Assessment Complete

After Xuan Qing left the office, he let out a sigh of relief.

He returned to his dormitory, packed his luggage simply, and left the city to head toward the village.

By the time he returned to his dilapidated little shack, the sky had already darkened. He ate a quick meal and burrowed into his space early to cultivate.

Tonight felt exceptionally different; the soul power within his body surged like the sea. He calmed his mind to circulate the Chaos Yin-Yang Canon, frantically absorbing the soul power within the space.

He did not know how much time had passed when a crisp sound echoed from within his body, as if something had shattered.

Immediately following, his soul power skyrocketed, successfully breaking through to the tenth level.

At the same time, a majestic voice resounded in his mind.

[Azure Dragon God Trial First Trial: Reach level ten soul power within one year, completed.]

[Reward: Azure Dragon bloodline purification.]

[Trial duration: one year; time taken: half a year; exceeded expectations, additional reward: one use of a God King-level Azure Dragon phantom!]

Before Xuan Qing could react, the voice continued.

[Azure Dragon God Trial Second Trial: Reach level twenty soul power within two years and master one Self-Created Soul Skill.]

[Reward: Innate Soul Power increased by one level!]

[Failure penalty: Eradication!]

"What the hell is this?"

"Ah~~!"

No sooner had Xuan Qing muttered this than a sharp pain suddenly struck. He felt as if his entire body were about to explode; fine beads of blood seeped from his skin, and in the blink of an eye, he became a blood-soaked man.

The phantom of the Green Scale Python behind him emerged automatically, emitting a painful hiss. The python's body began to twist and deform, its scales peeling off one by one only to be replaced by new ones.

Xuan Qing rolled on the ground in agony, nearly fainting. He did not know how long it lasted before the hissing turned into a deep, resonant dragon roar, and the Green Scale Python completely changed its appearance.

Its body resembled a snake, its head a Qilin, its tail a carp; it grew long whiskers on its face, its antlers were like a deer's, and its five claws were razor-sharp. The freak that was half-dragon and half-snake had completely transformed into an Azure Dragon!

The Azure Dragon phantom roared toward the sky, its dragon cry shaking the very space around it. It soared into the sky, and thunder instantly rumbled all around; a massive expanse of dark clouds gathered, shrouding a hundred-meter radius.

A light drizzle began to fall, turning into a torrential downpour in the blink of an eye. As the rainwater washed over Xuan Qing, his wounds healed rapidly.

The pain receded quickly, and Xuan Qing lay on the ground, staring blankly at the scene.

"Is... is this? The Azure Dragon's ability to summon wind and rain?" Although it was only a hundred-meter radius, it was truly raining.

The Little Qilin hopped over from the side, its body suddenly beginning to grow, transforming from the size of a palm to the size of a pony in the blink of an eye.

Auspicious Cloud rose beneath its feet, lifting it into the air to hover alongside the Azure Dragon phantom.

Watching this scene, Xuan Qing whispered, "The Qilin treads on Auspicious Cloud, and the world's hundred tribulations vanish?"

The Qilin turned its head to look at him, its gaze seeming to say that he had finally earned its recognition.

Then, both returned to Xuan Qing's body, and he felt two powerful forces added to his core.

Xuan Qing walked to the side of the altar and looked at the long spear stuck in the ground, which he had been unable to pull out before.

Now, as his right hand gripped the spear handle, the long spear emitted a light hum before turning into a stream of light and merging into his right hand.

Information instantly flooded his mind, and Xuan Qing was slightly stunned.

"Azure Sky Demon-Breaking Spear? What an imposing name."

He carefully sensed the spear's abilities: "Isn't this a bit too overbearing?"

Effect one: Ignore all defenses.

Effect two: If the enemy is tainted with the aura of an Azure Dragon, damage is directly doubled.

Effect three: Bound to the owner! If others attempt to seize it by force, their life force will drain away by percentage, feeding back into the world.

Xuan Qing's expression was a bit strange.

The Qilin Seal also had a similar protective mechanism, but it merely transformed into a great mountain to suppress others, much like a certain monkey.

