A Date with Ye Lingling, Cultivating the Indestructible Diamond Body

The next morning, Heaven Dou Class.

Bai Yi arrived at the classroom just as class was about to begin.

At this moment, the classroom was packed with students, nearly all of whom were over fifteen years old.

As a result, most of them were about as tall as Bai Yi even while seated.

Bai Yi was likely the youngest student since Heaven Dou Class had been established.

In the front row, Dugu Yan and Yu Tianheng sat beside each other.

The two of them stared at Bai Yi in perfect unspoken coordination, as though they had already regarded him as their lifelong rival.

Ignoring everyone's gazes, Bai Yi fixed his eyes on a lonely, aloof figure in the corner and walked over.

Ye Lingling sat beside the window, her blue hair cascading like a waterfall.

A black veil covered most of her face, revealing only a pair of deep blue eyes.

From head to toe, she was draped in cool tones, seeming utterly out of place amid the entire class.

Bai Yi stopped before Ye Lingling and spoke softly first.

"Thank you for treating me yesterday. May I ask if you have time after class? I would like to talk with you."

Ye Lingling turned her head. Her voice remained cool and distant, as if it came from far away.

"Talk? I... am not very available."

She usually spoke very little in class. Other than treating people when participating in team battles, she was essentially a mute who kept to herself.

Much of that personality stemmed from her martial soul.

Bai Yi lowered his voice and spoke at a volume only Ye Lingling could hear.

"I have a way to solve the problem of your martial soul being passed down through only one bloodline. If you are interested, come find me after class tonight. We can discuss a deal."

Ye Lingling froze, silently meeting Bai Yi's gaze.

Her first instinct was disbelief. The person before her was merely an eight-year-old child. How could he possibly solve something even Titled Douluo were helpless against?

Yet everything astonishing that had happened yesterday gave her a sliver of hope.

After all, this was the problem she most desperately wanted solved.

After they looked at each other for a moment.

Ripples finally appeared in Ye Lingling's calm eyes.

"Alright. I'll come find you tonight."

Although her reply was quiet as well.

To the Soul Elders in the classroom, however, it was still perfectly clear.

The moment she spoke, the entire classroom erupted.

Most of the students began whispering among themselves, while some of the boys wailed endlessly.

"No, why? This kid is only eight, and he's already asking out an upperclassman? Who taught him this? What an inherently wicked little brat."

"Heh, is this the world of geniuses? Even the only goddess in my heart is within easy reach for them?"

Dugu Yan immediately lost her patience. She slapped the desk and strode over, glaring at Ye Lingling as she said.

"Lingling, what is wrong with you? How could you casually agree to this little brat's request? He hasn't even grown all his hair yet!"

Ye Lingling paused, then gently shook her head.

"Yan, it is not what you think."

Dugu Yan's expression became anxious.

"If it's not that, then what is it? This guy treated me like that yesterday. He even specifically hit... hit my butt! And you say it's not that?"

Bai Yi's face darkened.

"If you don't want my martial soul to whip your butt in front of the whole class right now, shut up and get back to your seat."

Dugu Yan's face flushed red with suppressed anger. She looked furious, but her injuries from yesterday still seemed to ache faintly.

Even though Ye Lingling had already treated them.

In the end, Dugu Yan gave Ye Lingling a resentful look, as if saying, See how awful this brat is? He even threatens people like this.

Seeing that, Ye Lingling merely sighed softly.

Bai Yi swept his gaze around the room, already remembering every good classmate who had secretly been discussing him.

He knew that the primary content of Heaven Dou Class was practical combat.

To become the best student, he would pay special attention to these classmates during practical combat lessons and help them improve their fighting abilities.

After class that evening.

Bai Yi left the classroom feeling refreshed.

During practical combat class today, he had beaten up quite a few classmates.

That also meant he had completed nearly half of the Second Trial of Heaven-Equal.

It had to be said that fighting humans felt completely different from fighting soul beasts.

Humans placed greater emphasis on the use of soul skills and techniques, as well as mutual compensation and coordination between different soul masters.

That was the greatest advantage of soul masters.

A team with seamless coordination could easily fight opponents above their level.

This had also been reflected in the original story.

If he wanted to further improve his actual combat ability later, perhaps he could challenge an entire team by himself.

Moreover, if he could master and simultaneously use the Body Outside Body Technique and the Seventy-Two Transformations.

Then he alone would no longer be merely a team, but an immortal army unafraid of losses!

Lost in thought, Bai Yi arrived at the small grove behind the Royal Academy.

Ye Lingling was already waiting beneath a tree.

This was the place they had agreed to meet.

When Ye Lingling saw Bai Yi, she was the first to speak instead.

"What is the method you mentioned?"

