"When I broke through, the great battle had already begun!"
Even Yan, usually so carefree, grew downcast when he brought it up.
He could have smoothly become a Soul Douluo, then worked hard to become a Titled Douluo and an elder of Spirit Hall.
But everything had vanished without a trace in that great battle.
As soon as Yan said this, the atmosphere fell into dead silence.
Clearly, none of them had yet grown accustomed to this kind of reversal.
Fortunately, they soon recovered.
It was Qian Yu who gave them hope again.
"Give Yan that Head Soul Bone for now. I'll find a way to get Xie Yue one that better suits his attributes later."
"Then have him take Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue to strengthen his physique, so he can get the highest-year Eighth Soul Ring possible."
The Head Soul Bone Qian Yu mentioned was the one he had obtained from the fifty-thousand-year Holy Golden Beetle when he absorbed his Second Soul Ring.
According to the rules of Soul Hunting, Hu Liena had helped him hunt for a Soul Ring, so that Spirit Bone should have belonged to her.
Qian Yu also knew that Hu Liena had intended it for her brother, but its attributes did not suit Xie Yue.
That was why he had made the suggestion.
"Alright!"
Hu Liena did not refuse.
The reason she had delayed giving it to her brother was that the Spirit Bone suited Yan better, but she had been reluctant to give it to him outright.
Now that Qian Yu had brought it up, she made her decision.
Then Hu Liena took the fifty-thousand-year Head Soul Bone out of her Storage Soul Tool.
The moment the Spirit Bone appeared, even the two Titled Douluo's eyes burned with desire.
After all, both of them were already Titled Douluo, yet neither had a Spirit Bone that suited them.
How could they not covet it?
"Please rest assured, seniors. We have Spirit Bones set aside for you, too. Once your injuries have healed, we'll make plans together."
Qian Yu naturally knew how tempting the Spirit Bone was to them.
But to be honest, he really was reluctant to give it to either of them.
Although they were Titled Douluo, their potential was limited.
Yan's Martial Soul was powerful. If he could obtain another Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring in the future, his achievements would surely be astonishing.
As for where he would get a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, that was a matter for later.
"I'm not so shameless that I'd steal a Spirit Bone from the younger generation."
Snake Lance Douluo gave a rueful smile when he saw this.
He knew that these were the only people from Spirit Hall left now. They needed to stand together and couldn't let a Spirit Bone drive a wedge between them.
Besides, deep down, he really did feel this boy might be able to help him obtain a Spirit Bone.
"This... you're really giving it to me...?"
Seeing the Spirit Bone in front of him, Yan hesitated to reach out.
Most importantly, Liena had prepared it for Xie Yue.
"Yan, take it. There's no need for us to stand on ceremony."
Instead, Xie Yue was the one who spoke up and urged Yan to accept it.
Right now, improving their strength came first.
"Thank you!"
Yan accepted the Spirit Bone and thanked everyone.
Then he went off to retreat and fuse with it.
There was no doubt that he loved Hu Liena deeply.
But Yan understood even better that without absolute strength, he couldn't protect the woman he loved.
So he had always persevered in his cultivation.
He had done so in the past, and in circumstances like these, he needed to work even harder to improve his strength.
After that, Hu Liena guided Xie Yue and the others as they took the Whale Glue.
Even for Titled Douluo like Snake Lance and Porcupinefish, Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue had considerable benefits. But since their injuries had not yet healed, they did not take it right away.
It was because of this that Qian Yu learned Porcupinefish Douluo had achieved quite a lot in medicine, pharmacology, and the study of poisons.
He might not have been as renowned as those famous figures, but he was still a true master.
So, for a while afterward, in addition to his daily cultivation, Qian Yu took on another task: learning about pharmacology and other subjects from Porcupinefish Douluo.
During this process, Qian Yu also gave Porcupinefish Douluo the Tang Sect legacy he had received from Jixiang.
As it turned out, it helped them a great deal.
It sped up the recovery of their injuries.
In the blink of an eye, another half month passed.
Yan had not only absorbed the Spirit Bone, but had also taken two pieces of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue. His physique and spiritual power had both improved greatly.
During this time, Xie Yue also broke through to level 75.
As for Qian Yu, aside from improving his Soul Power and studying pharmacology, he spent most of his time cultivating the Flame God Eye.
He had not yet begun researching how to turn the Mysterious Jade Hand into a body-tempering technique. He lacked the materials, for one thing, and the energy for another.
A person's energy was limited. It was best to be clear about what to do and when.
He didn't want to become a cautionary example like Feng Xiaotian.
Once everyone was ready, they set out to hunt for Soul Rings in the Star Dou Great Forest.
Qian Yu's target was simple.
The Holy Golden Beetle again.
Yan's Soul Ring, on the other hand, needed to be chosen carefully.
According to Yu Xiaogang's theory on Soul Ring age limits, a Soul Master's Eighth Soul Ring was best at around fifty thousand years. Qian Yu naturally didn't believe that, but it could serve as a point of reference.
Yan's Martial Soul was the top-tier Flame Lord. On top of that, he had two Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones, both of excellent quality and age, and he had taken Whale Glue as well.
By Porcupinefish Douluo's estimate, Yan could safely absorb a sixty-thousand-year Eighth Soul Ring. If they found a suitable Soul Beast, he could try challenging one of seventy thousand years.
A Soul Ring with an even higher age was not advisable.
Yan decided to challenge a seventy-thousand-year Soul Ring. He knew he would have to trouble the two seniors, Snake Lance and Porcupinefish, so he kept praising them.
Under the circumstances, the two naturally did everything they could to help Yan find the most suitable Soul Ring.
If Yan could become a Titled Douluo, they would have another fighter on their side.
Their first choice was naturally the Holy Golden Beetle.
They settled Qian Yu in a valley, then set out together to hunt for Soul Rings.
While they were gone, Qian Yu kept busy, surveying the valley.
It was extremely secluded, and the terrain dipped down into a hollow. Even if someone flew over, they wouldn't easily spot it.
With some modifications, it could easily serve as a hideout.
Qian Yu decided to discuss it with them once they returned.
The reason the two great empires and the various factions had not launched a large-scale purge against them was that they were all busy swallowing up Spirit Hall's legacy.
Once they finished, they would begin their purge and hunt them down.
They naturally had to make every possible preparation.
Before long, the group returned with the target for Qian Yu's Third Soul Ring.
A seventy-thousand-year Holy Golden Beetle.
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