Gu Miao did not stay within the Zodiac Hall. She remained as Ye Lingling's young maid, responsible for her safety. Although she was currently only Rank 25, she was destined to grow into a formidable force in the future.
Of course, her primary role was to keep Ye Lingling company. Two girls playing together was far better than having Ye Lingling spend all her time surrounded by boys.
After breaking through to Rank 50, Gu Xuan returned to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and sought out Gu Rong, who was in secluded meditation, to share the good news. Over the past year, Gu Rong had completely stabilized and mastered his Rank 97 soul power, and he was now not far from reaching the mid-stage of that rank.
Chen Xin remained in seclusion, rarely appearing as he attempted to strike the bottleneck for Rank 98. Meanwhile, Ning Fengzhi had risen from Rank 81 to Rank 82, showing clear progress in his own strength.
As for the others who had joined the Clan, You Mingluo had progressed from the late stage of Rank 89 to the very peak of that rank. He was now simply waiting to cultivate his foundation to its absolute limit before consuming the Barrier Breaking Pill to break through. Zhang Jinyuan, starting from Rank 86, had just reached Rank 88 and still had some distance to go before the peak.
Ye Haitang had reached Rank 87. However, because she cultivated within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, her speed was significantly faster, and she was already closing in on Rank 88. All three had consumed Soul Ascension Pills, which accounted for their rapid progress. In the future, all three possessed the potential to become Titled Douluos.
Yang Wudi had risen from his initial Rank 81 to Rank 84. Since he no longer had to worry about the survival of his clan or waste energy on logistics as he did in the original story, there was a real chance he might also break through to the Titled Douluo level in this life. Even if he didn't, he was already stronger than his original self, who had only been Rank 82 several years later in the original timeline. At Rank 84, and with the support of the Eight Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, a Titled Douluo like Snake Lance Douluo might not even be his match anymore.
After all, Yang Wudi now had Titled Douluos as regular sparring partners. The elders would occasionally exchange pointers, making this timeline vastly different. The fact that Yang Wudi could join a clash of Titled Douluos with only eight rings was proof enough of his extraordinary strength.
Upon returning to the Clan, the Clan Leader was overjoyed to learn of Gu Xuan's breakthrough, especially since Dugu Yan had also reached the same milestone. She had returned to the Clan just an hour before Gu Xuan and was currently in the middle of writing him a letter. Now that he was back, the letter was unnecessary; both had reached the same starting line.
The day after his return, Gu Xuan set out for the Star Duo Forest with Gu Rong and Dugu Yan. At nineteen, Dugu Yan's breakthrough to Rank 50 was a testament to her talent, and this was only the beginning. Because the Yearning Heartbroken Red had completely evolved her Martial Soul, her cultivation speed would not slow down; it would only get faster.
Gu Xuan, on the other hand, was only fourteen and a half years old. A Soul King under the age of fifteen—this level of talent surpassed even Qian Renxue, who possessed Rank 20 innate soul power. It could be said that Gu Xuan was now the number one genius of the Douluo Continent.
When Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong processed this news, their expressions were as ecstatic as if they had won the lottery. With Gu Xuan around, the safety of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan was guaranteed for the next century. Furthermore, knowing that Gu Xuan's goal was godhood and the unification of the continent, the Clan Head had already begun laboriously planning for the establishment of a nation.
With nearly ten Titled Douluos eventually gathering under the Clan's banner and the support of his Pagoda, everything seemed possible once Gu Xuan and Dugu Yan reached full maturity.
Gu Rong did not rush the journey. Along the way, Gu Xuan and Dugu Yan discussed which soul ring age would be most suitable for them. Dugu Yan was slightly behind Gu Xuan in terms of physical endurance, but she was now capable of absorbing a 35,000-year ring for her fifth, a 70,000-year ring for her sixth, and a hundred-thousand-year ring for her seventh.
Gu Xuan was even more monstrous; absorbing a 60,000-year ring was no longer a problem for him. Since both required rings from top-tier soul beasts, their search was destined to be long and difficult.
Two and a half months flew by. After entering the inner regions of the forest, they spent most of their time searching for suitable ten-thousand-year beasts. Even with a Rank 97 Titled Douluo leading the way, finding a beast that met their high standards for both age and quality was difficult. Many times, they found the right age but poor quality, and the search continued.
Finally, Dugu Yan encountered a perfect match: a Titan Python with nearly 40,000 years of cultivation. Though it was only one word different from the Titan Giant Ape, both shared ancient lineages, though the Python's talent was slightly inferior to the Ape's. Nevertheless, the Titan Python was an absolute overlord of the forest; at 40,000 years, it could hold its own against a 70,000-year beast.
Since Dugu Yan's Martial Soul had evolved into the Ancestor, this type of beast was her most perfect match. Absorbing its ring would significantly bolster her foundation. While the python was powerful, Gu Rong made short work of it. His Rank 97 soul power crushed the beast instantly, leaving it to die with regret and become Dugu Yan's fifth ring.
Because she was absorbing a ring beyond her normal limits, the process took two and a half days. This proved the ring's exceptional quality. Upon completion, her soul power surged directly to Rank 53, saving her at least two and a half months of bitter cultivation.
Her fifth soul skill was incredibly powerful. Because the Titan Python specialized in strength, it compensated for her natural weakness in that area, making her nearly all-powerful. Her poison could now both kill and heal, taking control and support to the absolute extreme. With the python's addition, her melee capabilities had also seen a terrifying increase.
The skill, named Titan Heavy Hammer, caused her snake tail to expand more than ten times in size with a 200% strength boost. A single sweep of that tail could send even a Soul Emperor to their grave. Combined with her fourth skill, Medusa's Gaze, she had a perfect cycle of control and attack. Even without using poison, her combat strength was comparable to a Soul Emperor; with her poison, she could likely clash with a Soul Saint.
Unfortunately for Gu Xuan, even after two and a half months, he still hadn't found a suitable beast for his fifth ring. With the Continental Elite Tournament only three months away, time was running out.
No soul bone dropped from the python, so Gu Xuan simply roasted and steamed the meat to satisfy his appetite. The meat of such a rare species was indeed delicious. Fortunately, the Titan Python was massive, providing enough food for the three of them for quite some time.
(End of Chapter)
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