Nascent Soul Stage Expert Arrives!

The moment she entered the water, Hu Liena let out an uncontrollable scream.

Pain!

It hurt too much!

The emerald-green medicinal liquid was like countless red-hot knives, crazily boring through every pore of her body and into her meridians.

She felt as though every bone in her body was being forcibly shattered, every blood vessel torn apart and then reassembled.

The viewers of Douluo Continent watched Hu Liena struggle in agony on the screen, and their scalps went numb.

Spirit Hall's Golden Generation in particular—Xie Yue and Yan—had bloodshot eyes as they watched, their fists clenched tightly.

"Nana..." Xie Yue gritted his teeth, wishing he could endure that pain in his sister's place.

But this was only the beginning. As the medicine's power continued to penetrate deeper, the power system that had originally belonged to a soul master within Hu Liena's body suffered a devastating blow.

In Douluo Continent, soul power was stored within martial souls and soul rings.

But in the world of cultivation, spiritual energy was stored in the dantian sea of qi.

Two utterly different systems collided violently within Hu Liena's body.

"Pfft!"

Hu Liena spat out a mouthful of black blood. The seductive pink fox martial soul behind her manifested uncontrollably.

The martial soul phantom twisted madly amid the emerald-green medicinal mist, letting out shrill howls.

Its five soul rings—

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black—began flashing violently as well, as though they could collapse at any moment.

"Steady your mind. Force that outward-flowing power of your blood and qi back into your body, and merge it into your dantian!"

Song Yu's cool voice exploded beside Hu Liena's ear.

Hu Liena clenched her teeth so hard that she bit through her lips.

Following Song Yu's guidance, she desperately drew in her spiritual power and forcibly pressed her manifested martial soul back into her body.

Crack!

A crisp sound came from within her body.

Her five soul rings, symbols of a soul master's glory, shattered directly into specks of light under the impact of the medicinal power.

Then, that pink fox martial soul was completely smashed apart by the tyrannical medicinal force as well.

Yet it did not disappear. Instead, it transformed into strands of pure origin power, merging with the scattered fragments of light from the shattered soul rings.

They surged wildly through Hu Liena's meridians toward the dantian in her lower abdomen.

In that instant, Hu Liena's previously empty dantian was forcibly opened into a vortex, as though heaven and earth were being created.

The spiritual energy between heaven and earth seemed to have found an outlet, pouring in madly through her pores and gathering within that vortex.

Her marrow was cleansed and her meridians reforged. A pseudo-spiritual root had formed!

With a splash, Hu Liena rose from the bath.

A thick layer of black filth seeped from the surface of her formerly fair skin, giving off a pungent, foul stench.

But her eyes shone brighter than the stars in the night sky.

She casually clenched her fist.

A sense of power, purer and several times more immense than when she had been a level fifty-one Soul King, surged through her body.

This was not soul power, but true spiritual energy of heaven and earth—the mana of a cultivator!

"First layer of the Qi Refining stage... no, third layer of the Qi Refining stage!"

Song Yu nodded approvingly from the side.

"Break before rebuilding. Your perseverance is indeed impressive, girl."

"Using the medicinal power of the Marrow-Cleansing Liquid, you directly skipped the stage of sensing qi and entered the third layer of Qi Refining."

Meanwhile, Douluo Continent was utterly silent.

Every soul master stared in stunned disbelief.

Her martial soul had been crippled, and her soul rings shattered.

Yet what she received in exchange was a kind of power even more terrifying and far more advanced than before!

"How is that possible..."

Yu Xiaogang stood there with his mouth open, feeling as though his worldview had been rearranged once again.

Martial souls and soul rings were the source of power in Douluo Continent. Without them, a person was useless.

Yet in that cultivation world, they had merely taken a bath and washed away all those so-called rules.

They directly merged an externally manifested martial soul into the flesh, opened up a dantian, and embarked upon an entirely new path.

"The power had grown stronger."

A gleam flashed through Bibi Dong's eyes.

She could tell that Hu Liena's current state was far more formidable than Bibi Dong had been when she was a Soul King.

The purity of that heaven-and-earth spiritual energy was simply beyond comparison with soul power.

In the scene, Hu Liena changed into the attire of a Falling Cloud Sect inner disciple after completing her cleansing of marrow and tendons.

The moon-white robe not only failed to conceal her proud figure, but instead gave her an ethereal, otherworldly air.

Combined with the Charm in her bones, she was practically a temptress capable of toppling kingdoms.

Over the next few days, Hu Liena settled down on Emerald Mist Peak.

Song Yu bestowed upon her a jade token representing her identity, along with a storage pouch specifically for carrying items.

Holding the gray cloth pouch, Hu Liena sent her divine sense inside.

She discovered that the space within covered several dozen square meters, countless times more spacious than the precious spatial soul tools of Douluo Continent.

Not only that, the storage pouch also contained several dozen low-grade spirit stones emitting a faint glow, as well as two bottles of Qi-Gathering Pills to aid cultivation.

"These resources..."

Hu Liena gazed at the spirit stones and pills, her heart filled with emotion.

