Cultivation Breakthrough

The soul power within Qian Daoliu slowly condensed into a perfectly round bead in his lower dantian; this, naturally, was a Soul Core.

Once the Soul Core took shape, Qian Daoliu's most immediate sensation was that the soul power within his body had become significantly more robust, capable of sustaining him through much longer battles.

Beyond this, Qian Daoliu felt a subtle intuition that he could potentially condense a second Soul Core, but as he was currently away from home, it was not the time for such an endeavor. He simply suppressed the stirring in his heart and turned his gaze toward the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

The Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well appeared perfectly calm, showing no signs of activity, nor was there any trace of Qin Heng; clearly, he had submerged himself within it.

Qian Daoliu felt a flicker of worry. Even he could not endure prolonged contact with the spring water of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well; could Qin Heng really be safe soaking directly inside?

At this moment, Qin Heng was immersed in an incredibly comfortable state.

After entering the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, he immediately began circulating the Pure Yang Infinite Skill. As the ice and fire energies entered his body, the extremely rigid and masculine soul power within Qin Heng seemed to undergo a miraculous transformation.

The Pure Yang Infinite Skill was created by Zhang Sanfeng. Having entered the Dao through martial arts, how could he not understand the principle that "solitary yin cannot grow, and solitary yang cannot flourish"?

One only cultivates the most rigid and masculine soul power when first entering the Pure Yang Infinite Skill; only by truly understanding what is yin and yang, and what is Taiji, does one grasp the true essence of the skill, marking the transition to the proficient stage.

For years, Qin Heng had failed to understand the profound mysteries of this technique, his practice remaining superficial. He had never grasped the concept of yin and yang complementing each other, which was why his Taiji Fist and Taiji Sword had never truly entered the threshold, leaving him only able to mimic the forms without the substance.

Now, having consumed the Infernal Delicate Apricot and the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, and having undergone the tempering of ice and fire, Qin Heng had finally attained enlightenment!

Taiji is born from Wuji; it is the mechanism of movement and stillness, the mother of yin and yang. Movement divides into void and solid, hardness and softness, opening and closing; stillness returns to a single breath, centered and upright. The key lies in dynamic balance—neither resisting nor abandoning, neither excessive nor insufficient.

The true intent of Taiji is to overcome hardness with softness, to have yin and yang complement each other, to be unified and relaxed, using intention rather than brute force. Taiji Fist is not a "softened version of external martial arts" performed in slow motion, but a system of physical and mental cultivation centered on relaxation, unity, and harmony, focused on adapting to circumstances.

As the level of his technique improved, Qin Heng fell into a state of total self-forgetfulness. The soul power cultivated in his dantian began to divide into yin and yang attributes, much like the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well itself.

Two days and two nights passed in this manner. Just as Qian Daoliu was beginning to lose his patience, there was finally movement in the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

Splash! Water sprayed everywhere as Qin Heng leaped out, and Qian Daoliu immediately stepped forward to meet him.

Eh? This kid seems a bit different!

After sensing him for a moment, Qian Daoliu confirmed that the aura surrounding Qin Heng had undergone a massive change. Compared to the Qin Heng who had entered the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, his current aura had become much more rounded and harmonious, giving anyone who looked at him a sense of comfort.

Could such a change really occur after ice and fire body tempering?

Qian Daoliu hesitated for a moment but did not dwell on it. He took a robe from his storage ring, tossed it to the naked Qin Heng, and asked, "How do you feel?"

"Grandpa Qian, my cultivation has broken through by two levels, reaching level 29."

Qian Daoliu frowned upon hearing this and turned to look at Yue Guan, asking, "Yue Guan, why has Xiao Heng's soul power only increased by such a small amount?"

Yue Guan hurriedly explained, "Replying to the Great Elder, the initial refinement of the Infernal Delicate Apricot and the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass does not necessarily lead to a large increase in cultivation; it is even possible for there to be no increase at all."

"The more important function of these two immortal herbs is to consolidate the foundation, making the Young Master's roots more solid, while granting his body immunity to ice and fire attributes, as well as a certain degree of poison resistance."

"As he continues to cultivate, the Infernal Delicate Apricot and the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass will completely fuse with the Young Master's body, which will in turn enhance his cultivation speed and aptitude."

"I see. I blamed you wrongly. Yue Guan, Gui Mei, Xiao Heng and I have finished refining the immortal herbs; now it is your turn. You may each choose an immortal herb to refine, and I will stand guard for you."

"Many thanks, Great Elder!" Yue Guan chose the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum he had been longing for without hesitation, while Gui Mei consumed the Nether Dark Flower chosen for him by Yue Guan.

The Nether Dark Flower and the Bright Heaven Grass were immortal herbs with completely opposite attributes; consuming them would greatly enhance Gui Mei's dark attribute.

While the Chrysanthemum and Ghost were refining their herbs, Qian Daoliu began to ponder the method of condensing a Soul Core. With his cultivation as a level 99 Limit Douluo, it was not difficult to summarize the method after having condensed one himself. He soon succeeded, but he lacked a subject for experimentation.

If only someone could help him put it into practice to see if his summarized method was feasible.

Thinking of this, Qian Daoliu intentionally muttered to himself near Qin Heng, "After consuming the Primordial Immortal Grass, a Soul Core similar to those condensed by Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts appeared in my body. This thing greatly increased the robustness of my soul power, and I have summarized the method for condensing it. However, it is not yet perfect and requires someone to experiment with it before it can be spread. I just don't know what level of cultivation I should look for to test it."

The next second, Qin Heng's inner voice echoed in Qian Daoliu's ears: In my previous life, after I consumed the Primordial Immortal Grass and condensed a Soul Core, I had similar thoughts. At first, I looked for the elders of the Martial Soul Hall. I was already a level 99 Limit Douluo at the time, and under my protection, the elders condensed their Soul Cores very smoothly.

Later, even when I wasn't there, other elders successfully condensed Soul Cores on their own. It is clear that for Titled Douluo, condensing a Soul Core is a certainty with no danger.

For Soul Douluo, there is a certain probability of success, especially for those who have been stuck at level 89 for many years. As long as they can condense a Soul Core, they can immediately break through to level 90 and become Titled Douluo.

As for those below the Soul Douluo level, my experiments showed that no soul master could successfully condense a Soul Core, likely due to insufficient accumulation. In this life, once I reach level 70, I will personally break that record and condense a Soul Core at the Soul Saint level!

After hearing Qin Heng's words, Qian Daoliu was stunned for a moment, and then several descendants of the Qian family in the Angel Legion who had been stuck at level 89 for many years appeared in his mind.

Don't ask why Qian Daoliu only thought of the Qian descendants in the Angel Legion; he had retired from the position of Pope for so many years that he had no interest in learning about soul masters below the Titled Douluo level in the Martial Soul Hall.

Suddenly, Qian Daoliu's eyes lit up. He remembered someone: Ye Renxin, the head of the Nine Heart Begonia Ye family. If he remembered correctly, this old man had been stuck at level 89 Soul Douluo for thirty years and likely didn't have many years left to live.