Three Months Fly By! Level Thirty Soul Elder! The Old Man's Accumulated Power Explodes!

Time flowed like water, silent and unobtrusive.

Three full months had passed since Qing Mufeng awakened his Azure Dragon Martial Soul and hunted his two soul rings.

In the secluded bamboo grove of the Qing Family Manor, Qing Mufeng sat cross-legged on a flat stone, his eyes slightly closed, his breathing long and steady.

For the past three months, he had come here to cultivate almost every single day.

It was not the Green Snake Meditation Method.

It was the Azure Dragon Method.

At dawn, before the light had even touched the sky, he would arrive at the bamboo grove to circulate his soul power, opening four paths simultaneously.

His soul power started from the Baihui Acupoint, traveled down the Ren Meridian, and split into four.

It flowed to his heart to strengthen his physique, to his dantian to nourish his martial soul, to the center of his brow to condense his spirit, and to his limbs to temper his sinews and bones.

With the four meridians running in parallel, the energy was endless.

In the afternoon, as sunlight filtered through the bamboo leaves to cast dappled shadows, he would practice his soul skills within that shifting light.

The power of the Azure Dragon Claw Probe rose in tandem with his soul power; the claw's radiance had shifted from a pale cyan to a deep, dark green, and its attack range had expanded from three zhang to five.

At dusk, as the sun set, he would return to his room to soak in the medicinal broth his grandmother had brewed, warming his meridians while using the Azure Dragon Pupil to peer within himself, observing the changes in every meridian and every acupoint.

At night, he would sit cross-legged on his bed, continuing to circulate the Azure Dragon Method until the dead of night.

Day after day.

It was dull and monotonous, yet he never slacked off for a single day.

Because he knew that in this world, strength was everything. Without strength, one did not even have the right to survive.

Today, the air in the bamboo grove was exceptionally fresh.

Qing Mufeng kept his eyes closed as the soul power within him surged like a rushing river, circulating at high speed along the paths of the Azure Dragon Method.

With all four paths fully open, his soul power, physique, and spiritual power grew in synchronization, forming a perfect closed loop.

He felt as though his body were a vessel, being continuously stretched by an invisible force.

His meridians were widening.

His acupoints were expanding.

His soul power was climbing.

The bottleneck of level thirty was right before him.

Qing Mufeng took a deep breath, pushing the circulation of the Azure Dragon Method to its absolute limit.

His soul power surged through his meridians, emitting a faint humming sound, like a slumbering dragon beginning to wake.

Deep within his dantian, the Azure Dragon Martial Soul opened its eyes.

Its golden slit pupils gazed through layers of flesh and blood, staring at its master's meridians.

It opened its mouth and silently exhaled a breath.

It was the origin power of the Origin of Wood, which spread through his meridians to his limbs and bones.

Qing Mufeng's body jolted violently.

His soul power, like water bursting through a dam, shattered that invisible barrier.

Level thirty.

Soul Elder.

He opened his eyes, a golden light flashing within his pupils before vanishing.

Three months.

From level twenty-six to level thirty—a breakthrough of four full levels.

Almost one level per month.

Such speed was shocking, even across the entire Douluo Continent.

Soul power cultivation became slower the further one progressed.

To go from Soul Grand Master to Soul Elder, an ordinary genius would need one or two years, while the mediocre might even need three to five.

Even Tang San, starting from level thirteen, had spent a full six years just to reach the peak of level twenty-nine.

Yet he had done it in only three months.

Qing Mufeng looked down at his hands and clenched his fists.

"The Azure Dragon Method..." he murmured, "it truly cannot be compared to the Green Snake Method."

Without the Azure Dragon Method, he might still be lingering at level twenty-eight, or perhaps even slower.

But the four-meridian cultivation of the Azure Dragon Method had increased his cultivation speed several times over.

His soul power, physique, and spiritual power promoted and nourished one another, creating a positive cycle.

The more one cultivates, the stronger the physique becomes;

The stronger the physique, the wider the meridians;

The wider the meridians, the faster the soul power circulates;

The faster the soul power circulates, the faster the cultivation speed.

This is the terrifying aspect of the Azure Dragon Method.

He stood up and stretched his limbs.

Three months of high-intensity cultivation had brought about obvious changes to his body.

He had grown taller, his shoulders had broadened, and the muscle definition on his arms was more pronounced.

Although he was only six years old, he already faintly possessed the silhouette of a youth.

