"Master, check me out—am I awesome or what?"
Yang Fan stood proudly, a unique violet soul ring glowing beneath his feet.
Thanks to his exceptional physical conditioning, he'd successfully absorbed the thousand-year soul ring in just two and a half hours—far exceeding normal limits.
Yao Lao hovered lazily in midair and drawled, "Dou Qi… third stage."
Yang Fan took a moment to assess his own condition.
After absorbing the soul ring, he'd reached Soul Master Level 13.
That didn't surprise him.
On their journey here, Yao Lao had explained that the Soul-Strengthening Pill he'd taken back in the Breaking Clan was meant to refine his soul power and solidify his foundation—meaning early-level progression would be deliberately slow.
"No need to feel discouraged," Yao Lao added gently. "By Soul Land standards, you're already a genius."
He'd watched every desperate, fearless move Yang Fan made during the fight with the Flame Tiger—and been deeply impressed.
"Master, when can I start practicing Dou techniques?" Yang Fan asked eagerly.
Yao Lao chuckled. "Can you even sense Dou Qi right now?"
Yang Fan shook his head.
"Then what's the point of learning techniques?" Yao Lao scoffed. "Releasing Dou techniques requires sufficient Dou Qi as a prerequisite. And the amount of Dou Qi a cultivator can store is directly tied to the cultivation technique they practice."
"When you can finally sense Dou Qi, I'll teach you basic techniques. Only after you can condense that Dou Qi into a Qi vortex will you be ready to learn a true cultivation method."
Yang Fan got it immediately.
In gaming terms—he had no mana. Even if he learned skills, he couldn't cast them.
"Don't worry about that for now," Yao Lao said. "Let me see your first soul skill."
At that, Yang Fan's eyes lit up.
Soul power surged in his palm. His Flaming Soul Breaking Spear materialized in his grip, and the violet soul ring at his feet flared brilliantly.
He thrust the spear forward with full force—and a massive tree, wide enough to require several men to encircle, instantly sprouted a fist-sized hole straight through its trunk.
This was his First Soul Skill: Pierce!
Upon activation, it granted 100% increased penetration and 30% enhanced attack power.
Soul Breaking Spear soul skills were always brutally straightforward: Shock, Shatter, Thrust, Lift, Slash.
The true essence lay not in complexity, but in the raw offensive power each soul ring provided—and the unwavering, forward-charging combat philosophy of its wielders.
No matter what soul skill an enemy used, the Soul Breaking Spear's answer was always the same: relentless, unyielding offense.
As his grandfather had once said: "The ninth soul skill of the Soul Breaking Spear is called Courage!"
With this new ability, Yang Fan felt like he could pierce through anything—or anyone.
"Master, am I considered to be fire-attributed now?"
His mutated martial soul clearly radiated explosive flame energy—the foot-long fire dancing on the spear tip was proof enough.
"Indeed, you're purely fire-attribute," Yao Lao confirmed.
"But remember—I've told you before: to become a true alchemist, your fire must be infused with a trace of wood essence."
The word "purely" suddenly stung.
Yang Fan groaned inwardly—I really didn't want to be this pure!
"Don't be so down," Yao Lao said with a smile. "With your master by your side, do you really think you'll ever run out of pills?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Yao Lao drifted closer.
With a casual wave of his translucent hand, a blue pill appeared before Yang Fan.
"Master… what kind of pill is this?"
The pill shimmered like blue amber, its swirling aura hinting at something far more profound than it appeared.
"I specially refined this for you," Yao Lao said proudly. "It uses common Blue Silver Grass from this continent, along with Black Potato Orchids and Spirit-Absorbing Leaves."
Yang Fan's eyes widened. "You can use Blue Silver Grass to make pills?!"
"Of course!" Yao Lao replied. "Blue Silver Grass is the most abundant and resilient plant on this continent—which means it has extraordinary harmony with Soul Land's natural environment."
Yang Fan leaned forward eagerly. "So what does this blue pill do?"
"It helps you quickly condense Dou Qi!"
Yao Lao's expression turned smug—after all, this was the first pill he'd ever created in Soul Land.
"Go on, give it a name," he urged.
Yang Fan thought for a second. "Hmm… how about Qi-Absorbing Pill?"
Yao Lao's proud face instantly soured. "Why not call it Qi-Gathering Pill? Honestly, don't name things anymore."
"Fine, fine—Qi-Gathering Pill it is."
Without hesitation, Yang Fan popped the pill into his mouth.
It left a faint, grassy aftertaste of Blue Silver Grass—and nothing else.
"Master… when did you actually make this pill?" he asked suspiciously.
"Back when you were five—remember hauling Blue Silver Grass down from the mountain like a pack mule?"
Memories flooded back: that sweltering summer, Yao Lao making him carry armfuls of Blue Silver Grass back to the clan like a dog.
So it was all for this pill!
"If you had this, why didn't you give it to me sooner?" Yang Fan grumbled.
If he'd taken it earlier, he might already be forming a Dou Qi vortex!
"You little brat," Yao Lao shot back, "with your pathetic strength back then, even if I'd given you this pill, your body would've just peed it all out!"
But the very next second—
Yang Fan felt a sudden shift inside his body.
He slowly raised his right hand.
"Master… is this… Dou Qi?"
A faint wisp of crimson-red gas curled around his fingers.
It wasn't soul power—yet it felt richer, denser, and far more potent.
Faint as it was, it was undeniably real.
"Yes! Yes!" Yao Lao's eyes gleamed with astonishment.
By his calculations, Yang Fan shouldn't have sensed Dou Qi until at least half a month after taking the pill.
Yet here he was—detecting it in under thirty minutes.
Yao Lao realized he might have seriously underestimated his disciple's talent.
"So this is Dou Qi…" Yang Fan murmured, guiding the wisp to coil around his wrist.
Goodness!
Just ordinary Blue Silver Grass had let him awaken Dou Qi in Soul Land.
What if they used Tang San himself as an ingredient…?
"Master!" Yang Fan's eyes sparkled with a bold idea. "If we refine a Qi-Gathering Pill using a hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor, could I start practicing cultivation techniques and Dou skills right away?"
"A hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor?" Yao Lao's eyes lit up. "That beast would be a treasure trove—but do you really think the two of us stand a chance against it?"
Hundred-thousand-year soul beasts were stronger than even Title Douluos.
If Yao Lao couldn't beat a Title Douluo, how could he possibly challenge such a monster?
"But what if…" Yang Fan said slowly, "that soul beast no longer had the ability to fight?"
Yao Lao's gaze sharpened instantly. "You know where one is?"
Yang Fan nodded.
There was indeed a hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor in Soul Land.
He didn't know its exact location—but they could find it.
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