Identity Exposed: Su Qi Was Ye Fan

Back then, Xiao Wu's mother had been a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, a Soft Bone Rabbit. She possessed all sorts of miraculous survival and escape abilities, yet Bibi Dong had still found her, and in the end, she became a soul ring and soul bone.

This showed that Bibi Dong's soul skills had unique advantages when it came to locating soul beasts.

With her help, he could focus on cultivating his soul power and break through the Level 60 bottleneck as soon as possible.

Su Qi was not worried that Bibi Dong would deliberately slack off, because he had given her a one-year deadline.

The Asura Second Trial had a two-year deadline.

Even if Bibi Dong could not find the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger within a year, he would still have another year to continue the search.

However, in order to obtain Divine Trial rewards beyond expectations,

it would be best to complete the Divine Trial a year early.

Therefore, he had to find more people to help.

Besides, finding soul beasts depended on luck in the first place.

Not to mention that the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger could fly, crossing mountains and seas with unpredictable movements. Finding it would definitely not be easy.

At present, Bibi Dong was already helping from the Papal Palace. As for the Consecration Hall, there was also a Consecrated Elder with soul skills similar to Bibi Dong's, capable of searching for soul beasts across a vast area.

That Consecrated Elder was Lion Douluo.

As the Fourth Consecrated Elder, Lion Douluo possessed Level 97 soul power, and his martial soul was the Blazing Lion.

His eighth soul skill, All Beasts Bow, could control all beast martial soul masters below the rank of Soul Sage.

When used together with his seventh soul skill, Lion True Body, he could even control soul beasts that had yet to gain intelligence or whose bloodlines were not powerful enough.

With Lion Douluo controlling the soul beasts to search for the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, the task would be far more efficient.

Fortunately, in his previous life, he had been the Eighth Consecrated Elder and had known Lion Douluo.

He only needed to reveal his identity from his previous life and explain the pros and cons. Lion Douluo would certainly do everything in his power to help him, unlike Bibi Dong, who had been forced into it.

The next morning.

The sun had just risen, and the sky was only beginning to brighten.

The morning sunlight blanketed Spirit Hall's layers of golden palaces and jade towers, making the entire holy land solemn and majestic.

Dressed in a white-gold Holy Son robe, Su Qi entered the grand and ancient Consecration Hall alone.

At the foremost seat in the center, Qian Daoliu wore a gray-gold robe, his golden hair falling to his waist. Watching Su Qi slowly enter the Consecration Hall, he revealed a gentle smile. "Child, aren't you busy completing your Divine Trial? What brings you to the Consecration Hall today?"

The other six Consecrated Elders glanced over slightly, their eyes carrying traces of confusion.

Meeting the gazes of the Consecrated Elders, Su Qi said frankly, "Great Consecrated Elder, and all the other Consecrated Elders, I have come today because there is a secret art I wish to teach you."

"A secret art?"

All seven Consecrated Elders were stunned, surprise and suspicion flashing through their eyes.

"What sort of secret art is it?" Qian Daoliu asked.

"This art is called the Soul Core Condensation Method."

As soon as Su Qi spoke, everyone in the hall looked utterly unfamiliar with the term, their faces full of confusion.

"Soul Core? I have cultivated for over a hundred years, yet I seem never to have heard of such a secret art." Golden Crocodile Worshipper asked curiously, "May I ask, Holy Son, what exactly is this Soul Core you speak of?"

Su Qi answered truthfully, "For ordinary soul masters, their soul power remains liquid throughout their lives, flowing loosely. It is greatly consumed and slowly restored. The further one cultivates, the heavier the restraints become and the harder it is to break through bottlenecks."

"A Soul Core, meanwhile, is formed by compressing, condensing, and solidifying liquid soul power to its limit, forging it into an eternally circulating core of soul power."

"Once a Soul Core is formed, soul power circulates through the body on its own, continuously absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Cultivation speed, soul power purity, soul skill burst power, the body's carrying limit, and soul power recovery speed all undergo fundamental qualitative changes."

