"Teacher, it is done." Zhao Liuyun let out a long breath, his tense shoulders finally relaxing.
"Hahaha! A fine inheritance! Truly a magnificent inheritance!"
Dugu Bo also let out a hearty laugh. He could clearly perceive that an indelible bond had been established between himself and that black hole vortex. Condensing a soul core required soul power to act as a buffer, and at this moment, he still had thirty percent of his soul power remaining. No matter how one looked at it, he was only one final step away from success.
However—
"Disciple, how do I absorb it?" Dugu Bo pondered deeply, unable to find the method. More accurately, he was somewhat afraid to take it directly into his body. The power of a soul core was far too overbearing; what if it punched a hole straight through his dantian?
"Just communicate with it directly using your will," Zhao Liuyun said, gazing through his Magic Dragon Silver Eyes, though he could only see a chaotic darkness. He explained: "The soul core is enveloped by spatial power and does not exist on the same plane as reality. It can penetrate the physical body directly and settle into the dantian."
"..."
"Once it truly enters the dantian, the soul core will return to the reality plane. This process of shifting from void to reality requires soul power as a buffer to avoid damaging your foundation."
"I vaguely remember... the inheritance also mentioned that afterward, one can improve their spatial comprehension?" Zhao Liuyun paused, recalling something else with a hint of uncertainty in his tone. He added: "Teacher, you can just absorb it. The inheritance says it will be of great benefit to your future cultivation and even for breaking through realms."
Beyond the mysteries of space, there should be other gains, but the specifics would only be known once Dugu Bo experienced it for himself.
Zhao Liuyun was truly drained. On ordinary days, he couldn't see much, but he had now discovered the true usage of the Magic Dragon Silver Eyes. Vanish into the Void sounded powerful and was currently Zhao Liuyun's only offensive means, but mental attacks could be performed through soul rings in the future. The true depth of this power lay in the observation of space.
Watching the process of Dugu Bo condensing the soul core had brought immense benefits to Zhao Liuyun, giving him a deeper level of understanding regarding spatial perception. His mind stirred; he had a faint inkling of the requirements for the second job advancement of his special profession, [Student].
Dream-forging purple light enveloped his brain as Zhao Liuyun immersed himself in his recent insights. If his power was insufficient to manifest them, he would use dreams to run the calculations.
On the other side, with a thought from Dugu Bo, the black hole vortex followed the pull of his mental strength and drifted leisurely toward his lower dantian. It began to shrink, and the dark green light patterns around it tightened accordingly. Upon touching the position of his dantian, it actually penetrated his robes like an illusion and fused inside silently.
The moment the soul core entered his body, Dugu Bo's expression turned instantly solemn. His lips were pressed tight, his eyelids lowered, and his body sat as still as an ancient pine, immovable. Surging soul power erupted from within him, causing his grey robes to flutter violently.
The soul core method was originally a technique for breaking through bottlenecks; for a Title Douluo, absorbing it could not possibly produce any danger. Within the dantian, the soul power acting as a buffer was being rapidly withdrawn and absorbed, yet it still surged like a tsunami. The majestic soul power wrapped around the soul core in waves, perfectly protecting the dantian from the slightest damage.
A dark green serpentine pattern quietly emerged at the dantian, meandering like a living creature and rapidly spreading across his body. An emerald light shone through layer after layer of his robes, climbing from his abdomen to his back, and extending from his neck to his limbs—within moments, Zhao Liuyun saw that the Jade Phosphor serpent markings had covered Dugu Bo's hands.
Suddenly, the green light intensified. Soul power condensed into substance, and a massive phantom of the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor appeared behind him, head held high. As the serpent's mouth opened and closed, a terrifying suction force erupted, creating a storm even more violent than when the soul core was forming.
Zhao Liuyun's soul power was sucked right out of his body. He clung tightly to a stone pillar, using the process of Dugu Bo absorbing heaven and earth energy (which simultaneously pulled at his own soul power) to focus on the flash of inspiration that had just crossed his mind.
He finally understood a problem—soul power!
A soul ring consisted of three parts: physical energy could be carried by flesh and bone, and mental energy could be carried by the Sea of Spirit. But what about the part representing soul power?
Zhao Liuyun's meager soul power could not directly refine the ultimate ice and fire elements; could it really refine the soul power coming from a ten-thousand-year soul beast? Ten years, a hundred years, a thousand years, ten thousand years—was the difference between them merely color and the quantity of soul power?
If he intended to absorb a ten-thousand-year soul ring for his third ring, this was Zhao Liuyun's only defect. When Tang San consumed the Ice and Fire herbs, his soul power did not increase because his soul power could not refine the ultimate ice and fire elements. His soul power was far inferior to the "Ultimate Ice" soul power of Huo Yuhao from the same period. And Zhao Liuyun was even inferior to Tang San; the soul power quality of a Soul Elder was bound to be stronger than that of a Soul Grandmaster.
