Chapter 238: Direct Breakthrough to Level 50

The second day at noon.

Li Xuan slept until the sun was three rods high; during that time he was utterly exhausted, devoting himself entirely to creating the technique, and essentially hadn't had a proper rest.

That sleep yesterday indeed restored a great deal of Li Xuan's energy and stamina.

After a quick wash, Li Xuan went out.

Ladi Canyon can now operate on its own, so there are not many places that need Li Xuan; only some especially important matters require him. If there were no such matters, Zhou Chen and the others would never have sought Li Xuan. Thus Li Xuan's only proper business now is cultivation, to increase his strength.

During this period Li Xuan has raised his soul power level to Level 40. His talent is high; even without cultivation his cultivation would slowly advance, so gaining two soul power levels over these months is quite reasonable.

Next, Li Xuan will begin absorbing his Fourth Soul Ring.

Of course, Li Xuan has already prepared the soul beast needed for the Fourth Soul Ring, the Hundred‑Thousand‑Year Extreme Spirit Ice Core.

Having secluded for over three months, he has raised the Extreme Spirit Ice Core's cultivation to Hundred‑Thousand‑Year level; through Sacrifice he can obtain the Hundred‑Thousand‑Year Fourth Soul Ring.

However, absorbing a soul ring alone is not safe enough, so Li Xuan intends to call Bai Chuan and Bang Chui to help guard him.

Li Xuan went to the Courtyard and found a spot to sit down.

"Come, servant." Li Xuan, seated in the Courtyard, summoned a servant from his City Lord's Mansion.

Soon, two servants ran from the Courtyard to Li Xuan's side, bowed respectfully to him, then stood beside him, awaiting his orders.

"Bring Bang Chui and Bai Chuan to me," Li Xuan told the two servants.

"Yes, Young Master," the two replied, then bowed and left.

After watching them leave, Li Xuan thought for a moment, took out Douluo No. 2 and began reading it carefully, wanting to see if there were any typos or minor issues.

A few minutes later, Bai Chuan and Bang Chui arrived before Li Xuan.

"Brother, you finally emerged from seclusion!" Bang Chui said excitedly, looking at Li Xuan with a smile.

"Greetings, Young Master," Bai Chuan said, smiling and nodding at Li Xuan's safe appearance.

"You two finally arrived; look at this, it's what I've been researching for three months," Li Xuan raised his head, then proudly tossed the Douluo No. 2 in his hand to Bai Chuan.

Bai Chuan was momentarily stunned by the book Li Xuan tossed at him, then took it, opened it, and read it carefully.

But once you start reading, you can't stop.

Unconsciously, Bai Chuan used his soul power to cultivate according to the method recorded in the technique.

Since Li Xuan wrote the technique for dissemination, the record is especially detailed and without any deviation, so practicing while reading poses no problem.

After a dozen minutes, Bai Chuan's face flushed red, his eyes brimming with excitement; he took a deep breath and handed the technique with both hands to Li Xuan.

"Young Master, the cultivation methods recorded in this book are truly precious; you must cultivate them well," Bai Chuan said earnestly to Li Xuan.

"Hahaha, Bai Shu, this technique is meant for us to cultivate, but its effects are obvious; for now only the three of us are practicing, so don't leak it without my consent," Li Xuan pushed Douluo No. 2 back into Bai Chuan's arms, nodded at him, and said.

"Thank you, Young Master!" Bai Chuan, excited, bowed respectfully to Li Xuan.

With this technique, Bai Chuan is confident he can break through the Title Douluo Realm within ten years! Moreover, after solidifying his foundation with it, he can go even farther.

"Bai Shu, Bai Shu, let me see what's written inside first," Bang Chui asked, his face curious as he watched Bai Chuan's reaction.

Bai Chuan hurriedly handed the technique in his hand to Bang Chui.

"Bang Chui, let's continue later; my soul power level has risen to Level 40, the Hundred‑Thousand‑Year Soul Ring is ready, and I called you both to guard me," Li Xuan smiled at Bang Chui and said.

"Oh…" Bang Chui pursed his lips, then closed Douluo No. 2.

It seems Bang Chui is no longer interested in the technique.

Li Xuan nodded at Bai Chuan and Bang Chui, then led the two into the space of the Palm Sky Bottle.

The Extreme Spirit Ice Core can be counted among the more domineering Immortal Grade spirit plants.

