Chapter 128: Ten-thousand-year trunk soul bone, holy light as yang, violet lightning as yin

Qian Renxue's current feeling is completely opposite to when she previously absorbed soul rings; she only feels as if she is soaking in a pool of warm water, her limbs and bones all warm and cozy, an indescribable ease, all bodily fatigue and mental weariness gradually disappearing under this warmth.

This feeling is truly wonderful, so wonderful that she can't fully open her eyes.

Meanwhile, the layer of soft cyan light halo on her body gradually receded, replaced by a soft golden glow that rippled.

Strands of white feathers emitting golden light began to drift out from her body, scattering in all directions.

At that moment, a faint golden light flashed across Qian Renxue's chest, and the large green snake in the room had at some point turned into green light dots that gradually dissipated.

After a while, the cyan little snake slowly emerged from her chest again; its body appeared slender, but the edges of its cyan scales were edged with a layer of golden radiance.

Even its shrunken stature had grown to about fifty centimeters, its girth greatly increased, resembling the thickness of Qian Renxue's index finger; at the center of its forehead, a golden sword pattern was especially conspicuous—exactly the design of the Angelic Holy Sword.

Unlike the faint gold only on the edges of other scales, this scale is entirely bright golden; as it flickers with Qian Renxue's breath, whenever the light shines brightest, Xiao Qing's cold snake pupils turn holy for an instant.

She also grew a sharp cyan dorsal fin on her back; the fin is not large but very sharp, looking rather small and delicate.

Xiao Qing's body emanated a faint black halo, no longer the previous subtle purple hue.

It has completely transformed into a brand-new ten-thousand-year soul beast!

The golden light on Qian Renxue's body began to gradually retract; the green snake opened its mouth, as if yawning, then lowered its head and curled up on Qian Renxue's wrist.

The evolution was basically complete; Qian Renxue's light retracted, and she fell into a deep sleep.

The evolution of an extramartial soul brings about a series of changes, which relate to the soul master's own enhancement; enhancement of the martial soul inevitably leads to overall enhancement of the soul master—strength, reaction, speed, soul power, and physical toughness all increase.

And this process takes time, which is why Qian Renxue feels so exhausted.

When Qian Renxue awoke from her sleep, she felt an unprecedented sense of ease spreading throughout her body.

Qian Renxue opened her eyes and found herself lying steadily on the bed; indeed, Xiao Qing had evolved yesterday.

Qian Renxue sat up, raised her hand, and noticed that the snake pattern on her wrist had changed slightly; now that it has that dorsal fin, it seems it can no longer freely roll around on the bed.

A flash of light, the dorsal fin on the snake's body emitted a faint black glow, and the six crimson soul rings beneath Qian Renxue also rose.

A sapphire-blue water ball and a vivid red fire ball coalesced in Qian Renxue's hands.

While she was activating the snake martial soul, she discovered that a pale cyan hue had appeared in her sea of consciousness, identical to Xiao Qing's color.

This is spiritual power; only ten-thousand-year soul beasts possess human-like intelligence, so after Xiao Qing advanced to a ten-thousand-year soul beast, it naturally opened its sea of consciousness and learned to wield spiritual power.

"Xiao Qing, how..."

But before Qian Renxue could finish speaking, Xiao Qing's dorsal fin flashed again; a clump of cyan wind blades wrapped around the outside of the fire ball, while a fishy-sweet toxin rapidly spread within the water ball, turning the sapphire blue into an eerie green.

Is this a combination of multiple attribute abilities? So clever? It seems it truly now has the capability to assist me in battle—my efforts on it were not wasted.

Just then, the Xiao Qing coiled around Qian Renxue's wrist suddenly lowered its head and shot out.

"Huh?"

Qian Renxue followed it toward a segment of the fish dragon beast's corpse in the room, placing her hand on that segment to feel around; just as she pulled open the fish's belly, an abrupt change occurred—a gorgeous silver-white light flashed.

A flicker of surprise crossed Qian Renxue's eyes—it was a soul bone.

Qian Renxue took down the soul bone emitting powerful soul power fluctuations; it is a trunk bone, a newly entered ten-thousand-year soul bone; Qian Renxue naturally disdained to fuse it, so she casually tossed it into her storage bracelet.

