"Heavenly Lord Taishang, bless me with a powerful bloodline!"
Muttering a prayer, Chen Xiaoming reached out and touched the bloodline option on the attribute panel. As the stream of light swirled, the bloodline attribute on the panel suddenly transformed.
Bloodline: Hollowheart Willow (Primary) (+) 16,425,795,000/10,000,000,000
A surge of vast information flooded into his mind, and Chen Xiaoming suddenly felt as if he were transported to a strange realm. The surroundings resembled a spiritual sea, enveloping him completely.
A silver-white light orb floated above, flickering gently. Instinctively, Chen Xiaoming reached out, but his hand passed through the orb as if grasping at air.
The light orb shimmered and slowly drifted towards him, touching his chest before merging into his body.
Silver light enveloped Chen Xiaoming, and as he closed his eyes, a massive illusory willow tree manifested in the sky. Its branches swayed, seemingly piercing through endless space.
The vision only lasted for a brief moment before vanishing. However, at the same time, the Azurewood Tree martial soul's phantom appeared above him. This time, it seemed to have undergone a subtle yet profound change, flickering between presence and absence.
Warmth flowed through every meridian in his body, causing his once-mortal physique to undergo a radical transformation. Chen Xiaoming could feel his body strengthening with each passing moment.
Bathed in the silver light, Chen Xiaoming realized that the orb contained the bloodline essence of the Hollowheart Willow—an extremely rare and precious treasure.
Countless insights flashed through his mind, prompting him to immerse himself in deep contemplation, oblivious to the passage of time.
Half an hour later—
"Hoo..."
He opened his eyes reluctantly, silver light flickering within them before fading away.
"Innate Spiritual Root—Hollowheart Willow, Space Attribute."
Chen Xiaoming still felt like he was dreaming. Though it wasn't a Pangu Bloodline, the Hollowheart Willow's affinity with space was a delightful surprise.
Of all the myriad laws, time reigns supreme, but space is king.
The Hollowheart Willow had grasped a sliver of the Space Dao, an unforeseen blessing.
However, whether due to his low cultivation level or the restrictive laws of the Douluo Plane, his initial comprehension of the Space Dao felt like a veil he couldn't fully pierce.
"Could this be the Plane Suppression those novels mention?"
Chen Xiaoming mused. Tang San's Tang Sect techniques had been suppressed before he awakened his martial soul at six years old.
But his bloodline was far stronger than anything in Douluo—perhaps even surpassing the Creator Gods.
"Or is everything here bound to martial souls and soul power?"
With that thought, Chen Xiaoming summoned his Azurewood Tree martial soul.
What he saw stunned him—his once vibrant green martial soul was now enveloped in silver-white radiance, its form smaller but flickering with an ethereal presence.
"Is this still the Azurewood Tree?"
Despite its Hollowheart Willow essence, the attribute panel still displayed Azurewood Tree.
"So I've only obtained the bloodline essence?"
Pondering the matter, Chen Xiaoming glanced at the floating orb in his mind—he hadn't fully absorbed its power yet. The final answer would have to wait.
Shaking off his thoughts, he looked at the remaining 10 billion experience points with a grin.
With his enhanced physique, it was time to level up. Who could stop him now?
Without hesitation, he tapped the upgrade option behind his fifth soul ring.
Fifth Soul Ring: 50000...60000...70000...80000...90000...100000
The fifth soul ring was effortlessly upgraded to a 100,000-year level. The previous sense of saturation was gone, and his body felt no strain—no limits in sight.
His eyes shifted to the pitiful first soul ring.
"Why stop now? Let's make them all 100,000 years. Time to go all out... for cultivation, of course."
Smiling, he began upgrading each soul ring.
First Soul Ring: 10000...30000...50000...70000...90000...100000
Second Soul Ring: 10000...30000...50000...70000...90000...100000
Third Soul Ring: 10000...30000...50000...70000...90000...100000
Fourth Soul Ring: 10000...30000...50000...70000...90000...100000
In the blink of an eye, seven crimson soul rings radiated their power. If not for Chen Xiaoming restraining their aura, his house might have been reduced to rubble.
Meanwhile—
Shrek Academy, Dean's Office.
"Old Zhao, you were reckless. Didn't you notice? His sixth soul ring had a faint red hue—at least 90,000 years!"
Flender spoke gravely, masking his shock with a facade of wisdom.
"Ninety thousand years?!"
Zhao Wuji exclaimed. He'd been too busy getting pummeled to notice such details.
"Such a young talent... What sect could have cultivated him? Is he a blessing or a curse for Shrek?"
Flender gazed out the window toward Chen Xiaoming's residence, his eyes flickering with both worry and anticipation.
Zhao Wuji remained silent, the pain of his recent thrashing temporarily forgotten as an ominous premonition settled in his heart.
Shrek Academy's long-standing peace might be coming to an end.
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