The days after returning to the Li Estate in Heaven Dou City felt like sailing from stormy seas into a calm harbor. However, an unknown undercurrent surged within the depths of the estate. Li Zhaoyan knew well that while reaching the Titled Douluo realm was a joyous occasion, his Soul Power had surged like a bursting river upon first entry. If he didn't guide and consolidate it, his foundation would be unstable, and his future path would surely be fraught with difficulties. Thus, after a brief reunion with his family to enjoy the warmth of surviving a calamity, he resolutely entered the Secret Chamber—a room built from heavy Bluestone and laid with soundproofing and protective Formations—to begin a long and crucial period of seclusion.
Inside the Secret Chamber, the light was dim, with only a few Night Luminescent Pearls embedded in the walls emitting a soft glow. Li Zhaoyan sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion in the center, his eyes slightly closed, his breathing long and deep. He looked inward at himself and saw that the Soul Power in his Meridians, once like a mere stream, had now transformed into a raging river, surging violently and filled with an untamable wildness. He carefully guided this immense power, performing a Celestial Circulation through the complex network of his Meridians according to his family's secret technique. With each circulation, his Soul Power was tempered, its impurities purged, becoming purer and more condensed. At the same time, his control over his Soul Power grew more refined and meticulous, progressing from its initial awkwardness and stagnation until it moved as if it were an extension of his own limbs.
His comprehension of the Autumn Maple Domain also deepened. That solemn, withering artistic conception was no longer just an external skill but was beginning to merge with the very source of his own Soul Power. He could almost feel the hint of autumn contained within his Soul Power—a desolate aura that held a settled strength. Time passed unmarked in his seclusion. The aura within the Secret Chamber grew deeper by the day, and the Soul Power fluctuations emanating from Li Zhaoyan's body gradually transformed from their initial sharp brilliance to a restrained, well-rounded state, like unpolished jade smoothed by the years, its luster hidden but its substance all the more profound.
Meanwhile, an atmosphere of cultivation permeated the other corners of the Li Estate. Marco had taken over a spacious training ground in the rear courtyard. He needed time to consolidate his rank fifty-nine Soul Power, and even more, he needed to familiarize himself with his newly awakened Phoenix Domain. In the courtyard, his figure would sometimes flash like lightning as he executed fierce Martial Arts; at other times, he would stand perfectly still, blue-red flames rising around him. The scorching heat distorted the air, and a faint, cyan light screen flickered in and out of existence with him at its center—the embryonic form of the Phoenix Domain. Under Marco's guidance, Ye Lingling and Qiu Yao began the most basic Soul Power Meditation and physical training. Qiu Yao was exceptionally talented and progressed rapidly, while Ye Lingling, though less gifted, was diligent and hardworking. The estate was filled with a vibrant, positive energy.
Time flew, and several months passed in a flash. Inside the Secret Chamber, Li Zhaoyan had finally tamed his surging Soul Power, his realm now as stable as a mountain. On this day, he slowly opened his eyes. A divine light was contained within them, deep as a pool, with no trace of instability remaining. He rose to his feet, and a crisp series of cracks echoed from his bones as a majestic yet perfectly controlled sense of power filled his entire body.
His gaze involuntarily fell upon an inconspicuous jade box in the corner of the Secret Chamber. The box was cool to the touch, and several Sealing Talismans drawn with cinnabar were affixed to it, faintly exuding a heart-palpitating sense of suppression. Inside lay the greatest and most dangerous spoil of his trip to the Star Dou Forest—the Evil God Pearl, formed from the origin of the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger.
His son Marco's bold conjecture circled his mind like a curse. "Induce the Evil God Pearl to turn it into a Soul Ring..." The idea was utterly insane, yet it held a fatal allure. An ordinary fifty-thousand-year Soul Beast was already hard to find, and a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast was the stuff of legends, the danger of hunting one a near-certain death sentence. As for this Evil God Pearl, he had personally experienced the level of energy it contained—a terrifying power that surpassed that of an ordinary hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast, carrying with it the aura of divinity! If he could succeed... Li Zhaoyan's breathing couldn't help but quicken.
