Nascent Soul Stage! Remelting the Martial Soul, Jade Poison Python!

"At our Covering Moon Sect, only those who reach the Nascent Soul stage are qualified to become Supreme Elders and command the sect's true foundations."

Upon hearing the description of the Nascent Soul stage, all the Titled Douluo of Douluo Continent fell silent.

Shrinking the Earth into an Inch.

As long as the Nascent Soul remained intact, one would not die.

Such life-preserving methods and spatial divine abilities were simply unimaginable on Douluo Continent.

Shi Nian had not died unjustly at all. He had not even been qualified to touch a single hair on his opponent's head.

"Then... what lies above the Nascent Soul stage?" Meng Yiran swallowed hard and boldly continued her questioning.

Fairy Nishang took a deep breath, her expression becoming incomparably solemn.

"Above the Nascent Soul stage lies the pinnacle of the human world: the Deity Transformation stage."

"Great cultivators at the Deity Transformation stage possess lifespans exceeding two thousand years."

"They can already initially mobilize the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for their own use. Every gesture carries the might to destroy heaven and earth."

"Figures like that have not appeared in the Southern Heaven Cultivation World for thousands of years."

"Of course, it may simply be that I know too little."

"They usually hide away in famous mountains and great rivers, cultivating in seclusion and ignoring worldly affairs."

"Because their sole goal is to suppress their cultivation and search for spatial nodes..."

At this point, Fairy Nishang paused slightly. Then she raised her head toward the dome of the great hall, as though her gaze had pierced through the void.

"To find spatial nodes and ascend to a higher-dimensional plane."

"The Spirit Realm!"

At those words, all of Douluo Continent erupted once more.

The Deity Transformation stage.

The pinnacle of the human world—terrifying beings capable of mobilizing the laws of heaven and earth.

But what had Fairy Nishang just said?

The sole pursuit of such terrifying Deity Transformation cultivators was to find spatial nodes and ascend to the Spirit Realm?

What did that mean?

It meant that the gods they revered on Douluo Continent might, in this Mortal Cultivation World, have merely obtained a ticket to a higher plane!

Douluo God Realm.

Inside the grand hall of the Divine Realm Committee.

The five God Kings, who had originally looked down on Han Li, were now all frozen in their seats.

The red light in the God of Slaughter's eyes flickered violently, and even the hand gripping the Asura Demon Sword trembled faintly.

"The Deity Transformation stage... ascending to the Spirit Realm..."

The Sea God abruptly rose to his feet, his face filled with disbelief.

"Impossible!"

"Our God Realm is already the highest dimension of this universe, governing hundreds or thousands of lower planes like Douluo Continent."

"How could there possibly be a world of a higher dimension than ours?"

The Sea God's voice carried the panic of pride that had been exposed.

The purple-black currents around the God of Destruction churned madly, revealing the extreme turmoil in his heart.

"Deity Transformation cultivators can mobilize the spiritual energy of heaven and earth..."

"Isn't that the same method we gods use to call upon divine power?"

"If the Deity Transformation stage is merely the minimum threshold for entering that Spirit Realm..."

"Then what level are the native beings of the Spirit Realm at?"

At that, the God Kings exchanged glances, each seeing deep fear in the others' eyes.

They had always believed themselves to be lofty players moving pieces on the board.

Yet a few words from the light screen had directly overturned the chessboard.

It told them that they were not even comparable to another world's outer sect disciples!

What made them despair even more was this.

The heavenly screen had mentioned earlier that above the Spirit Realm, there was an even more vast and boundless Immortal Realm!

Compared to existences of that level, these so-called Douluo God Kings...

They might amount to something in the human world, but what about in the Spirit Realm and the Immortal Realm?

That was hard to say.

Meanwhile, on Douluo Continent.

Shrek Academy, on the training grounds.

Silence filled the air.

Everyone stood with their mouths agape, their minds buzzing.

Tang San stood rooted to the spot, his hands and feet turning cold.

"Even the Buddha Fury Tang Lotus, the most powerful hidden weapon of the Tang Sect in my previous life, could at most deal with an unprepared Foundation Establishment cultivator, right?"

"If it encountered a great Core Formation cultivator, their protective spiritual radiance or natal magic treasure would automatically defend them. The Buddha Fury Tang Lotus wouldn't even be able to break through their defenses."

For the first time, Tang San deeply doubted his hidden weapons.

He raised his head and looked at Yu Xiaogang standing ahead of him.

Yu Xiaogang's legs had already gone weak, and he collapsed onto the ground.

His theories, his ten core competencies.

Before this vast and despair-inducing cultivation system, they were as ridiculous as a child's scribbles.

In the image, Fairy Nishang smiled at Meng Yiran's stunned expression and interrupted her thoughts.

"Enough. The Deity Transformation stage is still far too distant for you. That is something for a thousand years from now."

