Chapter 26: Tempering the Foundation

Splat!

Blood sprayed out like a fountain. A wound deep enough to reveal bone had been carved into the neck of the Wind-Thunder Demon Wolf, nearly severing its head entirely.

Grievous wounds! One after another, the creature had been struck down. The once imperious King of the Thunder Marsh now lay in the mud like a broken bellows, gasping for air. The mixture of blood and mud turned the ground beneath it a deep, dark red. The madness and fury in its eyes had finally faded, replaced by profound weakness and a flicker of fear.

It was afraid. It could not understand how these two seemingly weak humans could possess such terrifying coordination and such ruthless tactics. The larger one was slippery, moving with the speed of a ghost and striking with treacherous precision. The smaller one, however, was a monster. Though clearly still a cub, she possessed a mind calmer than the most seasoned hunter and an attack style that was lethal.

Grandfather and granddaughter stood on either side, surrounding the heavily wounded beast, watching each other with wary vigilance. The battle was not yet over, but the scales of victory had tipped decisively in their favor.

Bai Chenxiang looked at the wolf king, which was struggling to stand but ultimately collapsed in defeat. She walked slowly over to Bai He and tugged on his sleeve.

"Grandfather, we won."

"Indeed." Bai He looked at his granddaughter with eyes full of complex emotions—pride, relief, and a lingering trace of fear. He wiped the sweat and blood from his face and flashed a grin, revealing white teeth. "You girl, you should be the one to lead the Speedy Clan in the future."

He ruffled Bai Chenxiang's hair, his voice filled with sincere sentiment. "My old bones could never have come up with such insidious... no, such exquisite tactics."

The Wind-Thunder Demon Wolf lay in the swamp, its life force flickering like a candle in the wind, fading rapidly. Those icy blue eyes, once filled with pride and wisdom, were now dim, holding only a quiet acceptance of death and a trace of lingering resentment. It hated the idea of dying in this filthy mud, far outside its own kingdom.

Bai He stepped forward, a blade of wind energy condensing in his hand, ready to grant this worthy opponent a swift end.

"Wait, Grandfather," Bai Chenxiang stopped him.

"What is it?" Bai He turned, puzzled.

"Take it back to its den." Bai Chenxiang’s gaze drifted toward the distant valley surrounded by three mountains. "We made too much noise here. The scent of blood will soon attract other spirit beasts, or perhaps people with ill intentions."

She did not name them, but Bai He understood immediately. The Purple Lightning Clan! They were like sharks smelling blood, likely to appear at any moment. Absorbing a spirit ring in this open marsh was akin to placing themselves in mortal danger.

"Good idea." Bai He nodded in approval. He walked over to the massive beast and frowned, unsure of what to do next. "But how are we supposed to move this thing? I don't want to carry it."

Bai Chenxiang thought for a moment, then stepped forward and crouched down to look the dying wolf king in the eyes. She said nothing, simply watching it with her clear, steady gaze. There was no gloating of a victor, no greed for prey—only a form of equal, almost respectful communication.

The Wind-Thunder Demon Wolf seemed to understand. A faint whimper escaped its throat. It struggled, using its one good foreleg to prop up its upper body, and then, dragging its broken right leg, began to move step by excruciating step toward its lair. It had chosen to accept its fate, but it would die as a king upon its throne.

Bai He watched this scene, following silently by its side, his wind blade flickering in and out of existence—both as a guard and a silent escort.

The journey back was long and heavy. When they finally returned to the valley and the depths of the cave, the wolf king had exhausted its last ounce of strength and collapsed at the entrance. It turned its head, taking one last lingering look at the Thunder-Saliva Grass glowing in the valley, before slowly closing its eyes, its life force finally extinguished.

No, not entirely. Its heart still beat faintly, but the fire of its soul was on the verge of going out.

Only after confirming the wolf king had no strength left to resist did Bai He exhale in relief. He turned his gaze, burning with excitement, toward the rare treasure in the center of the valley.

"Girl, hurry! That is a three-thousand-year-old Thunder-Saliva Grass! With it, your future resistance to lightning—and even your affinity for it—will be greatly enhanced!"

Bai Chenxiang did not move. She stood still, her young face wearing a solemnity that belied her age. She shook her head.

"Grandfather, I do not want its lightning affinity."

"Then what do you want?"

"I want its foundation," Bai Chenxiang said, enunciating every word. "My body, through your training, can already bear ninety pounds of weight. But that is merely external conditioning. My meridians and my internal organs are still too fragile for my spirit and the path I intend to walk."

"If I absorb this nearly three-thousand-year-old spirit ring directly, my body will likely collapse under the impact of the spirit power."

She walked to the Thunder-Saliva Grass and reached out to gently touch its crystal-clear leaves. "This plant possesses not only the violence of thunder but the ethereal agility of wind. It grew in this place where wind and thunder converge, absorbing a millennium of essence."

"I intend to use the primal wind and thunder energy within it—not to gain its attributes, but to temper my body, widen my meridians, and reshape my foundation!"

"It is like forging: I will treat the plant as the hammer and my body as the sword blank. Only through a thousand hammerings can the blade be prepared to receive a sharper edge."

Bai He was stunned. He had only seen the value of the herb, never imagining that his granddaughter had already considered such deep and fundamental matters. This was not merely about stacking abilities; it was about laying the most solid foundation for infinite future possibilities. This foresight and boldness left even him, a Spirit Douluo who had lived for nearly a century, feeling ashamed of his own lack of vision.

"Good... a truly marvelous plan to temper one's foundation!" Bai He’s eyes shone with unprecedented brilliance. "Girl, go ahead! Grandfather will guard the entrance for you! Even if a Titled Douluo comes today, they shall not step one foot into this valley!"

He turned, his tall figure standing as steady as a mountain at the cave entrance, blocking out the rest of the world.

Bai Chenxiang no longer hesitated. She sat cross-legged before the Thunder-Saliva Grass. Instead of consuming it directly as others might, she extended her hands and hovered them over the plant. Her spirit power flowed out, like gentle threads, carefully wrapping around the herb. She was using the "Whisper of the Wind" to communicate with the immortal plant, telling it that she did not wish to plunder its life, but to borrow its power to carry stronger winds and faster lightning.

The Thunder-Saliva Grass seemed to sense her pure and ultimate pursuit of speed. It swayed gently, and the purple liquid at its tip—the essence of a thousand years—began to glow with a softer light. It did not resist.

Bai Chenxiang guided the process slowly, lifting the drop of purple liquid from the leaf until it hovered before her. She opened her small mouth and gently inhaled the liquid, which contained terrifying energy.

Boom—!!!

It felt as if a thunderbolt from the heavens had exploded within her mind and throughout her entire body.