Everyone broke through! (Please invest! Please send recommendation votes! Please send monthly votes!)

The days that followed were uneventful. Qin Xu focused on cultivating and studying, occasionally watching Vielvi practice inscribing Soul Guidance Arrays. Sometimes Xue Zhao dragged him off for mandatory combat training. Every so often, he gave Ye Guyi a drop of Blazing Sun Spiritual Liquid, and every day, he discussed the continent's situation and projected its future with Zhang Lexuan. His days were full.

And so, three months passed.

Qin Xu's Soul Power reached rank 20. Only about seven months had passed since his Martial Soul Awakening—roughly half a year.

In half a year, his Soul Power had risen eight ranks. Excluding the three ranks gained from two Mystic Water Pills, Qin Xu had gained five ranks in seven months. That speed was astonishingly fast.

Yet Qin Xu was dissatisfied with his cultivation speed, because someone even more outrageously gifted was right beside him: Xue Zhao!

Xue Zhao had reached rank 20 a week before Qin Xu. Her Martial Soul Awakening had taken place three days after his, and she had obtained her first Soul Ring a few days later as well. Her Soul Power had been rank 11 after absorbing it, yet she had broken through before Qin Xu. She was simply inhuman.

She had to be the Snow Empress! Qin Xu was utterly certain.

Qin Xu and Xue Zhao were in no hurry to obtain their second Soul Rings. They were waiting for Ye Guyi and Vielvi so all four could hunt for Soul Rings together.

Because Ye Guyi could absorb solar essence, her Soul Power grew a little faster. She had already absorbed all the remaining Blazing Sun Spiritual Liquid in Qin Xu's possession. Her Soul Power was now at the peak of rank 19, just one step across the threshold away from a breakthrough.

Vielvi also had to study Soul Tools. In the afternoons, while the others cultivated, she practiced inscribing Soul Guidance Arrays, slowing her Soul Power growth somewhat. She had reached rank 19 several days after the other three, so naturally, she would reach rank 20 several days later too.

They could wait. That little bit of time meant nothing to them.

Another half month passed, and Vielvi's Soul Power also reached rank 20.

The four then approached Tian Zilai together to request permission to hunt for their second Soul Rings. Since Qin Xu's second Soul Ring was involved, Tian Zilai dared not make the decision himself and immediately reported it to the academy. Headmaster Li Wei promptly sought Qin Tianji's instructions. Qin Tianji had already learned of Qin Xu's breakthrough through Zhang Lexuan, so he issued his directive: have all four come to the palace.

That afternoon, Qin Xu returned to the royal palace after half a year away. Vielvi, Xue Zhao, and Ye Guyi came back with him.

Qin Xu had a feeling that the Soul Beast for his second Soul Ring might already be in the Dragon Soul Forest. But what about the Soul Rings for Vielvi, A Liang, and Yiyi? Were there suitable Soul Beasts for them in the Dragon Soul Forest? Perhaps they would have to trouble Third Great-Granduncle again and ask him to take the three girls on a trip?

That was their only option, unless Great-Grandfather had also prepared candidate Soul Beasts for them beforehand.

Since we're here, let's get a physical examination first, Qin Xu thought. After all, coming back was no simple matter. He might as well test his physical strength and see whether his own assessment matched the machine's results.

"Wow! Is this the royal palace? It's so big and tall!" Ye Guyi exclaimed.

This was both Xue Zhao's and Ye Guyi's first visit to the Black Dragon King's Palace, and their first time seeing palace buildings. Their faces were filled with wonder and amazement.

Xue Zhao was particularly astonished. She had thought the academy's buildings were majestic enough, but the Black Dragon King's Palace had opened her eyes once again. Buildings were not merely meant to be large; they could also be beautiful, exquisite, and sumptuous!

Humans really do know how to enjoy themselves, Xue Zhao thought.

"Haha, let's take care of business first. There'll be plenty of time to admire the palace later," Qin Xu said with a smile, then led the three girls toward the palace's Soul Tool Equipment Depot.

The Soul Tool Equipment Depot.

Grandmaster Lu, Lu Yi, was once again responsible for testing the physiques of Qin Xu and the three girls.

"Great-Grandfather." Before anything else, Qin Xu greeted Qin Tianji, who was also present. Vielvi, standing beside Qin Xu, greeted him the same way.

Xue Zhao and Ye Guyi exchanged glances, seeing the same uncertainty in each other's eyes. What should they call him?