Rather than explaining the method immediately, Bai Yi analyzed the situation.

"The Nine Heart Begonia is the number one support-type tool martial soul on the continent. Yet precisely because it is so powerful, it has incurred heaven's jealousy. Only two Nine Heart Begonia soul masters can exist on the entire continent at the same time. Only after one bearer dies can a new inheritor possibly appear among their descendants."

"This is a restriction imposed by heaven and earth. To change such a situation, you either need to alter your martial soul or escape the restraints of heaven and earth."

Ye Lingling continued asking.

"Then do you have a way to solve it?"

Bai Yi nodded.

"I do. Hold out your hands first."

Ye Lingling hesitated for a while, but obediently extended both hands.

Her hands were exceptionally fair, seemingly untouched by sunlight for a long time, giving them a slightly unhealthy appearance.

Bai Yi extended his hands as well and gently placed them against Ye Lingling's palms.

As their four hands connected, Ye Lingling felt that Bai Yi's hands were extremely hot.

Then a warm and powerful energy flowed through her palms and entered her body.

This power was neither life, nor Destruction, nor spiritual power, much less Soul Power.

It was an indescribable force that made one feel transcendent.

It seemed like the divine power of legend, yet even more ethereal.

She felt her Soul Power become incomparably obedient, even seeming to carry a trace of eagerness to please that force.

My Soul Power is yearning to merge with it.

Ye Lingling was deeply shocked. She had never encountered such a force before. Even so-called divine power was no more than this.

What delighted her even more was that her Nine Heart Begonia martial soul had begun to change.

Every petal upon it breathed and grew freely, as though it were about to be reborn.

But just as Ye Lingling immersed herself in the sensation.

Bai Yi withdrew his hands. At the same time, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and he looked exhausted.

Ye Lingling came back to her senses reluctantly. Seeing Bai Yi's condition, she immediately became flustered.

She reached out to support his arm and asked with concern.

"Are you alright? Will this harm you in any way?"

Bai Yi pulled his arm back, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said.

"I'm fine. Using this talent simply consumes a lot of stamina. But you saw it yourself. My ability can indeed help your martial soul evolve or change."

He had thought about it for a while yesterday.

He discovered that the best way to make Ye Lingling willingly help him was to resolve the greatest difficulty in her heart.

Because of her martial soul, once Ye Lingling had a child, her mother would have to end her own life at an appropriate time to ensure the Nine Heart Begonia could be passed down.

Ye Lingling had experienced her grandmother's sacrifice and knew the fate of her family.

That was why she had been so lonely and aloof since childhood, rarely communicating with others.

Hearing that, Ye Lingling first removed her veil, revealing a cool and beautiful face.

Then she bowed deeply and said with absolute sincerity.

"Truly, thank you, Bai Yi. If you can help me solve my martial soul problem, I will do anything you ask."

With her veil removed, her entire face was exposed. She looked even paler than when she wore it, while some of the cool detachment in her brows faded, replaced by visible anticipation.

Bai Yi looked at her and answered.

"I can solve your martial soul problem, but I cannot do it yet."

Ye Lingling's gaze dimmed for an instant, but she quickly regained her calm.

"Then you mean you will be able to do it in the future?"

"Yes." Bai Yi nodded. "After I reach rank forty, Soul Ancestor."

He had come up with two methods last night.

The first was to use the mana from the Great Grade Heavenly Immortal Art to evolve Ye Lingling's martial soul on the level of life itself.

In Journey to the West, the Great Immortal Art of Grand Quality was a supreme cultivation method capable of allowing one to "leap beyond the Three Realms and escape the Five Elements."

This itself was a process of breaking rules and transcending fate.

However, his current cultivation level was still insufficient. Based on the test just now, he would likely need to reach Soul Ancestor before he possessed enough mana to fully transform it.

The second was to rely on the divine ability, the Seventy-Two Transformations.

In mythology, the Seventy-Two Transformations were not merely for changing one's appearance.

They were a great divine ability capable of evading the Three Calamities and altering one's own form.

Once cultivated to a deep level, they would most likely be able to directly transform a martial soul, fundamentally helping Ye Lingling evade the Nine Heart Begonia's heaven-imposed trait of being passed down through only one bloodline.

And he had an even bolder speculation.

If the Seventy-Two Transformations were paired with the Great Grade Heavenly Immortal Art, he might even be able to directly replicate a completely new, unrestricted Nine Heart Begonia martial soul.

Ye Lingling nodded without speaking.

However, her fingers released the hem of her skirt, and her breathing became steadier than before.

After a while, she asked, "What do you need me to do?"

Bai Yi looked at her, lowering his voice somewhat.

