Previously, his vitality had primarily come from his Martial Soul, but without using it, that vitality was hard to demonstrate. It was like the owner of a Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul: using the Martial Soul to its utmost could make its owner undying and indestructible, but without it, the owner was hardly different from an ordinary person.
But he was different.
After his [Mortal Body] had been upgraded to a [Longevity Body], the explosive increase in his vitality radiated from the inside out and had nothing to do with his Martial Soul. Even without using his Martial Soul, his vitality would not change in the slightest.
"With such immense vitality, even without Soul Power, I could still live for several hundred years!"
Gu Chen was filled with amazement.
He had never imagined that, before he had even turned ten in this life, his lifespan would already have multiplied several times over. Upgrading his [Mortal Body] to a [Longevity Body] had made him capable of living so long. What would happen if he upgraded it several more times?
Wouldn't his lifespan increase to several thousand or even ten thousand years?
At that thought,
he couldn't help lowering his gaze.
An upgrade panel promptly popped up.
[Item: Longevity Body] [Effect: astonishing vitality; possesses an astonishing talent for the Dao of Life] [Upgrade result: Undying Physique] [Effect: a life physique. Those who possess it have a lifespan of a thousand years and an exceptional talent for the Dao of Life; when cultivating, they advance a thousand li in a single day] [Upgrade requirements: 1 corpse of a ten-thousand-year life-attribute Soul Beast, 1 ten-thousand-year life-attribute Soul Ring, 1 ten-thousand-year life-attribute Soul Bone, 1 ten-thousand-year medicinal king Ageless Fruit]
Gu Chen read ten lines at a glance, finishing the information on the upgrade panel in the blink of an eye.
After reading it,
he sucked in a breath of cold air.
Terrifying to such an extent!!!
One more upgrade would give him a lifespan of a thousand years. Even the three Peerless Douluo of the present age combined probably couldn't outlive him!
He had never been a Titled Douluo, so he didn't know exactly how long one could live. In the original work, the established lore was retconned again and again, but one thing was certain: whether in Douluo I, Douluo II, or Douluo Dalu III: The Legend of the Dragon King, no Titled Douluo had actually lived to three hundred.
As for him,
as long as he upgraded his [Longevity Body] to an [Undying Physique], all three Peerless Douluo would have to light his cigarette when they saw him.
He also noticed one of the many things needed to meet the upgrade requirements.
"An Ageless Fruit? That's a fruit only a Fortune and Longevity Fruit Tree with ten thousand years of cultivation can bear. It seems that, for a given item's upgrade requirements, my Leveling Cheat keeps raising the required age of the same medicinal ingredient!"
"My earlier guess was right after all!"
Gu Chen thought to himself.
At the same time, he turned his gaze toward the ten corpses of thousand-year life-attribute Soul Beasts nearby, inwardly praising himself for having the foresight to prepare in advance.
"Da Ming, bring these ten Soul Beasts and take me to the island in the middle of the lake."
He gave the order.
Hearing this, Da Ming asked no questions and simply did as he was told. He lowered his head slightly, and Gu Chen climbed onto him, with Xiao Wu following close behind. As for the ten corpses of thousand-year life-attribute Soul Beasts, Da Ming simply curled the end of his tail around them and carried them over.
On the island in the middle of the lake,
a thousand-year Fortune and Longevity Fruit Tree, which people the world over yearned for but could not obtain, stood quietly, removed from the struggles of the world.
"Gu Chen, are you going to evolve this Fortune and Longevity Fruit Tree into a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast?"
Xiao Wu asked Gu Chen, somewhat excited.
She had already seen Gu Chen evolve a Soul Beast once, so she wasn't surprised in the slightest that he could do it.
"Myriad Spirit Fruits are no longer important to me, but I still need the Ageless Fruits produced by a ten-thousand-year Fortune and Longevity Fruit Tree and the Longevity Fruits produced by a hundred-thousand-year Fortune and Longevity Fruit Tree!"
