Chapter 48: It Took Human Form! But Not Quite!

Upon returning to the Spirit Hall, Ling Xiao immediately sensed a peculiar aura.

This indicated that someone within the Spirit Hall was about to ascend to godhood!

"Who could it be? Golden Crocodile Douluo or Chrysanthemum Douluo?"

Ling Xiao wondered inwardly. After all, among everyone in the Spirit Hall currently, those two had the highest chance of achieving godhood.

Golden Crocodile Douluo had reached the demigod level not long ago, and as for Chrysanthemum Douluo, it went without saying—for some unknown reason, his soul rings had suddenly transformed a few years ago into a configuration of six blacks and three reds.

His strength was even slightly superior to that of Golden Crocodile Douluo.

With a flash, Ling Xiao arrived at an open space within the Spirit Hall and leaned against a stone pillar.

By this time, quite a few people had already gathered here. All the supreme pontiffs including Qian Daoliu, along with all the elders except for Serpent Lance and Porcupine, were standing to one side.

Bibi Dong was also present, while Chrysanthemum Douluo sat cross-legged with his eyes closed in the center of the clearing.

An overwhelming aura surged from his body, and a massive golden chrysanthemum hung suspended in the air behind him, emitting a dazzling golden radiance.

The nine soul rings floating around his body were in constant motion. Under the brilliant illumination of the Tianshi Qirong Chrysanthemum, these nine soul rings slowly shattered, dissolving into tiny specks of golden light that began to converge behind him.

His hair was also gradually turning a pure, radiant gold.

The golden light of the Tianshi Qirong Chrysanthemum was exceptionally blinding at this moment. Had Bibi Dong not used divine essence to shroud the area, the phenomenon probably could have been witnessed from dozens of miles away.

Has it finally reached the final step? And this is a self-created divine position to boot!

Watching Chrysanthemum Douluo, a look of keen interest flashed in Ling Xiao's eyes, and he simultaneously locked down the surrounding space.

Even though the space here had been sealed off, the sky above the Spirit Hall remained a swirling vortex of wind and clouds.

As the golden light of the Tianshi Qirong Chrysanthemum washed over Chrysanthemum Douluo, rings of golden divine light began to manifest behind him.

One ring, two rings, three rings...

Seven rings, eight rings, nine rings...

Until the twelfth divine ring finally appeared.

Chrysanthemum Douluo abruptly opened his eyes and let out a roar that triggered a violent shift in the heavens.

Golden light flashed in his eyes, and the Tianshi Qirong Chrysanthemum behind him had completely materialized, evolving into a true divine artifact, or perhaps even reaching the caliber of a super divine artifact.

After a short while, the aura surrounding Chrysanthemum Douluo gradually stabilized. He descended to the ground, twelve divine rings revolving behind him. His long golden hair drifted gracefully, and in his hand, he held an unopened golden bud that emitted a bone-chilling glint, appearing incomparably sturdy and sharp.

As the dimming sky hung overhead, Chrysanthemum Douluo gazed upward, a trace of disdain flashing in his eyes while his right hand cradled the super divine artifact Tianshi Qirong Chrysanthemum.

"Divine Chrysanthemum Skill, First Form: Blooming Golden Chrysanthemum, Endless Night!"

The Tianshi Qirong Chrysanthemum held high in Chrysanthemum Douluo's hand instantly bloomed. A fierce pillar of golden light erupted from its core, shooting straight into the firmament and rapidly scattering the thick sea of clouds, restoring brightness to the sky as Chrysanthemum Douluo withdrew his divine artifact.

"Congratulations to Elder Chrysanthemum on achieving godhood!" Bibi Dong said.

"It is entirely thanks to the Holy Son and Your Holiness!" Seeing Bibi Dong approach, Chrysanthemum Douluo did not dare to presume upon his new status and hastily replied.

"Indeed, indeed! Congratulations, Elder Chrysanthemum!"

"Hahaha, Elder Chrysanthemum is the first among us to achieve godhood through a self-created divine position. We must celebrate this properly! Tonight, we drink until we drop!"

"It's such a pity for Serpent Lance and Porcupine; they missed such a rare spectacle not seen in thousands of years!"

"True! When we see them next time, we must rub it in and make them green with envy!"

The other supreme pontiffs and elders also stepped forward to offer their congratulations. Chrysanthemum Douluo's successful ascension served as a great reassurance to them, instilling confidence in their own potential to forge a divine position.

