Gu Ping'an teleported straight to his clones.
Five-colored radiance spread from his chest and abdomen to his limbs, enveloping his entire body.
"Gu brat, don't you think that looks a little strange?"
Dugu Bai pointed at one clone's head.
Radiance flowed over the clone's head as well, turning its silver-white hair streaked with gold into a riot of five colors.
It couldn't help reminding Gu Ping'an of a certain family whose name had thundered far and wide in his previous life.
"It's fine. This is just an experiment. It won't look like this when I actually use it."
Gradually, the radiance surrounding the clones faded away.
With a thought, Gu Ping'an dismissed the clones.
Instantly, all their memories of researching the cultivation method flooded into his mind.
After confirming through their memories that the cultivation method posed no danger, Gu Ping'an circulated his soul power along the routes recorded in those memories.
His soul power began in the dantian in his abdomen and sank into both kidneys, becoming supple and unending, like water that could nourish all things or become a towering flood, unstoppable in its might.
It then traveled upward along his meridians into his liver, where it became brimming with life and vitality, like trees budding in spring.
After that, it flowed through his heart, spleen, and lungs in turn, taking on different qualities in each.
Finally, it could flow throughout his body to nourish his flesh, blood, and bones.
Or it could return to his dantian and begin another cycle.
"Ping'an, did you work it out?"
Dugu Yan, who had taken Shui Bing'er to absorb her soul bone and refine her immortal herb, had returned at some point. She poked her head out from beside Dugu Bo to look at him.
"I certainly did!"
Gu Ping'an raised his hand, and a five-colored sphere appeared in his palm. He casually flung it toward the edge of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Boom!
A violent explosion mingled with the buzzing, blasting a crater nearly three meters deep and roughly seven meters wide into the ground.
Dugu Bo's and She Long's pupils contracted, while Shui Xinrou's eyes filled with shock.
Xiao Wu, Dugu Yan, and the others opened their little pink mouths wide in exaggerated surprise.
Only after drawing a deep breath did Dugu Bo turn to Gu Ping'an.
"Gu brat, not bad!"
"That strike could rival the full-powered blow of some Soul Emperors."
Gu Ping'an said nothing, quietly studying his palm.
The Rasengan just now had felt unstable, as though it could explode at any moment.
"Ping'an, what's wrong?" Seeing him looking down without speaking, Dugu Yan gently tugged his sleeve.
"The Rasengan felt unstable just now, as though it might explode at any moment," Gu Ping'an explained.
"Rasengan?" Holding Shui Yue'er's hand, Shui Xinrou silently committed the name to memory.
No soul rings had appeared.
It was clearly a self-created soul skill.
A self-created soul skill that allowed a Soul Ancestor to rival the full-powered strike of some Soul Emperors.
In truth, she was overthinking it.
It had displayed such power largely because the soul power inside Gu Ping'an had undergone a peculiar transformation.
Under normal circumstances, the Rasengan was merely a powerful self-created soul skill. It could hardly bridge an entire major cultivation realm.
Dugu Bo stroked his beard and pondered for a moment before looking at Gu Ping'an.
"Could there be a problem with the cultivation method you just devised? Perhaps that's what's making the Rasengan unstable."
Gu Ping'an shook his head.
"Probably not. I haven't sensed any problems with the new cultivation method. At least, not yet."
With a thought, another five-colored sphere appeared in his palm.
Seeing Gu Ping'an unleash the Rasengan again, Dugu Bo immediately grabbed Dugu Yan and retreated swiftly.
She Long and Xiao Wu backed away as well.
Seeing everyone retreat, Shui Xinrou picked up Shui Yue'er and followed suit.
"Your Eminence Dugu, what's happening?"
Once they were far enough away, Shui Xinrou looked at Dugu Bo in confusion.
Without even raising his head, Dugu Bo replied, "Didn't you hear the brat say it was unstable? It could explode at any moment."
It wasn't as though they hadn't seen similar things before.
Sometimes, when the clones were working something out or conducting experiments, they would explode with a bang and no warning whatsoever.
Unfortunately, the Rasengan didn't oblige them. Moments after forming it, Gu Ping'an dispersed it himself.
