About an hour passed before the fluctuations of spirit power around Liu Yuan finally settled.
He slowly opened his eyes.
The first spirit ring had been successfully absorbed. Because he had waited two months at the bottleneck, the seven-hundred-year energy of the Golden-Top Poplar acted like a breaking dam, pushing his spirit power naturally to Rank 14.
However, a flicker of confusion crossed his face.
What was that energy during the process? He was certain of one thing: that particular surge had not come from the spirit ring itself.
[Ding!]
The platform's notification chimed in his mind. But before he could check the message, his father noticed he was awake and stepped forward with concern.
"How is it? Is the first spirit skill what you expected?"
Liu Yuan quickly composed himself and offered a satisfied smile. "Exactly as planned. This skill inherited the greatest strength of the Golden-Top Poplar. I've named it 'Rooting'."
"Rooting..." His father tasted the word. "A simple name, but practical. What are the effects?"
Liu Yuan stood up. "I'll show you."
With a thought, the phantom of the Origin Willow reappeared behind him. Simultaneously, a single yellow spirit ring rose from beneath his feet. As the yellow light pulsed, the roots of the Origin Willow began to grow at an incredible speed.
In less than a heartbeat, the thick, fibrous roots tunneled deep into the earth. Under Liu Yuan's command, the willow branches began to lash out violently, expending spirit power with every strike. Yet, despite the exertion, Liu Yuan remained vibrant and full of energy. His stamina and spirit power showed almost no sign of depletion, and his overall aura actually intensified.
This was the effect of "Rooting."
As long as the roots of the Origin Willow were planted in the earth, the Spirit Master could continuously recover spirit power and physical stamina while gaining a moderate buff to all attribute intensities. It was a perfect foundation for a sustained combatant.
"Impressive." His father nodded, his eyes shining with approval. "Your 'Rooting' is far superior to the fixed rings of our family line. Combining utility and self-buffing... even when you grow stronger, this first skill will remain a cornerstone of your combat style."
Once the absorption was complete, his father moved to clear away the dried remains of the Golden-Top Poplar, but Liu Yuan stopped him.
He suspected the anomaly during the absorption was linked to the tree's corpse. Having spent a year studying the platform, he knew its functions were limited; the change hadn't felt like a system intervention.
He summoned his martial soul again. Under the flickering green light, the Origin Willow emitted a soft glow that resonated weakly with the withered remains of the poplar. Liu Yuan instinctively circulated the Mysterious Heaven Skill.
Am I resonating with the corpse too?
His brow furrowed as he felt a sudden throb within his bloodline. It was a fleeting sensation that vanished as quickly as it came, followed by a surge of energy between the Willow and the Poplar.
Right before his eyes, the root structure of the Origin Willow phantom began to shift, becoming as complex and robust as the Golden-Top Poplar's. At the same time, there was a faint, rippling increase in his wood-attribute energy.
It felt like... a bloodline evolution.
Bloodline? Evolution?
The thoughts immediately drifted to the power systems revealed in the era of The Legend of the Dragon King—specifically, Bloodline Power.
"Could it really be bloodline energy?"
Was it because of the Origin Willow's nature, or the influence of the Mysterious Heaven Skill? Liu Yuan decided he needed more tests. If his theory held—that the bloodline came from the corpse and not the ring—then the evolution of his martial soul might happen much sooner than he had anticipated.
But first, he had to check the system notification.
[Message Center][The 'Son of Nature' has become a Spirit Master. Daily task refresh limit has increased from 1 to 2. Please check your interface.]
"The refresh limit increased."
Liu Yuan navigated to the Commission Zone. Sure enough, the refresh icon was lit up again. He pressed it without hesitation.
[Ping, ping, ping...]
Ten new tasks appeared. His eyes scanned them quickly until they locked onto Task 6.
Task 6 (Manhua Grandmaster): Currently being hunted by a 400-year Datura Serpent. Please save me and my disciple. (Time Limit: 1.5 minutes). Reward: Light Bloodline (Negotiable).
"The Manhua version of Grandmaster?"
Liu Yuan's interest piqued. Memories of his past life surfaced; the Manhua had been his entry point into the world of Douluo. However, he quickly brushed the sentiment aside. Sentiment didn't pay the bills.
The reward, however, was "Light Bloodline."
If I recall correctly, this should be linked to the Golden Holy Dragon or Radiant Holy Dragon bloodline within Luo Sanpao. But it looks like it's just the raw Light attribute bloodline, not the dragonic essence itself.
That was actually better. His martial soul was a willow, unrelated to dragons. Adding dragon blood might cause unpredictable complications. Pure Light, however, would complement the life energy of the Origin Willow perfectly, much like the Golden Ancient Tree of Shrek Academy.
"I'll take this one."
Seeing the time limit drop to thirty seconds, Liu Yuan tightened the straps on his storage tool and clicked Task 6.
A flash of prismatic light enveloped him, and Liu Yuan vanished from the courtyard.
The Manhua Universe, Douluo Continent.
"Little San, run!" A disheveled, middle-aged man in a felt hat stood protectively in front of a young boy. He ignored the boy's protests, roaring, "Don't argue! Get back!"
He turned to the cute, bell-wearing yellow creature before him. "Sanpao, show it our final strike! Fart like smoke, the Hypnotic Sleep of Luo Sanpao!"
Boom!
Luo Sanpao unleashed a cloud of thick yellow gas at the Datura Serpent. While Tang San watched in wide-eyed amazement, Yu Xiaogang grabbed him and bolted. "Don't just stand there! The gas is a sedative! Get to the upwind side!"
"Yes!"
As the serpent remained shrouded in the mist, sweat poured down Yu Xiaogang's face. Please fall asleep, please fall asleep... But when a pair of crimson eyes suddenly ignited within the smoke, his heart sank.
Oh no!
A green blur shot forward, sinking its fangs into Luo Sanpao as the creature tried to block the path. With a pained cry, the yellow creature vanished as Yu Xiaogang hurriedly retracted him, the venom immediately surging back into his own body.
"Teacher! What happened?"
Yu Xiaogang shoved Tang San away, standing weakly before the serpent. "Little San... run... I'm not going to make it..."
Suddenly, a large white radish flew through the air and smacked the Datura Serpent square in the forehead.
Yu Xiaogang, overcome by the venom, collapsed to the ground, his voice a mere whisper. "...Who took the commission? Where are they..."
Now, only Tang San was left to face the beast.
"You want to eat us?" Tang San hissed. He began hurlting radishes like projectiles, pelting the serpent's head until the beast was dizzy with rage. "Eat this! And this! You pig-head, I'm giving you food and you won't even take it!"
Just as Tang San prepared to draw his hidden weapons from the "Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges," a flash of prismatic light erupted between the boy and the snake.
[Arrival at destination confirmed. Initiating Cognitive Masking.]