"Th-this is..."
Dugu Yan's voice grew slightly strained.
Dugu Bo did not answer. He simply stared unblinkingly at Ye Han, his brows tightly knitted as he rapidly searched his mind for relevant knowledge of martial souls.
Having suffered the backlash of Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison in his early years, he had devoted considerable effort to studying the mysteries of martial souls over the years and considered himself something of an expert.
Yet the transformation Ye Han now displayed lay entirely beyond his understanding.
Only after a long while did Dugu Bo slowly speak, uncertainty coloring his tone. "Has the Fire Qilin... completed Martial Soul Possession, like an ordinary beast martial soul?"
No sooner had he spoken than he shook his head lightly, rejecting his own guess.
"No." Dugu Bo's voice deepened. "I have never seen a beast martial soul master raise his aura by nearly two major realms through Martial Soul Possession alone."
In the courtyard, Ye Han slowly raised his head in his half-beast form.
His slit pupils swept over those present before settling on Dugu Bo.
When he spoke, his voice was deeper and heavier than usual, but still recognizably his own.
"You're right, Senior Dugu. This isn't Martial Soul Possession."
Ye Han paused briefly, then slowly enunciated each word. "It's a completely new ability I unlocked after the Fire Qilin evolved."
As his words fell, the small courtyard sank into deathly silence once more.
"Martial Soul Fusion Skill?" Dugu Yan repeated softly, her eyes filled with bewilderment.
Ye Lingling looked thoughtful as she asked quietly, "Like the Hell White Tiger passed down through generations of the Star Luo Imperial Family and the Zhu Family?"
Dugu Bo added from beside them, "That's not the only example. Those two from Spirit Hall, Chrysanthemum Guan and Gui Mei, also possess a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. I don't know its exact name, though. Most people who have seen them use it didn't live to tell the tale..."
He looked up at Ye Han, his gaze complicated. "A Self Martial Soul Fusion Skill... meaning you alone can perform a Martial Soul Fusion that would normally require two soul masters working together?"
Ye Han nodded lightly.
"In this state, I can use most of the Fire Qilin's soul skills, along with the full power of my body martial soul."
A wisp of white flame ignited with a soft puff, blood-red patterns faintly winding through its depths.
Ye Han slowly clenched his hand, extinguishing the flame in his palm. "All my attacks carry the combined effects of my body martial soul's blood energy and the Fire Qilin's flames."
He looked at Dugu Bo solemnly. "With my current strength, even after activating Self Martial Soul Fusion, I'm still no match for a Titled Douluo."
"But-"
The wings on his back flicked, and Ye Han instantly shifted to the other end of the courtyard.
He moved so quickly that Dugu Bo was the only person in the courtyard who could track his movement.
"With the unlimited teleportation granted by Spatial Prison, the speed boost from Qilin's Breath, and the ability to fly..."
Ye Han's voice drifted over from the other side of the courtyard.
"If I set an ambush and caught my opponent off guard, escaping from a Titled Douluo wouldn't be difficult."
He paused, then added, "Of course, that assumes the Titled Douluo in question doesn't specialize in speed."
With that, Ye Han willed the transformation to end.
His half-beast form swiftly receded. Blood energy and flames peeled apart, returning Ye Han and the Fire Qilin to their separate forms.
The Fire Qilin gave a low growl, then turned into a streak of red light and returned to Ye Han's body.
Peace returned to the courtyard.
Dugu Bo took a long time to recover. He gave Ye Han a searching look, then suddenly burst into laughter. "Excellent! What a Self Martial Soul Fusion Skill!"
Slapping his thigh, he stood, walked over to Ye Han, and clapped the boy heavily on the shoulder.
"Boy, you've truly opened my eyes!"
Ye Han sagged under the blow and gave a wry smile. "Go easy on me, Senior."
Dugu Bo withdrew his hand and stroked his chin in thought for a moment before asking, "Have you decided on a name for this Self Martial Soul Fusion Skill?"
Ye Lingling also asked softly, "Yes, Han, what's your Martial Soul Fusion Skill called?"
Ye Han considered briefly, then nodded lightly.
"I decided on a name a long time ago."
Looking at everyone, he slowly declared, "Let's call it Qilin Transformation!"
Meanwhile.
Throughout Heaven Dou City, news of Ye Han spread like wildfire across the plains.
