"All right, all right..."
Dugu Bo's bony hand landed heavily on Chen Jieqi's shoulder.
His murky, dark-green eyes shone with astonishing brilliance, and even his voice trembled slightly.
"My grandson really did cross that threshold!
A foundation like this is unheard of across all of Douluo Continent!
He has the makings of a god—truly, the makings of a god!"
Dugu Bo's emotions churned. He felt both exhilarated and shaken.
He was thrilled by the young man's talent, yet secretly relieved that he hadn't done everything in his power to stop him earlier.
Dugu Yan hurried forward, her pretty face alight with curiosity and delight.
Her gaze was fixed on the bright yellow Soul Ring, and her voice held a note of eager anticipation.
"Congratulations, little brother Xiao Qi!
Hurry and try out your Soul Skill. I want to see what kind of power this Hundred-Year Soul Ring, which surpasses the limit, contains!"
Seeing that Dugu Yan and Dugu Bo were even more impatient than he was,
Chen Jieqi nodded.
"Martial Soul Possession."
A faint golden glow gathered before Chen Jieqi and gradually formed a seven-piece puzzle shaped like a cross.
It no longer floated above his head. Instead, it was imprinted on his brow like a crystal.
It looked exceptionally sacred, and his whole body radiated a divine glow.
Light flashed in his right palm, and a long sword appeared. It looked much the same as before,
though a faint shimmer now flickered along its blade.
[First Soul Skill: Holy Blessing of Light]
When the bright yellow Soul Ring flashed, the Heart of the Naaru imprint on Chen Jieqi's brow blazed with golden light, which spread over his body.
At the same time, a layer of sacred flames enveloped Ashbringer's metal blade. The faint glimmer along its edge grew brighter,
deepening in color until it seemed almost solid. Golden patterns appeared on the hilt's decorations, radiating the majesty of justice.
Chen Jieqi carefully sensed the changes.
"Grandpa, Sister Yanyan, my First Soul Skill is called 'Holy Blessing of Light.'
It consumes 20% of my base Soul Power to strengthen me,
increasing my strength, defense, and holy attributes by 50% for the time it takes an incense stick to burn.
Ashbringer is strengthened as well, and its blade gains a certain elemental effect.
When it attacks or makes contact, its holy flames will erode the opponent,
slowly consuming their Soul Power and accelerating their loss of stamina,
unless they greatly increase their Soul Power to extinguish the flames.
Also, maintaining Ashbringer consumes a negligible amount of Soul Power, and it inherits 100% of the attribute bonuses.
Overall, I'm fairly satisfied."
Hearing Chen Jieqi speak so casually, Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan stared at him in astonishment.
Dugu Bo's murky eyes were fixed on the faint golden light swirling around Chen Jieqi. He swallowed before asking hoarsely,
"...What did you say?
Your First Soul Ring gives you a 50% boost to strength and defense?
And it has a holy attribute?"
He had lived for nearly a century and seen countless talented Soul Masters, yet he had never heard of a Hundred-Year Soul Ring with such a heaven-defying effect.
That level of enhancement rivaled the effects of many people's Second or even Third Soul Skills!
Beside him, Dugu Yan's pretty face flushed, and her voice trembled slightly.
"Little brother Xiao Qi, that sword of yours... Ashbringer?
It can inherit all the attribute bonuses?
And keep consuming your opponent's Soul Power?
You don't seem especially satisfied, either?"
"Grandpa, Sister Yanyan, I didn't say I wasn't satisfied.
I only said it was pretty good... and it is!"
Just as their excitement was beginning to settle, Chen Jieqi suddenly turned his head and lowered his voice,
a hint of deliberate mischief in his tone.
"Actually, I had another little surprise."
"What surprise?"
Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan spoke almost at the same time. They both unconsciously held their breath, their eyes locked on his face.
"It seems I also awakened a domain—or, rather, the beginnings of a domain effect."
Before Chen Jieqi could finish,
Dugu Bo leaned forward abruptly, his voice changing pitch.
"You're sure it's a domain?!
Do you know what a domain is?
That's..."
Chen Jieqi didn't answer.
He slowly raised his hands above his head, palms facing each other, and silently prayed. A soft golden light suddenly shone from his brow.
A crystal etched with sacred patterns rose from between his eyebrows and hovered three inches above his head. Its golden radiance blazed, spreading outward like the rising sun and forming a translucent curtain of light.
Wherever the curtain reached, even the air seemed to grow warm and peaceful.
Dugu Bo felt the Soul Power within him circulate more smoothly, and even its strength seemed to improve—slightly, but unmistakably.
Dugu Yan's pupils contracted instinctively; the improvement was even more noticeable for her.
"This... this really is a domain effect!"