Qian Daoliu watched the scene unfold with profound gratification. The Spirit Hall was truly growing stronger—even more formidable than it had been during the era of the Angel God.

After all, back then, only the Angel God alone had attained godhood.

Moreover, once the Angel God ascended, she departed for the divine realm and left the Spirit Hall behind.

Yet now, the Spirit Hall boasted three deities, not to mention Ling Xiao, an existence far surpassing the gods themselves. With such a lineup, it was simply impossible not to be invincible!

"Congratulations, Elder Chrysanthemum, on your ascension! Your strength right now is easily among the top five in the Spirit Hall."

Ling Xiao walked over from beside the pillar once the commotion had settled, dissolving the spatial seal as he approached.

"You flatter me! The Holy Son overestimates me; I was merely fortunate!" Seeing Ling Xiao approach, Chrysanthemum Douluo bowed hurriedly.

"Elder Chrysanthemum need not be so modest. You achieved godhood through your own hard work; how can you call it mere luck?" Ling Xiao remarked.

Currently, apart from himself, Bibi Dong, and Qian Daoliu, Chrysanthemum Douluo was undoubtedly the strongest person in the Spirit Hall.

"It is all thanks to the Holy Son's assistance!"

Chrysanthemum Douluo dared not harbor any arrogance. He knew full well that without Ling Xiao, achieving godhood in this lifetime—let alone reaching ninety-ninth level—would have been an absolute impossibility.

"Xiao'er, have you finished what you needed to do?" Bibi Dong walked up to Ling Xiao and asked.

The others had already turned back to continue their cultivation; witnessing Chrysanthemum Douluo's ascension had left them eager to press on.

"Pretty much. I've obtained the God of Flames' divine position and mastered his three major secret techniques, though I haven't initiated the divine trials yet," Ling Xiao answered casually.

"Secret techniques? There was no such thing during past divine trials, was there?" Bibi Dong asked, hearing for the first time that a divine trial could yield secret techniques as a reward.

"Mhm! The God of Flames could not complete his heritage in this world; it requires traveling to another realm. The rewards are indeed different from other divine positions, and the subsequent trials might be different as well!" Ling Xiao explained.

"Understood," Bibi Dong nodded.

"Xiao'er, have you spent the past dozen days or so undergoing divine trials?"

"Not just trials; I also took on a disciple!"

"A disciple?" Bibi Dong was momentarily stunned.

"You've taken a disciple already?"

Bibi Dong was somewhat surprised. Ling Xiao was only just over eleven years old; even with his formidable strength, he shouldn't have had any experience in mentoring others!

"Yes, her name is Zhu Zhuqing, and she is currently a level thirty-two Soul Elder."

"Zhuqing is a very hardworking person; I knew that from day one. Over these past ten days, Zhuqing advanced from level twenty-seven to level thirty-two without ever letting up once," Ling Xiao said, his tone reflecting deep satisfaction with Zhu Zhuqing.

Zhu Zhuqing!

The name sounded somewhat familiar to Bibi Dong. Recalling her memories, she remembered this was a member of the Zhu family of the Star Luo Empire, a noble house bound in alliance with the imperial Dai family.

Every generation, the two families intermarried to maintain their joint rule over the empire.

However, these two lineages were notoriously ruthless to their descendants, allowing only a single heir to survive each generation through bitter sibling rivalry. Yet precisely because of this cruel process, the Star Luo Empire managed to surpass the Heaven Dou Empire in national strength.

It seemed this little one named Zhu Zhuqing would become the leader of her family this generation! Bibi Dong thought to herself.

She truly could not fathom how Zhu Zhuqing could possibly lose now. With Ling Xiao's backing, Zhu Zhuqing was fully capable of replacing the Dai family to rule the Star Luo Empire entirely.

"Xiao'er, do you know where Zhu Zhuqing is from?" Bibi Dong asked.

"I don't. I met her within the borders of the Heaven Dou Empire when she was being hunted down," Ling Xiao shook his head. "Besides, it doesn't matter where she's from; she is my disciple now!"

"That's true!" Bibi Dong agreed.

No matter who Zhu Zhuqing was, it wouldn't affect Ling Xiao in the slightest. What storms could a mere Star Luo Empire possibly kick up?

"Oh right, Teacher, how is Sister Na'er doing?"

"Nana's soul power has already reached level seventy-six."

"At this rate, by the time the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament arrives, won't she be at least at the Title Douluo level?" Ling Xiao observed.

Bibi Dong smiled faintly. If a Title Douluo-level powerhouse personally stepped into the arena, how were the other teams even supposed to compete!

