Douluo Continent: Long Live the Spirit Hall

"Ding~~~"

As Yan closed his eyes and concentrated, he began the process of meditation. The energy between heaven and earth began to gather around him and be refined into soul power, while his own aura slowly changed.

Chapter 30 The Miraculous Effects of the Soul Bead

"This natal soul bead left behind by the Flaming Demon Lion, although far less powerful than the soul beads of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger and the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, is extremely beneficial to me at present, even more useful than a hundred-year-old soul bone."

Yan stood in the courtyard. As night fell, the surrounding temperature dropped rapidly. The winter wind blew continuously, and the air was filled with a chilling cold. However, the area around him was unusually hot.

In the Douluo Continent, some powerful soul beasts are able to condense the prototype of a soul core before they have cultivated for 100,000 years. After these soul beasts die, they can basically produce soul bones. However, some of them do not do this and instead condense into their natal soul beads.

In the original work, both the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger and the Deep Sea Demon Whale King condensed their natal soul beads. The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's soul bead was even more spiritual and escaped from Douluo Continent, creating another person with great fortune.

After the Deep Sea Demon Whale King died, it not only produced a Soul Bead, but also gave Tang San a crucial million-year Soul Bone, which can be described as a double win.

The reason it is in this state is because its cultivation spans millions of years, making it even stronger than Poseidon, a Limit Douluo. The key to a Super Douluo advancing to Limit Douluo lies in condensing dual soul cores, and the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, which is even stronger than a Limit Douluo, naturally also possesses dual soul cores.

However, compared to the obvious reaction of soul bones to soul power fluctuations, the energy of soul beads is extremely restrained and almost non-existent. It is estimated that they have not appeared many times in the history of Douluo cultivation, so there has never been any record of them. Yan only made this speculation after reading the original work.

"Huh...huh...huh..."

Inside the courtyard, Yan was shirtless. With each breath, the Blazing Soul Pearl continuously emitted powerful energy. The crimson flames around him sublimated, gradually becoming tinged with a faint golden halo. His aura also became deeper and more profound, carrying a powerful pressure.

Soul bones and soul beads are transformed from soul cores. Soul bones are easy to absorb and have accompanying soul bone skills, which can directly enhance a person's physical qualities and combat power, and can also be passed down from generation to generation after death.

Compared to soul bones, soul beads do not have a inheritance function and can only benefit one person. Furthermore, it is easy for them to go out of control during the refining process. In "Heavenly Jewel Change", the scene of Zhou Weiqing refining the soul bead of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger was somewhat indescribable.

However, after refining the Soul Bead, the primal power of the Soul Core will be completely integrated into oneself, bringing about a transformation of one's own origin. For example, Zhou Weiqing's Demonic Transformation caused him to continuously evolve towards the state of a humanoid Dark Demon Evil God Tiger. Now that Yan has refined this Blazing Flame Soul Bead, the flame ability of his Martial Soul is stronger, and it also carries a trace of kingly pressure.

However, compared to Zhou Weiqing, whose talent was mediocre at the beginning, Yan had a stronger foundation, and this Blazing Soul Pearl was not as powerful. Therefore, it was safer for him to refine it slowly like this. He could absorb it all at once like the former. Fortunately, he had the halo around him, otherwise he would have been burst.

"Ding~~~"

The flames around Yan grew stronger and stronger. At a certain moment, accompanied by a rhythmic ringing sound, his hundred-year soul ring shone brightly, and the flames around him rose even more rapidly, with the surrounding fire elemental energy surging dramatically.

During this period of time, through continuous experimentation and research on his own soul skills, he has figured out some of its operating mechanisms. The law of conservation of energy has not completely collapsed in this world.

His "Return to the Source" state can temporarily boost his various attributes by a percentage. This temporary burst of energy comes from the fact that when this soul skill is activated, it will quickly gather the surrounding fire attribute energy, and the fire element in the area where he is located will reach a terrifying concentration.

Some advanced Soul Master academies possess simulated cultivation arrays that can enhance a Soul Master's Soul Power cultivation by simulating an environment suitable for their Martial Soul. And what kind of environment does a Fire Attribute Soul Master need? It's fire, of course.