"I am cultivating a body-tempering technique called the Indestructible Diamond Body. The core principle is simple: repeatedly injure the body, then use rapid recovery to make it tougher during the healing process."

"My own recovery is too slow. If your Nine Heart Begonia can work with me, it can greatly increase my cultivation speed."

Ye Lingling fell silent for several seconds. She had seen many geniuses in Heaven Dou Class.

But someone insane enough to actively injure himself in order to cultivate his physique was a first.

"I can use the Nine Heart Begonia to help you," Ye Lingling said. "But I have one condition."

"Go ahead."

"Can you also help my mother?"

Bai Yi did not respond immediately.

Ye Lingling's mother had not been explained in detail in the original story.

But judging from the rule that it could only be passed down through one bloodline, her mother should still be alive right now. Yet as Ye Lingling grew stronger, her Nine Heart Begonia was likely already withering slowly.

This was the cruelest part of this martial soul.

As the new generation flourished, the old generation would decline.

"How is your mother's condition?" Bai Yi asked.

"Her body is becoming weaker and weaker, and her martial soul is slowly regressing."

Ye Lingling spoke, her voice still soft.

"Her Nine Heart Begonia can no longer bloom. It has grown worse over the past few years. If one day my child needs to awaken their martial soul, she may..."

She did not finish her sentence. Bai Yi understood.

"Alright."

Ye Lingling's tightly clenched fists finally relaxed.

She lowered her head, and at last a trace of warmth entered her voice. "Thank you."

Bai Yi rose from the tree root and patted the dirt from his pants.

"Then let's begin today. First, we'll train the first layer of the Indestructible Diamond."

"How do we train?"

Bai Yi looked around. After confirming that no one else was nearby, he immediately summoned the Golden Cudgel.

Then the second Soul Ring around him lit up, and a scorching, violent aura spread through the area.

The next moment.

Orange-red flames instantly ignited over Bai Yi's body, turning him into a human torch.

"You..." Ye Lingling covered her mouth in surprise. "Are you alright? Do you need me to keep healing you?"

"Not yet." Bai Yi refused. "I'll let you know when I need it."

Bai Yi gave up resisting and allowed his second soul skill, Earth Fire Dragon Flame, to burn his body freely.

The second Soul Ring of his Golden Cudgel came from an eight-thousand-year-old Red Flame Dragon Lizard.

He had acquired it precisely to temper his physique.

As long as his physique was strong enough, both his survivability and the Body Outside Body Technique he could unleash would become even more powerful.

After a while, parts of Bai Yi's flesh had been burned. Silently enduring the pain, he finally said in a low voice, "Heal me."

Ye Lingling immediately summoned her martial soul, waving her hand as petals fell onto Bai Yi's body.

White light gleamed, healing Bai Yi's body.

"Hiss..." Bai Yi let out a soft cry. The healing process was far from pleasant. There was a slight sense of comfort, but even more pain, along with the sore itch of flesh regenerating.

But he could clearly feel his physique growing stronger, as though he had been reborn.

Once Bai Yi said it was enough, Ye Lingling put away her martial soul and donned her veil again.

She looked at Bai Yi, waiting for his instructions.

Bai Yi moved his body a little and said:

"Let's stop here for today. Tomorrow night, I'll wait for you here again."

Ye Lingling gave a soft "Mm."

With that, Bai Yi turned and headed toward the dormitories.

After taking a few steps, he stopped again and said without looking back:

"I'll find a way to deal with your mother's situation. Don't worry."

Ye Lingling stood beneath the tree, watching that small figure walk farther and farther away until he vanished into the night.

She stood there for a long time before finally turning to leave.

The wind passed through the treetops, scattering the fallen leaves on the ground.

When Ye Lingling returned to the dormitory, Dugu Yan was sitting on her bed.

"You're back? That little brat didn't do anything to you, did he?"

Dugu Yan looked her up and down.

Ye Lingling shook her head. "He helped me."

"Helped you?" Dugu Yan looked utterly unconvinced. "What could he possibly help you with? That kid hasn't even grown all his hair in yet."

"Sister Yan." Ye Lingling interrupted her. Her voice was soft, but very serious. "Could you please stop talking about him like that?"

Dugu Yan opened her mouth, but in the end, she swallowed the rest of her words.

She looked into Ye Lingling's eyes and felt that she seemed somehow different from usual.

She couldn't say exactly what was different, but something was.

"Fine, fine, I won't say it."

Dugu Yan patted the bed. "So what did he help you with? Why do you look a little... happy?"

Ye Lingling did not answer. She merely walked to the window and glanced in the direction of Bai Yi's dormitory.

The night was deep, and nothing could be seen. But she felt that tonight's moon seemed a little brighter than usual.