Its emitted cold air has already turned the land within a few meters into ice.

Because it is so domineering, fate transplanted it to a relatively remote spot to grow slowly, avoiding interference with other Immortal Grade spirit plants and Heavenly Material Earth Treasures.

"Young Master, you are a fire‑attribute soul master, and this is an ice‑attribute plant‑type soul beast; this attribute…" Bai Chuan frowned and whispered to Li Xuan.

"Bai Shu, although this soul beast is ice‑attribute, it contains a special flame within its body, which counts as a fire‑attribute soul ring, perfectly matching my Fourth Soul Ring," Li Xuan said with a bright smile to Bai Chuan.

"Indeed, Bai Shu, although the flame inside its body is quite cold, we do feel that it is truly flame," Bang Chui explained with a grin.

Back then Bai Chuan, though from a fallen poor family, had seen much; however, he likely had never encountered a spirit plant like the Extreme Spirit Ice Core, so he had no knowledge of it.

"Bai Shu, Bang Chui, I will now begin absorbing the soul ring; thank you for your effort," Li Xuan said earnestly to Bai Chuan and Bang Chui, then moved to a spot two meters in front of the Extreme Spirit Ice Core.

"Don't worry, Young Master (Brother)!" Bang Chui and Bai Chuan said simultaneously to Li Xuan, then each found a suitable position to guard him.

Li Xuan nodded, sat cross‑legged in front of the Extreme Spirit Ice Core on the icy surface, but as soon as he sat, a domineering cold air rose from beneath him, trying to invade his dantian.

Naturally, Li Xuan could not let the cold succeed; with a thought and his soul power circulating, he expelled the cold from his body.

Then Li Xuan slowly closed his eyes, adjusted his state, preparing for the upcoming absorption of the soul ring.

Seeing Li Xuan's condition, Bai Chuan and Bang Chui each found a safe spot, sat down, and guarded him.

After a dozen minutes, Li Xuan's condition had largely recovered; he slowly opened his eyes, and his soul power spread out, entering the Extreme Spirit Ice Core's soul space.

The Extreme Spirit Ice Core's soul space is not large, so controlling it does not require much soul power.

Li Xuan sensed the great energy within the Extreme Spirit Ice Core and began attempting to mobilize its energy to launch an attack.

Unsurprisingly, Li Xuan, using the Extreme Spirit Ice Core, could only unleash attacks at the Soul Saint Realm; the remaining power he could not mobilize at all.

It's unclear why, but controlling a Hundred‑Thousand‑Year soul beast via the Spiritual World can only manifest combat power at the Soul Saint Realm. If Li Xuan could mobilize the remaining energy, he could cultivate a soul beast with several hundred thousand years of cultivation to keep by his side, giving him combat power of several hundred thousand years.

Then there would be no fear of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect; they could be flattened outright! "It's a pity, my control over soul power is still too weak, and there is no corresponding method; the path of controlling soul beasts to boost strength simply doesn't work," Li Xuan sighed helplessly, then settled his mind, preparing for the upcoming absorption of the soul ring.

Next, Li Xuan once again used his soul power to trigger the inheritance within his bloodline, obtaining the Sacrifice method passed down in the Extreme Spirit Ice Core's bloodline; it is broadly similar to the Sacrifice methods of the previous two soul beasts, but with subtle differences.

With a thought, Li Xuan activated the soul power within the Extreme Spirit Ice Core's body, performing the Sacrifice according to the method stored in its ancestral memory.

As Li Xuan mobilized the soul power inside the Extreme Spirit Ice Core, an extreme cold air burst from its body, and the ice on the ground gradually spread outward!

"Fortunately we transplanted the Extreme Spirit Ice Core to a remote spot; otherwise, how many Heavenly Material Earth Treasures would be frozen to death?" Li Xuan looked at the ever‑spreading ice beneath his feet and shook his head helplessly.

But the Sacrifice had already begun; Li Xuan could not halt the process. Even if the Extreme Spirit Ice Core froze the entire Hot Spring, Li Xuan could not control it.

After a dozen minutes, the ice formed by the Extreme Spirit Ice Core finally ceased spreading; the final area was only a few dozen meters in radius, not extending far.

After the ice surface fully solidified, the extreme spirit ice core released a pure white soul power, which formed a pure white energy that slowly flowed, drifting over the ice surface into the formation required for the Sacrifice.

