Three months had passed since Eren recruited Lǐ Xīrán into Black Lotus. During this time, he waited patiently for his pen to recover its full glow. He had no intention of exhausting its power needlessly, not until it could perform at peak efficiency once more.
And now, it had.
The moment its light returned to full brilliance, Eren wrote a new creation into existence: a pill capable of evolving a martial soul into its highest potential form.
It was something Lǐ Xīrán desperately needed. Blue Silver Grass, in its raw form, was too weak to serve the foundation of someone destined to become a pillar of Black Lotus. No matter how determined she might be, her current martial soul would only chain her down.
Evening had settled over the village when Eren stirred from his nap. He dressed, tidied himself, and locked his home securely. Then, without hesitation, he summoned the Anywhere Door, its frame shimmering faintly in the low light, and walked through.
On the other side was Xīrán's modest home.
She was still cultivating, completely unaware of his presence. Eren paused. Rather than disturb her, he stood quietly by the wall, his thoughts drifting.
Only three days remained before his departure for Nuoding Academy. Yet he had found no other recruit worthy of joining the Black Lotus.
"Should I approach Dugu Bo directly?" he murmured internally. "Or continue the search and build my base through more loyal candidates first?"
He pulled out a peculiar compass, one of his personal creations. The dial spun slowly until the needle settled on the far side, indicating neutrality. The device measured latent loyalty. If it pointed left, the subject had great potential to be loyal. If it turned right, betrayal was likely.
Eren scoffed as he recalled the results when he tested Tang San.
"The needle didn't even choose a direction. It twisted in the opposite direction entirely." His gaze narrowed. "That brat is worse than trash. The god of ingratitude himself."
He clicked his tongue and returned the compass to his pocket.
A soft breath stirred the air. Xīrán was waking from her cultivation, sweat glistening on her brow. She blinked, her eyes slowly adjusting until she noticed Eren watching her from across the room.
"Master Eren," she said, rising quickly to her feet, "when did you arrive? You should have woken me."
"There's no need," Eren replied, waving a hand. "I'm not in a hurry."
With an almost lazy flick of his wrist, he tossed a small, glowing pill toward her. The capsule shimmered with shifting rainbow hues.
Xīrán caught it carefully, her brows furrowing in confusion.
Eren, seeing her hesitation, spoke with calm precision, "That pill is for you. Your current martial soul is... inadequate. No matter how hard you train, it will become a bottleneck. This pill will change that."
He folded his arms behind his back.
"Once consumed, it will refine your Blue Silver Grass and evolve it into its highest form—strong enough to rival any top-tier martial soul in the continent."
Xīrán's eyes widened, the pill glowing softly in her palm. She raised her gaze toward him again.
"Will it hurt?" she asked softly.
Eren shrugged. "Evolution is always painful, but pain is a small price for power."
He turned to the side, giving her space. "Consume it now. I will watch over the process."
She nodded without hesitation and brought the pill to her lips.
The moment it touched her tongue, the pill melted, releasing a wave of energy that surged through her body like a divine fire. Her knees buckled. She dropped to the ground, clutching her chest as golden veins spread across her skin, and her martial soul stirred violently from within.
Outside the house, the wind shifted unnaturally, and faint threads of blue light could be seen through the windows.
Eren remained where he was, watching in silence.
The aura around her thickened. Threads of blue and silver twined around her body like ethereal vines, spiraling upward into the air. A fragrance, faint but sharp, like the scent of ancient herbs and crushed spirit blossoms, spread through the room.
The Blue Silver Grass emerged from her back, but it was no longer the weak, limp vine she had awakened with.
Each blade now glimmered with crystalline clarity. Their once dull blue hue had deepened into a vibrant indigo, streaked with silver veins that pulsed rhythmically. At the center of the main stalk, a single black petal unfolded, a mark of something unnatural. Something higher.
Eren's eyes narrowed. "A hybrid evolution?"
He stepped forward, sensing the transformation more clearly. Her martial soul had undergone not just refinement, but an awakening beyond what should be possible from a single pill. He could feel the resonance.
A black lotus , appeared at the base of the soul vine 12 bade, its petals closed tightly like a secret not yet spoken.
And then, with a whisper of wind, her cultivation base surged.
Soul power flooded through her meridians, forcing them to expand rapidly. The thin, trembling light of a soul scholar now burned with the steady radiance of a true level 10 soul master. Her aura was stable. Unusually stable for someone who had just undergone such violent metamorphosis.
Xīrán gasped for breath. Her fingers dug into the wooden floor. Her body trembled, from the sheer force that now inhabited her limbs. As she opened her eyes, a soft glint of silver remained in her pupils, slowly fading.
"I..." she whispered. "I feel... alive."
"You were always alive," Eren replied with a chuckle, stepping beside her. "Now, you are Reborn."
She slowly rose to her feet, unsteady but whole. Her soul spirit coiled behind her, tall and proud. The aura it emitted was no longer common or weak, it commanded attention. Even a spirit elder would pause before underestimating it.
"This is your path now," Eren said, his voice low. "The old Li Xīrán died with that broken Blue Silver Grass. What stands before me now is a Black Lotus future pillar."
He extended his hand.
She looked at it, stunned for a moment, before taking it with both hands and bowing deeply.
"Thank you, Master Eren," she said, her voice no longer wavering. "I will not betray your expectations."
Eren gave a slight nod. "See that you don't."
He turned toward the window. Night had begun to fall, and then he turn to her spirit which is black lotus and 12 blade vine around it, giving a feeling that it will be cut if you got too close.
He also felt the resonance with her martial soul that bring to him, he scratch his chin and muttered "Martial soul fusion".
He then turn to her.
"Rest for tonight. Tomorrow, we begin your soul ring hunt."