Above the Ice and Fire Spring Water, Ling Yun stopped cultivating. Unfortunately, he hadn't reached Level 30 as he'd hoped.
Dugu Bo, standing nearby, had made even more astonishing progress. Over the past month, he hadn't been idle even while handling other matters. After digesting the medicinal power of the Heaven-Seizing Creation Pill, he had already reached Level 95.
Dugu Bo was now a true strategic-level weapon.
"Sorry for the trouble, Grandpa Dugu! If you hadn't broken through to Level 95, I'd have had no choice but to keep cultivating and wait a few more years before I could appear in public openly."
"Come now, we're practically family! No need to say that."
"My strength is different now. If anyone gives you trouble, I'll show them what it means to let poison rule the world."
Dugu Manor.
Ling Yun and Dugu Bo walked together into the backyard of Dugu's home, where Dugu Yan's big eyes carefully sized him up.
The last time he'd come, he'd snuck in and nearly been discovered by Dugu Bo's spiritual power. Now that he was here openly, Ling Yun still wasn't quite used to it. His heart was full of emotion.
After looking him over, Dugu Yan spoke frankly. "Hi, I'm Dugu Yan. Yan, as in 'wild goose.' I just broke through two days ago, so I'm a Level 28 Soul Grandmaster now. What about you?"
"Hi! I'm Ling Yun. Ling Yun, as in 'soaring to the clouds with lofty aspirations.' I just broke through yesterday, so I'm also a Level 28 Soul Grandmaster."
"No way! As far as I know, you only got your Second Soul Ring a month ago. You've already reached Level 28?"
"It took me three months just to break through by one Soul Power level, and that's already considered fast. What's your deal? Are you even human?"
"Also, you can't be much younger than eight, can you?"
Absorbing Soul Rings that exceeded the usual age limit twice had caused Ling Yun to develop far beyond other children. Judging by his height alone, he was already as tall as an eight-year-old, but the childishness on his face was still unmistakable.
Dugu Yan continued, "Grandpa told me about the Heaven-Seizing Creation Pill, too. If you'd taken it, you'd be around Level 31 by now. So you didn't take the Pill. That means you cultivated all that Soul Power yourself—but how is that possible?"
"Even a genius with Innate Full Soul Power shouldn't cultivate this quickly. This just isn't right."
"Are you pulling my leg?"
Ling Yun released his Soul Power. Dugu Yan's eyes widened. That was definitely the Soul Power fluctuation of a Soul Grandmaster.
Dugu Yan wondered if she was dreaming, or perhaps trapped in an illusion. Could anyone really be this much of a genius?
"Maybe I'm just lucky!"
"Has anyone ever told you that you're full of yourself?" Hearing Ling Yun's answer, Dugu Yan felt the heavens were unfair.
Ling Yun shook his head.
"You really are full of yourself! 'Lucky'? What kind of luck would it take? Are you the heavens' own son or something?"
"Since we're both Level 28, how about a spar?"
Dugu Yan put aside her other thoughts. All she wanted was a fight to vent her feelings. At first, she'd been a little ashamed at the thought of bullying someone so much younger than her. But now that Ling Yun was Level 28, she didn't feel that way anymore.
Dugu Bo didn't stop them. In Douluo Continent, Soul Masters sparring with their Martial Souls was common and wasn't considered impolite.
That was simply how things were.
The simplest, easiest way to get to know someone was to have a fight. It was very common for people to grow closer as they fought.
"Sure!" Ling Yun agreed readily.
He'd never had a proper spar with a Soul Master before. Since someone had challenged him, it was the perfect chance to test his skills.
"Ah, to be young again!"
Dugu Bo watched them with a cheerful smile. "Go ahead and give it your all. I'll keep an eye on you."
"Little brother Ling Yun, are you ready? Big sister's coming!"
Ling Yun didn't mind Dugu Yan calling him little brother. His body was only six and a half years old, and everything from his previous life was like smoke in the wind.
He nodded. "Come on!"
As soon as Ling Yun finished speaking, Dugu Yan's fist was already in front of him. He casually blocked it and used the momentum to pull away.
Dugu Yan followed like a shadow, opening her hand into a claw. Her Black Tiger Steals Heart came with a sharp whoosh, powerful and forceful.
Then she raised her leg and kicked straight at Ling Yun's chest, followed by a spinning side kick—Whirlwind Sweeping Leaf Kick—again and again.
Her moves flowed seamlessly, one after another. The more she fought, the more absorbed she became, every strike aimed at taking Ling Yun out of the fight.
Ling Yun countered each move as it came.
At first, he was a little flustered. But as the fight went on, his combat experience grew rapidly, and it wasn't long before he could trade blows with Dugu Yan evenly.
A little later, Ling Yun was already calmly fending off her moves and even guiding her in how to apply force.
Practice really wasn't the same as actual combat.
Fortunately, he'd found a rhythm that suited him and was quickly putting everything he'd practiced together.
Dugu Yan had Dugu Bo's guidance, after all, so her hand-to-hand skills were certainly no slouch. But she'd only had the upper hand at the very beginning.
Watching Ling Yun change before his eyes, Dugu Bo was astonished all over again. With his keen eye, he could tell that this was Ling Yun's first time trading hand-to-hand blows with anyone.
What he hadn't expected was that in less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Ling Yun's fighting skills had already surpassed his own. Even Dugu Bo was drawing plenty of inspiration from watching him.
Dugu Yan felt as if she were always just one step away—just one step away from turning the tide. The feeling drove her mad.
More and more Soul Power gathered in her hands, surging like an undercurrent beneath a river.
But no matter how fierce her attacks became, she couldn't gain the slightest advantage over Ling Yun.
Ling Yun was like an unyielding boulder. No matter how violently the attacks came, he remained steadfast and unmoving.
Gradually, Dugu Yan realized she had no advantage in hand-to-hand combat, so she summoned her Martial Soul. Her First Soul Ring and Second Soul Ring lit up almost simultaneously.
With the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison enhancing her, her attacks grew even more violent.
Out of respect, Ling Yun summoned his Martial Soul as well. The sight of two extraordinary Soul Rings, one yellow and one purple, left Dugu Yan stunned.
"A thousand-year Second Soul Ring!"
"No wonder Grandpa said you're the greatest genius he's ever seen. Forget your Soul Power Level—even just that thousand-year Second Soul Ring proves you're exceptionally gifted. My Soul Skills are all support types, and using the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul's innate poison would be too dangerous. I give up!"
Dugu Yan took a blow to her pride, but she withdrew her Martial Soul, and her emotions passed as quickly as they'd come. Before long, she'd recovered.
A Soul Grandmaster this young, with a Second Soul Ring that was already a thousand years old—he was obviously a monster! Who would compare herself to a monster like him? Compared with everyone else on Douluo Continent, she was still a genius.
Dugu Bo patted Dugu Yan on the head. "Yanyan is already amazing. You don't need to compare yourself with a freak like him!"
"Didn't Grandpa prepare a Heaven-Seizing Creation Pill for you, too? Once you reach Level 30 and get your Soul Ring, take it. Then you can become a genius just like him, and absorb Soul Rings beyond the usual age limit, too."
Dugu Yan nodded, deciding to cultivate even harder and reach Level 30 as soon as possible.
The pride of a genius made her unwilling to fall too far behind.
"You two have a good talk. Tomorrow morning, I'll take you to the academy. I'll go let them know you're coming first!"
With that, Dugu Bo hurriedly left Dugu Manor.
Before you continue