Chapter Ten: The Water of Life

"Holy Son!" Ghost Douluo bowed and said.

"Xiao'er, is there something the matter? Why did you summon us all here?" Hu Liena stepped forward, pulled Ling Xiao into her arms, and rubbed his cheek.

"I have something good," Ling Xiao said, breaking free from Hu Liena's embrace and walking into the Pope's Palace.

"Something good?" Hu Liena was puzzled, but she followed Ling Xiao into the palace nonetheless. Qian Daoliu and the others followed suit.

"Xiao'er, what is it?" Bibi Dong picked up Ling Xiao, her eyes shifting toward Hu Liena and the others with curiosity.

"Teacher, do you remember what I went out to do today?" Ling Xiao asked with a mysterious smile.

"Was it not for the divine inheritance?" Bibi Dong replied.

"Correct. Today, not only did I obtain a second divine position—the God of Life—but also a third: the God of Death," Ling Xiao announced.

"A third divine position has already appeared?" Bibi Dong's eyes were filled with shock. Divine positions, which most people would not encounter even in centuries or millennia, seemed as common as dirt to Ling Xiao.

"Three divine positions already!" Qian Daoliu remarked with a sigh.

"I brought you all here today because of this second divine position," Ling Xiao explained.

"Oh? Xiao'er, does this second position have something to do with us?" Bibi Dong asked.

"No, but because I completed the first and second trials of the second position, I was rewarded with the Water of Life, which will be of great help to all of you." As he spoke, five small vials filled with the Water of Life appeared before him.

Bibi Dong and the others took the vials, gazing curiously at the brilliant, shimmering liquid.

"This Water of Life..." Bibi Dong opened the cap, and an exotic, refreshing fragrance instantly wafted out.

As they inhaled the scent and looked at the water in their hands, they couldn't help but swallow. The liquid seemed to possess a magnetic pull, and a voice in their minds urged them to drink it.

Bibi Dong hesitated for a moment, but knowing Ling Xiao would never harm her, she drank the Water of Life in one gulp. Everyone stared at her, waiting to see what changes would occur.

The next moment, a faint fluorescent glow enveloped Bibi Dong. Nine spirit rings appeared around her, and under the shocked gazes of those present, their colors began to shift. Her five black and four red rings transformed into nine red rings—all of them became hundred-thousand-year spirit rings. But it did not end there.

The ninth spirit ring shifted again, taking on a red-gold hue that no one had ever seen before. A powerful aura erupted from Bibi Dong, shattering the floor and exerting a pressure so intense that even Qian Daoliu found it difficult to withstand.

Seeing this, Ling Xiao released waves of energy to neutralize the pressure, or else few of those present would have survived. After a long while, the aura subsided, and Bibi Dong opened her eyes.

"This... I feel that my strength has surpassed level 99. Even dozens of level 99 Title Douluo combined could not defeat me!" Bibi Dong said, sensing her own power, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"As expected of a divine reward. It has so easily created the strongest being beneath the gods," Qian Daoliu said in a deep voice. Looking at the water in his own hand, he eagerly drank it.

Moments later, like Bibi Dong, a pale golden glow appeared on him, and his nine spirit rings emerged, likewise changing color. Although it was not as violent as Bibi Dong’s transformation, his rings all turned into nine red spirit rings.

Chrysanthemum Douluo and the others were eager to drink their portions, but Bibi Dong stopped them.

"Do not drink it all at once. Only with sufficient strength can one fully absorb the energy within. For you, this force would be enough to make you explode," Bibi Dong warned.

Hearing this, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo halted, not daring to gulp it down. Instead, they took a small sip—about a quarter of the vial. Even then, the immense power was still more than they could easily bear.

Chrysanthemum Douluo fared better, feeling only a burning sensation in his body, but Ghost Douluo suffered immense pain as cracks appeared on his skin, causing blood to seep out. Because the Water of Life also possessed healing properties, the wounds would tear and then instantly heal, repeating the cycle. The agony made Ghost Douluo’s face contort in a grimace.

Yet, their spirit power continued to rise; Chrysanthemum Douluo reached level 97, and Ghost Douluo reached level 96.

Watching the others’ gains, Hu Liena could only look on with envy. Her strength was too low; if even Title Douluo struggled with such a small amount, she would surely burst if she tried to consume it. Seeing this, Ling Xiao took another small vial from his system space and handed it to her.

"Sister Na'er, drink this one. It is low-grade Water of Life, and its energy is not as massive. What I gave them earlier was a mixture of low-grade and a portion of mid-grade Water of Life," Ling Xiao explained.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of Bibi Dong and the others shifted. This treasure that had made them so much stronger was only a mixture of low and mid-grade? Then how vast must the energy of true mid-grade Water of Life be?

"Really?" Hu Liena’s face brightened. She took the vial, eager to increase her spirit power. She had only just obtained her second spirit ring and was only at level 22.

"Perhaps try drinking just a little first. Low-grade Water of Life should be fine for anyone below the Title Douluo rank," Ling Xiao suggested, scratching his head.

"Okay!" Hu Liena nodded and took a cautious sip. Bibi Dong watched her nervously. Fortunately, there were no accidents; low-grade Water of Life was something even a Grand Spirit Master could handle.

"This Water of Life tastes so good!" Hu Liena’s eyes lit up, and she drank the rest in one go. Under the others' perception, her spirit power began to rise rapidly.

Level 23, 24... 28, 29!

Only when her spirit power reached level 29 did her aura finally settle.

"I... I’m at level 29!" Hu Liena exclaimed in surprise as she felt the surge of spirit power within her.

"To think she reached level 29 so quickly. Na'er is only ten years old; such talent is rare even in a thousand years," Bibi Dong remarked with a sigh.

"A ten-year-old Spirit Master," Qian Daoliu noted, his thoughts drifting to someone else.

Qian Renxue had also been a Spirit Master at ten, but that was because she possessed the god-level Seraphim martial soul and an innate full spirit power of level 20. Hu Liena was different; her innate spirit power was only level 9, and her martial soul was merely top-tier. Normally, she would still be struggling between the Spirit Master and Grand Spirit Master stages, yet thanks to Ling Xiao, she was already nearly a Spirit Grandmaster.