Someone Has to Be the First to Try

After putting on his mask, Xiao Chen had Ghost Douluo bring Lu Xiao over.

Xiao Chen got straight to the point. "Do you want to break through to level 30?"

Lu Xiao's eyes lit up at the question, but soon dimmed again.

He knew very well that the renowned Grandmaster of the continent was facing the same predicament as he was.

The only difference was that Gangzi had been extremely slow to cultivate in the early stages, while Lu Xiao had once been considered a prodigy.

But neither of them had ever managed to cross the threshold of level 29.

At least Gangzi knew his Martial Soul was a mutated Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. Lu Xiao, however, had no idea what his Martial Soul really was.

Although Lu Xiao had seen Xiao Chen's astonishing talent, he didn't believe Xiao Chen could resolve the predicament he faced.

"Young master, thank you for showing mercy in the Soul Fighting Arena and helping me avenge my family. I'll remember this kindness for the rest of my life. It's just a shame that I'm a useless wretch who can't do anything for you. But rest assured, I'll never tell anyone about you!" Lu Xiao said earnestly. Xiao Chen could still sense that Lu Xiao had given up on life.

Seeing this, Xiao Chen said, "You're not even afraid of death. Would you be willing to help me try something?"

"Just tell me what to do, young master!" Lu Xiao answered immediately.

He didn't know what Xiao Chen wanted him to do, but he was willing to do anything for his benefactor.

Xiao Chen spoke directly. "I want you to force a third Spirit Ring onto your Martial Soul!"

At those words, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, along with Yan and Xie Yue, were all stunned.

In their eyes, this was no different from sending Lu Xiao to his death.

Lu Xiao also believed it meant certain death, but he no longer cared.

So he nodded. "Thank you for giving me this chance, young master. When do we begin?"

"Not yet," Xiao Chen said. "First, I need you to let go of your determination to die. Otherwise, there's no point in trying."

Lu Xiao smiled bitterly. "Isn't doing this a sure way to die?"

"Who told you that death is certain?"

"Isn't that common knowledge about cultivation on the Douluo Continent?" Yan couldn't help asking.

Xiao Chen immediately replied, "That's right. It is common knowledge. But the history of the Douluo Continent doesn't clearly record how many people have tried this. So how can you be certain that someone at level 29 can't obtain a third Spirit Ring?"

His words left the others at a loss for a moment.

No one on the Douluo Continent had dared to try this, so there were no successful examples—and no clearly documented failures either.

Naturally, Xiao Chen wouldn't mislead an ordinary Soul Master into attempting something like this. But Lu Xiao was absolutely worth the risk.

"I admit that this is extremely risky, and the chance of success may be less than one in a million. But I believe it isn't certain death, as you say!" Xiao Chen continued.

"Take Twin Martial Souls, for example. The first Soul Master to attach Spirit Rings to a second Martial Soul exploded and died, didn't he? Yet I succeeded!"

"Someone always has to be the first to try. When the road ahead is smooth, naturally, we should proceed with care. But if we reach a dead end, why shouldn't we carve out a new path ourselves? Anyone could be the pioneer who opens a new chapter, couldn't they?"

Xiao Chen's words were impassioned and struck straight to the heart, inspiring Chrysanthemum Douluo and the others.

"Young master, I understand. But I need some time to collect myself. This is truly shocking!" Lu Xiao was deeply moved.

He could already imagine that if this succeeded, his name would go down in the history of the Douluo Continent, remembered for generations to come.

"There's no rush. Is there anything still tying you to Xilu City? If not, would you be willing to join us?" Xiao Chen asked.

"I'm willing, of course I'm willing! I've had nothing tying me down for a long time!" Lu Xiao said excitedly.

"Good. Go back with the elder and take some time to settle your emotions. Keep cultivating and get yourself into the best possible state of mind. There's no harm in waiting until then to try," Xiao Chen said.

"Sorry to trouble you with this, Elder!" Xiao Chen said, turning to Ghost Douluo.

Lu Xiao had good character, but since he knew Xiao Chen's secret, Xiao Chen couldn't leave him outside their protection. Taking him back to the Spirit Hall and keeping him there would be the safest option.

"It's no trouble," Ghost Douluo said with a nod.

"Lu Xiao, don't attempt this on your own. It would be best to wait until we return!" Xiao Chen cautioned.

Since Xiao Chen had come up with the idea and Lu Xiao was willing to trust him, Xiao Chen naturally had to do something for him.

Although he couldn't guarantee Lu Xiao would succeed, with the System's help, he could at least improve Lu Xiao's chances.

Lu Xiao nodded. "Rest assured, young master. I won't do anything rash while you're away!" Since Xiao Chen was interested in the attempt, Lu Xiao felt that if he was going to do it, he should at least have Xiao Chen there to watch.

Ghost Douluo then took Lu Xiao back to Spirit City.

After communicating with the System, Xiao Chen learned that it did indeed have ways to improve the chances of success.

The first option was to use a rare treasure from the System Treasury. This was the safest method and could raise the chance of success to one hundred percent.

But the treasure was extremely valuable, and Xiao Chen couldn't obtain it anytime soon.

The second option was to wait until Xiao Chen reached level 50, then help Lu Xiao obtain a White Spirit Ring.

With the System's intervention, this could raise the chance of success to around three to five percent.

The final option required no waiting. As long as Lu Xiao got himself into the right frame of mind, the System could help him choose the most suitable third Spirit Ring, which he could then absorb immediately.

This method could raise the chance of success to between one in a thousand and three in a thousand.

The first two methods involved direct intervention by the System. With the third, success or failure would ultimately depend on Lu Xiao's state of mind and willpower.

Not long after Ghost Douluo took Lu Xiao away, Hu Liena woke up.

Hu Liena had gained a great deal from this battle, and her Soul Power could break through to level 42 at any moment.

The group rested in Xilu City for a day, then continued on their way the next morning.

After three days of travel, Xiao Chen and the others reached the main city of the Hagen Dazs Kingdom.

They stayed there for three days as well. By the time they left, Xiao Chen's Soul Fighting Badge under his "Mystic Spear" identity had advanced to Silver Soul Fighter.

He and Hu Liena had also achieved seven consecutive victories in the Bronze Soul Fighter division of the doubles matches.

Their four-person team had won six consecutive matches as Iron Soul Fighters.

During this time, Xiao Chen and Hu Liena used Triple Martial Soul Fusion to develop the first Soul Skill of the Bow Martial Soul, "Brute Force," to its first stage: the Force Condensation Realm.

The power of the Brute Force Soul Skill more than doubled. The Wooden Bow Martial Soul also changed slightly: the cracks in the bow had completely healed, and some archaic patterns had appeared. At last, it no longer looked quite so battered.

The moment Xiao Chen successfully developed the Soul Skill, a profound, indescribable insight suddenly surged through Hu Liena. She felt that if she could grasp it, she would undergo a complete transformation.

Unfortunately, the feeling vanished in an instant. No matter how calmly she searched her memories, she couldn't recapture even a trace of it.

After this, her Soul Power rose from the peak of level 41 to the peak of level 42, bringing her within a step of breaking through to level 43.

Xiao Chen's cultivation also advanced to level 26.