Cultivating Ring Detonation

Every Soul Ring could undergo Ring Detonation once. After detonation, all its power burst forth, instantly becoming the user's own and flowing into an attack to produce strength far beyond their normal limits. The higher the Soul Ring's quality, the greater the effect.

Tang Hao, after detonating eight rings, could take down three Titled Douluo with a single hammer blow.

At Level 96, Tang Hao could gravely wound the Level 98 Golden Crocodile Douluo by detonating just three rings.

All of this proved the power of Ring Detonation and the Great Sumeru Hammer.

But Ring Detonation did not come without drawbacks.

Once every Soul Ring had been detonated, the user would fall into a weakened state.

Detonating a ring was also extremely dangerous. If the user lost control and could not contain the power it unleashed, that energy might swallow them whole.

Without exceptional talent and a deep foundation, using this Self-Created Soul Skill was no different from suicide.

But none of that was a problem for Tang Chen.

His Soul Bone came with a restorative Soul Skill. And even without it, the healing power of Ning Zi's Lovesick Heartbreak Red could cure him completely.

Even if the worst happened and Tang Chen met with an accident, Ning Zi could revive him.

He set to work at once, preparing to create the Ring Detonation technique.

Yet Tang Chen got stuck on the very first step.

The original work never said how to practice Ring Detonation!

Tang Chen stood rooted to the spot.

He racked his brains. After turning it over and over in his mind, he decided to detonate a Soul Ring and see what happened.

Tang Chen immediately activated his Martial Soul, the Clear Sky Hammer, and summoned his first Soul Ring.

The first Soul Ring, which came from the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff, suddenly burst apart.

A vast surge of energy flooded Tang Chen's limbs and meridians.

But things did not go as he expected. Instead of making him stronger, the enormous rush of Soul Power damaged his meridians and body, while its energy kept spilling outward.

Before long, all that energy had dispersed into the world.

At the same time, Tang Chen's first Soul Ring turned gray. He would be unable to use it for a while.

"Pfft!"

Tang Chen spat out a mouthful of blood.

Every meridian in his body had suffered slight damage.

The fierce backlash from detonating the Soul Ring had left him badly hurt.

His Left Leg Soul Bone swiftly absorbed energy from the earth, speeding his recovery.

Only after half a day of rest and healing did Tang Chen finally return to his previous condition.

His first Soul Ring, however, still could not recover for the time being.

Tang Chen decisively gave up on researching Ring Detonation any further for now.

The restorative power of his Soul Bone alone was not enough to handle what lay ahead.

To research Ring Detonation, he needed ample means of recovery and plenty of information to study.

He decided to wait until he returned to the Clear Sky Sect before resuming the project.

For the time being, Tang Chen continued with the Second Trial of the Asura God Trial.

Soon, it was time for his second tempering by killing intent.

Tang Chen returned to the Meditation Cushion and sat down cross-legged.

As before, the moment he sat on it, his body was bound fast and he could not move.

Then the vast killing intent stored in Slaughter City was forced into his body, as though a whale were swallowing the sea.

Unlike the first time, this flood of killing intent was far greater and far more violent.

The instant it entered his body, Tang Chen let out an agonized scream.

"Aaaagh!"

The pain soon knocked him unconscious, but the moment he passed out, it jolted him awake again.

The cycle repeated.

It went on for another full day and night.

Tang Chen's screams gradually faded. He was slowly growing accustomed to the pain.

When the full day had passed, the second tempering by killing intent finally ended.

The Meditation Cushion released its hold, and Tang Chen immediately slumped off it.

This time, though, he did not lie on the ground and fall asleep as he had before. He staggered to his feet and used his Left Leg Soul Bone to draw power directly from the earth, rapidly healing the damage to his body.

His physical injuries were soon repaired. What remained was the strain on his mental power, and his Left Leg Soul Bone could do nothing for that.

Tang Chen sat cross-legged on the ground and began practicing his Meditation Method.

With the pure energy left over from the killing intent's tempering, he rapidly strengthened his Soul Power and mental power.

After two full days of meditation, Tang Chen's mental power had risen considerably. His Soul Power Level had also broken through to Level 56.

After only two rounds of tempering by killing intent, the markings of Tang Chen's Divine Slaughter's Domain had already spread across his entire upper body.

In the Asura God Temple of the Divine Realm.

The Asura God watched Tang Chen, who had undergone only two rounds of tempering, and saw that the markings of his Divine Slaughter's Domain had already covered his entire upper body.

He could not help exclaiming, "I never expected the little fellow to be this talented. After a mere two rounds of tempering by killing intent, his Divine Slaughter's Domain has already evolved this far. That's much faster than I expected. At this rate, it may evolve into the Slaughter Domain after six rounds. Then the remaining three can be used to improve his affinity with the Asura God position."

In the days that followed, Tang Chen continued the tempering. The third round took only half a day for him to absorb completely.

What was more, the markings of his Divine Slaughter's Domain had spread onto both arms of his Body Martial Soul.

Then came the fourth round, the fifth...

And so it went until the sixth.

Tang Chen had now undergone six rounds of tempering by killing intent.

The markings of his Divine Slaughter's Domain now covered the entire body of his Body Martial Soul.

The vast energy of the killing intent had pushed his mental power to the level of a Super Douluo.

It had also made his presence as keen and unstoppable as a blade.

For the seventh round, Tang Chen sat down on the Meditation Cushion.

The familiar sensation of being bound spread through his body.

But unlike the previous six rounds, this time the killing intent entering his body was not white. It was a blood-red energy.

At the same time, on the statue of the Asura God in the center of the plaza.

Red light suddenly flared in the statue's eyes and shone straight onto Tang Chen.

Both streams of energy poured into him at once, and Tang Chen once again felt pain that pierced him to the heart.

"Holy shit, that fucking hurts!"