Asura First Trial, Complete!

The original work, The Unrivaled Tang Sect, had recorded it.

Demon Spirit was one of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts, hidden within an underground labyrinth in the Core Area of the Star Dou Great Forest.

The reason this soul beast was so mysterious was that its true body was a shadow spirit entity. It had no race and no fixed form.

Among the Star Dou ferocious beast faction, Demon Spirit's core duties were reconnaissance, infiltration, intelligence gathering, mental interference, and soul detection.

In its later years, it could even investigate the Silver Dragon King's primordial spirit from close range without being noticed throughout the entire process. That was enough to show how formidable its soul power was.

During the era of The Unrivaled Tang Sect, Demon Spirit ranked last among the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts.

Yet during the first Douluo era, this soul beast had not broken through two hundred thousand years of cultivation to reach the level of a ferocious beast.

Even so, even Qian Daoliu, a Peerless Douluo, would have found it difficult to track it down within the Star Dou Great Forest.

Fortunately, Su Qi had known in advance that Demon Spirit was hiding within the underground labyrinth of the Star Dou Great Forest's Core Area. Combined with the soul martial soul he had cultivated in his previous life, he had been able to use soul detection to directly lock onto Demon Spirit, a shadow spirit entity, and successfully kill it.

Speaking of which, being able to hunt Demon Spirit for his ninth soul ring was all thanks to the hundred-thousand-year eighth soul ring that had dropped from the Soul Devouring Jellyfish.

The soul skill attached to that soul ring was called Spirit Form Transformation. It could transform both himself and anyone he touched into a soul-like state.

It granted the abilities to conceal one's aura and evade mental detection, become transparent and invisible, ignore terrain obstructions, become immune to all attacks, and freely pass through any object.

Only when they actively launched an attack would they shift from their soul state back into physical form, and that was the enemy's only opportunity to inflict damage.

Relying on Spirit Form Transformation, he and Qian Daoliu had passed through layer upon layer of earth from the surface and entered the underground labyrinth.

In the end, he used soul detection to lock onto Demon Spirit's hiding place, and Qian Daoliu subdued it in a single move.

Su Qi then delivered the finishing blow, allowing him to absorb the nearly two-hundred-thousand-year ninth soul ring and obtain the external soul bone, the Demon Spirit Sword.

Coming back to his senses from the memory of hunting Demon Spirit years ago, Su Qi was about to walk toward Qian Renxue when she suddenly sensed him first.

"Who is it?!" Qian Renxue shouted coldly. The sorrow in her eyes was replaced by vigilance as she turned and stared directly at Su Qi.

"Is that you? Why are you here?"

Seeing Qian Renxue's puzzled expression, Su Qi smiled. "Yesterday, the Grand Worshiper gave me permission to use the area around Douluo Hall as a mimicry training ground."

Qian Renxue froze at those words. Throughout Spirit Hall's history, only her teacher, Ye Fan, had treated Douluo Hall as a mimicry training ground.

Douluo Hall could be considered the graveyard of Titled Douluo throughout the generations. The area contained abundant soul energy that could assist the cultivation of soul martial souls and speed up the growth of soul power.

Could it be that Su Qi's Asura Demon Sword martial soul also needed soul energy to aid its cultivation?

Seeing Qian Renxue grow suspicious of him, Su Qi had no desire to expose his identity from his previous life. He was now thinking of how to improve his explanation. "Countless heroic martyrs are buried here. Though it is sacred ground, it is also a place where the aura of death gathers."

"A place thick with killing intent is undoubtedly the best choice for cultivating the Asura Demon Sword martial soul. The second-best choice is a place thick with the aura of death, because slaughter brings death."

After hearing that explanation, Qian Renxue smiled in realization. "So that was it. I thought you not only used the same swordsmanship as my teacher, but even cultivated in the same way."

"Is that the tomb of your teacher, Senior Ye Fan?" As he spoke, Su Qi walked to Qian Renxue's side and fixed his gaze on the Demon Spirit Sword atop the tomb.

Like the Soul Devouring Jellyfish Right Arm Bone, the external soul bone, the Demon Spirit Sword, also contained immensely powerful soul power and had already become deeply bound to his soul.

The moment he drew close, Su Qi sensed the soul resonance coming from the Demon Spirit Sword.

Surging soul power flowed out of the Demon Spirit Sword, eagerly seeking to merge into Su Qi's body.

However, because he had not used the Soul Meditation Method to guide that soul power into his body, the soul power contained within the Demon Spirit Sword merely diffused through the air, making the surrounding atmosphere as mysterious as spiritual energy.

Feeling the immense soul power and soul force intertwining around him, Su Qi was overjoyed.

Fortunately, the Demon Spirit Sword was a nearly two-hundred-thousand-year soul bone. Even though it had been damaged and had lost the lower half of its blade, the remaining portion still contained a vast amount of soul power.

Once he used the Soul Meditation Method to draw all that soul power into his body, refine it, and absorb it, his soul power should rise by several more levels!

Noticing Su Qi staring unwaveringly at the Demon Spirit Sword, Qian Renxue introduced it. "This broken sword is called the Demon Spirit Sword. It was my teacher's external soul bone."

"It should originally have been buried with his remains, but considering that he was a battle soul master, we erected the Demon Spirit Sword atop his tomb as a memorial and tribute to a warrior."

"My swordsmanship was taught by my teacher. It is only a pity that he died so young. Otherwise, by now, his name would surely have resounded throughout the entire continent!"

At that, Qian Renxue clenched her fist bitterly. Beyond the sorrow in her eyes, there was now also a venomous gleam.

