Chapter 55: Martial Soul Suppression & The Ice Fire Bow's Evolution
"What… what's happening? Do you know?"
The moment Han Li began floating, Dugu Bo shouted at Guang Ling.
"Shut up and keep watch on the perimeter! If anything happens to Han Li, I'll be the first to kill you."
Guang Ling barked back, his face full of irritation. How was he supposed to know what was happening? But since Han Li had explicitly warned them not to interrupt, he could only watch.
Meanwhile, changes were unfolding over the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well.
As Han Li and the Ice Fire Bow reached the center of the well, both the bow and the pool suddenly became tranquil, as if achieving some kind of harmony.
Han Li remained suspended a meter above the water, his eyes closed and his head tilted slightly upward. The Ice Fire Bow was now pressed against his forehead.
From below, two energy streams one milky white, the other crimson red rose from the pool and latched onto the tips of the bow where the bowstring would be. These streams of energy coiled around the bow before part of it was absorbed, making the bow glow even brighter. The remaining energy transformed into a faint red mist that seeped into Han Li's forehead.
Guang Ling's palms were covered in sweat. If it weren't for Han Li's calm expression and his prior instructions not to interfere, he would have already taken action.
At the same time, Dugu Bo stood frozen in shock.
Compared to Guang Ling, he was much more familiar with the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well. Ever since discovering it, he had tried countless ways to harness its waters but no matter what he did, he could never extract them. And now, Han Li's martial soul was directly interacting with it, absorbing its energy into his very being, yet he remained completely unharmed.
To Dugu Bo, this was nothing short of a miracle.
It was only now that he took a closer look at Han Li's martial soul. The Ice Fire Bow, which had already appeared dazzling during their first meeting, was now glowing even more brilliantly under the baptism of the two energies. More than that he could faintly feel his own martial soul being suppressed.
Impossible!
Dugu Bo was utterly shocked. His and Han Li's martial souls were completely different one was a Beast Soul, the other a Tool Soul. There should be no correlation between them. Why was he feeling this kind of suppression?
But it wasn't just him Guang Ling also felt something was off.
As the Ice Fire Bow pulsed brighter and brighter, Guang Ling felt an increasing pressure on his own martial soul.
Previously, although Han Li's Ice Fire Bow was of slightly higher quality than his Lightfeather Divine Bow due to its dual element fusion, both were still top tier martial souls. He had never felt suppressed by it before.
But now…
That oppressive sensation from a superior martial soul was becoming more and more apparent.
Yet despite the discomfort, Guang Ling was ecstatic. This proved Han Li was safe. More importantly, their earlier speculation was correct Han Li's martial soul was evolving, undergoing a metamorphosis to an even higher level.
Suppressing his discomfort, Guang Ling glanced at Dugu Bo and noticed he had the same strained expression. Clearly, he was feeling the same thing.
"Your martial soul is being suppressed too?" Guang Ling asked in surprise.
"Yeah."
Since Guang Ling was looking at him, Dugu Bo simply retracted his martial soul. The discomfort vanished instantly, and he let out a sigh of relief.
"Isn't he supposed to have a Tool Soul? Could he be a Twin Martial Soul user instead? And one of them is a top tier dragon type martial soul? Otherwise, why would his presence suppress my Jade Phosphor Serpent? This makes no sense. Even when I've faced the dragon clan of the Yu family, I never felt this way."
Dugu Bo looked to Guang Ling for an explanation.
"I don't know either. You'll have to ask him when he wakes up."
Just as they were speaking, another change occurred.
The Ice Fire Bow suddenly trembled violently and let out a loud hum, as if dissatisfied with the current state of things.
Before their eyes, the bow released a massive suction force.
The pool beneath Han Li surged violently as large amounts of liquid rose into the air, enveloping Han Li completely.
Guang Ling and Dugu Bo immediately snapped to attention.
Looking over, they saw that Han Li was no longer floating upright but now lying horizontally in midair. He was encased in a large orb of swirling red and white liquid, with the two elements constantly colliding against each other, generating thick clouds of mist. Meanwhile, the pool's water level visibly dropped by several centimeters.
Standing closest, Guang Ling suddenly felt his bow tremble once more. It became noticeably heavier, and its glow dimmed.
"That's enough. Just put your bow away. Isn't this uncomfortable? Judging by the situation, who knows how long he'll need? The entire area is surrounded by poison miasma, and it's nighttime. No one can get in."
At some point, Dugu Bo had walked over to Guang Ling's side, staring in admiration at the scene above the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well.
"Back off."
Guang Ling spun around and aimed his bow at Dugu Bo.
"Oh, come on. The kid is literally encased in that sphere. Do you really think your attacks could even reach him? Don't think I didn't see you secretly fire an arrow earlier only for it to dissolve instantly."
Dugu Bo, now less wary of Guang Ling after their earlier talk, casually pulled out a chair from his storage space and handed it to him.
Guang Ling's expression darkened. He turned to glance at Han Li, then at Dugu Bo's "friendly" face. Snorting coldly, he withdrew his martial soul and accepted the chair.
However, he deliberately turned it around to face away from the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well, staring intently at Dugu Bo instead.
Dugu Bo rolled his eyes but didn't bother arguing.
This guy's way too paranoid.
Han Li is my future grandson in law. Why would I harm him?
Besides, he and his granddaughter still had to rely on Han Li to cure their poison. Guang Ling was just being overly anxious.
Originally, he had planned to chat with him some more, but seeing Guang Ling's tense demeanor, he decided against it. Better to avoid giving the killing maniac any excuses.
And so, the two Title Douluo sat in silence one watching Han Li in the pool, the other watching his companion keeping their vigil until dawn.
As the sun rose, Dugu Bo looked at Han Li, still suspended in the air without any sign of awakening. He turned to Guang Ling and asked, "It's been all night. I'm starving. Want some food?"
"Eat whatever you want. Just don't try anything funny."
Guang Ling stood up and tossed his chair at him, signaling for him to get lost.
Dugu Bo caught the chair and was about to say something when he heard the sound of splashing water from the pool.
Immediately, both turned their heads.
Han Li had returned to his original upright position. The sphere of liquid surrounding him was steadily dripping back into the pool, creating ripples on the water's surface.
Then, his eyes snapped open.
The Ice Fire Bow let out a deep hum before severing its connection to the pool, radiating an intense burst of light.
As Guang Ling and Dugu Bo instinctively turned away to shield their eyes from the glare, the liquid sphere around Han Li collapsed, crashing back into the pool with a thunderous splash.
A long moment passed before the blinding light and noise finally faded.
Guang Ling and Dugu Bo hurriedly dispelled the lingering mist, eyes locking onto Han Li's figure.
There he stood on the very surface of the water.
The Ice Fire Bow was now firmly in his hand.
"Master, Senior, thank you for watching over me."
Han Li grinned, waving his left hand excitedly. Then, as if strolling on solid ground, he stepped forward, walking straight across the water to join them.
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