This overpowering earth-attribute energy, like a heavy weight, suddenly shattered the fragile balance he had barely maintained within his body.
The three soul powers began to show signs of conflict and repulsion.
If it weren't for the Dragon Divine Art's unleashing of its profound power, forcibly channeling and suppressing this unbalanced energy, he would have been in serious trouble the moment he absorbed the soul ring.
At the very least, his meridians would have been damaged, at worst, his martial soul would have been in turmoil.
Lin Xiao looked inward, feeling the Dragon Divine Art slowly calming and restraining the restless earth energy, but it hadn't yet fully integrated with the other two attributes.
It was like a rebellious warrior, temporarily surrendering but never truly reconciled.
The crisis was averted,
but Lin Xiao knew it was only temporary.
While the Dragon Divine Art was powerful and could suppress the current imbalance, it was ultimately only a temporary solution.
As long as this imbalance in attribute strength persisted, the Dragon Divine Art would need to divert a significant portion of its power to maintain stability.
This meant his future cultivation speed would likely be significantly impacted, perhaps even drastically reduced.
Unless...
Lin Xiao's mind stirred, a thought quietly forming.
The Five Elements interact in a cycle of mutual generation and mutual
restraint. He already possessed Wood, Fire, and Earth.
Perhaps only when he obtained his fifth spirit ring, integrating the five elements of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, and achieving a perfect circulation and balance within his body, could this situation truly improve.
Reaching the Five-Ring Soul King realm, achieving perfection within the Five Elements, might be the key to a breakthrough.
However, that would require absorbing two spirit rings, a distant prospect.
For now, this seemed like the only way forward.
Lin Xiao slowly exhaled, temporarily suppressing the slight worry in his heart.
The path to strength improvement is never smooth sailing.
He stood up, stretched his muscles, and felt the immense spirit power within him, now elevated to Level 32, and the steady, profound power of the earth.
Despite the potential pitfalls, the power of this third spirit skill was undeniable. When unleashing
his third soul skill—Dragon Soul Infinite Transformation
—a suit of dragon-scale armor envelops his body, boosting all attributes by 100% and doubling his defense.
Furthermore, the dragon soul within his spear receives a further boost.
It's safe to say that Lin Xiao's current abilities, whether in spirit ring skills, spirit bone skills, or other aspects of his abilities, have surpassed the vast majority of Soul Kings.
To achieve such a feat at the Soul Venerable level is, if not unprecedented, certainly unprecedented!
Dugu Bo stood by, watching the deep purple spirit ring completely merge into Lin Xiao's body. The entire process seemed remarkably smooth
, yet Dugu Bo's face betrayed no trace of surprise.
He had long since grown accustomed to this little monster's anomalies. He
'd even grown numb to them.
At this moment, his preoccupation was focused solely on the "Jade Scale Hundred Poisons Manual."
"Little monster! Now that the soul ring has been absorbed, let's not delay!"
"Hurry back to Tiandou City to find Old Man Ye!"
"I have been troubled by this snake venom for many years, and now I can't wait a moment!"
Lin Xiao stood up and stretched his muscles.
"Okay, let's set off immediately."
The two of them did not stop, and their figures quickly left the treasure land of the Yin-Yang Eye of Ice and Fire.
Not long after, a vibrant Begonia Valley appeared before their eyes.
Ye Renxin looked strange after seeing the two people coming.
"Xiao Xiao, Old Poison! How did you two get together?"
"Ahem!" Dugu Bo said a little embarrassedly: "Old Man Ye, I came to you this time to ask for your help. But let the little monster tell you the details!"
Lin Xiao had the opportunity to step forward and salute Ye Renxin
"Master, long time no see."
He then explained the "Blue Scale Hundred Poisons Manual" and the events that had occurred recently to Ye Renxin in detail.
"...So, Master, I'd like to ask you to be there to watch over Senior Dugu and Senior Yanyan while they first practice the technique."
"If anything unexpected happens, you can immediately use your Nine-Hearted Begonia Martial Spirit to treat them."
Ye Renxin listened quietly, a look of understanding on his face.
He glanced at Dugu Bo, who was visibly fidgeting beside him, and smiled slightly.
"I see. It's a simple favor, I'll certainly agree."
"It's truly fascinating to witness the birth of such a unique technique."
Dugu Bo's tense face finally relaxed, and he quickly bowed.
"Thank you, Brother Ye! I, Dugu Bo, will remember this favor!"
Upon receiving Ye Renxin's approval, Dugu Bo couldn't contain himself.
He almost immediately turned around and spoke hurriedly to Lin Xiao and Ye Renxin.
"Since Brother Ye has agreed, I'll go to Tiandou Royal Academy and fetch Yanyan and Lengleng!"
Before he'd finished speaking, he had transformed into a green shadow, impatiently rushing out of Haitang Valley.
His impulsive demeanor betrayed him, as if the venom in his body would erupt completely even a second later.
Lin Xiao and Ye Renxin were the only ones left in the courtyard.
Ye Renxin looked in the direction where Dugu Bo had disappeared, stroked his beard, and a hint of a smile crossed his eyes.
"That old venomous creature, still so impatient."
Haitang Valley's tranquility was short-lived. Dugu Bo soon returned, followed by Dugu Yan and Ye Lengleng.
Lin Xiao's gaze was instantly fixed on the familiar figure.
After not seeing her for months, the girl's beautiful face seemed even more tranquil.
Ye Lengleng's gaze coincidentally glanced over, a subtle tremor in its depths.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Sunlight filtered through the branches of the crabapple tree, casting dappled shadows that fell silently between the two of them.
A silent gaze spoke louder than a thousand words.
Finally, it was Lin Xiao who broke the silence first, his voice filled with endless tenderness and longing.
"Senior Sister Lengleng! I'm back."
"Yeah! I'm glad you're back! You've lost weight these past few months. You must have endured a lot!"
A slightly disgruntled voice rang out from the side, shattering the brief warmth.
"Hey, hey, hey!"
Dugu Yan, hands on her hips, glared at the two of them unhappily.
"Hey, you two, why are you being so annoying?"
"There are several people standing here!"
Her gaze lingered on Lin Xiao again.
"Lin Xiao! My grandfather told me you've benefited greatly from his Yin-Yang Eyes of Ice and Fire."
"Tell me, is there a share for me?"
Lin Xiao's face flushed slightly at Dugu Yan's interruption, and he quickly turned aside to address the people around him.
"Let's go inside first."
After entering the room, Ye Renxin, as the host, began to gesture for everyone to take a seat.
Only Lin Xiao, Dugu Bo, Dugu Yan, Ye Renxin, and Ye Lengleng were left in the room.
(End of this chapter)