Chapter 182: It's Here, Bro! Your Seventh Soul Ring Has Been Delivered
After continuously stabilizing no, supporting Qingluan as he sat back down and consuming several restorative medicines, he finally began to recover after about ten minutes.
"Are the aftereffects really that severe?" Guang Ling asked, puzzled, as he looked between Han Li and Qingluan.
"If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense," Dugu Bo was the first to refute him, his expression showing a trace of envy as he looked at Qingluan. "Qingluan has only suffered some minor physical damage. With Han Li's medicinal resources, he'll be fully recovered in at most a week, and his physical strength will even increase significantly listen carefully, significantly." He deliberately emphasized the last word.
"Hmm, he's right. It's not that serious; it's just that my martial soul actively absorbed spatial energy, which caused this result. You all should definitely avoid attempting this it's extremely dangerous," Qingluan raised his head to look at the group, offering an explanation.
"But Uncle Qingluan, you also successfully merged with spatial attributes, didn't you?" Han Li had already communicated with his obedient son and understood the situation.
To be honest, Han Li had accounted for many variables, but he hadn't expected the temporary blessing of luck to cause such a shift. What surprised him even more was that the usually composed and cautious Qingluan had deviated from the original plan and taken the risk instead of stopping.
"Yes, but if I had to do it again, I probably wouldn't dare. Luckily, my wind attribute and soundwaves are naturally compatible with spatial energy otherwise, I might not have survived," Qingluan responded with a bitter smile, still showing traces of lingering fear.
"Apologies, there wasn't time to inform you in the moment I had no choice but to push through," Qingluan looked at Han Li and offered an apology. If something had gone wrong, it could have caused significant complications for Han Li.
"It's fine, this wasn't your fault. I didn't fully consider the martial soul aspect looks like I'll need to recalculate everything," Han Li had already analyzed the full situation and realized that the changes caused by luck's intervention had played a significant role, so he didn't blame Qingluan at all.
"You all lack Uncle Qingluan's level of control. Absolutely no reckless attempts," Han Li's expression was serious. He would rather they be weaker or even fail than see someone perish because of carelessness.
The group exchanged glances, first at Qingluan and then at Han Li, before nodding firmly in agreement.
"Alright, let's give Uncle Qingluan time to recover without disturbances. The rest of you, come with me I need to rerun the simulations," Han Li left behind a few more medicinal doses before leading the others away, allowing Qingluan to recuperate in peace.
Now that they had a successful example, Han Li, working with the plane's consciousness, quickly revised their plan to include additional variables and provided contingencies.
Qingluan, meanwhile, steadily adjusted his condition. Though he remained slightly weak, he had at least regained some combat capability.
After conducting a simple test, the new version of the soul core's effects were finally displayed before everyone.
In terms of pure cultivation and recovery speed, compared to Qingluan's previous state, his improvement was a solid 20%. But more importantly, having a soul core meant comprehensive enhancement moving forward.
Beyond that, after forming his soul core, Qingluan claimed he could sense his martial soul with far greater clarity, and his control over his strength had significantly improved. Once his soul power was fully accumulated, he was 100% certain he could break through to the next level.
Compared to his previous soul skills, his overall combat effectiveness had increased by around 10%, while his energy consumption had decreased by roughly 5%. His combat strength had clearly reached another level.
These numbers left the group astonished this was practically the effect of a high quality soul ring, and more importantly, it was a permanent enhancement that wouldn't diminish as he leveled up.
But that wasn't all Qingluan demonstrated another hidden benefit right in front of them.
He completely concealed his aura and had Guang Ling attempt to detect him using spiritual power.
To Guang Ling's shock, his feedback told him that the person standing before him was an ordinary human with absolutely no soul power fluctuations.
"This ability to conceal one's aura is absolutely incredible," Guang Ling's eyes shone with excitement. His invisible arrows were already soundless and unseen he just never needed to use them against ordinary enemies.
If this same effect could be applied to his attacks, he wouldn't even need a martial soul fusion technique his combat strength would skyrocket on its own.
"For now, completely masking soul power fluctuations is my limit. This is likely due to the 'mind body spirit unity' concept Han Li mentioned. Applying it to attacks, however, would be extremely difficult," Qingluan understood his intention and cautioned him.
"No problem. It's worth testing if I can achieve even a fraction of this, I'll be satisfied," Guang Ling waved off the concern. If it worked, great; if not, it was still an invaluable tool.
"When are we starting?" he turned to Han Li, already eager to begin.
"It's better to let the surrounding energy recover first it'll make things safer," Han Li pointed at the nearby vegetation that had been partially destroyed by the energy shockwaves, making his stance clear.
The soul core condensation process had momentarily depleted the energy concentration in the area. Since the others had weaker control over energy compared to Qingluan, it was best to play it safe.
"Alright, fine."
Guang Ling glanced around regretfully, then pulled Qingluan aside, eagerly inquiring about the details of the process. The others also gathered around, absorbing insights from the latest experience. With a successful template established, over the next twenty days, Han Li systematically conducted the soul core condensation ceremonies for each of them.
