The progress in his relationship with Ye Lingling did not affect Lin Yang's daily life. His ordinary routine continued exactly as before. Lin Yang also received the "sincerity" from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Academy. It was worth noting that the gift Ning Fengzhi had Bone Douluo deliver was truly lavish. Knowing Lin Yang was never short of gold soul coins, the gift contained not a single coin—only genuine treasures.
First came the commemorative plaque from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Thanks to this certificate, Lin Yang could mobilize thirty percent of the school's resources free of charge. Ning Fengzhi's generosity was astonishing. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's wealth rivaled that of an entire nation; this was no exaggeration. Even if that thirty percent were converted into a fixed sum, the amount would still be enormous. To Lin Yang, however, it was nothing special.
The second item surprised him: a ten-thousand-year soul bone. Honestly, Lin Yang had never expected the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to offer one. Yet after learning its properties, the gesture made perfect sense. It was the left leg bone of the thirty-thousand-year Heart-Eating Underworld Scorpion, obtained by chance. Due to its mismatched attributes, the clan had simply let it gather dust in storage. Aside from external soul bones, a human had only six soul bone slots. The torso bone was the most valuable, followed by the skull, then the limbs. This particular left leg bone carried a poison-type attack skill rather than a movement skill. Its value dropped with every repeated transaction. To win Lin Yang's friendship, Ning Fengzhi had simply included it. He knew Lin Yang's close ties with the Dugu family and had no fear the bone would go to waste. What was useless to others was a priceless treasure for the Dugu clan.
Lin Yang turned and handed the soul bone to Dugu Yan. Whether she absorbed it or Dugu Bo did was a matter for grandfather and granddaughter to decide.
The rest of the gift consisted of rare precious-metal ingots and various exotic herbs—the part Lin Yang valued most. While sorting the herbs, he discovered a peculiar seed. It was wrapped inside a glass-like stone and looked exactly like a clove of garlic. Had a faint green sprout not been visible inside, it would have been mistaken for an ordinary pebble and discarded. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had clearly studied it, but they had failed to make it sprout and simply returned the stone. Lin Yang could not identify it either. He had, however, researched countless rare herbs and knew that some demanded extremely strict growing conditions. With the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, none of those conditions mattered.
He placed the seed into the well. As expected, the glazed-stone shell cracked overnight. The soft sprout inside took root in the soil. Lin Yang could not hide his delight. Even if this seed was not a divine herb, it was clearly extraordinary. Trading for magical potions and the seeds of heavenly herbs was an unbelievably good bargain.
...
Two peaceful months slipped by. The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye remained unchanged—cold air and flame still intertwined, mist still swirled. The surrounding herb garden, however, had more than doubled in size. Rare herbs of every kind flourished as far as the eye could see. Anyone with even basic herbal knowledge knew that the closer a plant grew to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, the more precious it became and the faster it matured.
The special seed Lin Yang had planted had already grown into a fifty-centimeter seedling with light-amber leaves. Nothing else about it looked remarkable—yet the fact that it thrived in the inner circle beside Fragrant Fairy Grass and White Swan Kiss proved it was extraordinary. Knowing how vital the well was, Dugu Bo had reinforced the surrounding poison array several times on top of Lan Qin's Blue Silver Domain. Ordinary people could not approach. Even a Titled Douluo who visited in person would notice nothing unusual.
At that moment the spring erupted violently. Lin Yang's figure shot out of the water. His tall, perfectly proportioned body glowed with a faint, mysterious light. Powerful, vibrant soul energy swirled around him, clearly announcing that he had just broken through.
"Master, congratulations on reaching level fifty!" Lan Qin's voice echoed in his mind.
Lin Yang clenched his fist, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Finally… level fifty."
A Soul King who had not yet turned twelve—at least unprecedented, perhaps the last of his kind.
After speaking with Lan Qin for a few minutes, Lin Yang left the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye and returned to the Butterfly House.
The moment he stepped inside, the little rabbit spotted him and launched herself into his arms. "Lin Yang, you're finally back!"
Lin Yang caught her by the small of her back and teased, "What's wrong? Who bullied you? Tell me and I'll make them pay."
Joke! With Xiao Wu's personality, the real miracle was that she hadn't bullied anyone else. Who could possibly bully her? The clueless academy students had already been thoroughly beaten by her.
Xiao Wu shook her head and buried her face in his chest. "Nothing… I just missed you."
Lin Yang's eyes softened. This little rabbit had an uncanny talent for saying the most touching things without trying.
His seclusion had lasted more than a month—far too long. After a moment's thought he asked, "Want to go for a walk tomorrow?"
The little rabbit lifted her head, eyes sparkling. "Just the two of us?"
"Just the two of us."
Her excitement was instant and infectious. Lin Yang could not help smiling. He had grown stronger to protect the people around him—no matter the cost.
The next day he kept his promise. He and the little rabbit spent the entire day wandering the city happily. The price, however, was that his soft skin was mercilessly "ravaged" on both sides by two different girls.
Sister Yan and Ling Ling were, needless to say, jealous.
"See? I told you so," Dugu Yan said with a dangerous smile in her narrow eyes. "If you want fairness, be fair. Why play favorites?"
Lin Yang protested, but in the end he had to spend an entire day with the "person in charge" to calm everyone down.
Every move he made was now watched by people with hidden agendas. The fact that he had accompanied three girls on shopping trips in three days quickly reached certain ears.
Qian Renxue sneered, a trace of contempt in her eyes. "Hah. All men are the same."
Beside her, Xie Luo looked speechless. "Young Master, that is hardly a fair generalization."
Ning Fengzhi stroked the documents in his hand, conflict flickering in his gaze.
...