Therefore, after careful deduction, Yan used the Flame Soul Pearl and his first soul skill to gather fire elements to create a temporary simulated environment suitable for his cultivation. This method of cultivation was naturally extremely effective, and after several months of cultivation, he reached level 15 soul power.

His cultivation efficiency far surpasses that of his peers, considering the numerous young Soul Master geniuses in the original work.

Take Tang San as an example. He was born with full soul power. After absorbing the hundred-year-old Mandragora Snake soul ring, he reached level thirteen. After arriving at Shrek Academy for a period of time, he reached level thirty. In the meantime, he absorbed a seven-hundred-year-old Ghost Vine. If we assume that he increased his soul power by at least one level, then he increased his soul power by sixteen levels in six years, which is slightly more than two and a half levels per year on average.

Tang San possesses the Mysterious Heaven Skill, and his cultivation speed is already among the top in his age group. Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, and Ma Hongjun are the same age, but their soul power levels are not as high as his. Dai Mubai himself said that he was level 25 when he arrived at the academy.

Of course, Shrek Academy did not have the optimal environment for training due to insufficient conditions in the early stages, so their soul power did not reach its full potential.

However, simulated cultivation environments are basically only available in advanced academies. Ning Rongrong doesn't seem to have used them in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School either, so there are probably some restrictions. Perhaps a certain level of cultivation is required (most likely at least the second ring) to cultivate in them.

Let's compare this to the data of some top geniuses who reached the Soul Master or even Soul King level in the Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition. A twenty-year-old Soul King with five Soul Rings, around level 51 or 52, has a base Soul Power of at least level 7, and his four Soul Rings have increased his level by four, requiring fifteen years of cultivation.

Based on this, we can roughly deduce that the top geniuses of this era (including those who cultivate through mimicry) can cultivate to less than three levels per year below the Soul King level. The first thirty levels might be faster, but it should not exceed four levels per year.

After absorbing the Hundred-Year Flaming Lion Soul Ring, Yan reached level twelve (Tang San's situation was a special case due to his accumulated Mysterious Heaven Skill). He's already reached level fifteen before the first semester is even over, making his cultivation efficiency more than twice that of his peers. He should be able to reach level twenty in soul power by his second year.

Yan slowly rose from the flames. After several months of training, his physical fitness had greatly improved, and he had some vague lines. It wasn't the kind of muscle outline, but his figure looked extremely smooth, giving people a sense of leanness.

He began practicing various difficult poses in the flames, each one perfect and standard, just like a textbook example.

He wasn't just pursuing an increase in soul power; he also demanded that his physical fitness keep pace. Although he didn't have any special body-refining methods, with the assistance of the AI ​​Dawn, he could calculate and deduce the most suitable training method for his current stage.

Chapter 31 Medicinal Bath Cultivation

"Twenty minutes is still not enough for my physical condition. Even though I am a fire elementalist with strong fire immunity, it is still not easy to be in this high-concentration fire elemental environment for a long time."

In the biting cold wind, when Yan felt that he had temporarily reached his limit, he decisively suppressed the urge to continue absorbing energy. The path of cultivation should be balanced, and too much of anything is as bad as too little.

His figure stepped out from the flames, his once fair skin now a frightening crimson. Beside him, Liya had already prepared a bath tub, the bath water containing various medicinal herbs suitable for his constitution emitting wisps of heat.

Yan plunged in, immersing himself completely in the bath. Steam rose from the tub, and a strange, tingling sensation made his muscles tremble.

Taking a bath after each meditation session not only relaxes his body and relieves muscle fatigue, but also improves his physical condition and is beneficial to his meditation practice.

As for why not carry out the cultivation process described earlier in the bathtub in one go, imagine a ball of flame constantly burning in the warm water of the bathtub, which would be like stewing yourself in an iron pot.

He possesses powerful fire immunity due to his martial soul, but there's a difference between flames and boiling water, okay? He doesn't want to boil himself alive.

"Xiao Yan, are you alright?"

Liya stood beside the bathtub, carefully watching Yan inside. At that moment, Yan slowly emerged from the water, his skin still a deep red, looking quite frightening.

"Ding~~~"

Upon seeing Yan's head appear, Liya released her own martial soul. After releasing her soul skill, a warm healing light enveloped Yan, causing his minor injuries to heal quickly.

