Phantom Phoenix Soul Beast

Normally, this marked the end of a round of cultivation.

But today, he sensed something different in the aura within his body. As the seven-colored glow on his face gradually faded, the various soul qi that had naturally gathered began to disperse. Only through his own refinement could he gather them again.

He could, of course, continue refining them himself, but that would consume far more energy and make it even harder to break through the Five Soulforging Cauldrons bottleneck. And even if he did break through, it would consume a great deal of soul qi, leaving him weak for some time.

The preliminary trials for the Sect Lord Contention were about to begin. Even if Liu Ding broke through to Six Soulforging Cauldrons, it might still end in tragedy.

After the clan's discussion, under Liu Yandong's forceful intervention, even Six-Vessel Martial Apprentices who advanced directly into the top eight would have to accept a challenge from one of the top eight Martial Apprentices. Only after overcoming every challenge could they advance smoothly into the top four.

What Liu Yandong had not expected was that the obstacle originally intended to restrain Liu Ji would restrain Liu Ding as well.

Sensing the scattered Yin Soul Qi drifting ethereally around him, Liu Ding flicked his finger and poured out a small bottle of Du Ling Juice, dissolving it into the medicine cauldron once more. With a flash of sparks, he lit the spare Dream Incense. Its unique fragrance, like Zhi'er's feelings, once again enveloped the dim Everlasting Cave.

Guided by the smoke of the Dream Incense, the Yin Soul Qi scattered throughout the Everlasting Cave slowly drifted back, forming a mist that coiled above Liu Ding's head.

"Zhi'er, thank you." Warmth surged through Liu Ding's heart as he continuously devoured the soul qi purified by the Dream Incense, replenishing the impact energy that was about to fade.

After devouring it without pause for over two hours, dawn outside the Everlasting Cave began to shine through. In the faint light, the essence of the Du Ling Juice in the medicine cauldron had been used up once again, and the emerald-green medicinal liquid began to return to clear, still water.

With the Dream Incense and Du Ling Juice protecting him, Liu Ding had not rushed to refine the soul qi while devouring it. At this moment, he felt that the critical point for breaking through had finally arrived.

Taking several deep breaths and drawing in the fragrance of the Dream Incense, Liu Ding quickly tossed the clan's Phoenix Soul Forging Pill into his mouth. As he refined it and comprehended its power, he began his assault on the Phoenix Soul Forging Realm. He felt waves of turbulence in his sea of qi, and his lower abdomen rose and fell sharply.

Suddenly, a natural, inevitable sensation surged from his Dantian and shot straight toward the crown of his head.

"Cry!"

Above his crown, the seven-colored soul qi seemed to respond, suddenly letting out the cry of a phoenix.

Liu Ding abruptly opened his eyes. He saw an illusory phoenix soaring directly above his head, its long seven-colored tail feathers sweeping past his eyes and dazzling him.

He stared blankly for a long while before realizing:

"I've broken through to Six Soulforging Cauldrons. That is the Phantom Phoenix Soul Beast."

Half-reclining against the edge of the medicine cauldron, Liu Ding narrowed his eyes and savored the joy brought by his breakthrough, allowing the "phoenix" transformed from soul qi above his head to soar to its heart's content.

At the merchant convention, Liu Ding had witnessed the scenes of many Five Dings Martial Apprentices breaking through. At most, there would be some colorful abnormalities around their bodies. As for directly refining a realm soul beast above one's head like he had, even Liu Tao, also a disciple of the Liu Clan that day, had never possessed such glorious brilliance.

Because the soul qi in the Everlasting Cave was exceptionally dense, the Phantom Phoenix Soul Beast soared with unrestrained delight. Only after Liu Ding communicated with it several times did it reluctantly fly toward his Spirit Terrace, Square-Inch Mountain.

However, just as Liu Ding intended to draw it back into his Sea of Souls, an idea suddenly struck him. With his Soul Forging Realm strength, once he refined this phoenix soul beast back, it would no longer be able to take form again. That was an ability one could possess only after cultivating to the Beast Soul Grandmaster Realm.

