Chapter 181: Exploiting a Bug to Violently Condense a Soul Core, Ning Fengzhi Becomes a Target
Early the next morning, after receiving the daily supplies delivered by the merchant guild, the group disguised themselves once more and set off for the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Some of them had only heard about this mystical place but had never actually seen it, so they were quite excited.
With their full speed travel, they reached the outskirts of Sunset Forest in just over an hour. Leading the way with ease, Dugu Bo had a completely different mindset compared to when he had first arrived here. This place marked the turning point in his fate, and it might even hold the key to his breakthrough to Rank 96. He couldn't help but feel exhilarated.
Effortlessly passing through the poisonous miasma, the full view of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was revealed to the group. Those who had never been here before Qingluan, Shui Bing'er, and Xiu'er were momentarily stunned, their eyes dazzled by the breathtaking scenery.
"Alright, let's head down." Han Li called out as he picked up Xiu'er and was the first to descend. Having been away for so long, he needed to do a quick "harvest." Many of the medicinal plants here might not be critical to him anymore, but they were still excellent aids for cultivation.
Leaving Guang Ling to show the others around, Han Li pulled Dugu Bo along and began their grand sweep of the area.
Over the past few years, Dugu Bo had practically memorized his plant encyclopedia, and he had also gone the extra mile by leveraging Spirit Hall and the merchant guild to gather countless medical texts and research materials. By now, he could be considered a walking encyclopedia of the plants of Douluo. He would never again experience the humiliation of standing in front of a priceless treasure without recognizing it.
Dugu Yan and Xiu'er, who had also taken an interest in this field, joined the task, and after nearly two hours of work, they finally managed to gather all the medicinal herbs. Once they scattered new seeds to replenish the land, they gazed at the now barren Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, feeling immensely satisfied.
"If only we could move this whole place," Dugu Bo sighed, a trace of regret in his voice.
"Who knows? Maybe one day we really will," Han Li replied with a chuckle, then motioned for everyone to start setting up their living quarters around the stone chamber he had previously excavated below the platform.
Now that their strength was high enough to withstand the extreme energy fluctuations of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, they could even use its power to cultivate, making the wooden houses on the platform unnecessary.
Once everything was settled and they had taken a short break, the group's attention shifted to Han Li and Qingluan now came the real highlight.
"Uncle Qingluan, when do you want to start?" Han Li asked directly, wasting no time.
"Right now," Qingluan said with a rare smile before moving a short distance away from the well.
Han Li followed but instructed the others to stay farther back, specifically telling Dugu Bo to keep a close watch over them and use his skull bone if necessary.
Even though they had simulated the process multiple times, Han Li remained on high alert. Spatial abilities were different from elemental abilities one mistake, and things could turn fatal.
After confirming everything with Qingluan once more, Han Li activated his external spirit bone. His right eye shimmered with faint light, and his back extended the ominous presence of the Evil God Hook. At the same time, he quietly instructed his "obedient son" (the plane's will) to allocate some luck to Qingluan to ensure success.
Of course, he didn't forget the most crucial step sealing off the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well using the plane's will while forming an energy shield around the area. This way, no external fluctuations would escape.
"I'm starting," Qingluan announced. After glancing at the fully prepared Han Li and giving a reassuring nod to the others in the distance, he began channeling his energy.
In his Martial Soul Possession state, a continuous stream of liquid like cyan spirit power poured from Qingluan's dantian, merging with his colorless spiritual power to form a swirling water like sphere in front of him. Under his precise control, it began to rotate, compress, and shrink rapidly until it took the shape of a funnel with the cyan pearl at its core. The energy vortex continued expanding, greedily absorbing the surrounding energy.
"Very stable! Uncle Qingluan, increase your spirit power output you don't have to worry about running out later," Han Li instructed.
Qingluan's control over his abilities was no joke. He had remained a Super Douluo for an extended period, using much of that time to polish his techniques. No newly risen powerhouse could compare.
Following Han Li's cue, within just a few breaths, Qingluan unleashed his full power, pouring every bit of his energy into the process. Only the residual spirit power sustained by his medicinal supplements kept his Martial Soul activated, barely maintaining stability.
The previously small energy funnel, influenced by both his output and the intense energy of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, paused momentarily before turning even more ferocious. At its core, space itself was being torn apart, and black cracks, emanating an unsettling energy, continuously twisted and pulsed, causing small explosions in the distance.
At that moment, Han Li sprang into action. His Evil God Hook lashed out, stabilizing the space around Qingluan while simultaneously extracting spatial energy and channeling it into the now solidified black pearl, whose surroundings had collapsed into darkness.
With Han Li's assistance, the chaotic energy fluctuations rapidly funneled into the pearl, creating dense cracks along its surface. It seemed as though it could shatter and explode at any moment.