As the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall, she received no small amount of cultivation resources each month, but even so, they certainly could not hand out high-grade energy crystals as casually as cabbages.

And this was merely the treatment given to a newly initiated nominal disciple.

Over the past few days, Hu Liena had also begun wandering around Emerald Mist Peak, familiarizing herself with the sect's surroundings.

She witnessed the prosperity of Falling Cloud Sect's outer sect and saw the lower-ranking disciples desperately taking on missions for just a few spirit stones.

She finally understood just how brutal competition was in this world of cultivation.

Even in the all-inclusive Falling Cloud Sect, resources had to be fought for personally.

Time flew by, and half a month later, on a certain night.

A bright full moon hung high in the night sky, its silvery light spilling over Emerald Mist Peak like liquid mercury.

Hu Liena sat cross-legged on a bluish stone outside her cave dwelling.

Her eyes were tightly shut, while her hands formed one profound seal after another before her chest.

She was cultivating the Heavenly Fox Secret Canon that Song Yu had taught her.

This ancient cultivation art was exceptionally domineering, capable of directly drawing upon the moonlight power of the Lunar Star to temper one's body and divine sense.

As Hu Liena breathed in and out, the moonlight in the surrounding night sky seemed to be drawn by some force, transforming into threads of silver light that continuously gathered around her body.

Gradually, an enormous phantom appeared behind Hu Liena.

It was the illusion of a snow-white demon fox with nine tails.

The nine-tailed demon fox phantom raised its head and made a motion of swallowing and exhaling moonlight.

In an instant, the moonlight within several dozen miles surged toward Emerald Mist Peak like a hundred rivers returning to the sea.

The summit of Emerald Mist Peak was instantly engulfed in blinding silver radiance.

An immense pressure, ancient and carrying an endless aura of Charm, erupted uncontrollably from Hu Liena's body.

At the very moment this phenomenon appeared.

Within two forbidden cave dwellings that had remained sealed year-round in the back mountain of Falling Cloud Sect.

Two pairs of eyes that had been closed for decades suddenly snapped open.

Two terrifying auras, powerful enough to change the color of heaven and earth and countless times beyond the Core Formation stage, burst into the sky.

"Interesting. Is that the aura of that cultivation art?"

An aged voice echoed above Falling Cloud Sect.

Immediately afterward, Falling Cloud Sect's two Nascent Soul ancestors—the elderly man surnamed Cheng and the middle-aged man surnamed Lü—simultaneously transformed into two streaks of light and shot through the air toward Emerald Mist Peak.

The two streaks of light tore across the night sky at an inconceivable speed.

One moment, they were still in the forbidden grounds of the back mountain; the next, they were already hovering above Emerald Mist Peak.

As the light slowly faded, two figures stood in the air.

On the left was an elderly man with white hair and beard but a rosy complexion. Dressed in a loose hemp robe, he exuded a natural air of returning to simplicity.

On the right was a scholar who appeared just past middle age. He held a folding fan and wore a gentle smile.

Even though the two merely stood quietly amid the clouds without deliberately releasing any spiritual power, the laws of heaven and earth around them seemed to slowly revolve about them.

A crushing pressure so immense that it made breathing difficult descended upon the entirety of Emerald Mist Peak like Mount Tai pressing down from above.

The strange flowers and exotic grasses on the mountaintop all bent beneath that pressure.

Even Hu Liena, who was drawing in moonlight, felt her chest tighten, and the enormous nine-tailed demon fox phantom behind her instantly dimmed by several degrees.

Inside the cave dwelling, Song Yu sensed that familiar aura. With a flash, she transformed into a breeze and flew out.

She shed the cold arrogance she had shown before Hu Liena. Folding her hands before her, she bowed deeply and respectfully to the two figures in midair.

"Song Yu of Emerald Mist Peak pays respects to Senior Uncle Cheng and Senior Uncle Lü."

The two men in the air were the only two Nascent Soul-stage grand cultivators of the Falling Cloud Sect: the elderly man surnamed Cheng and the scholarly man surnamed Lü.

Elder Cheng stroked the white beard beneath his chin, a kindly smile on his aged face.

With a slight lift of his hand, a gentle breeze raised Song Yu back up.

"No need for such formalities, Niece Song."

Elder Cheng shifted his gaze directly onto Hu Liena, who sat cross-legged on the bluestone.

The old eyes that appeared cloudy seemed to hold the turning of the sun, moon, and stars the instant they fell upon Hu Liena.

Hu Liena felt as though she were transparent, thoroughly seen through inside and out.

"Her bone age is under twenty, and her cultivation is at the third level of Qi Refinement."

Elder Cheng nodded slightly, his tone carrying a hint of praise.

"Niece Song, that strange fluctuation just now, which drew down moonlight from dozens of miles around—surely it came from this girl?"

Song Yu answered respectfully.

"Reporting to Senior Uncle, it was indeed this girl."

"She was originally an ordinary mortal woman who accidentally entered the sect's grand formation. Seeing that she possessed the rare Innate Seductive Bones and contained a trace of charm within her, this disciple took it upon herself to bring her back to Emerald Mist Peak and cleanse her marrow and refine her essence."

