Dugu Returns, Geo Hypostasis

Truth be told, Gan Lin still had a Basalt Pillar from Gimel, the Geo Hypostasis. He could break through to level twenty whenever he wanted.

The only reason he had not rushed the breakthrough was that he wanted to play it safe.

Although ordinary people could not get into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and he could make his breakthrough without worry, what if something happened?

What if someone happened to come in?

He would have nowhere to turn, even if he wanted to cry.

So Gan Lin decided to wait until Dugu Bo returned before making his breakthrough.

And just like that, Dugu Bo was back.

The tipping progress would not stabilize anytime soon anyway, so he would check it after his breakthrough.

The poisonous mist churned and parted to either side among the trees. Dugu Bo emerged first, his hands clasped behind his back, the hem of his dark green robe sweeping past the bushes without catching so much as half a blade of grass. Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling followed behind him, while Ye Huixin walked on the other side. All four stepped lightly, but Soul Power fluctuations they could not contain surrounded them. Gan Lin spotted them as soon as they emerged from the dense woods.

He immediately rose to greet them, his gaze sweeping first over Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling. His brows lifted involuntarily. They had been apart for only six days, yet the two girls' presences had grown several times more settled and substantial, and their Soul Power fluctuations were deep and sustained. They had clearly crossed the threshold into the Soul Elder realm.

"Grandpa, Sister Yanzi, Sister Lingling, Aunt Ye." Gan Lin greeted them one by one before looking at Dugu Bo, a hint of puzzlement in his eyes. "I thought it would take you at least another three to five days to start back. How did you return so quickly?"

Dugu Bo snorted and lifted his chin, wearing an air of haughty self-assurance. "A mere Sunset Forest? This old man couldn't be more familiar with every blade of grass and every tree here. How much trouble could it be to pick out two suitable Soul Rings for a couple of young girls? Once this old man took action, they were naturally as good as caught." His tone was exceedingly proud, and he refused to mention a word about the hardship of spending days on the move, tracking Soul Beasts. He looked just like a peacock fanning its tail.

Beside him, Ye Huixin could not help smiling, her eyes curving. She added gently, "Senior Poison Douluo is naturally formidable, but we did have luck on our side this time. Not long after we ventured into the inner reaches, we came across two thousand-year Soul Beasts of excellent quality: a Jade Phosphorous Crimson-Striped Serpent, whose pure poison attribute was a perfect match for Yanzi's Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Martial Soul; and a Dew-Congealing Ice Begonia Beast, whose rich life force was highly compatible with Lingling's Nine Heart Glaze Begonia. Both were compatible Soul Beasts one could scarcely hope to encounter in a thousand years. With Senior Poison Douluo there, we captured them without much trouble."

She turned to the two girls beside her, her smile growing. "Now that Yanzi has absorbed her Soul Ring, her Soul Power has settled firmly at level thirty-three. She's a Soul Elder through and through. Lingling's Soul Power has also stabilized at level thirty-two."

Gan Lin nodded at this. He knew full well that the Nine Heart Begonia was already one of the continent's top auxiliary Martial Souls. Having evolved into the Nine Heart Exquisite Begonia, its healing and enhancement abilities had likely risen to a whole new level. He looked at Ye Lingling. The young girl's eyes were curved in a smile, and a faint flush from her breakthrough still colored her cheeks. He said softly, "Congratulations, Sister Yanzi and Sister Lingling. Becoming Soul Elders at around ten years old takes remarkable talent."

Ye Lingling nodded gently. "Thank you, little brother Gan Lin," she said softly.

Ye Huixin smiled and took up the conversation. "That's exactly why I plan to take Lingling home first. The Nine Heart Exquisite Begonia is rarely seen in this world. We'll need to carefully explore the pathways of her evolved Martial Soul and the effects of her Soul Skills. I can also help her stabilize her cultivation and build a solid foundation." She turned to Dugu Bo and inclined her head slightly. "Thank you for looking after us this time, Senior Dugu."