"Since you have entered my sect, I naturally must give you a gift upon becoming my disciple."

Fairy Nishang pointed at the serpent staff martial soul Meng Yiran held in her hand.

"Summon this innate companion spirit treasure of yours and let your master take a look."

Meng Yiran froze for a moment, then obediently released her serpent staff martial soul.

Yellow, yellow, purple—three soul rings slowly pulsed beneath her feet.

Fairy Nishang did not even glance at the three soul rings. All her attention was on the serpent staff.

She extended her slender jade hand and made a grasping motion through the air.

The serpent staff broke free of Meng Yiran's control and flew before Fairy Nishang.

"The material is rather unusual. It seems to be a phantom condensed from your vital blood and soul."

"Unfortunately, it is far too crude. It is not even comparable to the lowest-grade magic artifact."

Fairy Nishang shook her head, a trace of regret flashing through her eyes.

But to everyone on Douluo Continent.

This was a martial soul!

It was the foundation of a soul master, something they were born with and could never alter!

Yet what happened next nearly made every soul master on Douluo Continent's eyes fall out of their sockets.

Fairy Nishang parted her crimson lips slightly.

A ball of scarlet flame radiating terrifying heat spewed from her mouth.

The Core Formation cultivator's core fire!

The flames instantly enveloped the serpent staff.

"Since you have entered the cultivation world, stop using such a crude thing."

"Today, your master will use core fire to refine this companion spirit treasure of yours anew!"

In the image, the scarlet core fire instantly swallowed Meng Yiran's serpent staff martial soul whole.

In the understanding of everyone on Douluo Continent, a martial soul was the foundation of a soul master.

If a martial soul was damaged, the soul master would suffer severe injuries and cough up blood at best, or become crippled on the spot at worst.

Within Beast Academy.

Duke Long Meng Shu shuddered violently and instinctively stepped forward.

"Yiran's martial soul!"

He feared that his granddaughter would be harmed by those terrifying flames.

Yet Meng Yiran in the image, aside from being somewhat nervous at first, soon relaxed.

Not only did she feel no pain, she instead felt a warm, comfortable sensation coming from the flames.

Fairy Nishang's control over fire had already reached an unsurpassable level.

She carefully protected Meng Yiran's soul imprint attached to the serpent staff, using only the intense heat to temper the staff itself.

Then, Fairy Nishang lightly patted an exquisite little pouch at her waist with her left hand.

A streak of light flashed.

A fist-sized piece of pitch-black metal and a small jade vial appeared in her hand.

"This is Blackcloud Iron. It is tough in texture and most suitable for forging long weapons."

"This vial contains the natal venom of a fourth-rank demon beast, the Jade Poison Python."

Fairy Nishang casually tossed both items into the crimson true fire.

A series of sizzling sounds rang out.

The incomparably hard Blackcloud Iron melted into a mass of black molten metal in less than three breaths under the Core Formation true fire.

The vial of venom also turned into a cloud of jade-green mist.

Guided by Fairy Nishang's divine sense, the molten metal and poisonous mist began merging into the serpent staff bit by bit.

As cultivation-world materials were infused into it, the originally illusory martial soul actually began to emit a metallic sheen!

Just then, a sudden change occurred.

The three soul rings attached to Meng Yiran's serpent staff seemed unable to withstand the enormous energy.

Crack.

A crisp shattering sound rang out.

Fine cracks actually appeared across the surfaces of the two yellow hundred-year soul rings.

Inside Shrek Academy.

Yu Xiaogang, who had been sitting slumped on the ground, suddenly burst with an unusual light in his eyes when he saw this scene.

He even climbed to his feet in excitement.

"The soul rings shattered!"

"Hahaha, I told you! Martial souls are determined by heaven—how could they possibly be changed through external means?!"

Pointing at the heavenly screen as though he had grasped his last lifeline, Yu Xiaogang loudly proclaimed to the students around him.

"Once soul rings shatter, a soul master's foundation will be completely destroyed."

"That woman doesn't understand the cultivation system of our Douluo Continent at all. She's forcing growth before its time—she has directly crippled Meng Yiran!"

Dai Mubai, Oscar, and the others around him frowned slightly upon hearing this.

As soul masters, they understood better than anyone what shattered soul rings meant.

Could this lofty Core Formation fairy really have turned a good intention into a disaster?

However, before Yu Xiaogang's laughter had even faded—

Fairy Nishang on the light screen gave a cold snort.

"Do the motley remnants of energy left behind by a few low-rank demon beasts deserve to remain on this magical artifact?"

"Shatter for me!"

Following Fairy Nishang's sharp cry—

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Meng Yiran's three soul rings exploded into countless motes of light beneath the scorching true fire.

Yet Meng Yiran did not cough blood and collapse as Yu Xiaogang had claimed.