Just as the two entered the Pope's Palace, Hu Liena came running toward them from the opposite direction.

"Teacher! Xiao'er!"

Hu Liena threw her arms around Ling Xiao's sleeve, her eyes flashing with a pinkish hue.

Ling Xiao looked at her calmly, completely unfazed.

"Sister Na'er, your charm techniques are useless against me. My soul power is far stronger than yours!" Ling Xiao stated.

Hearing this, Hu Liena deflated, withdrew her charm soul skill, and allowed her eyes to return to normal.

"Sigh, ever since we were kids, I've never succeeded in charming you even once, Xiao'er!" Hu Liena sighed.

"Sister Na'er, I have already inherited the Holy Spirit God's divine position. My soul power far surpasses yours; how could I possibly be charmed by you?" Ling Xiao said.

His soul was now powerful enough to effortlessly cover an area ten thousand times the size of the Douluo Continent.

Hu Liena wore a bitter expression. She had thought that even if she couldn't charm Ling Xiao with her divine position, she would at least have a slight impact, but the reality was that it had zero effect.

"Fine! I suppose charm will never have any effect on you in this lifetime!" Hu Liena conceded.

Ling Xiao nodded. Even if Hu Liena fully inherited the Holy Spirit God's position, she still wouldn't match his soul power—after all, he possessed more than just the Holy Spirit God's position.

"Oh right, Xiao'er!"

As if suddenly remembering something, Hu Liena looked at Ling Xiao and said, "Bailing has transformed into human form!"

"Bailing has already transformed? Didn't I just leave a short while ago?" Ling Xiao asked in astonishment. He had been away from the Spirit Hall for less than twenty days, yet Bailing had managed to transform!

"I don't really understand it myself. I suppose you could call it a transformation!" Hu Liena said with a peculiar expression.

Seeing Hu Liena's strange look, Ling Xiao was somewhat baffled. Bailing transforming was a good thing, after all!

It meant she had attained the strength of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast—no, a two-hundred-thousand-year soul beast!

At that moment, a tall figure silently crept up behind Ling Xiao. Just as he turned his head, a pair of furry hands covered his eyes!

"Guess who?" a melodious voice rang out.

"Bailing! Did you really think I wouldn't recognize your voice?" Ling Xiao chuckled.

The next moment, the hands blocking Ling Xiao's vision parted, and she pulled him into a hug.

"Hehehe! Master, you're back!" Bailing called out affectionately, though both Bibi Dong and Hu Liena looked at her with extremely bizarre expressions.

"I didn't expect that in less than twenty days of being away, you'd manage to transform, Bailing. You've made huge progress!" Ling Xiao smiled, placing his hands on Bailing's arms—only for his smile to suddenly freeze.

"Of course!" Bailing said proudly, entirely unaware of Ling Xiao's strange reaction.

Ling Xiao's hands were resting on Bailing's arms. While she possessed a human-like set of five fingers, there was a distinct difference: human arms were certainly not covered in fur.

Moreover, these hands were noticeably larger than his own.

Silently, Ling Xiao slid his hands upward along her arms. First, he brushed against a pair of furry ears, and further up was a furry fox face, whose warm, damp tongue even gave his hand a friendly lick.

Ling Xiao lowered his hands, turned around, and looked up at the figure standing before him.

Perhaps it was human, but not entirely so.

The current Bailing possessed a human-like physique, donned human attire, and wore her long white hair hanging loosely down. Her figure was slender and curvaceous; from a distance, she looked like a stunning beauty.

However, unlike a normal person, Bailing still retained the head of a white fox. Though her facial features looked quite cute, something felt profoundly wrong about the combination.

Furthermore, she stood nearly two heads taller than Ling Xiao, making even Ling Xiao look petite by comparison.

"Is this supposed to be a human transformation?" Ling Xiao asked.

"I have no idea. Not to mention seeing it with my own eyes, I've never even heard of such a thing. Which soul beast transforms to look like this? And yet she has a human body!" Hu Liena rubbed her temples, looking thoroughly exasperated.

She had transformed! But not completely!

Ling Xiao didn't quite know what to say as he looked at Bailing's current state.

Could it be because she had just barely reached the two-hundred-thousand-year mark?

That shouldn't be the case either!

Beneath the Star Luo Lake—or rather, the Star Dou Great Forest's central lake—there were soul beasts exceeding two hundred thousand years, and none of them looked like this.

Why had Bailing turned out this way?