After returning to Heaven Dou Royal Academy, the members of the Imperial Fighting Team, who had personally witnessed the twelve-year-old Soul King with a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring as his fourth ring, could not resist sharing their incredible experience with people they knew.
Inside the Education Committee's hall at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
The Three Education Committee Members-Meng Shenji, Bai Baoshan, and Zhi Lin-sat behind a long table, listening as Qin Ming reported the full course of their soul hunting trip to the Star Dou Great Forest.
The moment Qin Ming said that Ye Han had broken through rank fifty and become a Soul King, the expressions on all three men's faces froze.
"What did you say?" Meng Shenji shot out of his chair. "Ye Han... broke through rank fifty?"
Bai Baoshan and Zhi Lin looked up at the same time, all three pairs of eyes fixed on Qin Ming.
Qin Ming drew a deep breath and nodded solemnly. "That's right."
Deathly silence filled the Education Committee.
A twelve-year-old Soul King.
Those words circled endlessly through their minds, impossible to reconcile with the boy they remembered.
Half a year earlier, when Ye Han had broken through rank forty and become a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor, they had already been astonished beyond belief.
A twelve-year-old Soul Ancestor was exceedingly rare throughout the history of the entire continent.
But now... a Soul King?
Meng Shenji even wondered whether he had misheard.
"Are you certain?" Bai Baoshan's voice was dry and hoarse. "Teacher Qin, this is absolutely not something to joke about."
Qin Ming smiled bitterly. "Committee members, how could I dare fabricate something this important? Every member of the Imperial Fighting Team witnessed it. There were indeed five soul rings beneath Ye Han's Fire Qilin: two yellow, one purple, and two black."
"Two Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings..."
Zhi Lin murmured under his breath.
Meng Shenji firmly massaged his brow, forcing himself to calm down, then turned to Qin Ming. "Where is Ye Han now?"
"After returning to Heaven Dou City, he went with Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling to their lodgings in the city," Qin Ming answered truthfully.
Meng Shenji nodded slightly.
"Very well, you may leave." Meng Shenji waved a hand. "Thank you for your hard work leading the team. Go back and get some proper rest."
Qin Ming bowed, then turned and left the Education Committee.
The moment the hall doors closed, the atmosphere inside grew heavy once more.
Bai Baoshan spoke first. "Exactly what rank was Ye Han's soul power when he last met the Crown Prince? Could he have already broken through rank forty, but kept delaying the absorption of a soul ring, so that others sensed only the level of a Quasi-Soul Ancestor?"
After a moment's thought, Meng Shenji slowly nodded. "That's most likely the case."
He leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingertips lightly against the table. "We all knew Ye Han cultivated extremely quickly, but we never imagined he could be this fast. In just over two years, he charged all the way from rank thirty to rank fifty... it's utterly outrageous."
"A twelve-year-old Soul King. Never mind seeing one, we've never even heard of one. Even if we searched the ancient records preserved by Spirit Hall, he would probably still be unprecedented."
Meng Shenji took a deep breath and said gravely, "This must be kept strictly confidential. At least until Ye Han truly comes into his own, we cannot expose him too much to the eyes of every faction."
"I'm afraid it's already too late." Zhi Lin smiled bitterly. "Most of the students in Qin Ming's class come from noble families. Word has probably already slipped out."
The three exchanged looks, a trace of helplessness lurking in each man's eyes.
In just two days, a new wave of public discussion swept through all of Heaven Dou City.
And at the very heart of that maelstrom stood the boy who had already entered the Soul King realm at just twelve years old-Ye Han.
Restaurants, teahouses, soul master associations everywhere... on streets and in alleyways, nearly everyone was discussing that name.
"Have you heard? Heaven Dou Royal Academy has a twelve-year-old Soul King!"
"How is that possible? Twelve? My boy's twelve, and his soul power is only rank seventeen!"
"It's absolutely true! My nephew is on the Imperial Fighting Team. He saw it with his own eyes!"
"Two Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings... absorbing a ten-thousand-year ring as his fourth soul ring flies in the face of all reason!"
"Poison Douluo's granddaughter is very close to him. I hear even Poison Douluo himself thinks highly of him..."
"With talent like that, he's certain to become a Titled Douluo someday..."
Amid the rising and falling discussions were wonder and envy, barely concealed jealousy, and schemes and plots that remained hidden in the shadows.
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