Another round of knowledge washed over them, leaving the cerebral cortices of Dugu Bo and Dugu Yuan feeling as if they had been smoothed flat.
It was an indescribable comfort, the beauty of giving up on thinking.
Dugu Yuan was the first to stop thinking and return to normal. With great enthusiasm, he invited his junior brother to a duel.
"Junior Brother, didn't you say you can escape even from a Soul Saint now? I just absorbed my Seventh Soul Ring and became a Soul Saint, so how about we spar?"
After hearing that, Dugu Bo also chose to stop thinking. A 200,000-year Soul Ring didn't matter, and neither did the news about becoming a god. It was more practical to see how strong his disciple was now.
So Dugu Bo chimed in as well.
"You've both just absorbed your Soul Rings, so this is the perfect chance to spar and get familiar with your newly acquired powers. I'll referee."
Seeing that his master not only didn't object but seemed eager for the match, Yu Tianshuo didn't want to spoil their fun. He nodded and said,
"No problem. But first, I'll restore the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well's surroundings."
With that, Yu Tianshuo turned and walked toward the spring at the center of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
Dugu Bo and Dugu Yuan exchanged a glance. They couldn't figure out what Yu Tianshuo intended to do, so they simply followed along in silence to watch.
To their shock, Yu Tianshuo stepped onto the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well as if walking on air, moving step by step toward the spring.
At last, he sat cross-legged above the spring. A Soul Core, red and blue with two carved dragons on its surface, emerged from his body and shot straight toward the spring.
As the Soul Core entered the spring, unimaginable natural energy spread outward from it. The Dragon Might within the Soul Core flowed along with that life energy into the lake and the surrounding Immortal Herbs.
The Immortal Herbs that had withered regained their vitality after absorbing the energy. What was more, some of the herbs that absorbed the most grew dragon scales, some developed dragon patterns, and others gave off a faint Dragon Might that could be sensed simply by standing nearby.
Looking at the restored Herb Garden, Dugu Bo's expression went blank.
Dugu Yuan had recently taken in far too many scenes and bits of knowledge that ordinary people might not encounter in several lifetimes. It had left him numb.
Now he just wanted to be like his foolish son: stop thinking, then accept everything with an air of proud indifference.
But he couldn't. He was the master, the one who sheltered this family from wind and rain.
Until his son and disciple had grown strong, he had to weather every storm for them.
That was what he thought, and his body followed through.
He took the Jade Phosphor Seven-Absolute Flower out of its jade box and, after a few quick steps, appeared beside the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
He asked his disciple whether absorbing it there would affect him.
After Yu Tianshuo assured him it would be fine, Dugu Yuan ate the Jade Phosphor Seven-Absolute Flower and sat down cross-legged to absorb its medicinal power.
Seeing that his master had started absorbing an Immortal Herb too, Yu Tianshuo redirected the energy toward Dugu Bo.
Time passed second by second, and Dugu Bo's body began to change noticeably.
The snake scales on his Martial Soul gradually turned into dragon scales, while two bumps appeared above its head, as if something were about to sprout from them.
At last, after the snake's body changed from jade green to dark green, the transformations stopped.
Dugu Bo let out a breath and came out of his absorption state. Seeing Yu Tianshuo, who had walked over from the spring, he smiled and shook his head.
"Still a little short. Something's missing before it can truly become a dragon."
Yu Tianshuo thought it over briefly and came up with an idea. He said to Dugu Bo,
"Master, don't rush. Your Martial Soul absorbed the Dragon Might released by the Soul Core, which allowed it to take the first step in evolving. But the Martial Soul itself hasn't absorbed a Soul Ring from a dragon-type Soul Beast. I expect that once you absorb a dragon-blooded Soul Beast for your Ninth Soul Ring, your Martial Soul will complete its evolution."
The more Dugu Bo listened, the brighter his eyes grew. He looked as if he wanted to go out and find a Soul Beast with powerful dragon blood right away.
But just then, his foolish son's voice interrupted them.
Dugu Bo watched his foolish son stride over and sling an arm around Yu Tianshuo's shoulders. With a grin, he said,
"Dad, Junior Brother, forget about all that for now. Come on, let's fight! Getting familiar with our new powers is what matters most!"
As he spoke, he also winked at his junior brother, urging him to chime in. His eyes seemed to say, If I don't remind you, Dad's going to head straight out to look for a Soul Ring. That'd be way too dangerous.
Though he wasn't sure how he could read so much from a look, Yu Tianshuo still nodded to show that he agreed they should spar first.
Dugu Bo could guess what those two slippery fellows were thinking. He merely chuckled to himself and nodded, giving them the go-ahead to find a place to begin their duel.
As for Martial Soul Evolution and absorbing a Soul Ring? He could wait until after he'd watched this good show.
Once Dugu Bo gave his approval, the senior and junior brothers quickly found a place where they wouldn't disturb the Herb Garden and prepared to spar.
Now that both sides were ready, it was time for some pre-match trash talk.
"Junior Brother, want your big brother to go easy on you? My Seventh Soul Ring may only be my Martial Soul Avatar, but after absorbing it, the poison in my Martial Soul and my physical strength aren't something you, a mere Soul Grandmaster, can handle. Compliment me now, and I might take it easy on you later."
Seeing his senior brother joking around again, Yu Tianshuo said with a smile as he activated Martial Soul Possession,
"You'd better watch out that your junior brother doesn't send you flying, Senior Brother. I hope you've finished digesting breakfast, or it'll be embarrassing when you throw it up."
Dugu Yuan looked at his junior brother with a grin. As he activated Martial Soul Possession, seven dazzling Soul Rings shone behind him.
"Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black."
It was the optimal Soul Ring configuration. Looking at Yu Tianshuo, who only had two Soul Rings, an outsider might think this was a bit of a mismatch.
But everyone present knew that, even though Yu Tianshuo was only a Soul Grandmaster, his physical strength was such that even an ordinary level-70 Battle Soul Master might not defeat him without using their sixth and seventh Soul Skills.
As Dugu Bo called out for them to begin, the two shot toward each other like arrows loosed from a bowstring.
At that moment, Dugu Yuan showed none of the restraint expected of a senior brother and went straight for his Seventh Soul Skill.
"Seventh Soul Skill: Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Martial Soul Avatar!"
As he spoke, countless snake scales appeared on his body, covering him from head to toe.
Right after that, he released—
"First Soul Skill: Jade Phosphor Red Poison!"
"Second Soul Skill: Jade Phosphor Blue Poison!"
"Third Soul Skill: Jade Phosphor Purple Poison!"
Before you continue