The immortal herb Tang Xiao's gaze fell upon was truly extraordinary, radiating a majestic aura.
Its stalk and leaves hung down like cascading wisteria, finely arranged, while at the top bloomed a dazzling golden tulip, releasing a rich fragrance into the air.
This herb was the Beautiful Silk Tulip—the very one Ning Rongrong consumed, which evolved her martial soul into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
"Among the five immortal herbs recorded in the book I borrowed from the Yang Family, I've already refined the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum and Narcissus Jade Flesh Bone… The third one, the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng, is not here but in Bai He's hands. Only the last two—the Beautiful Silk Tulip and the Aromatic Silk Beauty—are available for me to consume now…"
"But… among these two, I still have to keep one for my future child…"
Looking at the Beautiful Silk Tulip and the nearby Aromatic Silk Beauty, Tang Xiao sank into deep thought.
If his future child were born with twin martial souls and inherited the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda from Ning Ruoyan, then the Beautiful Silk Tulip would be essential to evolve that martial soul.
As for the Aromatic Silk Beauty—a large pale pink flower without leaves—it could be consumed by him to enhance his soul power. If he took it now, his level might rise by a full rank, pushing him directly to level 90.
Yet Tang Xiao felt reluctant. It didn't seem right to squander such treasures now.
"In the future… once I surpass level 95, every hurdle will consume endless time. Each bottleneck grows harsher, especially the leap from 98 to 99. With my aptitude, I'll surely reach level 99 within 15, perhaps even 10 years… But at those critical barriers, I may waste far too much time. If I keep these immortal herbs for then, I can shatter those limits instantly."
Tang Xiao clearly understood the challenges ahead. He was not one with twin martial souls, who could simply add soul rings to their second martial soul and break through titled levels with ease.
Though his talent ensured he would reach level 99 eventually, his speed could never compare to those with twin martial souls.
Owners of twin martial souls could even rise from level 90 to 99 within a month if they absorbed nine high-age soul rings.
Thus, if Tang Xiao wished to accelerate his progress, consuming the herbs now was not the best path.
Of course, if he could trick Tang San into revealing other immortal herb's details in the future, the problem would be solved. Still, keeping a few trump cards was always wise.
"Absorbing soul bones could also be a solution…" Tang Xiao muttered. But recalling something about his body, he let out a bitter sigh.
This body was troublesome… not slightly, but extremely so.
Yet it wasn't beyond control. He still had a way to change it.
"Luckily, the two soul bones this predecessor absorbed were arm bones. These can still be replaced if I obtain that thing…" He exhaled in relief.
At least this body left him room to maneuver. If the absorbed bones had been the legs—especially the right one—then like soul rings, they would have been nearly impossible to replace.
Reflecting on this, Tang Xiao felt a flicker of fortune. Thankfully, he had been only the second most talented in the sect, not the first. If he had absorbed all six soul bones, the situation would have been truly dire.
"This body's benevolent heart at least helped me this time… When Tang Xiao and Tang Hao roamed the world, hunting soul beasts and collecting soul bones, this Tang Xiao let Tang Hao absorb them all. One good thing, at last."
At this point, Tang Xiao weighed whether to refine the Beautiful Silk Tulip immediately.
"Hmm… still undecided. I'll think on it later. For now, I'll collect them first and leave. I can decide on absorption afterward."
With that, Tang Xiao followed the method described in the book, carefully uprooting the Beautiful Silk Tulip and Aromatic Silk Beauty one by one, storing them in a soul tool capable of preserving living things.
He then gathered two extraordinary herbs, the Nine Treasure Purple Zoysia and the Ginseng King. Though not immortal herbs, they were excellent for strengthening a child's foundation and soul power. The Ginseng King in particular had once raised Ji Xiang's soul power by fifteen levels in the novel. Tang Xiao had already decided to gift it to his future child.
After securing these four herbs, Tang Xiao moved on and stopped before another plant.
It was a seemingly ordinary white flower, palm-sized, resembling a tree peony. Without leaves, its stalk was rooted in a massive pitch-black rock of astonishing weight. On its petals were a few crimson flecks, scarlet as blood.
Yes—it was the Yearning Heartbroken Red, an immortal herb. Though not recorded in the book, Tang Xiao recognized it instantly from its unique traits.
"It's fine if I give nothing to others… but for my future wife, I must leave something. If she can truly gain recognition from this herb, I'll gladly indulge her and help elevate her strength."
With this thought, Tang Xiao carefully dug out the herb and stored it in his soul tool.
Afterward, he scanned the area for more.
"I recognize another one… but I don't know how to harvest it without destroying it." From the dew forming at the center of its petals, he knew it was the same herb Tang San had once taken to enhance his spiritual power. But he lacked the method to collect it.
"It's not particularly useful to me anyway. It should be like Whale Glue—able to raise only a fixed amount of spiritual power. Of course, it would benefit my future child. Taken at age six, its effects would be unimaginable… But alas, I don't know the proper way to pick or consume it."
Abandoning the idea of testing blindly, Tang Xiao took one last look at the Ice and Fire Pool before leaping away.
He would certainly return. Cultivating here would accelerate his progress, and he was curious about what lay beneath the pool. Might he discover the soul core or bones of the two Dragon Kings, as mentioned in other fanfics he had read?
Though curious, he did not expect much. In his view, the gods above must have already reclaimed anything of such caliber. After all, no mention of it existed in the sequels of Douluo Dalu.
"I can seek the answer another day… but what I crave now is good food." Under the night sky, Tang Xiao silently departed from the Sunset Forest.
His destination—a fine inn.