Spring turned to autumn, and three years slipped by in the blink of an eye.
Qin Chuan had also spent three years soaking in the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well—though only a few hours each day.
During his arduous cultivation, Qin Chuan sensed his Soul Power reaching its limit. He slowly opened his eyes.
His cultivation had broken through to level 50, bringing him to a bottleneck. As soon as he absorbed any Soul Ring, he would become a Soul King.
A fifteen-year-old Soul King was already enough to astonish the world. And yet, only two white Soul Rings circled him. If word of this got out, it would shake the entire Douluo Continent.
At the same time, after three years of refinement, his Six Paths Reincarnation Eye had advanced from the First Heaven to the Second Heaven. Six purple Samsara Patterns slowly revolved within his pupils, radiating an immense, world-defying pressure.
"Three years of arduous cultivation, and I've finally reached a bottleneck."
Qin Chuan let out a long breath, stood, and stretched. His bones cracked one after another.
A surge of immense power flowed through every inch of his body, letting him feel just how profoundly his strength had transformed.
The Second Heaven of the Six Paths Reincarnation Eye unlocked two abilities—repulsion and attraction.
An idea struck Qin Chuan. He named them Shinra Tensei and Bansho Ten'in, and a smile tugged at his lips.
Over these three years, he had also completely cured Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan of the poison that had plagued them for years.
Afterward, Dugu Bo and he had become friends despite their great difference in age. And through their day-to-day companionship, Dugu Yan had quietly developed feelings for him.
Aside from that, Qin Chuan had also visited Shrek Academy during these three years. He had brought precious Immortal Herbs for Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing, helping them break through. They had agreed to meet again when they turned eighteen.
Returning to the present, Qin Chuan opened the system panel and checked his status:
[Congratulations, Host. Current Level: 50 (bottleneck reached). Twin Martial Souls: (Heavenly Dao) Illusion Bell, Zhu Xian Sword] [Heavenly Dao Power: Six Paths Reincarnation Eye (Second Heaven) (Current EXP: 5/50) (Heavenly Dao Skills: detection within 10 kilometers, repulsion, attraction)] ['Evil Cultivator Soul Master' quest unlocked: collect nine white Soul Rings for your Martial Soul, 'Illusion Bell.' Quest reward: Time Stasis Domain!]
"Time Stasis Domain! Not bad. From now on, whoever I want to freeze in time, I can freeze in time! Time to head out and hunt for Soul Rings!"
Qin Chuan rose to his feet and extended his left hand. At a thought, purple light shimmered, and the now magnificent, mysterious Illusion Bell floated quietly in his palm.
Then he extended his right hand.
An aura far more terrifying and sharper than the Illusion Bell's burst from his right hand!
Buzz!
With a sword cry that seemed capable of cleaving souls, an ancient, desolate longsword brimming with destructive power appeared in his grasp!
The sword was long and narrow, its blade covered in strange patterns like dragon scales. Its edge was thin as a cicada's wing, yet radiated a sharpness that could rend space.
An unknown black gem was set in the guard, as though it could devour all light.
Twin Martial Souls!
As his Martial Souls awakened, a flood of information appeared in his mind.
Zhu Xian Sword! Once wielded by an ancient Samsara deity, it was a peerless weapon of slaughter that had drunk the blood of gods and demons!
Twin Martial Souls!
One was the Heavenly Dao Illusion Bell, which commanded the mind and soul!
The other was the Zhu Xian Sword, which reigned over slaughter and destruction!
Tang San, what does that Twin Martial Soul you're so proud of amount to in front of me? Qin Chuan thought to himself, his gaze growing calm and profound.
Following the directions Dugu Bo had given him, Qin Chuan found his bearings.
He set off, leaving Sunset Forest behind and heading toward Star Dou Great Forest.
His pace wasn't fast, but with every step, his figure vanished from where he stood and appeared a hundred meters away the next second.
He crossed a hundred paces in a single step, as easily as walking on level ground.