This was a perfect opportunity. How could he waste it? A great man in the dream world had once said: waste was an enormous crime.

With a shift of thought, Liu Ding turned his spiritual connection. His divine soul possessed the phoenix soul beast and guided it through the inner wall of the Everlasting Cave, entering the cave within the cave.

His intention was clear: he wanted to see whether he could use the phoenix soul beast to browse the martial skill manuals in the cave within the cave.

Now that he had advanced a realm, what he needed most was a decent martial skill.

If Liu Ji was merely at Six Soulforging Cauldrons, Liu Ding believed that Dragon Crushing Hand alone would be enough to crush him into scraps. But if Liu Ji truly broke through to Seven Soul-Forging Cauldrons during the Sect Lord Contention, then Dragon Crushing Hand alone would be somewhat inadequate.

Through the phoenix soul beast's eyes as it flew into the cave within the cave, Liu Ding saw rows upon rows of stone-carved bookshelves. The manuals upon them were still as the passing years. The phoenix soul beast drifted lightly past them without stirring a speck of dust.

Liu Ding relaxed and began directing the phoenix soul beast to browse rapidly. The countless martial skills dazzled him, but when he curiously tried to enter a Beast Soul Realm secret manual, it silently turned to dust.

Liu Ding nearly coughed up blood. Even the intent of an incorporeal beast soul could damage a scroll? Was this truly going to be like drawing water with a bamboo basket?

Unwilling to accept it, he continued letting the phoenix soul beast wander. This time, however, he did not dare be careless and kept far away from any scroll that looked especially precious.

At last, the phoenix soul beast stopped above a manual. Three large black characters were written vertically upon it: Cloud Turning Palm.

To the left was another vertical explanation: A universal-tier martial skill below the Beast Soul Realm. It grows stronger against the strong and changes endlessly. It can support clouds and overturn rain. Once mastered, it can create thunderous shocks, its force dominating all directions. Its attacking soul qi stacks layer upon layer, able to erupt in flashes of soul light like the wrath of thunder.

Liu Ding stood stunned for a long time, carefully pondering the meaning of "universal-tier." He nearly drew a sharp breath. This was an overbearing martial skill that could be used all the way from the Soul Forging Realm to the Beast Soul Realm.

In Liu Ding's understanding, each realm could only use its own martial skills. Cultivators could use only lower-tier martial skills, while few could wield ones from higher realms. Yet this Cloud Turning Palm remained so domineering even in the Beast Soul Realm. If he could comprehend its essence, then in the Soul Forging Realm, it would simply be outrageously powerful.

Still shaken, Liu Ding felt his heart pounding. If he could learn such an awesome martial skill, then even Liu Ji at Seven Soul-Forging Cauldrons could be beaten until he squawked like a chicken.

"Stop hesitating. Learn it quickly. The Phoenix Soul Beast cannot last long." At that moment, General Jiang's long-unheard voice slowly reached him.

"What if it gets destroyed?" Liu Ding was still uneasy. Just now, when the Phoenix Soul Beast had tried to browse a Beast Soul Realm martial skill, the manual had vanished into nothingness.

"It does not matter. That was because your realm was insufficient. You could not enter a scroll that had already been assimilated by time," General Jiang said.

"You mean that as long as my realm is high enough, I can browse any martial skill manual in here?" Liu Ding asked eagerly.

"The prerequisite is that you can refine a beast soul to browse them. Stop babbling nonsense. If you keep dawdling, your Phoenix Soul Beast will vanish into thin air," General Jiang said with clear displeasure.

Liu Ding did not dare say another word. He hurriedly communicated with the phoenix soul beast and slowly entered the contents of Cloud Turning Palm. His mind churned violently. The phoenix soul beast that entered Cloud Turning Palm showed him nothing; instead, a massive flood of martial skill information poured into his mind, making his head swell as though it were about to burst.