Lightfire: At the Peak of Level 91! Tuoba Xi Attempts to Form a Soul Core

Three days later, in the Secret Chamber behind the Holy Dragon Sect.

Tuoba Xi strode out.

The air around him shimmered faintly with heat. A pale golden dragon pattern glowed along his right arm, and he looked invigorated, the delight in his eyes impossible to hide.

Yin Changqing and Yin Yu had been waiting in a pavilion outside the Secret Chamber.

When Tuoba Xi emerged, they rose to greet him.

"Grandfather, judging by how you look, refining the Spirit Bone went well?"

Yin Changqing smiled as he studied Tuoba Xi.

"Haha!

Better than well!"

Tuoba Xi laughed heartily and raised his right hand. At a thought, golden-white flames surged from his palm.

A scorching wave of heat spread outward. The air around them warped slightly, carrying an aura both majestic and sacred.

"The twenty-thousand-year Golden Earth Dragon King Right Arm Bone did more than add nearly a full level to my Soul Power. It also came with an extraordinarily fierce Spirit Skill:

Lightfire!"

Tuoba Xi's Soul Power Level had reached the peak of level 91.

Level 92 was not far off.

Tuoba Xi withdrew his Soul Power, and the flames in his palm gradually died away. His voice brimmed with admiration.

"This Lightfire is quite remarkable.

It isn't merely fire. It carries the Golden Earth Dragon King's pure light and Dragon Might.

When I coat my White-Armored Earth Dragon's defenses with it, it becomes a powerful counter to evil, poison, and darkness.

And in close combat, I can drive those searing flames of light into an enemy's body, burning their Meridians and Soul Power!"

Yin Yu nodded slightly and offered his assessment.

"The White-Armored Earth Dragon excels at physical defense and strength. With Lightfire, your combat power has risen by at least thirty percent, Father-in-law.

Against Titled Douluo who specialize in sinister, poisonous techniques, Lightfire would be their bane."

Appreciation showed in Yin Changqing's eyes as well.

"The Golden Earth Dragon King has both the ferocity of an Earth Dragon and the sanctity of light.

With this Spirit Skill, Grandfather, you'll have no weakness in either attack or defense, even against an assault-type Titled Douluo."

Tuoba Xi turned to Yin Yu, his eyes blazing with anticipation.

"Yin Yu, I've fully mastered the Spirit Bone.

Now let's talk about that Soul Core."

"Come with me, Father-in-law."

Yin Yu wasted no words. He stepped aside and gestured for them to follow. The three returned to the most heavily guarded Secret Chamber behind the mountain.

Its heavy door shut once more, and the surrounding soundproofing and perception-blocking soul-tool formations activated in full.

Yin Yu sat cross-legged on the stone bed, with Tuoba Xi opposite him. Yin Changqing stood quietly nearby to guard them and add anything necessary.

"Father-in-law, you're now a level 91 Titled Douluo. All your Soul Power has long since turned liquid."

Yin Yu's expression grew solemn as he went straight to the point.

"The first step in forming a Soul Core is also the most dangerous: disrupting the Qi Sea of Soul Power that normally circulates peacefully within you.

You must force your vast mental power into motion and create a vortex of Soul Power spinning at tremendous speed in your Dantian."

Tuoba Xi listened intently, nodding several times.

"Changqing mentioned the idea before.

But there's an enormous amount of liquid Soul Power. If I force it to spin that fast and lose control, won't it explode inside me and shatter my Meridians?"

"That is precisely the danger."

Yin Yu held out two fingers, black light gathering at their tips.

"Others fail because they rush, trying to pull all the Soul Power in their bodies into the vortex at once.

My approach is the Layered Guidance Method.

First, use your mental power to separate a small portion of pure liquid Soul Power and form it into a tiny central vortex.

It must spin fast enough to generate an inward pull!

Once that vortex produces a steady pull, draw in the surrounding liquid Soul Power layer by layer, like peeling an onion in reverse, and compress it.

Throughout the process, your mental power must act like a floodgate, holding down the violent fluctuations around the vortex."

Tuoba Xi looked thoughtful.

"Draw it in layer by layer, starting small and expanding outward... I see!

Whenever I considered involving all my Soul Power at once, it seemed far too dangerous. I can establish a core first!"

Yin Changqing added from the side.

"Grandfather, there's one more crucial point.

When you compress Soul Power from liquid into solid, it resists with terrifying force.

You can't just crush it with brute strength. You have to find the balance between the outward and inward forces of its rotation.

The instant it reaches the critical point, strike it hard with your mental power and make it crystallize!

Once the first trace of Solid-State Soul Power appears, the rest will follow naturally."

Tuoba Xi's eyes lit up as he listened, and he slapped his thigh in praise.

"Between the two of you, you've made a profound and dangerous breakthrough method crystal clear!

With your experience to guide me, I'd have wasted all these years of my life if I still didn't dare try!"

"I'll guard you here, Father-in-law."

Yin Yu spoke gravely.

"I've formed a Soul Core myself, so I know exactly how its Soul Power fluctuations change.

If the vortex inside you shows any sign of slipping out of control, I'll immediately pour in my level 95 Soul Power to suppress it."

"Good!"

Tuoba Xi hesitated no longer. He closed his eyes and clasped his hands over his Dantian as the Soul Power throughout his body began to circulate slowly.

The atmosphere in the Secret Chamber turned tense in an instant.

A dense layer of white light enveloped Tuoba Xi, and the faint image of a White-Armored Earth Dragon flickered behind him.

Following the Layered Guidance Method Yin Yu had taught him, Tuoba Xi carefully drew a thread of pure liquid Soul Power from the Qi Sea in his Dantian.

He unleashed his mental power!

Under Tuoba Xi's immense mental control, that thread of Soul Power began spinning rapidly at the center of his Dantian.

"Whoosh—whoosh—"

A faint whistling could even be heard from within Tuoba Xi's body.

The tiny vortex swiftly took shape and began pulling inward!

A fine sheen of sweat appeared on Tuoba Xi's forehead, but he remained focused and steady as he drew his vast reserves of liquid Soul Power into the vortex, ring by ring.

Compress!

Compress it further!

Two hours passed.

The Soul Power around Tuoba Xi began surging wildly. The once-calm air turned violent, and the stone walls of the entire Secret Chamber gave a low hum.

"He's reached the critical point."

Yin Changqing's gaze sharpened as he spoke softly.

Black light stirred around Yin Yu. He was ready to intervene at any moment.

Tuoba Xi's face suddenly flushed red. He gritted his teeth, and the Meridians across his body bulged!

In his Dantian, the vast vortex of liquid Soul Power had been compressed to its limit. Like a blazing sun on the verge of exploding, it resisted the final step of solidification.

*Now!

Come together!*

Tuoba Xi roared inwardly and focused all his mental power into an invisible hammer, bringing it down hard on the very center of the vortex!

Hum—!

A muffled tremor erupted from within Tuoba Xi.

The violent fluctuations of Soul Power stopped dead in that instant!