Chapter 68: The Third Soul Ring — Sisters Reunited
A full day passed.
Qi Tian's split soul quietly left Zhu Zhuqing's body, merging back into his main consciousness.
The moment the two souls fused, Qi Tian clearly felt a surge of energy — soul power that did not belong to him — rushing into his body.
It was the cultivation feedback from Zhu Zhuqing's breakthrough. By absorbing that power, Qi Tian's own cultivation smoothly advanced from rank 29 to rank 30.
"Rank 30… and no bottleneck."
Qi Tian exhaled in relief.
Though he had never truly feared being stuck like Yu Xiaogang — eternally trapped at Rank 29 — part of him still felt uneasy until this moment.
Now, another dilemma presented itself.
Should he first absorb a new soul ring to stabilize his breakthrough? Or should he continue refining his body and spirit a bit longer?
His physical strength was already formidable, but his spiritual power was still lacking. That imbalance might make it difficult to withstand the soul shock of a ten-thousand-year soul ring.
After a moment of thought, he made his decision.
"Forget it. I'll just break through first."
Qi Tian shook his head, then turned and headed toward the Blue Silver Forest, several miles away.
That forest teemed with plant-type soul beasts — perfect candidates for his third soul ring.
He walked unhindered through the lush greenery until a familiar aura stopped him.
"...You again?"
Before him stood the Blue Silver King, emerging from meditation.
"Blue Silver King," Qi Tian said matter-of-factly, "I've reached Rank 30. I need a new soul ring."
His tone was confident, even slightly domineering. After all, the stronger he became, the greater the Blue Silver King's hope of one day rescuing the Blue Silver Emperor. Surely, it would help him.
The Blue Silver King sighed deeply.
"You humans… Aren't you even afraid I might kill you?"
In its long life, it had never seen a human so shamelessly bold.
Humans and soul beasts were natural enemies — the relationship between hunter and prey was unchangeable. Yet this one had the gall to ask for its help in acquiring a soul ring.
Qi Tian only smiled.
"You should be glad I'm getting stronger," he said lightly. "The Blue Silver Emperor's seed is in the hands of a Titled Douluo. If my strength is too low, how could I ever hope to rescue her?"
The Blue Silver King's vines quivered slightly. It could sense Qi Tian's absolute confidence — and also, the faint but unmistakable aura of a divine artifact.
Even if it wanted to fight him, the outcome would not be certain.
More importantly, Qi Tian had struck at its softest spot — the fate of the Blue Silver Emperor.
For a creature whose life spanned centuries, the growth of one human was but the blink of an eye. It could afford to wait.
Finally, the Blue Silver King gave a weary sigh.
"Your body can indeed withstand a ten-thousand-year ring… but your spiritual power isn't ready yet. I'll find a suitable one for you — something close to ten thousand years."
After speaking, its body glowed faintly, merging its consciousness with the Blue Silver Domain.
Qi Tian watched as the invisible network of vines spread across the entire forest, the King's will searching for the right target.
Moments later, its calm voice echoed in his mind again.
"To the west — there's a gorge. Within it lives a mutant Sky Azure Vine, nearing ten thousand years of age. Go there. It suits you well."
"But be warned — it's aggressive, and not very intelligent. Whether you can kill it depends on your own strength."
Qi Tian nodded solemnly.
"Understood. Thank you, Blue Silver King."
Without another word, he turned and headed west.
Soon, the forest opened into a vast ravine — and there, clinging to a massive boulder, was the creature he sought.
A colossal vine coiled around the rock, its form eerily resembling a dragon.
The thick tendrils wound upward like a serpentine body; the roots clutching the stone were shaped like claws, and its leafy crown resembled a dragon's head.
The scene reminded him faintly of Liu Erlong's Fire Dragon Martial Soul — except this one was made of living azure vines, forming the likeness of a celestial dragon.
Qi Tian's lips curved into a grin.
"The Blue Silver King really does have good taste."
Without hesitation, he released his Blue Silver Domain, letting the aura of the Blue Silver King Martial Soul flow freely.
At the same time, his second soul ring flared — summoning the Blue Silver Overlord Spear, which began to hum with terrifying power as he prepared to strike.
Although Qi Tian's martial soul wasn't the Blue Silver Emperor, it still carried the authority of a king among the Blue Silver Grass. Against most plant-type soul beasts, that dominance alone exerted a natural suppression.
