Sun Moon Empire, Bright Capital.
Seven full days had passed since Xu Tianhao revealed his Fourth Soul Skill to his companions.
These seemingly fleeting seven days were nothing more than a blink of an eye to others; for an ordinary Spirit Master, seven days of cultivation might not even result in a perceptible improvement in spirit power.
Yet for Xu Tianhao and his companions, these seven days were equivalent to traversing over three months of time.
This was over three months of immersive cultivation; had Xu Tianhao's mental force not reached its limit, this duration could have been extended indefinitely.
In this time, equivalent to a hundred days of hard training, everyone had achieved significant improvements within the moon reading space.
Their control of Spirit Abilities, cultivation of spirit tools, combat awareness, and combat coordination had all shown good progress.
This growth speed, far exceeding that of their peers, was enough to make any talented Spirit Master on the continent envious.
And this was merely the beginning.
In the future, as Xu Tianhao's own strength continued to improve and his mental force became increasingly robust and powerful, the "cultivation accelerator effect" brought by the moon reading space would only become more terrifying.
By then, one second in the outside world would be months, or even years, or perhaps even decades within the space.
This unique advantage would eventually allow him and those around him to completely leave all their peers behind, standing at the very pinnacle of the young generation of the entire Douluo Continent, becoming an existence that no one could match.
Finishing the last round of cultivation for the day, Xu Tianhao slowly withdrew the spirit power circulating around his body.
The exhaustion on his face, originally caused by maintaining the moon reading space for a long time, also cleared up after he adjusted his breathing.
He stood up and looked at Xu Tianzhen beside him, a gentle smile in his eyes as he said softly, "Fourth Sister, Master Du just sent a message saying they have returned. Let's go to the Eastern Palace."
Upon hearing this, Xu Tianzhen's lively eyes instantly lit up. Filled with joy, she bounced to Xu Tianhao's side, tugged at his sleeve, and cheered, "Hao Hao, has Big Brother really returned? Did he successfully obtain his eighth soul ring? I have been looking forward to this day for a long time!"
Xu Tianhao nodded slightly, a flash of genuine happiness for his Big Brother appearing in his eyes.
As the Crown Prince of the Sun Moon Empire, Xu Tianran's talent was already outstanding. This breakthrough to the eight-ring Spirit Douluo level was undoubtedly a major joyous event for the Sun Moon Empire, and a huge leap in strength for the royal lineage.
The sister and brother said no more and walked side by side towards the Eastern Palace. The guards on both sides of the palace path bowed to them upon seeing them, not daring to show any slack.
Before long, the two stepped into the courtyard gate of the Eastern Palace.
The courtyard had elegant pavilions and drifting floral scents. Two people were already sitting by the stone table; it was the returned Xu Tianran and Poison Immortal.
The two were leisurely sipping clear tea, but their gazes remained fixed on the direction of the courtyard gate, evidently having waited here for a while, specifically for the arrival of the siblings Xu Tianhao and Xu Tianzhen.
Seeing the siblings walking side by side, a gentle smile appeared on Xu Tianran's cold face.
Poison Immortal also stroked his ink-green beard, his eyes filled with doting and expectation for Xu Tianhao.
"Big Brother, Master Du." Xu Tianhao walked forward and greeted them respectfully.
Xu Tianzhen followed closely behind and called out crisply, "Big Brother, Master Du, you've finally returned! We've missed you so much during this time!"
As her voice fell, Xu Tianzhen could not suppress the excitement in her heart, eager to share the surprise.
She pulled Xu Tianhao's arm and said excitedly to Xu Tianran and Poison Immortal, "Big Brother, Master Du, let me tell you, Hao Hao has been holding back a huge surprise this time."
"His Fourth Soul Skill is amazing. He kept it hidden from us before, but now that you are back, you must experience it properly!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Tianran and Poison Immortal both raised their eyebrows slightly.
Two gazes instantly fell on Xu Tianhao, carrying deep curiosity and expectation.
Ever since Xu Tianhao successfully broke through to level 40 and obtained his fourth soul ring, he had kept his mouth shut about the effects of his Fourth Soul Skill, never revealing a single bit to anyone.
Even to his closest brother, Xu Tianran, or his mentor Poison Immortal, he only said calmly, "I'll wait until I've studied it thoroughly. I'll definitely give you a surprise!"
This mysterious attitude had long made Xu Tianran and Poison Immortal extremely curious.
How terrifying was Xu Tianhao's talent? He was a peerless genius rarely seen in the Sun Moon Empire in a thousand years.
At only ten years old, he had broken through to a level 40 Spirit Ancestor, and his spirit ring configuration was an heaven-defying specification of three purple and one black. His first three Spirit Abilities had already demonstrated strength and uniqueness far exceeding ordinary people.
Now that he was hiding his Fourth Soul Skill like this, it was enough to show that the effect of this ten-thousand-year fourth spirit ring was by no means comparable to ordinary Spirit Abilities, and must have terrifying capabilities that overturned common understanding.
Thinking of this, Xu Tianran's anticipation grew even stronger. He waved at Xu Tianhao, his tone carrying unconcealable curiosity: "Tianhao, since Tianzhen has already spoken for you, don't keep us in suspense any longer. Tell us, what exactly is the effect of the Fourth Soul Skill you've hidden for so long?"
Poison Immortal also nodded, his thick voice carrying a hint of teasing and expectation: "You brat, you've always been meticulous. Since you've been hiding it like this, I imagine this Fourth Soul Skill will surely make me and your Big Brother's eyes light up, or even give us a big surprise."
When they were alone in private, Poison Immortal and Xu Tianran were not so particular about formalities.
Because Poison Immortal had also taught Xu Tianran some secret techniques of the Body Sect to consolidate his foundation and improve his physical fitness.
Therefore, in private, Xu Tianran also called Poison Immortal "Master Du." Over the years of getting along, their relationship had become very good.
Upon hearing this, Xu Tianhao no longer pretended to be mysterious, a smile appearing on his face: "Big Brother, Master Du, I will now cast my Spirit Ability. You just need to relax your minds and must not have any resistance."
As his voice fell, the spirit power around Xu Tianhao surged suddenly, and four spirit rings—three purple and one black—slowly rose from beneath his feet, rotating orderly around his body.
At the same time, Xu Tianhao's eyes suddenly underwent a strange change, as if the sun, moon, and stars were gestating within his pupils.
Phantoms of a scorching sun and a mysterious moon appeared on the left and right respectively, his gaze deep and mysterious.
The next second, that pitch-black ten-thousand-year fourth spirit ring erupted with brilliant light, instantly illuminating.
Xu Tianran and Poison Immortal looked at each other and followed instructions, relaxing their entire minds without operating a shred of spirit power or mental force to resist.
They just quietly watched Xu Tianhao, wanting to see what mystery this secret Fourth Soul Skill held.
But the next instant, even for a Super Douluo like Poison Immortal, who stood at the pinnacle of the continent and whose mental force was at a terrifying level sufficient to crush the vast majority of Titled Douluo, he did not notice the slightest abnormality.
He only clearly saw the fourth soul ring on Xu Tianhao's body light up, but the surrounding air, floral scents, the layout of the pavilions, and even the temperature of the clear tea on the stone table, did not change at all.
It was as if after the Spirit Ability was cast, everything returned to calm, and nothing had happened.