Dugu Bo waved a hand, looking unconcerned. "It was no trouble at all. Lingling already had a good foundation."

After the two exchanged a few pleasantries, Gan Lin stepped forward and looked at Dugu Bo, his expression turning serious. "Grandpa, I also have something to tell you. I still have a Basalt Pillar from Gimel, the Geo Hypostasis. It works much like the Juvenile Jade from before. I could actually have broken through the level-twenty bottleneck long ago. But I was afraid the breakthrough would cause too much commotion, and there was no one to guard me, so I kept holding it back. Now that you're back, I want to use the power of the Basalt Pillar to absorb my Second Soul Ring and formally break through to level twenty."

Dugu Bo raised a brow, then slowly nodded. Having seen the Juvenile Jade before, he already knew how extraordinary this boy's opportunities could be. Just from its name, the Basalt Pillar was plainly a Geo-attribute object, sharing the same origin as the innate Geo attribute of the boy's Vision. The risk was already extremely small. And with a Titled Douluo like himself standing guard, there was no chance of anything going wrong.

"Very well." He folded his arms, his tone still carrying a measure of its customary pride. "Go ahead and make your breakthrough without worry. With this old man here, I guarantee nothing will go wrong. Never mind a mere level twenty-even if it were the level-thirty bottleneck, I'd see you safely and smoothly across it."

Gan Lin felt a weight lift, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly. After suppressing his cultivation for so long, he could finally make a proper push. With Dugu Bo standing guard and the Basalt Pillar besides, his Second Soul Ring was as good as secured.

In the clearing beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Dugu Bo swept his sleeve, and a jade-green barrier of poison spread out like a curtain, enveloping everything within a hundred zhang. Poisonous mist churned, yet far from harming anyone, it blocked every trace of presence and all attempts at probing. Even the Soul Beasts deep in the Sunset Forest did not dare come a step closer.

"All right, begin." Dugu Bo stepped aside and stood with his hands behind his back. His tone was casual, but brimming with confidence. "With this old man here, even a beast tide couldn't break through."

Gan Lin nodded and settled cross-legged. With a thought, a small stone tower about an inch tall appeared in his palm. Ancient and heavy-looking, its surface shimmered with blue-gold rock patterns. It was the Basalt Pillar dropped after Gimel, the Geo Hypostasis, was defeated.

It felt heavy in his hand, as though he were holding an entire mountain. Sealed inside it was the purest form of Geo-attribute origin power.

He took a deep breath and slowly poured his Soul Power into the tower. Once again, he felt a familiar pulling force.

Hum-

The Basalt Pillar trembled gently. Blue-gold light spilled from the patterns on its surface and surged into his body along his arm. Geo-attribute Soul Power of the utmost purity seemed to have found its home. It raced through his meridians toward his dantian and fused perfectly with the innate Geo power of his Vision Martial Soul, without the slightest obstruction.

He had long since worn the level-twenty bottleneck down until it was as thin as a cicada's wing. Now, as a vast torrent of Geo power surged in, it broke through with a crash, almost without effort.

The moment the bottleneck broke, the Soul Power in his dantian began expanding wildly, making his meridians swell slightly. An ordinary Soul Master could absorb a Hundred-Year Soul Ring at most for their Second Soul Ring. Even forcing themselves to absorb a thousand-year one risked making their body explode, to say nothing of a ten-thousand-year one. But Gan Lin was different-

Two rounds of ice-and-fire body tempering had already refined his flesh far beyond others at the same level. His bones and meridians were as tough as refined steel, and his internal organs possessed far more vitality than those of an ordinary person, enough to withstand the impact of that immense power. The tremendous increase in spiritual power brought by the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew gave him exquisitely precise control over his Soul Power. On top of that, he was exceptionally gifted, and his Vision Martial Soul was inherently all-embracing. The backlash from a mere Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring was firmly locked within his dantian, where he refined it in an orderly fashion.