There were no mishaps. The Aromatic Silk Beauty Immortal was still growing well beside the spring of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
This time, Chu Chengzhou came prepared.
A few months ago, before he had become Tang San's prospective uncle, Chu Chengzhou had already learned the relevant information about the Aromatic Silk Beauty Immortal through Hu Liena's channels.
On the continent, knowledge of immortal-grade herbs was not limited to Tang San alone. Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan of Spirit Hall was one such expert.
Though Yue Guan and Hu Liena were not related by blood, they were close as grandfather and granddaughter. When the beloved "granddaughter" he treated as his own asked him about plants, how could he, as an elder, hold anything back?
The Aromatic Silk Beauty Immortal was the nemesis of all poisons. It neutralized every toxin. Although it could not detoxify by itself, it could counter poisons.
Aside from not using metal tools to cut it, picking it was about the same as pulling up a scallion.
However, to avoid loss of efficacy, one had to keep the plant as intact as possible. For long-term storage, it had to be planted in nutrient-rich soil.
Thus, coming prepared, Chu Chengzhou used his usual method. He got a large flowerpot, dug up the Aromatic Silk Beauty Immortal together with its soil, and placed it into a storage soul tool.
Although immortal herbs were not suited to being stored in a storage soul tool that contained no air and no ambient heaven-and-earth energy, short-term storage had little effect.
"Boom boom boom—"
Somewhere in the Sunset Forest, a fierce battle was underway.
The Titan Giant Ape summoned spirit Da Hei—no, the Titan Giant Ape summoned spirit Xiao Ming—was holding back its strength while sparring with the Dark Devilgod Tiger summoned spirit Xiao Hei.
At Xiao Wu's strong insistence, Chu Chengzhou finally handed over the naming rights to her. Thus, Da Hei was renamed Xiao Ming.
As for Da Hei's objection? There was none. It was Da Hei—no, Xiao Ming—and it obeyed its master best.
Of course, to soothe Xiao Ming, the name Chu Chengzhou gave the Dark Devilgod Tiger summoned spirit was not Da Hei but Xiao Hei.
"Alright, stop."
After a long while, with over half his spirit power consumed, Chu Chengzhou stopped the two summoned spirits from continuing.
It had to be said, Xiao Hei the Dark Devilgod Tiger summoned spirit was very strong. Even though it was not yet fifty thousand years, its combat strength was solidly within the realm of a nine-ring Titled Douluo.
Of course, compared to a same-aged Dark Devilgod Tiger of its species, Xiao Hei was undoubtedly much weaker.
This was not Xiao Hei's fault, but due to Chu Chengzhou himself.
At present, his True Spirit Banner martial soul was top-grade in quality, and the bloodline ceiling of summoned spirits was suppressed below god-level.
With the bloodline tier restricted, Xiao Hei's overall attributes and innate soul skills were considerably weakened.
Even so, the fact remained that among Chu Chengzhou's seven summoned spirits, Xiao Hei's bloodline was the strongest.
If nothing else, just the number of innate soul skills made that clear.
Other summoned spirits, aside from Xiao Ming the Titan Giant Ape at a full hundred thousand years, which had three innate soul skills and one domain, all had only two innate soul skills.
The Dark Devilgod Tiger summoned spirit, however, had three innate soul skills and one domain.
They were, respectively, Devilgod Guard, which resembled absolute defense with a relatively long duration but not-too-high upper limit; Devilgod Thorn, which could break all of an opponent's abilities; Elemental Dominion, sharing its name with the spirit bone skill attached to the Elemental Dominion Skull Chu Chengzhou had obtained; and the domain power: Devilgod Domain.
That's right. The Dark Devilgod Tiger's strongest innate soul skill, Life-and-Death Arena, was "sealed." With the bloodline tier restricted, that unreasonable innate soul skill was locked away.
As for "Light Blade," "Charge," and "Dark Devilgod Lightning," which the Dark Devilgod Tiger had used earlier, those were not innate soul skills from birth but self-created soul skills comprehended later.
