Looking at Dugu Bo, who was meditating nearby,
Chen Jieqi gently rubbed the Heart of the Naaru between his brows, his eyes full of certainty.
"Suppressing my level and all that is so boring."
"Only by raising my Soul Power can I further improve my foundation and the amount of Soul Power I possess, and so on.
"After all, one more Soul Ring means one more skill, one more variable, and one more way to protect myself."
At the same time, Chen Jieqi reviewed his advantages in his mind:
"My talent should be in a league of its own. I should be no worse than Qian Renxue, who has Innate Level 20 Soul Power.
"I might even have an advantage. Even if I haven't reached Level 20 yet, I can't be far off, and my second Soul Ring will definitely be at least a thousand years old. Getting ahead once means staying ahead at every step."
"Dugu Yan is seven years older than Tang San, and seven years older than me too, so he and I are the same age."
Chen Jieqi counted on his fingers, the corners of his mouth lifting despite himself.
"Getting ahead at this step means staying ahead at every step!
"What's more, Tang San's greatest opportunity—the Immortal Herbs—is already in my hands.
"Without the Immortal Herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, let's see how he turns his fate around now."
"As for Tang Hao, who likes picking on those weaker than him?
"Once Dugu Bo forms a Poison Sac Soul Core, he'll be able to hold his own even in a direct confrontation.
"And besides, I still have the Snowy Swan Kiss as my trump card. That nuclear weapon."
At the thought, a cold glint flashed in Chen Jieqi's eyes.
As for Tang San, all I have to do later is deal with the Blue Silver King in advance, or raise the Blue Silver Emperor back up.
If Tang San's Blue Silver Grass can't awaken, he'll be as good as finished. Even if he manages to add ten-thousand-year Soul Rings to the Clear Sky Hammer later, he won't be much of a threat.
After all, without the Blue Silver Emperor's domain, without control or sustain, the Clear Sky Hammer's explosive power alone won't last through the Heart of the Naaru's drain.
When Chen Jieqi had read the original story, he'd never understood why the Clear Sky Hammer was supposed to be so powerful.
People kept saying Qian Daoliu had lost to Tang Chen, and he'd always scoffed at that. At its core, Qian Daoliu had simply been too rigid.
Qian Daoliu's Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul was naturally highly mobile, and its holy attribute could purify its opponents.
Against an explosive Martial Soul like the Clear Sky Hammer, he should have fought a war of attrition.
Why ignore his own strengths and insist on going head-to-head with a Ring-Exploding Tang Chen?
Even if Tang Chen's Ring Explosion gave him slightly greater attack power, what good was that if he couldn't hit Qian Daoliu?
Once the Ring Explosion wore off, wouldn't Tang Chen be at his mercy?
Even if Qian Daoliu had insisted on a direct confrontation, he could have used Angel Divine Power. There was no way he could have lost.
And before Tang Chen took the divine trials, his Soul Ring Configuration should have been two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red.
Meanwhile, Qian Daoliu had eight black Soul Rings and one red one!
They were both Level 99 Titled Douluo, with similar amounts of Soul Power, but Qian Daoliu's Soul Skills were on a completely different level.
How could Qian Daoliu still have lost?
At its core, he'd simply been too rigid, ignoring the strengths of his Martial Soul and insisting on going head-to-head with a Ring-Exploding Tang Chen.
Otherwise, why would both Qian Daoliu and Tang Chen have been utterly crushed by Bo Saixi? Setting aside the possibility that both men were simps, the likelier explanation was that Bo Saixi had made full use of her Martial Soul's advantages.
Chen Jieqi sighed and continued to work through his theory.
Of the three, Tang Chen had trained himself to Level 99, so there was no doubt his talent was the best. But in terms of combat strength, he should have been the weakest.
As for Bo Saixi and Qian Daoliu, it all came down to where they fought. At sea, Bo Saixi could gain the upper hand over Qian Daoliu.
In the sky, Qian Daoliu would have the advantage.
As for Tang Chen, no matter how talented he was, both his Soul Ring Configuration and the advantages of his Martial Soul were inferior. In a real fight, he'd be the weakest of the three.