The cold aura dropped the surrounding temperature considerably.

Outside the Sacrifice formation, Bang Chui and Bai Chuan also felt the powerful chill, furrowing their brows slowly, and looked worriedly toward Li Xuan within the formation.

"Hum……"

With a soft humming, a virtual shadow of the Nine Hearts Nine Flame Lotus martial soul appeared above Li Xuan's head, resonating with the extreme spirit ice core.

It seemed the extreme spirit ice core and Li Xuan's Nine Hearts Nine Flame Lotus matched well.

Seeing the martial soul's virtual shadow, Bang Chui and Bai Chuan finally relaxed.

Feeling the Sacrifice formation about to be complete, Li Xuan gradually withdrew his soul power, leaving only a trace of soul power to continue observing the situation.

Li Xuan's soul power had just emerged from the extreme spirit ice core's Spiritual World, and the Sacrifice formation fully took shape.

Suddenly, an ice‑blue pillar of light materialized from nowhere, descended from the sky, enveloping Li Xuan, whose body involuntarily floated upward, soaring to the center of the Sacrifice formation in the air.

Immediately, an extremely cold energy poured into Li Xuan's body through the pillar; although the cold pierced his bones, Li Xuan felt only a refreshing coolness—remarkably strange.

Yet Li Xuan understood that, being the highest‑grade Sacrifice, it would not harm the sacrificial subject; on the contrary, it conferred many benefits, and his body should be in a protected state.

As this soul power entered Li Xuan's body,

Li Xuan felt his soul power changing, its purity rising at a visibly rapid rate.

Simultaneously, his bones, muscles, and meridians all received varying degrees of enhancement.

Indeed, the Sacrifice process greatly boosted the sacrificial subject—its advantages were numerous.

Half an hour later, the extreme spirit ice core's soul power ceased feeding, and the Sacrifice formation condensed on the ice surface into a blood‑red soul ring that slowly rose from the ice.

Li Xuan sensed a clear clarity in his spiritual platform, as if all external sensations were cut off.

The blood‑red soul ring wrapped around Li Xuan at a visibly rapid speed.

"Swish……"

The blood‑red soul ring suddenly contracted, plunging directly into Li Xuan's body; the whole process was as fast as lightning, and even Li Xuan, in his special state, did not feel that he had absorbed the soul ring.

Still in the clear spiritual platform state, Li Xuan suddenly sensed a piece of information appearing in his mind.

"Soul ring fully absorbed? This is a soul skill?" Li Xuan was momentarily stunned, but quickly comprehended the soul skill; with his spiritual platform clear, his grasp of any technique received a great boost.

Half an hour later, Li Xuan's body slowly descended from the sky.

He landed steadily on the ground.

The surrounding ice began to melt at a visibly rapid pace.

A few minutes later, Li Xuan opened his eyes, and his aura surged wildly.

In the blink of an eye he broke through to Level 40.

Immediately thereafter.

Level 41.

Level 42.

Level 43.

……

He kept advancing until Level 50 before stopping, not because the energy was exhausted but because the fifth soul ring was missing, preventing further rise.

If the fifth soul ring were absorbed, the soul power level could advance further.

The benefits brought by absorbing a Hundred‑Thousand‑Year Soul Ring were astonishing; no wonder it is the most coveted item for all soul masters on Douluo Continent.

"Huh……" Li Xuan let out a long sigh, then slowly opened his eyes.

Li Xuan had not expected that the Hundred‑Thousand‑Year extreme spirit ice core would directly raise his soul power level by more than ten grades.

"Brother, is the soul ring fully absorbed?" Bang Chui asked Li Xuan concernedly.

"Hmm, it's already fully absorbed." Li Xuan smiled brightly at Bang Chui, then got up from the ground.

At the moment Li Xuan stood, the extreme spirit ice core, having lost its soul power, shattered into ice fragments scattered on the ground.

"Young master, how do you feel?" Bai Chuan bowed deeply before Li Xuan and asked.

"The absorption went smoothly; next I'll try out the newly acquired soul skills. Bai Shu, Bang Chui, help me examine the new soul skills." Li Xuan scratched his head and said to Bai Chuan and Bang Chui.

"Yes, young master." Bai Chuan nodded.

"No problem, brother!" Bang Chui also obediently nodded.

(End of chapter)