"Just now, when she first began cultivating the Heavenly Fox Secret Canon that this disciple happened to acquire in her early years, I never expected it to trigger such an omen and disturb the secluded cultivation of both Senior Uncles. This disciple acknowledges her offense."

Upon hearing this, the scholarly man surnamed Lü closed his folding fan and lightly tapped it against his palm.

"What are you saying, Niece Song?"

"You have found a fine piece of uncut jade for the sect. That is a great merit—what offense could there be?"

Scholar Lü looked at Hu Liena, surprise also appearing in his eyes.

"A physique like Innate Seductive Bones is already exceedingly rare."

"Not to mention that she carries an aura connected to the fox clan."

"This Heavenly Fox Secret Canon was left behind in ancient times by a senior at the Deity Transformation stage who was proficient in illusion arts and divine sense. If ordinary cultivators force themselves to cultivate it, they may suffer disordered divine sense at best and qi deviation at worst."

"For this girl to gain entry into it with only third-level Qi Refinement cultivation shows that her physique and this technique are simply a match made in heaven."

Every word exchanged by the three high-ranking members of the Falling Cloud Sect in midair reached the ears of everyone across Douluo Continent.

For a time, the entire Douluo Continent was plunged once more into profound shock.

Spirit Hall, Papal Hall.

Bibi Dong stood in the center of the grand hall, raising her head to look at the two Nascent Soul-stage ancestors on the light screen.

She could clearly sense the ethereal, otherworldly aura emanating from them.

"So this is the power of Nascent Soul-stage cultivators..."

Bibi Dong murmured softly, bitterness rising in her heart.

Elder Cheng had merely glanced over just now, yet that gaze—seemingly capable of piercing the soul—made her heart tremble even through the light screen.

If they stood face-to-face, Bibi Dong had no doubt that the other party would not even need to lift a hand. A single glance alone could annihilate the soul of her, a peak Douluo.

"Your Holiness, did you hear that?"

Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan stood at the side, his voice trembling slightly, though his eyes held a trace of delight.

"Those two ancestors said that the cultivation technique Her Highness the Saintess is practicing was left behind by a senior at the Deity Transformation stage!"

Deity Transformation stage!

They had heard Song Yu mention that title before. It was the pinnacle of the human world, a supreme existence capable of overturning heaven and earth, with a lifespan stretching for thousands of years.

Hu Liena had turned misfortune into fortune and obtained an ancient inheritance leading directly to that realm!

Bibi Dong took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in her heart. At last, a gratified smile appeared at the corners of her lips.

"Nana's luck truly is very good."

Meanwhile, at Shrek Academy.

Tang San stared at the light screen, his brows tightly furrowed.

"Disordered divine sense, qi deviation..."

He silently pondered the meaning of those words.

That scholar surnamed Lü had just mentioned illusion arts and divine sense.

In his previous life at the Tang Sect, Tang San had specialized in hidden weapons and poison. As for spiritual power cultivation, he had only dabbled a little in the Purple Demon Eye.

From the man's words, it seemed that this cultivation world possessed a school devoted specifically to cultivating the mind and illusions.

If, in battle, the opponent refused to compete with you in physical strength or spells and instead directly used a method called "divine sense" to attack your brain and create illusions, how could you defend against it?

No matter how fast his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track was, could it evade invisible mental attacks?

At that thought, Tang San felt a profound sense of helplessness rise within him.

Beside him, Yu Xiaogang's face was filled with jealousy, his hands clutching the corners of his clothes tightly.

"Innate Seductive Bones, fox clan origin."

"Just because of such illusory constitutions, an ordinary girl without even a trace of soul power could receive praise from a Nascent Soul ancestor."

"This Falling Cloud Sect truly taught without discrimination, bringing every person's traits to their fullest potential."

Yu Xiaogang's eyes gleamed red. He wished he could rush into the light screen right then, explain his Luo Sanpao mutation theory to those two ancestors, and beg them to bestow a marrow-cleansing pill upon him.

In the scene, Elder Cheng and Scholar Lü slowly descended onto the grass of Emerald Mist Peak.

Hu Liena was a clever girl. Seeing how respectfully Song Yu treated the two men, she hurriedly rose to her feet, obediently walked behind Song Yu, and gave the two ancestors a deep bow.

"This junior, Hu Liena, greets the two ancestors."

Elder Cheng looked at her kindly and nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad. You understand the rules and possess composure."

"To remain clear-headed under this old man's pressure, your temperament would be considered outstanding even among mortals."

Elder Cheng turned to Song Yu.

"Martial Niece Song, since this girl was brought back by you and her cultivation method was taught by you, she shall henceforth be a personal disciple of your Emerald Mist Peak."

"Such fine material must be properly nurtured."

"On the day she successfully establishes her foundation, the sect will formally hold a disciple-taking ceremony for her and enter her into Falling Cloud Sect's core roster."

Upon hearing this, Song Yu's face lit up with joy, and she quickly bowed in thanks.

"Thank you, Martial Uncle, for making this possible."

Hu Liena was also overcome with wild joy.