After Electrolux's soul spirit contract magic array dissipated, the Eight Desolate Rock Lizard's body had gone completely cold on the stone bed.
But his soul had not dispersed.
A deep, weighty presence appeared in Zhang Lan's Sea of Consciousness. Earthen-yellow light gathered in one corner of that mental space, forming a miniature phantom of the rock lizard, with five tiny crystals hovering above his armored back, slowly revolving.
He was Zhang Lan's first soul spirit.
The next five years passed faster than Zhang Lan had expected.
For the first two years, he devoted all his energy to condensing his soul core.
From rank thirty-one to rank fifty, his total soul power nearly quadrupled, while the gravity source in his dantian continued operating steadily.
But that was also where the problem lay.
His soul power vortex was naturally far more condensed than those of soul masters at the same rank. Combined with the tempering of the Ice and Fire Golden Body and the God-Level Torso Bone, his soul power density far surpassed that of ordinary people.
Ordinary soul masters could attempt to condense a soul core once they broke through to Titled Douluo and their soul power grew sufficiently substantial.
Yet Zhang Lan already possessed soul power as substantial as that of an ordinary Titled Douluo.
His soul power was too thick, as thick as half-solidified magma. Every step of compressing it was agonizingly difficult.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm watched him slog through it day after day from within his Sea of Consciousness. Occasionally, he popped out to make a few snide remarks, only for Electrolux to glare him back into silence.
Electrolux had no complaints about Zhang Lan's cultivation progress. He had lived for so many years and seen plenty of geniuses; Zhang Lan's steady, methodical approach actually suited his temperament.
In the third year, the soul core finally took shape.
Deep within his dantian, an ice-blue core the size of a thumb floated quietly at the center of the gravity source.
Fine patterns flowed across the soul core's surface, interwoven with deep-purple gravitational fluctuations.
The moment the soul core formed, Zhang Lan's cultivation surged straight past rank fifty.
But precisely because his soul core was so solid, his subsequent gains in soul power became extraordinarily slow.
Other people's Soul King stage involved stacking bricks higher; his involved pouring molten iron into the gaps between them.
Each rank required nearly twice as much soul power as it did for others. Fortunately, the Star of Eden's gravitational absorption efficiency also far surpassed the norm, so between intake and expenditure, he did not fall too far behind.
The Eight Desolate Rock Lizard provided both his fourth and fifth soul rings.
After the soul spirit contract was signed, the Eight Desolate Rock Lizard's soul became fully bound to Zhang Lan's spiritual power.
Under the soul spirit system, the rules governing soul rings between soul beasts and soul masters were rewritten.
Once Zhang Lan's cultivation met the requirements, the Eight Desolate Rock Lizard naturally provided him with his fourth and fifth soul rings.
Both soul rings were a dark earthen yellow, their hue much deeper than that of ordinary soul rings. Patterns resembling layers of rock flowed slowly across their surfaces.
His fourth soul skill was Eight Desolate Heavy Prison, and his fifth was Eight Desolate Dragonfall.
He found a deserted ice field on the outskirts of the Far North and tested them a few times.
When Eight Desolate Heavy Prison spread out, the entire ice surface within a radius of twenty zhang collapsed.
Eight gravity spheres sank into the ground, their rays crisscrossing in all directions. Even the Ice Bear King took a detour around them.
He only tested Eight Desolate Dragonfall once. When it struck, half an ice cliff shattered, infuriating the Ice Empress so much that she chased him for three li.
After that, he stopped testing his soul skills in the Far North.
Twelve years old, a rank-fifty Soul King.
Zhang Lan stood before the ice cliff and tucked his last piece of luggage into his Storage Soul Tool.
The wind and snow of the Far North were just as they had been five years ago: a gray-white sky, endless snow, even the wind blowing in the same direction.
The Ice Empress leaned against the edge of the ice cliff, her emerald-green dress snapping in the wind and snow.
Her expression was sour, but she said nothing.
The Snow Empress stood on the other side, her white figure almost blending into the blizzard.
"Shrek Academy."
The Ice Empress finally spoke, an indescribable emotion in her voice.
"The strongest human soul master academy, right?"
"Yes."
Zhang Lan fastened the clasp of his Storage Soul Tool and turned around.
"Xue'er and I can't go in."
The Ice Empress did not look at him as she spoke. Her gaze rested on the distant ice field.
"There's a Limit Douluo stationed in Shrek City. If we two soul beasts go in, we won't escape his perception."
"You'll have to go alone."
"I know."
The Snow Empress stepped forward.
Something appeared in her hand: a delicate silver necklace, its pendant an ice-blue crystal the size of a fingernail. It was clear and translucent, with a wisp of white frost slowly revolving inside.
As the Snow Empress held out the necklace, Zhang Lan noticed her fingers pause slightly.
"I sealed a full-power strike of mine inside this."
The Snow Empress's voice remained cool and clear.
"If you run into something you can't handle, crush it."
"I'll get there as fast as I can."
Zhang Lan accepted the necklace. It felt icy to the touch, but that chill was gentle and tranquil, exactly like the Snow Empress's own aura.
He put the necklace around his neck. The ice-blue crystal rested against his collarbone, disappearing beneath his collar.
"Thank you, Sister Xue'er."
The Snow Empress did not reply. She merely turned her head slightly aside.
Her gaze rested on Zhang Lan for two breaths before she turned and walked deeper into the ice cliffs.
Her long white dress trailed across the ice, leaving a faint mark that the wind and snow soon erased.
The Ice Empress looked at the Snow Empress's retreating figure, then at Zhang Lan. In the end, she merely snorted and turned to follow.
Her emerald-green figure vanished into the wind and snow. Like the Snow Empress, she never looked back.
Zhang Lan stood before the ice cliff for a while, then turned and headed south.
Northreach Pass, Dragon City, the border of the Heaven Dou Empire. After half a month of walking, he met Nan Shuishui waiting outside Dragon City's north gate.
After five years apart, Nan Shuishui's appearance had hardly changed. Only the weariness around her eyes had faded, replaced by a composed, steady bearing.
Behind her stood a twelve-year-old girl.
She had grown considerably taller over the past five years, her features had matured, and the resemblance to Nan Shuishui around her eyes had become stronger.
But her temperament was entirely different from her mother's: quiet and still, like a lake whose sediment had settled.
Nan Qiuqiu.
"Alliance Leader."
Nan Shuishui came forward and looked him up and down, her gaze lingering on him for a moment.
She could not discern Zhang Lan's cultivation. She could only sense that the deep, weighty aura surrounding him was countless times stronger than it had been five years ago.
She asked no further questions and simply nodded.
"Let's go. The carriage to Shrek City is ready."
Standing behind her mother, Nan Qiuqiu gave Zhang Lan a slight bow and spoke softly.
"Brother Zhang Lan."
Zhang Lan acknowledged her, his gaze sweeping over Nan Qiuqiu.
A rank-forty-three Soul Elder, with condensed soul power and a steady aura.
She had not released her soul rings, but Zhang Lan's gravitational perception could faintly probe the texture of the soul power within her. It was far more substantial than it had been five years ago, her foundation rooted extremely deep.
Nan Shuishui clearly noticed his scrutiny, and a trace of irrepressible pride entered her voice.
"Qiuqiu fused with that torso bone three years ago. Her martial soul mutation has completely stabilized."
"Her soul ring configuration is yellow, purple, purple, black. Her fourth soul ring came from a forty-thousand-year-old Shadow Dragon Lizard, a perfect match for the Rouge Dragon's annihilation attribute."
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