Pitch-Black Cube

Three years later, Heaven Dou City, Dugu Manor

Chen Xilin sat cross-legged in the courtyard, his soul power fluctuating throughout his body.

Beside him, Dugu Bo, Dugu Xin, and Feng Qingyu stood guard.

"What a little monster. With injuries like those, he should've needed years of recuperation, yet he recovered in just over half a year and is now breaking through to Level 70. Seventeen years old, Level 70! I wouldn't have dared imagine it. I was already in my forties when I broke through Level 70." Dugu Bo looked at Chen Xilin. Today, he had truly seen a monster.

"Xiao Lin has always been exceptionally talented. The Haotian Twin Stars of the Clear Sky Sect began traveling the continent last year. Tang Hao became a Level 70 Soul Sage at thirty, while Tang Xiao reached Level 75 at forty-five. They can't compare to Xiao Lin at all. In the future, Douluo Continent will belong to Xiao Lin."

Feng Qingyu was no longer as carefree and lively as before. He had become exceptionally reserved.

What had happened three years ago made him understand that strength was the only real truth. Unfortunately, his injuries had been too severe. It took him two years to recover, and he only resumed cultivation last year.

Feng Qingyu had resolved to cultivate the Muscle Tendon Classic. His talent was excellent, and he reached the Blue Tier Futu at an astonishing speed.

The Yellow Tier Futu reversed the flow of one's energy channels, forcing its practitioner to endure the agony of ten thousand arrows piercing the body. Yet he endured it.

His hatred far surpassed the pain in his body. In just one year, he rose from Level 74 to Level 79. Recently, he had been accumulating soul power, intending to break through to Level 80 once it was complete.

Spirit Douluo was not his endpoint. To take revenge, he needed the strength of a Titled Douluo, or perhaps even a Peak Douluo.

With his talent, perhaps he could reach that point.

"We truly have Xiao Lin to thank. For generations, our Dugu Family cultivated Jade Phosphor Snake Emperor Poison, only to suffer its backlash as well. My wife also passed away because of my poison after giving birth to Xin'er.

"Hahahaha! The world only knows that the Dugu Family's poison is unmatched beneath the heavens, but they do not know that poison has nearly wiped out our descendants. Damned heavens! They're even more poisonous than I, Dugu Bo!

"Fortunately, we met Xiao Lin. That miraculous cultivation method of his eased the accumulated toxins in Xin'er's and my body, and made us feel much lighter.

"Afterward, he used acupuncture to guide the potent poison through our bodies and had us try to condense all the Green Phosphor Snake Poison in our bodies into an inner core."

After three years, Dugu Bo and Dugu Xin had changed noticeably. Dugu Bo had become much younger, and most of his hair had turned black, with only a hint of dark green mixed in.

Dugu Xin still had the same hair color, since he had been born with it. However, the deathly aura between his brows had vanished, and he seemed much more radiant.

"Indeed. Back then, we saved our own benefactor. Unfortunately, the Inner Core Method is not yet perfect. Once we break through to become Titled Douluos, we'll be able to refine it further.

"After that, our family will no longer have to worry about snake poison tormenting us. We may even cultivate even stronger snake poison." Dugu Xin said with a smile.

Dugu Bo was now a Spirit Douluo-level powerhouse, his soul power roughly at Level 82. Dugu Xin's soul power had reached Level 57, making him a Spirit King.

Both of them cultivated the Muscle Tendon Classic. More accurately, what Chen Xilin gave them was a new cultivation method based on the Muscle Tendon Classic and combined with the Inner Core Method.

Chen Xilin had originally known of a cultivation method called the "Myriad Poisons Heart Sutra," but he did not know how to cultivate it. Besides, he had heard that it stored poison in the heart. A true "Heart" Sutra!

Chen Xilin felt that it would be too dangerous for Dugu Bo and his son to cultivate it.