He walked to the jade box, his expression as grave as iron. Soul Power flowed from his fingertips like the most nimble of carving knives, carefully and meticulously peeling away the faintly glowing Sealing Talismans, layer by layer. With each layer removed, the box's vibrations intensified, and the cold, deathly, and evil aura that seemed capable of devouring all light grew stronger. When the final talisman fluttered down, the entire jade box even emitted a soft hum. Wisps of black-red Evil Qi seeped out from the seam of the lid, causing the temperature in the Secret Chamber to plummet.
Li Zhaoyan took a deep breath, and the Autumn Maple Domain instantly unfurled! A pale golden light screen rippled out like water, enveloping the entire Secret Chamber. Within the Domain, a solemn aura permeated the air as countless illusory maple leaves materialized, circling and dancing, firmly suppressing and grinding away the escaping Evil Qi. He steadied his mind and reached out, slowly opening the lid.
Instantly, an even more intense, evil fluctuation rushed toward him! The pearl, the size of a longan fruit, was as black as ink, its surface covered in countless blood-red patterns that writhed and coiled like living things. It lay quietly on the silk lining inside the box. It was like a miniature black hole, devouring the surrounding light and radiating a coldness and stillness that made one's very soul tremble.
"Let's begin..." Li Zhaoyan muttered to himself, his eyes sharp. He mobilized his refined Soul Power, forming it into a slender yet tenacious thread that cautiously probed toward the Evil God Pearl, attempting to establish a connection and draw out the power within.
Voom—!
The moment his Soul Power touched the pearl, the Evil God Pearl suddenly trembled violently! As if a slumbering beast had been awakened, a tyrannical, cold, and utterly evil energy filled with an endless desire to devour and destroy surged back along the Soul Power connection! Li Zhaoyan felt a bone-chilling power that seemed capable of freezing his soul instantly rush into his Meridians, frantically eroding his Soul Power and even charging straight for his Sea of Consciousness. Countless violent and cruel illusions flashed through his mind!
"Hmph!" Li Zhaoyan let out a muffled grunt, his face turning pale, but his eyes grew even more determined. He pushed the Autumn Maple Domain to its limits. The pale golden power of the Domain transformed into countless spinning, sharp maple leaves, continuously grinding away and purifying the surging Evil Qi like a millstone. At the same time, his formidable Soul Power constructed a solid barrier within his Meridians, forcing back and dispelling the backlash bit by bit.
The first attempt was a failure! The power of this Evil God Pearl was too domineering; directly inducing it would only invite a ferocious counterattack.
Li Zhaoyan was not discouraged. He sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes to regulate his breathing and recover from the recent expenditure, while his mind raced, considering his options. A direct approach wouldn't work; perhaps he needed to try a different method. He recalled his battle with the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger. Although the beast was evil, it also possessed a certain cunning spirituality. Since this pearl was formed from its origin, perhaps a faint trace of consciousness remained?
In the days that followed, Li Zhaoyan changed his strategy. He no longer used his Soul Power to forcefully attack it. Instead, like the most patient of hunters, he adjusted his own aura to the most peaceful state of his Autumn Maple Domain. His Soul Power, like a gentle stream, slowly enveloped the Evil God Pearl. He no longer tried to invade it, but instead carefully "sensed" it, experiencing the flow of its energy and attempting to establish a subtle "communication" with the deeply hidden, and perhaps existent, spirituality within.
This was an extremely mentally taxing and perilous process. The Evil God Pearl's power would sometimes erupt without warning like a volcano, battering his Soul Power; at other times, it would lie in wait like a venomous snake, emitting bewitching evil thoughts in an attempt to sway his will. Relying on his newly stabilized, profound cultivation and his unyielding will, Li Zhaoyan resolved one crisis after another, constantly adjusting the frequency and method of his communication. His use of the Autumn Maple Domain also reached new heights. Sometimes it was as sharp and solemn as an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, forcefully suppressing the Evil Qi; other times, it was like the warm sun of a late autumn afternoon, carrying a nurturing intent amidst the withering, attempting to soothe the violent energy.
The energy fluctuations in the Secret Chamber were at times like raging waves and at others like a surging undercurrent. Mother Ye, Marco, and the others, who were guarding the chamber, couldn't see what was happening inside, but they could feel the heart-palpitating fluctuations that occasionally emanated from it. Their hearts were constantly in their throats, filled with worry.
After an unknown number of failures and an immeasurable amount of effort, on this day, as Li Zhaoyan's Mental Power and Soul Power once again enveloped the Evil God Pearl with a wondrous fluctuation that contained the rhythm of nature's life and death, a change occurred!
