Inside the Sea God Pavilion
Mu En lifted his eyes slightly.
Reclining in his chair, he regarded his disciple. "Shaozhe, why have you called this Sea God Pavilion meeting?"
"Master—the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda has reappeared!"
The gathered Elders gasped in unison.
They all understood what this meant.
"The Nine Treasures Pagoda? Beautiful Silk Tulip!" Mu En straightened, rare astonishment in his voice. "Did the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect announce this?"
"Yes…" Yan Shaozhe quickly recounted the sect's public declaration. His eyes burned with hope. "Master—could they still have other immortal herbs? Like… Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, from Ancestor Ma Hongjun?"
"You're thinking of Xiao Tao," Mu En said knowingly.
A master's love for his disciple ran deep.
Mu En well knew how Yan Shaozhe cherished Ma Xiaotao—not just because she inherited Ma Hongjun's top-tier Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul, or because at 18 she was already a Level 67 Soul Emperor (second only in the Inner Sect), but because Yan Shaozhe had raised her like his own daughter.
"Master, Tao's condition can't wait," Yan Shaozhe pleaded, worry etched on his face. "That stubborn girl—I can't just watch her talent waste away! After years of searching, we finally have a lead on an immortal herb. We can't give up!"
"Senior Brother…"
"Elder Mu…"
"Master…"
Before Mu En could respond, every Elder's gaze fixed on him—even Xian Lin'er and Qian Duoduo, who usually clashed with Yan Shaozhe, now urged him to act.
After all, Xiao Tao was pitiful.
And if she obtained the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, her martial soul and talent would soar—possibly surpassing Zhang Lexuan, securing the academy's next-generation pillar.
Mu En sighed heavily.
As Sea God Pavilion Master, he remained the calmest.
If the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect truly had immortal herbs… would they trade with Shrek? He knew Ning Bowen's ambition well. A fire-attribute herb wasn't useless to them.
And immortal herbs were exceedingly rare.
Unless they'd found the very treasure trove Tang San visited ten thousand years ago, acquiring even one herb was miraculous.
Yet faced with the Elders' pleas…
"Shaozhe," Mu En said, eyes flickering toward the now-lazy Xuan Zi, "take the two soul bones from the treasury—the 60,000-year and 70,000-year Blazing Fire Dragon bones." After a pause, he added, "Xuan Zi—you'll accompany Shaozhe. Besides the herb matter, meet with that boy Bowen. Discuss the Sun Moon Empire situation. And remember—"
His tone turned icy. Xuan Zi dropped his gourd and chicken leg, sitting ramrod straight.
"This is the priority! If you bungle it, I'll personally discipline you on my senior brother's behalf!"
"Yes, sir!"
---
Days Later – Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect
At the storm's center, Chen Junting sat in meditation, the transformed Seven Kill Sword resting on his lap. Beneath him, the Gathering Qi Array glowed gold, drawing ambient qi into a dense cocoon around him.
BUZZ—!
As the sword sang, every blade in the room resonated!
Suddenly, the sword's silver-white hue faded—
revealing its original crystalline azure.
The soul power dimmed. The array shattered. Chen Junting opened his eyes—sharp as drawn blades.
With a casual downward press of his right hand, the resonance ceased.
He rose, stepping out of the morphic cultivation chamber.
With each stride, his aura sharpened—until at the training ground, he stood like a peerless sword: no killing intent, just pure, honed edge.
The Seven Kill Sword materialized in his grip.
As azure faded to silver—
Swish—!
A single slash unleashed a sword beam that carved a smooth trench into the earth—and cleaved through the reinforced wall beyond!
"Worthy of pseudo-Ultimate Metal," Chen Junting murmured, sheathing his sword.
Indeed—
after consuming the Golden Bone Immortal Spirit, his Seven Kill Sword had ascended. Three of his four soul rings bore top-tier metal attributes, refining his martial soul into a vessel of pseudo-Ultimate Metal. With deeper comprehension, he could achieve true Ultimate Metal upon becoming a Title Douluo—even without future metal-attribute soul rings.
Just then—
ROAR—!
Six figures soared into the sky, their auras vast as oceans.
The six Grand Elders—fresh from their immortal herb breakthroughs.
Ye Xuanji, noticing Chen Junting, descended.
"Master—congratulations on reaching Level 98!"
"Hahahaha!" Ye Xuanji laughed freely, though his eyes shimmered with emotion. "Not yet. The 97-to-98 threshold is far steeper than you imagine. But my breakthrough is imminent—days away. And with the Star Luo Holy Pearl, I may even form a soul core, boosting my odds for Level 99."
He summoned a radiant yellow longsword, studded with starlight. "My true fortune lies not in cultivation—but here."
"Your martial soul evolved!" Chen Junting realized. The Star Luo Holy Pearl—nourished by starlight—was even more compatible with the Star Saint Sword than Beautiful Silk Tulip was with the Glazed Tile Pagoda.
"Then 'Star Saint Sword' no longer fits," Chen Junting suggested. "How about… Star God Sword?"
"Perfect!" Ye Xuanji beamed.
Chen Junting learned the others' progress:
- Zhi Yong broke through to Level 97 with Black Jade Divine Bamboo.
- Bai Sheng, like Ye Xuanji, gained a breakthrough catalyst.
- Zhang Ming, Tai Yu, and Qing Lan each advanced 1 level (having not been Super Douluos before).
Yet none would seclude themselves to cultivate. They had "guests" to welcome soon—
—but that wasn't Chen Junting's concern.
He headed to Ning Tian's residence.
Just as he arrived, a soul power fluctuation rippled from within.
A smile tugged his lips.
'She's finished.'
Inside, Ning Tian opened her eyes as he entered. An intoxicating fragrance filled the air. Her presence had transformed—regal, luminous, as if heaven itself favored her.
Seeing him, she grinned. "Brother Junting! I jumped six full levels—just one step from Soul Ancestor!"
"That's not what matters now," Chen Junting teased. "Show me your martial soul!"
"Okay!"
Ning Tian summoned her martial soul. Yellow, yellow, purple soul rings rose as a pagoda materialized in her hands—
nine tiers, nine colors, cradled by petals!
"The true Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda!"
Though expected, joy overwhelmed her. 'After ten thousand years… it's returned to our sect!'
She dashed forward, leaping into Chen Junting's arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. He caught her waist, holding her close.
"Congratulations, Xiao Tian."
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