Fairy Nishang rapidly formed hand seals, casting one profound incantation after another.

The shattered soul ring energy did not disperse at all.

It was all forcibly compressed by a powerful force and poured back into the serpent staff being reforged.

In the end, it turned into ancient patterns that were deeply branded upon the surface of the staff.

A moment later, the flames dispersed.

A completely black metal scepter floated quietly in midair, its head carved with a lifelike venomous snake that emitted a faint green glow.

"Steady your mind. Use blood to claim it as your master," Fairy Nishang reminded her.

Meng Yiran hurriedly bit her fingertip and flicked a drop of blood onto the staff's head.

The serpent staff let out a clear hum and flew directly into Meng Yiran's hand.

Once everything was done, Meng Yiran felt her connection with the serpent staff become closer than ever before.

It was no longer a phantom that required soul power to summon.

It had become a genuine physical weapon with terrifying destructive power!

Meng Yiran casually swung it.

A cloud of jade-green poisonous mist instantly sprayed from the tip of the serpent staff, corroding a massive decorative stone in the corner of the hall into a pile of white ash on the spot.

Its power was several times greater than her previous third soul skill!

Looking at the massive boulder that had been corroded into white ash, Shrek Academy's training ground fell silent once more.

This time, the manic grin on Yu Xiaogang's face froze completely.

His mouth hung open, a clucking sound coming from his throat like a rooster being strangled.

The soul ring had shattered, yet the person had not been crippled.

Not only had the martial soul not been destroyed, it had instead become a tangible weapon of astonishing power.

The artifact-refining methods of this cultivation world had utterly trampled Douluo Continent's common knowledge of martial souls into the dirt.

Tang San stood to the side, staring at the pitch-black serpent staff as his hands began trembling uncontrollably.

In his previous life, he had learned the Tang Sect's finest forging techniques.

Hammering away blow by blow to forge raw iron into hidden weapons had always been a craft he took great pride in.

But compared to Fairy Nishang's immortal method of melting metal out of thin air and directly imprinting energy into a weapon...

Tang San felt that the Tang Sect's forging arts were nothing more than primitive men playing with mud.

In the image, Fairy Nishang smiled and shook her head as she watched Meng Yiran cherish the weapon so dearly.

"This is merely a top-grade magical artifact."

"Once you reach the Core Formation stage and possess your own true fire, you can take it into your body and nurture it day and night."

"By then, it can transform into a true magic treasure, and its power will increase tenfold."

Magical artifact. Magic treasure.

Those two terms were deeply etched into the minds of everyone on Douluo Continent.

Fairy Nishang then took a small gray cloth pouch from her waist and casually tossed it to Meng Yiran.

"The clothes you are wearing have been contaminated by poisonous fumes. Go change into a set of Covering Moon Sect disciple robes in the side hall."

"This storage pouch is yours. There are several sets of spare clothes inside."

Meng Yiran took the unremarkable little cloth pouch and rubbed it curiously.

The instant she sent a wisp of soul power into the pouch...

She froze completely.

"Th-this... there's actually a space several zhang wide and long inside?"

Meng Yiran cried out in shock.

As the treasured daughter of Beast Academy, her knowledge was naturally extensive.

She knew full well how precious soul tools with internal storage space were on Douluo Continent.

They were ancient relics that had long since been lost to time. There were only a handful in the entire continent.

And now, her master had casually tossed one to her?

Hearing Meng Yiran's cry, many soul masters across Douluo Continent widened their eyes.

"A spatial soul tool!"

"She just gave one away? The Covering Moon Sect is far too generous!"

Ning Fengzhi stared at the gray cloth pouch, his eyes filled with envy.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was wealthy enough to rival a nation, yet even he had spent a fortune to acquire only one or two small-capacity storage tools.

Faced with Meng Yiran's shock...

Fairy Nishang appeared utterly indifferent, even faintly amused.

"What a fuss."

"It is merely the lowest-grade storage pouch, refined from the fur of a Void Nether Mouse."

"In our Covering Moon Sect, even Qi Refinement-stage servant disciples who have only just entered the sect and are assigned to sweep the floors receive one each."

"Why be surprised over such worthless odds and ends?"

The moment those words were spoken, among the crowd at Shrek Academy...

Tang San's hand stiffened at his waist, resting on Twenty-Four Bridge Bright Moon Night.

His cheeks burned hot, as though someone had publicly slapped him twice across the face with resounding force.

Twenty-Four Bridge Bright Moon Night.

It was a precious gift from his master.

He had always regarded this storage soul tool as an unparalleled treasure, and every time he used it, he felt an inexplicable sense of superiority.

He had thought that only he deserved to possess such a divine item.

But now, that lofty Core Formation-stage fairy had told him...

The thing he treasured so dearly was merely a bag for holding trash in this Mortal Cultivation World.

Even servant disciples who swept the floors would disdain showing it off!