Xiao Xuan stepped forward and pulled the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew out intact.
Without delay, he stuffed it into his mouth and swallowed it in one bite!
The Immortal Herb transformed into a warm, mellow, cool jade nectar that flowed silently through his meridians, then surged up from his dantian and Baihui acupoint into the depths of his sea of consciousness and divine court!
The gentle medicinal power burst forth and spread, accompanied by boundless vitality.
Before he had tempered his body at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, the overbearing medicinal force of an immortal-grade treasure like this would have inevitably subjected an ordinary Soul Grandmaster's spirit and meridians to a violent swelling impact.
But Xiao Xuan had long since shed his mortal body and reforged his bones.
As the surging medicinal power washed through him, his broad meridians bore it steadily like great rivers, without the slightest obstruction or stabbing pain.
The medicinal power turned into countless wisps of pure Qi, continuously nourishing his sea of consciousness with gentle warmth.
Xiao Xuan took the opportunity to sit cross-legged, focus his mind, and circulate his Soul Power to refine the medicinal effects at full speed.
An hour later.
Not only had Xiao Xuan's spiritual power improved across the board, but his Soul Power had also soared straight to level thirty!
Of course, that was not the end.
Because Xiao Xuan had yet to obtain his third Soul Ring, his Soul Power had stopped rising. The excess Soul Power would only be released after he obtained it.
Xiao Xuan let out a long breath and abruptly opened his eyes.
A restrained, profound golden-cyan radiance suddenly flashed in the depths of his clear, black-and-white eyes.
Everywhere his gaze reached, tiny blades of grass swept up by the breeze and the patterns in the dirt and sand within several dozen zhang appeared in exquisite detail!
His divine perception flowed freely; his ears were sharp and his eyes keen!
Seeing Xiao Xuan's presence settle and withdraw, Dugu Bo, who had been standing guard nearby, walked over and studied him for a few moments. Stroking his long beard, he said in admiration:
"Your eyes shine like torches, and your spirit is soaring! Young friend Xiao Xuan, your gains this time must have been considerable, eh?"
Xiao Xuan smiled and cupped his fists in a bow to Dugu Bo.
"It was all thanks to this treasured land of yours, Senior, which seized the fortune of heaven and earth. Without the Immortal Herbs in this garden, I would also have obtained these opportunities."
"Ah! No need to be modest, young friend!"
Dugu Bo swept his broad sleeves in a generous wave and laughed heartily.
"This old man has occupied this treasured land for half his life and looked at the flowers and plants here for decades. Apart from recognizing a few poisonous herbs, I've been sitting on a mountain of gold without knowing how to dig it up."
"Fortuitous opportunities belong to those with the discernment to recognize them and the courage to seize them. You dared to stake your life on this transformation, so this opportunity is yours by right!"
Dugu Bo spoke frankly and sincerely. The more he looked at the resourceful and courageous youth before him, the more he liked him from the bottom of his heart.
Xiao Xuan smiled, lowered his gaze slightly, and continued:
"Senior, your generosity leaves me deeply grateful. However, there is indeed an urgent matter I must ask for your help with."
"Whatever it is, just say it!"
Dugu Bo's expression turned serious, and he thumped his chest in assurance. "As I said just now, whatever you ask, this old man won't object. Speak freely, young friend!"
Hearing that, Xiao Xuan spoke directly.
"If it is convenient, Senior, sorry for the trouble, but I would like to ask for your help hunting a... Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast."
The moment the words left his mouth.
Dugu Bo's large hand, which had been stroking his long beard, abruptly froze, and his eyelids twitched violently twice.
"Wait... what did you say? A Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?!"
"Young friend, you've only just reached level thirty, and you're looking for your third Soul Ring... You're asking this old man for a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. Could it be you intend to..."
Partway through his words, Dugu Bo's voice cut off, and he looked at Xiao Xuan in disbelief.
A smile on his lips, Xiao Xuan nodded lightly.
He had never been in a hurry to raise his Soul Power before, precisely because he had been waiting for this day.
Although Xiao Xuan could synthesize his Soul Rings to raise their age, going from a thousand years to ten thousand would take multiple rounds of synthesis. It was far slower than absorbing a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring directly.
Moreover, the older a Soul Ring was, the stronger the Soul Skill obtained from absorbing it would be.
After tempering his body so many times, Xiao Xuan's physique was more than strong enough to absorb a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring directly.
Now that the conditions were right, a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring was naturally Xiao Xuan's first choice.
Even if it was only his third ring.
Hearing Xiao Xuan admit it himself, Dugu Bo's heart pounded heavily several times, despite being a Titled-rank powerhouse who had weathered great storms. Uncontrollable shock rose in the depths of his sunken eyes.
A level-thirty Soul Elder wanted a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast for his third Soul Ring?!
In the Soul Master records passed down across the continent for hundreds and thousands of years, such an idea was an utterly unheard-of fantasy!
"Young friend... you..."
Dugu Bo took a deep breath, knitted his long brows, and raised a hand, about to urge Xiao Xuan not to let a momentary gain go to his head.
But in the next second.
Purple!
Purple!
Two deep-purple Soul Rings rose from beneath Xiao Xuan's feet!
Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan, standing close by, both froze on the spot. Their gazes locked on the two pulsating purple Soul Rings, and even their breathing stopped for a beat.
Dugu Yan was the first to recover. Her beautiful eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with her hand and cried out:
"Xiao Xuan, little brother! Your first and second rings... are actually both thousand-year rings?!"
Dugu Yan's mind went blank.
She had cultivated under her Titled Douluo grandfather since childhood and had seen much, so she knew well the strict, ironclad rules governing a Soul Master's absorption of Soul Rings.
A little over four hundred years for the first ring and a little over seven hundred for the second: these were immutable facts of cultivation!
Yet Xiao Xuan had surpassed common sense by so much that it felt unreal to her.
Dugu Bo's eyelids twitched wildly, and the words already on his lips were forced back down his throat.
Only now did Dugu Bo finally understand that Xiao Xuan had not let the opportunity he had just gained in the herb garden go to his head.
Rather, he was a Little Monster to begin with and could not be judged by the standards of an ordinary person.
Dugu Bo stroked his beard and exclaimed, "Starting with two purple rings... so this isn't a passing whim! It seems this old man underestimated you!"
"Wait here! This old man will go hunt down a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast for you right now!"
With that, Dugu Bo turned into a streak of rainbow light and flew off.
After watching Dugu Bo leave, Dugu Yan turned around and could not help patting her full chest as she exclaimed again and again:
"No wonder you said that day that if you attacked first, I wouldn't even have a chance to strike back... Looking at it now, you really did spare your big sister's pride back then!"
Dugu Yan raised a hand and squeezed Xiao Xuan's sturdy, long arm. Pouting a little dejectedly, she said:
"I really can't understand what you ate growing up. Not only is your Martial Soul unusual, but even your Soul Rings are this frightening..."
Dugu Yan had always thought that, with a Titled Douluo elder backing her, she stood out among her peers.
But now that she had seen Xiao Xuan's two convention-defying purple Soul Rings with her own eyes, she finally understood that he had long since left everyone else behind.
Once Xiao Xuan absorbed another Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, the gap between them would only grow wider!
A sense of urgency welled up in Dugu Yan's heart.
She secretly resolved that after returning, she had to cultivate with all her might.
She absolutely could not let this junior schoolmate leave her too far behind, lest she lose even the chance to stand beside him and fight alongside him someday.