...
Spirit City, Pope's Palace.
The heavy doors of the main hall slowly opened. Qian Renxue walked alone into the magnificent hall that spanned thousands of square meters.
The hall was extremely spacious, making her figure appear incredibly small.
The towering dome, over fifty meters high, was adorned with ninety-nine massive chandeliers. Soft yet powerful light illuminated every intricate detail in the corners of the hall.
Thirty-six gold-gilded pillars stood on both sides. At the base of each pillar was an exquisitely carved dragon statue, each requiring about ten people to encircle it.
Above the pillars were vivid angel relief carvings.
At the far end of the hall sat a grand papal throne.
At this moment, a woman sat majestically upon it.
She looked very young, appearing no older than thirty.
She wore a luxurious black robe with gold trim and a purple-gold crown with nine curves. A scepter about two meters long, inlaid with countless gemstones, floated quietly beside her.
Yet the aura she emitted was like a volcano on the verge of eruption, making the entire hall feel completely frozen.
She slowly looked down at the figure walking below, her gaze icy cold. Within her eyes swirled hatred, resentment, anger, and a trace of complicated emotion.
She was none other than the current Pope of Spirit Hall — Bibi Dong!
Directly beneath her, two figures stood on either side.
One was extremely charming, with a feminine appearance and mannerisms.
The other was enveloped in black mist, giving off a mysterious and unreal impression. Only a pair of deep black eyes could be seen, as if floating in the air.
The unwavering auras emanating from both figures clearly marked them as Titled Douluo.
These two were Bibi Dong's two great combatants — Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo.
As Qian Renxue stood silently, Bibi Dong's suppressed anger suddenly echoed through the hall.
"Why did you come back? Who gave you permission to return?"
Even in front of Bibi Dong, Qian Renxue remained unmoved. Her clear, cold voice rang out calmly.
"I no longer want to waste time on meaningless things. Is this reason enough for you?"
"You bastard!"
Bibi Dong roared in fury. "Do you know how much Spirit Hall has invested in you over the years?"
"That was for your plan, not for me."
Qian Renxue's tone rose slightly.
"Besides, how I behave has nothing to do with you… Sister?"
Bibi Dong's face stiffened, then twisted with rage.
"How dare you! Who do you think you're talking to?"
She suddenly stood up. A mountain-like pressure crashed down on Qian Renxue.
However, before the heavy aura could fully approach, it quietly dissipated without a trace.
Qian Renxue didn't even bother to raise her eyelids at those words. In truth, the woman's reaction was exactly what she had expected.
"Since Xue Qinghe is already dead, if you want to stage the resurrection of Heaven Dou's Crown Prince, I suggest you send your most trusted disciple."
Qian Renxue's voice was filled with indescribable mockery.
After speaking, she ignored Bibi Dong's displeased expression and turned to leave.
At that moment, Bibi Dong seemed to think of something. She slowly sat back down, her voice also calming.
"You seem to care a lot about that boy Lin Yang?"
Qian Renxue stopped in her tracks. She stood there, lowered her eyelids, and spoke without turning her head.
"I owe him my life. If you lay a hand on him, don't blame me if I destroy the Pope's Palace…"
With that, Qian Renxue's figure slowly departed from the Pope's Palace.
Only Bibi Dong remained, her expression grim.
Crack—!
The armrest of the revered papal throne was easily crushed into pieces by a delicate hand.
...
A gloomy atmosphere hung over Heaven Dou City.
The death of the heir to the throne had undoubtedly caused a massive impact, involving countless powerful figures and factions.
Many theories circulated about Xue Qinghe's death.
Some believed it was the work of Spirit Hall, others suspected the Star Luo Empire, and still others claimed it was the result of power struggles and internal conflict.
Various versions spread widely.
Only Lin Yang knew that Qian Renxue had been freed from her restraints and returned to Spirit Hall.
However, as Xue Qinghe's friend, Lin Yang still went to pay his respects.
Since the body had not been preserved intact, only a memorial tablet for Xue Qinghe was displayed in the mourning hall.
After offering his condolences, Lin Yang left directly.
Avalanche tried to approach and say something, but Prince Xue Xing stopped him.
"Royal Uncle?"
"Don't be hasty!"
A trace of excitement flickered in Xue Xing's eyes, but it was overshadowed by even greater caution.
"You must not do anything right now, nor are you allowed to persuade anyone. Just go to the Emperor's study every day on time."
"Why?"
Avalanche looked indignant.
Xue Qinghe was finally dead, so why wasn't he seizing the chance to become Crown Prince?
Xue Xing took a deep breath to suppress his rising blood pressure and couldn't help but lower his voice.
"You are now the only prince. Sooner or later, the position of Crown Prince will be yours."
"What you need now is not to fight, but to wait. If you wait patiently, people will naturally come to you."
"That Lin Yang…"
"Lin Yang has a complicated background and is protected by Poison Douluo. You cannot rush to win him over."
After hearing his uncle's advice, Xue Beng finally nodded.
Time heals all wounds. The name Xue Qinghe was gradually forgotten.
In his place, Avalanche — the new Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire — emerged.
Lin Yang didn't care who the Crown Prince was or who the empire's successor would be.
After paying his respects to Xue Qinghe, he went into seclusion at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
This seclusion would last a long time, because he needed to condense his soul core.
As a reincarnator, he understood the importance of the soul core all too well.
A soul core was a nucleus formed by compressing liquid soul power into a solid state. It could be considered equivalent to a soul master's soul power core or a soul beast's inner core.
Once formed, the soul core would be stored in the dantian and possessed the function of accelerating soul power recovery.
Soul masters who possessed a soul core far surpassed ordinary soul masters in both combat power and endurance.
In this era, the concept of "soul core" did not exist. The only similar item was Dugu Bo's Danzhu.
Therefore, he had specifically consulted Dugu Bo.
Dugu Bo naturally held nothing back and revealed all his experience and processes in refining spirit medicines.
In summary, there were two most important aspects to condensing a soul core.
A powerful spiritual force and precise control over soul power.
Lin Yang perfectly met both conditions.
Through the Great Sun Meditation Method and cultivation, he had elevated his spiritual power to the advanced stage of the Spirit Sea realm.
Although it was not of the highest grade, it was more than sufficient to nurture a soul core.
As for precise control over soul power, there was no need to elaborate.
Breathing techniques were essentially about achieving ultimate control over soul power and the body. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to develop so many different moves.
The enormous amount of soul power required could only be replenished by the energy from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
...