Chapter 229: Ning Rongrong: Martial Soul Evolution? I Want It So Bad!
"Do it."
Lin Qingmo's voice remained as steady as a deep pool.
Hearing this, the three soul rings on Dugu Yan's body lit up simultaneously.
With a slight lift of her fingertip, a purple-black poison needle condensed at her fingertip.
As fine as a hair, yet gleaming with a heart-chilling sheen.
With a flick of her wrist, the poison needle shot out, tracing an almost invisible trajectory through the air.
Pfft.
It pierced precisely through the Jade Phosphor Serpent's vital point.
Already on the brink of death, the serpent didn't even have time to struggle. Its body twitched twice, its tail weakly slapped the ground a couple of times, and then it completely lost all signs of life.
The next second, a purple soul ring slowly rose from its corpse.
"Start absorbing it."
"An eight-thousand-year soul ring should be fully within your current body's tolerance."
"No need to be nervous. Just absorb it step by step."
"Okay."
Dugu Yan absolutely trusted Lin Qingmo.
She had originally thought that absorbing an eight-thousand-year soul ring would be difficult, even preparing herself to endure violent energy impact.
But very quickly, she froze.
Those impacts were like huge waves crashing against a reef. They looked fierce but couldn't shake her in the slightest.
Her meridians had long been transformed by the whale rubber, becoming extremely tough and broad enough to accommodate a greater flow of soul power.
And her martial soul had evolved from an ordinary Jade Phosphor Serpent into the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor.
It had a natural affinity for and suppression over snake-type soul ring energy.
That impact simply posed no threat at all.
She only needed to circulate her soul power, gradually tame, absorb, and refine the violent energy, turning it completely into her own strength.
…
Time slowly passed.
Half an hour later.
Dugu Yan opened her eyes.
At that moment, her fourth soul ring slowly lit up.
Her soul power also jumped from rank 40 to rank 45 in one leap.
"It worked!"
Yu Feng couldn't help but shout, his eyes wide open, his face full of uncontrollable excitement.
But in the next second, everyone froze.
Dugu Yan slowly stood up, her mind moving.
Behind her, the phantom of the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor appeared.
Those golden snake pupils slowly swept across the crowd. Wherever its gaze landed, everyone felt a sense of pressure.
"Th-this… is the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor?"
Liu Erlong was slightly astonished.
Her eyes were fixed on the massive purple-black serpent phantom, her pupils shrinking slightly.
"It's exactly the same as Poison Douluo's martial soul!"
She had seen Dugu Bo's Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor martial soul before. That oppressive feeling was still fresh in her memory.
And now, the aura on Dugu Yan was identical to that of that Titled Douluo.
"Did Yan's martial soul mutate or evolve?"
Yu Feng tugged at Ye Lingling's sleeve beside him, his voice very low, as if afraid of disturbing something.
His eyes were full of disbelief.
"My god, martial soul evolution!"
"I've only ever read about it in ancient texts. They say the probability is extremely low, but I've never seen it happen for real. And now someone actually did it!"
Ye Lingling nodded, but her gaze fell on Lin Qingmo not far away.
Her expression was calm yet carried a hint of deep thought that others could hardly detect.
"Did you forget?"
Her voice was soft. "Earlier, Zhu Zhuqing and the others absorbed soul rings far beyond normal limits. I already found it strange back then. Now…"
She paused, then continued, "Now Yanzi not only broke through, but her martial soul also evolved. He must have helped."
Yu Feng's heartbeat instantly quickened.
He turned his head, looking at Lin Qingmo with burning intensity.
"Do you think…"
Yu Feng swallowed, lowering his voice even more, as if afraid others might hear.
"Qingmo really has a way to let all of us absorb soul rings beyond our limits?"
"Most likely."
Ye Lingling's gaze remained calm but certain.
She looked at Lin Qingmo's back, a trace of complex emotion flashing deep in her eyes.
