The room was filled with mottled light and shadows. Tuoba Yan moved his fingertips slightly, and a white crystal ball slowly emerged from the storage ring.
The moment his palm touched the surface of the crystal ball, it suddenly burst out with dazzling blue light, making the boy's eyes sparkle.
"Level 14!"
Three months have passed since I obtained my first soul ring.
Looking back three months ago, when I obtained my first soul ring, my soul power soared from level ten to level thirteen.
Then after three months of meditation, the soul power level was raised from level thirteen to level fourteen today, finally making some progress.
Tuoba Yan was relieved that his grandfather Tuoba Xi was not yet senile. Under his guidance, Tuoba Xi was not so blindly loyal as to hand over the method of using whale glue to the Spirit Hall.
Tuoba Xi adopted his grandson's suggestion and asked his family members to go out and search for whale glue in major cities.
After three months of frantic shopping, the Tuoba family had collected enough whale glue to fill two rooms. With more members of the family bringing in more every day, the amount of whale glue was still increasing dramatically.
It is worth mentioning that such rare materials are still as cheap as cabbage.
The Tuoba family's frantic pursuit of whale glue had attracted the attention of many interested parties. On the streets outside the Tuoba residence, many intelligence agents were secretly monitoring the Tuoba family's movements.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
As he was thinking, there was a sudden knock on the door. Tuoba Yan's soul power moved slightly, and it turned into a strong wind, opening the door. Tuoba Xi stood outside.
"What is it?"
The boy's tone was as cold as ice, as if the March ice had not melted at all.
In the past three months, except for meals, he deliberately kept a distance from his grandfather. On the one hand, he wanted to concentrate on his spiritual practice, and on the other hand, by treating him coldly, he wanted this foolishly loyal elder to carefully consider which was more important, family affection or loyalty.
Tuoba Xi is a man of utmost loyalty.
Sometimes, Tuoba Yan was worried that one day Tuoba Xi would be so foolish as to kill his own relatives for the sake of loyalty.
Tuoba Xi coughed lightly and said in a deep voice, "Ahem, straighten your clothes and follow me to meet His Holiness the Pope."
"Going to see Bibi Dong?"
"Exactly. I'm seeking a teacher for you."
"You want me to become her disciple?" Tuoba Yan raised an eyebrow and said in a firm tone, "I refuse."
"Yan'er, don't mess around!" Tuoba Xi said earnestly, enlighteningly, "If the Pope accepts you as a disciple, you can be canonized as the Holy Son in the future and inherit the Pope's throne! I've asked the butler to find Chrysanthemum Douluo, who will speak well of you to the Pope later. You have twin martial spirits, so this is a sure thing!"
Hearing this, the young man's eyes were as sharp as torches, which made Tuoba Xi's back shiver.
For some reason, whenever Tuoba Xi gazed into his grandson's eyes, he always felt that beneath the six-year-old face was a mature heart that had experienced the vicissitudes of life.
Uncomfortable being looked at, Tuoba Xi stammered like a child: "Am I wrong again?"
"When will you change this old habit of yours?" Tuoba Yan scolded. "All beings are equal. We have the blood of the White-Armored Earth Dragon flowing through our veins, so why do we have to bend the knee and curry favor with Pope Bibi Dong?"
"Yan'er..."
Tuoba Xi wanted to persuade Tuoba Yan and analyze for his grandson the many benefits of having Bibi Dong as his teacher.
At this moment, the butler walked into the room from outside and bowed slightly respectfully to Tuoba Xi and Tuoba Yan.
"Master, His Majesty the Chrysanthemum sent me a reply. He said the Pope has already issued a warning, forbidding such filthy children to defile the grounds of the Pope's Palace. He couldn't speak well of you. He even returned the Holy Soul Grass you sent him. He said he couldn't help you with this."
Tuoba Xi took the brocade box as a return gift, his face livid.
Despite being harshly rejected by Bibi Dong, Tuoba Yan suddenly understood and shrugged, saying with a smile, "Look, now it's not just me who's unwilling to be Bibi Dong's disciple, she doesn't want to take me in either. Bibi Dong despises me."
"Disgusting?" Tuoba Xi was furious.
Filthy means unclean and dirty.
Tuoba Xi was indignant and said, "My grandson is such a great man. It would be fine if I didn't accept him as my disciple, but how can I allow him to be humiliated like this! Yan'er, have you ever offended the Pope?"
"How could I be so idle as to provoke her?" The young man curled his lips and turned to the desk. "Okay, Grandpa, do you have anything else to do? If not, I'm going to start reading."
Perhaps many people want to curry favor with the Pope, but Tuoba Yan is an exception.
Tuoba Yan didn't want to continue the conversation about becoming an apprentice and the Pope's evaluation of him, and ordered his grandfather to leave.
He stood up and walked to the desk, picking up a book on the table.
Tuoba Xi had something on his mind, but hesitated to speak. He looked at his studious grandson and turned to leave, only to hear someone calling from behind.
"Leave the Holy Soul Grass behind."
In the original storyline, Daming and Erming found the Holy Soul Grass and used other items to resurrect Xiao Wu.
This is a magical herb.
It nourishes and repairs the soul, and has special effects on injured or dormant souls, making them more stable and active.
Holy Soul Grass is also the treasure of the Tuoba family.
In order to smooth things over, Tuoba Xi asked Bibi Dong to accept his grandson as her apprentice, and he was really willing to give up the treasure.
"It's better to rely on yourself than on others. With spies everywhere outside the palace, the secret of whale glue may not be kept secret for long. You can go to the Spirit Hall to 'perform merit'. When all our family's procurement personnel have returned, you will hand over the magic weapon, but in exchange for something beneficial to our clan."
"Haven't you always been against it?" Tuoba Xi was confused.
"Times have changed," Tuoba Yan said, placing the box containing the Holy Soul Grass on the desk. "Rather than letting it be discovered and become worthless, it's better to use this as a bargaining chip. As the Platinum Bishop of the Soul Hunting Brigade, you should know how to weigh the pros and cons and avoid such blind loyalty."
Seeing the unquestionable sharpness in his grandson's eyes, Tuoba Xi sighed and compromised: "I'll try."
"When children talk, adults should listen carefully. This isn't just a test; it's a must." Tuoba Yan's eyes were like swords. "If Qian Daoliu isn't interested, there are other families willing to invest heavily. Remember—information gaps are as valuable as gold and silver."
Tuoba Xi nodded repeatedly after being scolded by the six-year-old child, and suddenly felt that he was the younger generation who needed to be taught.
Although whale glue cannot directly enhance soul power, it can widen the meridians, strengthen the body, and help soul masters absorb soul rings of higher age.
If these secrets could bring about an opportunity for the sect to rise, Tuoba Xi felt that it would be a brilliant move.