The power of the Martial Soul
After returning to Heaven Dou City, Lu Yang parted ways with Dugu Yan and the others. But he had only just rounded a corner when She Long suddenly appeared and stopped him.
"You brat, you suddenly left with Dugu Bo without even sending word," She Long reproached him.
"Your Eminence, it was urgent. I didn't have time to come back and let you know," Lu Yang replied.
"Never mind, never mind. It's good that you're back. Come on, the Young Mistress is waiting for you." She Long said nothing more and took Lu Yang back to the Crown Prince's Residence.
As soon as they returned, Lu Yang was taken to Qian Renxue's study. Seeing her bent over her desk, handling affairs of state, neither Lu Yang nor She Long made a sound.
Only after Qian Renxue finished reading the memorial in her hands did she look up at the two of them. "What did you gain from this trip?"
"I only accompanied Ye Lingling to hunt for a soul ring. Nothing else," Lu Yang replied.
Qian Renxue suspected nothing and nodded gently. "In that case, go back and rest."
Just as Lu Yang bowed and prepared to leave, Qian Renxue suddenly said, "Oh, right. I'm planning to arrange for you to attend Heaven Dou Royal Academy in a while. Get ready for that."
"Uh, is that necessary? Can't I learn what the academy teaches at home?" Lu Yang asked.
"At the academy, you can study Soul Master theory systematically. And naturally, I have a purpose in having you join Heaven Dou Royal Academy. When the time is right, I'll tell you."
"Understood. Then I'll head back and rest," Lu Yang answered.
After leaving Qian Renxue's study, Lu Yang was still pondering her decision to send him to Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Given her undercover mission, she should not have exposed him so early. Even if she had some scheme in mind, Lu Yang was only an eight-year-old child right now. What role could he possibly play?
Little did he know that Qian Renxue wanted him to attend Heaven Dou Royal Academy so she could build a team around him to compete in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament.
Not long ago, Qian Renxue had received word from Spirit City that Pope Bibi Dong intended to bestow the position of Spirit Hall's Holy Maiden upon her disciple, Hu Liena. The news had nearly driven Qian Renxue mad with jealousy. Though she never said so, deep down she yearned for a mother's love.
Given Hu Liena's current age and cultivation, Qian Renxue was certain that Bibi Dong would have her participate in the Soul Master Tournament six years from now. As long as Hu Liena could lead the Spirit Hall Academy team to victory, there would naturally be no further obstacles to her taking the Holy Maiden's seat.
Thus, Qian Renxue wanted to play Lu Yang as her trump card then. Sending him to the academy now was also so he could scout suitable teammates in advance and assemble a team capable of winning the championship to stop the Spirit Hall Academy team.
To Qian Renxue, burning with jealousy, damaging Spirit Hall's reputation was nothing. As long as she could trip Bibi Dong up, it would be worth it. As for the rewards, they would merely be passing from her left hand to her right, so those hardly mattered either.
Moreover, if Lu Yang could win the championship, he could use the opportunity to join Spirit Hall. Then she could legitimately use the Worship Hall's resources to nurture him. This would be no bad thing for Lu Yang, and Qian Renxue felt he would not refuse.
However, the plan had only just begun, and Qian Renxue felt there was no need to tell Lu Yang too early. She also wanted to see how far he could grow in those six years.
Only after returning to his room did Lu Yang have time to take stock of his gains from consuming the immortal herb.
The most obvious gain was naturally the improvement in his physique. The Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum truly deserved its reputation as an immortal herb capable of forging an indestructible diamond body; the improvement could not be underestimated. Moreover, Lu Yang could feel that its medicinal properties had not been fully refined. Over the coming period of cultivation, the medicinal power remaining in his meridians would continue to be refined as his Soul Power increased.
According to Lu Yang's estimates, an ordinary Soul Master might need to cultivate to the Soul Saint or even Soul Douluo stage before fully refining the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum's medicinal properties. As for him, he might also need to reach the Soul King or even Soul Emperor stage before that became possible.
But this was not good news for him. Although immortal herbs possessed powerful effects, there also seemed to be cases where their medicinal properties conflicted. This was the Douluo Continent, not the Dou Qi Continent; there was no systematic legacy of alchemists here. Even if he wanted to solve these problems through alchemy, he had nowhere to seek that knowledge.
To refine the medicinal power within him faster, Lu Yang could only pin his hopes on the Ultimate Fire bestowed by the Winged Dragon of the Sun. Otherwise, he would not dare rashly consume a second immortal herb, the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew.
After the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum improved his physique, Lu Yang could clearly feel that when he entered Martial Soul Possession again, he could wield more of the power of the Winged Dragon of Ra Martial Soul. This also matched his earlier conjecture: his current body still could not fully withstand a god-level Martial Soul.
It made sense. Even though the Sun God's Winged Dragon of the Sun had become a Martial Soul, none of its own formidable power had been displayed. Let alone the Winged Dragon of the Sun's own god-level killing moves, such as the God Lie Yan Cannon-he could not use them at all.
Moreover, the Sun God's Winged Dragon of the Sun possessed a third stage: the God Phoenix Form, its entire body wreathed in blazing flames. Lu Yang felt that to reach the God Phoenix Form, he would at least need to attain seven rings and master the Martial Soul Avatar before it became possible.
"Heh, this Douluo Continent really is getting more and more interesting," Lu Yang muttered, then leaned back and flopped straight onto the bed.
Last night, he had meditated with Dugu Yan and the others all night. His Soul Power had barely improved, but he had certainly lost sleep. For now, he would catch up on his sleep first, have a hearty meal when he woke, and then continue studying his next steps.
That evening, Lu Yang was awakened by a knock at the door. He got up and straightened himself up, then followed the maid to the front hall to dine with Qian Renxue.
At the table, Qian Renxue once again brought up sending Lu Yang to Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Moreover, she had already completed his enrollment formalities during the day, so he could report there at any time.
After thinking it over, Lu Yang did not refuse. Dugu Yan happened to be at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and Ye Lingling was also preparing to enroll after obtaining her third ring. If he enrolled as well, he could continue studying with them and would not end up feeling bored.
"Oh, right. The three education committee members of Heaven Dou Academy recommended a teacher named Qin Ming to me. He is the second-youngest Soul Emperor on the continent according to Spirit Hall's records, and his strength is quite impressive. The three committee members intend to cultivate him and put him in charge of forming a Soul Fighting team in preparation for the Continental Soul Master Tournament in the future. I'd like you to join this team. What do you think?" Qian Renxue asked.