Although the cultivation method he chose was highly efficient, it was like dancing on a tightrope. It was easy to overdo it if he wasn't careful. If it weren't for Liya, a healing-type Soul Master, accompanying and taking care of him, he wouldn't have dared to push himself to the limit like this.

"Hu~~"

Yan lay in the bathtub and let out a long breath. Then, a glint of light flashed in his eyes, and a stream of information quickly integrated the data he needed.

"This time, my physique has only improved by half a percent. It seems that this formula will soon be useless. It's really frustrating."

Yan clenched his fist lightly. His physical attributes, far exceeding those of his peers, gave him incredibly powerful explosive force. He could exert a force of a hundred jin with just one arm. This was pure physical strength, not counting the burst of soul power, and he was not a strength-type soul master.

Yan's AI Dawn can collect various information and deduce what is needed through big data calculations, including medicinal bath recipes. In the new era of his previous life, such things were not exactly commonplace, but if you searched carefully on the internet, you could still find some useful information.

Everyone's constitution is different. What works for one person may be poison for another. Although there are some universal remedies, those are much more precious.

The AI ​​Dawn collected various data, especially on various plants, which required Yan to personally 'taste hundreds of herbs'. After the data on various plants were entered into the database, Yan combined the secret formula and deduced the formula, which led to the medicinal bath formula he is currently using.

The era of Douluo Continent I was a feudal period. During this era, the damage to the environment of Douluo Continent by humans was not serious, and there were still some natural treasures.

Moreover, he deliberately chose some common and easy-to-collect materials to ensure that his physique and cultivation had steadily improved over the past few months. However, the effects of medicinal baths would be significantly reduced after repeated use, and this was the second secret formula he had changed.

"Dawn, how was your training today?"

Yan silently asked the question in his mind, and the AI ​​responded quite intelligently.

"The main body's life energy has been tested and the short-term improvement has reached its limit. It is recommended to postpone cultivation today."

The emotionless voice of the AI ​​Dawn came through, and Yan simply shrugged, stretched his body, and prepared to leave the bathtub.

At that moment, a bath towel was stretched out and wrapped around him completely. After carefully wiping the water droplets off him, Liya wrapped him in a bright red blanket and held him in her arms, carrying him back into the house.

Yan was initially a little uncomfortable with Liya's thoughtful service after his cultivation, but he got used to it after a while. Anyway, the big sister's embrace was very warm, and the pillow... was also very big and soft. He sighed silently in his heart, but his head restlessly rubbed against the pillow and found a comfortable position to lean against.

Liya, holding Yan in her arms, blushed slightly. She glanced at Yan, who was leaning against her breasts, and a strange emotion appeared in her eyes. Then, with a slight smile on her lips, she carried him back to the bedroom and placed him on the bed.

"Xiao Yan, you go to sleep first. I'll go pack my things."

After placing Yan on the bed, Liya covered him with a quilt, then lowered her head to kiss his forehead, whispered some instructions, and then turned and left the room.

"Life like this is pretty good too."

Yan lay on his back on the bed, glanced at Liya as she left, smiled, and then closed his eyes. Not long after, he felt the familiar fragrance coming to his side again, and a figure lay down at the head of the bed.

Half-asleep, Yan instinctively rolled over, found a comfortable spot, and peacefully drifted off to sleep. It's normal for kids to move around a lot in their sleep, right, everyone?

……

The morning sun shone on the earth, and the shops on the streets of Wuhun City were just opening for business. Yan, still half asleep, walked along the road, feeling extremely annoyed by Tuoba Hong's incessant chatter beside him.

He had a wonderful dream that morning, dreaming of his past life, filled with all the modern comforts. He was just getting ready to break third base in his sleep when this little fatso came out of the yard shouting that he was going to school, waking him up early.

Two more months have passed in the blink of an eye. The first semester is coming to an end. Yan's soul power has successfully broken through sixteen and is approaching seventeen. The little fat boy in front of him has finally reached level ten soul power.

On the black stone-paved path, Yan waited until Tuoba Hong finished speaking before saying, "Fatty, it's almost the end of the semester and you've only just broken through to level ten. Many soul beasts are less active during this time, so it won't be easy for you to find a suitable soul ring."

Generally speaking, a trip to the Soul Hunting Forest and back would take at least half a month, not even counting the time spent searching for soul beasts. Are you planning to skip class for finals?