The Evil God Pearl no longer counterattacked violently or tried to insidiously bewitch him. Instead, it emitted a low, resonant hum! The blood-red patterns on its surface lit up with a soft glow. The utterly evil energy, which had been full of aggression and rejection, actually became... docile? It was as if a wild, untamable beast, after a long standoff and a certain degree of "understanding," had finally acknowledged the presence before it, revealing a rare hint of "submission"!
A flash of inspiration! An unprecedented gleam erupted in Li Zhaoyan's eyes! This was the moment!
Without hesitation, he perfectly fused all his Soul Power with the power of his Autumn Maple Domain, creating an intangible yet powerfully guiding bridge, and completely "induced" the very core origin of the Evil God Pearl!
BOOM!!!
A colossal roar, as if from the dawn of creation, exploded in the depths of Li Zhaoyan's soul! The Evil God Pearl suddenly erupted with a dazzling, blinding black-red light! The entire Secret Chamber was cast in an eerie glow, and the protective Formations on the walls flickered violently, looking as if they might collapse at any moment! The pearl itself seemed to lose its physical form, transforming into a torrent of incomparably pure energy that also contained the highest evil laws and a majestic Source of Life. It surged along the bridge Li Zhaoyan had built, pouring into his body like a hundred rivers returning to the sea!
This time, it was not a backlash, but a true energy fusion and Soul Ring condensation!
"Arghhh—!" Even with a will as firm as a rock, Li Zhaoyan couldn't help but let out a suppressed, agonized roar! This energy was too immense! It far surpassed any Soul Ring he had ever absorbed, even more torrential than the worldly energy he had accepted when he advanced to Titled Douluo! What was even more terrifying were the supreme evil laws contained within the energy, which clashed violently with the righteous and peaceful attributes of his Hundred Wood Divine Spear Martial Soul! His Meridians felt as if they were being pierced by countless red-hot steel needles and torn apart by freezing ice shards. His soul felt as if it were being alternately tormented in a furnace and an ice cellar. It was a pain of rejection and reshaping that originated from the very level of his Source of Life!
His Hundred Wood Divine Spear Martial Soul involuntarily burst out of his body, hovering before him. The spear's shaft trembled violently, emitting a mournful hum. The originally simple, life-filled wood grain began to undergo a bizarre, visible transformation under the assault of the utterly evil energy! The grain became twisted and deep, stained with a dark-red, almost black, evil luster, as if living demonic patterns were spreading and growing within the wood. At the spear's tip, a heart-stopping point of pitch-black light flickered in and out of existence, exuding an aura of destruction. The entire temperament of the Martial Soul was transforming from majestic and grand to something deep, evil, dignified, and awe-inspiring!
Li Zhaoyan clung to the last shred of clarity in his mind, frantically circulating his Soul Power to guide this Evil God Power and forcibly fuse it with his Martial Soul. The power of his Autumn Maple Domain was also pushed to its absolute limit, but now its role was not purification. Instead, it acted as a framework of "order," forcibly restraining and organizing the wild, untamed evil laws, guiding them to integrate and execute along a specific trajectory to prevent them from completely losing control and turning Li Zhaoyan into a demonic puppet that only knew slaughter.
This was an incredibly perilous process, like walking a tightrope over a ten-thousand-zhang abyss! His body was at times as scorching as a branding iron, at others as cold as jade. Fine beads of blood even seeped from his skin, a sign that his Meridians were enduring their absolute limit of pressure. His consciousness swayed back and forth between extreme pain and cold reason, supported only by his unyielding will and his concern for his family.
Just as this transformation reached a critical point, at the very moment his Martial Soul was about to completely evolve into a brand-new form—
Voom! Li Zhaoyan's consciousness was forcibly pulled from his body by an irresistible force and thrown into a boundless, absolute dark void devoid of any light! In this void, a pair of incomparably huge, indifferent, and cruel eyes—eyes that seemed to contain all the evil in the world and could see through the essence of one's soul—slowly opened without any warning and quietly gazed at him! That gaze was like a physical substance, carrying a supreme majesty and indifference that froze Li Zhaoyan's soul!
A grand, cold voice that seemed to originate from the source of the universe and span endless time and space resounded directly in the deepest part of his soul, each syllable resonating with the laws of the world:
"Hmm? ...The aura of the Evil God Pearl... Finally... found one who can bear it..."