Bonus Chapter. Enjoy!
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Inside the cultivation room, Huo Yuhao sat down cross-legged.
The Soul Tool Formations engraved on the surrounding walls lit up one by one. The already rich Heaven and Earth Origin Qi in the room began to climb at a speed perceptible to the naked eye, and the air seemed to become a bit thicker.
At this moment, a huge flower floated before him.
Below it were dense, curtain-like vine-shaped rhizomes and leaves, drooping and spreading in layers. Their color was as emerald green as the finest jade, and each leaf shimmered with a warm luster in the faint light of the formations.
And atop those interlaced rhizomes, a golden tulip was in full bloom.
The flower was large and full; every petal seemed to be cast from the purest gold, yet the edges were suffused with a layer of glaze-like translucent fluorescence, blending opulence and elegance into one.
The air was filled with a refreshing floral fragrance. The scent was neither strong nor heavy, but quiet and long-lasting; every breath felt like pouring a mouthful of the purest Spiritual Qi into one's lungs.
This was the original body of the one-hundred-and-ninety-eight-thousand-year Immortal Herb, the Qiluo Tulip.
And directly above this flower, a slightly illusory figure was floating in mid-air.
With purple clothes and black hair, his face handsome yet cold and stern, it was exactly the Purple-clothed Man seen before at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Just now, he had completed the transformation from a Vicious Beast to a Spirit Soul. His one-hundred-and-ninety-eight-thousand-year cultivation had entirely turned into this solid Spirit Soul body.
The Purple-clothed Man lowered his head, gazing at the youth below who was sitting cross-legged and concentrating.
His voice was calm and steady as he said, "Lightly take the Stamen in your mouth and suck the Stamen's essence..."
He was guiding Huo Yuhao on how to absorb the Immortal Herb's medicinal power. Although the Qiluo Tulip had transformed into a Spirit Soul, the medicinal power of its original Immortal Herb body had not dissipated. It would be of great benefit to Huo Yuhao after he absorbed it.
Huo Yuhao gently held the golden tulip before him with both hands. Following the Purple-clothed Man's guidance, he leaned forward slightly and lightly took the Stamen between his lips.
In an instant, a sweet and luscious essence gushed out from the Stamen, sliding down his throat and into his body.
That feeling was not the usual heat or cold of medicinal power, but a warm current as mild as jade and as long-lasting as water, as if an invisible hand were gently smoothing out every tiny wrinkle in his Meridians.
The medicinal effect of the Qiluo Tulip was not originally about directly increasing combat power, but about strengthening the Foundation and cultivating the origin, broadening the Foundation, accelerating the speed of Origin Qi absorption, and reducing the difficulty of a Breakthrough at a Bottleneck.
These benefits might not seem intuitive for increasing Huo Yuhao's strength right now, but in the long run, the benefits were definitely not small.
As the Immortal Herb's medicinal power was absorbed by Huo Yuhao, the golden radiance on the petals of the originally golden and shimmering Qiluo Tulip had now dissipated. Its color became warm and restrained, and the refreshing floral fragrance in the air also faded a bit.
Huo Yuhao gently set the Immortal Herb's original body aside, then looked up at the slightly illusory purple-clothed figure in mid-air.
His gaze was calm and solemn as he said, "Next is the Spirit Soul Fusion; do not resist."
The Purple-clothed Man nodded. He had already made preparations; from the moment he actively proposed to become Huo Yuhao's Spirit Soul, this was the path he had chosen.
A strange energy immediately surged from Huo Yuhao's body. That energy was not violent or overbearing, yet it seemed to carry an irresistible power of Law, slowly surging toward him like a tide and gradually merging into his illusory Spirit Soul body.
At first, he didn't feel anything unusual; the energy was docile and steady.
But a moment later, the Purple-clothed Man's heart suddenly stirred. He clearly felt that something extra had suddenly appeared between him and Huo Yuhao—a sort of indescribable connection, like an invisible thread lightly tying their Souls together.
Before he could react, a powerful attraction suddenly came, pulling his entire being toward Huo Yuhao instantly. He turned into a beam of light and plunged straight into the center of Huo Yuhao's brow.
After a brief blankness, his consciousness reconsolidated. The Purple-clothed Man opened his eyes and found himself in a completely unfamiliar space.
He looked around, and an uncontrollable shock gradually rose in his eyes.
This place seemed boundless. Looking as far as the eye could see, there was a white light in the distance that was pure to the extreme.
But nearby was lush greenery, as if it were a green ocean. That green was rich and vivid, and the air was filled with a life aura far more intense than that on the shores of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
He almost subconsciously took a deep breath. The moment that aura surged into his Spirit Soul body, it actually caused his Soul body—which had been slightly unstable due to the Spirit Soul transformation—to become a bit more solid.
He had realized that the Spirit Soul ritual was successful; this was Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Sea.
Just as the Purple-clothed Man was about to release his perception to investigate this strange Spiritual Sea, a voice carrying a bit of laziness and playfulness drifted into his ears without warning.
"Yo! A newcomer has arrived!" As the words fell, a figure abruptly appeared before him.
That figure was round and chubby, white and fat, and its entire body shimmered with a warm, crystalline white luster. It looked like a silkworm baby that had been magnified many times.
Although its body was bloated, its movements were exceptionally agile. A pair of small eyes sparkling with shrewdness were darting around, sizing up the Purple-clothed Man with a gaze full of curiosity and a bit of the superiority of a veteran.
What appeared at this moment was naturally Tianmeng Ice Silkworm. It shook its round body and approached quite familiarly, introducing itself: "My name is Tianmeng Ice Silkworm, and I'm Yuhao's Spirit Soul."
"Hmm, I arrived a bit earlier than you, so I'm considered your Senior."
A flash of surprise crossed the Purple-clothed Man's eyes. First, he was surprised that with Huo Yuhao's talent, why would he choose a weak ice silkworm as his Spirit Soul?
Next, what confused him even more was, how could an ice silkworm speak?
Seeming to see the doubt in his eyes, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's body puffed up slightly, and it proudly raised its non-existent chin: "I'm no ordinary ice silkworm; I'm a Million-year Spirit Beast!"
The Purple-clothed Man's pupils constricted slightly. The weight of the words 'Million-year' was something that even a nearly two-hundred-thousand-year Vicious Beast like him could not ignore.
He didn't even have the confidence to survive the second Heavenly Tribulation; the million-year level was something he didn't even dare to think about. But could this round, non-threatening-looking baby silkworm before him be a Million-year Spirit Beast?
He didn't believe it!
Just then, another blunt voice came from the other side, its tone carrying blatant mockery: "A Million-year Spirit Beast who hasn't even survived a single Heavenly Tribulation is just a product piled up by resources. What is there to show off?"
Before the voice could fade, a large silver eyeball appeared before the Purple-clothed Man. This large eyeball was silvery-white all over, emitting an eerie and profound light. Behind it, dozens of slender tentacles drifted slowly like water grass, with weak mental fluctuations lingering on each tentacle.
The Purple-clothed Man recognized at a glance that this was an Evil Eye. Ten Thousand Years ago, two of the Spirit Ice Douluo's spirit rings were taken from this kind of Spirit Beast known for its mental force.
What appeared now was naturally the Evil Eye Spirit Soul, Xiao Yin. It had been at odds with Tianmeng Ice Silkworm since the day they met.
One couldn't stand the other's boasting, and the other couldn't stand the first's sharp-tongued sarcasm. Whenever they got together, bickering was a common occurrence.
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A/N:
5 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
2 Reviews = 1 Extra Chapter
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.