Target: Four-Thousand-Year Soul Ring

After reaching the Dou Zhe realm, Su Luo rested briefly for a day, then injected a thread of Dou Qi into his Storage Ring and took out the Earth-tier low-grade cultivation technique, the Fire Control Art.

In the original story, the technique Xiao Xun'er had intended to give Xiao Yan was a Profound-tier high-grade technique. Of the two options Medicine Elder gave Xiao Yan as a foundation, one was the Flame Mantra, while the other was an Earth-tier low-grade cultivation technique.

Given Xiao Xun'er's feelings for Xiao Yan, there was naturally no way she would give him a technique that was even slightly inferior.

Therefore, if Xiao Xun'er gave Xiao Yan a Profound-tier high-grade technique while Medicine Elder gave him an Earth-tier low-grade one, there were only two possibilities.

First, the Ancient Clan had never intended for Xiao Xun'er to grow through cultivation. As someone with the Dou Di Bloodline, she only needed to cultivate a little and wait for her bloodline to awaken. There was no need for her to learn a technique that placed such a burden on her body just to rapidly increase her strength. Thus, Xiao Xun'er had only possessed a Profound-tier high-grade technique at the time and could only give Xiao Yan one of the same grade. That would also explain why Xiao Xun'er did not switch cultivation techniques until she entered Jia Nan Academy. No matter how little influence Gu Yuan had within the clan, the Ancient Clan could not possibly lack an Earth-tier cultivation method for their young miss.

Second, an ordinary Dou Zhe's meridians were simply not strong enough to withstand an Earth-tier cultivation technique at the Dou Zhe stage. However, Xiao Yan had first cultivated the Eight Level Collapse, which enhanced his physical strength, and he also had Medicine Elder's assistance. Cultivating an Earth-tier low-grade technique beyond his level should not have been much of a problem. Even if materials were limited, solving a minor cultivation-technique issue was absolutely no hardship for a Peak Eighth-grade Alchemist.

Of these two possibilities, the first went without saying. As for the latter possibility concerning meridian strength, it was not much of a challenge for Su Luo.

Su Luo did not have the Eight Level Collapse or Medicine Elder, but while he was a Dou Zhe, he was also a Soul Master. Not only had his meridians been strengthened when he advanced to Dou Zhe, they had also been tempered by the more than four-hundred-year Soul Ring he obtained upon reaching Level Ten. His strength might not match that of a stronger Soul Grandmaster or Dou Master, but when it came to meridians, after two and a half years of nourishment from purchased pills and two breakthroughs, the strength of his meridians was no weaker than that of a Soul Elder or an ordinary Dou Master.

Opening the scroll that recorded the Fire Control Art, Su Luo quickly studied the Dou Qi circulation route of this Earth-tier cultivation technique.

After committing the Dou Qi circulation route of the Earth-tier technique to memory, Su Luo did not immediately begin circulating it. Instead, he tossed the Second-grade Pill Meridian Protecting Pill he had just refined into his mouth.

The Meridian Protecting Pill's enhancement of his meridians was Su Luo's trump card against any accidents caused by the Earth-tier cultivation technique.

In the original story, the combination of the Second-grade Pills Meridian Protecting Pill and Ice Heart Pill had even allowed Xiao Yan to successfully refine the purple flame of the Sixth-tier Magical Beast, the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King.

However, since he was not refining flames this time, Su Luo did not refine another Ice Heart Pill.

As the Meridian Protecting Pill was swallowed, Su Luo's meridians were secured. Without any hesitation, he began circulating his Dou Qi with all his strength according to the method recorded in the Earth-tier low-grade Fire Control Art.

The Dou Qi of an Earth-tier cultivation technique was incomparably condensed, and the complexity of its circulation far surpassed Su Luo's expectations. Fortunately, Su Luo's meridians were strong enough, and with the Meridian Protecting Pill's boost, the Earth-tier technique was unable to inflict any injury on his meridians for the time being.

