Grandpa Was Here?

"Turn back into human form?"

Ah Yin's voice, filled with surprise, came through their mental connection.

Tang Hao had planted her in that stone chamber in the name of safety and concealment, but aside from allowing her a little sunlight, it offered almost no benefit to the growth of her true body.

Except under a few extremely special circumstances, Soul Beasts having to reach a hundred thousand years of cultivation before taking human form was practically an iron law of the Douluo Plane, while the Blue Silver Grass that formed Ah Yin's true body was, at most, only a few decades old.

Although this growth rate already far exceeded that of ordinary Soul Beasts, she would have to cultivate back to the level of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast to regain human form. If intense hatred had not driven her, Ah Yin really would have felt like giving up and letting herself rot.

Even with Lu Chen, a reborn God King, helping her, Ah Yin had prepared herself for a long struggle. But judging from what Lu Chen meant now, it seemed she... no longer needed to cultivate bitterly?

Sensing the joy coming through Ah Yin's thoughts, Lu Chen said with a smile:

"The skill's a little complicated. I call it Nirvana. You'll understand its specific effects once you experience them yourself."

As he spoke, Lu Chen directly activated the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone's skill, which he had named "Nirvana."

Azure-gold radiance spilled over the Blue Silver Grass. At the same time, Ah Yin's body trembled violently within the mental space.

"Ah~"

An exceptionally seductive moan escaped Ah Yin's lips, echoing deep in Lu Chen's mind.

"Wait, what are you doing, old auntie?"

Hearing that sound, Lu Chen's dragon body shuddered. Fortunately, his tool for committing the deed was not ready yet, so there was nothing he needed to adjust.

"S... sorry," Ah Yin instinctively began to apologize. But the sensation that soothed her entire body, as though she were bathing in an ocean of vitality, was simply too intoxicating, leaving her words constantly broken:

"It's just... it just feels too good. This feeling of my life essence constantly... constantly improving, I've only ever... ever felt it when using my domain to resonate with my subjects."

"That's because you're resonating with me," Lu Chen replied irritably:

"Resonance that enhances vitality is one manifestation of this Soul Skill. Why else would I call it Nirvana?"

The Blue Silver Emperor could gather Soul Power from ordinary Blue Silver Grass, then bestow opportunities for evolution through resonance. This was one form of control over vitality.

The evolved Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone had not awakened a domain skill and could not enjoy its combat bonuses, but it had perfectly inherited this control over vitality and even specialized in it.

Not only had its healing ability been retained and strengthened, but Lu Chen now also possessed the ability to control Blue Silver Grass.

In fact, with the enhancement of Ultimate Wood, Lu Chen could exercise absolute control not only over Blue Silver Grass, but over all plant-type Soul Beasts whose cultivation and life essence were lower than his own.

When applied to Soul Masters with plant-type Martial Souls, this manifested as powerful suppression, roughly comparable to what dragon-type Soul Beasts and Beast Martial Soul Masters experienced upon encountering the Azure Dragon Martial Soul.

It could be said that, compared to his numerical attributes, which towered over those of Soul Masters at the same level, Lu Chen's mechanics were yet another step ahead...

With the Azure Dragon, the Spirit-Suppressing Spear, and the Ultimate Wood Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone, whether righteous or evil, whether corporeal or a soul, Lu Chen would elbow every opponent who dared show him hostility equally.

Lu Chen did not use Nirvana for long. For one thing, he had only just acquired the skill and still needed to familiarize himself with it further.

For another, even with the simultaneous Soul Power recovery enhancements from his cultivation method, Martial Soul, and Soul Bone, activating a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Skill at his current one-ring Soul Master level was still somewhat taxing.

Yet even those few minutes of life resonance had already brought both of them considerable benefits.

The Blue Silver Grass that was Ah Yin's true body had grown several sizes larger, to the point that several cracks had appeared in the flowerpot Lu Chen had prepared earlier. The azure-gold patterns on its leaves had also become more pronounced. Although she still had little combat strength, she had now firmly crossed the threshold of a Hundred-Year Soul Beast.

And a Hundred-Year Soul Beast with an Ultimate Attribute at that!

