Secluded Cultivation for Seven Days! The Azure Lotus Sword Domain Evolves Once More!

"Before you have the ability to protect yourself, you can stay by my side."

"And after I have the ability to protect myself?"

"You can decide for yourself."

Xiao Wu looked at the campfire.

"Then Xiao Wu will cultivate diligently."

"Once Xiao Wu has the ability to protect herself, she'll decide whether to leave."

Chen Feng sat down cross-legged.

The Azure Lotus Sword lay across his knees.

"The matters in Spirit City have already ended."

"Tomorrow, I'll rendezvous with the Imperial Team."

"You'll return to Heaven Dou City with me."

Xiao Wu nodded gently.

"Okay."

She moved a little closer to Chen Feng.

Less than half a foot remained between them.

Chen Feng looked at her.

"Are you afraid of the dark again?"

"Xiao Wu went through so much tonight."

"Only by staying closer can Xiao Wu sleep peacefully."

Xiao Wu hugged her knees.

She gently rested her head against Chen Feng's shoulder.

"Just for a while."

Chen Feng did not push her away.

Azure Lotus Soul Power spread outward.

Golden-blue sword intent blanketed the entrance to the valley.

Any soul master entering the valley would immediately be detected by his Sword Heart.

Xiao Wu closed her eyes.

Her body, tense for an entire day, finally relaxed completely.

Not long after.

She fell asleep against Chen Feng's shoulder.

Late at night.

The campfire in the valley gradually dwindled.

Xiao Wu was still leaning against Chen Feng's shoulder.

Yet the Chat Group's activity did not decline.

The group members were still discussing what had happened before the Papal Palace.

Little Witch: [Brother Chen Feng left Spirit City with Xiao Wu in a single sword strike.]

Poison Fairy: [Even Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo's soul power blockade couldn't stop him.]

Fiery Chili Pepper: [That was the skill of the Hundred-Thousand-Year Left Leg Soul Bone.]

Fragrant Fox: [Even Teacher personally making a move couldn't keep Chen Feng behind.]

Her Holiness the Pope: [I was dealing with Tang Hao at the time.]

I Have No Mother: [A loss is a loss.]

Her Holiness the Pope: [I defeated Tang Hao.]

I Have No Mother: [But you failed to capture Xiao Wu.]

Her Holiness the Pope: [I already promised the group leader that I would no longer pursue her.]

My Son Isn't a Bastard: [As long as Xiao Wu is safe, that's enough.]

Loves Carrots: [Xiao Wu is very safe right now.]

Poison Fairy: [You're with Chen Feng right now?]

Loves Carrots: [Mm.]

Little Witch: [What are you doing?]

Xiao Wu opened her eyes.

She glanced at Chen Feng beside her, then lowered her head to look at where she was leaning.

Loves Carrots: [Xiao Wu is resting.]

Little Witch: [Where's Brother Chen Feng?]

Loves Carrots: [He's beside me too.]

Poison Fairy: [You're leaning against Chen Feng?]

Xiao Wu's cheeks rapidly grew hot.

Loves Carrots: [The valley is very cold.]

Fiery Chili Pepper: [You're a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit.]

Fiery Chili Pepper: [Ordinary cold won't affect you.]

Loves Carrots: [Xiao Wu used up a lot today.]

Little Witch: [I want to lean against Brother Chen Feng and rest too.]

Little Witch: [The Soul Master Tournament has already ended.]

Little Witch: [Once I go back, I'll withdraw from school.]

The group chat messages continued refreshing.

A system notification appeared in Chen Feng's mind.

[Ding!]

[Tang Hao has retreated in defeat. Xiao Wu has departed from her original fate trajectory.]

[Chat Group activity has met the stage requirement.]

[Congratulations, Host, for obtaining four Soul Power Fruits.]

[Congratulations, Host, for obtaining a Ten-Thousand-Year increase in age for all Soul Rings.]

[Congratulations, Host, for obtaining one Azure Lotus Sword Martial Soul enhancement.]

[Congratulations, Host, for obtaining one portion of Sword Dao Origin.]

Chen Feng opened his eyes.

Four green Soul Power Fruits appeared in the system space.

Each Soul Power Fruit could raise soul power by one level.

His soul power had now reached level fifty-six.

