Yang Chang'an tidied himself up, changed into clean, fresh clothes, and headed out with Yang Wushuang toward the Niu Family's home.
Soon, the gate opened with a creak. The one who answered was a sturdy, honest-faced woman: Niu Yue's daughter, Niu Ying, who was also Niu Wenchuan's mother.
The moment she saw Yang Wushuang, her eyes lit up and her face filled with smiles. She hurriedly stepped aside to let them in.
"Oh, Uncle Yang! It's you! Come in, come in!"
Yang Wushuang nodded and led Yang Chang'an into the Niu Family's home. Once everyone was inside, Niu Ying gently shut the gate and slid the bolt into place.
Yang Chang'an gave Niu Ying a polite grin and greeted her respectfully. "Greetings, Aunt Ying."
The more Niu Ying looked at the boy before her, the more she liked him. She reached out to ruffle Yang Chang'an's hair, smiling from ear to ear.
"Our Chang'an just keeps getting more impressive! I heard a few days ago that you'd already become a Soul Master. You're so capable at such a young age-you've definitely got the makings of a Titled Douluo!"
A little embarrassed by the praise, Yang Chang'an merely smiled and replied modestly, "You're too kind, Aunt Ying. I just got lucky and managed to break through."
While they were talking, Niu Yue heard the commotion inside and hurried over with Niu Wenchuan.
Niu Wenchuan spotted Yang Chang'an at once. Excitement spread across his chubby face as he came thundering over, threw an arm around Yang Chang'an, and said with a grin,
"Well, look at you, Yang Chang'an! You went and became a Soul Master without a word, and you didn't even wait for your brother! Is that any way to treat a friend?"
Of course, he was only joking. He knew perfectly well that Yang Chang'an's innate soul power was level nine, considerably higher than his own, so he naturally cultivated faster. He couldn't possibly hold back his level and refuse to break through just to wait for him.
Yang Chang'an patted his arm and replied with a smile, "Aren't you about to catch up with me yourself? And you still have the nerve to complain."
Niu Wenchuan's innate soul power was level seven and a half, putting his talent among the best even in Spirit City. Over these nearly three months, he had never stopped cultivating, and the threshold of a level-ten Soul Scholar was already within arm's reach.
Sure enough, the mention of this immediately puffed Niu Wenchuan up with pride. He planted his chubby hands on his hips, lifted his chin almost to the heavens, and declared excitedly,
"That's right! Let me tell you, in another month at most, I'll definitely break through to level ten. Then I'll be a proper Soul Master too!"
"Then congratulations in advance!"
Yang Chang'an immediately offered his congratulations with a smile. Whatever else happened, he would give his friend all the encouragement he could. Keeping his brother happy was what mattered most.
Watching the two little fellows heap praise on each other, Niu Yue couldn't help interrupting, sounding a little helpless. "All right, all right. If you want to flatter each other, find somewhere else and take your time. Stop blocking the doorway."
Only then did everyone laugh and head farther inside. They soon reached the Niu Family's reception room, where Niu Ying poured tea for everyone and closed the door. At last, the room grew quiet.
Niu Yue was straightforward by nature and didn't beat around the bush. He looked directly at Yang Wushuang and asked curiously, "Brother, what brings you over so suddenly today? If you need something, just say it. There's no need for formalities between us."
Yang Wushuang smiled and wasted no time either. With a turn of his wrist, he took the small, milky-white jade bottle containing the Body Tempering Pills out of his Soul Tool and gently offered it to Niu Yue.
Niu Yue raised an eyebrow, picked up the jade bottle, weighed it in his hand, then gave it a shake. Hearing several round objects gently knock together inside, he looked at Yang Wushuang in bewilderment. "What's this?"
Yang Wushuang answered calmly and directly. "Body Tempering Pills."
"What?!"
Niu Yue's eyes widened sharply, and he shot up from his chair so quickly that he knocked it over behind him with a clatter.
He stared fixedly at the little jade bottle, lowering his voice in disbelief. "You... you actually managed to make these?!"
Back when Yang Wushuang had said he wanted to buy large quantities of whale rubber to research a pill that could increase strength and temper the body, Niu Yue had assumed that he had been cooped up for too many years and simply wanted something to pass the time.
He hadn't expected it to succeed at all. He had only given his full support out of brotherly loyalty, ordering his people to purchase a huge pile of whale rubber and send it over.
