A terrifying Spirit Skill! Tuoba Xi was stunned: What on earth was a Soul Core? Reporting to Spirit City

Yin Yu nodded slightly and picked up the conversation:

"And that wasn't all.

I heard Meng Shu ran Beast Academy, so I made the call to have him move the whole academy outside Holy Dragon City.

We'll use Beast Academy as the foundation for a new Holy Dragon Academy.

Then we'll enroll all the talented young disciples from the Sect. It'll give the younger generation a place to hone their skills while training a steady stream of new talent for us."

Tuoba Xi nodded vigorously in approval:

"Brilliant!

That's an excellent plan!

The Holy Dragon Sect has always relied on senior disciples teaching junior ones. What we've lacked is a proper advanced Soul Master Academy.

With Beast Academy's teachers and facilities already in place, we only need to move it to Holy Dragon City under a new name, and Holy Dragon Academy can open at once!

I'm fully behind this. I'll send word for the Sect elders to give the relocation their full support!"

With that, Tuoba Xi's eyes grew brighter. He turned his attention back to Yin Changqing:

"The Sect's plans are exciting, but Changqing is the foundation of the Holy Dragon Sect's future.

Changqing, tell your grandfather: how old was the soul beast you hunted for your fourth Soul Ring?

And what two Spirit Skills did you gain?"

Yin Changqing smiled faintly and rose to his feet.

Light bloomed in his palm. His Light Saint Dragon Martial Soul soared upward, and vast, majestic Dragon Might spread through the hall.

At the same time, four Soul Rings slowly rose beneath his feet: yellow, purple, purple, and black!

Tuoba Xi looked thoroughly pleased:

"Just as I expected. Changqing's fourth ring really is a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring!"

Tuoba Tingxue added with a smile:

"Eighteen thousand years, to be precise."

"Eighteen thousand years!"

Tuoba Xi shot to his feet and strode over to Yin Changqing. He studied the ring's color and the energy pulsing from it, his voice trembling slightly:

"Is it really eighteen thousand years old?"

"Yes, Grandpa."

Yin Changqing withdrew his Martial Soul, and the four Soul Rings vanished. He smiled:

"An Ironclad Tyrannosaurus. Eighteen thousand years old. The physical strain and Soul Shock were both within what I could bear."

"That's my boy!"

Tuoba Xi clapped Yin Changqing hard on the shoulder, then turned to Yin Yu:

"You two have some nerve, letting him take on an eighteen-thousand-year soul beast! I'd estimated ten thousand years at most. This one's a full eight thousand years older!"

Yin Yu lifted his teacup and took a sip, his expression calm:

"Tingxue and I checked Changqing's physical aptitude ourselves. Six years of tempering with Whale Rubber made his meridians exceptionally resilient.

He could handle eighteen thousand years."

Tuoba Xi snorted, though he could not hide his smile, and sat back down in the seat of honor:

"Fine. As long as you two know what you're doing.

Changqing, tell me what Spirit Skills that Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring gave you."

Yin Changqing stood in the center of the hall and answered plainly:

"The first is Dragon Emperor's Dominating Body.

Once activated, it reduces all damage by seventy percent and makes me immune to all control effects for ten seconds.

If I take a fatal blow, it also makes me invincible for one second. That can only trigger once a day."

Tuoba Xi drew a sharp breath and murmured:

"A lifesaving skill..."

"The second is Saint Dragon's Fury."

Yin Changqing continued:

"Once activated, every attack is guaranteed to be a critical hit, and critical damage doubles. Each attack also deals true damage equal to ten percent of my maximum health. It lasts half an hour."

"True damage?"

Tuoba Xi frowned in thought for a moment, then slapped the table and stood:

"The kind that ignores defense?"

"Yes. It passes straight through defenses and strikes the target's body."

Tuoba Xi froze for a few seconds, then threw back his head and laughed:

"Hahahaha!

Seventy percent damage reduction, immunity to control, and invincibility, paired with guaranteed critical hits and true damage.

I'll say it outright: the Spirit Skills from your fourth ring are more formidable than an ordinary Soul Sage's Martial Soul Avatar!"

Yin Yu set down his teacup, his expression turning serious:

"Father, Changqing didn't just obtain an excellent Soul Ring this time. He also gave me an important idea."

Tuoba Xi's laughter faded, and he raised an eyebrow:

"What idea?"

Yin Yu exchanged a glance with Yin Changqing before speaking slowly:

"While absorbing the Soul Ring, Changqing used the pressure from the surge of Soul Power to work out a new approach to cultivation:

Spin and compress liquid Soul Power at high speed inside the body until it forms a solid core.

He calls it a 'Soul Core.'"

The smile froze on Tuoba Xi's face. After a moment's silence, he said:

"Compress liquid into a solid?

I've never heard of such a thing."

"I tried out some of the ideas in the forest."

Yin Yu rose and walked to the hall doors with his hands behind his back. Looking toward the distant mountains, he said:

"I haven't formed one myself yet, but Changqing condensed a tiny Solid Soul Power Droplet, proving the idea has merit.

If this path works, my bottleneck at level ninety-four might not be a bottleneck after all."

For Yin Yu, reaching level ninety-five was not especially difficult.

Even so, overcoming his current bottleneck would take him several years.

If the Soul Core method could cut that time substantially, all the better!

Tuoba Xi studied Yin Changqing for a few moments, then asked in a grave voice:

"Changqing, are you sure this path has no hidden dangers?"

"Grandpa, I've run through it repeatedly with my mental power. In theory, it's entirely feasible."

Yin Changqing spoke calmly:

"The only real difficulty is controlling the compression precisely. One mistake could cause a Soul Power backlash.

But as long as the rotation speed and compression ratio are kept under control, the risk is manageable."

Tuoba Xi pondered for a long while before finally nodding:

"All right.

Your father's been stuck at level ninety-four for some time. Now that he has a direction, it's worth a try."

He looked at Yin Yu, his tone cautioning him:

"But remember: go into seclusion and work through it thoroughly before you try anything. Don't just charge ahead."

"Don't worry, Father. I know what I'm doing."

Yin Yu turned back, a faint smile on his lips:

"Once Meng Shu has moved Beast Academy here and Holy Dragon Academy has opened, I'll find a quiet chamber and study it carefully."

Tuoba Xi waved a hand:

"I'll oversee the academy. You focus on reaching level ninety-five.

As for Changqing..."

Tuoba Xi turned to Yin Changqing, his eyes full of expectation:

"You'll be Holy Dragon Academy's first student, and captain of its team.

When the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament begins in two years, show the whole continent what a true genius looks like!"

Tuoba Xi reined in his excitement and sat up straighter, his voice deepening:

"Once the arrangements for Beast Academy's relocation and establishment here are settled, I'll have to make a trip to Spirit City myself."

Neither Yin Yu nor Tuoba Tingxue looked surprised.

The Holy Dragon Sect had split from Spirit Hall, and their ties ran deep.

Now the Sect had taken in the Peerless Dragon and Snake family and planned to establish Holy Dragon Academy.

Changes that significant to the balance of power called for a visit to Spirit City. Giving them notice was simply routine.

Tuoba Tingxue smiled:

"It's a good idea for you to go, Father.

Relations between the Pope and the Worship Hall are delicate at the moment. If we report this good news, we may also be able to secure considerable help from Spirit Hall with enrollment and resources."