"Time to see Grandfather," he muttered to himself, brushing the bamboo leaves off his clothes before turning to walk out of the bamboo forest.

Qing Family Manor, main hall.

The main hall was different today than it usually was.

Qing Zhengyue sat in the main seat with a cup of tea before him; the emerald-green tea soup reflected his glowing, ruddy face.

The old man's white hair was still like snow, but the wrinkles on his face seemed shallower, and the cloudiness in his eyes had dissipated significantly, replaced by a long-lost sharpness.

Liu Yunlan sat beside him, her silver hair coiled neatly, her face looking much younger than it had three months ago.

The old lady's fingers no longer trembled slightly; she threaded her needle and stitched clothes in one fluid motion.

Qing Hongyuan and Shen Wanqing sat in the lower seats, their auras also having undergone distinct changes.

The four members of the family each wore expressions of irrepressible joy.

"Father, your complexion is exceptionally good today," Qing Hongyuan said, his voice tinged with excitement.

Qing Zhengyue picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said calmly, "I am at level sixty-nine."

These four words, spoken lightly, caused the very air in the hall to vibrate.

Liu Yunlan glanced at her husband, the corners of her mouth curling upward slightly: "I am at level fifty-nine."

Qing Hongyuan took a deep breath: "I have broken through level fifty, Soul King."

Shen Wanqing held her husband's hand and said softly: "I am at level forty-six, Soul Ancestor."

Four sentences, four breakthroughs.

On the same day, in the same family.

In the century-long history of the Qing family, this had never happened before.

Qing Zhengyue set down his teacup and swept his gaze across the face of everyone in the hall.

His gaze lingered on his son's face for a moment before shifting away to look at the sky outside the hall.

"Three months," he said slowly, his voice carrying a hint of emotion. "Three months ago, I thought I would reach level seventy at most in this lifetime. I can't even remember how many years that level sixty-six bottleneck had trapped me."

He withdrew his gaze and looked down at his own hands.

The age spots on those hands had faded significantly.

"I never expected that in my remaining years, I would be able to climb higher."

Liu Yunlan reached out and took her husband's hand; the old lady's eyes were slightly red, but she was smiling.

"Old man, you will live for a long time yet," she said. "Long enough to see Feng'er take a wife."

Qing Zhengyue was amused by her words; he let out a laugh, then reined it in.

"Hongyuan," he said, looking at his son.

"Yes."

"What are your plans for your Fifth Soul Ring?"

Qing Hongyuan pondered for a moment before speaking: "I have been thinking about this for the past few days. According to the records in the Azure Dragon Method, for a wood-attribute soul master, the Fifth Soul Ring should ideally be from a dragon-type soul beast."

"A pure-blooded dragon?" Qing Zhengyue asked.

"That would be best," Qing Hongyuan said. "But pure-blooded dragons are too rare, and finding one with the appropriate age is even harder. If I cannot find one, a sub-dragon species will suffice."

Qing Zhengyue nodded without speaking.

Shen Wanqing added from the side: "Hongyuan's physique, under the tempering of the Azure Dragon Method, has far surpassed what it once was. He should be able to withstand a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring of around twenty thousand years."

"Twenty thousand years." Qing Zhengyue repeated the number, his gaze narrowing slightly.

A Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring is already a significantly high age for a Soul King.

The Fifth Soul Ring for an average Soul King is usually between ten thousand and fifteen thousand years.

Twenty thousand years is already in the realm of absorbing a ring beyond one's level.

But with the support of the Azure Dragon Method, this number had become feasible.

"I will keep an eye out," Qing Zhengyue said. "There are several spirit beast forests within the borders of the Tiandou Empire, and the Star Dou Forest is a gathering place for dragon-type spirit beasts. When the time is ripe, I will take you there."

"Thank you, Father," Qing Hongyuan nodded.

As they were speaking, a small figure appeared at the entrance of the main hall.

Qing Mufeng stood outside the threshold, dressed in a cyan robe with his hair tied back by a cyan cloth strip, revealing a smooth, clear forehead.

Having not seen him for three months, he had grown a head taller, and he appeared much more composed than he had three months ago.

He stepped over the threshold, walked into the main hall, and bowed to Qing Zhengyue, who sat in the seat of honor.

"Grandfather, Grandmother, Father, Mother."

Qing Zhengyue looked at his grandson, his gaze sweeping over him before he suddenly raised an eyebrow.

"Level thirty?"

The hall fell silent in an instant.