Chapter 35: Martial Soul Evolution

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The three sat cross-legged, each absorbing their respective immortal herbs. Li Luochen's absorption process was stable, with no significant changes occurring.

On the other hand, Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan had already summoned their martial souls. The Jade Phosphorous Snake Emperor and the Jade Phosphorous Snake were both convulsing as they absorbed the energy of the Earth Dragon Golden Melon, twisting left and right in response to the herb's potent effects.

Dugu Bo's Jade Phosphorous Snake Emperor underwent a dramatic transformation. Its emerald-green scales began to thicken and took on a golden hue, giving its entire body a brilliant gold-and-jade appearance.

The most noticeable change occurred in the snake's head. Dugu Bo's Jade Phosphorous Snake Emperor had evolved independently into the King of Ten Thousand Snakes, capable of suppressing most serpent-type creatures. Horns resembling dragon horns had begun to grow on its head, and now, as the martial soul continued to evolve, the snake's head gradually transformed into something more dragon-like. The horns grew longer, whiskers sprouted, and it became even more dragon-esque.

However, no limbs emerged from its belly, but its tail transformed into a dragon-like tail. Aside from the lack of limbs, it now resembled a living dragon.

At this point, Dugu Bo's martial soul could be called the Jade-Gold Phosphorous Snake Emperor. It gained control over the earth attribute while retaining its status as the Snake Emperor. After all, snakes were considered sub-dragon species, and the Jade Phosphorous Snake Emperor had always been the King of Ten Thousand Snakes—it naturally wouldn't evolve fully into a dragon.

But this new form elevated its power significantly. Its scales became thicker, making it completely unafraid of engaging in close combat with even a dragonified Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. Close combat had always been Dugu Bo's weakness, but now that flaw was gone.

With the help of the Earth Dragon Golden Melon, Dugu Bo's spirit power surged from the early stages of level 93 to the middle stages of level 94. Even for a Title Douluo, the boost provided by an attribute-aligned immortal herb was immense.

Dugu Bo's appearance had also grown younger once again—he now looked like a handsome man in his thirties. With his martial soul's hidden dangers resolved, his martial soul evolved, and his spirit power increased, he now felt confident enough to challenge even a Limit Douluo.

Dugu Bo couldn't help but reflect on how much had changed in just a year. He had unknowingly stumbled upon a treasure trove and was finally able to make use of these blessings.

Standing up, Dugu Bo felt an overwhelming surge of strength. He now had the confidence to take on the elder dragon of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family. The so-called "strongest beast martial soul"? His Jade-Gold Phosphorous Snake Emperor could certainly hold its own.

Glancing at his granddaughter, Dugu Yan, and Li Luochen, who were still in the midst of absorption, he nodded to himself. As a Title Douluo, his physical body had long surpassed that of ordinary humans, so it made sense that he would absorb the herb faster.

With nothing else to do, he decided to replant some immortal herbs. The Herb Record from the Breaking Clan clearly outlined how to cultivate these herbs, so Dugu Bo happily took on the role of a gardener.

Fifteen minutes later, Li Luochen completed his absorption. The Ink Jade Divine Bamboo in his left hand had turned grayish-white, its essence completely drained.

Li Luochen's spirit power had increased by two levels, reaching the bottleneck of level 40. He believed there was still room for further growth, but the greatest improvement was in his martial soul.

Previously, his staff had been a blend of red and blue energies. Though unified, any imbalance could have caused it to shatter. Now, the energy of the Ink Jade Divine Bamboo had fully fused the red and blue energies together.

The staff of the Coiling Dragon Staff was now a deep purple color, with one red and one blue dragon coiled around it. The black metal rings at both ends of the staff had turned a dark gold.

Thanks to the Ink Jade Divine Bamboo, the Coiling Dragon Staff had become a top-tier weapon-type martial soul. Its power and durability had increased significantly, and its weight now reached 2,500 kilograms. Adding a fourth soul ring might even increase its weight further.

It was strange—though the staff weighed 2,500 kilograms, Li Luochen wielded it effortlessly, as if it were an extension of his arm. No matter how he swung it, it felt light and easy.

Next, he needed to obtain his fourth soul ring—a ten-thousand-year earth-attribute sub-dragon. He wondered what kind of soul beasts he might find.

In truth, after absorbing the Ice and Fire Herb, Li Luochen no longer needed to rely on dragon-type soul beasts to enhance his martial soul. For his fourth soul ring, he considered either a Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear or a ten-thousand-year Titan Giant Ape—both would be highly compatible with him.

However, he planned to first consume the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew to boost his spiritual power as a precaution. After all, a ten-thousand-year soul ring was not something to be taken lightly.

At this moment, Dugu Bo, seeing that Li Luochen had awakened, instantly appeared beside him and asked with a smile:

"How did it go? How much did you improve?"

"The improvement was significant. My spirit power has reached level 40. Moreover, my martial soul is now completely stable—I won't have any issues absorbing additional energy in the future."

Li Luochen summoned his martial soul and explained the soul rings he had absorbed, the ones he still needed, and his future cultivation path.

Dugu Bo gasped in shock: "You're really not afraid of overdoing it! Multiple attributes? If they conflict, the least you'll suffer is a shattered martial soul. Why are you cultivating so recklessly? Thankfully, the immortal herb stabilized your soul.

Otherwise, I'm certain your sixth soul ring would've exploded. You could've just chosen pure-strength soul beasts to cultivate, but you insist on making things so complicated. Are you planning to fuse multiple attributes and create your own soul skills?"

Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes at Li Luochen. He hadn't realized this boy was so daring—was he using himself as an experiment?

"Yes, I've thought about it. After obtaining my fourth ring, I'll start creating my own soul skills. To strengthen a weapon-type martial soul, deep insight into the soul is crucial. Creating my own staff techniques suits me best."

Li Luochen thought that after absorbing his fourth earth-attribute soul ring, he could begin crafting his own soul skills. Fire, water, earth, and wind were the fundamental elements of the universe—the building blocks of all matter.

Relying solely on extreme force might allow one to dominate among Super Douluos, but it would become increasingly difficult as one advanced. In the former divine realm of the Dragon God Realm, every Dragon King was a master of elemental control.

Elements were key in the world of Douluo Continent. Relying purely on brute force to break through everything seemed unlikely here. Among the gods, only the Asura God didn't rely on elements—but even he wasn't purely force-based; his power stemmed from an extreme bloodlust.

Besides, I'm not aiming to become some supreme celestial being. What's all this talk of the "Great Dao of Force"? Look at my puny frame—I wouldn't even qualify to learn the Eight-Nine Mystic Arts in the Primordial Chaos.

I wonder what kind of explosive damage combining the four elements might produce? Maybe I should try learning Fusion Rings—merging four rings into one might be worth a shot.

"By the way, Grandpa Dugu, there's something I need your help with."

Li Luochen called Dugu Bo over. He wanted Dugu Bo's assistance in refining the Limitless Universe Technique. At his current Spirit Ancestor-level cultivation, he couldn't further improve the technique on his own.

"What is it?" Dugu Bo wondered if this would bring another surprise.

"Well, when I first started cultivating, I improved upon a meditation method. The cultivation technique I developed is more efficient than standard meditation methods, but my cultivation level is too low to refine it further. I'd like your help."

Li Luochen explained the situation. After all, the teachers at Shrek Academy were already cultivating using this technique, as were Oscar and Ma Hongjun. Thanks to this, their progress was much faster compared to the original timeline.

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