After consuming the four Soul Power Fruits, he could directly reach level sixty.

Chen Feng lowered his head and glanced at Xiao Wu.

She had already closed her eyes again.

Chen Feng raised a hand and touched Xiao Wu's forehead.

A strand of Azure Lotus Soul Power entered her Sea of Consciousness.

Xiao Wu opened her eyes.

"What is it?"

"I'm going into secluded cultivation."

"Now?"

Xiao Wu immediately sat upright.

"Then Xiao Wu will stand guard for you."

Chen Feng looked toward the depths of the valley.

The Azure Lotus Sword rose into the air on its own.

Golden-blue sword light flashed repeatedly.

A neat cave entrance soon appeared in the mountainside.

Chen Feng stepped into the cave.

Xiao Wu followed behind him.

The Azure Lotus Sword Domain unfolded.

Countless fragments of stone floated up, blocking most of the cave entrance.

Only a passage large enough for someone to enter and exit remained.

Chen Feng sat down cross-legged.

Four Soul Power Fruits appeared in his palm one after another.

The first Soul Power Fruit melted as soon as it entered his mouth.

Pure soul power flowed through his meridians and into his dantian.

The level fifty-six bottleneck swiftly broke through.

Level fifty-seven!

He consumed the second Soul Power Fruit.

The soul power in his dantian increased once again.

Golden-blue lotus patterns on the Azure Lotus Sword lit up one after another.

Level fifty-eight!

The third Soul Power Fruit merged into his body.

Vast soul power washed through his limbs and bones.

Level fifty-nine!

Chen Feng picked up the last Soul Power Fruit.

Xiao Wu sat at the cave entrance.

She watched Chen Feng without blinking.

The fourth Soul Power Fruit vanished from his palm.

Even greater power surged into his dantian.

The Azure Lotus Soul Power in his meridians became a surging river.

The soul power barrier shattered with a bang.

Level sixty!

Five Soul Rings appeared on their own.

Black.

Black.

Black.

Black.

Red.

The Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring age increase merged into them.

The black of the first four Soul Rings became even deeper.

The fifth Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring pulsed softly.

Crimson radiance illuminated the entire cave.

The growth in soul power had not yet ended.

The Azure Lotus Sword Martial Soul enhancement reward descended immediately afterward.

The golden-blue longsword hovered above Chen Feng's head.

Three patterns of flame, frost, and life rapidly converged toward the center of the blade.

Lotus patterns extended from the hilt all the way to the tip.

The Azure Lotus Sword's length did not change.

But its blade became even more translucent.

A blue lotus mark appeared in the center of the crossguard.

The Sword Dao Origin followed close behind.

Pure sword intent entered the Sea of Consciousness.

Chen Feng's control range over the Azure Lotus Sword Domain continuously expanded.

One hundred meters.

Three hundred meters.

Five hundred meters.

Until, within a radius of one thousand meters, every blade of grass and tree was covered by sword intent.

Outside the valley.

Myriad leaves detached from their branches at the same time.

Leaf after leaf arranged themselves in midair.

In the end, they formed a golden-blue giant sword hundreds of meters long.

Xiao Wu looked up.

"Level sixty."

"Brother Chen Feng has grown stronger again."

Inside the cave.

Chen Feng did not immediately end his cultivation.

His soul power had risen four levels in succession.

Even though the system's rewards would not damage his foundation, he still needed time to fully master them.

The Azure Lotus Sword hovered before him.

Five Soul Rings slowly revolved around his body.

The soul power in his dantian flowed through his meridians again and again.

Xiao Wu kept watch at the cave entrance.

On the first day.

She sat atop a blue stone and cultivated her soul power.

Every two hours, Xiao Wu would open her eyes and inspect the situation inside the cave.

Chen Feng had not moved at all.

The Azure Lotus Sword Domain covered the entire valley.

As long as someone approached, the leaves hanging from the treetops would turn on their own.

On the second day.

Xiao Wu gathered wild fruit from the nearby woods.

She also found several wild carrots.

Xiao Wu neatly placed the food at the cave entrance.

"Chen Feng will probably be hungry once he finishes his secluded cultivation."

She glanced at the carrots.

"I can't eat them all by myself this time."

On the third day.

