Successive Breakthroughs

Dugu Yan bowed deeply. "Thank you, Your Excellency!"

Yun Qingluo supported her by the shoulder. "No need to be so polite. If you're willing, you can call me sister."

Dugu Yan opened her rosy little mouth in astonishment.

It was not that she thought too highly of herself. How could she possibly be worthy of addressing such a peerless expert as a sister?

"No need to be surprised. We saw your talent, and this is an investment. Now, it seems the returns are quite considerable. After your Martial Soul evolved into an Ice Dragon, reaching my level will only be a matter of time."

In terms of bloodline, the Ice Dragon Martial Soul was closer to a true dragon than the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.

"Then... Sister?" Dugu Yan called out tentatively.

"Mm, little sister Yan." Yun Qingluo smiled sincerely. "You should be able to use your first two Soul Rings again now, right?"

Dugu Yan nodded firmly. "Yes. After my Martial Soul changed, I can use my original two Soul Skills again, and the skills themselves have changed as well."

Dugu Yan's original first Soul Skill had been Excitement Poison, which stimulated the body's nerves and increased speed and strength by twenty percent.

Her second Soul Skill had been Paralysis Poison, which eliminated pain and increased defense by thirty percent.

Looking at it this way, Dugu Yan had actually been more of a support-type Soul Master than a control-type Soul Master.

What truly made her a control-type Soul Master were her latter two skills. Her third Soul Skill could inflict a poisoned state, while her fourth Soul Skill could inflict a stunned state.

However, her Martial Soul had now evolved, so the path she would take naturally would not be the same old one.

After her Martial Soul evolved, Dugu Yan's first Soul Skill became [Frost Corrosion]. Its effect was to summon frost to attack enemies. At present, it could cover an area with a radius of ten meters. Enemies struck would suffer ice damage, and each successful hit would automatically add one stack of a mark to the enemy.

Each stack reduced the enemy's speed by five percent. At three stacks, it triggered an ice-slow effect, directly reducing speed by thirty percent. At five stacks, it triggered a binding effect, imprisoning the enemy for one second and forcibly interrupting all Soul Skills the enemy was currently casting.

Her second Soul Skill was called [Bitter Winter]. It could instantly fire three ice cones at an enemy. The ice cones traveled in straight lines, but their directions could be controlled freely. Enemies hit would automatically receive two stacks of Frost Corrosion marks.

Compared with her original skills, these two skills thoroughly cemented Dugu Yan's position as a control-type Soul Master.

After listening to Dugu Yan's introduction, Yun Qingluo could not help nodding. "Let's go. I'll have Fei Yu take you to hunt a Soul Ring."

Dugu Yan was delighted once more. Just moments ago, she had been thinking that she was already level thirty, with a large amount of Soul Power still accumulated within her body. It was indeed time to obtain a Soul Ring.

She simply had not known how to bring it up.

After all, ever since she woke up, she had not seen her grandfather.

Based on what she knew of him, if Dugu Bo were still present, he would definitely have come to ask about her condition immediately.

Since he had not come, that meant her grandfather was no longer here. He had most likely gone to search for the materials Lu Shiyuan had mentioned.

She had originally planned to wait until her grandfather returned before considering her third Soul Ring, but she had not expected Yun Qingluo to bring it up first.

The goodwill Yun Qingluo showed made her realize that their calling each other sisters did not seem to be mere empty words.

"Thank you, Sister."

"You're welcome. Since you call me sister, we'll be family from now on." Yun Qingluo suddenly blinked meaningfully.

After Xiao Feiyu made a simple assessment and discussed it with Yun Qingluo, they decided that Dugu Yan's third Soul Ring should provide an area-of-effect control skill.

With a level ninety-seven Super Douluo helping hunt Soul Beasts, it was extremely easy. Dugu Yan had no psychological burden and followed Xiao Feiyu out of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Not long after the two left, Xiao Wu woke up as well.

A third Soul Ring had already appeared around her body.

After condensing her second Soul Ring, her Soul Power Level had already reached level twenty-three.

One Lovesick Heartbreak Red was enough to raise a Soul Grandmaster by ten levels, so Yun Qingluo was not at all surprised that Xiao Wu had advanced to Soul Elder.

"How do you feel?" As soon as Xiao Wu woke up, she heard Yun Qingluo's voice and could not help shrinking her neck.

How could she not be afraid after someone had said right to her face that she loved eating roasted rabbit?

Yun Qingluo could not help finding it amusing. Ever since Xiao Wu had successfully plucked the Lovesick Heartbreak Red, she had been completely reassured.

If there had been even the slightest distracting thought in her heart, the Lovesick Heartbreak Red would not have acknowledged Xiao Wu.

Together with the experiences of fighting side by side in her previous life, Yun Qingluo opened her heart once more and accepted Xiao Wu.

"Don't worry. I won't say things like that again." She rubbed Xiao Wu's head. "Tell your sister, how do you feel now?"

Feeling the softness atop her head, Xiao Wu calmed down considerably. Only after checking her physical condition did she speak. "I feel great. I'm already level thirty-two, but I feel like there's still some medicinal power that I haven't fully absorbed."

"How many years is your third Soul Ring?"

"A little over four thousand years, I suppose. Anyway, less than five thousand." Xiao Wu's physical constitution had improved greatly. Her second Soul Ring had already been purple, so absorbing a third Soul Ring of over four thousand years was perfectly reasonable.

Yun Qingluo nodded and took out a ginseng from her Soul Tool.

"Ten-Thousand-Year Dragon Blood Ginseng. It can help you absorb the remaining medicinal power of the Lovesick Heartbreak Red and promote the completion of your Martial Soul Evolution." She stuffed the ginseng into Xiao Wu's arms. "When absorbing the Ten-Thousand-Year Dragon Blood Ginseng, you must control your Soul Power Level as much as possible and guide more energy into your Martial Soul. Only then can you achieve the goal of evolving your Martial Soul."

Yun Qingluo's completely different attitude left Xiao Wu stunned. How had this person just been talking about eating roasted rabbit, yet was now treating her so well?

"Take it. From today onward, I'll treat you the way Fei Yu does."

With those words, Xiao Wu felt much more at ease.

However, she did not immediately absorb the Ten-Thousand-Year Dragon Blood Ginseng. Instead, she looked toward the center of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and asked worriedly, "Is Brother not done yet?"

"Just wait. I estimate that even after you finish absorbing the Ten-Thousand-Year Dragon Blood Ginseng, he might not be done."

The energy within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was immensely vast. Tempering Lu Shiyuan's already powerful physique again was no small undertaking.

Seeing Yun Qingluo's calm and composed expression, Xiao Wu finally set her mind at ease.

"Sister, then I'll continue absorbing the immortal herb. Brother is in your care."

Yun Qingluo could not help finding it amusing.

This Little Rabbit was really interesting. She made it sound as though I cared less about Xiao Yuan than she did.

After receiving an affirmative answer, Xiao Wu sat down cross-legged again and began refining the medicinal power within the Ten-Thousand-Year Dragon Blood Ginseng.

Her level soared as though taking flight. In just a few days, she rose from a one-ring level-twenty Quasi-Soul Grandmaster to a three-ring Soul Elder.

If this had been the Xiao Wu of the original history, she would have only barely reached level twenty-nine by the time she graduated at twelve years old. Who knew how much time she had wasted?

Although opportunities and cultivation techniques had played a role, one should not forget that Xiao Wu possessed Innate Full Soul Power.

Failing to reach Soul Elder by graduation only meant that she had been a complete slacker.