"Uncle, how do you feel after your Martial Soul Evolution?"
By now, they had left Star Luo City far behind and were on their way to the Seven Kill Sect, riding in a carriage.
Chen Fan leaned against the cushions and looked at Chen Jianjun, who was resting with his eyes closed across from him. "How do you feel?"
"Very good."
Chen Jianjun nodded slightly. He glanced at Xu Jiuer and Xu Qinger, seated beside Chen Fan and pressed close to him, barely daring to breathe. He didn't avoid discussing it in front of them. With a faint nod, he said in a calm voice tinged with emotion, "This Martial Soul Evolution really did exceed my expectations!"
Meeting the Xu sisters' astonished, curious gazes, Chen Jianjun didn't hide anything. He raised his right hand, and a long sword appeared in his palm.
The blade was silver-white all over. Compared to the original Seven Kill Sword, it now bore two additional sword patterns, fine as strands of hair. Wisps of cold spread from the blade, making the temperature inside the carriage drop several degrees.
Xu Jiuer across from him couldn't help shivering. Xu Qinger instinctively shrank into Chen Fan's arms. When she realized what she'd done, her cheeks instantly flushed red.
"Hmm?"
Feeling the chill, Chen Fan looked surprised. "It's gained elemental power too?"
"That's right."
Noticing the others' discomfort, Chen Jianjun recalled his Martial Soul with a thought. "That Evolution Device you gave me is even more miraculous than I expected."
"My Martial Soul... shouldn't be called the Seven Kill Sword anymore. It should be called the Nine Kill Sword."
Chen Fan: "o((⊙﹏⊙))o?"
"Uncle, what did you say?"
"And it awakened an elemental power as well."
Chen Jianjun didn't answer Chen Fan's question. Instead, he continued on his own, "You felt it just now."
Chen Fan paused, then nodded. "I did."
"But... what's the difference between the Seven Kill Sword and the Nine Kill Sword?"
If the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda had become the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, Chen Fan might have understood. That would mean breaking through its former limit.
But...
Wasn't the Seven Kill Sword Martial Soul already naturally capable of breaking through to become a Titled Douluo?
"I can now detach all nine Soul Rings from their physical forms and merge them into my Martial Soul. I can use my Soul Skills whenever I please, without having to activate my Soul Rings."
Chen Fan's eyes widened. "It can do that?"
According to the BUG in the Soul Master system,
a Soul Master had to release their Martial Soul first, then manifest their Soul Rings before they could use Soul Skills.
Basically, it was impossible to use a Soul Skill without bringing out the Soul Ring.
But Chen Jianjun had completely bypassed that step.
It wasn't a direct increase in power, but it boosted his combat efficiency and offered advantages in several other areas.
If he'd previously been a Power Attack System Soul Master, now he'd gained an edge that made him something of an assassin as well.
Fast, precise, ruthless!
He could bring those qualities fully to bear!
"And that frost of yours..."
Chen Jianjun looked at him and nodded. "Exactly!"
"Not only can I conceal my Soul Rings and release my abilities whenever I want,"
"every Soul Skill I unleash now leaves a layer of frost behind."
"When I drew my sword in Taihe Hall that day, I'd already held back most of my strength. Even so, the cold froze the wounds wherever my blade passed."
He frowned slightly. "I've lived for over a hundred years, and I've never seen the Seven Kill Sword change like this."
"Zhu Buchun was a level ninety-five Agility Attack System Titled Douluo. By rights, she shouldn't have been unable to dodge even one strike. But once the cold spread, her movements slowed noticeably."
Chen Fan narrowed his eyes, his thoughts racing.
Frost...
Frost that could slow even a level ninety-five Titled Douluo!
That wasn't an ordinary ice attribute!
Could it be... Ultimate Ice?
No, it wasn't ice. It should be frost, right?
So...
Ultimate Frost?
After a pause, Chen Fan said nothing.
After all, the concept of an "Ultimate Attribute" had no established framework in the Douluo I era.
When he'd first blurted out the idea of a system in his haste, it had sounded rather bizarre.
Fortunately, Chen Jianjun had heard tales of deities, which had helped make the explanation plausible.
"So that means, Uncle, you could try fighting the Clear Sky Sect's leader?"
Chen Jianjun fell silent for a moment. He gave a slight nod, then shook his head, leaving Chen Fan confused. "What does that mean?"
"I heard that the Clear Sky Sect's leader has already stepped down and passed on his position. He's left."
After a pause, Chen Jianjun said, "I'm more curious about Qian Daoliu's swordsmanship."
As a sword fanatic consumed by his love of the blade, Chen Jianjun was far less interested in Tang Chen than he was in Qian Daoliu.
After all,
Qian Daoliu had made his name with the Angel Holy Sword. His mastery of swordsmanship was peerless!
"Uncle, don't act rashly. There's no need to go."
Chen Fan was genuinely worried that Chen Jianjun might get carried away and storm Spirit City to challenge Qian Daoliu.
He had to remember—
Qian Daoliu was the guardian and sacrificial offering of a deity.
Within Spirit City, he was practically the equivalent of Bo Saixi on Sea God Island, an existence unrivaled beneath the gods.
Chen Jianjun had Ultimate Frost, but if Chen Fan remembered correctly, the Six-Winged Angel also had Ultimate Fire, or perhaps Ultimate Light?
He wasn't sure!
But the Six-Winged Angel's purifying power was indeed formidable.
As one of only two hexagonal Martial Souls in Douluo I—the other belonged to Bo Saixi—it was absolutely no empty boast.
"Don't worry."
Chen Jianjun nodded slightly. "I only just came out of seclusion. I haven't stabilized my strength yet."
After a pause, he continued, "Besides, you're the most important thing right now."
"I may be old, but I can still tell what matters most."
Though Chen Jianjun was obsessed with swordsmanship, he knew how to weigh priorities. There was no way he'd go looking for Qian Daoliu now.
Hearing that, Chen Fan felt somewhat reassured. "Uncle, once we return to the sect, I'm planning to hold an open matchmaking event."
"Hmm?"
That caught Chen Jianjun by surprise. "You mean..."
"Our trip to Star Luo City should have made us famous. It's just that there are only a handful of promising candidates in the Star Luo Empire, and they're not good enough..."
After a pause, Chen Fan said, "It'd be better to open it up to the entire continent."
"At the same time, we can use the matchmaking event as a pretext to relax security within the sect and see who has their eyes on us."
Chen Jianjun nodded. His voice was calm, but filled with unshakable confidence. "On the Seven Kill Sect's territory, I'll suppress anyone who dares to cause trouble."
"Just do what you need to do. Don't hold back."
Chen Fan smiled and nodded, feeling much more at ease.
The carriage rolled on, crossing the main road outside Star Luo City and heading north toward the Seven Kill Sect.
Xu Jiuer and Xu Qinger sat across from them, listening to the conversation between the uncle and nephew. They couldn't understand most of it, but the comforting feeling of having someone powerful to rely on gradually eased their tightly clasped hands.