"Ahem!"
"Could you two stop laughing?"
"Whatever else you say, I'm a Level 43 Battle Soul Ancestor now. Leave me a little dignity!"
After Xia Feng absorbed the nine-thousand-year Earth Demon Bull's Soul Ring, his Soul Power leaped three levels in one stroke.
What was more, he gained a superb Soul Skill called Bull Demon Power Fist!
The skill was all-out offense. Left fist, heavy damage; right fist, even heavier damage.
Xia Feng's Soul Power was now only two levels below Liu Yuer's. In a real fight, he could overpower her.
That was just how monstrous a Body Martial Soul was!
"We owe the Dugu Family a huge favor this time. We'll repay them when we get the chance," Liu Yuer said with a sigh.
"Yeah!"
"When you're out in the world, never take other people for fools. Do that, and you're the real fool!"
"The Soul Master World is full of deception. They saw right through our plans this time. They knew perfectly well; they just chose not to expose us!"
"Whatever the case, the Dugu Family bears us goodwill. Everyone has little secrets of their own, after all. We should leave them some privacy!"
Liu Yuer nodded. Both sides understood certain things without saying them aloud. It was better for everyone that way.
Meanwhile, at the Dugu Family estate.
"A nine-thousand-year Earth Demon Bull?"
"That Soul Beast's age falls right between what you'd want for a Fourth Soul Ring and a Fifth Soul Ring!"
"As a Fifth Soul Ring, it would be rather a waste. But as a Fourth Soul Ring..."
"Hiss..."
"A nine-thousand-year Fourth Soul Ring!"
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible!"
"If that were true, wouldn't it defy common sense?"
Dugu Bo shook his head. Surely no one in the world would dare attempt a nine-thousand-year Fourth Soul Ring!
Absorbing a Soul Ring above one's level could get a person killed!
Some Soul Masters with shallow foundations dared not absorb a ten-thousand-year Fifth Soul Ring, so they chose a Thousand-Year Soul Ring instead.
Who could say what had really happened here?
"Father!"
"They're my friends, and great benefactors of the Dugu Family. My Fourth Soul Ring, you know—"
Before Dugu Xin could finish, Dugu Bo waved a hand and cut him off.
"Hmph!"
"I've always kept favors and grudges separate!"
"Whether it's a nine-thousand-year Fourth Soul Ring or a Fifth Soul Ring, it's none of our business!"
"Who doesn't have a few little secrets?"
"But Xiner!"
"That sworn elder brother of yours is no fish meant to stay in a pond. You should get closer to him!"
"I won't be able to suppress the poison in my body for many more years."
"It's been flaring up more and more fiercely lately. I don't even know how many years I have left. If you build a friendship with him, you'll have someone to call on if anything happens to me."
"How many true friends can a person have in a lifetime?"
"A gentleman's friendship is as clear and light as water!"
"You and Xia Feng remind me of Ye Renxin and myself. He's had a hard life too, and the Nine-Heart Begonia Clan hides no fewer secrets than we do!"
"We both know what the other keeps hidden, but neither of us has broken that unspoken understanding!"
Dugu Bo sighed as he spoke.
He was curious about the truth the Xia Family concealed and wanted to uncover the secret behind it. But for the sake of their relationship, he could only pretend he knew nothing.
The mortal world drifted by like falling blossoms on flowing water!
Time raced like a steed urged on by the whip!
In the blink of an eye, another year had passed.
Many major events took place that year. First, Spirit Hall's Platinum Bishop Tuoba Xuanfeng advanced to Titled Douluo and became an elder of Spirit Hall.
Then Chen Xin, the unrivaled prodigy of the Seven Kill Sword Lineage, broke through to Titled Douluo and was granted the title Sword Douluo!
The Seven Kill Sword Lineage had always been rich in talent!
Once the continent's foremost weapon Martial Soul, the Seven Kill Sword was of exceptional quality—a top-tier weapon Martial Soul!
Chen Xun, the previous master of the Seven Kill Sword, had been a Level 98 Peak Douluo whose combat prowess shook heaven and earth!
