined by anyone belonging to our Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. We were merely fortunate enough to bask in its reflected glory. The true Alchemy Grandmaster... is someone else."
"Someone else?!"
An intensely brilliant gleam burst from the depths of Xian Lin'er's phoenix eyes. Her breathing instantly quickened, and she pressed impatiently, "Where is he? Please invite that senior out to meet me at once!"
"Creak..."
The instant Xian Lin'er's urgent words fell, the wooden door at the rear slowly swung open.
Then a slender young man dressed in fitted black clothes stepped out, strolling along with leisurely, unhurried strides.
Before you continue