Human Spirit Masters could comprehend self-created skills. Clever spirit beasts naturally could as well.
Since Xiao Hei did not inherit the Dark Devilgod Tiger's memories and insights, it would need to re-comprehend those skills.
However, with the innate soul skill Elemental Dominion, it should not be difficult for Xiao Hei to relearn these self-created skills.
To be honest, Chu Chengzhou was a little disappointed with the Dark Devilgod Tiger summoned spirit's strength. There was a definite gap from what he had imagined.
Fortunately, these problems were solvable. Once the True Spirit Banner martial soul evolved in quality, Xiao Hei's bloodline tier would recover to god-level, and that unreasonable Life-and-Death Arena would return.
And the wait was not long. Just a little over seven months.
After that, Chu Chengzhou put away the two summoned spirits and returned to Heaven Dou City with Xiao Wu.
That night, Xiao Wu paid the price for securing the naming rights of the Titan Giant Ape summoned spirit. She persuaded her two good sisters, and Chu Chengzhou experienced what "triple pleasure" meant within an illusion.
Unlike past triple illusions, this time it was threefold pleasure within the same illusion.
Early the next morning, Chu Chengzhou took the Aromatic Silk Beauty Immortal to the Moon Pavilion.
Moon Pavilion, fifth floor. In a quiet and elegant hall.
"This is the treasure you mentioned?"
Smelling the faint fragrance drifting into her nose and looking at the suddenly appearing, very dim, but ten-meter-wide pink barrier before her, Tang Yuehua glanced at the pale pink blossom in the flowerpot on the table and asked Chu Chengzhou curiously.
"Mm. This is called the Aromatic Silk Beauty Immortal. It is no ordinary flower.
See this pink barrier? Within its range, all poisons are nullified. It's somewhat like domain power. It should help you break your martial soul's limitation."
Chu Chengzhou pointed at the dim pink barrier that came with the Aromatic Silk Beauty Immortal.
This barrier was quite peculiar. Its range matched the spread of the Aromatic Silk Beauty Immortal's aroma. If one did not enter it, neither the naked eye nor spiritual power could detect it.
"Can it really?"
With the possibility of breaking her martial soul's limits, Tang Yuehua could not help feeling apprehensive.
As the saying goes, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
If it succeeded, fine. But if it failed, not only would a precious treasure be wasted, it would also crush a heart that had glimpsed light yet could not touch it and must remain forever in darkness.
I could endure darkness if I had never seen light.
"Yuehua, trust me. You can do it. The medicinal efficacy of the Aromatic Silk Beauty Immortal lies in its stamen. Sip the stamen and circulate your spirit power to absorb."
"Alright."
Gazing deeply at Chu Chengzhou, Tang Yuehua took a deep breath and nodded.
If it worked and there was hope for the future, what harm was there in casting aside the gap in age and the notion of elder and junior?
If it did not work…
"Then I will grow old alone."
Under the sleeves of her palace dress, Tang Yuehua clenched her fists and thought silently.
Then, following Chu Chengzhou's instructions, Tang Yuehua began to take the Aromatic Silk Beauty Immortal.
At the same time, Chu Chengzhou rose and walked behind her, placing both palms on her back to help her refine the immortal herb's power.
The Aromatic Silk Beauty Immortal's medicinal nature was very gentle, but that was only relative. For a rank 9 Spirit Scholar, the power of an immortal herb was still immense.
Without assistance, relying on Tang Yuehua alone to refine it could very likely result in her body being burst by the vast medicinal power.
Under Chu Chengzhou's guidance, the immortal herb's power slowly released within Tang Yuehua.
A dozen minutes later, abruptly, a platinum ring drifted out from Tang Yuehua.
At the same time, a gentle ripple spread, covering more than ten meters in an instant.
Even a murderous villain would involuntarily set aside malice and return to calm under this elegant and natural wave.
This was precisely Tang Yuehua's martial soul: Ruyi Ring, and its innate martial soul domain: Noble Ring Domain.
