Sisters Su Lin and Lan Xiaodie gazed at the beautiful goddess's spirit and learned the order of all the spirit skills within it, astonished.
"Looks like finding a spirit beast for Xiaochen will be much easier from now on." Su Lin smiled. The little one's incredible spirit had truly opened her eyes!
"What is the little one cultivating? 'Ten Thousand Plums Greeting the Wind'? It's actually a sword technique. Could it have been left behind by Ye Feng?"
Su Lin approached Ye Liangchen, picked up the 'Ten Thousand Plums Greeting the Wind' sword technique, and was astonished.
"Su Lin! This is indeed a legacy from Xiaochen's parents. You know his father's spirit is called the Dragon Roar Sword. In terms of swordsmanship alone, even a Sword Douluo couldn't match Ye Feng's back then," Lan Xiaodie explained.
"Great! With this advanced sword technique, we don't have to worry about Xiaochen's sword spirit cultivation anymore." Su Lin smiled, having never expected Ye Feng and Liu Ruyan to leave a way out for their son.
"Su Lin! Ye Feng has left behind a magical skill hundreds of times more powerful than meditation. You're one of us, so practice with us from now on."
Lan Xiaodie used her soul power to seal the entire room, then took out the Hunyuan Jue and the Five Elements Divine Fist, showing them to Su Lin.
"Shh! Dean, this is incredible! With these magical skills, it feels like we can easily reach the Titled Douluo level."
"Yes! Indeed, but you must keep it secret. If it leaks, our entire academy will be doomed. For now, we can just call the Hunyuan Jue the Advanced Meditation Method, so we don't accidentally let it slip and arouse suspicion."
"Dean, don't worry! I swear on my spirit to keep this secret."
Su Lin was one of the Tianshui Academy's senior leaders and a student of the previous Dean, Shui Lingfeng. Naturally, she would protect the interests of Tianshui Academy.
Ye Liangchen also knew that the civilization of the Douluo World had long been suppressed by the Divine Realm, including the spirit master cultivation system.
Currently, spirit masters must hunt spirit beasts to obtain spirit rings in order to advance. This was a rule established by the divine realm, designed to use human spirit masters to control spirit beasts. The ultimate goal was to prevent the Silver Dragon King and prevent the spirit beast race from becoming powerful.
Over time, this practice eroded the ability of human spirit masters to innovate, forcing them to become dependent on others. Few could create their own spirit skills, relying instead on hunting spirit beasts.
The various top-tier martial arts manuals found in martial arts novels were considered original spirit skills, even divine, in the lower-level fantasy world of Douluo Continent.
Ye Liangchen observed the exquisite sword techniques in "Ten Thousand Plums Facing the Wind," mentally rehearsing various moves. If he weren't in the Rose Hotel, he would have summoned the Pure Jun Sword to practice!
Now in this other world, Ye Liangchen, driven by a desire to improve his strength, had become a devoted practitioner, reaching a state of ecstasy during his practice.
"Xiaochen! It's time to go to bed. Cultivation isn't something you can achieve overnight; it takes time."
Seeing the late hour, Lan Xiaodie quickly interrupted Ye Liangchen's practice and told him to go to bed. This little guy is only six years old now, and he needs enough sleep, otherwise his development will be affected.
"Okay, Aunt Lan,"
Ye Liangchen put "Ten Thousand Plums Facing the Wind" into his game backpack and went to sleep in his room. He had to be a good and obedient child in front of the elders in this world.
Lan Xiaodie, Su Lin, and Lan Xiaoling, after experiencing the wonders of the Hunyuan Jue, replaced sleep with cultivation, hoping to quickly improve their strength.
...
Twenty days later, Ye Liangchen and his group passed through the Kingdoms of Silves and Barak, finally arriving at a small town on the edge of the Star Dou Forest. Although it was only a small town, it was home to at least hundreds of thousands of residents.
Throughout the journey, Ye Liangchen stayed outside the carriage, admiring the otherworldly scenery and witnessing the hardships of ordinary people, a stark contrast to the luxurious lifestyles of the nobles.
