Bibi Dong did not know that , was actually Oscar's avatar. What should have been a flawless plan had been under Oscar's control from the very beginning.
However, Oscar made no unnecessary moves. Since someone was willing to deliver him a "gift," he naturally accepted it.
Using his identity as the second prodigy of the Sword Sect, , met Xu Kun and promised him that once their plan succeeded, if , gained the chance to inherit Oscar's position and status, then the Xuanming Sect would forever be the Sword Sect's ally.
Having received this promise from the Sword Sect's second prodigy, Xu Kun no longer hesitated.
As long as Oscar was gone, if the Sword Sect wanted a successor, they would have to heavily support ,.
Once the plan succeeded, the Xuanming Sect would seal itself away. When , officially succeeded to power, that would be the day they emerged again.
Of course, that was on the condition that his identity remained hidden.
With the secret support of the Pope of the Spirit Hall, Xu Kun felt somewhat confident. After all, Oscar was at most at the Soul Emperor level. As long as there was an opportunity, Xu Kun was sure that Oscar would not escape his grasp.
As for how to find that opportunity, Xu Kun did not care. With , as an insider within the Sword Sect, he only needed to handle the killing blow.
...
Time flew like an arrow, and a year passed since the wedding of the Sword Sect's Grand Elder, Gai Yue.
In that single year, the entire continent had undergone great change.
The Spirit Hall had completely consolidated the power of the four subordinate sects and was secretly contacting various kingdoms and principalities within the Heaven Dou Empire. The undercurrents of conflict were rapidly stirring.
The Star Luo Empire was also far from peaceful. The struggle for the crown prince's title between the first prince, Davis, and the third prince, Dai Mubai, grew more intense by the day.
Originally, Davis had been about to step down, but suddenly received covert support from the Spirit Hall within Star Luo City. Although Dai Mubai's position had become increasingly stable, the two were now evenly matched in power.
For the time being, neither could overthrow the other. The Star Luo Emperor seemed unconcerned; though both were his sons, he only cared about who would be the final victor.
Because of this battle for the crown prince's seat, the once relatively peaceful Star Luo Empire was now also filled with tension, as if war could erupt at any moment.
Sunset Forest, Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Oscar was sitting cross-legged beside the spring. His body seemed like a black hole, devouring the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth. His soul power grew denser, and his aura rose at a terrifying speed.
In his dantian, a colorful soul core was slowly taking shape, seemingly only a step away from complete success.
Not far away, Dugu Bo, Gai Yue, and Dugu Yan were all focused intently on Oscar. Every fluctuation of his soul power stirred their emotions.
A month earlier, Dugu Yan had completely mastered the Killing God Domain and graduated from Yuexuan together with Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu had gone to Heaven Dou City to join the Strength Clan and reunite with Tang San, while Dugu Yan had returned directly to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, planning to obtain her seventh soul ring after Oscar succeeded in forming his first soul core.
A year ago, she had already reached level seventy. Now, her total soul power was equivalent to that of a level seventy-three Soul Saint. All that remained was to absorb her seventh soul ring, and the soul power she had cultivated over the past year would be fully released.
Feeling the immense power radiating from Oscar, Dugu Bo sighed emotionally. "Now that Oscar's first elemental soul core has almost formed, he just needs to stabilize his power completely. Once he does, it will be finished."
Gai Yue nodded. "This child truly has extraordinary talent. In just over a year of hard cultivation, he not only mastered the Killing God Domain but also managed to form such an incredible soul core."
Dugu Bo smiled. "You and I have also benefited greatly during this time. Even our second soul cores have begun to take shape. We owe this boy a great deal."
Listening to her grandfather and teacher, Dugu Yan raised an eyebrow. "Once I absorb my seventh soul ring, I can also start trying to form my first poison-type soul core."
Dugu Bo's grin deepened. "Your grandfather's poison soul core can serve as your example. Just follow the steps I've taught you, and I believe you'll succeed soon."
Dugu Yan giggled. "Hehe, I really am lucky. I don't need to study and create it myself like Xiao Ao did."
Gai Yue nodded. "Not just you, Yan Yan. In truth, we are all very lucky."
He was right. Because of Oscar, all of them had changed and gained so much.
As they spoke, the massive energy around Oscar suddenly began to contract, merging completely into the colorful elemental soul core within him.
The process was fast. In just a blink, it was done. Oscar slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath.
"Hah! It's done! My first soul core is finally complete! All that sleepless training this past year was worth it!" Oscar stood up, visibly thrilled.
With the power of this soul core, his newly reached level seventy-nine was enough to challenge a Title Douluo head-on.
Indeed, during this period of intense cultivation, Oscar not only mastered the Killing God Domain and successfully condensed his first soul core but also advanced steadily in soul power.
To advance four levels within just over a year at the Soul Saint stage was already astonishing, but for Oscar, it was still considered slow.
With his immense foundation, abundant resources, and his extraordinary talent, such progress was hardly surprising.
At the moment his soul core formed, his soul power naturally reached level seventy-nine, just one step away from level eighty.
Looking around, Oscar saw Dugu Yan, Gai Yue, and Dugu Bo all smiling brightly, just as joyful as he was.
Dugu Yan ran straight into his arms. Holding her soft, delicate body, Oscar felt both emotional and satisfied.
"Congratulations, Oscar. With this breakthrough, your strength must have increased tremendously again," Dugu Yan whispered in his ear, her tone full of joy.
Oscar smiled and nuzzled her neck. "Yes, but you don't need to envy me. You'll catch up soon enough."
Dugu Yan hugged him tightly and laughed. "Hehe, I'll catch up to you quickly!"
