Everyone grew stronger

"Although soul bones were extremely rare drops, getting one wasn't impossible. Tang San just happened to be lucky!"

Zhao Su said it quite casually.

"San, Teacher Zhao!"

Just then, a clear voice rang out, breaking everyone's silence.

They turned toward the voice and saw Xiao Wu, who had been carried off by the Titan Giant Ape.

Not only had she returned completely unharmed, but her height and figure had also changed considerably.

Her figure had become even more mature.

When Zhao Wuji questioned her, Xiao Wu gave the same explanation she had prepared beforehand in the original story.

She claimed that the Titan Giant Ape had heard a bull's bellow, then dropped her and raced toward the heart of the Star Dou Great Forest.

She had also broken through to level thirty under the Titan Giant Ape's immense pressure.

Better still, she had been lucky enough to encounter a dying soul beast that suited her, obtaining her third soul ring along the way.

Despite all these coincidences, Zhao Wuji and the others harbored no suspicions. They merely marveled at Xiao Wu's luck-not only had she survived the Titan Giant Ape's clutches,

she had even advanced to Soul Elder.

"Wonderful! We originally entered the Star Dou Great Forest just to find Oscar a suitable soul ring. Who would've thought Tang San and Xiao Wu would reach level thirty too? Most importantly, Tang San even obtained an external soul bone. This trip certainly wasn't wasted!"

Zhao Wuji looked at Tang San and Xiao Wu, thoroughly satisfied with the results of the expedition he had led into the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Since we're already here, we might as well find suitable soul rings for Zhuqing, Rongrong, and Fatty too. It'll save us another trip later!"

"How would that work? Fatty is already level twenty-eight, so he might reach level thirty soon, but Zhuqing and Rongrong are only level twenty-six. How could we rush something like that?"

Although Zhao Wuji trusted Zhao Su greatly by now, he still found his suggestion rather implausible.

After all, the path of cultivation was fraught with danger. One had to advance step by step rather than rush ahead.

Otherwise, it would do more harm than good.

"That's simple. Brother Zhao, I think it's time you raised your level too."

As Zhao Su spoke, he summoned his Twelve-Winged Holy Angel. This time, he did not merge the angel with the dark angel; it was purely the Twelve-Winged Angel.

Vast divine power radiated outward.

As it entered their bodies, they felt their soul power gradually begin to stir.

"Everyone, sit cross-legged and focus on gaining insight!"

Zhao Wuji was the first to react. He had already reached level seventy-six, which qualified him as a genius at his age, yet he had gone many years without making any progress.

Now, beneath Zhao Su's divine radiance, a glimmer of understanding had actually appeared in his mind.

Even the soul power within him showed signs of loosening.

"What are you standing around for? Hurry up, sit cross-legged, and focus! You'll be crying if you miss this opportunity!"

At Zhao Wuji's shout, Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, and Ma Hongjun hurriedly sat cross-legged on the ground.

Tang San, Oscar, and the other two patrolled the surroundings, watching for ambushes or powerful soul beasts.

"Brother Zhao, sit cross-legged too!"

"I'd better stand guard for you first."

"No need. Don't worry, there won't be any danger."

"All right!"

Since Zhao Su had said so, Zhao Wuji offered no further objections. This could be the key to whether he could break through to Soul Douluo, so he hurriedly sat cross-legged.

Zhao Su then intensified the divine power, directing a small portion of it into the four of them.

At once, their martial souls seemed to answer a summons, emerging from their bodies on their own.

They hovered above their respective owners' heads or behind their backs.

Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul, in particular, radiated powerful support energy. It truly deserved its reputation as the strongest support martial soul.

Under the influence of Zhao Su's divine power, their martial souls gradually began to change.

"Mm!"

Zhu Zhuqing could feel subtle changes taking place in her Nether Civet martial soul.

Although its outward appearance differed little from before, she could clearly sense that the spirit cat martial soul had undergone earth-shaking changes within.

Its gleaming green eyes, in particular, slowly changed color. One turned entirely black, while the other turned entirely white.

Clearly, the original Hell Spirit Cat had evolved into a yin-yang spirit cat.

With yin and yang now balanced within it, she no longer needed to merge with the Star Luo Imperial Family's evil-eyed white tiger to unleash her greatest strength.

On her own, she already possessed the formidable power of the Hell White Tiger, the fusion technique formed with the evil-eyed white tiger.

At that thought, other ideas began to stir in her heart.

The only reason their Zhu Family depended on the Star Luo Imperial Family was to compensate for the flaws in their martial souls.

Now that the flaws in her martial soul had been remedied, she no longer needed to rely on the Star Luo Empire's imperial family. That meant her marriage to Dai Mubai could be called off as well.

For a cultivator, letting one's thoughts wander during meditation was among the gravest taboos.

Zhu Zhuqing's wandering thoughts caused the powerful soul power generated by her martial soul's evolution to reverse its flow, subjecting her to a backlash.

"Pfft!"

She suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, her face turning deathly pale in an instant.

The newly evolved yin-yang spirit cat, which had yet to fully stabilize, also began to grow agitated.

"Little wildcat, this isn't the time to let your thoughts wander. Hold fast to your heart and think of nothing!"

Just then, Zhao Su moved to Zhu Zhuqing's side, leaned close to her ear, and spoke softly in a gentle, resonant voice.

At the same time, he placed a hand against Zhu Zhuqing's back, sending a warm current into her body.

Her turbulent heart soon calmed.

With the aid of Zhao Su's innate soul power, the yin-yang spirit cat quickly stabilized completely, and the entire martial soul looked even more majestic and extraordinary.

Zhu Zhuqing's own soul power also rose rapidly.

Before long, she reached level thirty.

Meanwhile, Ma Hongjun's evil fire phoenix underwent a mutation as well, as the impurities within the phoenix began to be expelled.

Not only did this strengthen his martial soul, but its flaw gradually diminished too.

Compared with the changes in Ma Hongjun's and Zhu Zhuqing's martial souls, the transformation of Ning Rongrong's was even greater. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda had always been a support martial soul.

The support energy contained within the pagoda shared a similar wondrous nature with the divine essence radiated by the Twelve-Winged Angel.

Under the blessing of that divine essence, the original seven-story pagoda began to grow at a speed visible to the naked eye, finally becoming eight stories tall.

Although the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was known as the strongest support martial soul on the Douluo Continent,

it also possessed a fatal flaw. As the pagoda grew taller, that flaw in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul was gradually being remedied.

Compared with these youngsters, Zhao Wuji's great strength vajra bear martial soul did not change much.

It merely looked more imposing, its explosive muscles swelling even further. Its appearance alone exuded an oppressive sense of immense strength.