Setting Out for the Extreme North

A torrent of life force surged into his body.

It coursed through his limbs and bones, immediately easing and healing the old hidden injuries that had accumulated within him.

Even his Martial Soul Origin was faintly replenished and strengthened.

As the pioneer of the theory of integrating soul tools with Martial Soul Origins, Kong Deming had naturally conducted experiments on himself.

Over time, no matter how abundant his Martial Soul Origin was, it was bound to suffer some damage.

Though such damage was not fatal, it would greatly deplete Kong Deming's potential and, in turn, affect the improvement of his strength.

Now, however, the cleansing of life force had replenished the loss to his Martial Soul Origin.

It would undoubtedly become much easier for him to continue cultivating and improving in the future.

In truth, with Kong Deming's talent, even if he had not chosen the path of a soul engineer, he could still have become a powerful soul master through his own abilities.

Becoming an Ultimate Douluo might have been somewhat difficult, but reaching Peak Douluo was certainly not a problem.

Unfortunately, he simply loved the profession of soul engineer. He had always devoted himself heart and soul to exploring the limits of this path.

Even if it delayed his own cultivation, he did not hesitate.

How should one put it? That kind of resolve was quite admirable.

But if Xia Yu had been the one to choose, he would definitely have prioritized increasing his own strength.

Once he was strong enough and his cultivation realm was high enough, his lifespan would naturally become much longer.

At that point, he would have plenty of time to research even stronger soul tools and explore the limits of the soul engineer path.

Of course, that was in the past. Now that he had the Gold of Life, his teacher Kong Deming likely no longer needed to worry about his lifespan.

Though the Gold of Life he absorbed was only the size of a teardrop, the life force contained within it was not little at all.

If one insisted on comparing them, it was enough to rival all the life essence of the million-year soul beast Skydream Iceworm.

With so much life force, letting Kong Deming live another one or two thousand years would not be a problem at all.

Time flew by, and half a day quickly passed.

After absorbing that immense life force, Kong Deming seemed to have returned to his youth.

All traces of age had vanished, replaced by vigorous vitality.

If one did not look at his face and only sensed his aura, it would not be an exaggeration to call him a young man in his prime.

Besides that, under the cleansing of life force, the cultivation bottleneck that had troubled Kong Deming for many years had also vanished.

The aura of soul power around him continued to rise, charging toward Rank 95 with unstoppable momentum.

Clearly, he was about to break through.

Kong Deming had previously been able to wield power comparable to an Ultimate Douluo with Rank 94 soul power by relying on soul tools.

Then once he broke through to become a Rank 95 Super Douluo, would he be able to surpass ordinary Ultimate Douluo?

And this was only the beginning. Having undergone the cleansing of life force, Kong Deming's cultivation would certainly continue to improve.

Rank 95 was far from his limit.

He could become even stronger.

"I wonder whether my teacher and I can achieve the feat of having two Ultimate Douluo in one lineage. If we can, then wouldn't that be..."

As though he had imagined some thrilling scene, a wicked curve rose uncontrollably at the corner of Xia Yu's lips.

But he quickly withdrew his smile and returned to a calm expression.

After sensing Kong Deming's condition one last time and confirming that there were no problems, Xia Yu left the cultivation chamber.

He still had many things to do and did not intend to remain any longer.

Moreover, this was the Consecration Hall. While Kong Deming was in secluded cultivation, it had long since been placed under lockdown.

The current Consecration Hall was an impregnable fortress. Without permission, not even a fly could get in.

"Once Teacher leaves seclusion, remember to tell him that I have matters to attend to in the Extreme North. I'll celebrate his cultivation breakthrough with him after I return..."

After leaving the cultivation chamber, Xia Yu gave a few instructions to the personnel of the Consecration Hall, then departed without looking back.

He had needed to walk up step by step when he arrived, but leaving was much simpler. He only needed to fly down.

Before long, Xia Yu returned to his own residence.

Meng Hongchen was also quick. In just over half a day, she had prepared everything they needed for the journey.

Without further delay, the two immediately set off, using flying soul tools to leave Radiant City.

Traveling light, they soon crossed the Ming Dou Mountain Range and entered Star Luo Empire territory as night fell.

"Brother Yu, where are we going next? You should tell me by now, shouldn't you?"

In a luxurious hotel in Yelen City of the Star Luo Empire, Meng Hongchen forced herself to endure her exhaustion as she looked at Xia Yu with aggrieved eyes.

She had constantly been thinking about their destination, and after flying for so long, Meng Hongchen was utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally.

"Huh? I didn't tell you? We're going to Dragon City on the edge of the Extreme North, to find the Earth Dragon Sect in the city. What we're looking for is there."

Hearing Meng Hongchen's words, Xia Yu was rather surprised. He then explained their destination for this trip.

However, he did not tell her that what they were seeking was the heavenly treasure known as Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Marrow.

He intended to keep it a secret, so that when they saw the Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Marrow, he could give Meng Hongchen a proper shock.

At the thought of Meng Hongchen being so stunned that she was speechless and wide-eyed, Xia Yu could not help but look forward to it.

"I know about Dragon City, but isn't the famous sect there the Sky Dragon Sect? Why is there also an Earth Dragon Sect? The Sky Dragon Sect can tolerate that?"

Hearing Xia Yu mention the Earth Dragon Sect, Meng Hongchen became quite curious.

If she remembered correctly, the Sky Dragon Sect should have held the dominant position in Dragon City.

That sect was quite powerful. It was said to have a Titled Douluo among its ranks, and there was a strong possibility that this person was even a Super Douluo.

Yet such a force could actually tolerate the Earth Dragon Sect remaining in Dragon City. It truly was baffling.

As the saying went, how could one allow another to sleep beside one's bed?

Meng Hongchen did not believe the people of the Sky Dragon Sect failed to understand that principle.

"Ah, well..."

Xia Yu was somewhat stumped as well. He truly did not understand the relationship between the Sky Dragon Sect and the Earth Dragon Sect.

The original work had not described these two sects in much detail, only mentioning them briefly.

But it was said that the ancestors of the two sects had some connection, which was why they could coexist peacefully in Dragon City.

After thinking for a while, he answered Meng Hongchen's question accordingly.

"So that's how it is. That does make sense."

Meng Hongchen nodded in realization, but then abruptly changed the subject and stared intently at Xia Yu.

"Brother Yu, what exactly is inside the Earth Dragon Sect that made you travel all this way? And also..."

Perhaps because they had begun discussing something that interested her, Meng Hongchen no longer cared about her exhaustion and began chattering away.

It was as though she intended to say everything she had not said during their flight.

"Meng, judging by how you are, you don't seem all that tired. How about we have a round?"

Watching Meng Hongchen chatter on and on, Xia Yu suddenly smiled, though his smile carried a meaningful undertone.

Then he patted the edge of the bed, extending an invitation to Meng Hongchen.

"No, Brother Yu, I'm really tired. How about we hurry up and sleep? We still have to travel tomorrow."

The moment Meng Hongchen saw Xia Yu's posture, she immediately backed down.

But Xia Yu remained unmoved, still smiling at her. He showed no intention of stopping his hand from patting the edge of the bed.

What that represented needed no further explanation.