When the young couple finally stopped flirting, Dugu Bo and Gai Yue came forward to observe.
Dugu Bo raised an eyebrow. "Oscar, you've just broken through, so you're probably still not used to the power of your soul core. Care to practice a bit?"
Dugu Yan looked eagerly at Oscar, curious to see just how strong he had become.
Gai Yue also smiled quietly, clearly interested in seeing the results of Oscar's breakthrough.
Oscar glanced at Dugu Bo, understanding that the old man wanted to test his strength. He too felt eager for a fierce battle to experience the power of his new soul core.
Oscar grinned. "Alright, Grandpa, shall we go to the training grounds?"
Dugu Bo smirked. "I'm not your teacher. Testing your strength is your teacher's job."
At those words, Gai Yue's smile froze. So that was his plan all along?
But Gai Yue didn't mind. He wanted to test Oscar's new strength personally. With a wave of his hand, he said, "Let's go. I want to see for myself the power of our young sect master."
Oscar shot him a look. Over the past year, Gai Yue had trained him ruthlessly. Although Oscar could fight across ranks, he still had no chance against a level ninety-five Super Douluo.
But now, with his soul core complete, maybe he could give Gai Yue a little surprise.
Grabbing Dugu Yan's hand, Oscar said boldly, "Let's go! Today I'll take on ten opponents!"
Seeing his confident spirit, both Gai Yue and Dugu Bo were genuinely pleased. Dugu Yan held Oscar's hand as they walked side by side.
"Teacher," she said, "how about this? Xiao Ao and I will team up and fight you together. How about it?"
Dugu Bo immediately nodded. "No problem, I agree!"
Gai Yue glared at him. "Agree to what? Yan Yan is such a good girl,I can't bear to hit her."
Dugu Bo snorted. "I can't bear it either, but I want her to improve!"
Dugu Yan interrupted them both. "Teacher, please don't hold back. It's been so long since I've had a proper fight. If you go easy on me, how can I ever catch up to Xiao Ao?"
Her gentle pleading almost melted Gai Yue's heart. He had long regarded her as his own daughter, and he could hardly resist that look.
Oscar added, "I agree with my sister's suggestion. Teacher, bullying just me isn't fair. Today, let's show you what happens when husband and wife fight side by side!"
Gai Yue's smile vanished instantly. "Good. Let's see what you young people can do."
Oscar had a bad feeling. Knowing his teacher, he suspected that "husband and wife teaming up" might just mean "both of you getting beaten."
The four of them left the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and soon arrived at the sect's dueling grounds.
Because of Oscar's special soul rings, they didn't use the public arena but went instead to the private training ground usually used by Yang Wudi and Niu Gao.
Inside, only the four of them were present. Dugu Bo found a seat, pulled out some snacks from his soul tool, and prepared to enjoy the show.
Oscar, Dugu Yan, and Gai Yue stepped onto the massive arena, nearly five hundred meters wide,large enough for a full-scale battle between experts.
It had been constructed with the best materials to withstand the power of Contra and Title Douluo battles, though even then it required constant maintenance by earth-attribute experts.
Facing each other across thirty meters of open space, Oscar and Dugu Yan stood hand in hand, while Gai Yue, clad in white, stood calmly before them.
"Come, let me see what kind of brilliance you two can unleash together," he said softly, lifting his right hand. A blue light shimmered, and a sky-blue longsword appeared in his grasp.
It was his martial soul, Frost Moon.
As it appeared, two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red soul ring rose in order, releasing the oppressive aura of a level ninety-five Super Douluo. The pressure bore down on Oscar and Dugu Yan like a mountain.
Facing such overwhelming power, they went all out.
Oscar stepped forward, meeting the pressure head-on. With his recent soul power breakthrough and the formation of his soul core, both his physical and spiritual strength had risen to a level comparable to a level ninety-four Title Douluo.
He pulled out two sausages,Dark Evil God Tiger Whip Sausage and the Beyond Limit Black Gold Sausage.
After consuming them, his aura surged. The once-gentle and handsome Oscar transformed into a human-shaped Dark Evil God Tiger, filled with a wicked, domineering energy.
Six light markings glowed on his cheeks as he resisted the crushing pressure.
Raising his left hand, a jade-blue sword appeared. On either side of the hilt were engraved two sigils,a six-pointed Evil God array and the emblem of the Killing God Domain.
Though no soul rings appeared around him, Oscar at that moment was strong enough to challenge a Title Douluo.
With the boost of his fifth and sixth soul rings, his external soul bone, and his second martial soul, he stood in his peak form.
Beside him, Dugu Yan released her martial soul. Her body transformed, covered in crystalline green dragon scales. Her hands became claws, a long tail extended behind her tipped with venomous spines, and small green horns grew on her forehead with a gem-like crystal at her brow.
Two yellow, one purple, and three black rings rose slowly around her, emanating the powerful aura of a level seventy Soul Saint.
Behind her, eight purple-green spears extended,the Eight Spider Lances. Four lifted her body lightly, while the other four, shorter but sharper, moved like her extra limbs.
The use of this external bone boosted her strength and speed by fifty percent, giving her her own strongest form.
Gai Yue looked at the pair before him and smiled with satisfaction. From the clash of their auras alone, the two could already stand on equal ground with a level ninety-five Super Douluo like him.
Of course, he knew that Oscar's head soul bone was already fifteen thousand years old, which explained their terrifying strength and deep foundation.
Even so, defeating him would not be easy.
"I hope you two can make me feel a bit of pressure," Gai Yue said calmly, raising his Frost Moon sword.
Oscar arched an eyebrow. "Then you'd better be ready."
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