This small town on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, called Soul Hunter Town, was actually a city, but without walls. It was also very large, at least 100 square kilometers.
It was still hundreds of miles away from the Star Dou Forest, the largest and most dangerous soul beast forest, and the people living there did not dare to get too close.
As the saying goes, "live by the mountain, eat by the mountain; live by the water, eat by the water." The people of
this town rely on the Star Dou Forest for their livelihood. They make their living by selling a variety of weapons, armor, poisons, healing potions, and other essential items for soul masters entering the Soul Beast Forest. The town is also home to numerous shops dedicated to trading soul beasts, and the meat, hides, and tusks of many soul beasts are highly valuable. Professional soul beast hunting teams frequently venture into the forest, capturing various soul beasts in exchange for gold soul coins.
These teams are composed of freelance soul masters, who are relatively incompetent and can only hunt low-level souls.
There are even professional teams that hunt soul beasts for others, willing to hunt for you if you can afford it. However, these hunting teams are comprised of soul masters at the Soul Venerable and Soul Sect levels, not particularly powerful, and can only hunt low-level soul beasts.
Furthermore, these hunting teams are inherently greedy, sometimes even killing their clients and robbing them of their money. Such acts of murder and robbery are common.
"Let's stay here for the night! Buy some insect, snake, and ant repellent powder, and head into the Star Dou Forest early tomorrow morning."
Lan Xiaodie suggested a break in the town. After twenty days of intermittent travel, everyone was exhausted, even having to change horses five times.
"Ladies, would you like to hunt a soul beast for this child? Our Thunderbolt Squad can help. It only costs 50 gold soul coins."
Just then, a soul beast hunting team approached, led by a powerful Soul Sect master, introducing their team's services to Lan Xiaodie and the other two women.
The team consisted of six men, all of them sturdy-looking men, one a Soul Sect master, and the remaining five at the Soul Venerable level.
Seeing Lan Xiaodie and her group riding in a luxurious carriage, they knew they were definitely wealthy. Although the three women were masked, their stunning figures, clad in black, captivated the Thunderbolt Squad members.
So, they offered a mere 50 gold soul coins, hoping to lure the three women into a trap.
"Buzz..."
Su Lin pressed down on the Lightning Squad with a powerful spirit force, instantly knocking them back five or six meters.
Lan Xiaodie and Lan Xiaoling protected Ye Liangchen in the middle. In this place where all sorts of people gathered, they secretly sent a message to Su Lin, urging her not to reveal her spirit.
If Lan Xiaodie's Ice Phoenix spirit were revealed, even knowledgeable spirit masters would be able to guess her identity. In such a place where all sorts of people gathered, extreme caution was required.
"Get out! Leave us alone! Or I'll kill you without mercy!"
Su Lin said coldly, pressing down on them with a powerful spirit aura. She knew exactly what these spirit beast hunting teams were planning.
"Excuse me! Your Excellency, we shouldn't have offended you."
"We'll get out! Get out!"
The Lightning Squad was terrified and immediately ran as fast as they could, not daring to stop for a moment.
They had hoped to lure the big fish and make a killing, but they hadn't expected the three women to be high-level spirit masters, each more formidable than the last. Their mere spirit aura left them powerless. They were more than small fry could afford to provoke.
Seeing the Thunder Squad sent flying, the other soul-hunting teams in the distance also retreated.
In this world where the strong reign, the powerful rule. Even the imperial family, upon meeting the mighty Titled Douluo, would be treated as honored guests and dared not offend.
"Buzz..."
Suddenly, Su Lin's spirit aura surged, its powerful aura spreading in all directions as her spirit power surged past level 70.
"Dean, I've reached level 70!"
Su Lin exclaimed, finally reaching the Soul Sage realm. She had previously reached level 69 at the age of 36. It had taken her two full years to reach this level—a truly remarkable achievement.
"Hush! Don't make any noise. There seems to be a Titled Douluo nearby. Let's check into an inn first."
Lan Xiaodie stopped Su Lin's excitement and pulled Ye Liangchen towards the distant Yuelai Inn.
