After successfully increasing the age of his Soul Ring to five million years, Qi Ling began absorbing his own Soul Ring. Like Yu Tianyi and Zhu Zhuqing, a golden barrier appeared around Qi Ling's body, protecting him completely.
Suddenly, Xiao Wu remembered something and hurriedly asked the Dragon Maiden, " Dragon Maiden Girl, how long does it take Brother Qi and Zhu Zhuqing to absorb their Soul Ring like this?"
The Dragon Maiden thought for a moment and said, "Normally, Zhu Zhuqing and Yu Tianyi would need a month, but our master is different. The Soul Ring he absorbed is an unimaginably large Five-Million-Year Soul Ring. I estimate... it should take about three months."
"Three months!!!" Xiao Wu exclaimed in surprise upon hearing the Dragon Maiden's words, her voice so loud that it startled Ning Rongrong and the others.
" Xiao Wu, what's wrong? Why are you so startled?" Ning Rongrong asked Xiao Wu as she came over.
"No, it's nothing..." Xiao Wu seemed lost in thought, muttering to herself, "Three months, three months... Oh my god, I have to wait three months..."
No matter how resentful Xiao Wu was, she couldn't change the fact that Qi Ling was there. She couldn't very well interrupt Qi Ling's process of absorbing the Soul Ring and drag him out of it.
Meanwhile, Xiao Wu and the others continued their training. After seeing that Yu Tianyi and Zhu Zhuqing had actually become Soul Douluo, everyone's fighting spirit was ignited, and they were unwilling to be left behind by the two.
After finishing her daily cultivation, Xiao Wu would sit beside Qi Ling for a long time, like a statue waiting for her husband, with a resentful and helpless expression on her face.
And so, a month later, Yu Tianyi and Zhu Zhuqing successfully emerged from seclusion. When Yu Tianyi emerged, the sky was once again covered with dark clouds and lightning. Yu Tianyi transformed into Thunder Dragon, bursting out of the golden protective shield and soaring straight into the sky.
Looking at Yu Tianyi soaring freely among the clouds, the Dragon Maiden couldn't help but sigh, "As expected of Master's disciple, with such spirit, even without Master's help, she should be able to reach that place on her own."
When Zhu Zhuqing emerged from seclusion, she made no sound. In the blink of an eye, Zhu Zhuqing had vanished, and when everyone noticed her again, she was already beside them.
"Seriously, Zhu Zhuqing, why did you scare me like that!" Ning Rongrong said, clutching her chest. "You're getting more and more unpredictable!"
Zhu Zhuqing said helplessly, "I'm used to it. Besides, I didn't use any special abilities; I just walked out casually."
Everyone was astonished. Zhu Zhuqing had completely integrated the habits of an assassin into her life. Even though she didn't use them intentionally, her actions still carried that characteristic.
Even after the two finished absorbing the Soul Ring, Qi Ling still showed no reaction. Although everyone could sense that Qi Ling's power was gradually increasing within the golden protective shield, the fact that he was nowhere to be seen still caused great concern.
And so, three months later, on this day, while everyone was cultivating on the Dragon God Continent, suddenly all the creatures raised their heads at the same time, looking towards the location of the Dragon God Island in the sky, all gazing silently into the distance.
These creatures have eyesight that makes it impossible for them to see any trace of Dragon God Island, but they are all nourished by the power of the Dragon God, so their senses are naturally very sensitive.
"Hehe, it seems Master has finally emerged from seclusion," the Dragon Maiden chuckled. "That's wonderful; your longing for each other can finally end."
Ignoring the Dragon Maiden's teasing, everyone hurriedly returned to Dragon God Island. As soon as they stepped out of the teleportation array, they saw Qi Ling standing there with a smile, saying to them, "Oh, long time no see! Did you miss me?"
After the initial excitement, everyone naturally became curious: Qi Ling had obtained a five-million-year Soul Ring; just how powerful would he be now?
But Qi Ling smiled and said, "Actually, I don't know exactly how much stronger I've become, but I guess I'm pretty strong now."
"Let me see. Master, please summon your Eighth Soul Ring first," the Dragon Maiden said.
Qi Ling then summoned the Divine Dragon Emperor Martial Soul, with eight Soul Ring surrounding him at once. The combination of two purple, two black, two red, and two gold Soul Ring was enough to shock anyone.
Just as Qi Ling said, his power had indeed increased, but what was strange was that the crowd did not feel that suffocating pressure. Instead, they felt a sense of vastness, like the sky.
"Truly astonishing, Master," the Dragon Maiden laughed. "Your power has reached such a level that you are now invincible below the level of a god."
"Oh? Is that so?" Qi Ling laughed. "So, if I were to compare myself to Bo Saixi now, I'd win very easily?"
"Of course, Master. You must know that, purely from the perspective of power, you have already fully reached the standard of God Level!" the Dragon Maiden said. "What you lack now is only the comprehension and application of Godhood."
"Hmm, so that means my power is already enough, but my application of that power hasn't caught up yet, right?" Qi Ling said. "Honestly, I thought I was already grasping it fast enough."
"Master, you've indeed grasped the essence quite quickly, but your power is increasing even faster," the Dragon Maiden said helplessly. "After all, you're still just a Soul Douluo."
" Brother Qi, what's your Soul Power level now?" Xiao Wu asked curiously. " Zhu Zhuqing's Soul Power Level has already reached 84! You haven't been surpassed by her, have you?"
"What? Zhu Zhuqing, you've already reached level 84?" Qi Ling exclaimed in surprise. "But it's only been three months since you absorbed your Soul Ring!"
Zhu Zhuqing said, "Yes, that's right. After absorbing the Soul Ring, my Soul Power Level reached level 83. After that, my realm stabilized, and I leveled up again."
Compared to Zhu Zhuqing, Yu Tianyi's Soul Power Level had just reached level 82. However, this was understandable, since there was already a difference in their Soul Power Level before they absorbed the Soul Ring.
"Is that so? That's really impressive. No wonder you're Zhu Zhuqing." Qi Ling said, cold sweat dripping down her forehead, but Xiao Wu, with her sharp eyes, noticed it.
" Brother Qi, could it be that you've really been surpassed by Zhu Zhuqing?" Xiao Wu pressed.
"Haha, haha," Qi Ling said helplessly, "Sigh, that's right, my Soul Power Level is 83."
This is unavoidable. Although the quality of the Soul Ring Qi Ling absorbed was more than ten times that of Zhu Zhuqing, the Soul Power required for his Martial Soul upgrade was increasing exponentially with the level, like a bottomless pit.
Qi Ling's overwhelming power naturally comes at a price, and this is one of them. Without these opportunities, he probably wouldn't be able to advance a level within the next five years.