The Inner Core Method was more stable. At the very least, the toxins in Dugu Bo's and Dugu Xin's bodies could be absorbed into a Poison Core, preventing any harm to their bodies.

Just like now, Dugu Xin had a girlfriend. After being intimate with him, she was still slightly poisoned, but her own immunity could neutralize the toxin.

That way, Dugu Xin's future descendants and wife would not suffer poison outbreaks and die.

Hiss—

A powerful aura spread from Chen Xilin's body. His breakthrough succeeded, and his soul power reached Level 70. This was a crucial threshold for a Spirit Master stepping into the ranks of the strong.

There were three great thresholds for Spirit Masters: Soul Elder, Soul Sage, and Titled Douluo.

Some people remained stuck at Level 29, Level 69, or Level 89 for their entire lives. These bottlenecks were the three great trials for Spirit Masters.

Even those with Level 9 Innate Soul Power could become stuck at Level 89, unable to break through. In any case, the records of Spirit Holy Hall mentioned it, though no one knew which unlucky fellow it was.

(Reader: Fucking Level 9? Unable to break through to Titled Douluo? What trash. Give me that talent and I could do it too!)

Chen Xilin was now immersed in his own Spirit Sea.

Chen Xilin's Spirit Sea was not too different from anyone else's. Perhaps it was simply larger. The expanse of one's Spirit Sea was related to spiritual power, after all. Since the Muscle Tendon Classic enhanced essence, energy, and spirit, it could be considered an alternative method of cultivating spiritual power.

Its only distinctive feature was the pitch-black cube floating above Chen Xilin's Spirit Sea. The black cube remained suspended there, out of place with the surrounding space yet inextricably linked to it.

It gave off an indescribably strange feeling.

Chen Xilin raised his head and looked at the Pitch-Black Cube. He had discovered it the first time he entered his Spirit Sea.

The Pitch-Black Cube possessed an incomparably pure Space Attribute, or perhaps it could be called Space Law, but he had never been able to make contact with it.

Even when he touched it, he could not feel anything. A vague message told him that his strength was insufficient, and that he needed to grow stronger to obtain what was inside.

"I've broken through to Soul Sage now. I should be able to give it a try, right?" Chen Xilin muttered.

Chen Xilin's spiritual body leaped into the air, one hand reaching toward the Pitch-Black Cube.

Very soon, the Pitch-Black Cube trembled once, and then... then nothing happened.

Chen Xilin:...

Insufficient strength. Unable to open!

Eight words surfaced in Chen Xilin's mind. He had several curse words...

Pfft—

"Watch your language!"

Chen Xilin was sent flying as if he had been slapped away.

"Damn, that hurt. Hey! I've been living here for so long, shouldn't you at least charge me rent? Aren't you embarrassed to give me nothing?" Chen Xilin shouted.

The Pitch-Black Cube trembled, and several words appeared in Chen Xilin's mind again.

"Not embarrassed!"

Chen Xilin: "I&￥#%"

Bang—

Chen Xilin was sent flying again, but something suddenly appeared in his mind.

Dark Spirit Curse: Darkness, Space Magic. Its special trait was that it possessed the Annihilation Attribute. It required gathering, compressing, and transforming all the spiritual power (crossed out) Soul Power in one's body into dark spirit power (crossed out) Dark Soul Power, then releasing it all at once. It could trigger Secondary Annihilation. Once one's strength reached a certain level, it could even annihilate space.

"Hiss—" Chen Xilin's Spirit Sea seemed to have warmed up a little.

"So powerful? Wait, magic? And you just crossed out spiritual power and replaced it with Soul Power? What kind of nonsense is that?

Spiritual power, huh? That's a bit profound. What I usually cultivate is internal energy and True Qi; it was only after arriving on the Douluo Continent that I gained Soul Power. Isn't your spiritual power cheating?"

Pitch-Black Cube: ...

"Forget it, I won't dwell on it. Thanks." Chen Xilin left his Spirit Sea.