Chapter 14: One Year of Growth, Immortal Herb Catalog
After returning from sword practice, Su Mo returned to the study behind the The Pope's Palace to study theoretical knowledge with Bibi Dong.
Qian Xunji was busy with church affairs and rarely supervised them personally, only arranging the study material every day.
Su Mo was happy to be free; he carefully read the classics every day, and thanks to his photographic memory, the knowledge accumulated in his mind grew more and more.
Bibi Dong no longer loved sleeping as much as before; with Su Mo's urging and company, her progress this past year had also been remarkable.
Whenever she read books, she would sit next to Su Mo, watching quietly, and when she encountered something she didn't understand, she would tilt her head to ask him.
In the afternoon, one could always see two small figures drenched in sweat, engaging in physical training.
The traditional physical training of the Douluo Continent was primitive and ordinary; although the methods of the Spirit Hall were better than Yu Xiaogang's running with stones on his back, they weren't much better.
Therefore, combining memories from his previous life, Su Mo improved many training equipment and methods.
Added to this, they would occasionally consume higher-year whale glue, continuously improving their physical fitness, far surpassing Soul Masters of the same level.
When it came to actual combat training, from their initial failures, they could now go back and forth with experienced Soul Masters, and the progress was visible to the naked eye.
It is worth mentioning that half a year ago, relying on his increasingly proficient swordsmanship, Su Mo truly defeated a full-effort Zhou Lie for the first time.
At that time, his Soul Power had reached level 28, while Zhou Lie was still at level 35.
Su Mo's amplification Martial Soul abilities would improve as his strength increased; with both Martial Soul abilities activated, his overall strength was comparable to a high-level Soul Elder.
However, when the battle ended, Su Mo's Soul Power was almost exhausted, but his sword pointed directly at Zhou Lie's chest, the tip stopping three inches from his lapel.
He had won.
At that moment, Zhou Lie froze in place, looking down at the sword tip resting before his chest, his eyes full of shock and admiration.
Afterward, Qian Xunji arranged even stronger opponents, and Su Mo slowly defeated them one by one.
The strongest one had reached level 39 Soul Power, only a step away from becoming a Spirit Ancestor.
He also fell under Su Mo's sword.
Over the year, Su Mo's Soul Power broke through from the peak of level 25 all the way to level 30; with just one Soul Ring, he could become a true Soul Elder.
A seven-year-old Soul Elder had broken all records in the history of the Douluo Continent; even the Qian family's Six-winged Angel Martial Soul, with Innate Full Soul Power, had no one who could break through to Soul Elder at seven years old.
Bibi Dong saw all of Su Mo's progress and was anxious in her heart.
She was Su Mo's senior sister, after all; although they were the same age, she was accepted as a disciple by Qian Xunji first, so she was naturally the senior sister.
Even if Su Mo's innate Soul Power was a full ten levels higher than hers, giving him a huge head start, she was still a genius with Twin Martial Souls and Innate Full Soul Power, so how could she be left so far behind?
Thus, with this unyielding Martial Soul, she was exceptionally hard-working and serious in her cultivation, afraid of neither hardship nor fatigue.
In one year, relying on the resources of the Spirit Hall, her Soul Power also made astonishing progress, rising from level 12 all the way to level 17.
This speed was already very astonishing, but Bibi Dong was still not satisfied.
She harbored a drive in her heart; she vowed to catch up to Su Mo's footsteps, or at least not let him leave her too far behind.
Just like that, the one-year systematic study arranged by Qian Xunji officially ended.
Next, they could study and cultivate freely; if they didn't understand anything or needed anything, they could go find Qian Xunji at any time.
...
In the afternoon, the scorching sun hung in the sky.
Outside a luxurious manor in the center of Spirit City, Su Mo stood alone at the entrance.
Before long, a figure came hurriedly to the door after being announced by a servant.
The person was a man with a feminine appearance, his gait resembling that of a woman; he was the future Elder of the Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong's right-hand man, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan.
Of course, he was currently just a Cardinal, far from having stepped into the realm of a Titled Douluo.
When Yue Guan saw the golden token in Su Mo's hand, a look of shock flashed in his eyes instantly.
A six or seven-year-old child was actually holding a popes edict?
One must know that the popes edict was equivalent to the Pope himself; seeing the token was like seeing the person.
Who was this child? Could he be the Pope's illegitimate son? But he didn't look like it...
Su Mo's true identity was currently known only to the high-ranking members of the Spirit Hall.
Qian Xunji intended to wait a while longer, until Su Mo and Bibi Dong's strength improved a bit more, before officially announcing their identities and establishing them as the Holy Son and Holy Maiden.
However, before that, Qian Xunji gave him and Bibi Dong each a popes edict to facilitate their actions and avoid some unnecessary trouble.
Yue Guan dared not be negligent, quickening his pace to hurry before Su Mo, bowing respectfully: "Yue Guan greets you, My Lord. Please, come in."
Su Mo nodded, put the popes edict back into his spirit tool, and followed Yue Guan into the hall.
Under Yue Guan's respectful attitude, he did not decline and naturally sat in the main seat.
"I wonder what business you have with me today, My Lord?" Yue Guan stood to the side and asked curiously.
He secretly speculated in his heart: coming to his door in person with a popes edict, could it be a major event?
Su Mo said indifferently: "Cardinal Yue Guan, it's not a major event. I am someone who loves reading and studying, and recently I wanted to research knowledge regarding rare herbs and plants. I heard that you have always loved flowers and plants, and I wanted to ask if you have any catalogs of rare herbs and plants here. I would like to borrow one for a period of time."
His purpose for this trip was that catalog of flowers and plants that recorded the Immortal Herb.
In the entire Douluo Continent, besides the future Tang San, only Yue Guan and the Breaking Clan knew about the Immortal Herb.
Su Mo needed to find a time to acquire the Immortal Herb; that place should still be ownerless land, and as one of the greatest opportunities on the Douluo Continent, it should naturally be taken into his possession as soon as possible.
He didn't recognize the Immortal Herb, so he could only ask Yue Guan.
Hearing this, Yue Guan breathed a sigh of relief.
He thought something major had happened, that he had come with a popes edict to find him; it turned out he just wanted to read a book.
Speaking of flowers and plants, Yue Guan immediately became interested, his eyes brightening a bit: "My Lord, you have come to the right person!"
He took a thick book from his spirit tool; it was the ancestral record of rare herbs and plants passed down in the Yue Guan family, containing illustrations and introductions to countless rare flowers and plants.
"My Lord, here." Yue Guan respectfully handed the flower and plant catalog to Su Mo with both hands.
Su Mo took it, flipped through two pages, and nodded: "Thanks."
He didn't say much more, but he noted this favor.
Yue Guan's talent was actually quite good; there was a mystic velvet heaven-reaching chrysanthemum in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and in the entire Douluo Continent, no one was more suitable for it than Yue Guan.
If he gave it to him when the time came, not only would it allow him to achieve greater heights, but it would also earn his unwavering loyalty.
He never doubted Yue Guan's loyalty to the Spirit Hall.
He knew that both Yue Guan and Gui Mei were loyal people and trustworthy.
"You are too polite, My Lord." Yue Guan said quickly.
"I will leave first. When I finish reading it, I will return it to you." Su Mo stood up and left.
"Please go slowly, My Lord." Yue Guan respectfully watched his departing back, stopping only after sending him to the door.
Not until Su Mo's figure disappeared did Yue Guan withdraw his gaze and mutter to himself: "I wonder who that child really is..."
Su Mo didn't say, and he dared not ask more.