Tang Lan spoke with logic and reason.
However—
Chen Xin still had doubts!
"Then how do you explain that moment of sudden enlightenment and breaking through a bottleneck?" he couldn't help but ask.
"It's simple—soul ascension."
Tang Lan answered fluently—
"A person's soul generally cannot be cultivated; it can only grow naturally, break through, or increase when absorbing soul rings."
"Enlightenment is when one perceives the laws of heaven and earth, allowing one's soul to resonate with them and thus strengthen."
"The bottleneck is naturally broken."
Wait…
It could be explained like this?
Chen Xin wanted to find a point to refute but found his mind blank.
—After all, he was a sword wielder. How could he understand such theories?
"So, according to you, what I'm lacking is soul level?" Chen Xin asked doubtfully. "Then how does the Nine Yang Divine Skill's muscle-cleansing and marrow-washing allow me to break through?"
Tang Lan did not answer directly but asked another question instead—
"Sword Uncle, why does enhancing the body also raise the upper limit of soul rings?"
Chen Xin answered without hesitation, "What kind of question is that? The body and soul rings are inherently interconnected."
He froze!
Then, in a flash of understanding, he blurted out, "The upper limit of the soul, just like soul power, is also restricted by the body?"
Tang Lan nodded in confirmation.
This was a principle he had only comprehended after his Blue Silver Domain awakened three times and, with the help of extreme life attributes, allowed him to see through this truth.
"The soul, like soul power, is constrained by the body, but it can also be refined and compressed."
"When one comprehends the world, the quality of the soul improves."
"Just like compressed soul power, when space is freed up, more can be accommodated."
"The bottleneck is then broken."
Chen Xin suddenly felt enlightened!
Applying this knowledge, he deduced, "So, I don't necessarily have to be fixated on the comprehension of the sword. Even if I understand other 'Daos,' as long as I resonate with heaven and earth, I can break through?"
Tang Lan nodded in agreement but then shook his head.
Chen Xin was confused.
What do you mean?
Tang Lan explained, "The principle is correct, but Sword Uncle, you've been dealing with the sword all your life. Comprehending the Sword Dao is the easiest path for you."
"If you switch paths midway, you would have to start from scratch, and you might still end up stuck."
Chen Xin suddenly understood!
He gave Tang Lan a thumbs-up.
"As expected of the one who wrote the Tang Sect Encyclopedia. I have learned a great deal."
Methods to enhance comprehension were difficult to find.
However, ways to enhance the soul—though rare—still existed.
With this line of thought open—
Level 97 seemed almost within reach, as if he could grasp it with his fingers.
But Chen Xin calmed his excitement.
He couldn't be impatient!
Once he perfected the second level of the Nine Yang Divine Skill, he would naturally break through.
Forcing a breakthrough with external help might damage his foundation—it was best left as a last resort.
"Then, Little Lan, can you explain the thought process behind self-created soul skills?" Chen Xin asked again.
He was immensely curious!
Tang Lan and Tang San churned out self-created soul skills like they were free.
In fact—
Tang Lan had actually pondered this before.
"Whether it's a self-created soul skill or a soul skill, at its core, it's all about the application of soul power."
"I divide the nature of soul power into two aspects: attributes and form."
"Attributes are easy to understand—wind, fire, lightning, etc."
"But form is the real key to developing self-created soul skills."
Tang Lan opened his palm.
Fiery-red inner power surfaced in his palm, spinning clockwise into a small vortex.
"Soul power is originally formless and intangible. It is our thoughts that give it shape."
"Now, I make the soul power spin—it gains a cutting force like a wind blade."
"But soul power itself isn't solid, so its damage is limited."
"So if we find a way to make soul power 'harder,' a self-created cutting-type soul skill is born."
Chen Xin furrowed his brows in thought.
Was it…
That simple?
Due to fixed ways of thinking, he had never considered this before.
However—
Chen Xin gathered soul power in his hands, condensing the sword energy of the Seven Kill Sword.
Following Tang Lan's suggestion, he made it spin clockwise.
—
The sword energy transformed into a crescent moon, slicing through the air with a piercing shriek.
This…
Did he just create a self-created soul skill?
"Congratulations, Sword Uncle, on creating a new soul skill." Tang Lan smiled. "Just from looking at it, I'd say it has the power of a six-ring Soul Emperor."
Chen Xin chuckled and dissipated the sword energy.
As a Title Douluo, did he care about such minor power?
However, this thought process—this way of developing techniques—was priceless!
He scrutinized Tang Lan closely.
To the point that Tang Lan felt uncomfortable—he suspected Chen Xin wanted to dissect him!
"The brains of young people really are something else!" Chen Xin sighed. "I'm getting old… I should listen to the voices of the young more often."
He then turned away, lost in deep thought.
Tang Lan breathed a sigh of relief.
But deep inside, alarm bells rang in his mind!
——The theories he just presented were a little too monstrous.
After all…
He was only 13 years old.
How could he possibly know so much?
Just now, Chen Xin was probably doubting this as well.
But as an elder, a partner, and considering that Tang Lan had a "half-master's grace" to him—
He chose to ignore it.
——Everyone has their own secrets, and that is his bottom line.
Tang Lan reflected inwardly.
His recent progress had been too fast—he was getting carried away.
Riding the high winds of success was a dangerous taboo; he absolutely couldn't let it happen again!
He was about to shift his attention by chatting more with Zhu Zhuqing—
When he suddenly noticed—
Zhu Zhuqing was looking at him with bright, sparkling eyes.
——Just now, Tang Lan had been way too cool!
Though Zhu Zhuqing had a cold personality, she was still an 11-year-old girl. There was no way she could resist the dazzling brilliance of Tang Lan.
It was a pleasant surprise.
At the same time—
Tang Lan also finally understood how Yu Xiaogang had managed to capture the hearts of Bibi Dong and Liu Erlong back then.
It all boiled down to one thing—knowing how to act cool!
An hour later—
The three of them arrived over Sunset Forest.
As one of the three great soul beast forests, the quality of soul beasts in Sunset Forest was far inferior to that of Star Dou Forest.
Most of them were in the thousand-year to ten-thousand-year range.
There were few beyond ten thousand years.
There was no helping it.
After all, this place was close to Heaven Dou City. Years of unrestrained hunting by soul masters had resulted in its current state.
"Tsk."
"Not understanding ecological conservation… the future generations will just have to suffer for it."
Tang Lan sighed in lament.
He then signaled Chen Xin to descend, activating his Blue Silver Domain to communicate with the Blue Silver Grass—though soul beasts were scarce, Blue Silver Grass still covered the entire forest.
A vast amount of information flooded back.
Very quickly, Tang Lan gained a rough understanding of Sunset Forest.
"Zhuqing, how many years are you aiming for?" Tang Lan asked.
"3,500 years!" Zhu Zhuqing answered without hesitation. "Didn't you say last time that was the limit?"
This little girl had quite the ambition.
"That's not the case anymore," Tang Lan corrected. "My martial soul has evolved again. Now, I can control anything below the ten-thousand-year level—so long as you're not directly blown apart when absorbing the soul ring."
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes lit up!
She stared straight at Tang Lan.
Tang Lan didn't keep her in suspense.
"With your current physique, 4,300 years is your new limit."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded.
"Then I'll go for 4,300 years!"
Hearing their conversation, Chen Xin was somewhat stunned.
A normal person's fourth soul ring was at most 5,000 years.
Yet her third soul ring was already 4,300 years?
(End of Chapter)