"Have you two lived well all these years?" Ah Yin's voice echoed in Yin Xuan's mind.
"Not really." Yin Xuan answered, "Mother, you should be pretty weak right now. How are you able to talk to me?"
Honestly, even if Ah Yin's consciousness stayed intact, she shouldn't be able to communicate unless her cultivation was high. This is different from what happened with Tang San in the original story.
Ah Yin explained, "It's because the Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline in you is so strong—three-fifths of your body, in fact."
"Basically, you're almost more Spirit Beast than human. I'm a Spirit Beast too, so we can talk like this, mind to mind."
That made something click for Yin Xuan. "So that's why I awakened the Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul. And that's how I managed to come back from the dead..."
The Blue Silver Emperor had insane vitality; even after she sacrificed herself, her soul stayed preserved in the Seed of Life, waiting for a chance to revive.
Since the Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline dominated Yin Xuan's body, he probably inherited its renewal power. At the crucial moment, a mutation happened—he absorbed the life energy of plants around him, dozens of meters wide, and came back to life.
Yin Xuan sat cross-legged next to the Blue Silver Emperor. He pressed the hundred-thousand-year blue silver emperor right leg bone to his own right leg. First, a chill ran up his leg, then warmth spread.
—hum—
A burst of vitality poured into him, starting from his leg and washing over his whole body in blue-gold light.
—crack, crack—
He felt his skin, bone, and flesh stretching under this energy. His muscle fibers pulled and reorganized, making quiet sounds—but he felt absolutely no pain.
Just pure comfort, radiating from inside out.
With the Spirit Bone's help, his meridians widened, letting him channel much more spirit power. Blue-gold light rushed through him, flooding his limbs and bones, every inch of his body.
This absorption lasted a full day and night.
With his concentrated Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline, he managed to absorb the hundred-thousand-year Spirit Bone much faster than usual.
When Yin Xuan opened his eyes, a golden flash shot out. His black eyes turned blue-gold after that Spirit Bone absorption. Combined with his looks, it made him seem almost regal.
He carefully checked himself—what changed after absorbing that legendary Spirit Bone?
"My spirit power's up a rank. Rank 20 now."
"Wow, absorbing a Spirit Bone really is the fastest way to get stronger physically."
Yin Xuan summoned his Dark Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul, curious if it had changed.
It looked the same, but his yellow innate soul ring had turned purple—gone from a hundred-year to a thousand-year soul ring. That was huge.
"Looks like I can just absorb a thousand-year soul ring for my second one."
"With an innate soul ring like this, picking rings is easy. I just go with whatever matches my own state, no need to stress about it."
He moved on to the Spirit Bone skills.
After a Spirit Bone gets absorbed by a Spirit Master, the skills are linked to both the Spirit Beast and the Master's own abilities.
Some Spirit Bone skills stay fixed—for instance, that Ice Jade Scorpion Spirit Bone always grants Ice Explosion.
"Healing, but only for myself."
"Shadow Stealth Flight: hide in darkness, become invisible, and speed up flight at night."
"Still just healing and flight."
"A few changes, but nothing crazy."
Yin Xuan stood, realizing he'd grown taller and sturdier—his clothes felt tight.
"Mother, I'm taking you out of here."
He moved over, lit up his first soul ring, and a dark-gold spear appeared in his hand.
He figured he'd make use of what was around—crafted a flowerpot from stone, lifted Ah Yin, and placed her inside.
Ah Yin stopped him. "Child, taking me now is just a burden. Better wait until you get stronger, then come back for me."
Yin Xuan pressed, "Mother, is there anywhere safe? I could settle you there first."
Ah Yin paused for a long time, then said, "Maybe... my hometown. I lived there before I turned human."
"Alright, I'll take you there now." Yin Xuan picked up the flowerpot, grabbed his spear, and avoided going back the way he came. The waterfall meant nothing to him, but for Ah Yin right now, it would be a disaster.
Yin Xuan's golden eyes focused on the tiny hole above and he suddenly stabbed his Blue Silver Overlord Spear straight upward.
—rumble—
The chamber shook, stone crashed down, and sunlight poured in.
For Ah Yin, it had been eight years since she felt sunlight that warm.
Her leaves trembled in the glow.
Yin Xuan smiled, seeing her reaction.
Now that he had Ah Yin and the Spirit Bone, he wasn't worried about Tang Hao stumbling upon the place. Tang Hao hadn't shown up for years—he probably wouldn't anytime soon.
He remembered the original story. Ah Yin's Seed of Life got planted, and Tang Hao didn't come back for fifteen years after the tournament.
"Mother, let me help you recover." Yin Xuan set down the flowerpot and released the Blue Silver Domain. Here, he was the master. All Blue Silver Grass within three hundred meters listened to him.
Every stalk gladly gave its life energy to Ah Yin, but none died—they were being fed by Yin Xuan's Blue Silver Domain at the same time.
It worked out well for both sides.
Way better than before, when he used the Dark Blue Silver Emperor and basically stole vitality from plants to heal himself.
Inside this Blue Silver Domain, all the grass swayed happily. Yin Xuan felt their joy.
Ah Yin was amazed. "Child, you've gotten so good at using the Blue Silver Domain."
Yin Xuan smiled. "When I awakened my Spirit, the Domain came with it. I practiced for two years."
Before long, Ah Yin's main body, which was withered before, grew full of life and energy. Her leaves glowed, blue-gold light shining everywhere.
—splash—
Yin Xuan walked upstream, holding the flowerpot, sometimes watering Ah Yin.
Even if Ah Yin was a Spirit Beast, water mattered just as much.
From time to time, Yin Xuan caught his reflection—their original black eyes now gold. His look changed over and over; his expression shifted a bit.
His appearance really had gone through a lot.