Han Yu stood tall, breathing slightly hard, his lips faintly pale. At his current level, forcibly unleashing his sword intent took a tremendous toll.
Seeing this, Chen Xin's eyes held a note of appreciation. He nodded in satisfaction.
Beside him, Dugu Bo's lips parted, but no words came out. His hands trembled.
"Your Excellency Chen Xin, that was... sword intent?!"
A smile he could barely suppress appeared at the corner of Chen Xin's mouth. "That's right. Han Yu has cultivated sword intent of his own."
Dugu Bo stared deeply at Han Yu and swallowed hard, disbelief written all over his face.
For the sword prodigy Chen Xin, who rarely praised anyone, to speak up and commend him—just how heaven-defying was this talent?
Han Yu turned and nodded to the two men, then sat cross-legged on the spot. As the Soul Power concentration increased, he quickly recovered.
Once he had finished adjusting his condition, he beckoned the Soul Ring over with a wave of his hand and closed his eyes, focusing his mind.
The deep-purple Soul Ring descended from above his head. The instant it enveloped him, a terrifying surge of energy rushed into his body, crashing against the inner walls of his meridians like towering waves.
After being tempered by the two Immortal Herbs, his meridians had long since become exceptionally resilient, and they easily dispelled the chaotic Soul Power.
A nearly transparent phantom drifted out of the Soul Ring. It gave a few roars, then faded into nothingness.
Han Yu hadn't even needed to use the Evil-Warding Divine Thunder. His own formidable physique had carried him through the most difficult stage with ease. He hadn't even gotten serious, and it was already nearly over.
Time passed quietly.
Half an hour later, an aura burst from Han Yu.
He smiled. "Teacher, I succeeded. My Soul Power has reached Level 32."
"Level 32? You took two Immortal Herbs. Why did your Soul Power increase so little?" Chen Xin asked in puzzlement.
They had all taken Immortal Herbs, yet Chen Xin had broken through the bottleneck at Level 96, Gu Rong's Martial Soul had evolved and he had reached Level 96, while Ning Rongrong had gained as many as six levels.
By contrast, Han Yu had taken three Immortal Herbs in total, yet his Soul Power had barely increased.
Han Yu laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "Teacher, I've already gained a great deal. Those two Immortal Herbs mainly strengthened my meridians and physique, giving me greater potential. They also came with immunity to ice and fire elements."
He considered the gains enormous. Those two Immortal Herbs were the most precious treasures in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. A little less Soul Power was no big deal; he could cultivate it back in time.
Chen Xin's eyes shifted slightly, and he nodded.
With that, and the golden lightning protecting his meridians, Han Yu truly had the confidence to challenge a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.
Han Yu beamed, his voice brimming with excitement. "My third Soul Skill is called Thousand Faces. It's similar to the Thousand-Faced Stone Ghoul's ability to distort space. Within the array's range, I can freely manipulate light, sound, and space."
As he spoke, he raised a hand and swept it across the Mystic Array Disk, his Martial Soul.
His body began to rise into the air. He walked across empty space, then instantly split into dozens of figures, making it impossible to tell which one was real.
Han Yu's Soul Skill wasn't an illusion. Instead, it overlaid a duplicate layer onto the real world, fundamentally twisting the way the world worked within that layer and shaping it however he pleased.
Chen Xin's eyes lit up. He smiled and nodded. "Interesting, but you still need plenty of practice."
He raised a finger and flicked it lightly. A concentrated bolt of Soul Power smacked the real Han Yu on the head.
The scene shattered. Han Yu stood where he was, clutching his head in pain, and gave an awkward smile.
No matter how powerful a Soul Skill was, everything ultimately depended on the difference in strength between the two sides. If the gap was too great, then just as Chen Xin had shown, immense spiritual power could easily reveal Han Yu hiding right beside him.
A heaven-defying Soul Skill that ignored differences in level would need to be at least a hundred-thousand-year skill.
"Congratulations, Holy Son." Dugu Bo came over with a broad smile, practically oozing eagerness to please.
"All right, let's keep going deeper. We'll look for a higher-year Soul Ring next." Chen Xin turned his gaze toward the depths of the core area.
That nine-thousand-year Soul Ring had been nothing for Han Yu. Now Chen Xin could boldly choose Soul Beasts for him. Back when he had hunted Soul Rings, he had surveyed all the Soul Beasts in the area that were over ten thousand years old. Now it was finally his turn to show what he could do.
Han Yu and Dugu Bo nodded in agreement.
The three immediately set off toward the depths of the core area.
They had only just reached the outskirts of the inner region when they heard the sounds of battle ahead.
Chen Xin and Dugu Bo exchanged a glance and nodded in silent understanding. They shielded Han Yu between them, one in front and one behind, and continued forward.
Through the layers of tree trunks, they saw a disordered patch of grass ahead.
A black-haired young man wreathed in yellow flames was locked in fierce combat with a Soul Beast. Beneath his feet floated five Soul Rings: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, purple.
The Soul Beast was nearly four meters long, its body covered in a hard shell, with two powerful tusks.
It was a Rock-Armored Pig. Judging by its size and strength, it was already fifteen thousand years old.
The young man wore a dark-blue instructor's uniform edged in gold, with clear signs of wear and mending at the elbows and knees. Facing the Rock-Armored Pig's ferocious attacks, he showed not the slightest fear. He adjusted his steps precisely, searching for an opening to counterattack—clear proof of his extensive combat experience.
A hint of approval showed in Chen Xin's eyes. "Not bad. He looks about thirty. His combat skills are very solid, and he handles danger with great experience. His Soul Power Level is a little low, though."
Han Yu looked at the man's face, surprise appearing on his own.
Qin Ming—the first person lucky enough to leave Shrek Academy. A naturally gifted talent, and one of the youngest Soul Emperors on the continent.
Such a rare genius had had his future ruined by a third-rate academy with no cultivation resources whatsoever, where all the instruction came from fighting Soul Beasts in the field, and which couldn't even provide a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring for his fifth ring.
As Shrek Academy's first college student, even after graduating, he had continued to be used as a signboard for its swindling. They had even used the pretense of repaying the academy to hit him up for money. Truly pitiful. Truly tragic.
A hint of pity flashed through Han Yu's eyes, and he shook his head gently.
"Your Excellency Chen Xin, Holy Son, this man is my granddaughter's teacher. He's an upright person. Could you save him?" Dugu Bo asked slowly, cupping his hands.
Chen Xin and Han Yu nodded.
Dugu Bo vanished, reappearing in front of Qin Ming. He lifted the Rock-Armored Pig with one hand and hurled it away with all his might, sending the angry little pig flying.
Qin Ming clenched his teeth, ignored the wounds on his body, and bowed. "Qin Ming pays his respects to Your Excellency Poison Douluo. Thank you for saving my life."
"You're already close to the depths of the core area. Leave at once." Dugu Bo waved a hand, his tone cool.
"Your Excellency, Dugu Yan has gone missing. It's all my fault. I beg you to punish me." Qin Ming pressed his lips together, gently closed his eyes, and lowered his head. His voice trembled.
"Uh, didn't I tell you? Yanyan joined the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. She's already returned to the sect." Dugu Bo froze.
Qin Ming opened his eyes, mouth hanging open, unsure what to say. He let out a long breath. He didn't seem upset by the news, and the worry on his face had eased considerably.