Long Fei Breaks Through

Night.

Chen Xilin sat on the roof, circulating the Muscle Tendon Classic as he began cultivating, sensing the darkness deep within his heart.

A moment later.

"Just as expected! That last barrier is gone." Chen Xilin felt that the darkness within him had become incomparably compatible with him. He could use the Muscle Tendon Classic to slowly enhance his Dark Attribute.

The Muscle Tendon Classic possessed the ability to encompass all things. If Chen Xilin's Dark Attribute became sufficiently powerful in the future, then the Muscle Tendon Classic could become the Dark Muscle Tendon Classic.

"Great. I'm in a good mood, so I should reward myself. Off to the pleasure house to listen to some music!"

Chen Xilin jumped straight down from the roof, left the house, and headed toward Suotuo City's most prosperous district.

On the morning of the third day.

Chen Xilin sat in the courtyard, sipping tea and enjoying the spring breeze, utterly at ease.

Boom—

An incredibly resounding noise rang out. A figure suddenly stood in midair, dark currents of energy emanating from his body. Seven spirit rings slowly pulsed around him.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, purple, black, black.

Chen Xilin looked up into the sky. Wasn't that Long Fei? He had completed his breakthrough in just a few days. Once he obtained another spirit ring, he would become a true Spirit Douluo.

"Congratulations on your breakthrough, Teacher. Perhaps you may even become a Title Douluo someday," Chen Xilin said with a smile, clasping his hands in salute toward Long Fei.

"Heh, stop buttering me up, brat. I know my own talent. Spirit Douluo is probably my limit. I'm already in my fifties, nearly sixty.

A Title Douluo is out of the question. But I can still raise you into a Title Douluo."

Long Fei was clearly in a good mood. Having successfully broken through to Level 80, he had taken another step forward on the path to becoming strong.

Once he became a Spirit Douluo, he would be able to help Chen Xilin obtain higher-quality spirit rings in the future.

"I finally broke through. When I helped you get your Fourth Spirit Ring last time, I nearly got myself killed fighting that Abyssal Bone Dragon—and it was only an eighteen-thousand-year-old Abyssal Bone Dragon.

At your current level, your Fifth Soul Ring will need to start at thirty-five thousand years, with the upper limit probably around fifty thousand years. How am I supposed to fight that?

Enough talk. Wait at home. I'm going to acquire my Eighth Spirit Ring."

Long Fei grumbled for a while before beginning to plan for his Eighth Spirit Ring.

"Teacher, what are your thoughts on your Eighth Spirit Ring? At your current Yellow Tier Futu level, you should be able to absorb a Spirit Beast of around sixty thousand years, right?" Chen Xilin asked, appraising his teacher.

"Absorbing one shouldn't be a problem, but I still need to be able to defeat it. I'm thinking forty or fifty thousand years will do. Do you think everyone is a monster like you?

Absorbing spirit rings beyond your level as easily as drinking water? Still, that Muscle Tendon Classic manual of yours really is incredible. I wonder which Peerless Douluo created it. What a genius.

Though I'm only at Yellow Tier Futu right now, once I obtain my spirit ring, I won't fear even veteran Spirit Douluos."

Long Fei was quite confident in his own strength.

"Then why not cultivate the next cycle of the Muscle Tendon Classic, Blue Tier Futu, Teacher? Your strength would increase even faster that way," Chen Xilin said with a faint smile.

Long Fei suddenly recalled some unpleasant memories.

At Yellow Tier Futu, one's energy channels had to flow in reverse, and the practitioner would suffer the agony of ten thousand arrows piercing their body... If one remained unyielding, spatial magnetic fields would gradually gather within the acupoints, and immense energy would turn into heat currents that flooded the entire body. The pain would vanish, and one would successfully pass through the Yellow Tier realm.

When Long Fei had attempted to reverse the flow of his energy channels, he had nearly been tortured to death. The agony of ten thousand arrows piercing the body was truly unbearable for anyone without immense willpower. Long Fei considered his willpower strong enough.

Yet he had still nearly died. He had even seen Old Chen Chen waving at him.

From then on, Long Fei developed a fear of the Muscle Tendon Classic, terrified that something even worse might lie ahead. It was not that he feared death.

He feared that if he died, Chen Xilin's future path would become even more difficult.

"Then, Teacher, are you going alone, or will you find a Soul Hunting Team?" Chen Xilin asked.

