Yun Ming and Ya Li

This was a vast, clear lake. Its waters were the same deep blue as the sea, yet they carried a special aura of life.

Golden sunlight poured down, raising a mesmerizing shimmer across the lake's surface.

At the center of the lake floated a small island. Because the island was thick with vegetation, which had grown for who knew how many years, it was difficult to see what lay within. And the denser and more flourishing the greenery, the richer the hazy aura of life became.

Just then, a golden light and shadow enveloping the entire island suddenly flickered, as if an ancient towering tree were stretching out its branches and leaves.

The people living on the island had long since grown used to this and paid it no special attention. But what none of them knew was that a thought residing within the Golden Tree silently entered an Illusory Space, turning into a gentle, ethereal female voice that seemed able to soothe wounds deep within the human heart.

"Hao, did you feel that?"

After a long silence, another voice sounded within that Illusory Space, low and filled with immense authority.

"It was the Douluo Plane Will's final counterattack. Stubborn to the end—it truly is courting death. But this also means I will soon be able to thoroughly refine it and truly become the plane lord of the Douluo Plane. At last, I'll be able to complete the task Xiao San entrusted to me. Ah Yin, I may need to sleep for a while after this. You must monitor the Abyss Plane at all times. We cannot allow Xiao San's Ten Thousand Year Plan to be ruined at the last moment."

"And also..."

While those two thoughts were communicating, a young man in a secluded valley on the island seemed to sense something and looked toward the distant east.

The young man was handsome, with an elegant and reserved bearing. He looked only about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. No powerful aura could be sensed from him at all, as if he were an ordinary person. Yet he was the undisputed number one figure on the entire continent, Skybearing Douluo Yun Ming, who stood at the peak of human Soul Masters, a peerless great power of his generation. He was also the current Pavilion Master of Shrek Academy's Sea God's Pavilion.

Not far in front of him were two vines hanging down from a cliff. A wooden board was attached to them, forming what was actually a swing.

A breathtakingly beautiful woman in a water-green dress sat on the swing, her fair, delicate hands holding the vines on either side as she swayed gently. Her stunningly lovely face was pure, elegant, and filled with the aura of life, making people instinctively feel close to her, like a goddess of nature. Her dark green hair, draped behind her, rippled with the motion. Paired with her bright, smiling expression, she was so beautiful she seemed like a Picture-like scene.

She was Skybearing Douluo Yun Ming's wife, Holy Spirit Douluo Ya Li.

Noticing Yun Ming's strange reaction, Ya Li asked softly with a beaming smile, "What's wrong, Brother Ming?"

Hearing Ya Li's voice, Yun Ming finally withdrew his gaze and gave a gentle smile.

"Nothing. I only vaguely sensed a trace of an opportunity for a breakthrough from the Eastern Coast. But that feeling disappeared again very quickly. Perhaps it was just my imagination."

Decades ago, Yun Ming had understood that he would never truly reach that step in his lifetime. The most he could do was leave behind some experience for those who came after him. Now, his state of mind had long since grown calm. He only wanted to spend the rest of his life by Ya Li's side.

Yun Ming's tone was indifferent, but Ya Li knew that with Yun Ming's cultivation, his perception could not possibly be wrong. The arrival of this opportunity was something that could be encountered but not sought. How could she possibly wish for Yun Ming to give it up of his own accord?

Ya Li stood, stepped forward, and affectionately hooked one of Yun Ming's arms. With a charming smile, she said, "Go, Brother Ming. It just so happens I haven't been to the seaside in a long time either. Treat it as accompanying me out to relax."

"All right..." Yun Ming turned his eyes to Ya Li, then understood at once and nodded with an amused smile. Their eyes were filled with lingering affection, everything spoken without words.

At the same time, in the Donghai Spirit Transfer Pagoda.

Yu Nanyuan closed his eyes and sat cross-legged at the center of the platform, silently entering a meditative state.

Silver Void Chains coiled around his body, constantly piercing through space and pulsing rhythmically.

In the Ancient Era and Primeval Era, if a Soul Master's own martial soul was too weak, absorbing a soul ring could transform their martial soul to a certain extent, or rather cause the martial soul's Evolution. Blue Silver Grass was the typical example.

