Become a Soul Douluo

As she pushed open the glass door, the afternoon sun struck her face, warm and dazzling, forcing her to squint.

Her heart hammered against her ribs, terrifyingly fast. Her palms were slick with sweat, and the strap of her cloth bag dug into her fingers, dampening them.

Hu Liena kept her head down, walking briskly out of the pedestrian street, the black sandals on her feet clicking sharply against the stone pavement.

There was only one thing she wanted to do right now.

Find a place with no one around and verify if she had truly reached level 81.

Hu Liena hurried along, passing through the academy's main gate, skirting the teaching building, and heading straight for the independent cultivation chamber area in the southeast corner of the campus.

This area was usually quiet; a row of blue-brick huts hid behind several large camphor trees, each chamber equipped with an individual soundproofing barrier specifically for senior students attempting to break through bottlenecks.

Hu Liena chose the innermost room, pushed the door open, and slid the bolt shut behind her.

The chamber was small, consisting of four stone walls, a stone bed, and a meditation cushion. A soul power lamp in the corner emitted a dim, amber glow.

Hu Liena stood in the center of the room, tossed her bag onto the stone bed, and closed her eyes.

She began to circulate her soul power. Looking inward, the pool of soul power in her dantian appeared in her perception instantly.

Hu Liena's breath hitched.

The capacity of her soul power pool had expanded.

It wasn't just a slight increase; it was a clear, visible expansion.

The depth of the pool was nearly double what it had been yesterday, and the concentration of soul power within was significantly higher. The liquid, once clear and transparent, now shimmered with a faint golden luster.

This was the qualitative transformation of soul power at the Soul Douluo level.

The gap between level 79 and level 81 was not merely a change in numbers.

Below level 80, one was a Soul Saint. Above level 81, one was a Soul Douluo. A single word of difference, yet a world of disparity.

Crossing this threshold brought a fundamental metamorphosis to the quality of one's soul power. The capacity of the meridians doubled, the power and duration of soul skills increased drastically, and even the body's recovery speed improved significantly.

Across the entire Douluo Continent, level 79 Soul Saints were as common as hair on an ox. One could find a handful in every major sect and every imperial elite unit.

But level 80 was a threshold; reaching it allowed one to absorb a soul ring and become a Soul Douluo.

Countless geniuses had been stuck at the level 79 bottleneck for three, five, or even ten years. Some never managed to cross it, remaining level 79 until their dying day.

Hu Liena had also assumed she would be stuck at this hurdle for a long time.

Her mentor, Poseidon, had said that based on her current cultivation speed and talent, an optimistic estimate for a breakthrough was two to three years. Pessimistically, five.

Three years. When Poseidon said that, Hu Liena hadn't said a word, but her heart had felt heavy.

In three years, who knew where Qian Renxue would have gone? As for the position of student council president, that would be even further out of reach.

But now, Hu Liena opened her eyes.

She slowly raised her right hand, soul power condensing in her palm. A ball of golden light emerged, and warm energy overflowed from her hand, illuminating the entire chamber.

Gold!

At level 79, her soul power had been silver-white.

Now, it was gold.

This was the soul power of a Soul Douluo.

Hu Liena withdrew her soul power, the golden light dissipated, and the chamber plunged back into darkness.

She sat on the meditation cushion, legs crossed, her light purple skirt spread over her knees.

Her mind was a mess, a swarm of thoughts crowding together.

First, the academy's upper management had rejected Vice Dean Poseidon's proposal.

Poseidon had wanted Hu Liena to directly succeed as student council president, arguing that Qian Renxue had already served three consecutive terms and it was time for a rotation. But Bibi Dong's side disagreed, insisting on following formal procedures and a vote by the upper management.

If they wanted to follow formal procedures, so be it; Hu Liena wasn't afraid of a vote.

But Bibi Dong had added a condition: if the votes were tied, the two candidates would engage in a public duel, and the winner would take the position.

This condition had cornered Hu Liena.

Qian Renxue was a level 79 Soul Saint and Bibi Dong's personal disciple.

Hu Liena was also a level 79 Soul Saint and Poseidon's personal disciple.

Same level, same major realm, but Qian Renxue had more combat experience, and her martial soul was an Angel—a perfect blend of offense and defense with an incredibly wide range of counters.

In a head-on fight, Hu Liena had no confidence in winning.

She had analyzed it with Poseidon in private several times, and each time the conclusion was a four-six split, with her being the four.

But now it was different—level 81!

Although it was only a two-level difference, this level crossed a major realm. The quality of soul power, the power of soul skills, and all physical attributes were now completely superior.

Against Qian Renxue, her odds of winning were at least seventy, perhaps even eighty percent!

At this thought, the corners of Hu Liena's mouth curled upward uncontrollably.

Secondly.

Becoming a Douluo would bring massive benefits to her mentor, Poseidon.

Spirit bones, spirit rings, medicinal herbs, and more. Furthermore, it would serve as a significant bonus point in the next election for academy dean.

Poseidon would certainly be overjoyed to learn this news.

Third.

The academy possesses a high-level secret realm, closed year-round and accessible only to faculty and students at the Douluo level or above. It is said to contain all sorts of rare cultivation resources: ten-thousand-year spirit herbs, natural spirit power springs, and even a few fossilized spirit bones of unknown age.

Hu Liena had coveted that secret realm for a long time. Every time she passed by its entrance and saw the words "Entry restricted to level 80 and above" inscribed on the tightly sealed stone door, her heart would itch with desire.

Now, she was qualified to enter.

Hu Liena stood up from her prayer mat, walked to the stone bed, and rummaged through her cloth bag to retrieve the small fox doll.

The orange-red velvet looked a shade darker under the dim light, but it still felt soft and warm to the touch.

She held the little fox up before her eyes, staring into its two black-bean eyes for several seconds.

Just what kind of background do you have...

The little fox, of course, could not answer her, and Hu Liena recalled the message from the Crystal Ball transmission once more.

Bonus prize: Spirit power level +3. Subject to Ordinary Member restrictions, the gifted level cannot exceed level 81.

If not for the Ordinary Member restrictions, she would be level 82.

What a waste of a level.

How does one upgrade their membership?

Hu Liena closed her eyes, recalling the information in her mind.

Helping the shopkeeper with chores or gaining the shopkeeper's favor can both increase experience points. One can upgrade to a Supreme Member at the highest level.

Helping the shopkeeper with chores was easy enough to understand. It just meant going to that little shop to wipe tables and sweep the floor.

The phrase "gaining the shopkeeper's favor" made Hu Liena ponder for quite a while.

The shopkeeper was that man named Qin Chuan. He looked utterly unremarkable and spoke in a very ordinary way.

Gaining his favor must mean making him have a good impression of her, right?

Hu Liena stuffed the little fox back into her cloth bag and paced back and forth in the secret chamber twice, the sound of her sandals clicking against the stone floor echoing between the four walls.

She made a decision: tonight, she would invite that Qin Chuan to a meal.

First, she would get familiar with him and make his acquaintance.

She could figure out how to raise her membership level slowly later on.

Hu Liena pulled back the bolt and pushed the door open; the sunlight from outside flooded in all at once.

She squinted as she stepped out of the secret chamber, a faint curve playing on her lips.

Her steps were much lighter and more brisk than when she had arrived.