Dugu Bo stumbled back half a step, his murky eyes wide.
His throat bobbed violently. After a long moment, he finally managed to say,
"You brat... what kind of monster were you in your past life?!"
Ignoring their shock, Chen Jieqi continued,
"Yes. I've named this domain
—the Holy Light Domain. It has several effects."
"Hahaha... hahaha!"
Before Chen Jieqi could finish speaking, Dugu Bo was already clapping and laughing heartily, his frail frame shaking with mirth.
"In all my decades, the so-called geniuses I've seen are nothing beside you—just fireflies compared to the moon!
Even the current pope of Spirit Hall might not have matched you at your age!"
Dugu Yan was too shocked to speak. She could only gaze at the swirling golden light, her eyes full of wonder and longing.
"That's right, little brother Xiao Qi.
Maybe your big sister really will need you to protect her from now on."
"Don't just stand there talking. Let's test your Soul Power first."
Dugu Bo handed Chen Jieqi a Soul Power testing crystal ball. Absorbing a 700-year Soul Ring should have raised him by more than one level.
Chen Jieqi was curious about his current Soul Power, too. He took the crystal ball
and channeled Soul Power into it.
The next moment, dazzling light burst from the crystal ball, clearly displaying his level.
"Level thirteen!"
Chen Jieqi read the number, a faint smile flickering in his eyes.
Dugu Bo stroked his beard and chuckled.
"That's not unexpected. An ordinary Hundred-Year Soul Beast can usually only raise your Soul Power by one level.
Even a Soul Ring close to the limit, around four hundred years old, rarely lets you jump two levels.
But your 700-year Sacred Scarab Soul Ring raised you by three levels outright.
That means not only will you level up faster, but your Soul Ring's skill coefficient is also much higher. This adventure was worth it."
Dugu Yan gazed at the crystal ball, her pretty face full of admiration.
"That two-level difference will save little brother Xiao Qi half a year of cultivation.
The golden years of early cultivation are precious. It really is 'one step ahead, always ahead!'"
"So I really did reach level thirteen!"
Chen Jieqi withdrew his hand and looked at his Soul Power Level, satisfaction flashing in his eyes.
In the original story, Tang San reached level thirteen after absorbing the four-hundred-year Mandala Snake Soul Ring because he had cultivated the Mysterious Heaven Skill.
He had already cultivated enough Soul Power to reach level ten early on, and continued storing the Soul Power he gained afterward within his body.
Only after breaking through to become a Soul Master did it all erupt at once, giving him level thirteen Soul Power.
In other words, without the Soul Power he had accumulated through continued cultivation of the Mysterious Heaven Skill, Tang San would probably have been around level twelve after absorbing the Mandala Snake Soul Ring.
Beyond the increase in Soul Power Level, Chen Jieqi was most pleased that his Martial Soul had been further strengthened. Combined with his current enhancement abilities,
he could try to help Dugu Bo regulate and alleviate the backlash caused by the poison in his Martial Soul. As his Martial Soul improved further, he would eventually be able to solve the problem completely.
He could also use an Immortal Herb to further strengthen Dugu Bo. He wasn't asking for much—
reaching the level of a Super Douluo would be enough. That would give him a degree of security in the early stages.
The more Chen Jieqi thought about it, the more determined he became.
So Chen Jieqi told Dugu Bo his plan, though he only mentioned regulating and alleviating the backlash for now. He left the later part unspoken.
Dugu Bo was deeply moved, but still hesitated.
"Xiao Qi, I'm doing quite well as I am, and I've gotten used to it. If you help regulate it further, will it affect your cultivation?
You're at the golden age for cultivation right now. It can wait until you're older. Grandpa isn't in a hurry."
"Don't worry, Grandpa. I know what I'm doing. This won't affect my cultivation; it'll even help.
Aside from devout prayer during meditation, using Holy Light Power for purification and dispelling negative effects will also aid my cultivation."
Chen Jieqi explained.
Chen Jieqi and Dugu Bo began discussing the details.
Only Dugu Yan fretted to herself nearby.
"Little brother Xiao Qi, if you arrange things like this, does that mean you're not planning to attend an academy?"
"That's right, Sister Yanyan. There's not much to learn at a junior or intermediate academy. Grandpa can teach me far more solid and extensive theoretical knowledge.
Most importantly, I don't want to reveal myself too early. Once Grandpa's problem is solved, if I decide to attend an advanced academy later, I'll go with you."
Chen Jieqi reassured Dugu Yan, thinking,
I'm not going to say that I'm already a grown man and have no interest in spending every day with a bunch of brats.
Besides, even if I could attend an advanced academy, I'd look at my little peanut and sigh. There's still a long way to go...