At this point, Su Qi swept his gaze across the seven Consecrated Elders and explained, "Simply put, a Soul Core can allow soul masters to more easily break through to the realm of Titled Douluo or Peerless Douluo."

"Every one of you has cultivated your soul power beyond Level 96 through sheer effort. In truth, Soul Core prototypes have already been born within your bodies."

"You simply lack the correct method. If you now calmly cultivate according to this secret art of mine, it will not be long before you can truly condense your Soul Cores."

"Those with good fortune may even directly break through their soul power restraints and rise another level. It will be no difficult matter."

Upon hearing this, the Seven Great Consecrated Elders were deeply shaken.

They had been stuck at the Level 96 and Level 97 bottlenecks for decades. They had exhausted every insight and spent half their lives meditating in seclusion, yet they had never advanced a single step. They had long assumed that their cultivation had reached its limit.

Su Qi's words undoubtedly allowed them to see hope of breaking through their bottlenecks.

However, did such a heaven-defying Soul Core Secret Art truly exist?

The Consecrated Elders were half-convinced and half-dubious, but then they remembered how Su Qi had previously offered the secret method of tempering the body with Whale Gel. It had genuinely strengthened Spirit Hall's geniuses at their foundation, reduced the risks of absorbing soul rings, and solidified their cultivation base.

With that precedent, combined with the supreme vision of Asura's inheritor, perhaps this Soul Core method truly possessed such miraculous effects!

"Since the Holy Son is willing to teach us the Soul Core Secret Art, we shall give it a calm and earnest try."

No longer hesitating, the Seven Great Consecrated Elders each sat down on meditation cushions in the hall. Their minds became one as they silently circulated the vast soul power throughout their bodies according to the condensation method Su Qi had taught them, attempting to condense their Soul Cores.

Within the hall, soul energy instantly surged, and a silent, oppressive atmosphere naturally arose.

Watching the Consecrated Elders concentrate on condensing their Soul Cores, Su Qi could not help recalling his past life.

If he had not died and vanished in Slaughter City back then, there should have been an eighth golden pillar in this Consecration Hall, along with a meditation cushion for the Eighth Consecrated Elder engraved with the image of the Soul Martial Soul.

It was also because he had died and vanished that he had not had time in his previous life to tell these Consecrated Elders how to condense Soul Cores.

Perhaps all of this was for the best.

Because by telling them how to condense Soul Cores now, he could first grant the Consecrated Elders benefits, then reveal his identity from his previous life and ask them to help search for—or even hunt—the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.

Seeing that the Consecrated Elders would not be able to condense their Soul Cores anytime soon, Su Qi left the Consecration Hall and cultivated outside Douluo Hall using the Soul Meditation Method.

Just like that, ten days quickly passed.

In the morning, the sun shone brightly beneath a cloudless sky.

Four vast and majestic auras of soul power erupted from the direction of the Consecration Hall.

They were accompanied by four pillars of light—red, green, blue, and white—that shot into the heavens.

This was the phenomenon caused when Level 96 Titled Douluo advanced in soul power.

Once one entered the rank of Titled Douluo, raising one's soul power by another level became as difficult as ascending to heaven.

After entering the Level 96 Titled Douluo realm, one was already among the Super Douluo. Every further increase in soul power depended not only on accumulated soul power, but even more on insight.

Only by comprehending the Dao from one's own field could one make a breakthrough.

Only then could one's martial soul possibly awaken its own exclusive domain.

Ending his meditation, Su Qi raised his head and looked toward the four pillars of light rising from the Consecration Hall.

He immediately understood that four Consecrated Elders must have advanced in soul power.

They had secluded themselves in the Consecration Hall for decades without making any further breakthroughs.

Now that they had broken through in succession, it had to be because they had condensed their own Soul Cores.

While thinking, Su Qi had already left the area outside Douluo Hall and headed toward the Consecration Hall.

At that moment, unprecedented clamor filled the Consecration Hall.

