After Dugu Yan advanced to the main academy outside the city, Meng Chen's life at the Heaven Dou Royal Junior Soul Master Academy completely returned to peace.
There were no higher-grade senior sisters launching surprise harassment, nor any noble youths coming over to provoke him.
After all, the prestige of that battle during the Freshman Tournament was simply too overwhelming.
Coupled with the imperial viscount title bestowed by the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, as well as the token from Crown Prince Xue Qinghe.
All the instructors and spoiled scions in the academy tacitly reached a mutual understanding.
That child with the rabbit ears in the first-year class was the absolute last person in the entire academy one should mess with.
In this strictly stratified world, truly wise people understood how to go with the flow.
No one would be foolish enough to provoke a talented battle soul master backed by the imperial family for the sake of so-called noble dignity.
Thus, Meng Chen's life became a very regular, three-point routine.
In the morning, he listened to teachers in the teaching building explain the theories regarding the strengths and weaknesses of various continent soul master systems, along with basic meditation techniques.
By the afternoon, he used his special top-tier clearance to head to the academy's Advanced Mimicry Cultivation Zone by himself.
As for the 10,000-Year Sea Dragon Marrow, he had no plans to touch it right now.
Given his current physical condition as a One-Ring Soul Master, even with the powerful meridians of the Golden Dragon King's Origin as a foundation, forcibly swallowing it would be courting death.
Food had to be eaten one bite at a time, and the road had to be walked one step at a time.
Meng Chen poured all his focus and effort into two matters.
First, utilizing the environment of the Mimicry Cultivation Room and cooperating with his own blood essence, he bit by bit nibbled away at and refined the residual energy remaining in his spiritual power after devouring the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm in the Sunset Forest of the past.
Meng Chen's Sea of Consciousness continuously expanded at a speed that defied all logic.
Now, even without activating Spiritual Detection, the slightest rustle in the surrounding fifty meters could not escape his perception.
Second was the tempering of his blood essence.
Every night upon returning to the villa at the Crown Prince's Residence, Meng Chen would trigger fluctuations in his own blood essence.
Although the pain was excruciatingly unbearable, whenever his blood essence became full, his muscles and bones would undergo subtle changes.
Meng Chen now, even without activating his martial soul.
Purely relying on the raw gripping strength of his physical body, he was enough to twist ordinary fine iron chains into dough twists.
During this period of dry, arduous seclusion.
The only thing that made Meng Chen feel a bit subtle was the silver-white shadow in the corner of the classroom.
Gu Yuena, the incarnation of the Silver Dragon King, rarely communicated with other students in the class.
Even when teachers asked questions in class, she only answered with the absolute briefest of words.
Yet Meng Chen could sense it.
Ever since the battle of the tournament, the young girl's gaze towards him had completely changed.
Whenever Meng Chen finished cultivation in the Mimicry Cultivation Zone and his blood essence overflowed due to circulation.
Gu Yuena would frequently look at the rabbit ears atop his head, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.
Occasionally, when passing each other head-on in the academy cafeteria or along the tree-lined path, a trace of bashful and annoyed flush would always appear on Gu Yuena's cold, delicate face.
Immediately afterward, she would violently turn her head away, leaving Meng Chen with a frosty profile.
Regarding this, Meng Chen kept a tacit understanding.
He would never actively run over to provoke this Soul Beast Co-Ruler who might flip the table at any moment.
As for Ning Rongrong, stimulated by Dugu Yan's advancement, this little demoness had uncharacteristically reined in quite a bit of her haughty temperament over the past half year.
Although she still stuck to Meng Chen's side every day.
At least she no longer fell asleep during class, and occasionally she would even actively drag Meng Chen to the Imitation Field to compete on meditation duration.
Of course, unable to last half an hour, she would lie flat on the soft cushion, prop up her cheek, and blankly stare at the rabbit ears atop Meng Chen's head in a daze.
Time flew like an arrow, the white steed leaping across a crevice.
A full half year of time quietly slipped away amidst this seemingly peaceful, arduous seclusion.
The early winter of Heaven Dou City dropped its first blanket of goose-feather snow.
Inside the Heaven Dou Royal Junior Soul Master Academy, elite student cultivation zone, Mimicry Cultivation Room Number One.
Boom~
Accompanied by a muffled hum, the floor in the center of the secret chamber violently shook.
The vital essence that had originally permeated the entire stone chamber seemed to receive a command at this moment, turning into a visible white cyclone that frantically poured back into the body of the youth sitting cross-legged on the jade platform!
Meng Chen closed his eyes, the moon-white robe on his body fluttering without wind.
The pair of faintly golden, fluffy rabbit ears atop his head were currently emitting a golden radiance.
Within his internal meridians.
The spiritual vital essence left behind by the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm completely merged with the vital essence of heaven and earth.
Accompanied by the soul power surging torrentially like the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers within his body, it broke through the final meridian obstruction!
A crisp sound of breaking through realms suddenly echoed from the depths of his Dantian!
Hum!
Golden shockwaves spread outward like a tidal wave, causing the heavy Dark Iron Barrier in the secret chamber to hum and vibrate.
Meng Chen slowly opened his dual pupils.
At that instant, two golden blazing suns seemed to ignite in the depths of his pupils.
For a long time, the golden light restrained itself, and his dual pupils returned to clear black and white.
"Level 20."
Meng Chen looked at his own fist, a look of joy carried on his face.
He was level 13 upon enrollment, and now he was level 20.
Half a year, a six-and-a-half-year-old quasi-soul grandmaster.
If such astonishing cultivation speed were spread outside, let alone the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, even the soul master world of the entire Douroland would go crazy over it!
Yet what excited him even more was another matter.
As long as I successfully absorb the second soul ring, I will be able to withstand the shock brought by the 10,000-Year Sea Dragon Marrow!
By then, I can unlock the second seal!
At that time, not only would he possess a blood essence soul ring entirely originating from the Golden Dragon King's Divine Body.
Even against opponents with soul power far higher than his, purely relying on his physical body and blood essence, he would still have the strength to fight!
"I've finally reached this step."
Meng Chen let out a long breath, leaped lightly down from the jade platform, and stretched his entire body's tendons and bones.
Yet he also understood that obtaining the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm last time was purely a matter of luck.
Coupled with the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's own willingness to sacrifice itself, he had successfully managed to absorb this 900,000-year soul ring.
Wanting to obtain this kind of top-tier soul ring again now was simply wishful thinking.
"However, with my current physical fitness, breaking through the limits of soul ring absorption is practically a breeze."
Thinking up to here, Meng Chen already had a decisive judgment in his heart.
If he wanted to find a suitable second soul ring, he had to leave Heaven Dou City and enter the soul beast forests to hunt soul beasts.
It had to be the Star Dou Great Forest!
The Star Dou Great Forest possessed the continent's most abundant top-tier soul beast resources, served as the primary activity area for soul beasts, and was even the resting place of the Dragon God's Legacy.
Hunting souls there was definitely not something the tiny Sunset Forest could compare to.
Of course, Meng Chen knew very well in his heart that the Star Dou Great Forest was extremely perilous, with Ferocious Beasts like Di Tian even slumbering in the Core Area.
Yet as long as he acted in the outer perimeter and the edge of the Mixed Area, relying on the escort of experts from the Crown Prince's Residence.
Hunting a suitable second soul ring was absolute overkill.
Having made up his mind, Meng Chen did not drag his feet in the slightest.
He pushed open the heavy stone door and strode rapidly away in the direction of the Crown Prince's Residence.
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