Douluo Continent: Breaking Through the Clouds, the Qilin Marches!

Night came,

Yang Yuntian sat cross-legged in a spacious, dry tree hollow. In this absolutely safe environment, he finally had time to complete the last step that had been interrupted in the Sunset Forest during the day—testing the specific effects of his first soul skill.

"Little Black, come and get to work."

Yang Yuntian beckoned towards the corner of the tree hollow. Having eaten too many top-grade spiritual fruits with the Three-Eyed Golden Lion during the day, the little black jade lion was currently sprawled out on the soft hay, burping contentedly. Hearing its master's call, it perfunctorily rolled over, wagging its little tail as it strolled over.

With a thought, Yang Yuntian's feet were suddenly illuminated by a dazzling purple soul ring.

"First Soul Skill - Mystic Armor Transformation!"

With a low shout from Yang Yuntian, the soul ring transformed into a stream of light and flowed into Xiao Hei's body. In an instant, Xiao Hei let out a deep roar, and a layer of dark gold hexagonal patterns, resembling the shell of a tortoise, quickly appeared on the surface of its already hard black scales.

Yang Yuntian carefully sensed the changes in his martial spirit and the information from Xiao Hei.

"His physique hasn't changed significantly, but his muscle density and bone strength have increased dramatically. All attributes have increased by 60%, lasting for 20 minutes." Yang Yuntian nodded in satisfaction. "In this state, Xiao Hei can be a highly lethal independent combat force, capable of tearing apart the opponent's defenses."

"Next, we'll move on to the core testing."

Yang Yuntian took a deep breath, a glint of fanaticism flashing in his eyes: "Possession!"

"roar!"

Xiao Hei transformed into a thick stream of dark light, instantly merging with Yang Yuntian.

With a series of crisp cracking sounds as his bones grew taller, Yang Yuntian's body underwent an astonishing transformation. On both sides of his forehead, a pair of tender dragon horns (also known as Qilin horns) burst through the skin, as clear and translucent as black jade. Fine, dark gold-edged black scales spread from his neck to his arms; and at his tailbone, a long black tail covered with barbs, resembling a steel whip, extended out!

A suppressed, wild, and domineering aura suddenly erupted from the six-year-old boy.

"First Soul Skill - Mystic Armor Transformation!"

Yang Yuntian activated his soul ring again. This time, the dark golden hexagonal pattern appeared directly on the black scales covering his entire body.

"boom!"

A violent force surged wildly through his limbs and bones. Yang Yuntian clenched his fist tightly, creating a piercing sonic boom in the surrounding air.

"When using the Mystic Armor Transformation while in Possession mode, all attributes still increase by 100%, but the core strength and defense receive an additional 50% boost on top of the base Possession amplification, and the duration is extended to half an hour!"

The 50% physical enhancement from the Ice and Fire Immortal Herb tempering, coupled with the doubled base strength from the Jade Kirin's possession, and now the 100% power and defense boost from the first soul skill...

At that moment, the destructive power contained in his six-year-old body had reached an inconceivable and morbid level!

"Youth means having lots of energy."

Just as Yang Yuntian was immersed in data analysis, a deep voice with a hint of appreciation rang out from outside the tree hole.

The black-robed Emperor Tian had somehow appeared at the entrance of the tree hollow. His golden eyes scrutinized Yang Yuntian's current "half-human, half-Qilin" battle form with great interest, a smirk playing on his lips: "Come! Let me see the quality of your Luck Soul Ring. Use all your strength to throw a punch at me!"

"Then this junior will not stand on ceremony!"

Yang Yuntian's eyes flashed with a sharp light. Facing an 800,000-year-old beast god, he had no need to hold back.

He slammed his right leg into the ground, and with the help of this terrifying reaction force, Yang Yuntian was like a black cannonball fired from a gun, his right fist smashing fiercely towards Di Tian's outstretched palm!

"boom--!"

Di Tian's body remained as still as the towering Mount Tai, not even lifting a single inch of his black robe.

"Interesting..." Di Tian slowly withdrew his palm and gave an objective evaluation, "Without using any external soul power, relying solely on pure physical strength and the amplification of the martial soul, the power of your punch just now is completely comparable to that of an ordinary low-level thousand-year-old soul beast."

"You flatter me, senior. I was just lucky."

With a thought, Yang Yuntian dispelled the Martial Soul Possession. The scales, horns, and tail instantly retracted into his body, and Xiao Hei landed back on the ground, letting out a big yawn.

Di Tian stepped forward, placed a hand on Yang Yuntian's shoulder, and a gentle yet profound soul power instantly flowed throughout Yang Yuntian's body.

He was personally investigating the limits of Yang Yuntian's body.

"His meridians are as broad as rivers, and his bones as strong as refined steel..."

After a moment, Di Tian withdrew his hand and gave his final assessment:

"Humans say that the limit for the first spirit ring is over four hundred years, and the second spirit ring is usually over seven hundred years. But your body has completely broken this rule of mediocrity."

"Your second spirit ring is more than enough for 3,500 years! 4,000 years is the safe limit."

A second spirit ring that's three to four thousand years old! That's already close to the limit for a normal spirit master's fourth spirit ring!

A flicker of fervor flashed in Yang Yuntian's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by reason. He looked at Di Tian and smiled slightly: "Thank you for your guidance, senior!"

Di Tian nodded, leaving behind the words "Get some rest, we'll set off tomorrow morning," before turning and walking out of the tree hole, disappearing into the dense spiritual energy.

As Di Tian's aura completely faded away, Yang Yuntian's back subtly hunched slightly.

"call--"

He exhaled a long, cool breath, and touched his back, finding his inner shirt completely soaked with cold sweat.

Only now, in the absolute seclusion and safety of the tree hollow, did Yang Yuntian truly feel a lingering fear. Only he himself knew just how thrilling this seemingly smooth and fruitful day had actually been!

"The two confrontations during the day in the Sunset Forest and under the Lake of Life appeared to be well-planned and eloquent, but in reality, they were just a facade of dignity maintained when they were forced to the edge of a cliff."

Yang Yuntian thought it over carefully, and he knew that he was gambling.

He was certain that just as he hadn't dared to lightly kill the Xuanjia Golden Tortoise, Di Tian would absolutely not dare to risk damaging the fortune of the Star Dou Great Forest by directly eliminating him, this variable.

"But this was ultimately too reckless!"

Yang Yuntian clenched his fists tightly. In the past few months, everything had gone too smoothly: befriending Dugu Bo, acquiring the Ice and Fire Immortal Herb, and leveraging the luck of the hawksbill turtle. This continuous smooth sailing had unconsciously fostered in his usually rational mind an arrogant illusion of being in control of everything.

So much so that when facing Di Tian, ​​he actually dared to walk a tightrope using information of the level of the remnant soul of the Ice and Fire Dragon King!

"Facts are merciless. Before absolute power, any cunning or rhetoric is nothing but fragile glass." Yang Yuntian's gaze turned completely serious.

"I got lucky today, winning this gamble thanks to information asymmetry and a bit of good fortune. But what if Di Tian were a reckless madman? What if he chose to directly search souls?"

"We must never repeat the same mistake. A spirit of patience and reverence is the first principle that must be ingrained in our very being!"