Chapter 524 - 524: Life-Blessed Maiden, The Second Disciple of Nebula Douluo!

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--- Chapter 524 ---

"This is..."

Whether it was Han Yuan or Xing Lan, neither of them had anticipated Ouyang Zixin's Martial Soul to be this.

"Solitary... Bamboo?"

Floating gently above Ouyang Zixin's open right palm was a single stalk of green bamboo. Its segmented stem was tender and bright emerald, its leaves short yet flexible, and its fine roots clustered at the base.

Ouyang Zixin offered a modest, gentle smile. "That's right. My Martial Soul is Solitary Bamboo. While it isn't completely trash spirit, it's very ordinary, and barely a step above Blue Silver Grass."

"The only noticeable quality it possesses is a bit of natural toughness and resilience, supplemented by mild vitality."

"As for offensive power... it's practically zero."

"My cultivation is currently only at Level 17, hardly worth boasting about."

"Honestly, I consider myself lucky just to have awakened soul power at all and contracted a Spirit Soul that suits me."

"That can't be right... I clearly sensed a faint yet exceptionally potent life-attributed energy radiating from you earlier..." Xing Lan narrowed her eyes, studying the unassuming stalk of Solitary Bamboo.

"Hmm, a life attribute? Oh, then that would be coming from my contracted Spirit Soul," Ouyang Zixin replied, summoning her contracted companion.

A young bamboo shoot, barely the size of a coconut, crawling with tender green roots and tiny leaves, materialized on her left shoulder.

"Another bamboo... hmm, shoot?" Xing Lan gazed at the Spirit Soul with a genuine surprise.

Given its feeble appearance, it was easy to tell this was likely one of the experimental "failures" produced by the Spirit Pagoda and sold off at a reduced price, though even their "cheap" Spirit Soul was by no means affordable for ordinary families.

Regardless, what truly surprised Xing Lan was the sheer purity of the life force radiating from the little shoot. It was dormant and rather unrefined, but its underlying life force surpassed that of most thousand-year-old Spirit Beasts.

"It seems you stumbled upon a mutated Spirit Soul, girl. Despite currently being a mere hundred-year Spirit Soul, its raw vitality can already rival high-tier plant souls like the Evergreen Vine or Star Grass."

"If I'm not mistaken... it only recently evolved from a ten-year Spirit Soul to a hundred-year one, correct?" Xing Lan commented smoothly.

Ouyang Zixin gasped when Xing Lan guessed it right, nodding with deep admiration. "Amazing! That's right, Senior! The Eastsea Academy recently received four free quotas from the Spirit Pagoda to access the Spirit Ascension Platform."

"I was lucky enough to be selected, and after a single session inside, my 'Green Bamboo Shoot' Spirit Soul broke through its bottleneck and even evolved into a hundred-year Spirit Soul."

'Spirit Pagoda quotas?' Han Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly. 'That must be Grandpa's doing.'

In the original timeline, the Spirit Pagoda would never hand out free entry quotas out of the goodness of their hearts.

No, as a business, they weren't that generous. So, Eastsea Academy had to purchase those slots at exorbitant prices.

'Oh?' Han Yuan turned his focus toward the small bamboo shoot, sensing a strangely familiar resonance within its core.

There was no mistaking it—this bamboo shoot bore the lingering aura of Divinity, or rather, the Divine Life Attribute!

Much like what Ah Yin had gained during her evolution with Alpha, it was also accompanied by a faint, ancient blessing of the Goddess of Life.

Activating his Eyes of Truth, Han Yuan further peered directly through the underlying fabric of Ouyang Zixin's soul and origin. Sure enough, the detailed status panel expanded before his vision.

[Status Panel]

[Name: Ouyang Zixin

Race: Human

Age: 11

Secondary Profession: Mecha Designer (Apprentice)

Talent: Life-Glazed Heart (Bestowed), Maiden of the Spring (Innate)

Blessing: The Fallen Ancient Tree of Life's Song (Temporary)

Martial Soul: Solitary Bamboo (Evolving)

Contracted Spirit Soul: Spring Life Bamboo Shoot (Mutated)

Mental Force: 99 (Spirit Origin Realm)

Cultivation: Level 17

Cultivation Method: Federation Standard Meditation Art

Description: A young girl once destined to be the bright, fleeting first spring in the path of the Child of Destiny. Like a falling autumn leaf, her presence in his story was brief before fading back into the ordinary. Yet, she retains a quiet thread of fortune, capable of unlocking extraordinary potential under the right guidance. Perhaps her destiny will change due to the appearance of Child of Stars?]

...

[Talent: Life-Glazed Heart (Given)]

A heart untainted by malice, viewing life as a fleeting breeze and emotion as warm sunlight. The possessor is naturally compassionate and attuned to living beings. When fully awakened, surrounding life energy actively accelerates their cultivation speed.

...

[Talent: Maiden of the Spring (Innate)]

The first, unforgettable, yet losing heroine. You were the brilliant presence that left the Child of Destiny dazzled for the first time, but your moment on his stage was short-lived.

When positioned near the Child of Destiny or an individual bearing grand fortune, your personal luck rises exponentially.