As the immortal herb's power was absorbed, Tang Yuehua's Ruyi Ring martial soul, originally platinum, was gradually tinged with a layer of purple, and the originally colorless Noble Ring Domain began to take on a faint pink hue.
The change continued. The purple on the Ruyi Ring grew deeper, and the Noble Ring Domain edged ever closer to light pink.
Finally, when the Ruyi Ring martial soul floating before Tang Yuehua completely transformed from platinum to purple-gold, the once colorless Noble Ring Domain also turned fully light pink.
Right after, Chu Chengzhou keenly sensed Tang Yuehua's spirit power aura rise a notch.
At once his heart leapt. Success.
Anyone with spirit power would emit a spirit power aura unless they deliberately suppressed it. Even Spirit Scholars without spirit rings were no exception.
Other Spirit Masters could not sense it not because others lacked spirit power, but because their strength was insufficient and their perception lacking.
Tang Yuehua was a rank 9 Spirit Scholar. Now that her spirit power aura had suddenly risen a notch, it must mean she had broken through to rank 10.
And a smooth breakthrough meant the original martial soul limitation no longer existed.
Of course, this could already be seen from the changes in Tang Yuehua's Ruyi Ring martial soul.
Unlike Yu Xiaogang, whose rank was stuck at level 29 Great Spirit Master, unable to break through not because his martial soul limited him but because his cultivation talent did.
In the original work, after Yu Xiaogang took the Nine-Grade Purple Zhi to break through level 30, his Luo Sanpao martial soul still did not undergo an evolution.
So long as one possessed innate spirit power, rank 9 Spirit Scholar was not the upper limit of cultivation. With sufficient resources, at the very least, becoming a one-ring Spirit Master was no problem.
As the former young lady of the Clear Sky Sect, even if Tang Yuehua was a cultivation "waste," she would not have lacked resources. Clearly, what kept her from becoming a Spirit Master was not talent but her mutated martial soul.
Now, after taking the Aromatic Silk Beauty Immortal, the Ruyi Ring martial soul had changed. The previous martial soul limitation had naturally been broken.
Of course, the immortal herb's power was immense, and because Tang Yuehua's spirit power rank was extremely low, her refining efficiency was dismal. Though her martial soul transformed, she still had not fully refined the herb's power and had not awakened.
Time flowed. No one knew how long had passed before Tang Yuehua slowly opened her eyes.
"How do you feel?"
Withdrawing the hands pressed to the beauty's back, Chu Chengzhou asked with a smile.
"Very good."
Sensing the much-enhanced spirit power within and looking at the Ruyi Ring martial soul before her, now greatly changed in appearance, Tang Yuehua nodded excitedly.
She had succeeded. She had broken the martial soul limitation that had bound her for many years and advanced to a rank 10 Spirit Scholar.
She had hoped for this scene for nearly forty years. Today she finally had her wish.
"What time is it now?"
Glancing at the night outside the window, Tang Yuehua asked.
"It's already early morning. It counts as the next day."
At this, Chu Chengzhou felt a bit helpless.
He had not returned home at night, and it was not one of the fixed days of the 3rd, 8th, 13th, 18th, 23rd, or 28th. If he went back without a reasonable explanation, the three girls at home would get jealous again.
Besides going out on business or being outside Heaven Dou City, he was permitted to stay out on those six days each month because those nights belonged to Hu Liena.
Fine. Compared to spending the night at the Moon Pavilion with the big sister, going to Hu Liena would be easier for Xiao Wu and the others to accept?
Mm. Nana loved him so much. She would not mind taking the blame, right?
Hearing this, a smile appeared on Tang Yuehua's face. She turned, wrapped her arms around Chu Chengzhou's neck, and gently parted her red lips. "Little brother… no, little man, kiss me\~"
Chu Chengzhou naturally did not refuse his good big sister's proposal. He lowered his head and kissed her.
Soon, he was not satisfied and began to roam with his hands.
The palace dress slipped. A graceful figure was revealed. Just as Chu Chengzhou was about to remove his good big sister's last defense, Tang Yuehua stopped him and said, "Don't go to the bedroom\~"
"Good big sister, I'll listen to you."
