Breaking the Seal

"Hmm..."

Bibi Dong silently circulated the cultivation method for a while. "It really does seem to help... My cultivation speed has increased by ten percent."

She was secretly astonished. Didn't that mean the person before her was even more talented than she was?

If he hadn't carried the holy angel bloodline, she could easily have taken him as her student.

Unfortunately... Qian Daoliu's stance on her plan for the years ahead remained unclear, so she had to remain wary of members of the Holy Angel Family.

As Bibi Dong sensed the mark's presence, she stroked Xu Xiaonian's head in satisfaction, her spirits lifted.

"I certainly won't take your blessing for nothing. Tell me, what reward would you like?"

Xu Xiaonian secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then said excitedly:

"Thank you, Your Holiness. I hope you can cure my mother's illness."

Sensing the connection between himself and the Retainer Imprint, he silently drew his conclusions:

It seems that as long as I don't draw Bibi Dong's soul and Spiritual Power through the mark, she shouldn't discover it for now.

The Evil God Mark's level is still too low. It can't forcibly counter a soul master whose strength far exceeds mine. Perhaps I can find a way to raise the level of Bibi Dong's mark...

That should keep this crazy woman from casually snuffing me out one day because she dislikes the Holy Spirit Aura on me.

"Oh? What a filial child." Bibi Dong was slightly surprised, and her impression of Xu Xiaonian improved a little.

After all, she was a mother herself.

Even if her relationship with her own child was poor, she couldn't help admiring a filial child when she saw one.

At the thought of Qian Renxue, Bibi Dong sighed inwardly, then said, "I can agree to that, but I must remind you..."

"Curing your mother's illness won't truly restore her health."

"The real issue is Qian Peijiu's frail constitution, caused by her failure to absorb a soul ring in her younger years. You'll have to find a way to improve her constitution completely."

"That requires exceedingly rare immortal medicines and immortal herbs. I'm afraid Spirit City has none at present..."

Improving her constitution... Immortal medicines and immortal herbs...

Hearing those key words, Xu Xiaonian's eyes lit up as he thought of the treasure trove that was the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

The only difficulty was that Dugu Bo, a Titled Douluo, wouldn't be easy to deal with.

Just then.

A girl who appeared to be thirteen or fourteen, possessed of a natural, captivating allure, entered from outside the hall. She asked respectfully, "Teacher, did you need me?"

Bibi Dong nodded, pointed at Xu Xiaonian, and instructed:

"Nana, arrange a place for him to stay in the Papal Palace, and look after him. From now on, he's a member of Spirit Hall."

"Also, haven't you just reached rank thirty? When Chrysanthemum Guan and Long Ao take you to hunt soul beasts, bring him along and get him a soul ring too."

"Yes, Teacher."

Hu Liena first replied respectfully, then looked at Xu Xiaonian's youthful face and wondered, Isn't he still a child? Does he already need a soul ring?

Of course, anyone who earns Teacher's favor couldn't possibly be ordinary.

On the Gilded Throne, Bibi Dong propped her cheek on one hand and watched the curious Hu Liena lead Xu Xiaonian away. She couldn't help savoring the sensation of that soul power with its evil god attribute.

"The Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor still hasn't had its fill. Perhaps I can find an opportunity to do it again..."

"There are still more than ten years before that plan begins..."

"If he can grow quickly enough to perform a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with me, things will probably go much more smoothly."

"Xu Xiaonian... Don't disappoint me..."

Without a doubt, the plan referred to here was her grand ambition to establish the Spirit Hall Empire and unify the Douluo Continent.

In a private courtyard residence.

Xu Xiaonian followed Hu Liena there and saw several capable, efficient attendants moving about.

Even without his memories of his previous life, this many people would have been more than enough to care for a child.

"This will be your residence from now on. If there's anything you don't understand about cultivation, you can ask me directly..."

"Of course, you can stay at home too. But if you do, you'll have to come back here whenever you have questions about cultivation."

After showing him around the courtyard, Hu Liena left.

Once he had watched her leave, Xu Xiaonian went into an empty room to continue his unfinished exploration of the Evil God Mark-Gifting Method.

A short while later, he opened his eyes, looking thoughtful.

As it turned out, the Retainer Mark had seven levels in total, from level one to level seven.

The higher the mark's level, the more Spiritual Power and soul power he could obtain from his dependents whenever he acquired a soul ring.

Conversely, dependents with higher-level marks could share more of his talent, giving them greater potential for improvement.

The mark on Bibi Dong had no level. Only after a dependent willingly made their first sacrifice would the mark rise to level one.

After that, the way to raise the mark's level was... to perform the corresponding fusion skill with the dependent.

A mark raised to level one would allow Xu Xiaonian to gain a rough understanding of the dependent's mental activity and thoughts.

Through the connection provided by the Retainer Imprint, he could perform a fusion skill with his retainers similar to the Shrek Seven Devils' Seven-in-One Fusion Skill.

Although it fell short of a true Martial Soul Fusion Skill, which united body and mind, its power still couldn't be underestimated.

Once the Retainer Imprint reached level four, it could even smooth away conflicts in compatibility between his Martial Soul and his retainers' Martial Souls, allowing him to perform a true Martial Soul Fusion Skill with them.

Xu Xiaonian looked thoughtful.

The basic principle behind raising the Retainer Imprint's level was that, while performing a fusion skill, their shared soul power circulated between them, closely linking the soul masters' spiritual power and soul power.

At that moment, he would stimulate the aura of his Dark Demon Evil God Tiger Martial Soul to further permeate the soul of the Evil God Retainer where the imprint had taken root, allowing the soul imbued with his aura to nourish the imprint.

That would raise the Retainer Imprint's level.

Indeed, after a dependent made their first sacrifice, the mark would take root directly in their soul.

The effect that subsequent fusion skills had on the mark resembled a farmer growing crops—the mark—by fertilizing the soil—the soul—which then nourished the crops.

Finally, there was a limit to the total number of marks: no more than thirteen.

He had used one on Bibi Dong, leaving twelve.

Xu Xiaonian organized his thoughts and silently concluded:

If I've only inscribed the imprint, and the retainer hasn't yet made their first sacrifice of soul power and Spiritual Power, soul masters below god level have no chance of discovering it.

So I don't need to worry about Bibi Dong for now...

But the problem I face right now is that, without a retainer whose Spiritual Power and soul power I can draw upon, I can't add a soul ring to the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger. That's a problem.

The more talented a dependent is, the greater the nourishment they can provide when I add a soul ring. It's time to look for one with sufficient talent...

Several candidates came to Xu Xiaonian's mind, but after some consideration, he reached no conclusion.

So he chose to summon his other martial soul—Holy Spirit Purcell.

He would break one seal first.