Chapter 38: Swallowing a Fox Elixir

Could it truly be as Na said, that this pill was refined by an immortal?

"Immortal? What is an immortal? Is it a god in the heavens? If it is a god... can a god create a pill capable of suppressing a Titled Douluo?" For a moment, the Pope fell into deep contemplation.

As the Pope pondered, subtle changes began to manifest in Hu Liena, who had just consumed the pill. Her Martial Soul emerged from behind her—a rather unremarkable red fox. This red fox was Hu Liena’s original Martial Soul. Both she and the Spirit Hall publicly declared her Martial Soul to be a Demon Fox, a type possessing extremely potent charming abilities. Although the Demon Fox Martial Soul was not considered overwhelmingly powerful, Hu Liena had pushed its potential to the limit. The many soul skills she developed had drawn the attention of numerous experts.

The Demon Fox circled Hu Liena several times, emitting a unique cry—a sound filled with joy and excitement, as if it sensed an impending evolution. The emotion was so palpable that even the Pope, standing nearby, was moved. She stared at the scene in astonishment, filled with disbelief. Aside from mutated Martial Souls, very few possessed "self-awareness." She knew well that her disciple's Demon Fox was not a mutated one, and for a long time, it had never shown any signs of "intelligence."

What surprised the Pope even more was: "A Martial Soul can actually gain intelligence through external forces? How did the 'immortal' Na speaks of achieve this? What exactly is hidden within that pill?"

As the Pope stood in shock, the Demon Fox’s movements grew increasingly light and agile. It circled Hu Liena multiple times, gazing expectantly at the phantom image emerging above her head: a nine-tailed fox with a crimson body, enchanting eyes, a seductive figure, and an incredibly noble temperament. The phantom originated from the Tushan Fox Pill that Hu Liena had consumed.

In Hu Liena's livestream room, because she had lost consciousness, the other group members were bursting with questions they had no way to ask.

Useless Prophet: "Ahhh, why did she faint? I still had so many questions to ask!"

Queen of the Snake-People: "Is she a bit weak? Why would consuming an immortal pill meant to enhance strength cause her to faint instead?"

Old Heavenly Master: "Perhaps this is a case of being unable to bear the potency of the medicine?"

Little Spider: "Even if she can't bear the potency, she shouldn't just pass out, right?"

Natural Enemy of Mosquitoes: "Maybe the pill just tasted too good? It’s making me want to try it too."

Rin, My Rin: "The strength of the two foxes... the gap is truly visible to the naked eye."

Useless Prophet: "Obito, compared to the fox in your village, which one is stronger?"

Rin, My Rin: "Isn't that obvious? The Nine-Tailed Fox emerging from the immortal pill must be the most powerful. As for the other two foxes... I imagine the one in my village is slightly stronger?"

Queen of the Snake-People: "@Useless Prophet, does his world have foxes like this too?"

Useless Prophet: "Yes, but in his world, they are called Tailed Beasts. They are different from normal foxes; you can think of them as a collection of energy."

Little Spider: "I don't know, so I'll ask—didn't Hu Liena say her Martial Soul had no intelligence? What is happening to it now?"

Queen of the Snake-People: "Don't ask, just blame it on the immortal pill."

Useless Prophet: "I’m not sure either. As far as I know, in her world, intelligent Martial Souls are truly rare."

Guardian of the Southern Heaven Gate: "This is the forced attraction of a higher-order bloodline to a lower-order one."

Queen of the Snake-People: "Lord Immortal, do you mean the immortal pill forcibly gave Hu Liena's Martial Soul intelligence?"

Guardian of the Southern Heaven Gate: "That is roughly the idea."

Useless Prophet: "Lord Immortal, now that Hu Liena has consumed the pill, to what extent can she grow? Will she become incredibly powerful? Like, god-level powerful?"

There is a saying: one fears their friends will suffer, yet also fears they will succeed. After spending time together, the members of the chat group had developed genuine bonds. Aside from Jiang Wang, who rarely appeared due to personal matters, the other members had become quite familiar through their daily banter.

In particular, the trio of Qin Wuxu (Useless Prophet), Medusa (Queen of the Snake-People), and Hu Liena (the Spirit Hall’s Golden Generation) were all women. While they were not inherently malicious, their worldviews were not entirely aligned, though they managed to seek common ground while respecting differences. They would bicker one day and chat until dawn the next over something new. As a friend, Qin Wuxu hoped Hu Liena would become stronger through the pill Jiang Wang provided. Yet, as a friend, she also did not want Hu Liena to become too powerful.

Such a contradictory mindset led her to ask Jiang Wang the question she had been holding back for a long time. Seeing Qin Wuxu's question, Jiang Wang paused for a moment. This was not an easy question to answer.

Guardian of the Southern Heaven Gate: "The person beside Hu Liena should be her master, the Pope of the Spirit Hall, right?"

Useless Prophet: "Yes, that's her! One of the current experts of the Martial Soul world and one of the future supreme powerhouses of the mortal realm."

Queen of the Snake-People: "No way. The phantom from the pill just now almost made that woman unable to lift her head, and you say she's a future supreme powerhouse? I don't deny she's strong, but 'supreme powerhouse' is hard to believe."

Little Spider: "Unbelievable."

Natural Enemy of Mosquitoes: "I don't really see the aura of a supreme powerhouse."

Useless Prophet: "Even so, she is indeed one of the supreme powerhouses."

Guardian of the Southern Heaven Gate: "Hu Liena’s future achievements will certainly not be inferior to her master's. After consuming that Fox Pill, the heights she can reach are no longer decided by herself."

Queen of the Snake-People: "Not decided by herself? Then who decides?"

Guardian of the Southern Heaven Gate: "Naturally, it is decided by the Fox Pill I refined."

Queen of the Snake-People: "What does this mean? Could it be... Lord Immortal, have you controlled Hu Liena?"

Useless Prophet: "What are you thinking? What kind of existence is Lord Immortal? Why would he need to control Hu Liena? The gain wouldn't be worth the effort."

Little Spider: "Didn't the Immortal say Hu Liena's future heights would be decided by the pill? That really sounds like the Immortal is controlling her."

Guardian of the Southern Heaven Gate: "Is there a possibility that I simply meant all of Hu Liena’s growth will come from the Fox Pill I refined?"

Jiang Wang was quite speechless at the group members' wild imaginations. He had indeed added some other things to the Fox Pill, but those things could never control the user themselves. If he were to do that, the consequences of being caught trading such pills in the Heavenly Court would be unimaginable.