Within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, the passage of time seemed to have lost all meaning. Spiritual energy swirled through the air, the spring waters remained eternal, and only the figure wrapped within a cocoon of light, along with the boy cultivating alone by the spring, marked the passage of time.
Zichuan sat cross-legged where ice and fire converged. With every breath, he effortlessly drew the freezing and scorching energies into his body. After being transformed by his two hearts, they became pure destruction and life soul power, circulating through his body and solidifying the foundation that had become slightly unstable from his rapid increase in soul power.
His aura grew more solemn by the day, and more restrained by the day.
Whenever he had spare time, he would examine himself internally and assess his current strength.
Soul power level: 28. At the age of six and a half, that alone would have terrified countless so-called geniuses. But Zichuan knew that rank was merely superficial.
The truly terrifying part lay in quality and quantity.
The doubled Soul Core and recovery speed brought by his two hearts gave him an amount of soul power that was utterly unlike that of a Soul Grandmaster.
By his rough estimate, his level 28 soul power reserves were probably comparable to those of an ordinary Soul Elder, perhaps even approaching a level 37 Soul Ancestor! And that was after he had deliberately compressed and refined it.
As for his Soul Ring configuration... Heart of Destruction: one purple ring—a thousand-year Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear—and one orange-gold ring—a two-hundred-thousand-year Aromatic Silk Beauty.
Heart of Life: two red rings—a hundred-thousand-year Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot.
This configuration was not merely unheard of; even hearing about it would be blasphemous. Every soul skill granted by those Soul Rings was unimaginably powerful.
The all-around enhancement of Battle Blood Boiling, Perception and Command of All Things from the Aromatic Silk Beauty.
The Extreme Cold Control of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, the Blazing Heat Power of the Infernal Delicate Apricot... not to mention the terrifying armor-piercing power of the External Soul Bone, Dark Gold Terrorclaw, along with his absolute command over the two great domains of destruction and life.
If I fought an ordinary three-ring Soul Elder now, it would probably be like playing around.
Zichuan thought to himself.
Even against a weaker five-ring Soul King, with the advantages of my soul skills, Spirit Bone, and domains, I might not be unable to take them on. As for someone at my own level... that would just be bullying.
He recalled another novel he had read in his previous life. That cheater named Lan Xuanyu had fought level 100 opponents at level 70, then challenged a level 150 God King at level 100... It seemed he, too, was beginning to show signs of treating higher-level opponents as casually as drinking water.
"This is nothing yet." The God of Destruction's voice sounded at just the right moment, carrying his usual arrogance and dissatisfaction.
"You are the child of Life and me. Your foundation is the Dual God-King Origin! You were supposed to fight above your level. It would be strange if you couldn't."
Zichuan was speechless. Well, Old Zi had quite the competitive streak.
Still, judging by the situation, Du Busi's seclusion would not end anytime soon.
The light cocoon's aura grew increasingly profound. A faint image of dragons and tigers converging, along with the intent of Indestructible Vajra, seeped out from it. It was obvious that Du Busi had reached the most critical stage of breaking through to level 99 and could not endure the slightest disturbance. Naturally, Zichuan could neither leave nor dare make too much noise.
But waiting around forever was boring. The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was wonderful, and there were many Immortal Herbs, but he had only just absorbed the sacrificial power of three great Immortal Herbs. His body and soul both needed time to digest and adapt, so it was not suitable for him to consume any more Immortal Herbs.
Cultivation also required a balance between exertion and rest.
Moreover, the vigorous metabolism and enormous expenditure brought by his two hearts made him hungry easily.
Although his storage Soul Tool still contained some dried provisions and Soul Beast meat from his earlier hunts, he was getting tired of eating stored food all the time.
"Teacher is in seclusion. This place is perfectly safe, and I don't need to guard it constantly."
Zichuan looked at the completely motionless light cocoon, then rubbed his growling stomach and made his decision.
"I'll go out for a walk and hunt some game while I'm at it. With the Aromatic Silk Beauty's aura protecting me, the poison formation here won't affect me."
No sooner said than done. He stood up and brushed off dust that did not exist. With a thought, emerald life soul power flowed through his body, and his hair took on a faint green glow as Life Form activated.
It was not for battle. In Life Form, his perception of the vitality around him became sharper, making it more convenient to find prey.
Following the "safe passage" that Du Busi had forcibly opened before and later maintained with soul power, he easily passed through the poisonous barrier surrounding the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and entered Sunset Forest.
The forest air was fresh. The Soul Beast auras were mixed together but generally weak. Zichuan strolled through it as though he had returned to his own backyard.
After the Aromatic Silk Beauty's sacrifice, his spiritual power had increased dramatically, giving him an extremely wide range of perception. Before long, he had locked onto several suitable hundred-year Soul Beasts.
He did not use any soul skills, nor did he even activate Destruction Form.
Relying solely on the physique enhanced by his two hearts, along with the terrifying strength and sharpness in his hands granted by the Dark Gold Terrorclaw External Soul Bone, Zichuan easily ended the battles.
His claws rose and fell, clean and decisive. He even deliberately controlled his strength, using only the sharpness of Dark Gold Terrorclaw to cut through the prey so that the meat would not be mangled and its flavor ruined.
Just as he lit a bonfire and placed the prepared Soul Beast meat over it to roast, when the scent of grilled meat had only begun to spread, the two God-Bestowed Marks between his brows, which had been dormant for some time, suddenly grew warm at the same time.
[Life God Trial, Second Trial] [Trial content: Rescue a female Soul Master with a Soul Power Level of approximately 18 who is facing a lethal crisis.] [Time limit: None] [Trial reward: God of Life affinity increased by 5%, God-Bestowed Soul Ring lifespan increased by 1,000 years, one God-Bestowed Soul Ring.] [Failure penalty: None.]
[Destruction God Trial, Second Trial] [Trial content: Kill ten Soul Masters with Soul Power Levels above 20, or kill one three-ring Soul Elder.] [Time limit: None] [Trial reward: God of Destruction affinity increased by 5%, God-Bestowed Soul Ring lifespan increased by 1,000 years, one God-Bestowed Soul Ring.] [Failure penalty: None.]
New Godly Trials? And the contents... weren't they a little too specific? Rescue someone, and she had to be a female Soul Master around level 18? Kill people—ten above level 20, or one three-ring Soul Elder?
Zichuan raised an eyebrow. The God of Destruction's style of spoon-feeding him was truly as "thoughtful" as ever. He had even screened the targets according to the user profile. How was this a Godly Trial? It was more like a quest guide.
As he pondered it, the God of Destruction's voice rang out in his mind again. This time, it carried an obvious delight, almost like the satisfaction of a successful prank.
"Kid, are you full? If you are, it's time to do something serious."
"What serious business? Killing or saving?" Zichuan tore off a piece of meat that was crisp outside and tender within, took a bite, and asked indistinctly.
"Both." The God of Destruction's voice was amused. "And let me ask you something: do you want a wife?"
"Pfft—!" Zichuan nearly spat out a mouthful of meat. He choked and coughed repeatedly. "Old Zi, you... what did you say? A wife?"
"Yes, a wife, a spouse, a cultivation partner. Call her whatever you like."
The God of Destruction spoke as though it were only natural, even carrying the smugness of someone saying, It's your good fortune that I'm arranging this for you.
"As long as you nod, I'll give you one. She's guaranteed to be pretty, talented, of clean background, and she also has... well, a bit of a connection to you."
Before you continue