In the Douluo Continent world, the drop rate of soul bones seems related to the soul beast's hatred; the more the soul beast hates you, the higher the chance of dropping a soul bone, and even after ten thousand years, the Douluo Continent has seen the emergence of a secret method for crafting soul bones, made from the soul beast's resentment.

Qian Renxue gently patted the fish dragon beast's corpse segment, saying, "I didn't expect you to hate me this much; unfortunately, for soul masters, the more you hate them, the greater the benefit you bring to this group."

Having obtained a soul bone, Qian Renxue's mood brightened; she stretched, retracted her soul power barrier, and then opened the door.

At that moment, Yu Jingcheng sat at the doorway with bloodshot eyes; hearing the door open, he immediately rose and asked, "How! Tianlin! Did you succeed?!"

Qian Renxue looked surprised at Yu Jingcheng's current state, nodded, and said, "Uncle Jingcheng, why don't you go rest?"

Yu Jingcheng let out a long sigh, wiped his weary face, then looked pleadingly at Qian Renxue, "Since I haven't seen Tianlin you succeed, I can't sleep; could Uncle Jingcheng take a look at your third soul ring?"

Qian Renxue stomped her foot, and a soaring dragon roar instantly rang from her body; thereafter three soul rings coiled around her silver-white qilin arm.

Arranged behind the luxurious purple were exactly a ring of soul rings flashing with black halo—two purple, one black.

The black soul ring is visibly one level larger than a thousand-year soul ring, and it oscillates at the same frequency as the two purple soul rings.

The three soul rings, exceeding the normal proportion for a person, made Qian Renxue at this moment seem to have gained an extra touch of nobility out of thin air.

Black, ten-thousand-year! Ten-thousand-year soul ring!

"I succeeded—I really succeeded."

Gazing at the ten-thousand-year soul ring on Qian Renxue's arm, Yu Jingcheng's vision instantly blurred.

"Uncle Jingcheng, are you alright?"

"No, nothing, what could happen to me."

Yu Jingcheng exhaled; his whole person felt a sudden sense of relief, his formerly weary face now bearing a hint of vigorous spirit.

"You've absorbed this soul ring for a full five days; you must be hungry. I'll take you to eat later. Uncle Jingcheng will first help you carry away that segment of the fish dragon beast's corpse, have someone clean your room, and air it out—otherwise the place will reek of fish."

Yu Jingcheng entered Qian Renxue's room, saw the fish dragon beast's segment with its belly slit open, blinked slightly, his right hand instantly covered in dragon scales, then extended his right claw and scored several claw marks elsewhere on the beast's body.

A fishy-sweet smell immediately emanated from the fish; with the soul bone's power sustaining it, even after five days, the fish dragon beast's body remained in the freshest state after death.

Yu Jingcheng's expression changed; he immediately placed that segment of the fish dragon beast's corpse into his storage ring, turned, and solemnly told Qian Renxue, "This segment of the fish dragon beast's corpse, Uncle Jingcheng will dispose of it for you; if anyone asks you, just say I took it away—fish corpses cannot be handed to the back kitchen, otherwise your obtaining a soul bone would be discovered by them."

"Old ginger is still spicy—I didn't expect Yu Jingcheng to notice this too; just from the corpse he could guess I'd obtained a soul bone, or perhaps I was simply careless; this soul bone is low-grade, I didn't pay much attention, leading to an oversight."

Qian Renxue lightly nodded, then said, "You're not going to ask me what part of the soul bone I obtained?"

Yu Jingcheng shook his head, "No need; don't mention the soul bone matter again, even for me it's the same. Although this soul bone suits you well, after all it's only just entered the ten-thousand-year stage; you must keep it and resist temptation, not rush to absorb it. When you return from the Thunder Canyon to the sect, you can go find the sect master to exchange it for a higher-year soul bone."

"Remember, once you leave this door, do not speak of anything concerning soul bones; also, our ship will reach shore in two days—later when you go out, remember to protect yourself."

Before leaving, Yu Jingcheng still felt uneasy, gave another reminder, and only after seeing her nod did he lead Qian Renxue out of the room.

Two days later, Thunder Island was finally reached; the Thunder Canyon lies hidden here.