Shaking his head, Ling Xiao decided not to dwell on it. It didn't affect him anyway; if this was how she looked, then so be it!

"It's fine. Consider this a transitional phase before a complete transformation! Once Bailing reaches three hundred thousand years, she'll probably be able to take on a fully human appearance!"

"I suppose that must be it! We'll know for sure once Bailing reaches three hundred thousand years," Hu Liena said, her feelings rather complex.

Ling Xiao patted Bailing's head, thinking to himself that while she looked both cute and bizarre, the furry texture was actually quite pleasant to the touch.

Glancing down at Bailing's feet, he noticed they weren't human feet, but normal fox paws. Since she didn't have suitable shoes, she was simply going barefoot.

With a flick of Ling Xiao's mind, tiny black chains coiled around Bailing's entire body, pressing closely against her skin before transforming into a set of black clothing that enveloped her from head to toe, complete with footwear tailored for fox paws.

Looking down at her new attire, Bailing tilted her head. She actually hadn't cared about shoes anyway, since she had never worn them before.

Besides, with her current physical sturdiness, she wasn't afraid of stepping on anything. If her physical defense wasn't enough, wearing shoes wouldn't have helped much either.

Bibi Dong looked at Bailing with a trace of envy. This exquisite and versatile application of divine essence was something she still could not replicate.

At most, she could use divine essence to form a protective barrier, whereas Ling Xiao could fashion an entire set of clothing out of it.

Not only did it provide protection, but under the influence of his divine essence, it could even accelerate cultivation.

This was just a minor episode. Bibi Dong returned to the Pope's Palace, and Hu Liena went back to her chambers to cultivate.

Bailing accompanied Ling Xiao back to his room. Over the past dozen days, he had maintained a high-intensity schedule—not only training Zhu Zhuqing, but also squeezing in time for the God of Time's trials—leaving him virtually no time for proper rest.

He had only completed a little over half of the God of Time's seventh trial after all this time, so returning to the Spirit Hall meant he finally needed a solid rest, likely sleeping straight through until noon the next day.

Upon entering the room, Ling Xiao kicked off his shoes, removed his outer garments, and fell straight into bed, with Bailing lying down right beside him.

When she was still in her normal fox form, she had frequently curled up to sleep next to Ling Xiao, but doing so in this humanoid state was a first.

What's more, her current size exceeded his, making her embrace of Ling Xiao feel akin to holding a child.

Before long, both Ling Xiao and Bailing fell into a deep sleep.

His slumber this time was truly profound; he remained completely unaware even when Bailing shifted away from his side.

When Ling Xiao finally woke up, he found himself resting in Bailing's arms, while Hu Liena was asleep right beside them.

Sensing Ling Xiao waking up, Hu Liena opened her eyes as well.

"Xiao'er, you're awake," Hu Liena murmured lazily, rubbing her head against Ling Xiao's chest, wrapping her arms around his neck, and resting her head atop Bailing's furry arm.

"Sister Na'er, how long have I been asleep?"

"I came to look for you yesterday at noon and found you already out cold. It's already noon of the second day now."

Hu Liena looked at Ling Xiao and asked, "Xiao'er, what's wrong? In the past, whenever someone got close, you would have sensed it immediately!"

"It's nothing, just a bit exhausted from the divine trials!"

"Xiao'er, you don't need to push yourself so hard. Take the divine trials slowly; you have plenty of time anyway."

Ling Xiao nodded. He had indeed been rushing the pace of the divine trials lately.

He sat up, shook his head slightly, and walked toward the bathroom.

Hu Liena's eyes lit up, and she followed Ling Xiao into the bathroom, while Bailing, realizing she was the only one left on the bed, got up and padded after them.

Three quarters of an hour later, the three of them emerged from the bathroom. Hu Liena's cheeks were flushed as she cast a covert glance at Ling Xiao, thinking to herself that Xiao'er was truly becoming more and more stunning by the day.

Sitting on the bed, Ling Xiao began combing his long black hair. Black flames ignited along the strands, instantly evaporating the remaining moisture before he reached out toward Bailing and Hu Liena.

Flames flickered across Bailing's body, drying her damp fur. She gave a vigorous shake of her frame, sending a wave of magnificent undulations rippling across her form.

Seeing this, Hu Liena's expression stiffened as she glanced down at herself, realizing to her dismay that she seemed somewhat inferior to Bailing in that regard.

*It's fine, it's fine, it's just puffed up by all that fur and her larger frame! If we really compare, she might not actually be bigger than me!* Hu Liena comforted herself inwardly.