However, the Azure Sky Demon-Breaking Spear was designed entirely to kill the opponent. If the Qilin Seal's protective mechanism was a relatively gentle numerical value, then the Azure Sky Demon-Breaking Spear was half numerical and half mechanical.

Gentle? That didn't exist; it was all about taking lives.

He scratched his head. According to his understanding, the Azure Dragon should have been the image of a wise man compared to the others.

How did it feel like this Azure Dragon was even more irritable than the Vermilion Bird and the White Tiger?

"Wait!"

Xuan Qing suddenly discovered the key point.

"Life force draining and feeding back into the world? Does this count as a kind of benevolence from a wise man?"

With a thought, the Azure Sky Demon-Breaking Spear appeared in his hand, the spear body a cyan-blue, shimmering with a metallic luster.

The spear tip glinted with a cold light, looking sharp enough to cut; Xuan Qing swung it around casually.

He had never studied spear techniques, but he had seen plenty of pigs run even if he hadn't eaten pork; surely he could manage a few basic moves?

He summoned the Qilin Seal again. Now, this great seal was extremely easy to use, as if it were an extension of his own arm. Where there had been a sense of stiffness before, now he could smash it out with a single thought.

Xuan Qing nodded in satisfaction, exited the space, and discovered that it was already broad daylight.

He greeted the village chief, "Uncle, I'm heading back to the city now."

The village chief was feeding the chickens; he looked up and replied with a smile, "Stay safe."

Xuan Qing waved his hand, turned, and walked toward Tianyuan City. He needed to buy some supplies to prepare for hunting a soul ring.

Upon entering the city, he headed straight for a general store to buy thirty days' worth of dry rations and water skins. He didn't need anything else, as there was even a soft, large bed inside his space.

Therefore, he didn't need to worry about a place to sleep at all. If he encountered danger, he could simply hide inside, but there was truly no food or drink in there, so he had to prepare in advance.

He was going to the Star Dou Forest. The Soul Hunting Forest wouldn't do; the variety of soul beasts there was too limited, and their ages were too low.

What he was looking for was a sub-dragon soul beast over five hundred years old with either a wood attribute or a lightning attribute—ideally, both!

Soul beasts of this type were not to be trifled with, and the Soul Hunting Forest would never allow such existences to remain; only wild soul beast forests would suffice.

Xuan Qing did not choose to set off during the day; he waited until nightfall before quietly leaving the city.

This was because he could now fly. The evolution of his Azure Dragon Martial Soul and the complete fusion of his Qilin Martial Soul had brought him new abilities.

Not only could he fly through the air, but he could also ride an Auspicious Cloud just like a Qilin. It felt soft and cushiony to step on, and its speed was not slow either.

Flying during the day was too conspicuous. In this era, only Titled Douluo could fly without the aid of wings. If he were seen, he would likely be targeted, and his small frame couldn't handle that right now.

Moreover, going to the Star Dou Forest required crossing the Tianyuan Abyss. Walk across that iron chain bridge himself? Forget it. He was afraid of heights; his legs would turn to jelly just standing on it. It was better to just fly across and save the trouble.

Xuan Qing found a secluded corner, and with a thought, an Auspicious Cloud rose beneath his feet. He stepped onto it cautiously, and the Auspicious Cloud lifted him slowly into the air.

"It's actually quite stable."

Xuan Qing breathed a sigh of relief and steered the Auspicious Cloud toward the Tianyuan Abyss. A blurred shadow streaked over the city wall under the night sky.

When he flew over the Tianyuan Abyss, Xuan Qing subconsciously glanced down. The abyss was pitch black and bottomless.

He hurriedly looked ahead, his heart trembling. He sped up to fly over this ghastly place, his legs still feeling a bit weak after landing.

Xuan Qing patted his chest and set off in the direction of the Star Dou Forest. For the next two days, he slept during the day and traveled at night. The speed of the Auspicious Cloud was not fast, mainly because he was too weak right now and simply couldn't fly quickly.

When hungry, he gnawed on dry rations; when thirsty, he drank water; when sleepy, he simply entered his space to take a good nap.

The Star Dou Forest looked close, but it would take some time to actually fly there. Fortunately, he was in no rush.