"Don't worry, boss, our clan has already made arrangements for this."

Tuoba Hong smiled at Yan and said, "After you told me about the soul beasts that were suitable for me last time, my father specifically inquired about them, and about ten days ago he finally got definite information. My father just came back yesterday and caught a 360-year-old earth dragon lizard."

Chapter 32 A Message

"Three hundred and sixty years? Not four hundred years?"

Yan frowned slightly upon hearing this. He wasn't surprised that the little fat boy's father had captured the Hundred-Year-Old Earth Dragon Lizard. After all, Tuoba Hong's father was a high-level Soul Master, and he could also rely on the White Armor Earth Dragon Clan.

There's a saying in the Soul Master world that Soul Beasts are difficult to capture and hunt for Soul Rings, which actually involves a cost-effectiveness issue.

Generally speaking, to capture a soul beast and transport it out of the forest, one must first have strength far exceeding that of the soul beast, enough to subdue it and leave it no chance to commit suicide. Furthermore, transporting the soul beast out of the forest and bringing it all the way to Wuhun City requires even more effort.

However, the Fatty's family had many powerful members, so for this matter, Tuoba Hong's father personally invited a Soul Saint Elder to accompany him. Upon hearing that this was a clansman who had reached level ten in his first year—a true genius!—the Elder agreed to help out and went on the trip.

Because Fatty's father already had accurate information, the group came and went quickly, returning to the White Armored Earth Dragon Clan's territory outside Wuhun City in less than three days.

Knowing the approximate strength of the Tuoba clan, Yan was not surprised that they had captured the Earth Dragon Lizard. However, the Earth Dragon Lizard was a bit young; he had previously stated that it should ideally be over four hundred years old.

“Boss, there’s only a 50-year difference between 360 years and 400 years. My dad and the elders also said that there’s no need to deliberately pursue a soul ring age that is close to the limit. Besides, this is the most suitable one that my dad could find in a short period of time.”

Tuoba Hong scratched his head and said, "Actually, besides these reasons, there's another one: the little fat boy himself doesn't have much confidence in absorbing those near-limit spirit rings." Of course, he didn't dare say this slightly cowardly reason, for fear of being scolded by Yan.

“Boss, there aren’t many first-ring Soul Masters among the junior academies in the entire Spirit City right now, and in our Class 3, there’s no one else besides you.”

The chubby boy looked ingratiating, then said with considerable pride, "As your little brother, I'm also the second one-ring Soul Master in the class, so I guess I'm a little genius."

"Your focus is only on the primary Soul Master Academy, never mind."

Yan gave a noncommittal reply, then shook his head, and then spoke again: "By the way, you said last time that a big shot from the Spirit Hall might come to inspect the academy at the end of the year. Have you found out the details?"

Although Yan was concerned about Tuoba Hong's acquisition of the soul ring, he hadn't reached the point where he needed to deliberately interfere. He was more concerned about the news that the fat man had casually mentioned a couple of days ago.

At that time, the chubby boy had just broken through to the tenth level of soul power. After telling his family the news, his father did not take him to the Soul Hunting Forest to obtain a soul ring. Instead, he told him not to rush. It wasn't until yesterday that he received a definite answer.

The chubby boy was initially unaware of his father's arrangements. At the time, he was anxious and uncertain, so he secretly inquired about many things. He learned from his clan that it seemed that at the end of the year, high-ranking members of the Spirit Hall would come to the academy to inspect and observe the ceremony.

Tuoba Hong looked around and then whispered, "Boss, I secretly asked my dad yesterday, and he told me that it seems the Pope is preparing to inspect Wuhun City, and our academy is very likely to be selected."

"The Pope? Are you sure?"

Yan was also a little surprised when he heard the little fat boy say this. He then lowered his head and walked slowly, muttering to himself, "The Pope has only been on the throne for a year. He should have stabilized his cultivation by now. Next, he will seize power."

By relocating the Papal Palace to Wuhun City, she was preparing to cultivate her own loyal followers and win over various forces within the Wuhun Hall.

Although she holds the title of Pope and is the successor designated by the previous Pope, due to Qian Xunji's death, Qian Daoliu and the Hall of Worship will not oppose her, but they will not support her either.