The cultivation-technique conversion took Su Luo two days and one night. When he opened his eyes again, the Meridian Protecting Pill's medicinal power had been completely digested, and at the same time, the Earth-tier low-grade cultivation technique officially began circulating within his body.

After completing the conversion, Su Luo sensed the Dou Qi Vortex inside him. Compared to when he had just reached the Dou Zhe realm, his current Dou Qi Vortex was on an entirely different level.

"Worthy of an Earth-tier cultivation technique. Not only is its Dou Qi incredibly condensed, but..."

Su Luo took out a testing stone and checked it. The words Two-Star Dou Practitioner appeared.

That was right. After Su Luo completed the conversion to the Earth-tier cultivation technique, he swiftly absorbed the Meridian Protecting Pill's remaining medicinal power through the strength of the Earth-tier technique, raising his cultivation to the level of a Two-Star Dou Practitioner.

"Not bad. I'm a Two-Star Dou Practitioner now. It's time to obtain my second Soul Ring and begin the next phase of the plan."

Su Luo's Soul Power had long since reached Level Twenty, but he had never gone to hunt for his second Soul Ring. There was no other reason—the value for the cost had been too low before.

Before reaching the Dou Zhe realm, his meridians had not received another boost. Even with the Meridian Protecting Pill's help, he could at most absorb a Soul Ring barely over a thousand years old. A two-thousand-year Soul Ring might even have been dangerous.

But now, with the Dou Zhe realm strengthening his meridians, Su Luo was confident he could absorb a Soul Ring over a thousand years old even without the Meridian Protecting Pill, without having to worry about any risks.

If he added the third-grade Meridian Protecting Pill he had purchased and the tempering of his body from the Earth-tier cultivation technique, then even a Four-Thousand-Year Soul Ring probably would not pose much of a problem for Su Luo.

Furthermore, whenever Tang San absorbed a Soul Ring beyond his level in Douluo Continent Season 1, his Soul Power would surge far beyond what was normal for absorbing a Soul Ring. At the four-ring stage, he skipped Level Forty-One and directly reached Level Forty-Two. At the six-ring stage, he skipped everything from Level Sixty-One to Level Sixty-Five and directly reached Level Sixty-Six.

After Huo Yuhao absorbed the Ice Empress's Soul Ring and Soul Bone in Douluo Continent Season 2, his strength was likewise not merely at the normal Level Twenty-One one would reach after absorbing a Soul Ring. Clearly, high-level Soul Rings could save a person several levels of Soul Power cultivation, and because they were absorbed beyond one's level, the Soul Power would also be more condensed.

That was why Su Luo had waited until he officially advanced to Dou Zhe and converted his cultivation technique before planning to hunt his second Soul Ring.

This was the best time to hunt for his second Soul Ring. Not only could Su Luo absorb a Four-Thousand-Year Soul Ring with the help of the Dou Zhe realm and the Meridian Protecting Pill.

Furthermore, the enhancement from a Four-Thousand-Year second Soul Ring would greatly improve Su Luo's physical condition. That way, he could skip the Profound-tier low-grade Azure Bird Wings and directly choose the Profound-tier high-grade Eagle's Wing.

In the original story, Xiao Yan had refined the Eagle's Wing during the Dou Zhe stage. However, because he had only been a Dou Zhe at the time, he had taken considerable risks while refining it.

As someone who knew the plot and had a way to avoid that risk to a certain extent, Su Luo naturally intended to avoid it as much as possible. After all, he only had one life. Without Medicine Elder to cover for him, Su Luo had to be more careful. Who knew whether Medicine Elder had secretly helped Xiao Yan somehow when he refined the remnant soul of the Black Flame Purple Cloud Eagle? If some unforeseen accident occurred, all he could do would be to say goodbye to the world.

Stretching lazily, Su Luo looked around the room he had lived in for over three years. "This time, I'll choose a Wood Attribute Soul Beast. Hopefully, it can add a trace of wood energy to my Dou Qi."