The night was cool like water, and the cold moonlight filtered through the window lattice, spilling into the special student dormitory of the Heaven Dou Royal Junior Soul Master Academy.
Because Meng Chen bore the special identity of sworn younger brother to Heaven Dou Crown Prince Xue Qinghe.
The academy's upper management naturally dared not neglect him, specially arranging a detached courtyard for him.
Inside the room, Meng Chen sat on a soft couch, the fluffy golden rabbit ears atop his head drooping downward.
He formed hand seals at his dantian, guiding the soul power within his body.
During the day at the academy, not only did he have to deal with that clingy little demoness Ning Rongrong, but he also had to be on guard against Gu Yuena from time to time.
It was simply more draining on the mind than fighting a life-or-death battle with a soul elder.
Having finally endured until the dead of night, he could finally ease his mind and sort out his cultivation progress in peace.
However, just as he sank his consciousness into his sea of Qi, preparing to guide the soul power to scour his meridians.
"Hum~"
The temperature around the previously quiet and peaceful bedroom plummeted instantly.
Across the walls and floor, a thin layer of black Qi quietly condensed.
The sound and even the flow of light throughout the entire room seemed frozen in that single instant.
The hairs all over Meng Chen's body stood on end, and the golden rabbit ears on his head straightened rigidly.
Just as he thought of using teleportation to escape, the void in front of the window twisted like torn cloth.
A dark figure slowly stepped out from the distorted shadows.
The entire person was like a ghost condensed from black smoke and wandering spirits, devoid of footsteps, and unable to even sense the heartbeat or breathing of a living person.
Meng Chen's small face tightened, his gaze fixed unblinkingly on the dark figure before him.
"Little fellow, you need not be afraid; I harbor no malice."
Accompanied by that bone-chilling voice, the black robe slowly raised its hand, a pair of withered, twig-like palms reaching out from the wide sleeves.
With a flip of the wrists, a dark jade box engraved with double Spider Emperor dark patterns on its surface floated up out of nowhere.
It landed steadily upon the jade table in front of Meng Chen.
Meng Chen's gaze fell upon the unique patterns on the dark jade box, and a thunderclap instantly resounded in his mind.
"Ghost Douluo? Did Bibi Dong send you?"
Beneath the black robes, Gui Mei looked at Meng Chen with some astonishment.
Clearly, he was somewhat surprised that this little fellow had called out the identities of himself and the pope at a single glance.
"Since you recognize me, it saves this old man from wasting his breath."
"His Holiness the Pope knows that you urgently need Sea Dragon Marrow for body tempering, yet certain people sitting atop national authority cannot even procure a mere thousand-year Sea Dragon Marrow for you. Her Holiness has specially opened the imperial pope's treasury to bestow this item upon you."
Although Meng Chen did not know why the other party knew of his needs, the other party currently seemed to harbor no malice.
This also relaxed him quite a bit.
Just as he prepared to express his gratitude, Gui Mei seemed to have no intention of lingering, his black robe fluttering without wind as his figure dissolved into wisps of black smoke that merged into the shadows.
Before dissipating completely, Gui Mei's voice drifted over.
"Her Holiness had this old man relay to you that the foundation of the Papal Hall is far beyond the comparison of a decaying Heaven Dou Empire. Take care of yourself."
Watching the spot where Gui Mei had vanished, Meng Chen finally let go of his suspended heart.
Jokes aside, that was a Titled Douluo, and an agility-type Ghost Douluo adept at beheading assassinations at that.
Yet thinking of this, Meng Chen felt somewhat surprised as well.
This fellow had taken the risk of being discovered by the Heaven Dou Imperial Family and Qian Daoliu's informants, all just to deliver a package to him.
What on earth is that crazy woman thinking?
Meng Chen walked over to the table and cast his gaze upon the jade box.
Since it was sent by Bibi Dong, he was not afraid of any hidden traps or poisonous curses inside.
With Bibi Dong's all-scornful personality, if she truly wanted him dead, she could have easily slapped him to death with a mere wave of the hand back in her sleeping quarters in Spirit City.