Even though this Sky Azure Vine hadn't yet broken through the ten-thousand-year threshold, it still trembled faintly under Qi Tian's pressure.
But the beast didn't take kindly to being suppressed.
Enraged, the Sky Azure Vine released the massive boulder it had been coiled around, its body glowing with bright azure light.
In the next instant, the entire vine twisted and transformed — forming a gigantic wooden dragon, which lunged fiercely toward Qi Tian.
Qi Tian didn't flinch. His Blue Silver Overlord Spear, now fully charged, pierced forward in a blinding strike!
Boom!
The spear's power shattered the wooden dragon into countless falling tendrils, scattering vine leaves like dragon whiskers fluttering to the ground.
Yet, to Qi Tian's surprise, the main body of the Sky Azure Vine wasn't gravely injured.
"What a powerful plant-type beast… it actually withstood my charged strike?" Qi Tian murmured, slightly astonished.
His second soul ring came from a thousand-year beast, and while his soul power was still only that of a Ranm 30 Soul Master, his attack power shouldn't have been underestimated.
After a brief exchange, he found the creature's weakness.
Its life force wasn't gathered in the dragon's "head," but rather concentrated at the root of its vine body, buried beneath the boulder.
The Sky Azure Vine, angered even more, reformed its wooden dragon and charged again.
But Qi Tian was already prepared.
He drew out the Divine Artifact — the Sea Calming Pearl, infused it with soul power, and flung it toward the vine's life core.
A dazzling five-colored light burst forth, sealing the gorge and obscuring all prying eyes.
The Sea Calming Pearl descended with immense force, striking straight toward the root coiled beneath the stone.
Puff!
With a sharp crack, the Sky Azure Vine split apart. Its core — the source of its vitality — was utterly destroyed.
Qi Tian didn't waste the opportunity.
"Take advantage while it's weak!"
He lashed out with strands of Blue Silver Grass, wrapping around the exposed roots. With a powerful yank, he tore the vine from the earth, exposing its tree heart.
Empowered by his True Dragon Physique and martial soul, Qi Tian's strength now rivaled that of thousand-year — even ten-thousand-year — soul beasts.
Once the roots were ripped free, the Sky Azure Vine's life force quickly faded.
Moments later, a deep purple soul ring floated above its remains.
Qi Tian withdrew the Sea Calming Pearl, sat cross-legged, and began absorbing his third soul ring.
Meanwhile, far away at the Zhu Family Estate, in the residence of Zhu Zhuyun.
It had been over four years since Zhu Zhuqing, who awakened her martial soul at age six, last came to visit her elder sister.
This was her first time stepping into Zhuyun's home again.
As a Soul Elder, Zhu Zhuyun easily sensed the faint presence outside her door.
"Well, well… the sun must be rising from the west today," she teased lightly. "My dear little sister actually came to see me?"
Zhu Zhuqing's expression was as cold as ever. Hearing her sister's mocking tone, she instinctively wanted to snap back.
But then she remembered Qi Tian's instructions — and swallowed her retort with effort.
"...Sister."
Just one word, spoken through clenched teeth.
Yet that single "Sister" made Zhu Zhuyun's eyes light up.
Her tone softened immediately. "Don't just stand there. Come in — let's talk."
"Mm."
Zhu Zhuqing's voice was calm, distant — still carrying that chilly aloofness of hers. But Zhu Zhuyun could tell… something about her had changed.
"So?" Zhuyun asked with a faint smile. "Have you finally come to admit defeat to your elder sister?"
Zhu Zhuqing almost denied it outright. By nature, she would never lower her head — not even to her own sister.
But she remembered Qi Tian's words… about another possibility, another path.
She clenched her fists under the table — and forced herself into silence.
She couldn't bring herself to yield, but she also wouldn't provoke conflict.
So she said nothing — quietly sipping her tea instead.
Zhu Zhuyun raised an eyebrow at her sister's silence.
Though Zhu Zhuqing wasn't as warm as she'd once been when they were children, Zhu Zhuyun could clearly feel a subtle warmth returning between them — and her heart softened.
As she watched her younger sister quietly sip tea, Zhuyun couldn't help but feel a tinge of pity.
Her fiancé abandoned her, she's living frugally, and now she's drinking plain tea instead of the flower blends she used to love…
A sigh escaped her lips.
Perhaps… their sisterhood wasn't as irreparable as she once thought.
—
End of Chapter