After leaving Slaughter City, Gu Xuan and Dugu Yan traveled all the way back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. Now that Gu Xuan had reached Rank 70, he needed a soul ring to advance. Dugu Yan, on the other hand, didn't need to hunt for one; once she broke through to Rank 70, she could directly absorb and refine the Inner Core of the Ten-Headed Fierce Yang Serpent.
It took half a month for them to reach the clan. Ning Fengzhi and the others were overjoyed to see the pair return safely. A year and a half ago, a group of the clan's youths had headed out for training, leaving the elders in constant worry. Seeing Gu Xuan and Dugu Yan return allowed them to finally let go of some of that anxiety.
As for Ning Rongrong and the others, they should have arrived at Sea God Island by now and might have already begun their trials. Although the elders remained concerned, there was nothing they could do but wait. Gu Xuan was relatively calm about it; according to the original story and given that their current talents were far superior to their original counterparts, they shouldn't encounter any major issues during the Sea God Island trials.
Moreover, Gu Xuan didn't have much mental energy to spare for them. He had many tasks of his own to complete. First was obtaining a soul ring; second was "cleansing the lead and mercury"—thoroughly mastering the Death God Domain. Third was the impending three-year agreement with Qian Renxue, now only a year away. While Gu Xuan was confident he wouldn't lose, that confidence was predicated on him not slacking off. If he were to lose, things would certainly get "interesting."
Between obtaining a soul ring and mastering the Death God Domain, Gu Xuan chose to prioritize the latter. If he didn't fully master the domain, absorbing a seventh soul ring might not go as smoothly as he hoped. After all, his target for the seventh soul ring was the sovereign of the Star Dou Great Forest—the Azure Sky Bull Python.
No soul beast was more suitable for Gu Xuan's seventh soul ring than the Azure Sky Bull Python, so his choice was naturally fixed on this beast.
It was worth mentioning that Gu Xuan wasn't the only one who had improved; the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had seen significant growth during these two years of continuous development. First, the various hidden weapons blueprints obtained from Tang San were now in mass production. The auxiliary type Soul Masters within the clan were all fully equipped, greatly enhancing their survival capabilities.
Secondly, Ye Haitang and Zhang Jinyuan had reached Rank 89, only one rank away from Rank 90. According to their own estimates, they were expected to break through to the Titled Douluo realm within three years. Yang Wudi was slightly behind, currently at the middle of Rank 88; because the Soul Breaking Spear Martial Soul becomes increasingly difficult to cultivate in the later stages, his progress was slower. However, with the support of massive resources, it wasn't impossible for him to reach Rank 90 in the future.
Ning Fengzhi had also progressed from Rank 85 to Rank 87, drawing closer to the Rank 90 threshold. Currently, it took him about a year to increase a single rank. He spent every day cultivating, handing over all but the most vital affairs to the Elder Council so he could focus on breaking through as soon as possible.
The Titled Douluos within the clan had also made progress. You Mingluo moved from the peak of Rank 91 to Rank 92. Zuo Yi, Mi He, and Long Wu all reached Rank 93, further increasing their strength. Dugu Bo was at Rank 94 and now had hopes of breaking through to Rank 95; in terms of group combat capability, he remained the undisputed king.
Gu Rong had progressed from the early stage to the middle stage of Rank 97. His breakthrough was slow, but at his level, every step forward was a massive leap in power. Chen Xin remained at the early stage of Rank 98, but he wasn't far from the middle stage. He and Gu Rong remained the two undisputed guardians of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
Furthermore, the middle-level power of the clan had improved greatly. For instance, Qin Ming had broken through to the Soul Saint realm, and other geniuses were beginning to distinguish themselves. Currently, the clan was a picture of prosperity, but Gu Xuan knew this was only temporary.
In the original story, five years after the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, Spirit Hall would launch the Soul Hunting Action, initiating their conquest of the continent. Two years had already passed, meaning the Soul Hunting Action was only three short years away. While the current Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan didn't fear Bibi Dong's operation—given their strength, as long as the Elder Hall didn't interfere, they could handle whatever Spirit Hall threw at them—Gu Xuan was looking beyond that. He was worried about the continental struggle three years later, as the clan might not yet have the power to unify the continent, especially since he hadn't received a Godly inheritance.
Indeed, he had not received the Asura God inheritance. Despite displaying such terrifying talent, the Asura God had not sent down any trials or even a shred of information. This was what made Gu Xuan anxious. Although he intended to create his own Godhood, that goal was still too far off, given his current strength. He couldn't possibly reach Rank 99 within the next three to five years.
Bibi Dong would certainly start the war within five years, and deities would likely intervene within ten. Gu Xuan might reach Rank 99 and create his own Godhood within a decade, but what if he didn't? This was the source of his urgency. However, he knew being anxious was useless. If the Asura God had no intention of passing on the position, he would have to fight for his own future.
Thus, after returning to the clan, Gu Xuan and Dugu Yan spent their time mastering the Death God Domain and their own killing intent, alongside their normal cultivation. Gu Xuan's method was to practice the sword with Chen Xin, which served as an excellent way to "cleanse the lead and mercury" and refine his heart. Dugu Yan followed Ning Fengzhi, learning to control her aura under his guidance.
There are many ways to refine oneself; by finding the methods that suited them best, they could quickly master the killing intent accumulated over the last year and a half. As for soul power, even if it couldn't grow past the Rank 70 limit without a ring, the cultivation would manifest once the ring was obtained, so Gu Xuan wasn't worried.
After hitting Rank 70, Gu Xuan's cultivation speed slowed slightly, but it remained stable at one rank every three months. While this felt slow to him, it was a terrifying speed to anyone else. Gaining four ranks a year at the Soul Saint level was absolutely staggering!
(End of Chapter)
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