Chen Feng's soul power had completely stabilized at level sixty.

The obstructed sensation caused by its rapid growth had vanished.

Every strand of Azure Lotus Soul Power could be summoned at will.

The Hundred-Thousand-Year Sword Dao Right Arm Bone and the Azure Lotus Sword Left Leg Bone simultaneously radiated crimson light.

The powers of the two Soul Bones converged within his meridians.

The Azure Lotus Sword Step could no longer only be used for straight-line movement.

Chen Feng could continuously change directions within a thousand-meter range.

As long as the Sword Domain could cover a location, he could leave an Azure Lotus Sword Mark there.

With a thought.

His body could cross the distance between two Sword Marks.

On the fourth day.

The Azure Lotus Sword Domain began to contract.

The sword intent that had originally covered a thousand meters was continuously compressed by Chen Feng.

Five hundred meters.

Three hundred meters.

In the end, only a hundred-meter radius remained.

The Sword Domain's range had shrunk.

Yet the sword intent within it had grown several times stronger.

A speck of dust fell into the Sword Domain.

Chen Feng's thoughts shifted.

The dust immediately scattered into dozens of smaller grains of sand.

Every grain was covered in golden-blue sword intent.

On the fifth day.

Xiao Wu sat cross-legged outside the cave.

The Soft Bone Rabbit Martial Soul condensed behind her.

Four Soul Rings revolved around her body.

She began reorganizing the direction of her cultivation.

The scenes of the future had already changed.

Xiao Wu no longer needed to place her hopes on Tang San.

She had to rely on her own strength to protect Da Ming and Er Ming.

And avenge her mother as well.

Xiao Wu opened her eyes and looked toward the white-clad figure inside the cave.

"Chen Feng has already saved Xiao Wu once."

"Next time, Xiao Wu can't keep hiding behind him."

On the sixth day.

The Azure Lotus Sword Art began circulating on its own within Chen Feng's Sea of Consciousness.

Sword Qi Blossoms into Lotuses.

Myriad Swords Return to the Lotus.

Azure Lotus Sword Domain.

The three layers of sword arts interconnected.

More than a hundred sword phantoms split from the Azure Lotus Sword.

Each sword phantom split again.

One hundred swords.

Five hundred swords.

One thousand swords.

The entire cave was covered in golden-blue sword phantoms.

Every sword phantom slowly revolved under Chen Feng's control.

Not a single sword phantom collided.

Nor did a wisp of sword qi leak out.

Chen Feng raised his right hand.

A thousand sword phantoms converged toward the center at once.

A twelve-layered Azure Lotus slowly bloomed within the cave.

On the seventh day.

Chen Feng opened his eyes.

Golden-blue sword light flashed through them.

The thousand sword phantoms dissipated at once.

The Azure Lotus Sword fell into his palm.

The five Soul Rings returned to his body in sequence.

His level-sixty soul power was completely stabilized.

Once he obtained his sixth Soul Ring, Chen Feng would officially step into the Soul Emperor realm.

Outside the cave.

Xiao Wu was leaning against a blue stone.

She held a cloth bag filled with wild fruit in her arms.

Several washed carrots lay beside her.

Chen Feng walked out of the cave.

Xiao Wu immediately rose to her feet.

"Chen Feng!"

"You've finally come out of seclusion."

Chen Feng looked at the food in her arms.

"You've been guarding this place the whole time?"

"Mhm."

Xiao Wu held the cloth bag out before him.

"Xiao Wu prepared these."

"And there are carrots too."

"This time, Xiao Wu didn't sneak even one bite."

Chen Feng picked up a wild fruit.

"Going seven days without food won't affect a Soul Ancestor."

Xiao Wu hugged the remaining bag close.

"Then give them back to Xiao Wu."

Chen Feng took a bite of the fruit.

"I've already eaten one."

Xiao Wu sat back down on the blue stone.

She picked up a carrot and happily took a bite.

Chen Feng looked up toward the valley beyond.

The Azure Lotus Sword Domain silently spread out.

Within a hundred-meter radius.

The grass, trees, scattered stones, and stream were all enveloped by sword intent.

Chen Feng held two fingers together and pointed ahead.

Drops of water rose one after another from the stream.

More than a thousand droplets formed a transparent longsword.