"Your teacher does have friends, you know. You don't think I'm some lone wanderer, do you? I have several brothers who have fought through life and death with me. The strongest among them is a Spirit Douluo, and he broke through seven years ago.

Back then, we helped him hunt for his spirit ring. Now it's my turn. After Second Brother, I'm the second one to break through to Spirit Douluo."

A trace of nostalgia appeared in Long Fei's eyes.

"That impressive? I couldn't tell. Uncle Hans said you were a lone wanderer who had always been by himself," Chen Xilin said, stroking his chin.

"What does that brat Hans know? Our team is made up of seven Soul Saints. Including me, we now have two Spirit Douluos.

Compared to the Lower Four Sects, we're not weak at all. If we wanted to join the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, even the Heaven Dou Emperor would welcome us with open arms. But we love freedom and don't like all those rules and restrictions."

Long Fei spoke with a hint of pride on his face. Two Spirit Douluos and five Soul Saints was no small force.

"Stay home and behave, brat. When you break through to Soul Saint, I'll introduce you to them. Then we'll help you hunt powerful Spirit Beasts."

Long Fei rubbed Chen Xilin's head, only to realize that Chen Xilin was nearly as tall as he was. His heart filled with gratification.

"I'm off."

Long Fei turned into a mass of darkness and departed.

Chen Xilin watched the direction Long Fei had gone and considered what he should do next.

What should I do next? Cultivate? I'm getting closer and closer to Level 50. Uncle Fei will probably need a few months, maybe even half a year, to obtain his Eighth Spirit Ring.

That's enough time for me to break through. But without obtaining a spirit ring, the Muscle Tendon Classic can't advance to the next cycle either. What a bother.

Keep the music playing, keep dancing? Mm! Keep the music playing, keep dancing!

Chen Xilin left the house once again and headed toward Suotuo City's most prosperous district.

Going to the pleasure house to listen to music—there was only a first time and countless times thereafter.

Within Spirit Hall in Spirit City.

"Teacher, Teacher, I've broken through to Level 37!"

An exceptionally beautiful little girl skipped over to a blond middle-aged man, delivering the good news.

"Very good, very good! Dong'er's talent is better than anyone's. Teacher is very happy. Teacher can grant Dong'er one wish. What wish does Dong'er want to make?"

Qian Xunji said with a smile.

"Teacher, I want... I want to ride on your shoulders, and then go play in Spirit City... Hehe..."

As Bibi Dong spoke, she gave an awkward laugh, treating it as a joke.

Qian Xunji's face darkened for a moment when he first heard it. Then he looked at Bibi Dong and sighed.

"Fine! Teacher will let you ride once! Hold on tight." Qian Xunji picked Bibi Dong up and let her sit on his shoulders.

"Woo—We're flying!"

Joyous laughter constantly echoed through the Pope's Palace. Even the passing Title Douluo Elders could not help but smile.

Your Holiness the Pope truly doted on the Holy Maiden.

Clear Sky Sect.

The old man seated in the position of honor wore a troubled expression, while a middle-aged man beside him poured him tea.

"Father, there's no need to worry. Second Brother is blessed by heaven, and he also has Grandfather's personally imparted Great Sumeru Hammer. The trial in the City of Slaughter may not necessarily be too difficult for Hao'er," the middle-aged man comforted him.

The old man sighed. "Hao'er is a once-in-a-century genius of our Clear Sky Sect. Even when Father was young, he did not possess Hao'er's talent. Yet he has been gone for so many years. How can I not worry?

"Xiao'er, you must also focus on cultivation. Though your talent is not as good as Hao'er's, it still far surpasses mine. My health is not very good. Before Hao'er matures, the Clear Sky Sect will need you to steer its course.

"Ah, if only Father were here. Then we could learn of Hao'er's current situation."

Tang Xiao, the middle-aged man, also looked into the distance. He recalled how, several years earlier, his grandfather Tang Chen had defeated Qian Daoliu of Spirit Hall before leaving to seek a method to break through Level 100.

After that, he had vanished as though from the face of the world. The current Clear Sky Sect relied solely on his father, the Earth Shaking Douluo, to hold it together.

The crucial issue was that the Earth Shaking Douluo had suffered backlash while cultivating the Great Sumeru Hammer. His health had worsened with each passing day.

"Hao'er, I hope you can return soon. The rise of the sect depends on the two of us," Tang Xiao murmured.