Spirit City, the Pope's Palace.
Bibi Dong and the others stood in a circle, watching Xiao Yan, who sat upright in their midst. Their eyes were full of anticipation and approval as they quietly waited for him to wake.
About the time it took an incense stick to burn earlier, Xiao Yan and Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan had flown back at top speed. Nearly half the people in Spirit Hall had been thrown into an uproar by their arrival, but the pair had shown no intention of slowing down, heading straight for the Pope's Palace.
At the time, Bibi Dong had gathered with the Golden Generation, the elders, and the finest among the younger Soul Masters to discuss the next Continent-Wide Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament. They had been enjoying their conversation when Xiao Yan and Yue Guan came flying in. Bibi Dong was naturally delighted to see Xiao Yan return, but although she knew he was not reckless, she still wondered why the two had barged straight into the hall without even waiting to be announced. That question, shared by everyone present, vanished like smoke the moment Xiao Yan raised his right hand.
Everyone saw a crystal-clear, round pill hovering above it. The pill was bluish-green, with three colored patterns on its surface. Its rich, refreshing fragrance rushed into their noses, and they immediately felt their cultivation bottlenecks loosen. Some even wanted to sit down and start cultivating at once.
Everyone present was trusted by Bibi Dong and naturally knew, more or less, what their Holy Son had gone to do. The Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill Xiao Yan now displayed before them was the best answer he could have given.
Bibi Dong was overjoyed. Ever since learning of Xiao Yan's miraculous pill-refining method, she had wanted to see an actual pill. As someone who stood at the pinnacle of the continent, she understood very well how this wondrous method would change the balance of power across it and perhaps even become the cornerstone of her great ambition...
Now, seeing the first pill in Douluo Continent's history to be refined through a systematic pill-refining method, a pill in the true sense, how could Bibi Dong not be delighted?
"Yan'er, you're back," Bibi Dong said gently. Her disciple was wrapped in secrets, but he had never disappointed her.
Xiao Yan smiled reverently at his teacher. It was only natural: none of his accomplishments in this world would have been possible without her help. "I'm glad I didn't fail you," he replied. Then he displayed the Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill before everyone and announced in a clear voice:
"A fourth-tier pill, the Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill, of perfect quality. A Soul Elder who takes it can directly break through the level forty bottleneck. A Soul Ancestor who takes it has a chance of directly rising three levels."
Those few words shocked everyone present again and again. Who did not know that every breakthrough was a major hurdle for a Soul Master? Countless Soul Masters might never cross the hurdle of level forty in their entire lives, never reaching the Soul Ancestor realm. But according to Xiao Yan, as long as they had this pill, the threshold of level forty would cease to exist.
"Would it help with breaking through to the Soul King realm...?" someone in the corner asked offhandedly, then clapped a hand over his mouth and gave an embarrassed chuckle. It was only natural: a Soul Master's cultivation was a process of wresting fortune from heaven and earth, so how could a bottleneck be broken through so easily? But who could have expected Xiao Yan to respond? Under their stunned gazes, he answered:
"The Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill is naturally useless for breaking through to the Soul King realm. But it isn't the only kind of pill I have."
With a flick of Xiao Yan's long sleeve, several pills floated into the air. For a moment, their fragrance filled the hall as if it had substance, leaving everyone feeling as though they were floating into immortality, unaware of what day or night it was.
"These are called Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pills. They are also fourth-tier pills. Unlike the Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill, they don't produce a strong resistance, so they can be taken countless times. Each dose will raise a Soul Ancestor by one level, and can even let them directly break through the level fifty bottleneck and reach the Soul King realm."
His words shocked everyone once more. It was no wonder. The cultivation thresholds that had stood in the Soul Master World for a thousand years had been broken so easily by this youth. How could they not be shocked?
"Holy Son, you truly are a heaven-sent genius."
"With the Holy Son here, our Spirit Hall is bound to flourish!"
"His Holiness the Pope has found a fine young talent."
Everyone began praising him at once. Clearly, Xiao Yan's pills were a creation that would benefit them all, so they were naturally delighted and full of praise.
Bibi Dong's face was filled with satisfaction. This child was only around twelve years old, yet he had forever changed the balance of the Soul Master World. It seemed that taking him as a disciple had not been his good fortune, but hers.
"Yan'er, since these pills are so miraculous and you've already reached the Soul Ancestor realm, why don't you try them yourself?"
Xiao Yan nodded repeatedly at her words. He knew his teacher was giving him a chance to demonstrate the pills' miraculous effects before everyone. So he sat down on the floor and swallowed two pills.
An incense stick's time later, Xiao Yan's dormant presence finally surged. His Emperor Flame Martial Soul appeared behind him, blazing fiercely, and swelled dozens of times larger in an instant. Then all four of his Soul Rings appeared, and everyone felt his powerful presence without the slightest restraint.
