Level 99

Sensing the genuine killing intent, Dugu Bo broke into a cold sweat and hurriedly dropped to one knee again.

"I would never dare! Senior, you gave me a new lease on life, and now you trust me so deeply. How could I, Dugu Bo, do something so heartless and treacherous?"

"You'd better mean that." Qian Xunji looked down at him from on high.

"To prevent any trouble before it starts, I'll place a Mark on your granddaughter in a moment. If you dare harbor even the slightest disloyalty, or entertain any improper thoughts about my son's companion, I guarantee you and your granddaughter will be wiped out without a trace."

Dugu Bo's whole body shuddered. A flicker of struggle passed through his eyes, but soon gave way to resolve. "...I shall obey Senior's decree."

His mind was as clear as a mirror. That so-called inhuman companion was almost certainly a Hundred-Thousand-Year Transformed Soul Beast. But so what? As tempting as a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring was, it couldn't compare to the lives of him and his granddaughter! If he couldn't cure his granddaughter's poison, then even ten Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings would be worthless!

Seeing that Dugu Bo had submitted completely, Qian Xunji withdrew his pressure and left the valley with him.

A moment later, under Dugu Bo's complicated and awestruck gaze, Qian Xunji raised a hand and planted a hidden golden Six-Winged Mark between Dugu Yan's brows. Then he transformed into a brilliant streak of light and sped away...

The underground cavern was dark and damp, never touched by daylight. Only the stalactites above occasionally dripped cold water, splattering against the rock with an echo.

Qian Xunji lightened his steps and stopped before a dry stone platform at the cavern's deepest point.

A dusky blue spider cocoon lay motionless there. From time to time, a faint silver glimmer passed across its silken surface, like the breathing of some slumbering creature.

Qian Xunji put all emotion aside, his gaze once more as still as a well. He went to the other side of the cavern and set up a barrier, making sure that whatever happened next would not affect A-Dong's spider cocoon.

Then he turned his wrist and took a jade box carved from cold jade out of his storage ring.

Inside lay an Immortal Herb shaped like a lotus, its entire body burning with sacred golden flames—the Nine-Radiance Golden Glazed Stamen.

Without the slightest hesitation, Qian Xunji pulled it out by the roots and swallowed it whole.

Boom—

The moment the Immortal Herb entered his throat, it didn't slide down his esophagus. Instead, it became a searing torrent of light, hot enough to melt refined iron, and violently burst through his extraordinary meridians. Qian Xunji grunted as the veins all over his body bulged. His long golden hair whipped wildly in the raging heat.

He immediately sat cross-legged and fiercely guarded his mind. The immense medicinal power rampaged through his body, repeatedly tearing apart the meridians that had only recently healed. Yet the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul's self-healing ability quickly rebuilt them. Each time they broke and were reforged, his meridians grew broader and tougher, like steel tempered a hundred times.

As the medicinal power dug ever deeper, the sacred Six-Winged Angel Phantom burst open behind Qian Xunji. Yet under the infusion of that ultimate source of light, the area beneath its shoulder blades began to swell violently.

Crack—

The sound of bones shifting echoed within the barrier. Qian Xunji clenched his teeth as cold sweat instantly steamed into white mist. He endured the agony of his flesh being torn apart, and amid a dazzling weave of blood-red light and golden radiance, a fourth pair of flawless white wings burst through his back!

Eight-Winged Angel!

The Martial Soul Origin's leap in evolution brought an unimpeded surge of Soul Power.

The peak of Level 96... Level 97... It smashed through each barrier like deadwood before finally settling firmly at Level 98!

Feeling the unfathomable Soul Power within him, vast as an ocean, Qian Xunji didn't hurry to open his eyes. Level 98 was indeed enough to let him rule the continent, but it still wasn't enough for the First Angel Trial bestowed by the Angel God King.

The God Trial required him to reach the summit—Level 99, a Peerless Douluo.

The distance from Level 98 to Level 99 seemed like a single step, yet it was as impassable as a heavenly chasm. Qian Xunji didn't slacken. Since the Nine-Radiance Golden Glazed Stamen still had medicinal power left, he would press on while the momentum lasted and knock on the door to the ultimate limit!

Time passed unmarked in the cavern. Spring gave way to autumn, and Qian Xunji sat like a golden statue, his aura cycling between violent surges and utter stillness.

It wasn't until four and a half years into his seclusion

that Qian Xunji's previously steady aura suddenly grew wildly chaotic. Thin threads of blood even seeped from his skin. The road to the limit was more perilous than he had imagined.

At that critical moment, Qian Xunji opened his eyes and took another Immortal Herb from his ring without hesitation—the Great Profound Heaven-Blending Spirit Ginseng. This was a supreme Immortal Herb that consolidated one's foundation and nourished the body. It had no elemental bias, and its sole effect was to suppress backlash and stabilize one's origin.

He bit into the ginseng. Its mellow, gentle medicinal power instantly became countless clear streams, flowing into his limbs and bones. It subdued and suppressed his boiling, rampaging Soul Power, forcibly repairing his damaged foundation.

Thanks to the Great Profound Heaven-Blending Spirit Ginseng, Qian Xunji dragged himself back from the brink of cultivation deviation and once again sank into a profound state of enlightenment.

Time passed, until five years and four months into his seclusion.

"Buzz—"

The air inside the cavern suddenly and strangely stilled for an instant. The next second, a terrifying, colorless and formless pressure burst out from the cavern in every direction. Qian Xunji slowly opened his eyes.

Level 99, a Peerless Douluo!

Almost the instant he broke through, the golden Angel Mark between his brows suddenly grew hot. The Angel God King's grand voice rang in his mind right on time:

[First Angel Trial partially complete]

Qian Xunji let out a long breath of turbid air tinged with pale gold, then stood and stretched his stiff muscles and bones after five and a half years.

Breaking through to Level 99 had truly been no easy feat. He had only managed it by relying on Immortal Herbs and Martial Soul Evolution, and even then, it had taken nearly six years. Ultimately, it came down to accumulating energy. Wasn't the cultivation infusion in the God Trial the same principle?

"The cultivation requirement for the First Trial is complete. Next, it's up to Tang San. By my reckoning, the boy should be nearly twelve this year. It's about time I went to see him."

He removed the barrier and took one last look at A-Dong's spider cocoon. Then his figure blurred, transforming in an instant into a barely perceptible streak of light that shot toward Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy.

Night draped the back hills of Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy like ink.

Dugu Bo was perched idly in the crown of a towering ancient tree, munching on fruit while keeping his spiritual power trained on the nearby dormitory. For the past five and a half years, he had faithfully done his duty, becoming the most diligent invisible guard at Nuoding Academy.

Suddenly, Dugu Bo froze with the fruit halfway to his mouth. Every hair on his body stood on end! To his horror, he realized the surrounding space had been completely locked down by an irresistible force. Even the Red Heaven Python Emperor Martial Soul inside him trembled.

"Old Poison, I appreciate your efforts."