In a forest, Kai had just stepped in when he heard a hearty laugh.
"Haha, Holy Son, you've kept this old man waiting!"
A figure stepped through the air; it was Dugu Bo.
Feeling the powerful aura within Dugu Bo, Kai was stunned: "Old Poison, have you had a Breakthrough?"
"Haha, thanks to you, not only has this old man's Martial Soul evolved, but I've also already had a Breakthrough to rank ninety-five now."
Dugu Bo said excitedly.
"Now, if you let me fight Chrysanthemum Douluo, this old man will definitely make him beg for mercy on his knees."
Kai smiled helplessly.
Now that Dugu Bo and Chrysanthemum Douluo are both rank ninety-five, it's really uncertain who is stronger.
"Speaking of which, Holy Son, how was your Cultivation this past year?" Dugu Bo asked curiously. Although he could feel that Kai's spirit power hadn't increased, the entire person seemed to have completely changed.
"My spirit power is still rank fifty-six, but my personal abilities have improved significantly."
After he finished speaking, a blood-red light gathered in Kai's pupils. He looked at Dugu Bo, and a cold Killing Intent erupted from his body!
"Slaughter God Domain!"
"Barren Domain!"
The two Domains simultaneously bloomed, enveloping Dugu Bo.
Dugu Bo, who had a smile on his face, instantly changed his expression drastically, looking at Kai in shock.
"This... two great Domains?!"
Dugu Bo felt his strength being suppressed and was incredibly shocked. One of Kai's Domains contained an endless, cold, and violent Killing Intent, while the other Domain could cause opponents within it to continuously lose vitality.
If these two great Domains were used in Fusion during a battle...
Who could possibly be an enemy?!
"So, you gave up on spirit power Cultivation to temper your Killing Intent."
Dugu Bo suddenly realized, and at the same time, couldn't help but sigh.
Ordinary people usually only pursue spirit power Breakthroughs, but for Kai to be able to pursue the application of his own abilities at this age was truly not easy.
"By the way, Old Poison, how is the Soul Master Tournament going?"
Kai asked.
"Hehe, the Soul Master Tournament has been very smooth. The grand finals are in five days, and they will be held in Spirit City. Holy Son, if you go back now, you'll still make it."
Dugu Bo explained. Kai breathed a sigh of relief: "Alright, I didn't return too late."
"Since that's the case, let's head to Spirit City."
...Spirit City.
When Kai arrived at the Spirit Hall training ground, he saw six figures sitting cross-legged in front, seemingly in a state of Cultivation.
And around each of them, extremely powerful spirit power fluctuations were circulating.
For example, Hu Liena and the other two, their current strength had probably reached rank fifty-nine, on the verge of reaching the Spirit Emperor Realm. And there was no need to guess, this must have been achieved through Cultivation in the Gods Domain.
Dugu Yan's spirit power had also reached rank fifty-six, on par with his own.
However, what surprised Kai even more was that Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing had actually also reached the Soul King Realm, and judging by their spirit power fluctuations, they were probably already close to rank fifty-four.
"They didn't disappoint."
Kai smiled.
Kai's arrival caught Zhu Zhuqing's attention. Zhu Zhuqing slowly opened her eyes; the others were still Cultivating. But when she saw Kai standing nearby, she was first stunned, then suddenly felt a pang in her nose. Before Zhu Zhuqing could react, Kai pulled her into his embrace.
"You... you're back."
Zhu Zhuqing whispered, her voice tinged with a sob.
Although she usually didn't like to talk and always treated others coldly, she could truly open her heart to her friends.
Not to mention, when facing Kai.
During this year, she had fantasized countless times about meeting Kai again. She told herself that she must control her emotions.
But at this very moment, she couldn't control her feelings no matter what.
"Sorry, I'm a little late coming back." Kai smiled and patted Zhu Zhuqing's head, wiping away her tears.
"Improving to rank fifty-three in one year, it seems you put in a lot of effort."
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head: "It was all thanks to Cultivation in your Gods Domain."
"The Gods Domain only plays an auxiliary role after all."
As the two conversed, the others also exited their Cultivation states. Seeing Kai return, everyone was incredibly surprised.
"Kai, you're finally back."
Ning Rongrong pointed at Kai: "As soon as you come back, you're all lovey-dovey with Zhuqing. I'm too lazy to even scold you!"
Kai rolled his eyes.
Just then, a figure appeared; it was Bibi Dong.
"Little Kai, you're back."
Bibi Dong was naturally very happy to see Kai return, and also surprised that Kai had emerged from Slaughter City in just one year.
"Yes, Teacher, how have you been this past year?" Kai smiled.
"Very well. I took Zhuqing, Rongrong, and Dugu Yan to obtain their fifth spirit ring. Nana and the other two are also about to step into the Spirit Emperor Realm." Bibi Dong said softly, also addressing the seven people, including Kai.
"You are all elites of my Spirit Hall. Now that the grand finals of the Soul Master Tournament are approaching, this honor has always belonged to Spirit Hall, and I hope it will be the case this time as well."
...Night. Kai returned to his residence once again. After being away for a year, this quiet environment made him feel somewhat unfamiliar.
There was no longer that violent energy in the air.
In Slaughter City, the surroundings were constantly filled with the roars of the fallen and sounds of debauchery.
He had almost become numb, so now that he returned to Spirit City, he was somewhat unable to fall asleep.
"..."
Kai stood by the window, his mood suddenly becoming agitated, seemingly on the verge of losing control of the Killing Intent within him. Feeling the Killing Intent still subtly raging inside, he knew that once his emotions changed, the Killing Intent might spiral out of control, ultimately leading to complete corruption.
"Damn it, this Killing Intent..."
Kai's arm trembled slightly, his eyes turned bloodshot, and the Killing Intent within his body began to uncontrollably erupt. That cold Killing Intent even caused everything around him to become covered in frost.
"Kai."
A soft, boneless slender hand gripped Kai's hand. The icy touch restored some of Kai's consciousness. He turned his head and saw Zhu Zhuqing, who had appeared beside him at some point.
"What's wrong?" Zhu Zhuqing asked with some concern.
Kai calmed down and recounted what had happened over the past year to Zhu Zhuqing. Although he didn't describe it in detail, when Zhu Zhuqing saw the scars on Kai's body, her eyes still reddened.
"You must have gone through a very difficult year."
Kai sighed: "Currently, the most important thing is to resolve the Killing Intent issue."
"Zhuqing, tomorrow, call Rongrong. We'll go to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. I need to ask Chen Xin for advice on how to transform my Killing Intent."