"Grandpa!
I can feel my body brimming with power!"
Dugu Yan cried out in pleasant surprise.
Dugu Bo hurried forward to check on her, then burst into a hearty laugh:
"Good!
Good!
Your soul power has already reached the bottleneck of level forty!
Had you not yet hunted your fourth spirit ring, you probably could have broken through a few more levels!"
"We owe it all to the sect master's immortal herb. The excess medicinal potency is now stored inside your body,
and after you acquire your spirit ring, your soul power will surely experience another massive surge!"
Right at that moment, Han Yu slowly opened his eyes.
In an instant, an intangible yet immensely vast mental fluctuation centered on him and violently rippled outward in all directions.
A faint, low hum even vaguely echoed through the air.
Gu Rong's gaze sharpened as he keenly sensed this formidable mental power, and he asked in astonishment:
* "My good grandson, how much has your mental power... increased?" * Han Yu caught a flash of brilliance in his eyes, curved the corner of his lips into a satisfied arc, and chuckled lightly:
"The results are even better than I imagined."
"Originally, my mental power was only at the Soul Emperor level, but now... it has skyrocketed to a realm comparable to a Soul Douluo."
"What?!"
Dugu Bo and Gu Rong exclaimed in unison.
"Level fifty-seven soul power, and Soul Douluo-level mental power?!"
Dugu Bo drew in a sharp breath, looking at Han Yu as if he were looking at an absolute monster.
"Sect Master, this talent of yours... is simply not leaving a path for any other soul masters on the entire continent!"
Han Yu chuckled softly and waved a hand:
"Alright, stop acting so shocked.
Since the immortal herb has been fully refined, we have no need to keep staying here at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well."
Gu Rong nodded in agreement:
"My good grandson is right. Although this place is a treasure land, staying here too long loses its novelty.
Where to next?"
Han Yu turned to look at Dugu Yan and spoke:
"Yanyan is currently stuck right at the level forty bottleneck. Since we happen to be in the Sunset Forest, let's take this opportunity to hunt her fourth spirit ring."
"Thank you, Sect Master!"
Dugu Yan's face was filled with delight.
Dugu Bo nodded repeatedly as well, speaking respectfully:
"Everything shall be as the Sect Master arranges!"
The party of four then set off, leaving the poisonous array perimeter of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and strolling into the depths of the Sunset Forest.
As they walked, Gu Rong casually asked:
"Old Poison, your granddaughter's martial soul is the Jade Phosphorous Serpent. What kind of soul beast are you planning to find for her fourth spirit ring?"
Dugu Bo pondered for a moment, a sharp glint flickering in his eyes:
"Normally speaking, the limit for a fourth spirit ring is around four thousand years.
But Yanyan has now taken the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone. Not only are her hidden poison ailments completely gone, but her physique has also undergone a complete rebirth.
This old man believes she can fully attempt to absorb a five-thousand-year, or even close to six-thousand-year, spirit ring!"
Han Yu nodded slightly, affirming Dugu Bo's idea:
"Indeed.
The physical enhancement from the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone is extraordinary; cross-grade absorption is completely fine.
As for the type of soul beast..."
Han Yu contemplated briefly and continued:
"To maximize the characteristics of her current martial soul,
it is best to look for a serpentine soul beast with severe poison attributes or potent neural paralysis effects.
With two Title Douluos present here, are the soul beasts in the Sunset Forest not ours to pick and choose as we please?"
"Hahaha, my good grandson speaks with such dominance!"
Gu Rong burst into laughter, rubbing his hands together as he said:
* "Old Poison, let's go! * We're going to catch your granddaughter a fine snake right now!" * "Sorry for the trouble!"
Dugu Bo smiled and cupped his fists, and the group quickly spread out their mental power and searched deep into the forest.
The group shuttled through the Sunset Forest for about half an hour.
Suddenly, Han Yu stopped in his tracks, cast his gaze deep into the dense forest to the front right, and curved the corners of his lips upward:
"Found it.
East-northeast direction, about five miles out."
Gu Rong and Dugu Bo exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.
They were two Title Douluos and yet hadn't sensed any movement, yet Han Yu had locked onto the target a step ahead of them?
Even though Han Yu's mental power had reached the Soul Douluo level,
it was still not higher than theirs.
Could it be because of the Dual Holy Dragon Bloodline of the Dark Sacred Dragon and Light Sacred Dragon within Han Yu's body?
"My good grandson, what kind of good catch is it?"
Gu Rong asked curiously.
"A Ghost-Faced Demon Serpent."
Han Yu spoke indifferently, describing the scene detected by his mental power:
"Judging by the scale patterns and build on its body, the age should be around fifty-five hundred years.
This kind of snake not only contains deadly poison, but can also release neural paralysis and hallucinogenic toxins, making it extremely fitting to use as Yanyan's fourth spirit ring."
Dugu Bo also probed in the direction guided by Han Yu at this moment, and after a moment, he took a deep breath, his tone filled with admiration:
"Truly a Ghost-Faced Demon Serpent of over five thousand years!
The precision of the Sect Master's mental power detection puts this old man to shame.
This beast is extremely cunning and normally extremely difficult to encounter. An age of fifty-five hundred years is practically perfect for Yanyan right now!"
"Since that's the case, then it's the one!"
Gu Rong gave a chuckle, space distorting in front of him as he domineeringly waved a hand:
* "My good grandson, Old Poison, wait for me here. I'll be right back!" * Before his voice faded, Gu Rong's figure plunged directly into a spatial rift and vanished.
A few breaths later.
A crack split open once again in mid-air.
Gu Rong walked out carrying a massive snake as thick as a water barrel, pitch-black all over with bizarre human-face patterns growing along its back.
"Bang!"
Gu Rong casually tossed the on-the-verge-of-death Ghost-Faced Demon Serpent onto the ground and patted the dust off his hands:
"Done!
This little loach was slippery as oil and even wanted to burrow a hole, so I slapped its spine apart with one palm."
Dugu Bo stepped forward to inspect it carefully, then nodded with satisfaction:
* "Senior Bone Douluo's strike is truly swift and decisive. * Yanyan, quickly now, put it out of its misery and prepare to absorb the spirit ring!" * "Yes, Grandpa!"
Dugu Yan hurried forward, drew her personal dagger, and plunged it into the vital spot of the Ghost-Faced Demon Serpent without hesitation.
As the demon serpent completely breathed its last, a deep purple spirit ring slowly condensed and rose from above its corpse.
Dugu Yan took a deep breath, sat cross-legged, guided the purple spirit ring with her soul power to settle over herself, and closed her eyes to begin absorption.
Watching her granddaughter's slightly furrowed brow, Dugu Bo still couldn't help feeling somewhat nervous.
After all, this was cross-grade absorption. The energy contained within a fifty-five-hundred-year spirit ring was extremely violent.
Seeing this, Han Yu relaxed his expression and consoled her:
"Rest assured, with the foundation of the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone cleansing the marrow and altering the tendons, the resilience of her meridians is no longer what it used to be.
A mere fifty-five-hundred-year spirit ring poses no threat to her; just wait in peace."
Time ticked by second by second.
Just as Han Yu said, Dugu Yan's tightly furrowed brows gradually smoothed out.
The originally violent spirit ring energy grew docile in the face of the meridians altered by the immortal herb.
Half an hour later.
Before you continue