Her father's death must have been the work of the Clear Sky Sect. Back then, her grandfather had demanded an explanation from the Clear Sky Sect, but for some unknown reason, he had returned empty-handed and even told her not to investigate any further.

But her teacher's death had to have been the work of the King of Slaughter.

Once she completed her infiltration mission in the Heaven Dou Empire, she had to get to the bottom of it and avenge her teacher!

The venomous light faded from her eyes. Qian Renxue calmed the resentment in her heart and looked at Su Qi. "Since you want to cultivate here, I will not disturb you. It just so happens that I should return to carry out my own mission."

"I do not understand. Why do you, like me, possess Innate Level-Twenty Full Soul Power and the qualifications to begin a Divine Trial, yet instead of cultivating diligently, go out to carry out missions?"

Su Qi deliberately reminded her, "Qian Renxue, do you not think you are putting the cart before the horse? Why not give up the mission and come back to cultivate with me? Once we inherit godhood in the future, what will there be that we cannot accomplish?"

Qian Renxue sighed despondently. "I know carrying out missions will delay my cultivation, but I have persisted for six years already. I do not want those six years of effort to go to waste. Besides, the mission I am carrying out is very special."

"If I succeed, Spirit Hall will usher in unprecedented development. As for what mission it is, forgive me, but I cannot tell you. In any case, cultivate diligently. I hope you can catch up to my soul power rank soon."

As she spoke, Qian Renxue walked up to Su Qi.

When the two stood face-to-face, it was obvious that Su Qi was half a head taller than Qian Renxue. However, in terms of appearance, Qian Renxue still seemed more mature.

She smiled faintly and reminded him, "Su Qi, you said it yourself. Our previous sparring match did not count as a win or loss. Once we both reach Rank Seventy soul power and obtain Martial Soul Avatars, we will spar again."

"So I will consider this delay in cultivation as keeping that promise. Once you catch up to me, perhaps we will not have a chance to meet for the next few years. Goodbye."

After saying that, Qian Renxue looked at Su Qi once more before turning her gaze toward Ye Fan's gravestone.

After hesitating for a while, she finally turned and left with a complicated expression, continuing her infiltration mission in the Heaven Dou Empire under the identity of Xue Qinghe.

Watching Qian Renxue disappear into the distance, Su Qi shook his head. He had deliberately tried to make Qian Renxue abandon her infiltration mission because he did not want her to neglect her cultivation and wanted her to focus on the Divine Trial.

Since she had no intention of giving it up, there was no need for him to keep persuading her.

Besides, he was now facing the question of whether he should stall at the Rank Thirty bottleneck and gamble for two God-Bestowed Spirit Rings. He had no mind to concern himself with others.

Collecting himself, Su Qi sat cross-legged before his own tomb and began using the Soul Meditation Method to guide the soul power contained within the Demon Spirit Sword into his body.

After being remolded by the Soul Devouring Jellyfish Right Arm Bone, the meridians throughout his body had widened by thirty percent.

He had currently accumulated Rank Thirty-Five soul power, yet none of his meridians showed signs of blockage or swelling. This meant he could continue accumulating even more soul power.

If he absorbed and refined all the soul power contained within the Demon Spirit Sword, he would be able to break through to the Rank Forty bottleneck and complete the Asura First Trial in less than eight months!

With that thought in mind, Su Qi spent nearly every day from then on before his own tomb.

As the Soul Meditation Method gradually absorbed and refined the soul power bit by bit, the glow of soul power originally emitted by the Demon Spirit Sword slowly dimmed.

He did not need eight months at all.

Su Qi used only five months to completely absorb the soul power contained within the Demon Spirit Sword.

This external soul bone consequently became an ordinary bone.

After five months of cultivation, Su Qi had not only accumulated the soul power gained from cultivating the Soul Meditation Method, but had also assimilated the soul power of the Demon Spirit Sword.

This finally allowed his soul power to break through to the Rank Forty bottleneck.

The next morning.

Before Ye Fan's tomb in Douluo Hall.

A blood-red pillar of light shot into the sky, accompanied by a cold, majestic voice that resounded through Su Qi's spiritual world.

[Asura First Trial: Break through to Rank Forty soul power. You must absorb soul rings beyond your level twice, and both soul rings must be of top-tier quality or above. Complete within one year!]

[Examinee Su Qi used the opportunity left behind from his previous life and completed the trial in only nine months. His performance was excellent and exceeded trial expectations.]

[Soul power increased by three ranks!]

[External left palm bone, Bloodshadow Hand, directly evolves into a ten-thousand-year soul bone!]

[The age of all soul rings increases by one thousand years!]

[God-Bestowed Spirit Rings obtained: three!]

"What is going on? Three God-Bestowed Spirit Rings?"

After hearing the announcement of the Divine Trial rewards, Su Qi was utterly confused.

His soul power was currently at the Rank Forty bottleneck, and he had yet to obtain his third and fourth soul rings.

Logically, the Divine Trial reward should only have granted two God-Bestowed Spirit Rings. Why were there three?

At that moment, Su Qi's consciousness was suddenly pulled into his spiritual world. A hundred-zhang Asura God Statue with three heads and six arms stood before him. It was the divine consciousness sent down by the Shura God.

Looking up at the hundred-zhang Asura God Statue, Su Qi's eyes flashed with surprise.

He had merely completed the Asura First Trial, yet the Shura God had personally come to distribute the Divine Trial rewards?

This treatment truly left him flattered.

Could it be that the Shura God had descended in person to issue the extremely difficult Asura Second Trial?