Having an insider always makes things easier thanks to the plane's consciousness, the ultimate accomplice, every attempt was a success. The only exception was Xiu'er, who faced some difficulties while condensing her soul core. She almost lost control of the solidified soul power, nearly triggering an explosion, but ultimately managed to pull through without incident.
It couldn't be helped her martial soul primarily enhanced her physical strength, making her a pure heavy armored warrior, a stark contrast to the mage like paths of the other two women. The gap between her and titled Douluo like Guang Ling and Dugu Bo was immense, especially in terms of spiritual control, which wasn't even on the same level. Even though she had previously improved her spiritual power with the Blood Fiend Art and had diligently trained in this area, she still had a noticeable weakness.
Watching Xiu'er succeed and enter the recovery phase, Han Li finally relaxed Phase One of his plan was complete.
"Han Li? What about you? Are you still not planning to condense your soul core?" Guang Ling approached, looking at the extremely laid back Han Li and asking curiously.
"Me? I'm in no rush. I'm waiting for a special delivery a gift that will include my seventh soul ring as well," Han Li replied lazily, shifting his position on a large rock to get more comfortable.
"You don't have a fever, so why are you talking nonsense? You haven't even reached seventy yet, and even if a soul beast delivers itself to you, you still need to be able to absorb it," Guang Ling reached out to feel his forehead, giving him a concerned look.
"Master, did you forget about sacrifice? You literally just experienced it yourself," Han Li batted his hand away, sounding helpless.
"Even if it's a sacrifice, you still have to go find one. What, do you think a soul beast is just going to walk into this place?" Guang Ling wasn't doubting the concept after everything they had been through, he fully believed Han Li could encounter a hundred thousand year old soul beast willing to sacrifice itself. But just lying here, inside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well a place soul beasts wouldn't dare approach seemed far fetched.
"It's being taken care of. Let's stay here for three more days. Once Xiu'er has fully recovered, if a soul beast still hasn't come knocking, I'll listen to you and go find one. Deal?" Han Li yawned, turning over like a lazy fish.
Only he knew how exhausting it was to help the three women condense their soul cores. Spatial abilities were already difficult for them to sense at this stage. To help them grasp the fundamentals and absorb it properly, his spiritual power had yet to fully recover.
"Fine, three days it is," Guang Ling sighed and walked away. He wasn't really forcing Han Li to train he just felt uneasy that they would soon return to Spirit Hall while Han Li remained below Soul Sage level. Han Li would most likely clash with the Upper Three Sects in the near future, so the stronger he was, the better.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Xiu'er had fully recovered, and surprisingly, her recovery time was the shortest among them proof of her expertise in physical resilience.
Around noon, Han Li gathered everyone together and instructed them to conceal their auras and retreat into the stone chamber. Meanwhile, he submerged himself in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, leaving only his head exposed a sight that was both creepy and hilarious.
About half an hour later, in the center of the empty basin, a section of the flat ground suddenly collapsed inward. As the group watched in confusion, a plump, pale object emerged from the ground, releasing a wave of immense spiritual power to scan the surroundings.
Upon detecting the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, it hesitated momentarily. Then, to their surprise, the creature quickly leaped out of the ground and dashed toward the water.
Only then did they clearly see what it was.
It was an ice silkworm, but unlike ordinary ones, this one had a diameter of over a meter and a body length exceeding seven meters. Its entire form was a translucent white jade, shimmering with radiant light beneath its surface. Atop its head were two gleaming golden eyes.
The "plump white thing" they had initially spotted was clearly its head.
Looking further down its body, from half a meter behind its head, golden rings wrapped around its form at intervals. From head to tail, there were exactly ten golden rings, giving it an extraordinary presence.
And then came an even more shocking revelation this chubby ice silkworm, while rushing toward the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, was actually talking.
"It's mine, all mine! As expected, surviving a disaster brings great fortune! I, Tianmeng, truly am the future star of soul beasts!"
"Di Tian, you can eat my dust! Once I become stronger, I'll definitely go back and beat you up! And that damn bear! And that big dog! Revenge, revenge! One day, you'll all have to sacrifice your world essence for me!"
"Hmm, and Bingbing, this environment would be great for her too... Ah, but first, I need to get stronger before I think about that."
The bug rambled incessantly, muttering to itself as it drew closer to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Finally, it halted at the edge of the well, staring at the milky white Extreme Frost Spring. It swallowed nervously, seemingly hesitant.
"Just one sip shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Before it even finished speaking, its head had already started lowering toward the water clearly, its actions had answered its own question.
"Should be fine, but you shouldn't drink too much at once."
From the center of the pool, a human head suddenly emerged, speaking in an assured tone.
"Hmm, makes sense. I'll just take a small sip thanks, man."
Tianmeng responded instinctively. Then, as it looked up toward the source of the voice, its entire body froze mid motion, still half bowed.
(End of Chapter)
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