Yang Spring Tempers the Body, Yin Spring Refines the Soul

The tempering effect of the Yang Spring was remarkable.

After Chen Ming used a secret technique to guide the Yang Spring's power through his body once, he could feel his body growing stronger at a frantic pace.

This was not an illusion.

It was a genuine, tangible change.

Spiritual Sense-level perception was enough to capture every detail of it.

Within suitable limits, the energy in the Yang Spring was clearly suited for tempering the body. Chen Ming had also added another layer to the process: the Yang Spring's energy destroyed the cells in his body, while Life Gold emitted Life Force that mixed with the spring water to repair them.

The latter effect was the truly astonishing one.

If it were merely destruction followed by repair with Life Force, it absolutely could not achieve this result.

"This Yang Spring is something else!"

Chen Ming pondered. This place differed from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes.

His Spiritual Sense had already reached the bottom of the lake and traced downward along the spring source. All he could sense was endless energy surging forth.

Beneath this Yang Spring lay a connection to an earth vein!

It had formed naturally and was different from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes.

"I wonder whether Douluo Star has a Yin Spring. The Yang Spring tempers the body, while the Yin Spring refines the soul."

Chen Ming soaked in the Yang Spring for three hours.

At first, he had been unable to withstand the Yang Spring's energy at a depth of forty-three meters, but he gradually adapted.

The results were astonishing.

"If I could cultivate in this Yang Spring for a month, setting aside the increase in Soul Power, the improvement in my physical condition alone would let me absorb a Soul Ring five or six hundred years older."

Chen Ming swept his Spiritual Sense over himself and precisely determined his current limit—nine hundred years.

According to the theory of Body Martial Souls absorbing Soul Rings beyond their limits, he could now attempt a Soul Ring of up to eleven hundred years.

If he improved by another five or six hundred years, that would be sixteen or seventeen hundred years.

"No, I'm different from ordinary Body Martial Soul masters. I have Life Gold. My body reconstructs itself faster after being damaged, the effects are more pronounced, and the feedback my Martial Soul receives is more immediate. Perhaps that can add another three hundred years."

The Body Sect had ample experience, but Chen Ming still needed to calculate it himself.

He was not some inexperienced six-year-old child.

He was an old monster who had undergone Reincarnation eight times. He had the experience of eight lifetimes of cultivation, as well as Spiritual Sense-level perception. No outsider could possibly understand his body as well as he did.

Therefore, he needed to calculate for himself exactly how many years he could endure.

"Finally, let's test the Yang Spring's effects again."

Chen Ming did not immediately leave the Yang Spring. Instead, he possessed himself with his Soul Martial Soul and guided the Yang Spring's energy as he began cultivating once more.

This time, he circulated the Heavenly Reincarnation Merit. While using the Yang Spring's energy to temper his body, he also used the power of his soul to reflect upon himself, accelerating the growth of his Soul Power.

During this process, he could feel his soul being nourished.

"What I need isn't for my soul to be nourished in return."

His Soul Martial Soul was already powerful enough. What Chen Ming urgently needed now was to expand his Sea of Consciousness.

So, he guided that feedback energy into his Sea of Consciousness bit by bit.

Boom!

His consciousness turned chaotic, and amid the vast haze, it was as if a space had been opened up.

Chen Ming's consciousness sank into his Sea of Consciousness.

The newly opened Sea of Consciousness was utterly dry, containing only a small pool formed from Spiritual Power. The Sea of Consciousness itself was not large to begin with, and within that small Sea of Consciousness was only a tiny pool. The amount of Spiritual Power was self-evident.

However, as the Sea of Consciousness opened up, Chen Ming's soul foundation finally began to display its might.

The small pool rapidly expanded, growing larger and deeper at a visible rate.

Even Chen Ming's consciousness form within the Sea of Consciousness was submerged, and the entire Sea of Consciousness was filled.

Under the pressure of that immense Spiritual Power, the Sea of Consciousness rapidly expanded. Yet the expansion of the Sea of Consciousness placed tremendous strain on the body.

At that moment, Chen Ming's physical body had undergone the Yang Spring's tempering and seemed to be drained dry in an instant. The empty portions were swiftly replenished by the Yang Spring's energy, and the tempering effect that had just weakened immediately surged once more.