The water sword shot forth.

The mountainside several hundred meters away split down the middle.

The stream water fell back down.

Not a single drop splashed onto the bank.

Xiao Wu stopped eating her carrot.

"This is the result of your seven days of secluded cultivation?"

"Only part of it."

Chen Feng lowered his hand.

The Azure Lotus Sword hovered at his side on its own.

His level-sixty soul power circulated steadily within him.

The two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Bones resonated with the Azure Lotus Sword.

"My soul power has stabilized."

"It's time to leave this place."

Xiao Wu immediately stood.

She put away the remaining wild fruit and carrots, then quickly came to Chen Feng's side.

"Wherever Chen Feng goes, Xiao Wu goes."

The Azure Lotus Sword expanded into the wind.

Chen Feng stepped onto the blade.

Xiao Wu followed him onto the rear, naturally gripping his sleeve with both hands.

Golden-blue sword light rose into the sky.

The two figures departed from the valley.

Chen Feng stood at the front of the sword.

His white robes fluttered in the wind.

Level sixty.

A hundred-thousand-year fifth Soul Ring.

Two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Bones.

The Azure Lotus Sword Domain had completed its transformation.

After this secluded cultivation.

His strength had crossed another threshold.

A Hundred-Thousand-Year Sixth Soul Ring! Tang Hao Appears Again!

Golden-blue sword light streaked across the sky.

Chen Feng stood at the front of the Azure Lotus Sword.

Xiao Wu clutched his sleeve, her pink dress fluttering in the high-altitude wind.

Less than half an hour after the two left the valley.

A system notification appeared in Chen Feng's mind.

[ Ding! ]

[ Detected that the host's soul power has reached level sixty. ]

[ Congratulations to the host for obtaining one Adaptive Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring. ]

[ This Soul Ring can be directly absorbed. No soul beast needs to be hunted. ]

Chen Feng's gaze shifted.

He was currently lacking his sixth Soul Ring.

The system's reward had come at just the right time.

Chen Feng controlled the Azure Lotus Sword and changed its direction.

The sword light descended into the forest below.

Xiao Wu followed and leaped off the sword.

"Brother Chen Feng, why did you suddenly stop?"

Chen Feng recalled the Azure Lotus Sword.

"The system rewarded me with a Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring."

"I'm going to absorb it now."

Xiao Wu's beautiful eyes widened.

"Another Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring?"

"Mm."

Chen Feng walked beneath an ancient tree and sat down cross-legged.

Xiao Wu immediately went to the edge of the forest.

"Xiao Wu will stand guard for you."

Chen Feng nodded gently.

A crimson Soul Ring appeared from the system space.

Red radiance swiftly illuminated the forest.

The dense pressure of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast spread outward.

Xiao Wu's Soft Bone Rabbit Martial Soul emerged on its own.

As a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast herself, she could clearly sense the power contained within this Soul Ring.

There was no lingering remnant of a soul beast.

No berserk will.

There was only a pure origin of soul power within it.

"The system can actually create even Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Rings directly."

Xiao Wu turned back to look at the white-clad man beneath the tree.

"Just how many more methods is Brother Chen Feng hiding?"

The crimson Soul Ring slowly descended.

Vast energy entered Chen Feng's body.

The Azure Lotus Sword floated above his head on its own.

The lotus imprint at the center of the blade quickly lit up.

The three powers of flame, frost, and life circulated simultaneously.

The energy within the Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring flowed through his meridians into his dantian.

The level-sixty bottleneck vanished completely.

Chen Feng's aura continued to rise.

Level sixty-one.

Level sixty-two.

Only upon reaching level sixty-three did the increase gradually stop.

The sixth Soul Ring fully merged into the Azure Lotus Sword.

Six Soul Rings rose one after another from beneath his feet.

Black.

Black.

Black.

Black.

Red.

Red.

Four black, two red!

The two Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Rings pulsed in unison.

Crimson radiance dyed Chen Feng's white robes with a layer of red.

Xiao Wu stood at the edge of the forest, her breathing stopping for an instant.

Even ordinary Titled Douluo might not possess a single Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring.

Chen Feng had only just entered the Soul Emperor realm, yet he already possessed two.

The second Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring had not required the slaughter of any soul beast.