Within the mountains encircling the Thunder Canyon, small lightning bolts occasionally streak across; the air is filled with terrifying thunder power, making it the ideal place to cultivate lightning-type martial souls. "Great Thunder Canyon, we have finally arrived—this is the place all lightning-attribute soul masters long for. Tianlin, when you enter the Great Thunder Canyon later, be careful, don't rush into adventure; inside, most soul beasts are lightning-attribute, your violet lightning may not be as unstoppable as outside."

"Hmm."

Yu Jingcheng led Qian Renxue at the front, with a mighty convoy following behind.

Suddenly, Yu Jingcheng's face lit with a smile; his gaze turned to the entrance of the Great Thunder Canyon, where an old man leading several middle-aged men came forward to meet them.

The old man gave a light chuckle, "Jingcheng, Tianlin, you've finally come; gathering supplies isn't urgent—come on, let's first go have a good drink, let the clansmen put everything at the canyon entrance; aside from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, there's no one else on this island. I'll take you in first to welcome you and cleanse the dust."

Qian Renxue lightly nodded at the old man, returning the greeting.

This old man is one of the two remaining elders of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, and also one of the three Soul Douluo powerhouses of the Yu family.

His name is Yu Fanghao, son of the former sect master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, and he currently holds the position of grand elder.

Yuan, Luo, Fang, and Zai are the grandparents of the four main bloodlines of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect today.

Xin, Heng, Yi, and Li are the names of the direct heirs of the four main lines of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect.

Except for Yu Tianheng and Yu Tianxin, who still have decent talent, the grandchildren of the two other elders are merely average, with innate soul power around rank five or six.

Qian Renxue didn't know the exact rank, but in any case he would just be an ordinary soul master in the future.

Yu Jingcheng laughed heartily, "Grand elder's wine—I'll definitely give it a good try."

Yu Fanghao quickly led Qian Renxue and the others toward the interior of the Thunderous Grand Canyon.

Qian Renxue followed behind Yu Jingcheng, occasionally scanning the surroundings; the thunder-attribute light in the air kept increasing as they advanced, making Qian Renxue even feel like sitting down right then to start cultivating.

The deeper they went, the more Qian Renxue felt her soul bone eager to stir; this violent thunder-attribute energy even activated the holy light kirin soul bone in her left arm.

In such a place abundant with thunder energy, her left wrist bone could be said to be like a fish in water, even capable of exerting 120% of its strength!

As they went deeper, Qian Renxue noticed many exquisitely decorated rooms around the canyon, which looked like cultivation chambers.

Who would have thought that in such a place the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect could still build such luxurious chambers, unlike the crude stone rooms of Slaughter City; it's something the sect's people would enjoy.

As they walked, Yu Fanghao introduced Qian Renxue to the Thunderous Grand Canyon while emphasizing that Yu Tianlin's training was the top priority.

Although the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect has occupied the Thunderous Grand Canyon for who knows how many years, they still have many taboos about its depths.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect divided the Thunderous Grand Canyon into the fringe zone, outer ring, mixed ring, and core ring.

The disciples stationed in the Thunderous Grand Canyon merely reside in the fringe zone; most can only cultivate in the outer ring because the canyon's internal thunder power is terrifyingly strong—even those bearing the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul cannot go far.

Even Yu Fanghao, the grand elder of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, can now only reach the deepest part of the mixed ring.

As for the deepest core ring, only Yu Yuanzhen of the current Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect can reach it; however, when he originally returned from the depths of the core ring, he said nothing, keeping silent about what he saw, merely urging his disciples to train hard so that one day they might enter on their own and discover the answer.

Yu Fanghao deliberately took Qian Renxue and the others on a long detour, not the quickest route to the sect's building complex, but instead passing through the outer ring gate of the Thunderous Canyon.

Upon arriving there, Qian Renxue could already see the blue lightning flickering wildly in the air, and occasionally see lightning striking the rocks.

Yu Fanghao said proudly, "Tianlin, this is the true foundation of our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect—something those petty sects cannot compare to!"

"Inside this entrance lies the outer zone; the interior of the Thunderous Grand Canyon is entirely a violent thunder world. Ordinary soul masters entering must constantly expend soul power to resist the thunder's erosion, and once their soul power is depleted, death is certain."

