Over the course of half a month, Chen Ming took every spare moment to study the Martial Souls of Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ye Renxin. From time to time, the four of them would gather to discuss their cultivation experiences, exchanging ideas, insights, and theories.
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Dugu Bo spoke the most about combat and cultivation, while Ye Renxin spent most of his time quietly observing, occasionally adding a few thoughtful remarks. As for Chen Ming, he absorbed everything—collecting their ideas, refining them, and turning them into practical results.
Because both Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ye Renxin had a deep understanding of their own Martial Souls, Chen Ming grasped the core essence of their abilities far more quickly than he had when painstakingly studying Dugu Bo's Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor.
In just over half a month, he had essentially absorbed their knowledge and even probed deeper into the secrets of their Martial Souls, ultimately creating customized internal cultivation methods tailored specifically for each of them.
The reason they finally stopped wasn't because there was nothing left to study—it was because Chen Ming had broken through to the rank of Spirit Elder, and it was time for him to obtain his third Spirit Ring.
This time, however, he entrusted the task to Chrysanthemum Douluo.
"Senior Chrysanthemum, this is the preliminary version of the material we've compiled over this period, co-signed by all four of us. Please take it back and submit it. And if possible, I'd also like to trouble you to use Spirit Hall's resources to help find a suitable Spirit Beast for me."
"My requirements aren't too strict. If a pure-blood true dragon isn't available, then a sub-dragon close to one will do. Ideally, it should be around five to six thousand years old—that would suit me best. If possible, something with earth or metal attributes."
Chen Ming was essentially placing an order. Even for Spirit Hall, finding a Spirit Beast that met all those conditions wouldn't be easy. Yet Chrysanthemum Douluo simply nodded as if it were only natural.
"Only a truly exceptional Spirit Beast would be worthy of becoming your Spirit Ring. It's just a pity your cultivation is still too low. If you were already a Spirit Douluo, then your ninth ring… ah, what a shame."
He trailed off, leaving the thought unfinished.
If Chen Ming were already at the level of a Spirit Douluo, Chrysanthemum Douluo might even have considered requesting permission from Bibi Dong to temporarily release the Azure Bull Python—offering it as a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Ring in exchange for Chen Ming joining Spirit Hall.
But Chen Ming wasn't even ten years old yet. Even if he advanced as quickly as someone like Tang Hao—or faster—it would still take decades to reach that level. And the current Pope clearly didn't have the patience to wait thirty years.
"Old Chrysanthemum, what about the ninth ring?" Dugu Bo leaned in, throwing an arm around his shoulder with a grin.
After more than half a month together, their relationship had eased considerably under Chen Ming's mediation. Once rivals who were equal parts enemies and reluctant allies, they could now be considered something closer to friends.
"Go away, this has nothing to do with you. If you're curious, find out yourself." Chrysanthemum Douluo waved him off, unwilling to reveal anything about the Azure Bull Python.
Seeing him refuse to elaborate, Dugu Bo could only shrug and step aside.
Then Chrysanthemum Douluo turned back to Chen Ming, his gaze thoughtful.
"Aren't you afraid," he asked slowly, "that I might publish this book myself and leave only my own name on it?"
Chen Ming met his eyes without hesitation and simply replied, "Senior… do you really think you're that kind of person?"
"I…" Chrysanthemum struggled for a long while before finally speaking. "I did think about it. I even considered ambushing Dugu Bo—killing him, then eliminating you and Ye Renxin as well, and taking all the credit for myself. But in the end, I suppressed that thought."
"Senior, people judge by actions, not by passing thoughts," Chen Ming replied calmly. "Faced with such matters, it is inevitable for a person to have stray thoughts. Senior simply had a thought and suppressed it. What does that count for?"
"I have indeed judged a gentleman by the standards of a petty man," the Chrysanthemum Douluo exhaled, lamenting.
"I will definitely persuade the Pope to release this manual and announce it to the world, so everyone knows of your contribution. The three of us may have helped compile it, but at most we were only assisting you. To have our names listed among the authors at all would already be a rare stroke of fortune."
Chrysanthemum Douluo thumped his chest as he made the promise, his gaze filled with sincerity.
If he had truly cast aside all restraint and chosen to monopolize the credit, Chen Ming was not without ways to counter him. At worst, he could have used his connection through Qian Renxue to bring the matter directly to the Consecration Hall and draw out Qian Daoliu.
"Still, what should this new cultivation method be called?" Chrysanthemum Douluo asked seriously. "Calling it 'Basic Internal Arts' feels unworthy of such a groundbreaking method. You are its creator and the one who perfected it—you should name it."
"In that case…" Chen Ming pondered briefly before selecting one from his list of options. "Let's call it the Douluo Heart Method. Named after the Douluo Continent beneath our feet—impartial and without selfishness."
"Good. Douluo Heart Method—what an excellent name," Ye Renxin, Chrysanthemum Douluo, and Dugu Bo all praised in unison.
Once everything had been settled, Chrysanthemum Douluo took the technique and departed in a flash, moving faster than ever before in his life.
Chen Ming, meanwhile, bid farewell to Ye Renxin and had Dugu Bo escort him straight back to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Standing before the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, Chen Ming rapidly recalled its various secrets along with Chrysanthemum Douluo's insights. Carefully, he plucked the plant.
The method Tang San had given to Dai Mubai was to eat the stamen first, then the surrounding petals, while leaving the stem untouched. But based on Chrysanthemum Douluo's Martial Soul and his own unique traits, Chen Ming devised a method better suited to himself.
Releasing his Martial Soul, two Spirit Rings—one yellow and one purple—rose and hovered around him as his body transformed into a half-dragon, half-human form.
As his second Spirit Ability, Dragonification, activated, his body swelled slightly, and his hands began forming a rapid sequence of seals, carefully regulating his Spirit Power and the fluctuations of his Martial Soul.
In an instant, scales spread across his face, and from his head down to his neck, he completed full dragonification.
He removed the seed of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, brushed away the soil from its stem, then tilted his head back and swallowed the entire plant in one motion. Maintaining his Martial Soul possession state, he closed his eyes and lay down on the ground in an Auspicious Reclining Position.
What was the Auspicious Reclining Position? In Buddhist teachings, it referred to a specific way of lying on one's side—the very posture said to have been used by the Buddha at the moment of nirvana.
It was said that this position could strengthen one's blood essence, dispel distracting thoughts, and held many other profound mysteries.
Resting his head against the Land Dragon Golden Melon, Chen Ming entered a state of selflessness. Within him, his blood essence circulated steadily, his heart beating slow and deep. Inside his body, the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum he had swallowed seemed to bloom anew in rhythm with his breathing, gradually dissolving into a radiant golden light that merged into his being.
Little by little, within his heart, a drop of golden essence blood was nurtured. With each heartbeat, that drop coursed through his entire body, and with every completed cycle, another drop was formed.
Gradually, a faint golden glow began to emanate from Chen Ming's body, accompanied by the distant, resonant echoes of a dragon's roar. His expression remained calm and gentle, a faint smile resting at the corners of his lips, while his body, bathed in golden light, seemed almost transcendent.
That single repose lasted seven days and seven nights.
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