Extracting his arm from Qian Renxue's embrace, Lin Feng gently shook Ling Yuan, who was lying on the other side.
Compared to Qian Renxue's restless sleeping posture, Ling Yuan was much more composed—lying quietly beside Lin Feng, she opened her eyes and blinked at him.
In a soft voice, she said:"Going to make breakfast?"
Looking at the still-sleeping Qian Renxue:"I'll go with you."
"Okay."
Lin Feng carefully covered Qian Renxue with the blanket, then got up and left the tent with Ling Yuan.
"Today's breakfast is lean meat porridge."
Lin Feng looked toward Ling Yuan who was washing up nearby. Her black hair hung down gently, and her delicate face still held a trace of sleepiness—like a cat just waking up.
With a smile in her eyes, Ling Yuan walked over gracefully.
"Need me to do anything?"
After a moment of thought, Lin Feng said:"Cut the meat. I'll handle the rest."
"Mwah."
As she passed by Lin Feng, Ling Yuan gave him a quick peck on the corner of his mouth and pinched his cheek.
"Alright~"
Unlike Qian Renxue, who liked to nuzzle Lin Feng's face, Ling Yuan seemed to prefer pinching it.
After reapplying the special potion that repelled soul beasts around them, they began making the daily meal.
Amid rustling sounds, Qian Renxue pulled open the tent flap and stretched.
"Xiao Feng, why didn't you wake me up?"
"You were too tired last night. I wanted to let you rest a bit more."
Seeing the teasing look in Lin Feng's eyes, Qian Renxue blushed and said nothing.
The three of them—plus Chrysanthemum Douluo, who came midway and took a bowl of porridge—finished breakfast.
Then Lin Feng began constructing his fourth soul vessel.
The deep purple soul ring from the Innate Pearl transferred to the lungs.
The lungs belong to the Metal element, metal being externally yin and internally yang.
Yin in form, but harboring the essence of yang, enabling hardness and resilience.It renews and descends.
At the moment the fourth soul vessel formed, a light spot once again appeared and vanished in Lin Feng's dantian.
This time, unlike the previous unprepared instance, Lin Feng had anticipated the possibility and waited for it.
He focused all his spiritual power, carefully observing the birth and extinction of that light point.
The light spot expanded and contracted, gradually dimming.
"This feeling…"
With a flash of insight, Lin Feng sent the Innate Pearl into his dantian.
Immediately!
That light spot seemed to have found its anchor—it flared brightly for a moment.
At the same time, Lin Feng's four soul vessels began to circulate without conscious activation—as if driven by that very light spot.
It felt like a newborn child struggling to push several great mountains—difficult, but indeed moving them.
That light spot seemed almost sentient, working harder and more joyfully. Its glow flickered and then began to fade.
Finally, just as the fourth soul vessel was fully activated, it dissipated once again.
Lin Feng frowned.
He could sense that even when he forged the fifth soul vessel, that thing would still vanish.
Ever since forming the earth-aligned third soul vessel with biochemical ability, this tiny light had appeared.
Though still not able to fully manifest, its effect was increasingly clear.
All four soul vessels could be mobilized by it—Lin Feng believed it acted as a central core.
He wondered what form it would eventually take.
"Like a soul core? No... it seems more like a central brain."
Thinking of the soul core, Lin Feng was stunned. Its primary function is to condense and control soul power, allowing rapid recovery and full control in battle.
It acts like an anchor—an internal hub.
But his soul vessels already seemed to achieve that.
Moreover, his soul vessels were growth-based, and easier to construct than a traditional soul core.
He withdrew the Innate Pearl from the dantian.
Now surrounded by a misty aura, the Innate Pearl had gained a golden hue—an essence of metal.
"Only one soul vessel left. Once the five elements are complete, both my dantian and the Innate Pearl should undergo a transformation."
Lin Feng stood up and retrieved the Innate Pearl.
Ling Yuan and Qian Renxue approached him.
"Xiao Feng, how do you feel?"
Lin Feng waved it off, indicating he was fine.
The process of shaping soul vessels was now second nature to him, and his control over the Innate Pearl had been steadily increasing. At this point, with the Innate Pearl, constructing a soul vessel was a simple task.
"Let's go. It's time we head back to the Spirit Hall. Sister Ling Yuan is about to reach Level 90. It's a good time to bring Grandpa Chrysanthemum back too."
Ling Yuan was taken aback:"I've only just reached Level 89 a few months ago. Breaking through to Level 90 is the hardest part. How could it happen so quickly?"
Qian Renxue smiled:"No worries. I'll help. Grandpa can give you another soul bone. We can trade the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's left arm bone for one. Grandpa will be thrilled."
Lin Feng laughed helplessly:"Xiaoxue, you're really Grandpa's precious little darling."
Qian Renxue smirked:"Grandpa must have other soul bones. If he refuses, I'll go to the other elders. We can definitely get a soul bone over 50,000 years old."
"Then thank you, Xiaoxue."
"It's time to leave. We need to exit the Star Dou Great Forest before nightfall. On the way back, we might pass by a waterfall—keep an eye out for large amounts of Blue Silver Grass."
"Blue Silver Grass? Xiao Feng, why are you looking for that?"
Lin Feng paused for a moment:"I saw it in an ancient text. That forest is said to be the homeland of Blue Silver Grass. I'm just curious and want to see it, though I doubt we'll find it."
As expected, there was no sign of the Blue Silver Forest around the waterfall they passed.
Slightly frustrated, Lin Feng sighed. The original story gave little detail on the location.
Furthermore, Blue Silver Grass seemed to possess the ability to camouflage itself.
From the outside, it might look like ordinary grassland—or even a barren wasteland.
Or perhaps it was hidden in a regular forest.
On the road back to town, Lin Feng thought for a moment:
"Looks like I'll need to find Ah Yin first. She might lead me to the Blue Silver Forest."
Tang Hao…Lin Feng narrowed his eyes. By now, he should be fully retired in Saint Spirit Village. It's about time you faced justice.
Once I return from Spirit Hall, your reckoning will come.
And based on the current timeline…Bibi Dong should be about to obtain her ninth soul ring and become a Titled Douluo.
But Lin Feng still wondered—Was that ninth ring on her second martial spirit really from Xiao Wu's mother?
He was often frustrated by the contradictions—Bibi Dong had said Xiao Wu was a survivor, but in the God Realm arc, Xiao Wu said her mother died protecting her father in the Star Dou Forest core.
These conflicting details gave Lin Feng a headache.
Still, based on the timeline, Bibi Dong should soon be obtaining her final soul ring.
And Spirit Hall had recently called Chrysanthemum Douluo back—likely for that very reason.
After all, the only Titled Douluo under the Pope's direct command were Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo.
If Bibi Dong were to hunt a 100,000-year-old soul beast, she'd need a Titled Douluo's support.
She wouldn't request help from the Douluo Palace, so she had no choice but to recall the team loaned to Lin Feng.
Hence, Chrysanthemum Douluo's return.
T/N: For twenty chapters ahead on this fic and twenty on my other, become a P@tron at [email protected]/LordHipposApostle