Chapter 61: Three Years Later - Everyone's Changes.
Three years, for a spirit master, is but a fleeting moment.
Lin Xiaopan was now twelve years old. His stature had grown considerably, his face shed some of its childishness, now possessing the handsome features of a young man.
The spirit energy pulsing around him was as deep and profound as the abyss, yet tinged with a strange stagnation.
The bottleneck of level forty had quietly arrived.
For the past three years, he had devoted almost all of his time to cultivation, only occasionally making appearances at the Tiandou Royal Academy, maintaining his status as a student. He
constantly energized the Dragon God Art, suppressing the conflicting elements of wood, fire, and earth within his body.
This suppression consumed a great deal of his energy and accumulated spirit power, naturally slowing his cultivation.
Even so, to reach level forty in three years from thirty-three in a single day would put countless so-called geniuses to shame across the continent.
Lin Xiao slowly opened his eyes, his gaze calm, devoid of the excitement of obtaining his fourth spirit ring, but instead a subtle solemnity.
The arrival of a bottleneck meant he would once again face the dilemma of choosing a spirit ring. Absorbing the next gold-attributed spirit ring would exacerbate the conflict within his body.
He stood up, stretching his slightly stiff body, his bones crackling softly.
The vegetation within Haitang Valley was lush and vibrant, far surpassing anything found outside. This was clearly the work of Ye Renxin, a Titled Douluo of the Life Element.
The air was filled with a delicate, refreshing fragrance.
Lin Xiao strolled toward the center of the valley.
There, Dugu Bo was facing a strange, dark green vine, breathing in and out emerald mist.
Ever since practicing the [Bi Lin Bai Du Shi Zhen Jing] Lin Xiao had given him, the old poisonous creature had completely overcome the pain of his spirit backlash, and his spirit power had surged like a flood.
Coupled with the complete absorption and refinement of the medicinal properties of the Snow-colored Swan's Kiss Celestial Grass, he had now become a bona fide Titled Douluo of level ninety-five.
"Senior Dugu, are you cultivating a bond with your poisonous weed again?"
Dugu Bo finished his training, turned around, and saw Lin Xiao. He forced a smile, though it looked a bit creepy no matter how he looked at it.
"Hmph, little monster! You seem to have nothing to do."
"I'm almost exhausted here. When will I go settle accounts with that rotten chrysanthemum?"
His tone was filled with a hint of suppressed agitation.
He remembered the humiliation he suffered at the hands of Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan all those years ago. Now that his strength had greatly increased, he naturally wanted to get even as soon as possible.
Lin Xiao walked over to him and said soothingly.
"Your current strength is our trump card. We must use it at the most critical moment to have the decisive effect."
"We will have an operation soon, and it will depend on you to turn the tide."
Dugu Bo curled his lips, but did not refute.
Over the past three years, despite his young age, Lin Xiao's wisdom and vision had already convinced him.
"Alright, I'll listen to you. But what happened to you this time out of retreat?"
"Well, my soul power has reached level 40, and I need to start planning for my fourth soul ring."
Dugu Bo's triangular eyes suddenly lit up with a flicker of surprise upon hearing this.
A level 40 Soul Master at the age of twelve? That cultivation speed is simply astonishing!
You have to remember that this kid still has attribute conflicts within his body that need to be suppressed!
"Hiss... you little monster!"
Just then, another gentle voice rang out.
"Haha, I knew that Lin Xiao's cultivation would have improved further after he emerged from retreat."
Ye Renxin, dressed in a white robe, slowly approached. He wore a smile, his demeanor refined, and exuded a faint aura of life, a refreshing breeze.
It was hard to imagine that such a person had only recently been promoted to Titled Douluo.
Level 91, Medicine God Douluo—this was the title Ye Renxin had privately mentioned to Lin Xiao and the others, but hadn't yet publicly announced.
"Master! You're here too,"
Lin Xiao greeted with a smile
Ye Renxin approached and carefully examined Lin Xiao, his eyes flashing with admiration.
"Not bad, your foundation is solid, your spirit power is condensed. It seems you haven't slacked off in the past three years suppressing attribute conflicts."
Dugu Bo chuckled strangely,
"Old Ye, you're now the weakest Titled Douluo. Now it's your turn, haha!"
Ye Renxin simply smiled warmly, unfazed.
"Haha, saving lives is enough."
"Fighting and killing are not my forte."
While his methods of reversing spirit power and depriving life force were strange and powerful, deep down, he still considered himself a healing spirit master. His
healing abilities were now terrifying, reattaching severed limbs and restoring the dead with ease. As long as he had breath left, he could rescue someone from the clutches of the King of Hell.
Lin Xiao felt a sense of peace as he gazed at the two Titled Douluo before him, who had been transformed.
Of course, Dugu Yan and Ye Lengleng also gave him many surprises.
Now both are over fifteen years old, yet their soul power has already reached the level of Soul Masters. Their talents, nurtured by the baptism of immortal herbs, are no less impressive than those of the Shrek Seven Devils in their previous lives.
Dugu Yan's Jade Scaled Snake spirit has now evolved into the Green Scaled Jade Shadow Snake. Its
turquoise scales shimmer with a dark luster, and its body is even more agile and powerful.
While its venom hasn't been as intensely enhanced as Dugu Bo's
, its spirit's inherent strength and defense have significantly improved.
This has greatly enhanced her survivability and effectiveness in battle.
The evolution of her spirit has naturally brought about a complete overhaul of
her spirit abilities. Her combination of spirit abilities has become more cunning and varied.
Her first spirit ability, Paralysis Poison, slows the enemy's movements.
Her second spirit ability, Bone-Erosion Poison, continuously corrodes the enemy's spirit power and body.
Her third spirit ability, Hallucination Poison, induces hallucinations in the victim, causing them to lose their composure.
Her fourth spirit ability, Thousand Tribulations Snake Shadow, is even more devastating, spawning countless snake shadows to attack, making it difficult to distinguish true from false and impossible to defend against.
Without exception, these soul skills all inflicted various negative poisoning effects,
while also possessing powerful control capabilities.
Dugu Yan had clearly forged her own path as a control-oriented soul master.
Ye Lengleng's transformation was even more gratifying.
The Acacia Heartbroken Red not only significantly boosted her soul power and talent, but
her original Nine-Hearted Begonia martial spirit had also evolved into the even more sacred Nine-Hearted Holy Begonia.
Its petals were flawless white, faintly emitting a gentle aura of life.
This meant that Ye Lengleng had completely escaped the cruel fate of the Nine-Hearted Begonia family.
She would no longer be consumed by the birth of her offspring,
a miracle enough to bring tears to Ye Renxin's eyes.
Similarly, Ye Lengleng's soul skills had also undergone a qualitative leap.
While still area-of-effect healing,
the effectiveness of the healing was vastly different from before.
The newly born Nine-Hearted Holy Begonia contained even more powerful and pure life energy.
Given sufficient soul power, her healing abilities would not be inferior to those of her grandfather, Ye Renxin.
In some respects, due to the evolution of her soul, she might even surpass him.
(End of this chapter)