"Breakthrough! We truly broke through!!"

"The soul power bottlenecks we could not break through for decades were actually overcome in merely ten days! This is unbelievable!"

"I never imagined the Soul Core Secret Art could be so miraculous!"

"The current Holy Son truly deserves to be Asura's inheritor. First, Whale Gel strengthened our foundation, and now Soul Cores have broken through our restraints. With the two combined, Spirit Hall will surely produce countless talents and endless experts in the future!"

The Consecrated Elders were stirred to the core, their faces full of excitement. Just as they turned to report the good news to Qian Daoliu, they saw that his gaze was distant and fixed directly upon the center of the hall.

Following his gaze, they instantly fell silent.

Su Qi stood tall in the center of the hall in his white-gold Holy Son ceremonial robes. No one knew when he had arrived. Cupping his hands, he congratulated them, "Congratulations to all the Consecrated Elders for reaching new heights in cultivation. I presume you have successfully condensed your Soul Cores?"

"Yes!" Lion Douluo, the Fourth Consecrated Elder, said in a booming voice, his face full of excitement. "Holy Son, your Soul Core Secret Art is truly marvelous. This old man secluded himself for decades without being able to make another breakthrough, yet after condensing a Soul Core, my Level 97 soul power has actually broken through to Level 98!"

"Hahahaha! This old man's soul power is now on par with the Second Consecrated Elder's!"

After hearing Lion Douluo's words, Su Qi smiled in satisfaction, then looked toward the other Consecrated Elders. "Have the other Consecrated Elders successfully condensed their Soul Cores as well?"

Because they had cultivated with the Soul Core Secret Art Su Qi provided, and because of his lofty status as Asura's inheritor, none of the other Consecrated Elders put on the airs of an expert.

Qianjun Douluo, the Sixth Consecrated Elder, reported honestly, "Reporting to the Holy Son, my soul power was originally Level 96. I had failed to make a breakthrough after twenty years in seclusion, but after successfully condensing a Soul Core, I have advanced to Level 97 soul power."

"Me too. I am now Level 97. I never expected this Soul Core to truly bring about such a qualitative change in soul power. I can clearly feel that my elder brother's and my Coiling Dragon Staff martial souls have become far stronger than before under the nourishment of Soul Core soul power!" The speaker was Xiangmo Douluo, the Seventh Consecrated Elder.

He and Qianjun Douluo, the Sixth Consecrated Elder, were blood brothers. They possessed a tacit understanding cultivated over a hundred years and worked together flawlessly. It was said that when the two brothers joined forces, even Qian Daoliu did not dare underestimate them.

Now that they had the aid of Soul Cores, the power of their combined attack would surely surpass what it had been before.

"My soul power also broke through after I condensed a Soul Core. Like Fourth Brother, I have risen to Level 98." The Third Consecrated Elder spoke in a youthful voice with a hint of magnetism.

After hearing the reports from the four Consecrated Elders, Guangling Douluo, the Fifth Consecrated Elder, shook his head regretfully. "Although I condensed a Soul Core, my soul power did not break through. I remain at Level 97."

"I did not break through either." Golden Crocodile Worshipper, the Second Consecrated Elder, sighed. "It seems my talent reached its limit long ago. Even with the help of the Soul Core method, it is already of no use."

"Second Consecrated Elder, there is no need to be discouraged." Su Qi comforted him. "You have only condensed one Soul Core. In truth, you can condense a second one."

"When you can maintain the balance between two Soul Cores, you will certainly break through your restraints and become a Level 99 Peerless Douluo like the Great Consecrated Elder."

As soon as these words were spoken, every Consecrated Elder, including Qian Daoliu, was stunned, their faces filled with surprise.

They had already personally experienced the remarkable effects Soul Cores had on cultivation speed and the strengthening of one's body. All of them considered it wondrous.

Now that they heard such a miraculous thing could actually be condensed a second time, they were naturally shocked.

At the thought that he might one day become a Level 99 Peerless Douluo, Golden Crocodile Worshipper asked in a trembling voice, "Holy Son, are... are you telling the truth?"