"Sister! Are you sensing correctly?" Lan Xiaoling asked curiously. "That's right. Two auras just locked onto us. One is several times more powerful than me, likely a Titled Douluo, and the other is a high-level Soul Sage."
Lan Xiaoling was also trying to guess who they were.
Su Lin patted her chest and said, "Dean! Thank goodness we didn't reveal our spirits, or our identities would have been exposed."
Meanwhile, in a spacious room in another hotel called Lai Fu, a white-haired elder in a light blue robe and a middle-aged man stood by the window, quietly observing the situation in the distance. With them was a petite, quirky little girl, about six years old, as beautiful as a porcelain doll.
"I didn't expect three high-level female soul masters, two Soul Sages, and a Soul Douluo would have arrived here," the white-haired elder exclaimed.
"Female Soul Douluo? Uncle Jian! From what I've heard, there are only a handful of powerful female Soul Douluo on the entire continent. Who could it be?"
"They're all masked and haven't released their spirits yet. I can't guess their identities. They're also carrying a little boy. I guess they're hunting spirit beasts for that little one!"
The two men were Jian Douluo and Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. Both experienced and knowledgeable, they were mentally deducing the identities of the three women.
"Grandpa Jian! Dad, what are you looking at?" Ning Rongrong skipped over to Jian Douluo's side, her eyes wide open and curious.
"Nothing? Rongrong, go to sleep! Tomorrow, Grandpa Jian will take you to obtain your first spirit ring."
Jian Douluo stroked Ning Rongrong's little head, his eyes filled with doting.
Ning Rongrong, Ning Fengzhi's youngest daughter, awakened the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda spirit a few months ago, reaching innate spirit power level 9. She is the most gifted prodigy in the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. After several months of training, the little girl's spirit power has now reached level 10.
Ning Fengzhi and Jian Douluo had come to the Star Dou Forest to obtain the little girl's first spirit ring. They were eagerly anticipating Ning Rongrong's future achievements.
Elsewhere, at the Yuelai Inn, Lan Xiaodie and her two daughters were extremely nervous. They hadn't expected to find a Titled Douluo in the small town just outside the Star Dou Forest.
"Su Lin! Go buy some things. We'll enter the Star Dou Forest early tomorrow morning," Lan Xiaodie instructed Su Lin.
"Yes, Dean!"
Su Lin quietly left the room and went to the shops outside to buy supplies for entering the Soul Beast Forest, such as insect repellent powder and poison.
Ye Liangchen was also speculating on the identity of the Titled Douluo. He had heard Lan Xiaodie mention that the other party also possessed a high-level Soul Saint, a formidable figure.
A quarter of an hour later, Su Lin returned to the inn with news.
"Dean! I heard from the vendors that the two powerful men are Jian Douluo and Ning Fengzhi from the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, and they're accompanied by a little girl."
"Jian Douluo and Ning Fengzhi? With a little girl?"
"Rumor has it that six months ago, a genius of level 9 innate appeared in the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. I think it must be Ning Fengzhi's little daughter. It seems they're trying to obtain the first spirit ring for that little girl."
Hearing Su Lin's announcement that they were from the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, the Lan Xiaodie and her sister finally breathed a sigh of relief. After all, Jian Douluo and Ning Fengzhi were decent people.
Jian Douluo? Ning Fengzhi? Ning Rongrong?
Ye Liangchen was also shocked by the news. After six years in this world, he was finally going to meet Ning Rongrong, one of the Shrek Seven Devils.
However, Ye Liangchen now knew Ning Rongrong as a pampered little princess with a willful and capricious personality. If anyone crossed her, she would call on Grandpa Jian to kill them. Ye Liangchen didn't want to have anything to do with her.
"Su Lin! You've broken through to level 70. This time, I'll also acquire your seventh ring soul," Lan Xiaodie suggested.
"Yes, Dean!" Su Lin was thrilled. After all these years, she had finally reached the Soul Sage realm.
"This technique is truly miraculous. I feel like within 10 years, I might reach level 90," Lan Xiaodie exclaimed.
Lan Xiaodie and the others had finally witnessed the wonders of the Hunyuan Jue. Su Lin's soul power had been stuck at level 69, but after only 20 days of practicing the Hunyuan Jue, she'd already broken through the bottleneck. It was truly astonishing.
