Chapter 23 Second Place on the Martial Soul Ranking.
And this was just the beginning.
His soul power solidified threefold, his soul rings increased by tens of thousands of years, and he absorbed a 300,000-year head soul bone and a 400,000-year torso soul bone.
The birth of two great talent domains—the "God of Wine Domain" and the "Azure Lotus Sword Domain" —and the incredible rewards of the fragment concerning the Sword God's inheritance entering his brow , all combined to create a qualitative leap in Li Bai's strength!
"Buzz—!"
An indescribable, vast pressure, like a slumbering ancient divine mountain awakening, spread uncontrollably from Li Bai's center for an instant!
In that instant, Li Bai had already concealed all his aura.
"This aura..."
"It's so uncomfortable!"
But in that instant, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Dugu Yan felt as if their hearts were being gripped by an invisible hand.
Their breaths stopped, and their souls trembled!
It was an absolute crushing on a life level, as if they were facing not mortals, but gods high above the heavens.
They had no doubt.
Faced with that aura, they couldn't even muster a thought of resistance before being reduced to dust.
"So strong!"
Even the powerful Lu Bu and Sikong Zhen, under the pressure of that aura, instinctively tensed up.
Their vast soul power circulated autonomously to resist, and their eyes flashed with extreme solemnity and amazement.
"Hahaha! Good! Li Bai."
"You really didn't disappoint me. Once you stabilize your realm, I will definitely have a good fight with you!"
Lu Bu was the first to react, showing no fear but instead laughing excitedly.
His halberd pointed at Li Bai, his fighting spirit soaring to the sky.
Sikong Zhen's lightning subsided, and he said in a deep voice, "Congratulations."
His words were concise, but his gaze towards Li Bai already regarded him as an equal, even someone to be slightly looked up to.
Ning Rongrong patted her budding chest, her face still a little pale.
Still shaken, she whispered to Zhu Zhuqing and Dugu Yan, "Teacher Li Bai was terrifying!"
"Teacher Li Bai... just now, that moment, I felt it was even more terrifying than when Teacher Lu Bu unleashed his full power!"
Zhu Zhuqing nodded silently, her cool eyes filled with longing for immense power.
Dugu Yan smiled bitterly, "Now I finally understand why Teacher Li Bai never bothered to 'train' with us. We probably don't even qualify to make him use one percent, no, one-thousandth of his strength."
The three women's gazes, unanimously drawn to the white figure who had completely concealed his aura and was leisurely sipping wine, were filled with curiosity.
They desperately wanted to know.
After experiencing such an astonishing reward, just how terrifying was Teacher Li Bai's soul ring configuration?
Was it like Teacher Lu Bu's seven black and two red?
Or even more terrifying, five black and four red?
However, Li Bai seemed to have no intention of displaying his soul rings at all.
After accepting the reward, his aura returned to normal, as if he were just a handsome and otherworldly poet drinking wine.
Although Ning Rongrong and the others were itching to ask, they knew their limits and dared not approach.
After all, although Teacher Li Bai seemed easygoing, they could clearly sense the arrogance and aloofness in his bones.
Not far away, Lu Xiao, sitting on a recliner, slightly opened one eye.
He glanced at Li Bai, whose aura had changed drastically and reached the realm of returning to simplicity, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips.
"Hmm, level 99... not bad."
He was completely unmoved.
As the dean with a cheat-like system, Lu Xiao knew that Li Bai already possessed level 96 strength when he summoned him to the academy after drawing the Li Bai card.
After more than two years of accumulation and self-cultivation, Li Bai's recent breakthrough to level 98 was within his expectations.
Now, the Heavenly Curtain reward helped him leap into the level 99 Limit Douluo realm.
Adding to that the absurd increase in the age of his soul rings, as well as the two domains and the fragment of the Sword God's inheritance, Lu Xiao secretly estimated: "The current Li Bai could probably easily take on all three of those veteran Limit Douluos—Qian Daoliu, Poseidon, and Tang Chen—and might even crush them."
"The system-generated martial soul, coupled with the Heavenly Curtain reward, just doesn't leave any room for the natives."
He closed his eyes again. What did it matter if the Heavenly Ranking continued to be announced?
The top three would definitely still be his own people.
Maybe even the same person.
He thought lazily, having lost most of his interest in the upcoming rankings.
Meanwhile, the various forces on the continent...
Still reeling from the immense shock of Li Bai's twin martial souls dominating fourth and fifth place, and the unfathomable fear of the Beidou Academy, everyone anxiously awaited the announcement of the final top three.
