Ji Hongchen had another reason for wanting the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda: its support abilities were absurdly overpowered, as though someone had entered its stats with their feet.
Its eighth Soul Skill, Nine Treasures Divine Light Body Protection, could negate nine attacks. Later on, it could even negate attacks from Titled Douluos. Pure numerical dominance.
As for its ninth Soul Skill, Nine Treasures Invincible Divine Light, that was even more outrageous. It granted outright invincibility for one second, and could be used ten times a day. Who could stand up to that?
Night fell.
Having practiced his swordsmanship during the day, Ji Hongchen naturally spent the evening meditating instead of sleeping.
Ning Rongrong sat beside Ji Hongchen.
Watching him meditate, the corners of her lips lifted slightly. She simply sat quietly beside him, gazing dazedly at his profile.
Before she knew it...
Ning Rongrong could no longer stay awake. She looked sleepily at Ji Hongchen as he emerged from meditation.
"Brother Ji, you're already level thirty. Come sleep with me, pretty please~"
Ning Rongrong hugged Ji Hongchen's arm.
Ji Hongchen smiled helplessly. He was already level thirty, so further meditation would not let him retain much more Soul Power. However, he had just been attempting to condense a Sword Pill Soul Core.
He was still a little short.
His own Soul Power was not quite enough yet, but he was confident he could use the surge of Soul Power from absorbing his third Soul Ring to help him condense a Sword Pill Soul Core.
The days passed one after another.
In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.
The autumn wind sighed bleakly, and fallen leaves swirled through the air.
In the courtyard, a straight, tall figure swung his sword again and again amid fluttering leaves. Ji Hongchen's steps flowed like a roaming dragon, his body swept like a startled swan, and his swordsmanship was a breathtaking sight.
Sword Qi crisscrossed the air.
Though fallen leaves whirled everywhere, not one could land on Ji Hongchen.
Ji Hongchen put away Jinghong.
His long hair streamed behind him, and his white robes stirred in the wind, lending him a valiant, striking air.
"Brother Ji."
Ning Rongrong jogged over and called Ji Hongchen to eat. "I had a Thousand-Year Soul Beast feast delivered. Come try it."
Ji Hongchen nodded.
These past two weeks had been the most relaxed days of his cultivation journey. Nothing demanded his attention, and he lacked neither money nor resources. All he needed to do was focus on cultivating.
After the meal...
Ji Hongchen prepared to visit the Ye Family's apothecary and ask about Dugu Bo.
The Ye Family's apothecary.
Ji Hongchen walked inside.
He discovered that Dugu Yan was already waiting there. Beside her stood a green-haired, middle-aged man with an imposing presence. His green eyes had an eerie, inky hue.
"You're the brat looking for me?"
Ji Hongchen collected himself without the slightest timidity, holding the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda token. "Indeed. I have an important matter to discuss with you, Senior Poison Douluo."
"What important matter could a little Soul Master like you have? And what's the story behind that token? If I remember correctly, only Ning Rongrong of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has that kind of token!"
The Poison Douluo snorted. He could not understand why his granddaughter had specifically summoned him here over a mere Soul Master. Had she taken a fancy to this brat?
Ji Hongchen smiled faintly and put away the token. "This is a secret of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, but as a show of sincerity, I can tell you."
"Senior Poison Douluo, you should know that every heir of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect must find a Battle Soul Master as a partner. I am Ning Rongrong's fiancé. However, this is a secret of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, so please don't spread it."
Out in the world, your identity was whatever you made of it. Only if he carried sufficient weight would Dugu Bo cooperate as fully as possible in the deal to come.
Upon hearing this, Dugu Bo...
He said nothing more. After all, he knew the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's rules. Taking a look at Ji Hongchen's talent, he found it was indeed exceptional.
"What do you want with me?"
Naturally, he was here to enter the immortal herb redemption code.
Ji Hongchen first glanced at the others, then said, "Senior Dugu, could we speak somewhere private? What I have to say is of great importance."
"Hmph. How important could it be?"
Dugu Bo snorted, but still led Ji Hongchen to a room in the rear courtyard.
"Can you tell me now?"
Ji Hongchen drew a deep breath, keeping his voice as calm as possible. "I didn't come here for myself, but for you, Senior Poison Douluo."
"For me?"
Dugu Bo's brows furrowed slightly. He felt as though Ji Hongchen had seen right through him, leaving him uneasy. "What could be wrong with me?"
Ji Hongchen smiled faintly.
"Senior Poison Douluo, Yanzi and I can be considered friends. But the very first time we met, I noticed something was wrong inside her body."
"I examined Yanzi's condition and discovered that a considerable amount of poison has already accumulated inside her. If it isn't expelled promptly, I'm afraid she won't live past thirty!"
Bang!
The moment those words left his mouth, Dugu Bo shot to his feet and smashed the table before him with a single slap, glaring at Ji Hongchen in undisguised fury.
"You're spouting nonsense!"
Ji Hongchen rolled his eyes at Dugu Bo, then glanced at the shattered table. If I really were spouting nonsense, why would you get so worked up?
Dugu Bo very much wanted to kill Ji Hongchen right then. But when he considered that killing him might force him to flee with Yanzi again, he restrained himself.
"What do you want?"
Ji Hongchen's voice remained calm. "Please don't get angry, Senior Poison Douluo. As Yanzi's friend, I naturally won't stand by and watch her die."
"You have a solution?" Dugu Bo sat down, a flicker of hope appearing in his eyes. He stared intently at Ji Hongchen. "As long as you can save Yanzi, I'll agree to any conditions!"
"Solving this problem is hardly difficult. I have three methods, none of which requires paying any price. They might even help you take another step forward, Senior Dugu."
Ji Hongchen stopped keeping him in suspense.
"The first method is the simplest: find a suitable Soul Bone, absorb it, and force the poison into it. That would solve the problem. However, once the poison reaches saturation, the Soul Bone will stop working, and the poison's backlash will still kill you. You would therefore need to keep releasing the poison stored inside the Soul Bone."
Dugu Bo's eyes lit up. He already possessed a Head Soul Bone. Yet the thought of what would happen once the poison reached saturation made him hesitate again.
This method treated the symptoms, not the root cause.
"The second method is to induce a Martial Soul Mutation after birth, causing the Blue-Scaled Snake Martial Soul to evolve an internal venom sac that can store the poison and prevent its backlash."
"However, this method is far too difficult. So far, only one person has successfully undergone a second Martial Soul Evolution, and his Martial Soul has nothing whatsoever to do with the Blue-Scaled Snake."
"How is that possible? A Martial Soul is determined at birth. How could it evolve a second time?" Dugu Bo leaned closer to Ji Hongchen and asked curiously, "Who is this person? If possible, I'd like to meet him."
Dugu Bo's eyes widened as he exclaimed in disbelief. As far as they knew, Martial Souls were determined at birth. How could one evolve a second time?
Ji Hongchen smiled. "Me, of course."
"Senior Dugu, you can investigate it when you return. My Innate Soul Power was only half a level, but after my Martial Soul evolved a second time, my talent became every bit as good as that of someone with Innate Full Soul Power."
"To think such a thing is possible!"
Dugu Bo marveled at it.
Naturally, he did not think Ji Hongchen was lying. After all, anyone who cared to investigate could easily uncover the truth of something like this.
Ji Hongchen did not explain further, instead continuing on to the third method.
"The third method is for me to teach the Dugu Family a secret art that allows you to cultivate a Poison Dao Soul Core inside your body to store the poison. You could also use that poison to attack and improve your strength. It would truly kill two birds with one stone."
Before you continue