Why bother with such a roundabout scheme?
Meng Chen reached out and unlocked the clasp on the dark jade box.
The moment the box lid cracked open even slightly, a pale blue mist spewed outward.
"Holy shit!"
Meng Chen was startled, quickly and deftly pressing the box lid tightly shut.
Yet even with just that mere half-second of leakage, the air within the entire courtyard was already permeated with a majestic water-attribute dragon aura.
Meng Chen lowered his head to look at the tightly sealed dark jade box, completely and utterly dumbfounded on the spot.
The medicinal formula he had inquired about at the Benevolent Heart Apothecary called for thousand-year Sea Dragon Marrow.
The spinal marrow essence formed after the death of a thousand-year Sea Dragon Beast had a relatively mild medicinal effect.
Yet the terrifying soul power that had just rushed forth from the box was at the absolute minimum ten-thousand-year Sea Dragon Marrow.
"Bibi Dong, are you out of your mind?!"
Meng Chen was so angry he almost jumped, as he had only recently awakened his martial soul and outwardly bore the eleventh-rank Soft Bone Rabbit soul power. Although his physical body was much stronger due to the Golden Dragon King Bloodline, it was at best on the level of an ordinary soul elder.
The 10,000-Year Sea Dragon Marrow contained a massive amount of soul power, along with formidable strength.
If he dared to swallow it now, his sole outcome would be having his body instantly blasted apart by that terrifying energy.
Meng Chen stared at the dark jade box on the table, feeling somewhat caught between laughter and tears for a moment.
Upon just hearing that the other party had delivered Sea Dragon Marrow, his heart had rejoiced quite a bit.
After all, as long as he opened the second seal!
Then he would possess a blood essence soul ring and unlock the Golden Dragon Body.
Now things were fine-the item had indeed been delivered, its quality explosive to the point of being a priceless, peerless treasure without market value, yet he simply could not digest it at all.
With no other choice, Meng Chen first stored the jade box away into his Storage Soul Tool.
Sigh, relying on external forces is hopeless now; I can only grind away at it slowly.
Meng Chen shook his head, calmed his emotions, and crossed his legs on the bed once more.
Since the 10,000-Year Sea Dragon Marrow couldn't be touched.
He could only continue refining the residual Spiritual Origin of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and the boundless Heaven and Earth Essence that he had consumed back in the Sunset Forest.
Meng Chen closed his eyes and entered meditation, the soul power within his body slowly circulating along arcane trajectories.
The fluffy, golden-yellow rabbit ears atop his head emitted a soft, golden radiance beneath the moonlight as the surroundings returned to their customary serenity.
The sun rose and the moon fell, dawn and dusk alternating.
A soul master's cultivation was inherently a dry and protracted tempering.
A full month flashed by in the tranquil academy life.
Throughout this month, Meng Chen poured almost all of his time outside of regular classes into refining the pure energy retained by the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.
Early in the morning, the first ray of dawn broke through the clouds and spilled into the courtyard well of the dormitory.
"Hah!"
Inside the room, Meng Chen, who had cultivated for an entire night, slowly exhaled a breath, his eyes snapping open abruptly.
A flash of golden light crossed his gaze, and the aura emanating from his entire person was also rapidly increasing.
"Thirteenth rank."
Meng Chen clenched his fists, an unspeakable excitement painting his face.
Continuously breaking through two ranks from the eleventh rank upon first entering the academy, he had stepped into the realm of a thirteenth-rank soul master.
Such a cultivation speed, if placed among those noble disciples outside who fancied themselves geniuses, would be enough to drop jaws.
Not only that, but the energy of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was also imperceptibly nourishing his spiritual sea of consciousness.
Elevating his perceptive abilities to a terrifying degree.
Though he could still only look on and drool over the 10,000-Year Sea Dragon Marrow, at least his strength was growing steadily stronger every single day.
Meng Chen leaped down from the soft couch, loosened his muscles and bones, pushed open the bedroom door, and strode toward the teaching building.
Before you continue