Upon witnessing the situation, Han Li and Qingluan instead revealed looks of delight. "Now's the time, Uncle Qingluan, proceed with the next step." As soon as Han Li spoke, Qingluan, who had rehearsed this countless times, no longer hesitated. "Sacrifice."
This word, which normally shouldn't have come from a human Soul Master, was uttered with certainty, and to everyone's shock, heaven and earth responded. From the ground, two beams of blood red energy shot into the sky no, it should be said there were actually three beams, as two of them overlapped but had opposite energy flows.
Yes, this was Han Li's ingenious trick. On the Douluo Continent, the concept of sacrificial offerings existed as a rule, and his method of condensing a soul core was essentially exploiting a loophole in that rule.
The two beams of sacrificial light originated from both the cyan pearl in front of Qingluan and from his own body. However, the target of the sacrifice was also Qingluan himself.
The cyan pearl contained Qingluan's soul power, spiritual power, and absorbed spatial force, while his own sacrifice primarily consisted of his physical strength and vitality. To be precise, the intricate spirit power circulation he had mapped out for the group was designed to mimic the fluctuations of a soul beast's sacrifice, tricking the laws of the plane and allowing his "obedient son" to seize control.
Once the sacrifice was activated and the plane's will took over, Qingluan's body was protected by the rules, and whether the energy condensed into a soul ring or a soul core was no longer a problem. Moreover, since all the energy originated from himself, there was no issue of compatibility.
The most difficult part of Han Li's proposed soul core formation method was actually the preliminary stage compressing external soul power and spiritual power to the extreme, forcing the absorption of spatial energy while maintaining peak stability for an extended duration.
Han Li could have helped them bypass this process, but there was a key difference between personally sensing the fusion of spatial energy with one's own power and having it forcibly inserted. Even with the refining effect of the sacrificial step, the results would still differ.
That was why he had told the others that his method of soul core formation was only suitable for geniuses and required his direct assistance.
If someone attempted to use his technique without his approval, even if they succeeded, they would likely only gain a soul ring one without any abilities. At best, if they were exceptionally lucky, they might obtain a life bound soul ring, but it would have no bonuses whatsoever.
Given how rare self created soul skills were on the Douluo Continent, that person would probably become a joke.
More importantly, this method was highly resource intensive.
Even with the plane's will overseeing the process, the sheer aggressiveness of this method meant that post success recovery alone was something an average person wouldn't be able to afford. If not treated properly, it could leave lasting internal injuries.
That was precisely why Han Li had chosen the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well not only for its abundant energy but also because he had no shortage of medicinal herbs for bodily recovery.
As Han Li watched his Uncle Qingluan enveloped in a pillar of blood red light, a certain figure came to his mind Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Didn't he always want to break past Rank 80? Maybe Han Li should have a chat with him later… if he dared to try.
This method would be perfect for Ning Fengzhi.
For him, it wouldn't just mean gaining another soul ring. Even if he later realized he had been tricked, he would have no choice but to accept it.
After all, regardless of whether the new soul ring had an ability, his overall strength would still be greatly enhanced.
And if Han Li tweaked the process a little… everyone knew that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's martial soul had no combat ability, right? Then wouldn't it be perfectly reasonable for Ning Fengzhi to end up with a white ring?
Going from being stuck at Rank 79 to breaking into Rank 80 a leap from Soul Sage to Soul Douluo he would have to be grateful!
As for the slight increase in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's combat strength… Han Li wasn't worried in the slightest. Even if Ning Fengzhi became a Title Douluo, he still wouldn't be a match for Guang Ling alone.
The more Han Li thought about it, the more viable this idea seemed, and the smile on his face grew increasingly sinister.
Meanwhile, the blood red pillar of energy surrounding Qingluan began to gradually weaken, revealing his figure within.
Seeing the energy dissipate, the others cautiously approached to observe the changes in Qingluan.
"Did it work?" Dugu Bo asked uncertainly as he looked through the light at Qingluan, whose body was now covered in intricate cyan patterns.
"Of course, it worked perfectly. Even better than I expected Uncle Qingluan's control over his body is truly exceptional," Han Li replied, his eyes gleaming as he noticed the cyan patterns pulsing like a breathing entity.
Qingluan had not only fully retained the spatial energy Han Li had injected, but there might even be some unexpected benefits.
Just as Han Li finished speaking, the blood red pillar of light around Qingluan suddenly shrank inward before vanishing completely within seconds.
Everyone turned their gaze to him and saw that the cyan patterns on his skin were rapidly fading, eventually concentrating around his dantian and forming the image of his martial soul. After flickering a few times, it disappeared entirely.
Finally, Qingluan opened his eyes.
As soon as he did, he found everyone staring at him with intense curiosity, prompting him to chuckle wryly. "Stop staring. It worked. Someone help me up I'm completely exhausted."
The group was momentarily stunned before quickly rushing forward. Han Li didn't forget to take out a pre prepared medicinal pill and shove it into Qingluan's mouth.
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