Then spheres of crimson, earthen yellow, verdant green, deep blue, and platinum flashed through his palm one after another.
Finally, a Rasengan of crimson and earthen yellow appeared.
Gu Ping'an briefly examined it.
Stable!
No problems!
The crimson-and-yellow sphere dispersed.
"All right! I've found the problem!" Gu Ping'an swept a speechless look over everyone around him. They didn't trust him one bit.
The five elemental attributes differed too greatly in strength.
His fire and earth attributes had already reached the ultimate level.
His wood attribute was infinitely close to the ultimate level.
His water and metal attributes had been built up using the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's resources. They were nearing the ultimate level, but had yet to reach the point of being infinitely close.
Because the five elements couldn't achieve balance, the strongest five-colored Rasengan was extremely prone to exploding.
"Then keep researching. I'll go cultivate."
Dugu Bo asked no further questions and turned toward his wooden cabin.
She Long also walked off to one side and sat cross-legged to cultivate.
"Brother Gu, since everything is fine, Yue'er and I will take our leave."
Shui Xinrou began saying her goodbyes.
After all, Shui Bing'er was the one who had joined them, not their entire family. Staying any longer would be somewhat inappropriate.
"Yanyan!"
Gu Ping'an called softly.
He signaled for her to take out the pills that protected against the poison miasma on the outskirts.
They'd had Dugu Bo's protection while passing through the poison miasma on their way in, so there had naturally been no trouble.
Leaving on their own, however, would probably be difficult.
"Aunt Xinrou, these are Antidote Pills my grandfather developed. Taking them will protect you from the poison miasma."
Dugu Yan stepped forward, took out a jade bottle, and poured out two pills to hand to Shui Xinrou.
"Handsome little fellow, I'll come visit again." After swallowing the pill, Shui Yue'er smiled and waved at Gu Ping'an.
"Sure!"
Gu Ping'an gave her a friendly smile, not particularly concerned.
"Here's a gift for you."
With a turn of his hand, he took a jade case from his Storage Soul Tool and handed it to Shui Yue'er.
"Refining this should help raise your talent another level."
"Thank you, handsome little fellow!"
Shui Yue'er hugged the jade case tightly to her chest, her voice soft and sweet.
"Ping'an, what did you give Shui Yue'er? Don't tell me it was another immortal herb?" After Shui Xinrou and Shui Yue'er left, Xiao Wu pouted and stared unhappily at Gu Ping'an.
"Just a reasonably decent water-attribute medicinal herb."
It was about on par with nine-grade purple ganoderma, perhaps a little worse.
But it was more than enough for Shui Yue'er.
"Here, take this!"
Gu Ping'an handed Xiao Wu the box containing the crystal blood dragon ginseng.
He knew perfectly well why she was unhappy.
Everyone else had received an immortal herb, but she hadn't.
Watching longingly as everyone else used immortal herbs to leave her far behind would naturally make her unhappy.
"I knew I'd get one too! Sister Xiao Wu was right about you."
Xiao Wu snatched the box and skipped toward her room.
"She actually wanted one ages ago, but was too embarrassed to ask," Dugu Yan said, watching Xiao Wu's retreating figure.
"I know."
He had long known that Xiao Wu wanted an immortal herb.
With her careless, outspoken nature, she couldn't hide it at all.
He had only withheld it because he was worried she might try to escape.
"Keep an eye on Shui Bing'er. Tell me right away if anything happens."
Shui Bing'er was a crucial part of disrupting Tang San's union of the Sea God and Asura God within a single body. She was far too important for Gu Ping'an to take lightly.
Once Shui Bing'er's cultivation reached a sufficient level, he would have her try to gain the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud's recognition. If she succeeded, her chances of inheriting the Sea God's position would increase considerably.
After that, there was still Tang San.
Thinking of Tang San, Gu Ping'an could hardly wait to go to Nuoding City and deliver soul bones to him.
He wasn't worried that Tang San would refuse to absorb them. If he refused, Gu Ping'an would let him experience being crushed by his peers.
He would crush him until his resolve to pursue his path collapsed, then see whether he still refused to absorb them.
Before you continue