"However, as soul masters of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon with thunder attribute, our resistance to and control over thunder allow us to go farther inside."

Qian Renxue nodded, then said, "Then let's part here; I want to go in and have a look."

Yu Fanghao stared for a moment, hesitatingly saying, "Isn't it too rushed today? How about I send someone to accompany you tomorrow? It's too dangerous in there, and there are even powerful ten-thousand-year soul beasts lurking."

Qian Renxue calmly replied, "That's exactly why I came here to train—because it's dangerous."

Yu Fanghao then looked at Yu Jingcheng, saw him nod, fell silent for a moment, and then said, "If that's the case, I won't stop you, Tianlin. You may proceed along the road opened by the sect; we'll send people periodically to clear soul beasts there, making it somewhat safer."

Qian Renxue nodded, then left the group and quickly entered the outer ring of the Thunderous Grand Canyon alone.

The further ahead, the ground became a sheet of black—not rock or soil, but plants growing in the undulating canyon, and these plants were also black, so from a distant high view it looked like a black monster, its branches and leaves all clawing wildly, as if struck by lightning.

"Is this black from being struck by lightning? Are these all natural lightning-struck wood?"

The further Qian Renxue went in, the stranger the plants became; due to the island being surrounded by sea, it's now very cold, so the trees growing on the island are mostly coniferous.

They appear lush and green, yet the only oppressive thing is that every tree, plant, and even the ground here is stained with a scorched black hue, pitch-black as ink, surrounded by crackling lightning; every part of the vegetation has been battered by terrifying thunder, making it awe-inspiring.

Qian Renxue extended her mental power to sense the surrounding aura.

She discovered that although everything here is black, there is no overly strong dark or evil aura; everything is quite normal, aside from the abundant thunder element, it's not much different from an ordinary forest.

From time to time, blue lightning struck down, enveloping the whole area in a faint blue thunder-attribute mist.

Qian Renxue quickly found the road Yu Fanghao had mentioned—a stone-paved path leading straight inward.

But she didn't take that road; instead she headed into the woods beside it, where disciples of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect sat cultivating on the path—moreover, since everyone travels that way, there wouldn't be any chance encounters there.

This Thunderous Grand Canyon is indeed profoundly mysterious, especially for soul masters without the thunder attribute.

The deeper they went, the more interfering lightning surrounded them, growing stronger; as a soul master, especially one who had reached the Soul King level, they would inevitably lose some soul power unconsciously, maintaining a soul power shield had become their normal state, but in such a place their own soul power would soon be drained completely.

Qian Renxue advanced while fully activating her purple electric holy light kirin soul bone (left wrist), deep purple electricity constantly flickering between her fingers; according to the requirements of the 'Heavenly Thunder Guide' secret art, she needed to comprehend the thunder of her own martial soul.

This secret art serves both as a cultivation method and a formidable combat technique; Qian Renxue needed to use her own purple lightning to summon heavenly thunder, mastering it, thereby tempering her thunder power.

In other words, one must first learn to attack with the 'Heavenly Thunder Guide' before using it for cultivation.

What 'Heavenly Thunder Guide'—isn't that just the pure S-rank ninjutsu 'Kirin'?

However, regarding her own purple electricity, Qian Renxue had a slightly different view: her purple electricity differed from the fierce, ruthless thunder of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul, instead being yin‑attribute invasive thunder; normally she merely added a hint of eight‑winged angel's light aura when disguising it, making the lightning appear sunny and bright.

She isn't truly a holy light dragon soul master, yet this yin thunder attribute makes things more interesting—why is the thunder of the purple electric holy light kirin yin? Could it be to oppose the holy light attribute? "Holy light is yang, purple lightning is yin; yin and yang alternate, all things grow."

Qian Renxue stared at the purple electricity in her hand, her eyes growing brighter, her heart inexplicably excited—what did this mean? Could it be that she could truly harmonize yin and yang and rule the world? She would need to think of a way to fuse the two attributes and try it out; after all, with her first soul skill she wouldn't die, and she had never used the Eight‑Winged Nirvana all these years.

5400, brothers, I'm at my limit—I finally had a great day relaxing in the dorm yesterday, but today I got caught by the teacher working in the studio again; he really… I'm about to cry.

(End of chapter)