Then there was Tang Hao. While being hunted, he'd recovered to full strength after Ah Yin's sacrifice, but he could only have been around Level 92 or 93.
His opponent had been the Level 95 Qian Xunji, along with Yue Guan and Gui Mei, both around Level 93 or 94. They even had a control-type Martial Soul Fusion Skill. However you looked at it, Tang Hao should have been doomed.
Who could have guessed that in the end...
The only explanation—or at least the only one that made any sense—was that a "god" had intervened on Tang Hao's behalf. Judging by the signs, it was probably that old bastard, the Asura God.
Going by the original story, unless something changed, next Tang San would take his hammer to Qian Renxue.
Three generations in a row, all wielding hammers. It was downright outrageous!
But now the balance of power had shifted...
Speaking of that old bastard, the Asura God, Chen Jieqi suddenly felt uneasy. He and Tang San had crossed several centuries to arrive in Douluo Continent together. Could there be some kind of plot behind it?
He thought of the original story:
"The Asura God, Sea God, Angel God, Rakshasa God...
"All the divine trials were deliberately tilted in someone's favor.
"Tang San had smooth sailing all the way, while Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong struggled at every turn.
"Especially Qian Renxue's divine trial—it was given to her by her own ancestor.
"To say there was nothing fishy going on..."
Chen Jieqi gave his head a vigorous shake.
"Thinking about that is getting ahead of myself. For now, I need to focus on getting stronger."
Chen Jieqi returned to Dugu Bo's side and studied the steady circulation of his Poison Core. It would still take several months to fully condense.
For now, the most important thing was to improve his own strength. He took the crystal-clear Soul Power testing orb from his Soul Tool and placed his palm against it.
"Level 18!"
Chen Jieqi couldn't hide his surprise, his eyes full of disbelief.
"I thought an Immortal Herb that strengthens a Martial Soul would only raise my level by one or two at most. I can't believe it boosted me by five levels!"
Chen Jieqi recalled Tang San's experience in the original story:
"He ate the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot, even though they weren't specifically meant to increase Soul Power.
"Yet he still jumped from Level 31 to Level 37, gaining six levels.
"He was already a Soul Elder at the time, while I'm only a Level 13 Soul Master. So gaining five levels probably isn't that much..."
"As for the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot?
"He doesn't need them at all."
Chen Jieqi murmured to himself, feeling the surging holy power of light within his Martial Soul.
"My holy and light attributes are already Ultimate Attributes. Even my fire attribute was purified into ultimate lightflame.
"Ordinary Martial Soul flames pose no threat to me, and my Ultimate Attributes can suppress the others too.
"If I ate the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, it might actually make my Martial Soul's attributes impure. That would be a terrible trade."
Chen Jieqi looked toward the depths of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, calculating in his mind:
"I'm Level 18 now. If I keep steadily building my strength for another six months, I'll definitely reach Level 20.
"Then I'll get a thousand-year second Soul Ring. So what if Qian Renxue had Innate Level 20 Soul Power?
"Are her Soul Ring ages or Soul Power Level better than mine? Which advantage does she have that I don't?
"Now that's what it means to be in a league of my own!"
Dugu Yan saw the Soul Power testing orb in Chen Jieqi's hand, and shock filled her eyes.
Though she'd heard Chen Jieqi say how potent the Immortal Herb was, she hadn't expected it to raise him straight to Level 18.
He was already close to the Level 20 threshold for becoming a Soul Grandmaster. The size of the improvement was truly astonishing.
Then she gently patted Chen Jieqi on the head, the gesture affectionate and approving. The shock in her eyes had already turned to heartfelt delight.
"Congratulations, little brother Xiao Qi. Let your suddenly increased Soul Power settle, then we'll eat together."
"Okay, Sister Yanyan."
Chen Jieqi replied obediently, the two names passing through his mind.
"Qian Renxue, Tang San... Perhaps the gods and fate have already laid out your paths."
But I, Chen Jieqi, will walk my own path!