With Ah Yin's issue settled for the moment, it was already three in the afternoon. Lu Chen rested briefly, put her into the system space, and took Xiao Wu to the Spirit Hall Branch in the bustling center of Nuoding City.

Since they were already here, they might as well register as Soul Masters before leaving.

"They really know how to enjoy themselves. What do they need such a huge building for...?"

Looking at the tall, brown-domed building before her, Xiao Wu kicked away a pebble beside her foot. It struck the boundary wall with a soft crack, then fell into the nearby bushes.

Lu Chen paid no mind to her muttering. Even after the Notebook's spoilers and Hu Liena's friendly overtures, Xiao Wu still harbored a hatred toward Spirit Hall that was difficult to dissolve.

The fact that she could barely maintain her composure like this was thanks to learning from the Notebook that there was still hope of resurrecting her mother.

"Stop. Children, this is Spirit Hall. You can't just barge in."

Just as in the original timeline, two guards-whether they were the same two or not was unclear-extended their hands to stop Lu Chen and Xiao Wu from walking straight into the Spirit Hall Branch. Their dedication made Lu Chen want to give them a thumbs-up.

And these were merely two Soul Scholars who had not even reached the Soul Master level. This alone showed Spirit Hall's standing and cohesion among low-level Soul Masters and even most ordinary people.

I really want to use the Notebook to put Bibi Dong through the wringer...

Spirit Hall was perfectly fine. Just what sort of mess did you, Crazy Woman, turn it into?

Thinking that it was already getting late and he still had proper business to attend to, Lu Chen restrained the impulse and merely designated her as his next target for spoilers.

Right, there's Liu Erlong too. Might as well do both together.

As these thoughts turned through his mind, Lu Chen did not activate his Martial Soul. He merely raised a hand and released a trace of Soul Power fluctuations.

"Such powerful cultivation!"

"He's definitely reached the Soul Master level!"

Sensing the nobility and pressure radiating from that strand of Soul Power, the two guards braced their spears against the ground and looked at Lu Chen in shock, which quickly turned to respect.

The corner of Lu Chen's mouth twitched slightly. He clearly had not expected even this to turn into a public display of his greatness.

If he had not feared being taken for a fraud and attracting a heap of trouble, he would simply have taken out the recommendation letter for Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy that Xiao Lang had given him.

Glowering at Xiao Wu, who was snickering beside him, Lu Chen asked helplessly:

"Gentlemen, can you let us in now?"

"Of course, respected Lord Soul Master. Please come in," the two guards said, offering a reminder:

"From the look of you, this must be your first visit to our Nuoding City Spirit Hall Branch. The reception hall is on the first floor, or you can go straight upstairs to the second floor and find Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo. He'll provide you with assistance."

"Thank you."

Lu Chen thanked them, and the two walked inside.

Ignoring the two guards' whispers, they entered the hall and could not help being affected by the building's imposing grandeur.

The small squares across the hall's domed ceiling were filled with murals depicting all sorts of Martial Souls.

The backgrounds of these images were a brilliant, glittering gold, giving them a magnificent splendor without sacrificing their antique simplicity.

Sunlight refracted through the clear crystal windows and spilled over the murals inside the hall, making that sense of sanctity and nobility even more dazzling and mesmerizing.

At a cursory glance, Lu Chen actually could not find a single repeated Martial Soul. Even with his god's-eye perspective, he could not help marveling at Spirit Hall's authority in the field of Martial Souls.

Since Su Yuntao was still miserably running around on assignment, awakening Martial Souls for children of the appropriate age in the villages around Nuoding City under his charge, they did not happen to run into him as in the original timeline.

They took the stairs at the side of the first-floor hall up to the second floor, where a ring of rooms came into view. After asking an attendant responsible for miscellaneous tasks for directions, the two arrived outside one of the rooms and knocked.

"Come in."

A somewhat aged voice sounded from inside.

Lu Chen pushed open the door and entered, and a bright office came into view.

Two elderly men sat behind the broad desk. One wore a neat Soul Master uniform, with the standard three-sword insignia indicating that he was a Battle Soul Master at the Soul Grandmaster level.

As for the other...

"Grandpa, what are you doing here?"