Chapter 126: Heartbreak! The Pain Is Unbearable!
"Can you tell me… the name of that immortal herb?" Ning Tian's gaze locked firmly onto Lin Yun, her tone filled with desperate hope and longing.
"Of course," Lin Yun replied with a faint smile. "It's called the Qiluo Tulip."
Crack—
Ning Tian froze.
Qiluo Tulip… Qiluo Tulip!
"Why… why…" She collapsed into her seat, all strength drained from her body as her expression turned hollow and lifeless.
Immortal herbs were unique divine treasures of nature — each era would see only one of a kind. Once consumed, another would not appear again for countless years.
Xiao Xiao had already consumed the only existing Qiluo Tulip. That meant the Nine Treasure Realm she had long yearned for, the evolution of her Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda, had shattered like a dream — gone forever.
At that moment, Ning Tian was overwhelmed with regret. Pain and bitterness flooded her chest as she loathed herself — loathed her arrogance, her restraint, her unwillingness to let go of her pride as the young mistress of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
She was no less beautiful than Xiao Xiao, no less noble in background. Yet because of that pride, she had always chosen to approach Lin Yun from a position of status and composure, trying to win him with superiority rather than sincerity.
In her heart, Ning Tian knew the truth: what she lacked compared to Xiao Xiao was merely a shred of genuine feeling.
But that tiny difference was enough to make her lose — completely and utterly — like a defeated dog.
The suffocating regret tore at her, nearly shattering her composure. If she had known earlier that Lin Yun possessed the Qiluo Tulip, she would have cast away her dignity, her title — everything — without hesitation.
But now… it was too late.
The pain was unbearable.
Staring at the reborn Xiao Xiao before her, Ning Tian didn't need to be told to understand how immense the benefits were. Her martial spirit had undoubtedly evolved, her talent had certainly soared, and it was even possible she might one day ascend to godhood like the Seven Monsters of the ancient era.
And Ning Tian… was consumed by jealousy.
Her shifting expression and increasingly unstable eyes frightened the petite Xiao Xiao, who instinctively shrank back and hid in Lin Yun's arms.
On the Douluo Continent, the legend of the Seven Monsters achieving godhood was known to all. Xiao Xiao, too, knew the importance of the Qiluo Tulip — its divine essence could help Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda Spirit Masters break their innate limit, transforming their spirit into the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda.
When she took the immortal herb, Xiao Xiao hadn't thought too deeply. It was Lin Yun's gift — a token of affection. No matter how precious it might be to Ning Tian, that had nothing to do with her.
It was something given by Lin Yun to her.
But faced with the now unhinged Ning Tian, Xiao Xiao couldn't help but feel uneasy.
She regretted it. Had she known things would escalate like this, she would have refused Ning Tian's question outright. The petty desire to show off — the little spark of pride in front of a rival — had made her careless.
She'd wanted to show her victory, to let Ning Tian see who Lin Yun truly chose.
But… she had gone too far.
She had underestimated how deeply Ning Tian yearned for the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda — and how every Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda Spirit Master longed for the Qiluo Tulip.
If immortal herbs could be extracted after consumption, then in another world — even at the risk of offending Lin Yun — Ning Tian might have ordered a Title Douluo from her sect to seize Xiao Xiao, refine her into a pill, and extract the herb's medicinal power.
As for Lin Yun?
He merely looked at Ning Tian's ever-shifting expression with calm indifference, pulled Xiao Xiao closer into his embrace, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
His eyes grew cold as they fixed upon Ning Tian.
Lin Yun's gesture completely shattered the faint hopes still flickering in Ning Tian's heart. Someone who could not only possess but freely gift an immortal treasure like the Qiluo Tulip — and give it to a woman who wasn't even officially his partner yet — clearly held an extraordinary position within his sect.
A man like that would never be without a powerful protector.
Even if Ning Tian wanted to act, she knew it was utterly impossible.
"…Forgive me. I lost my composure." Ning Tian managed a bitter smile, then rose to her feet and bowed deeply toward Lin Yun and Xiao Xiao. "You both know how much the Qiluo Tulip means to us Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda Spirit Masters. My heart was not steady enough. I made a fool of myself."
As expected of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's young mistress, her upbringing and grace showed through even in disappointment. Despite her jealousy, she quickly regained her composure.
That poise made Lin Yun regard her with newfound interest.
If it had been one of those brainwashed Shrek students, they'd probably have thrown a tantrum on the spot — "You have an immortal herb and didn't give it to me? You've already chosen your death!"
(A pointed jab at Xuan Lao and Yan Shaozhe.)
Resting his chin on one hand, Lin Yun studied Ning Tian's fragile yet determined expression, his mind starting to turn.
If she had been a fool or a self-righteous loudmouth, he wouldn't have bothered. But Ning Tian was different — intelligent, rational, and uncorrupted by Shrek's dogma. She wasn't blinded by hero worship for Ning Rongrong; she simply longed to transcend the limits of the Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda.
It wasn't bad to have desire — what Lin Yun feared most were people with none.
If he could help Ning Tian evolve her Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda into the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda, he might, in turn, bind the entire Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect under his influence. That could become a valuable asset in the future.
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda's limitation lies in an innate flaw," Lin Yun said after a moment of thought. "As long as one replenishes its lost origin with the right immortal herb, it can still evolve into the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda. The Qiluo Tulip isn't the only path."
The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well didn't just nurture the Qiluo Tulip; many other immortal herbs there absorbed the same "Essence of Sun and Moon" — in truth, the divine ice-fire energy left behind by the fallen Ice Fire Dragon King.
While extreme herbs like the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Fiery Apricot embodied pure ice or fire, there were also neutral ones with balanced medicinal effects.
Though none matched the Qiluo Tulip in quality, Tang San's careful cultivation had kept those "meat pigs" well-nourished. Their energy was rich enough to aid Ning Tian's evolution — at least to advance her Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda without issue.
Lin Yun recalled one in particular — the Xuanhuang Ink Lotus. Its medicinal power was similar to that of the Qiluo Tulip. Though not on par with a hundred-thousand-year soul beast–level herb, it had existed for at least ten thousand years.
If Ning Tian proved wise enough, Lin Yun didn't mind offering her that chance.
And when he eventually ascended to the God Realm, he could already imagine the look on Ning Rongrong's face — what a sight that would be.
The thought alone made him almost look forward to it.
His words reignited a spark of hope in Ning Tian's once-despairing eyes.
Only Wu Feng, who had stayed silent the whole time, now wished she could crawl under the table.
(End of Chapter)
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