Gu Chen nodded. Upgrading his [Longevity Body] now required an Ageless Fruit, so upgrading his [Undying Physique] later would surely require a Longevity Fruit as well. Naturally, he intended to collect them ahead of time if he could.
Besides, Fortune and Longevity Fruit Trees were far too rare. If some accident happened one day and this tree was lost, what then? Where would he find a second Fortune and Longevity Fruit Tree? Of course, the odds were slim. With Da Ming and Er Ming guarding it, the people capable of breaking through the protection of two hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts and destroying the tree could be counted on one hand.
Even so,
he still took action.
As he fixed his gaze on the Fortune and Longevity Fruit Tree, its upgrade panel appeared.
[Item: Fortune and Longevity Fruit Tree] [Effect: a top-tier thousand-year Soul Beast with top-tier vitality. It can bear Myriad Spirit Fruits, producing nine fruits once every thousand years. Consuming one extends the lifespan by ten years] [Upgrade result: Fortune and Longevity Fruit Tree] [Effect: a top-tier ten-thousand-year Soul Beast with top-tier vitality. It can bear Ageless Fruits, producing nine fruits once every ten thousand years. Consuming one extends the lifespan by fifty years] [Upgrade requirements: 10 corpses of thousand-year life-attribute Soul Beasts]
The upgrade requirements for Soul Beasts could be said to be the easiest: all it took was ten Soul Beast corpses of the same level and attribute. He placed the ten corpses of thousand-year life-attribute Soul Beasts that Er Ming had brought back beside the Fortune and Longevity Fruit Tree.
"Upgrade requirements met. Upgrade?"
"Upgrade!"
The upgrade materials turned into particles of golden light that poured into the Fortune and Longevity Fruit Tree. In moments, the tree appeared to be wrapped in golden light, and it began growing rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In the space of just a few blinks, the Fortune and Longevity Fruit Tree had grown to at least twice its original size.
The golden light faded.
The Fortune and Longevity Fruit Tree revealed its upgraded form.
The presence of a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast spread out. Sensing it, Da Ming and Er Ming both showed delight. If they had been ninety percent convinced that Gu Chen could evolve Soul Beasts before, they had still harbored ten percent doubt.
But now,
they trusted him completely.
The day they evolved into hundred ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts was just around the corner!!!
"Fortune and Longevity Fruit Tree, now that you've reached ten thousand years of cultivation, you should be capable of clear, independent thought. I'll give you a choice: submit to me and offer me everything you have. In return, I'll help you evolve into a hundred ten-thousand-year Soul Beast!"
Gu Chen spoke loudly to the Fortune and Longevity Fruit Tree.
He needed its submission, because the more Soul Beasts evolved, the stronger they became. Even something like Blue Silver Grass, upon reaching a hundred thousand years of cultivation and nearly becoming a Blue Silver Emperor, possessed terrifying strength comparable to a Titled Douluo's.
For now, it was still only a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast, and he could rely on Da Ming and Er Ming's strength to force it to submit. But what if it reached the level of a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast? It probably wouldn't be so easy then.
If it refused and chose to destroy the Longevity Fruits it had borne with such difficulty, like a fish dying as it tore the net, wouldn't all his efforts be like drawing water with a bamboo basket?
And that wasn't all. Once the Fortune and Longevity Fruit Tree reached a hundred thousand years of cultivation, it could bear Longevity Fruits. But what if it reached a million years? What kind of powerful fruit would it bear then? And how many years could that fruit add to a lifespan?
As for Gu Chen,
he thought that, on the path of upgrading his physique, he would likely need fruit produced by a Fortune and Longevity Fruit Tree with a million years of cultivation in the future.
Therefore,
he needed its loyalty to ensure his gains.
Otherwise,
his staff technique was not necessarily slow, and six strikes in one second were not out of the question!!!