With that, Chu Chengzhou scooped Tang Yuehua up by the waist and walked into the bedroom.
Not long after, a shy, low cry sounded in the bedroom. With a tiny blood flower blooming, the world had one more true woman.
By mid-morning, sunlight filtered through the gauze curtains into the bedroom.
On the purple sandalwood bed carved with wintersweet patterns, Tang Yuehua, who had "bloomed thrice" in the night—no, in the morning—lazily opened her eyes.
"Awake?"
Looking at the big sister lying on his chest, the already-awake Chu Chengzhou smiled.
"Mm\~"
Tang Yuehua nodded, happiness in her eyes.
The once-burly figure in her heart had unconsciously faded. All that remained was the elegant young man before her who had given her love and hope.
Gently stroking the jade-like skin of the beauty in his arms, the tender Chu Chengzhou did not continue to misbehave. He asked seriously, "Yuehua, I forgot to ask last night. How has your domain changed?"
Aside from Tang Yuehua, no one else in the world possessed the Ruyi Ring martial soul.
Moreover, with no spirit rings attached yet, even Chu Chengzhou could not say exactly what the Ruyi Ring was like now, and neither could Tang Yuehua, its owner.
But though the martial soul was unclear, the effect of the domain could be clearly felt.
"The changes are significant. Before, my Noble Ring Domain calmed the mind and cleansed the spirit. Now that effect remains, and another has appeared. Within the domain, it purifies all negative states."
"Looks like your Ruyi Ring martial soul is an auxiliary type?"
Hearing this, Chu Chengzhou spoke with interest.
A martial soul's system was closely tied to its innate domain. Since the domain's effect was still of the auxiliary type, the transformed Ruyi Ring was likely an auxiliary martial soul.
In Chu Chengzhou's view, Tang Yuehua's temperament was superb. If she had a power-attack martial soul, her image would collapse. It was better for her to be an auxiliary-type Spirit Master.
Of course, not an unorthodox "auxiliary" like him, who claimed to be support but did a power attacker's job, but a proper auxiliary like Ning Rongrong.
"Probably\~"
Tang Yuehua nodded.
"No rush about hunting a ring. I'll teach you a secret method in a bit. Once you learn it, I'll take you to hunt a ring."
Chu Chengzhou planned to teach Tang Yuehua Absolute Control.
With her martial soul limitation removed, it was time for Tang Yuehua's spirit power to soar.
The power of an immortal herb was vast. Even if Tang Yuehua had only absorbed a small part, the increase would not be just one level. It was only because she lacked spirit rings that she was capped at rank 10 Spirit Scholar.
Without the spirit ring cap, it would not be impossible for Tang Yuehua's spirit power to jump directly to rank 20 right now, and there was a good chance it would exceed rank 20.
Of course, the exact rank did not matter. Even if there was no unmanifested spirit power left in Tang Yuehua, a single hundred-thousand-year first spirit ring would directly fill the spirit power needed for the one-ring stage and far more.
With one hundred-thousand-year spirit ring plus one hundred-thousand-year spirit bone, her spirit power up to five rings would certainly be filled directly. Even at six rings, it would likely be more than half.
In other words, with seven hundred-thousand-year spirit beasts, Tang Yuehua could advance to seven-ring Spirit Saint in a short time, and her spirit power would not be at the entry point of seven rings.
At that time, a forty-something seven-ring Spirit Saint—leaving aside the overpowering ring and bone configuration—judged solely by spirit power rank would absolutely be a rare genius on the continent.
Q: How does a waste transform gorgeously into a genius?
A: Immortal herbs, hundred-thousand-year spirit rings and spirit bones.
And with spirit power skyrocketing in a short time, to avoid harming the foundation, one naturally had to learn to control one's own spirit power well.
Thus, Absolute Control would be a peerless technique Tang Yuehua must diligently cultivate next.
Of course, only Absolute Control.