An hour later.
Deep in Star Dou Great Forest, Qin Chuan stopped beneath a towering tree.
Its trunk was so thick that three people couldn't encircle it with their arms. Dark green moss covered the bark, and black beetles no bigger than fingernails crawled in and out of the cracks.
Qin Chuan raised his head and peered at the sky through gaps in the dense canopy.
The sun had passed its peak. Its light had slanted down to a forty-five-degree angle, casting his face half in shadow.
He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.
The air in his chest was chilly, carrying the scent of rotting leaves and an indefinable, metallic sweetness.
"Six Paths Reincarnation Eye, open!"
As the words left his mouth, Qin Chuan opened his eyes.
Six purple rings lit up one after another in his formerly black pupils, circling within one another as they slowly revolved.
The world abruptly changed before his eyes.
Color vanished, replaced by layers upon layers of energy lines.
Every tree, every rock, every inch of soil became a transparent framework. He could see the flow of energy inside them with perfect clarity.
And the living creatures hidden among the trees were even easier to spot.
Ten kilometers.
Qin Chuan's perception covered every inch of land within a ten-kilometer radius.
Three kilometers to the north, an Iron-Armored Rhino was wallowing in a mud pit.
It was about as large as a carriage. Its iron-gray hide glistened with mud, and three rows of bony spikes ran along its back. The longest was half a meter tall.
It licked one of its forehooves with its rough tongue, then shook itself, sending mud flying. Every so often, it snorted, puffing out two clouds of white breath.
Five thousand years.
Qin Chuan's Samsara Eye locked onto the concentration of Soul Power in its body and calculated its age.
"Too young."
Qin Chuan shook his head and continued scanning.
Five kilometers to the southeast, behind a pile of rubble, two Two-Headed Demon Wolves were tearing into a deer that was already dead.
Each wolf had two heads, and all four were crowded together, fighting over the meat. Blood dripped from their jaws and spread into dark-red stains across the stones.
One wolf had its left head clamped around the deer's leg, while its right head bit its companion's ear. The two immediately grappled, flinging the venison far away.
Eight thousand years.
Qin Chuan barely spared them a glance.
Seven kilometers to the southwest, in a clearing deep in the forest, a Blazing Demon Lion was dozing on a black rock heated by the sun.
Its mane was deep red, glinting faintly in the sunlight. The heat rolling off its body warped the air around it, making it look like a solid mass of flame from a distance.
The tip of its tail flicked now and then. Each time it did, a wisp of white smoke rose from the grass it swept.
Ten thousand years.
"Not quite enough," Qin Chuan muttered to himself.
Eight kilometers to the east, a giant python was coiled between three trees.
Its body was as thick as a water vat, and purple lightning patterns covered its scales. Tiny arcs of electricity danced in the gaps between each scale.
It rested its head on its coiled body, eyes half-closed, its forked tongue flicking out now and then to sense vibrations in the air.
A twelve-thousand-year-old Thunder-Patterned Giant Python.
Qin Chuan's gaze lingered on it for a second.
Twelve thousand years. According to Yu Xiaogang's theory, that was the maximum age a level-50 Soul Ancestor could absorb.
But Qin Chuan didn't take it seriously at all.
His target was far beyond that.
At last, Qin Chuan's gaze settled on the edge of a marsh nine kilometers to the northwest.
A giant crocodile, over fifteen meters long, floated on the water's surface, revealing only half its head and a strip of its back.
It was dark green all over. Its back was armored with rows of scales like stone slabs embedded in its flesh, each one as large as a washbasin.
Its eyes were half-open, golden pupils fixed on a group of small Soul Beasts drinking at the water's edge.
A fifteen-thousand-year-old Cyan Crocodile.
"Not enough." Qin Chuan drew back his gaze and uttered two words.
Three years ago, any one of these Soul Beasts could have killed him.
But now, not one of them qualified to become the first Soul Ring of his Zhu Xian Sword.