...

[Blessing: The Fallen Ancient Tree of Life's Song (Temporary)]

A lingering blessing left behind by the Goddess of Life when she fell from divine grace, intended to nourish and restore Douluo Star after its natural corruption by Destruction Energy. Unfortunately, this divine blessing was fragmented, suppressed, and plundered over the millennia, leaving only a tiny fraction of mortals capable of receiving it temporarily.

Effect: Grants high immunity to fatal diseases, steadily increases natural lifespan with age, and grants a high probability for life-attributed Martial Souls to undergo divine evolution.

...

[Martial Soul: Solitary Bamboo (Evolving)]

An ordinary Solitary Bamboo, unknowingly nourished by a double blessing and the pure Life Essence of the Goddess of Life. Holds the odd potential to evolve into a 'Sapling of Life,' the embryonic form of a world-nourishing Tree of Life, but the evolution requires high-grade heavenly resources to complete.

...

[Spirit Soul: Spring Life Bamboo Shoot (Mutated)]

A discarded experimental subject from the Spirit Pagoda, created when researchers attempted to fuse an ordinary Solitary Bamboo shoot with an unknown divine life substance (The Goddess of Life's Divine Energy). The divine energy remained dormant within its origin, leading researchers to classify it as a failure. Upon reaching 100 years of cultivation, the shoot released a single diluted droplet of divine life force, subtly altering both its own structure and its contractor's soul origin.

...

Han Yuan slowly retracted his gaze, a subtle, amused smirk touching the corner of his lips.

'A discarded experimental failure... carrying the dormant divine energy of the Goddess of Life?'

'And the blessing of the fallen Goddess of Life? Her luck must have been indirectly affected by mine, all thanks to Grandfather's initiatives to promote the Spirit Pagoda...'

Staring at the nervous, charming blonde girl before him, Han Yuan quickly realized that taking her into Tianxing Academy wasn't just a friendly favor for Mu Xi.

They were actually picking up a potential divine gem right under Shrek and the Spirit Pagoda's noses.

'Speaking of Shrek... what happens if Zixin acquires the life essence of the Ancient Golden Tree?'

'Maybe... just maybe... Zixin can help me replace the Evil Mother of the Sea God in this timeline as the true Life Core of the Douluo Plane?' He thought, feeling an ambitious thrill regarding the future.

"Sister Zixin's Martial Soul is currently still in the process of evolving," Han Yuan spoke up, breaking the silence as he decided to back the girl with resources and warm shelter.

"It's just a Solitary Bamboo right now, but upon completing its evolution, it has the potential to become a powerful life-attributed spirit."

Xing Lan's eyes flashed with surprise. She hadn't expected Han Yuan to see through its hidden nature, though then again, this was the same boy who had personally devised the evolution path for Mu Xi's Martial Soul.

"R-Really?" Ouyang Zixin's eyes brimmed with sudden expectation and awe.

Han Yuan nodded gently. "Mhm. You have a very bright future, Sister Zixin."

"However, I'm afraid your Martial Soul Evolution won't be smooth if left to run its natural course."

"What?! Why?!" Mu Xi, who had been listening intently, immediately became indignant on her best friend's behalf.

Xing Lan seemed to know the answer. "Is it a matter of resources?"

Han Yuan replied calmly, "Mhm. Sister Zixin's Martial Soul Evolution is currently stuck in a slow transition."

"If she simply cultivates normally, completing it would take a very long time. She requires high-quality heavenly resources to supplement it, preferably those rich in the life attribute."

Hearing this, Ouyang Zixin felt a wave of bitterness inside. She knew her family's financial situation best. Although they weren't poor, supporting the cultivation of a Spirit Master consumed immense wealth, let alone purchasing rare heavenly treasures.

"Well... Of course, that won't be a problem at all—so long as Sister Zixin becomes Auntie Lan's disciple," Han Yuan added smoothly, instantly reigniting the flame of hope in Ouyang Zixin's eyes.

'This kid...' Xing Lan glanced down at the silver-haired boy. She knew Han Yuan never spoke empty words, so every phrase he uttered carried a deeper purpose.

Furthermore, she trusted his judgment implicitly. She hadn't forgotten that he possessed absurd luck, literally obtaining two 100,000-year Spirit Bones just yesterday.

"Girl, do you wish to become my disciple?" Xing Lan asked seriously, her gaze softening.

"I..." Ouyang Zixin cast a deeply touched, grateful look toward Han Yuan.

Mu Xi immediately nudged her best friend's shoulder, grinning wildly. "Go on! What are you waiting for?!"

Ouyang Zixin took a breath, composed herself, and bowed respectfully to Xing Lan. "Ouyang Zixin greets Master!"

"Good! From this day forth, you, Ouyang Zixin, are my second disciple!" Xing Lan smiled warmly, reaching out to pat the girl's blonde hair.

"Mhm!" Ouyang Zixin hummed happily, her face lit with a radiant smile.

"Yay! Now Zixin and I are official fellow disciple sisters!" Mu Xi cheered on the spot, throwing her arms around Ouyang Zixin in a tight embrace.