Above him, Du Busi's face broke into a delighted expression when he saw this.

"Has his Second Awakening advanced further?"

Clearly, he believed Chen Ming's Martial Soul had moved another step closer to completion. This intense Spiritual Power fluctuation was most likely the result of Chen Ming stimulating his Martial Soul during the body-tempering process.

"By the looks of it, my disciple's Second Awakening, or rather, the completion of his Martial Soul, won't take too long."

Chen Ming cultivated in the Yang Spring for half a day for the first time.

The Yang Spring's energy was mixed with Life Force, so Chen Ming did not even need to eat.

Unfortunately, the Yang Spring's effects had weakened too noticeably. Continuing to cultivate there was no longer worthwhile.

Before ending his meditation, he glanced at the Soul Martial Soul within his Meditation Space.

An incomplete halo was forming around the Soul Martial Soul. Faintly, the halo emitted a scorching aura.

Time passed, and Chen Ming began his formal cultivation in the Body Sect.

Perhaps because of Chen Ming, Chen Dong was also able to cultivate with the Yang Spring in the Body Sect. Outside of cultivation, he often asked Lei Zhen for guidance on Blade Techniques.

One month later.

"This supplementary Soul Ring is nearly condensed as well. If my first Soul Ring suits the Yang Spring's power, I can add this supplementary Soul Ring to it."

Though it appeared that he had obtained a two-thousand-year Soul Ring, Chen Ming could actually raise the Soul Ring's age to three thousand years or even four thousand years in a short time afterward.

This was the Soul Ring Filling Method!

"Teacher, I feel that my physical condition has become very difficult to improve further."

Suppressing his excitement, Du Busi had Chen Ming enter the Yang Spring for another test.

"You can now withstand the impact at a depth of fifty meters in the Yang Spring. The Soul Ring age you can likely endure is around sixteen hundred years. However, there have been exceptions to the Yang Spring's standards, so I'll personally test and confirm it for you next."

After Chen Ming nodded, Du Busi placed his palm on Chen Ming's back. Powerful Soul Power surged into Chen Ming's body and began battering it.

Using the Yang Spring test as a reference, he kept the Soul Power's impact as close to sixteen hundred years as possible.

In truth, Chen Ming's limit was fourteen hundred years.

But he had an advantage. He used his Soul Martial Soul to forcibly keep his meridians from showing any abnormalities, while using the power of his Spiritual Sense to conceal the process of Life Force repairing his meridians.

He endured it.

"Let's add a little more."

After warning Chen Ming, Du Busi increased his Soul Power output.

After increasing it by roughly another fifty years, Chen Ming revealed a pained expression.

"That's the limit!"

Du Busi was startled and immediately stopped sending Soul Power into him.

"Sixteen hundred and fifty years. According to the Body Sect's experience, staying within two hundred and fifty years above this limit is considered safe."

"Teacher, why don't we just find me a two-thousand-year Soul Ring?" Chen Ming said.

Du Busi frowned upon hearing that.

"Little Ming, absorbing a Soul Ring is no joke. Going three hundred and fifty years beyond your limit will greatly reduce your chance of success."

"Teacher, I feel that my body recovers very quickly. Didn't you test that while I was cultivating in the Yang Spring?"

Hearing Chen Ming's explanation, Du Busi seriously considered it for a moment.

But in the end, he still shook his head and sternly refused.

"No!"

"A two-thousand-year Soul Ring is only a number. When it comes to an actual Soul Beast, it is difficult to determine precisely. We can judge based on a Soul Beast's characteristics, but we cannot guarantee that it has only just passed two thousand years rather than approaching twenty-one hundred or even twenty-two hundred years."

Exceeding the limit by three hundred and fifty years, by four hundred and fifty years, or even by five hundred and fifty years were completely different situations.

After reaching a thousand years, most Soul Beasts' characteristics did not change distinctly every hundred years. Instead, noticeable changes occurred only every two hundred years or even five hundred years.

The Body Sect placed immense importance on researching Soul Beast ages, yet they still did not dare guarantee an exact age for their targets. Whenever they searched for Soul Rings for sect disciples, they would set a theoretical upper limit in advance and never cross that red line.