Chu Chengzhou had not forgotten that Tang Yuehua was the eldest princess of the Clear Sky Sect. Becoming Tang San's uncle did not mean Tang San would treat him as a good uncle. They were not father and son.
Before the time was right, many peerless techniques could not be leaked.
But Absolute Control was different. Its effect was only to enhance control. Even in the hands of the strong, mastering it would not cause too great a qualitative change. Even if the Clear Sky Sect obtained it, the consequences would not be too great.
After bathing and eating lunch, after guiding Tang Yuehua in cultivating Absolute Control and writing down the secret method, Chu Chengzhou left the Moon Pavilion and hurried back home.
Unlike other peerless techniques, Absolute Control was hard to master but easy to start. It was easy to learn yet hard to perfect.
With the secret method to follow, even without his guidance, Tang Yuehua could cultivate it, and even if her cultivation was lacking, it would not be dangerous.
As soon as he entered the house, as expected, since he had stayed out overnight not on a fixed day, Chu Chengzhou faced the "three-court interrogation" once again.
"My Lord Chu, can you tell this little lady where you went last night?"
In the hall, with the doors shut, Xiao Wu asked in a slightly sarcastic tone.
"Exactly, exactly. Confess and be treated leniently. Resist and be treated severely."
Ning Rongrong echoed, and Zhu Zhuqing looked at Chu Chengzhou with a dark expression.
"Well…"
Chu Chengzhou hesitated. If he lied and said he had gone to see Hu Liena last night, would that be unfair to Nana?
"Bang—"
"Tell me, did you go to that vixen again last night?"
Xiao Wu slapped the table and questioned bluntly.
Counting a month as thirty days, the three sisters allowed Chu Chengzhou six days to visit Hu Liena. That was already very generous, no?
After all, they were three sisters, and they were the first, second, and third households, while Hu Liena could only be the fourth. The three sisters together occupied the remaining twenty-four days. On average, that was only two more days than Hu Liena. Hardly excessive.
But now Chu Chengzhou had gone to see Hu Liena outside the permitted range. That was too much.
"My dear Xiao Wu, Nana is your fourth sister. How can you call her a vixen? You are all good sisters and should love each other all your lives."
Chu Chengzhou pointed out the impropriety in Xiao Wu's words and spoke solemnly.
"I don't care. Anyway, this isn't about you going to Hu Li—"
"I was wrong."
Before Xiao Wu could finish, Chu Chengzhou admitted fault immediately.
I admit fault, but I will not change.
Seeing this, the three girls looked at each other.
"Ahem\~ Then tell us. What were you wrong about?"
Clearing her throat, Xiao Wu asked.
"I was wrong about everything."
Chu Chengzhou answered without hesitation.
The three sisters: "."
For a moment, they were at a loss.
Staying out for the night was not a big deal. Hu Liena had already been acknowledged by the three sisters. No need to make a fuss.
But if they let him off lightly, would that not be too easy on him? What if he pushed further in the future?
Just then, Chu Chengzhou said to Zhu Zhuqing, "Zhuqing, I have a treasure here that should suit you. If you refine it, there's a chance you could awaken a domain."
As he spoke, Chu Chengzhou took out a black bead from his storage soul tool and handed it to Zhu Zhuqing.
This black bead was none other than the one left behind after the Dark Devilgod Tiger's sacrifice.
Chu Chengzhou guessed it was something like a core condensed by the Dark Devilgod Tiger, containing much of the tiger's origin.
"Big cat" was another term for tiger. Among the four of them, the one most compatible with the Dark Devilgod Tiger was undoubtedly Zhu Zhuqing with her Nether Civet martial soul.
Moreover, as a battle Spirit Master, her strength was clearly far behind his and Xiao Wu's. Chu Chengzhou intended to have Zhu Zhuqing refine this black bead.
Perhaps, just as he said, after refining it, Zhu Zhuqing could awaken a domain?
Also, the best way to change the subject was to bring up a new topic that drew more attention.
T/N: For up to 30 chapters ahead on most of my translations, become a p@tron at [email protected]/LordHipposApostle