Time flew by, and soon a month had passed. During this month, the cultivation system for the Zodiac Hall had basically been perfected, especially for the four Gate Masters, who were all attempting the Second Awakening of their Martial Souls.
However, a Second Awakening wasn't something you could achieve just because you knew the opportunity existed; it also required talent.
But after a month of exploration and attempts, they all gained a profound understanding of the power of a Body Martial Soul.
Unlike Soul Masters with ordinary Tool or Beast Martial Souls—whose combat methods primarily involved using their Martial Soul or soul power for attacks while possessing relatively weak physical fitness—those who had merged with their Martial Souls could utilize any part of their body. Their physical attributes were several times higher than those of a normal Soul Master, though they faced limitations in obtaining Soul Rings.
For Body Martial Soul users who merged with their martial souls like them, the Soul Rings they absorbed had to come from soul beasts of the same origin as their own Martial Soul; otherwise, they would die from body explosion due to bloodline rejection.
Based on this, Gu Xuan suggested that they look for breakthroughs in their bloodlines for their Second Awakening. The four Gate Masters had now essentially crossed the threshold, and perhaps in the future, they would truly achieve a Second Awakening.
During this month, Gu Xuan's soul power had progressed from the early stage of Rank 57 to the peak of the middle stage. In about another month, he would be able to break through to Rank 58.
This speed was actually terrifying. Calculated this way, his soul power improvement speed at the Soul King level was roughly one rank every two months, meaning he could increase by six ranks in a year.
An average Soul King at this level who could increase by two to three ranks a year was already considered a top-tier genius, yet Gu Xuan's speed was two to three times that of those geniuses.
Furthermore, this was while Gu Xuan needed to compress his soul power and temper his physique. Because he needed to accept the inheritance of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings' Soul Bones after reaching Rank 70, a powerful physique was a necessity.
The reason Gu Xuan could still improve so rapidly, aside from his current natural talent, was that he could use the dragon scale imprints of the two Great Dragon Kings on the back of his hands to absorb and refine the power of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
As for the concern that the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well might disappear because of this, there was absolutely no need to worry. Gu Xuan had asked this question before.
Would their massive utilization of the Well's power cause it to lose its effect in the future?
The answer was naturally yes, but the process would take too long.
No matter how powerful or reckless their talent was, in the face of the two Great Dragon Kings who were once comparable to 1st class gods, they were no different than ants on the shore compared to a whale in the deep sea.
Even if the whale died and its most important core was taken away, how much time would it take for ants to finish eating an entire whale?
Therefore, even after the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings passed the Soul Bones condensed from their own origins to Gu Xuan, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well would not disappear. It would merely accelerate the speed of its disappearance, but even then, it would be enough for them to use it for a very long time.
Moreover, since the Well originated from the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings, after Gu Xuan resurrected them in the future, he could just have each dragon leave behind a drop of essence blood. They could even become perpetual motion machines.
If the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well started running low, they would just replenish the energy. Even a capitalist would weep at such efficiency!
Aside from Gu Xuan's side, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had also taken action. Within a month, You Mingluo had successfully obtained his ninth Soul Ring. After all, with Sword Douluo Chen Xin, Mi He, and Zuo Yi—three powerhouses—acting together, it was actually considered slow.
Finding the right soul beast had taken some time.
Although You Mingluo's ninth Soul Ring was not at the hundred-thousand-year level, it had reached ninety-eight thousand years. Unfortunately, it did not produce a Soul Bone, which was a bit of a pity.
After absorbing the Soul Ring, You Mingluo's soul power directly reached the peak of Rank 91, just like Zuo Yi and the others before him.
You Mingluo's Martial Soul was named the War Dragon Dagger, a powerful Tool Martial Soul. Like the Snake Lance Douluo from the original story, his seventh soul skill allowed his Tool Martial Soul to undergo beastification, making his strength incredibly formidable. You Mingluo's title was taken from his Martial Soul—Title: War Dragon.
It is worth mentioning that just after Chen Xin and the others left, two gargantuan creatures appeared at the Star-Moon Lake deep within the Star Dou Great Forest: the Azure Sky Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape.
Facing a lineup like Chen Xin's, even these two forest emperors and overlords had to avoid them and stay hidden.
The Azure Sky Bull Python's massive bull head watched the direction in which Chen Xin's group had departed, falling into deep thought. After a long time, it spoke to the Titan Giant Ape beside it in human tongue. "There are more and more human powerhouses now. This is not a good thing."
The Titan Giant Ape looked simple-minded, but having cultivated for tens of thousands of years, its wisdom was not inferior to humans. It also showed a worried expression. "I just wonder how Big Sister Xiao Wu is doing. She hasn't returned for a long time."
Back then, the Titan Giant Ape had gone to find Xiao Wu on its own, injuring her teacher and classmates, only to be harshly rebuked by Xiao Wu. Afterward, Xiao Wu returned to the academy after condensing her third Soul Ring herself.
From that moment on, the Titan Giant Ape had no more news of Xiao Wu. Therefore, both it and the Azure Sky Bull Python were extremely worried about her.
What they didn't know was that Xiao Wu had been directly snatched away by Gu Rong on her way back, and she was currently being kept in a cultivation vat at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan!
...
At the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, as soon as Chen Xin and the others returned, they immediately followed Gu Rong to the valley where Tang Hao and Tang San lived in seclusion.
It's worth noting that when Gu Rong first went there, no one was present because Tang Hao had taken Tang San to obtain his fifth Soul Ring.
After waiting for over twenty days, Tang Hao finally brought Tang San back and began special training for him.
Gu Rong had been hiding in the shadows, never even glancing at Tang Hao. At their level, even a hint of killing intent could potentially be detected, so Gu Rong only confirmed from a distance that both were there without getting close.
And now, Gu Rong brought Chen Xin, Zuo Yi, Mi He, and Long Wu—a total of five people—to the outskirts of this mountain range.
You Mingluo did not follow; instead, he replaced Long Wu to guard Ning Fengzhi closely. Since he had just broken through to become a Titled Douluo, there was no need to call him for this matter.
Furthermore, he had joined later after all; it was better for their own people to handle such "unsavory" business.
The five of them gazed at the mountain range from a distance within the space Gu Rong had opened. Gu Rong said, "Although I haven't observed him up close, I can feel that Tang Hao's aura is very chaotic. He should have suffered significant internal injuries. With so many of us acting together, he will certainly have no chance of escaping."
Chen Xin nodded: "Sigh, what a pity for this junior. But this is the cruelty of the Soul Master world. In this operation, we cannot let even one of them get away."
Gu Rong continued, "Chen Xin and I will go to assassinate Tang Hao. You three will provide support and capture Tang San alive in the process. Understood?"
Zuo Yi, Mi He, and Long Wu nodded. "Understood."
(End of Chapter)
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