The Inner Elixir of the Ten-Headed Fiery Sun Snake
In the original novel, the Goulan Phoenix(Ma Hongjun ) was only able to successfully absorb it when he reached level 70, with the guidance of Tang San's Xuantian Gong and the amplification from Ning Rongrong's Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda.
Although Goulan Phoenix tended to neglect his cultivation, it was clear that absorbing the inner elixir of the Ten-Headed Fiery Sun Snake required physical fitness equivalent to the Soul Saint level.
Currently, without the enhancement from soul bones, using the Guigu Breathing Technique to open the eight extraordinary meridians was undoubtedly the best approach.
Thinking of this, Qin Xuan couldn't help but sigh inwardly. It seemed he still had a long way to go! But he didn't get discouraged. After all, recovering his memory had come late, and his beginning had been hell, with him nearly losing his life.
Now, with the superior Guiguzi Breathing Technique and the Zongheng Sword Technique, he could dominate the City of Slaughter with ease. Even if the system were to vanish now, Qin Xuan firmly believed he could achieve feats that would surpass Tang San in the original novel.
[Warning! Warning! The host is requesting to unbind the system. The system will automatically unbind in three seconds. Do you want to cancel?]
"Damn it! I was just thinking out loud, do you have to take it so seriously?" Qin Xuan quickly clicked cancel.
He then opened the System Store page and spent 30,000 emotion points on a large number of detoxification pills, blood coagulation powder, injury-healing pills, and other medicines for internal and external use, storing them in the soul guide attached to his waist.
He walked to the mirror and put on [Phoenix Fire] and [Thousand Faces].
[Thousand Faces], capable of disguising one's appearance and aura, could maintain his usual appearance while suppressing his soul power fluctuation to around level 56. Phoenix Fire, which could prevent miasma and disguise martial spirits and spirit rings, was too conspicuous. So, he transformed it into a black outfit with a hood that covered his entire body.
"I never thought I'd reach a point where I needed a disguise. This is quite embarrassing," Qin Xuan muttered, checking himself over in the mirror. After ensuring everything was in place, he breathed a sigh of relief, smiled, and left the room.
Two days had passed since Qin Xuan obtained the soul bone.
On the day he acquired the soul bone, Qianjun Douluo had dragged him along to attempt martial soul fusion techniques several times without success. Afterward, Qin Xuan requested an unused room on the top floor of the Elders' Hall.
Rather than a simple room, it was a top-tier training area and an artificial mimicry field. It could completely isolate soul power fluctuations from inside. Those within could sense the outside world, but the outside could not detect what was happening within. Additionally, the angel statue in the hall provided a calming effect and increased the speed of soul power absorption, which attracted numerous soul masters to the Elders' Hall.
Being Qianjun's disciple and his hope for a breakthrough, Qin Xuan was naturally granted the room.
It had taken him two days to refine the immortal herbs and soul bones.
When he finally emerged from the Elders' Hall, Yue Guan, Gui Mei and the others, who had been ordered by Qian Xunji to escort Qin Xuan to the City of Slaughter, had been waiting for quite some time.
"Little Qin Xuan!" a sharp voice called out to him.
It was the familiar figure clad in golden armor, with high heels and clawed hands, his face still hidden.
Juhuaguan and Gui Meistood a short distance away from the entrance of the Elders' Hall, waving at Qin Xuan.
"Senior Yueguan, Senior Guimei."
It seemed that the Pope was truly concerned about him. Qin Xuan suspected that the two had arrived the previous day. Although he already knew their purpose, he feigned surprise and quickly walked over.
"You really kept us waiting," Yue Guan playfully scolded.
Despite the words, there was no complaint in his tone, only a sense of relief.
With Qin Xuan's exceptional talent and background, it was easy to imagine the terrifying achievements he would accomplish once he emerged from the City of Slaughter.
"Yes," Gui Mei responded softly, nodding slowly.
As Qin Xuan had guessed, they had arrived early the previous morning on the Pope's orders. Who would have thought Qin Xuan wouldn't emerge for two days?
The Elders' Hall was a restricted area for anyone below Titled Douluo rank, and without a summons, they had no right to enter. Going to the Pope was also out of the question; that would only earn them a scolding. So, they had no choice but to wait.
"Sorry, sorry," Qin Xuan said, offering the excuse he had prepared. "My soul power was on the verge of breaking through to level 55, and after the breakthrough, I had to absorb the soul bone, which took some time. Apologies for keeping you waiting so long."
"Does that mean you leveled up twice in two days?"
Absorbing a soul bone could indeed increase one's soul power. Although a soul bone from a 50,000 or 60,000-year-old spirit beast was not as potent as one from a 100,000-year-old, it was still more than enough to boost a Soul King to the next level.
Yue Guan released his spiritual power to sense Qin Xuan's soul power and found that it had reached level 56. Surprise, envy, and a hint of jealousy crossed his face.
Soul bones—what marvelous treasures.
How was it that he was on the verge of becoming a Titled Douluo, yet still hadn't obtained one?
Guimei, sensing the same, commented, "Indeed, his soul power fluctuation is around level 56, and his mental strength isn't far behind ours."
"It seems that the soul bone has given you a significant boost," Yue Guan remarked to Qin Xuan. "It's truly enviable," he added with a hint of jealousy, envying both Qin Xuan's talent and his possession of a soul bone.
Guimei, tired of the conversation, urged, "Enough chit-chat. We've wasted enough time already. Let's get Qin Xuan to the City of Slaughter so we can report back to His Holiness."
The three set off, with Gui Mei leading the way in silence, while Juhuaguan engaged Qin Xuan in random conversation.
Qin Xuan, sensing that Juhuaguan was one of the few on the Douluo Continent knowledgeable about magical herbs, steered the conversation toward that topic, using his martial spirit, the Qirong Tongtianju, as an entry point.
As expected, Juhuaguan was thrilled to have found a kindred spirit and enthusiastically shared his knowledge of magical herbs, even providing Qin Xuan with a catalog he had compiled over the years.
This was an unexpected bonus.
After leaving Wuhun City, the trio headed north along the mountain path, the air growing colder as they traveled.
Being soul masters, they were unaffected by the chill. They traveled by day and camped by night. After nearly ten days of sleeping under the stars, they finally arrived at a small town.
Though the town was not large, it was peculiar. The passersby all emitted a strange chill.
Qin Xuan knew what this meant. They were nearing the City of Slaughter. He quickly donned his hood to conceal his true identity.
It was autumn, and as the sun set, casting a golden glow over the dilapidated town, the scene became one of desolation.
Guided by Gui Mei, the three entered the town.
To Qin Xuan's surprise, the cliché scene of a bar brawl followed by a face-slapping didn't happen, nor did Yue Guan, Gui Mei and the others force him to drink Bloody Mary.
Instead, Gui Mei simply stood in front of a rundown house and took out a special token from the Spirit Hall. After a moment, the sound of gears turning and noisy voices echoed from within.
The wall of the house parted, and a squad of eleven men marched out in formation.
Clad in black armor, their faces completely obscured by helmets and masks, ten of them held iron ghost-faced shields in their left hands and spears in their right. The leader, mounted on a warhorse, gestured for Qin Xuan to proceed.
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T/N - Goulan means brothel. It's author's way of making fun of Ma hongjun cuz of his habit of visiting brothel regularly.
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