"Xiaochen! Thank you, teacher!"
Su Lin picked up Ye Liangchen and kissed him on the cheek. She'd learned from Lan Xiaodie and her sister that Ye Liangchen had instructed them to practice the Hunyuan Jue. This little guy was truly a blessing to everyone!
"Teacher Su Lin! You're welcome."
Ye Liangchen shook his head. This woman was always so enthusiastic, he couldn't handle it.
When he grew up, if this woman dared to treat him like this again, he would definitely call her a traitor.
"Su Lin! Let Xiaochen go to bed! Tomorrow morning, we have to leave for Star Forest."
Lan Xiaodie was amused by the little boy, blushing slightly and looking very uncomfortable in Su Lin's arms. The little guy was shy, and she felt shy.
Su Lin had once pursued Ye Feng, but with Liu Ruyan around, she had no chance. Would she now transfer that love to someone else's son?
"Dean! Soul Hunting Town isn't safe. I'll sleep with the little guy so I can protect him."
Su Lin said, then carried Ye Liangchen into the next room to sleep.
The woman was using the little guy as a human pillow, a move that left Lan Xiaodie and her sister both amused and confused.
"Sister! Is this woman planning to take advantage of Xiaochen?" Lan Xiaoling teased with a smile.
"Sister! You're overthinking it!"
Lan Xiaodie chuckled, thinking that the little guy was her daughter's future. Even if Su Lin had a hundred guts, she wouldn't dare.
"Teacher Su Lin!..."
Ye Liangchen felt like he was suffocating. Being used as a human pillow by a mature beauty, how could he possibly sleep?
"Shh! Xiaochen, don't talk! Go to sleep now, get enough rest, so you can travel tomorrow."
"Hunting Soul Town is a gathering place for all kinds of people. It's very dangerous. Teacher has to protect you closely."
Su Lin looked at the little one in her arms, smiling inwardly: Liu Ruyan! Liu Ruyan! I lost to you back then and couldn't get Ye Feng, but now your son is in my arms!
Huddled by such a stunning beauty, Ye Liangchen couldn't sleep. He remembered the Taoist Bingxin Jue he had read before, and began to recite it silently in his mind: "If
the heart is as clear as ice, the sky will not fall, the
world will remain calm, the spirit will be at peace,
forget the self and maintain oneness, the six senses will be settled ,
abstain from energy and nourish the qi, be selfless and inaction,
look after each other, the expressions will be dependent on each other, deliberately cultivate the mysterious
gate, subdue thoughts,
there will be no distractions inside and outside, the mind will be calm and the spirit will be clear."
A pure mind is like water, a pure mind is the heart. A gentle
breeze stirs, undisturbed waves.
Sitting alone among the bamboo groves, I whistle and
play my zither, entering a state of Zen tranquility, a poisonous dragon evades .
My mind is unobstructed, Heaven rewards diligence,
my resolve is awe-inspiring, even ghosts and spirits are terrified.
…
The water flows, my mind remains unperturbed; the clouds hover, my
mind is slow to react. A single mind, free from all attachments, freely wanders through the past and present.
Ice chills through the ages, all things are especially still.
The mind should be calm, the spirit
detached, the spirit flowing, the mind flowing
freely, selfless and alone. Mind and spirit unite, the spirit flowing, the alternating energy flowing, as if nothing exists. Unfazed by all changes,
free from delusion and anger, free from desire
and seeking, free from giving up and abandoning,
free from action and selflessness. Ye Liangchen silently recited the Ice Heart Art three times, and instantly, like an old monk in trance, his mind as still as water, his heart unwavering and unperturbed, his mood profoundly peaceful.
Holy crap! This Ice Heart Art is a truly miraculous skill!
Ye Liangchen continued to recite the Ice Heart Art silently, and gradually fell into a deep sleep, his breathing even, as if he were in the embrace of nature.
Su Lin looked at the little guy sleeping peacefully, pecked him on the forehead, smiled sweetly, and thought: This little guy is so cute!