Unfortunately, Chen Xun had been born at the wrong time. During his life, prodigies rose throughout the Soul Master World, and two of them towered like mountains.
The first was Tang Chen, sect master of the Clear Sky Sect!
Known as the strongest on land, he dominated his era with his cultivation. He was also one of the Soul Master World's two great peaks.
Tang Chen's Soul Power had reached Level 99!
A prodigious talent, he had created the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes and the Great Sumeru Hammer. Used together, they made him invincible under heaven!
The second was Qian Daoliu, the strongest in the sky!
He was the patriarch of the Seraphim lineage and the pope of Spirit Hall, born with a God-Level Martial Soul.
Qian Daoliu's strength matched Tang Chen's!
However strong Chen Xun was, he could not surpass either of them!
Rumor had it that Chen Xun once challenged Tang Chen, only to be hammered so badly he questioned his entire life. In the end, he died in bitter disappointment!
The current master of the Seven Kill Sword was Chen Xun's son, Chen Jianjun, a Level 97 Peak Douluo.
Now that Chen Jianjun's son Chen Xin had become a Titled Douluo, the Seven Kill Sword Lineage had a worthy successor. Before long, Chen Jianjun would likely follow in Chen Xun's footsteps!
The weak drew their swords against those weaker than themselves!
Only the strong drew their swords against those stronger!
They faced death to find life, tempering their hearts through a hundred battles!
That was the essence of the Seven Kill Sword: slay heaven, slay earth, slay all living things, and carve out a world beneath clear, bright skies!
Unlike the world beyond it, Heaven Dou City remained prosperous that year, its streets teeming with carriages and horses!
After a year of cultivation, Xia Mu's Soul Power reached Level 30, making him a Quasi-Soul Elder!
Over that year, all three members of Xia Mu's family had advanced with astonishing speed, even beyond what anyone had imagined!
Liu Yuer rose from Level 45 to Level 49, gaining four levels of Soul Power in a year!
Xia Feng went from Level 43 to Level 48, gaining a full five levels in a year.
Over the past year, Xia Feng and Liu Yuer had consumed more than ten pieces of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue.
Aside from a single piece of seventy-thousand-year Whale Rubber they had not touched, their supply of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue was nearly gone.
Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue fetched a hefty price on the market!
Having tasted the benefits, the couple had embarked on the path of gold-fueled cultivation. Xia Mu could only watch with envy.
There was no helping it. Xia Mu had only turned nine a few days ago, and his body had yet to develop fully!
If he took Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue now, the surging vitality would overwhelm his body. He was too weak to bear such a powerful tonic!
"I used to hear people say..."
"That Soul Masters grow stronger rapidly during their golden years!"
"I didn't really believe it before, but I do now. Give a Soul Master enough cultivation resources during that golden period, and five levels of Soul Power in a year is no joke!"
"But more than ten pieces of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue a year, plus medicinal baths and nourishing food? That all costs money!"
"Give me enough money to burn, and I could do it too!"
For their daily cultivation, Xia Mu had even built the two of them a dedicated simulated training environment!
With money working its magic at every turn, the two had achieved what they had today. Every bit of it had been bought and paid for.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk!"
"The numbers don't lie!"
"Soul Master really is the most expensive profession!"
Xia Mu delivered his verdict from the sidelines.
Now that Liu Yuer and Xia Feng had made up for their innate shortcomings, they looked poised to overtake those who had once been ahead of them.
"You little brat, don't worry!"
"We saved you a premium piece of seventy-thousand-year Whale Rubber. Once you're grown, you can absorb and refine it!"
"Your body's still too weak, and you haven't finished growing. You can't take Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue yet!"
"So you'll just have to put up with it for a few more years!"
"Besides, you awakened your Martial Soul at six. You're nine now, and in three years you've become a Soul Elder. That's hardly slow!"
"Those geniuses with Innate Full Soul Power are probably still hovering around Level 20 at your age!"
Seeing Xia Mu's displeasure, Xia Feng tried to console him.
Before you continue