Not far away, Ning Rongrong's heart was in turmoil, unable to calm down for a long time.
She stared at the majestic Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor martial soul behind Dugu Yan and at those golden snake pupils, and three words kept echoing in her mind—
Martial soul evolution!
Those three words were like thunder in her ears.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had carried a lingering pain for generations.
It was an unbridgeable regret engraved into the bones of every disciple, an insurmountable chasm.
Soul Masters with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul could only reach rank 79 at most.
Even her father, the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, could never break through to the Soul Douluo level.
Simply because the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda only had seven levels.
Seven levels—that was the limit, the fate, and the curse engraved in the martial soul.
But Lin Qingmo?
He had evolved Dugu Yan's Jade Phosphor Serpent martial soul into the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor martial soul.
What did that mean?
Ning Rongrong's heart thumped violently.
It meant that he very likely also had a way to let the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul evolve!
If the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul could evolve beyond seven levels—
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could surpass the Clear Sky Sect to become the foremost of the Upper Three Sects, and even becoming the number one sect on the continent wouldn't be impossible!
Ning Rongrong looked at Lin Qingmo with increasingly complex eyes, harder and harder to see through.
She had thought she already understood him well enough.
His strength, his mystery, his seeming omnipotence.
But now she realized what she had seen was only the tip of the iceberg.
Even in the chat group, Lin Qingmo had only revealed part of the secrets.
She bit her lower lip, her hand at her side quietly tightening around the hem of her skirt.
She made a decision in her heart.
No matter what, she had to build a good relationship with Lin Qingmo.
Not just for herself, but for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect as well.
…
Meanwhile, at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, something else was happening.
At the very center of the spring, a massive Blue Silver Grass was growing.
Its leaves were broad and thick, so green they seemed ready to drip with water.
Every leaf was covered with vein-like patterns resembling life's meridians, radiating a dense life aura.
The surrounding spring water gently rippled around it, as if nourishing this special plant.
Ah Yin had been rooted here for quite some time.
Her previously shattered body had completely stabilized under the nourishment of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
And today, she suddenly sensed a familiar aura.
It was the aura of Blue Silver Grass!
From the same origin as hers, yet purer, warmer, carrying a sense of boundless tolerance that made one feel completely at ease.
The life force within that aura was as gentle as spring sunlight, pure without a trace of impurity.
And it was not far from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Ah Yin's leaves began to tremble uncontrollably.
Ripples spread outward across the surrounding spring water.
"It's Ah Qing!"
The moment she sensed this aura, she was certain Lin Qingmo was in the Sunset Forest, not far from her!
Her leaves swayed even more violently, her emotions almost uncontrollable with excitement.
She had been rooted here for so long.
Every day, she had hoped and waited. Finally, finally, he had come!
After thinking for a moment, she moved her thoughts and opened the chat group.
[Green Grass Mom]: @Dad Douluo Ah Qing, by the way, do you still remember Ah Yin? How is she doing now?
After typing this line, even her leaves were trembling slightly.
She nervously stared at the chat interface, waiting for a reply.
She didn't dare directly say that she herself was Ah Yin.
She could only remind him this way, letting him recall that a Blue Silver Emperor had been transplanted here.
After only a few seconds, a reply appeared in the group.
[Dad Douluo]: I previously transplanted Ah Yin to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. It's been some time, so she should have stabilized by now. Since I happen to be in the Sunset Forest, I plan to check on her shortly.
The moment she saw this sentence, Ah Yin's leaves suddenly spread wide like a blooming flower.
Happy.
So incredibly happy.
Even the surrounding rare flowers and plants seemed to be infected by her emotions, gently swaying along.
He really was nearby!
Ah Qing still remembered her!
Ah Yin felt as if her heart had been filled with warm water, a comforting warmth wrapping around her entirely, the long-awaited sense of reassurance finally arriving.
End of Chapter
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