But for a Soul Master who possessed a powerful martial soul, the process of absorbing a soul ring would take their own Martial Soul Origin as the foundation, clearly establishing primary and secondary. The restriction that Soul Masters of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan could only attach soul rings from Sub-Dragon Soul Beasts stemmed precisely from this reason.

The same was true for fusing with a Soul Spirit. After all, at the root of it, Soul Masters still needed to absorb soul ring energy to complete their advancement.

Without a doubt, Yu Nanyuan's situation was the latter. His Martial Soul Quality was too high. Even a Top-tier Soul Spirit like the Silver Wing Void Piercing Snake, which stood above the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, could not leave an imprint on his martial soul.

Only, as his soul power gradually sublimated, the silver light flashing on the Void Chains and the Space Attribute fluctuations attached to them grew increasingly intense. Amid their rhythmic pulsing, the chains also became slightly thicker.

Very soon, Yu Nanyuan broke through that thin bottleneck. His own soul power surged out, completing his advancement. The mass of soul power condensed in his dantian instantly turned into countless threads and burrowed into every part of his body. A wave of warmth suddenly spread through him from head to toe.

A bright Yellow Soul Ring rose from beneath him. He felt indescribably comfortable, his whole body incomparably light and relaxed.

However, the Soul Power Fluctuation within Yu Nanyuan's body was still rising steadily. Even among Hundred-Year Soul Spirits, the quality of Soul Spirits could differ like heaven and earth. Although the soul ring the Silver Wing Void Piercing Snake had attached to him had only a five-hundred-year Year Limit, the overall energy contained within that soul ring was comparable to a Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

The moment he broke through the Soul Master bottleneck, all of this manifested completely.

After who knew how long, Yu Nanyuan finally opened his Brilliant Gold Eyes, full of vigor. Nourished by the soul ring's energy, even his height seemed to have increased quite a bit. He stood and moved his body slightly, and the bones throughout his body immediately let out a series of crackling pops.

Carefully sensing the brand-new ability he had obtained after advancing to Soul Master, the corner of his mouth curved faintly. He clenched his fists. This feeling of controlling power was indeed intoxicating.

Strength was the source of all confidence.

Yu Nanyuan slowly raised his head and saw his current specific Soul Power Level from the instruments surrounding the platform.

"Rank thirteen?"

That Silver Wing Void Piercing Snake had given him another pleasant surprise. On top of breaking through the bottleneck, his soul power had actually risen by two more ranks in succession.

Yu Zhen smiled at Ji Hongyu beside him and teased, "Haha, Lao Ji, I no longer think you were deliberately trying to scam me. These fifty million in Federal currency were truly well spent."

"Old Yu, I told you, that price of fifty million in Federal currency was only me handling official business properly."

Even with Ji Hongyu's steady temperament, he could not help rolling his eyes. How could he not hear Yu Zhen's Complacency?

When they were young, his cultivation and talent had firmly suppressed Yu Zhen's. But his descendants had become worse with each generation. By contrast, Yu Zhen's line had produced heaven's favored talents like Yu Heng and Yu Nanyuan one after another. Of course he had to show off in front of him.

Yu Nanyuan smiled without speaking and did not cut into the conversation between the two elders. Only after the two of them looked over did he state his intention.

"Grandpa, Grandpa Ji, I want to enter the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform and try out my martial soul's ability."

"All right. Let your Grandpa Ji arrange it for you." This time, Yu Zhen did not hesitate much. With a gentle smile on his face, he placed his hand on Yu Nanyuan's shoulder.

The more Ji Hongyu looked at this old friend's smug, radiant manner, the more stifled he felt.

"You old thing really know how to order people around."

After holding it in for a long while, Ji Hongyu only managed to say that. When he and Yu Zhen were young, they often exchanged barbs, but before the black-bellied Yu Zhen, he had always been the one to suffer. Later, the two of them never fell out again. On one hand, they had become much steadier with age; on the other, it was also because Ji Hongyu no longer wanted to invite humiliation.

Though he said that, Ji Hongyu still took out his Soul Guidance Communicator and had his subordinates begin preparations.

He was likewise extremely curious about the soul skill the Silver Wing Void Piercing Snake had attached to Yu Nanyuan.