Just as the entire Douluo Continent was gripped by shock and suspicion over the top three martial souls, the golden scroll in the sky underwent an unprecedented anomaly!
"Boom boom boom!"
The previously unfurled scroll suddenly contracted, all the golden light converging towards the center like rivers flowing into the sea.
It ultimately condensed into three dazzling golden spheres, as radiant as the sun!
The spheres slowly rotated, radiating a terrifying pressure more magnificent, solemn, and soul-chilling than ever before!
At this moment, everyone—from Qian Daoliu of the Spirit Hall to Poseidon on Seagod Island gazing at the sky, to Tang Chen struggling in the City of Slaughter, and all the powerful soul masters—suddenly looked up, focusing all their attention on the three spheres representing the ultimate glory of the martial soul ranking!
The top three!
Finally, they were about to be revealed!
What kind of martial spirit could surpass the inconceivable Wine Immortal Gourd and the invincible Azure Lotus Divine Sword?
Under the gaze of countless eyes, the slightly smaller golden sphere on the far right was the first to change.
Its light gradually subsided, transforming into a line of large green characters imbued with boundless life force, imprinted on the sky:
[Martial Spirit Ranking, Third Place: Ancient Tree of Life]
[Holder: Lu Xiao (Beidou Academy)]
[Rating: Special type martial spirit (possessing extreme life, support, defense, and domain characteristics), containing the purest and ultimate life force in the world, capable of reviving all things and creating life with a single thought. Upon reaching the highest realm, it can nurture life divine patterns, connecting heaven and earth, creating all things, a manifestation of the laws of life.]
[Reward: Seed of the Ancient Tree of Life *1]
"Ancient Tree of Life? It's Beidou Academy again!"
"A special type of martial soul? Combining life, support, defense, and domain... what kind of martial soul is this?"
"Manifestation of the Law of Life? It sounds incredibly sublime!"
"Only one seed as a reward? This... this is third place! How can the reward be so simple?"
A commotion and confusion swept across the continent.
The name "Ancient Tree of Life" was filled with ancient and sacred connotations.
However, its specific abilities seemed rather abstract, especially the description of "Manifestation of the Law of Life," which exceeded the comprehension of most soul masters.
Even more perplexing was that, as the high-ranking third place, the reward was only one seed?
This contrasted sharply with the previous generous rewards of increasing soul power level, soul ring age, bestowing soul bones, and divine skills.
Inside the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
Ning Fengzhi frowned: "A martial soul with the life attribute must have incredible auxiliary abilities, but this rating is far too comprehensive, and this reward..."
"There must be something fishy about this. This seed is probably more precious than ten 200,000-year-old soul bones combined!"
Sword Douluo Chen Xin stared at the words "Manifestation of the Law of Life" on the sky, his sharp sword intent slightly faltering.
He said in a deep voice: "Fengzhi, you are absolutely right. This Ancient Tree of Life martial soul can probably not be judged by ordinary standards. Its comprehensive rating means that it has reached the pinnacle in every aspect, without any shortcomings."
"As for that seed, it is probably even more mysterious!"
Ning Fengzhi took a deep breath, his gaze seemingly piercing through the void to see the mysterious Beidou Academy.
"Lu Xiao possesses such a martial soul, no wonder he can cultivate so many amazing soul masters. This Beidou Academy is probably more unfathomable than we imagined."
"Rongrong is there; perhaps it really is her greatest opportunity."
In the core circle of the Star Dou Great Forest, below the Lake of Life.
A colossal silver dragon king slowly raised its head, its amethyst-like dragon eyes gazing at the list in the sky.
When it saw "Ancient Tree of Life," a flicker of surprise and reminiscence flashed in its eyes.
"The Ancient Tree of Life, containing the purest power of life's origin, has actually reappeared in the world in the form of a Martial Soul," Gu Yuena murmured softly. "This human named Lu Xiao, perhaps..."
The other ferocious beasts around her also sensed the life force emanating from the list, a force that made their souls tremble with comfort, and they all growled softly, expressing their awe and longing.
The Spirit Hall.
Bibi Dong's gaze was sharp as a knife, fixed on the name "Lu Xiao" and the sole reward.
The unease in her heart grew stronger.
"The Ancient Tree of Life, the manifestation of laws... could he have touched the realm of gods?"
She dared not think further.
However, before everyone could recover from the shock of this bizarre third place, the larger golden sphere in the center suddenly erupted!
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(End of Chapter)