Chapter 58: Soul Contamination, One Year of Cultivation
As time passed, the previously relaxed and carefree Shi Nuo gradually found his brows tightening.
Logically speaking, if the opponent had given up on winning and was simply venting with reckless attacks, she should have realized by now that his defense couldn't be shaken.
So why… Why was the assault still continuing?
He spread his spiritual power over his body—and that one glance stunned him.
A faint crack had actually appeared on the Rock Armor protecting his back. The enemy's attacks were just about to break through his defense.
He quickly twisted his body, and just as Simin launched her next strike, the Iaido Barrier unfolded in an instant.
Her claw attack was cleanly deflected.
"Damn it… just a little more."
Hovering back into the air, Simin's face was filled with regret, while a bead of cold sweat trickled down Shi Nuo's forehead. She really wasn't someone he could afford to take lightly.
Seeing him standing in a fully guarded stance, Simin let out a slow sigh, then descended onto the arena floor and signaled to the teacher that she was conceding the match.
Her continuous, unbroken flurry of attacks had consumed a massive amount of soul power. What little she had left could no longer sustain another attempt at wearing him down drop by drop.
The teacher nodded and immediately announced Shi Nuo as the victor.
Below the stage, the lower-grade students erupted into waves of cheers, while the sixth-year students fell silent, feeling that during the final year of their junior division career, they would have no dignity left to lift their heads.
Simin gave Shi Nuo one last deep look before turning around and leaving the stage to the rightful winner.
At this moment, the principal also approached with a warm, gentle smile, presenting Shi Nuo with the prize representing first place in the tournament.
Both the reward and the storage soul tool came into Shi Nuo's possession.
After accepting the soul-tool ring, Shi Nuo thanked the principal, then slowly stepped down from the stage. This marked the official conclusion of the tournament.
Despite winning, Shi Nuo wasn't as thrilled as he had imagined. Instead, he turned apologetically to Lin Beiya:
"I was too careless… I almost made a huge mistake."
"It's fine. You noticed in time, didn't you?" Lin Beiya replied calmly. "Just be more cautious in future battles. Your flexibility is still lacking. Any method capable of breaking your defense is something you must pay close attention to."
"Yes."
"Alright, enough of that. Our champion—why don't you take a look at your reward?"
Only when the reward was mentioned did Shi Nuo finally show a hint of a smile. Not to mention the soul tool itself—an extravagant luxury for ordinary civilians—the fifty thousand gold soul coins stored inside were enough to make him ecstatic.
One gold soul coin was enough for a normal family to live on for an entire year.
Even with a soul master's higher daily expenses, fifty thousand gold soul coins could sustain him for a long, long time.
Unlike Lin Beiya—who had access to everything he needed in either the Douluo Hall or the Pope's Hall—Shi Nuo was an orphan. He had to work part-time while studying at the academy just to cover his basic living costs.
The classmates behind him cast envious glances one after another. Even those well-off "second-generation officials," whose elders held high positions within the Spirit Hall, would consider fifty thousand gold soul coins a massive allowance.
After all, not everyone was as wealthy as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
After saying goodbye to Shi Nuo, Lin Beiya walked toward the Pope's Hall while sinking into deep thought.
Simin's combat style today has given him some insights.
Regarding telekinesis, even though he had trained it to an extremely high level, he still hadn't figured out how to achieve instantaneous teleportation or tear through space.
But after watching today's duel, he suddenly wondered—could he use a "piercing the point to break the surface" approach?
By concentrating extremely high-intensity telekinetic force at a single point and repeatedly bombarding space itself… could he tear it apart?
Or perhaps, by continuously applying high-speed, uninterrupted telekinetic force to his own body, he could produce an effect similar to instantaneous movement?
These ideas still needed actual testing, but regardless of the outcome, standing up for his brother today had made the trip worthwhile.
…
Late at night, anguished screams echoed from a secret chamber deep within the Pope's Hall.
Bibi Dong slowly lowered her hands, covering her forehead, revealing blood-red eyes and a twisted expression.
"Damn it… Rakshasa God, you actually dare to contaminate my soul."
Ever since she devoured Qian Xunji, Bibi Dong's Rakshasa God Trial had truly begun. Her obtaining a ninth soul ring and breaking through to Titled Douluo was the first trial the Rakshasa God had bestowed upon her.
After perfectly absorbing the 100,000-year Soft Bone Rabbit soul ring—and even gaining a 100,000-year soul bone—she barely had time to feel pleased before sensing foreign, unfamiliar auras lingering deep within her soul.
She attempted to peel them away, but the unbearable tearing sensation within her soul forced her back.
She still didn't know what would happen if she pushed forward with the Divine Trials and allowed the Rakshasa God's power to continue corrupting her soul—but she didn't have many paths left to choose.
Once Qian Renxue matured and returned to the Spirit Hall, then successfully inherit the Angel God's legacy, Bibi Dong would lose her only remaining value. Without stepping into the realm of gods herself, she would be nothing more than prey for Qian Daoliu to dispose of at will.
She would never naively believe they would show mercy at that time.
Becoming a god and overthrowing the Angel Clan was not only the direction of her hatred—it was the only way she could ensure her own survival.
Meanwhile, Lin Beiya knew nothing about what was happening inside the chamber. After returning to the Pope's Hall, he simply continued his rigid and meticulous multi-disciplinary training.
Of course, he put the most emphasis on soul power cultivation. Increasing soul power was the most efficient method of improving combat strength in the short term.
After the new semester began, Lin Beiya rarely attended classes. He had learned most of the theoretical knowledge already.
There was almost nothing left there that could benefit him. If he needed information, he would simply visit the Spirit Hall's archive himself.
With both the Douluo Hall Token and the Pope's Token on him, entering and exiting the archive freely was no issue at all. Naturally, he wouldn't waste time being a mere transporter of knowledge.
As for cultivation time, Lin Beiya continued to stagger his schedule with Shi Nuo. Shi Nuo would visit the Pope's Hall in the morning to retrieve the Taurus Gold Cloth, and then cultivate soul power in the afternoon.
Lin Beiya, on the other hand, spent his afternoons training telekinesis and his nights meditating to cultivate soul power.
Time flowed steadily, and an entire year passed in an orderly routine. By now, both Lin Beiya and Shi Nuo had reached the age of ten.
The results of a full year of diligent cultivation were impressive—Shi Nuo's soul power had reached Rank 25, while Lin Beiya had raised his by three ranks, reaching the rank of a quasi–Soul Elder.
In terms of telekinesis, although Lin Beiya still couldn't teleport or tear space, he was now capable of using telekinesis to wrap around himself and fly.
This power existed independently of soul power. In other words, Lin Beiya's aerial movement no longer consumed any soul power at all.
Although the speed wasn't particularly fast yet, it was enough to satisfy him. Heaven rewards hard work—every drop of sweat has produced real results.
The only thing Lin Beiya regretted was his inability to effectively control those terrifying finishing moves. Whenever he used the Stardust Revolution, he would occasionally be injured by the unpredictable rotational force of the stars.
Perhaps it was because he had never encountered a true life-threatening crisis to pushed him into igniting his Cosmo to the extreme. Regardless, in terms of Cosmo control, Lin Beiya still had a long road ahead of him.
Shi Nuo faced similar issues regarding his Sixth Sense awakening. After a year of arduous training, his physique and senses had been honed to a frightening level, but awakening the Cosmo required external pressure. It couldn't be forced.
For now, Lin Beiya needed a soul ring to break through to the Soul Elder realm. If nothing unexpected happened, he would soon receive that highly controversial set of Gold Cloth.
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End of Chapter