Ink Jade Divine Bamboo.
At first glance, its form looked remarkably similar to that of ordinary mutated Lone Bamboo.
But by focusing his senses, he could faintly perceive a vast and profound essence of vegetation contained within its bamboo segments. As its branches and leaves trembled, they spontaneously gave off a faint ripple of spiritual consciousness, brimming with sentience.
For the Ink Jade Divine Bamboo itself was a rare plant Soul Beast over a hundred thousand years old.
It had taken root beside this naturally blessed, wondrous deep pool for an unknown number of years. Nourished by the special ley lines, it had long since developed complete, independent sentience.
As Xiao Xuan examined the Ink Jade Divine Bamboo concealing its presence, waves of emotion stirred in his heart.
A being of this caliber not only produced an immensely precious Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring; its plant body, tempered for a hundred thousand years, was also a divine auxiliary material rarely found in a thousand years, ideal for use in a future fusion to advance his Martial Soul!
Unfortunately, at his current realm, he could not yet withstand the ferocious infusion of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring. Forcibly harvesting it would only squander a heavenly treasure.
Fortunately, the terrain here was perilous, and a poisonous miasma that filled the sky sheltered it. Outsiders would not discover the Ink Jade Divine Bamboo, and there was no possibility of it escaping on its own.
He could leave it until his strength rose like water lifting a boat, then return to claim this opportunity waiting for him.
Gathering his thoughts, Xiao Xuan could not help considering the path to advancing his own Martial Soul.
The Blue Jade Bamboo had now completed its five-star transformation.
But to climb still higher after reaching the top of a hundred-foot pole, the requirements for the wild primary materials he would need next would become extremely demanding.
Advancing from five stars to six required wild Lone Bamboo at least two thousand years old.
For seven and eight stars after that, the required age would inevitably climb to three thousand, four thousand, or even the five-thousand-year mark!
The greater their age, the more remote and scarce wild Lone Bamboo became.
Back in the Nuoding City area, he had asked his father, Xiao Wuyong, to use his contacts in the civilian Soul Hunting circles to gather information. Searching for two-thousand-year-old Lone Bamboo had taken nearly three whole years.
If he wanted to continue looking for even older ancient bamboo, relying on his father's meager, low-level channels would be no different from fishing for a needle in the sea.
He needed to draw on the networks of a far more powerful force to gather information efficiently.
Having made up his mind, Xiao Xuan turned to Dugu Bo and said:
"Senior Dugu, there is something this junior would like to ask you. Do you have any channels in Heaven Dou City for gathering information on the whereabouts of rare Soul Beasts?"
"Channels for finding information on Soul Beasts?"
Dugu Bo was taken aback. Then he coughed lightly, an awkward, wry smile appearing on his aged face:
"Xiao Xuan, young friend, if you asked this old man to hunt down a Soul Beast for you, or to tear down some sect's mountain gate, I guarantee I wouldn't even raise an eyebrow."
"But when it comes to the tiresome details of gathering intelligence and collecting information from across the world, I really can't be of much help."
Dugu Bo waved his wide sleeve and spoke frankly:
"This old man is a reclusive and eccentric sort, and I've always traveled the continent alone. I've never founded a sect or established a school, and I don't have a single informant or spy at my beck and call. In this regard, I'm truly in the dark."
Hearing his answer, Xiao Xuan nodded in understanding.
It was indeed consistent with Dugu Bo's usual way of doing things.
The Poison Douluo's name shook the world and inspired immense fear, but a titled powerhouse who worked alone ultimately had no organized intelligence center under his command.
Just as Xiao Xuan was considering how to proceed, Dugu Bo's brows twitched. He seemed to think of something and offered a suggestion:
"However, young friend, if you urgently need leads on the whereabouts of various exotic beasts, this old man does have some friends in the Heaven Dou Imperial Family who would listen to me."
"Prince Xue Xing and I are close friends. He has spent many years establishing himself at court, and he has a group of capable spies under him who specialize in procuring goods and gathering intelligence from all directions."