"Of course it is true." Su Qi felt that the time had come and admitted, "Because when my soul power was Level 96, I once condensed dual Soul Cores."

"Huh?" Golden Crocodile Worshipper looked utterly confused as he stared at Su Qi. "Aren't you only at Level 50-something soul power? How could you have been Level 96?"

"I am not talking about the current me."

"I am talking about the me from before."

Upon hearing Su Qi's words, Golden Crocodile Worshipper and the other Consecrated Elders exchanged glances, all seeing the astonishment on one another's faces.

Only Qian Daoliu stood with his hands behind his back. He seemed calm, but brilliance flickered repeatedly in his eyes.

Previously, he had seen Su Qi cultivate before Ye Fan's grave. Then there was the Demon Spirit Sword, whose soul had been bound to Ye Fan, and whose soul power had somehow been drained dry by Su Qi.

Every strange occurrence had made him connect Su Qi with Ye Fan.

Now Su Qi said that he had once possessed Level 96 soul power. Could the two truly be the same person?

Lion Worshipper's curiosity burned, and he hurriedly urged, "Holy Son, stop keeping us in suspense! What exactly do you mean by saying that you once possessed Level 96 soul power?"

Su Qi looked at Lion Worshipper and smiled faintly. "Fourth Consecrated Elder, after all these years, you are still so impatient."

"The fact that I once possessed Level 96 soul power naturally means that I was once one of the Consecrated Elders in this Consecration Hall."

"What?!"

Lion Worshipper and Golden Crocodile Worshipper cried out in shock at the same time, their faces blank.

The expressions of the other four Consecrated Elders changed drastically as well.

Only Qian Daoliu seemed to have confirmed something, a knowing smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"You were once one of the Consecrated Elders of the Consecration Hall?" Golden Crocodile Worshipper stroked his chin thoughtfully. "In the past sixty years, aside from the seven of us, were there any other Consecrated Elders in the Consecration Hall?"

At that point, not only Golden Crocodile Worshipper but the other Consecrated Elders also realized it. Their mouths fell open as they spoke two words in unison, "Ye Fan!"

Besides the seven Consecrated Elders, the Consecration Hall had once housed an Eighth Consecrated Elder, a monster who had cultivated Level 96 soul power at the age of twenty-five.

"That is not right." Lion Worshipper stared at Su Qi strangely. "When Ye Fan left us, he was already twenty-five or twenty-six. If he were still alive, he would be over thirty by now. How could he possibly be you?"

"No! It is entirely possible!!"

Golden Crocodile Worshipper suddenly understood. "Fourth Brother, have you forgotten what Ye Fan's martial soul was?"

"Wasn't Old Eighth's martial soul the Soul Martial Soul?" As soon as he said this, Lion Worshipper was startled. "A soul... reincarnating?"

Although Douluo Continent had no concept of "soul possession," it did have the concept of souls reincarnating.

None of the Seven Great Consecrated Elders knew that Ye Fan's Soul Martial Soul possessed the ninth soul skill, Life Return.

At the brink of death, that soul skill could allow the soul to take all beneficial enhancements from the body and reincarnate.

Even Qian Daoliu, who had helped hunt the Demon Spirit back then, did not know the effect of that soul skill.

It was not because they had no interest in Ye Fan's ninth soul skill.

Rather, as a two-hundred-thousand-year soul beast, the Demon Spirit's soul ring had produced two soul skills.

Ye Fan had only told them about one of the soul skills from his ninth soul ring. He had not revealed the passive soul skill that allowed reincarnation.

Because of this, even though they had considered the possibility that a soul could reincarnate, the Consecrated Elders still found it hard to believe.

The current Su Qi was actually Ye Fan reincarnated?

"Y-you truly are Old Eighth?" Golden Crocodile Worshipper stared at Su Qi and asked, half-believing and half-doubting.

Su Qi smiled and nodded. "Yes. I am your Old Eighth."