Half a Year Later

Golden Crocodile Douluo listened to Qin Tian and couldn't help twitching his cheek.

Thirty times. He could unleash an attack like that thirty times. The three claw strikes had just merged into one, and their power had already reached that of a high-level Soul King.

Qin Tian was only a Soul Elder, yet his attack was already comparable to a Soul King's.

"Soul Bone Skill: Dark Gold Dreadclaw!"

Qin Tian swung both claws fiercely at the sky.

Ten enormous claw-shaped beams filled the sky, threatening to tear open the void.

Golden Crocodile Douluo and Ling Yuan Douluo stared at the massive claw-shaped beams, their eyes filled with shock.

"Second Grandfather, the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's External Soul Bone not only gave me a powerful Soul Bone Skill, but it also strengthened my hands. Once it has fully fused with me, no one will be able to tell I have an External Soul Bone after I use Martial Soul Possession."

Golden Crocodile Douluo smiled at Qin Tian's words. "Xiao Tian, you gained a lot on this trip. You obtained a suitable third Soul Ring and two powerful attack Soul Skills."

"Now that you've absorbed your third Soul Ring, what level is your Soul Power?"

Hearing Golden Crocodile Douluo's question, Qin Tian sensed the Soul Power within him. The corners of his mouth lifted, and his face lit up with a smile.

"Second Grandfather, my Soul Power has reached level thirty-four."

Ling Yuan frowned slightly at Qin Tian's reply, her eyes full of confusion and doubt.

"The Soul Ring produced by an eighteen-thousand-year-old Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear contains as much energy as a Soul Ring from an ordinary Soul Beast that's lived for forty or fifty thousand years. A Soul Saint can gain one or two levels by absorbing a forty- or fifty-thousand-year Soul Ring. You're only a Soul Elder, yet you absorbed a Soul Ring containing so much energy. Why did you only gain four levels?"

Hearing Ling Yuan Douluo's question, Qin Tian immediately explained.

"Sister Ling Yuan, I didn't convert all the Soul Ring's energy into Soul Power when I absorbed it. Instead, I used that immense energy to break through the blockages in my meridians, converting only a small portion of it into Soul Power."

"With my talent, cultivating Soul Power isn't a problem. But clearing the blockages in my meridians on my own would take a long time. Using the Soul Ring's immense energy to clear them will save me a lot of time."

Golden Crocodile Douluo and Ling Yuan Douluo nodded to themselves as they listened to Qin Tian.

They both understood the importance of the meridians. Once they were clear, Soul Power circulated faster, and cultivation progressed more quickly than it did for someone whose meridians remained blocked.

"Xiao Tian, you've successfully obtained your third Soul Ring. We should head back now."

Qin Tian had no objections. The three of them set off for Spirit City.

In Pope Hall, Bibi Dong listened to Yue Guan's report, her brow furrowing.

"You're saying Qin Tian went out to obtain his third Soul Ring?"

Yue Guan did not answer Bibi Dong's question.

Bibi Dong tapped her fingers rhythmically on the table, but no one could tell what was on her mind.

"Yue Guan, Nana and the others need more intensive training. Go oversee it yourself."

Yue Guan nodded in acknowledgment.

After Yue Guan left, Bibi Dong irritably rubbed her forehead.

"Qin Tian is so young, yet he's already a Soul Elder. Is his talent really that terrifying?"

Bibi Dong murmured to herself, looking toward the Worship Hall, her thoughts unknown.

The Worship Hall,

After returning, Qin Tian went to rejoin his friends. He had already obtained his third Soul Ring, while his friends would need more time before they could obtain theirs.

As Golden Crocodile Douluo told him what had happened, Qian Daoliu's normally placid eyes finally showed a flicker of change.

"Xiao Tian gained a lot on this trip. It seems we'll need to change his training as well."

As he spoke, Qian Daoliu looked across the faces of Golden Crocodile and the others, then said solemnly, "In six months, Tian Yao and the others must obtain their Soul Rings. After that, send them into Lost Trace Canyon."

Golden Crocodile Douluo and the others exchanged glances. They all agreed, and no one dared to object.

It wouldn't be difficult to make Tian Yao and the others Soul Elders within six months. The weakest among them was already a level-twenty-six Soul Grandmaster, while Tian Yao, Qian Han, Qian Chengfeng, and Qian Chengyun were already level-twenty-eight Soul Grandmasters.

Once they had all become Soul Elders, sending them to Lost Trace Canyon for training would be an excellent choice.

Training on the brink of life and death was the best way to bring out their potential.

Only by experiencing life and death and being tempered by blood could a Soul Master truly grow.

Their training now was meant to help them grow, build combat experience, and find a fighting style suited to them, but it wasn't real combat.

True combat required the tempering of blood, and meant hovering between life and death.

After Qin Tian obtained his third Soul Ring, Qian Daoliu changed his training regimen.

By then, Qin Tian had a solid grounding in theory, so his theory classes were discontinued.

He could train on his own in the mornings, though he still had to practice compressing and controlling his Soul Power.

The afternoons were devoted to combat training, which remained unchanged. But it was more challenging than before: he no longer fought Golden Crocodile Douluo and the others, but faced different kinds of Soul Masters.

Agility Attack System Soul Masters, Power Attack System Soul Masters, Control System Soul Masters, and others. All his opponents were experienced Soul Saints, and sometimes even Soul Saints from the Angel Legion fought him.

His evenings remained unchanged as well; he continued cultivating his Soul Power.

Qin Tian made great progress over the next six months. His combat experience grew quickly, he had compressed his Soul Power as much as he could for now, and his control over it reached a new peak.

He no longer limited himself to ordinary Soul Power control exercises. Instead, he practiced climbing trees, standing on the surface of water, and using the Soul Power in his palm to conjure objects he imagined.

Over the course of those six months, he also tried to develop Self-Created Soul Skills. They were extremely difficult to create, and after half a year he had managed to develop only two.

The first Self-Created Soul Skill was Holy Light Roar, a mental attack.

It combined mental power with Soul Power and unleashed them in a tiger's roar. Those with weaker mental power than Qin Tian would be briefly stunned.

The second Self-Created Soul Skill was Explosive Step, a movement technique.

He had gone through plenty of hardship to create the two skills. If he hadn't been in the Worship Hall, surrounded by many experienced experts, he wouldn't have been able to develop them in only six months.

Of course, he hadn't neglected his Soul Power cultivation during those six months. He had now reached level thirty-six as a Soul Elder.

During that time, Qian Renxue returned. Qin Tian immediately put his training aside to keep her company, though their time together was brief—only three days.

"Brother Tian, Brother Tian, I'm back!"

Xiong Sheng jogged over to Qin Tian, his face beaming.

Qin Tian smiled when he saw Xiong Sheng.

"You look so happy. I take it you got a good Soul Skill."

Xiong Sheng grinned. "Brother Tian, my Soul Skill is pretty strong. It came from an eight-thousand-five-hundred-year-old Blazing Mad Lion, and it gave me a powerful attack Soul Skill."

Qin Tian nodded at the beast's words.

Like him, Xiong Sheng's first and second Soul Skills both enhanced him, leaving him short on attack skills. Now that he had an attack Soul Skill, he had filled a gap in his combat abilities.

"Come on. Tian Yao and the others are at the training grounds."

As he spoke, Qin Tian got up and headed for the training grounds. Xiong Sheng followed close behind.