Xiao Yan had truly broken through four whole levels at once.
His eyes slowly opened, Emperor Flame burning in his pupils and giving off bursts of light. The strength of his presence now was likely no less than that of a Soul King.
Xiao Yan closed his eyes, and his powerful presence gradually withdrew into his body. But everyone clearly could not forget what they had just witnessed-not only because his strength far surpassed that of others at his level, but also because everything he had said was true. His pills really were that miraculous.
"Good!" Bibi Dong was also very pleased. She said loudly to everyone, "The Holy Son's creation is a blessing to our Spirit Hall. You may leave now." Everyone bowed and withdrew, leaving only the members of the Golden Generation in the hall.
"Yan'er, I never thought you would truly create such miraculous pills," Bibi Dong said with a smile. "You have rendered a great service to our Spirit Hall."
"I wouldn't dare take the credit," Xiao Yan said modestly. "Without your help, teacher, I could never have accomplished this. It's just that, although you collected a large and varied supply of medicinal ingredients for me, there are still too few heavenly and earthly treasures. There's already enough to refine ordinary pills, but for certain pills with truly miraculous effects, I'm afraid we'll have to try some more precious ingredients."
"If you want to use heavenly and earthly treasures as medicine, I do know a good place," Chrysanthemum Douluo chuckled behind Xiao Yan. "But Grandpa Ju can only guarantee your safety at most. Whether you can pry anything out of that old poison's mouth depends on your own ability, Little Yanzi."
At this, Bibi Dong seemed to think of something. "Elder Ju, could you mean...?"
"That's right. If you're searching for heavenly and earthly treasures, I'm afraid no one on all of Douluo Continent has a greater stock than that old poison, Dugu Bo."
Chrysanthemum Douluo then volunteered to take Xiao Yan to Poison Douluo's private herb garden, and Bibi Dong readily agreed. The two bowed to her and set off without stopping for the heart of Sunset Forest in the Heaven Dou Empire, searching for the old poison's treasured herb garden.
That night, Bibi Dong stood alone before the enormous floor-to-ceiling window of the Pope's Palace, gazing into the distance as though lost in thought.
Suddenly, a flickering shadow appeared beside her. "Your Holiness."
"Ghost Elder, what is it?"
"Although what the Holy Son did today was a blessing to our Spirit Hall, Your Holiness, have you never had doubts?"
"He's only a twelve-year-old boy. How many secrets does he have? How many unheard-of skills has he mastered?"
"And then there are those bizarre Soul Rings. The Soul Rings of his first Martial Soul take all sorts of forms, while the color of his Second Martial Soul's rings is fixed. No matter what kind of Soul Ring he absorbs, they always appear black with a tinge of red."
"Does he really need to absorb existing Soul Rings, or is that merely a trick to deceive us...?"
"Ghost Elder, I've considered all of that," Bibi Dong interrupted Gui Mei, a trace of anger in her voice. "I've also wondered whether Xiao Yan might be some kind of Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form, or a god reincarnated, or perhaps a member of some reclusive clan, with all his miraculous abilities coming from an unknown inheritance. But in any case, those are only conjectures. They cannot be treated as certain conclusions."
"I don't know where Xiao Yan comes from, but I've seen every step of the child's growth with my own eyes. He hasn't even concealed his history and grievances with Tang Hao from me. This child doesn't have the eyes of a treacherous person."
"Besides, if you doubt someone, don't employ them; if you employ someone, don't doubt them. He is my disciple now. From this point on, there is no need to speak of such groundless speculation again."
Ghost Douluo cupped his hands and withdrew. In truth, he was not targeting Xiao Yan. Six years had passed, and he was not a heartless man either. Though he had not lost himself as Chrysanthemum Douluo had amid repeated calls of "Grandpa, Grandpa," he too appreciated and valued the boy. He was simply suspicious by nature, often letting even baseless matters send his thoughts running wild. And with so much about Xiao Yan shrouded in mystery, it was hard for others not to grow suspicious.
After Ghost Douluo left, Bibi Dong continued to gaze into the distance alone, murmuring:
"Xiao Yan... Yan'er..."
(I'll mention this here: in my theory comparing the cultivation levels of the two sides, one ring in Douluo-that is, obtaining the first Soul Ring, above level ten-corresponds to the Dou Qi stage in Battle Through the Heavens, and the levels continue accordingly. Those below level ten are considered to be at the level of ordinary people, since they have no Soul Skills and don't display any particular power. So a Soul Ancestor corresponds to a Da Dou Shi, and a Soul King to a Dou Ling. Since the original work has no pill to help a Da Dou Shi break through to the Dou Ling realm, I added my own setting to the Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill, which can reliably raise a Da Dou Shi's level, allowing it to help with the breakthrough to the Dou Ling realm. Please be understanding.)