"You're Xu's friends, so just call me Great-Grandfather like Vielvi does," Qin Tianji said kindly, noticing their awkwardness. The way he looked at the two girls was practically identical to the way he looked at Vielvi, full of the satisfaction and fondness of someone looking at his own granddaughters-in-law.

"Great-Grandfather," the two girls obediently called.

"Hahaha!" Qin Tianji laughed heartily.

A moment later, they arrived beside the physique-testing machine. Since Qin Xu and Vielvi had used it before, they went first so Xue Zhao and Ye Guyi could watch and learn.

Qin Xu began his physique test.

As mentioned before, this machine's upper limit was ten thousand years. He estimated his physical strength to be above five thousand years but below six thousand. In other words, this might be his last time using it. After this, his physique might reach the level required for a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.

"This... five thousand three hundred years?!" When Qin Xu's results appeared, Lu Yi's eyes widened in disbelief. "Th-this... could the machine be malfunctioning?"

"Are you certain the machine is malfunctioning?" Qin Tianji was also stunned by the figure of five thousand three hundred years. Yet upon hearing Lu Yi's words, his first instinct was to question whether the machine could be malfunctioning, rather than doubt Qin Xu's physical strength.

Although having a second Soul Ring limit of five thousand years was terrifying, this was his beloved great-grandson, so it made perfect sense. After all, he was a scion of the Qin Family, with twin martial souls, Ultimate Darkness, and a royal true dragon. What was wrong with being a little badass?

"No! The machine is functioning normally!" Lu Yi hurriedly inspected it, checking everything meticulously. His voice remained full of amazement. "That means His Highness's physique really is strong enough to absorb a five-thousand-year Soul Ring! This is incredible!"

"Good! Very good! Excellent!" Qin Tianji applauded repeatedly, his voice growing increasingly excited. Although the preparations he had made for Qin Xu's second Soul Ring might now go unused, he felt no regret whatsoever. On the contrary, he was delighted.

Vielvi and the other two girls were also stunned by that seemingly impossible figure and began chattering among themselves.

"Heavens! Xu is way too outrageous!" Vielvi's little mouth opened wide enough to swallow a small apple. "Is he really human?"

"Big Brother Xu is amazing! Is this how powerful solar power is for tempering the body?" Ye Guyi's eyes shone. She knew Qin Xu could absorb solar essence to temper his body, so her face held no surprise, only admiration.

"Five thousand years, huh..." Xue Zhao's expression was relatively calm, but her slightly narrowed eyes showed that her heart was not entirely unruffled. "Qin Xu, are you really human? Or is the dragon race's bloodline truly that powerful?"

Qin Xu stepped out of the testing machine. The figure of five thousand three hundred was close to his own estimate, and he was quite pleased. If he could absorb a Soul Ring of around five thousand years as his second, then he had every chance of absorbing a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring as his third!

After all, he did not have a single Soul Bone yet! In the future, when Huo Yuhao absorbed a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring as a Soul Elder, he would have the support of a four-hundred-thousand-year torso bone. By comparison, Qin Xu was truly astonishing.

"My turn, my turn!" Vielvi eagerly ran onto the machine. "I feel like my physique can handle a Thousand-Year Soul Ring too!"

Vielvi's feeling was correct. Her physical strength reached twelve hundred years, just enough to absorb a purple Soul Ring.

"Congratulations, Vielvi," Qin Xu said.

Xue Zhao was next. She walked briskly onto the machine, her face expressionless, though a trace of unease hid deep in her eyes. She seemed to harbor some strange fear of these large Soul Tool machines. Even she could not explain why.

Fortunately, with Qin Xu and Vielvi having demonstrated beforehand, Xue Zhao's test went smoothly. Her physical strength once again astonished Lu Yi.

"Three thousand five hundred years!" Lu Yi was stunned. This delicate little girl actually possessed such a sturdy physique. Truly, one could not judge a person by appearances. How could a child whom the venerable patriarch allowed to call him Great-Grandfather possibly be ordinary?

"Tch!" Xue Zhao seemed rather dissatisfied. Her expression was somewhat gloomy as she muttered, "Eighteen hundred years behind... that's not that much..."

"A Liang, what did you say?" Qin Xu turned to look at her questioningly. He had heard her voice, but not what she had said.

"Nothing." Xue Zhao shook her head.

Ye Guyi was last. Qin Xu guessed that her physical strength would be greater than Vielvi's but weaker than Xue Zhao's, probably somewhere between eighteen hundred and two thousand years.

"Eighteen hundred years!"

Sure enough, Ye Guyi's test results were almost exactly what Qin Xu had guessed. After all, she had bathed using nearly a gram of great sun pure crystal!