In any case, the Niu Family could use the stuff too, so none of it would go to waste.
But he had never imagined that Yang Wushuang was truly this capable-he had actually succeeded in refining the pills!
Seeing his shock, Yang Wushuang nodded firmly. "That's right, Body Tempering Pills. Chang'an and I have both tested their effects. They work on Soul Masters below level thirty, with the most pronounced effects on Soul Scholars and Soul Masters below level twenty."
At this, Niu Yue slapped his thigh on the spot, beside himself with excitement. He knew that for the Niu Family and the Yang Family, this was nothing short of charcoal delivered in a snowstorm! Too excited to bother with anything else, he said,
"Come! Let's talk farther inside!"
The others followed Niu Yue through several small doors. They opened a heavy stone door and entered a secret chamber one after another. The stone door then slowly closed behind them, shutting out every sound from outside.
The moment they entered the chamber, Niu Yue eagerly opened the jade bottle and poured out a Body Tempering Pill. Without even looking at it, he reached out, grabbed the still-bewildered Niu Wenchuan beside him, and stuffed the pill into his mouth without another word.
"Grandpa, what's this..."
Before Niu Wenchuan could finish, the pill had already slipped into his stomach.
"Don't talk!" Niu Yue's voice turned stern. "Sit cross-legged right now, focus your mind, calm your breathing, and circulate your soul power. Refine that medicinal energy!"
Although Niu Wenchuan didn't know just how potent this Body Tempering Pill was, the solemn expressions on his mother's and Grandpa Yang's faces told him it had to be something extraordinarily valuable.
Not daring to be careless in the slightest, he obediently sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began guiding the sudden current of warmth inside him, just as he did during his usual cultivation.
Before long, beads of sweat began covering Niu Wenchuan's body, and his breathing grew rapid. The aura of soul power around him climbed steadily at a visibly perceptible rate.
Everyone beside him held their breath and watched in silence.
Yang Chang'an saw it clearly. Under the surging medicinal energy, Niu Wenchuan's soul power, previously stuck at the peak of level nine, seemed to burst through an invisible floodgate and rush upward!
Before long, the aura around Niu Wenchuan abruptly stabilized. He had broken straight through to level ten.
Now, he only needed to absorb a suitable Soul Ring to become a true Soul Master!
Watching from the side, Yang Chang'an felt a little envious.
Still, he understood. Niu Wenchuan had already been at level nine for some time. With the medicinal energy of the Body Tempering Pill giving him just the push he needed, breaking through to level ten was only natural.
Having witnessed this firsthand, Niu Yue and his daughter Niu Ying couldn't help bursting into laughter, their voices brimming with excitement.
Niu Yue clapped Yang Wushuang on the shoulder, his broad face split by an ear-to-ear grin. "Amazing! Absolutely amazing! Wushuang, you're the truly capable one. To think you could make something this good! Incredible!"
Yang Wushuang smiled and waved a hand modestly. "Not at all. I just got lucky, and Chang'an offered a few ideas along the way. That's how I managed to succeed."
Once the laughter subsided, Yang Wushuang's expression grew a little more serious. He looked at Niu Yue and Niu Ying and asked in a low voice, "By the way, there's something I wanted to ask you. Wenchuan will soon be absorbing his first Soul Ring. Have you found a suitable one?"
Niu Ying immediately stepped forward and answered respectfully, "Don't worry, Uncle. We've already prepared everything! Not long ago, a Rock-Armored Rhinoceros a little over three hundred and eighty years old appeared at Spirit City's Beast Market. It's an excellent match for Wenchuan's defensive martial soul."
"I took some people to buy it four days ago. We're keeping it in a special enclosure in our backyard now, so it's available whenever he needs to absorb its Soul Ring."
Only after hearing this did Yang Wushuang slowly nod, the stone hanging over his heart finally settling.
Finding a Soul Beast with suitable attributes and a safe age within Spirit City itself was no easy feat.
With this in mind, he looked at Niu Yue and Niu Ying again and instructed them with utmost seriousness,
"Once Wenchuan wakes up, wait another half month before letting him absorb the Soul Ring."
Niu Yue and his daughter Niu Ying were both sensible people. They immediately understood Yang Wushuang's concern and nodded solemnly.
"We understand!"