"If you're interested, I'll write him a letter when we return to the city and have him dispatch his people to search for the Lone Bamboo's whereabouts with all their might."
Prince Xue Xing?
A thought stirred in Xiao Xuan's mind, and a trace of deliberation flashed through his eyes.
Although Prince Xue Xing commanded the resources of his princely residence and could summon wind and rain in the empire's noble circles, his power was ultimately confined to the Heaven Dou Empire's bureaucracy. Most of the Soul Master spies under him were of ordinary strength, and their efficiency in searching dangerous ancient forests for exotic beasts might not be entirely satisfactory.
When it came to an intelligence network capable of gathering information on Soul Beasts across the entire continent, only one force could perceive the finest detail-the Spirit Hall!
And in Heaven Dou City at present, a key figure who could mobilize the Spirit Hall's intelligence forces as easily as turning over her hand was lying in hiding.
Qian Renxue, disguised as the Heaven Dou Crown Prince, Xue Qinghe!
With the Spirit Hall's vast reach, its branches spread throughout the major provinces and its tentacles extending into every important Soul Hunting route, it would surely be far more efficient than an ordinary imperial prince at locating special Lone Bamboo several thousand years old or more.
However, Qian Renxue was currently hiding in the imperial crown prince's palace and acting with great caution. Approaching her rashly would inevitably invite unnecessary suspicion.
Since he had not yet established contact with Qian Renxue, borrowing Prince Xue Xing's eyes and ears for the time being would not be a bad move.
"Then I'll have to trouble you to make the introduction, Senior." Xiao Xuan smiled and cupped his hands in thanks.
Dugu Bo waved a hand heartily. "A small matter, young friend. There's no need for ceremony. Once we return to the residence, I'll send him a message at once and have him get to work."
With the main business settled, Xiao Xuan looked around at the lush, rare plants and took the opportunity to raise another matter on his mind.
"Senior, the rare flowers and exotic herbs filling this garden are extraordinary creations of nature. I just noticed a few spiritual herbs with suitable properties, and I'd like to pick some and take them out of the valley for future use."
"It's just... the Soul Tool I carry is of limited quality and can't preserve the vitality of plants once they've been taken from the soil. I wonder if you have a container that can properly seal in their medicinal properties?"
"Hahaha! And here I thought it was some great difficulty!"
Dugu Bo clapped his hands and laughed, then raised a hand and brushed it over the exquisite pouch at his waist.
With a faint flash of light, a palm-sized brocade pouch landed steadily in his hand. It had the texture of suet-white jade throughout, with intricate dark-gold runes embroidered on its surface.
The old poison casually tossed it to Xiao Xuan and declared:
"This is called the Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse, a treasure crafted by a reclusive grandmaster many years ago."
"Ordinary Soul Tools can only hold inanimate objects, but this purse contains a miniature nursery of its own. Not only can it hold living spiritual herbs, it can also isolate the Qi within from the outside, preserving their vitality and medicinal properties for ten years!"
"Since you're so devoted to the art of medicine, giving you this purse is putting it to its best use. Just take it!"
Xiao Xuan took the smooth, slightly cool white jade pouch, his heart surging with irrepressible joy.
The Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse!
This treasure meant a great deal to him.
Until now, because of the system's three-in-one fusion rule, the wild Lone Bamboo used as the primary material had to retain its vitality to be deemed valid.
That was why he had previously been forced to go to great lengths to find two ancient bamboo plants growing side by side in the same mountain hollow. If they were far apart, the harvested plant would lose its vitality and become useless material.
But now that he had this treasure purse capable of storing living things, that greatest bottleneck had been completely resolved!
From now on, even if two ancient bamboo plants over a thousand years old were separated by a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers, he only needed to seal the first one he found inside the Hundred Treasure Purse, roots, soil and all, to nourish it, then travel ten thousand miles to dig up the second. He could begin the fusion and advance a star anytime, anywhere!