Activating [Brainstorm], Zhao Liuyun's mind raced, yet he still couldn't think of a way to improve the quality of his soul power. Among the immortal herbs, only the Primordial Chaos Immortal Herb could achieve this, capable of raising soul power quality to a level exceeding that of a soul master of the same attribute by more than 40 levels.
The problem was that in this era, it simply didn't exist in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well!
Zhao Liuyun pondered bitterly and ultimately could only choose to wait. There were ways for mental strength and the physical body, but for soul power, existing immortal herbs could only increase cultivation speed or improve cultivation talent. Hoping to gamble a soul power quality-enhancing trait from another profession was less realistic than simply giving up on the idea of a ten-thousand-year third ring.
He decided to consult Dugu Bo. Was the point of taking a Title Douluo as a teacher not to receive guidance when lost in one's cultivation? Zhao Liuyun wasn't obsessed with the ten-thousand-year soul ring at all costs. If it truly couldn't be achieved, at most he would regret that his third ring couldn't reach ten thousand years, and the boost to his cultivation talent would be slightly less impressive.
Time trickled by, and the soul power agitating around Dugu Bo gradually returned to tranquility. The emerald serpent patterns receded like a tide, followed by streaks of green light radiating from deep within his skin. For a moment, his figure became ethereal and difficult to perceive. His aura was completely withdrawn, like a phantom that could dissipate at any moment, seemingly about to vanish quietly from this world in the next heartbeat.
He had never heard of absorbing a soul core resulting in exiling oneself into the endless void. Zhao Liuyun knew that this should be the time for comprehending space. He waited quietly nearby.
The spatial insights were fully calculated within the dream, and the results were stored in the Sea of Spirit in the form of a dream. Afterward, Zhao Liuyun began to realize the changes after consuming the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew and having his mental strength elevated to the level of a Soul King. Quality and quantity had grown in tandem. A soul at the Soul King level was a qualitative leap, capable of resisting the soul shock of a ten-thousand-year soul ring. In the future, he would still practice the Purple Demon Eye diligently, though its growth speed would likely never be as explosive as before. The effect of the Mental Cage would gradually weaken as one adapted to the environment. He had to find other methods for rapid growth.
Zhao Liuyun turned his attention to his soul skills. The dream energy of the Dream-forging Technique now circulated more freely, and his flight speed had significantly increased. However, limited by the age of his soul rings, the energy channels were narrow and instantaneous output was limited, making it difficult to cover a vast area with his soul skills.
The one that had truly made a giant leap was True Illusion. Zhao Liuyun could now distinguish soul ring energy and precisely attach the illusion to it! He had broken through the previous boundary where he couldn't attach illusions to energy. Now, he could even manifest his soul rings in variegated colors—pink, green, red—any color he desired.
In the past, Zhao Liuyun would have been ecstatic over this, ambitiously planning the absorption of a ten-thousand-year soul ring. Unfortunately, the soul power bottleneck stood like a natural chasm.
A full day passed. When night fell, the spatial power that had permeated the surroundings gradually dissipated. Dugu Bo slowly opened his eyes. Deep within those emerald pupils, it seemed as if stars were flickering, shining with a brilliant light that made him look high-spirited.
Within his dantian, a pitch-black vortex rotated slowly like a void spring, continuously drawing the elemental energy of heaven and earth into his body. It came from reality and from the void. Automatic cultivation, accelerated soul power circulation—compared to before, his cultivation speed was more than several times faster! The once-unreachable Rank 96 now seemed to be within his grasp.
Feeling the surging power in his body, the corners of Dugu Bo's mouth curled up unconsciously, his eyes filled with irrepressible joy.
"Disciple, my path is complete!" He stood with his hands behind his back, his heart swelling with heroic pride, as if all things in heaven and earth were within his control. At this moment, Dugu Bo truly felt a transcendent aura that stood above all living beings.
The soul core method was real; presumably, the detoxification method was equally genuine. With all doubts vanished, Dugu Bo couldn't help but be filled with emotion. This boy was truly a treasure that had delivered himself to his door!
"I wish Teacher eternal longevity and to reach Rank 100 to become a god."
"Aye~ too much, too much." Dugu Bo said so, but he was actually laughing very happily.
After Zhao Liuyun offered his congratulations, he went straight to the point with his doubt: "Teacher, do you think... with my current cultivation, can I absorb a ten-thousand-year soul ring for my third ring?"
Pondering for a moment, Dugu Bo placed a hand on Zhao Liuyun's shoulder. After soul power had circulated through his body once, Dugu Bo withdrew his palm and answered his doubt with certainty: "No!"
"Your body is just barely at the threshold, and your mental strength far exceeds your peers, comparable even to a Soul King. But your soul power lacks two qualitative leaps!"