"Go on, go cultivate now!" Dugu Shuo waved his hand dismissively.
"Yes, Father!" Dugu Feng bowed respectfully before quickly exiting the ancestral hall.
The Core Pearl within his dantian was already in violent turmoil.
With his Spirit Awakening, the Soul Power in his body flowed rapidly through his meridians, wisps of energy continuously pouring into the Core Pearl.
The egg-sized Core Pearl trembled violently.
Just as he was about to return to his room, his vision blurred.
Another identical Core Pearl appeared beside the original one.
The two pearls were of equal size.
But their energy had reduced to one-third of its original volume, while its quality had significantly improved.
Dugu Feng's mind reeled - so this was how his Core Pearl evolved when reaching full capacity.
Would this mean he could eventually have two, four, even eight pearls in the future?
The Core Pearls had endless miraculous uses. With increasing numbers, why would he ever fear poison outbreaks again?
I'll create Core Pearls like crazy! Dugu Feng laughed inwardly.
The pearls could even control people - hadn't Dugu Bo used them to control Tang San?
Hehe, this was going to be fun.
Entering his room, Dugu Feng sat cross-legged and began cultivating his Soul Power.
Old Snake had long taught him cultivation methods. With his Innate Full Soul Power, the energy in his body was nearly overflowing.
He could sense it effortlessly.
When he focused his mind into his Martial Soul, Soul Power began circulating through all his meridians.
Wisp after wisp of natural energy was drawn into his body.
Strengthening the Soul Power within his channels.
Perhaps due to the Core Pearl's nourishment, his meridians were exceptionally resilient, with even the finest pathways now unblocked.
Soul Power flowed smoothly.
Each complete circulation increased his energy slightly, but all was absorbed by the Core Pearls.
With Innate Full Soul Power, he could only increase his power after obtaining Spirit Rings.
All cultivated energy now benefited the two pearls.
Time became meaningless. When Dugu Feng finally felt slight fatigue in his meridians, he immediately stopped.
This was his limit - pushing further would be counterproductive.
Yet the two Core Pearls showed almost no visible energy increase.
While their size remained unchanged, the quality of their energy had improved significantly.
Filling the pearls to capacity again for further evolution wouldn't be easy - it would require long, sustained effort.
Finishing cultivation, Dugu Feng stood up and headed to the training grounds.
Dugu Shuo had given him one month to master energy circulation.
This wasn't just for cultivation - combat applications were more crucial.
In battle, Soul Power flowed fastest.
Though he hadn't obtained Spirit Rings yet, he could still use Soul Power to enhance his attacks.
"Young Master, for you!" Suddenly, a figure dropped from a tree canopy.
None other than Little Snake.
He held out a short sword.
Dugu Feng startled - Little Snake was becoming increasingly elusive. He hadn't sensed any presence at all.
At Soul Power level 10, with his Core Pearl-enhanced body, his senses should be exceptionally sharp.
Yet he'd failed to detect Little Snake.
This demonstrated how perfectly the boy had concealed himself in the foliage - no breath, no body heat, truly a born assassin.
Taking the short sword, Dugu Feng noted its remarkably compact design.
The sword was only three-tenths of an inch wide, six and four-tenths inches long, with a hilt measuring three and four-tenths inches—roughly the length of his forearm including his palm.
"This is to train your Soul Power control. You must channel Soul Power onto the sword to attack!" Little Snake said solemnly.
Dugu Feng immediately understood.
Following Little Snake, he arrived before an ancient tree as thick as a waist. Countless sword marks marred its surface, clearly the result of frequent practice strikes.
"There's only one sword technique we need to master—the Serpent's Belly Sword."
"The inspiration comes from how a snake propels itself forward by pressing its belly against the ground."
"The sword doesn't need to deliver a powerful strike—just break the skin, and the poison will do the rest!" As Little Snake spoke, an identical short sword appeared in his hand.
With a slight tremor in his figure, Dugu Feng saw only a flash of steel before a white dot appeared on the tree. Little Snake had already retreated several steps.
"Strike and retreat. Once the enemy is poisoned, just wait for them to die. Don't let their death throes catch you!" Little Snake's gaze was icy, as if the ancient tree before him were a real enemy.
The sword was the weapon, but the true killing blow was the poison.
Dugu Feng gripped the sword in his right hand, Soul Power surging from his meridians to envelop the blade.
In his mind, he visualized the movement of a Jade Scale Serpent—its head raised, body coiled, belly pressed to the ground. With a single flex and release, its entire body would spring forward like a coiled spring, impossibly fast.
The moment it touched the ground, it would rebound again.
Often, it would close the distance like lightning, delivering a single fatal bite before the prey even realized what had happened.
Thud!
After a single strike, Dugu Feng scrambled backward.
His hand ached from the recoil.
He'd forgotten to disperse the force!
Strike and retreat—the technique required redirecting momentum to facilitate a swift withdrawal.
On his next attempt, Dugu Feng found it much easier.
His Soul Power flowed rapidly through his body, enhancing his agility. With precise mental control over every muscle, the exercise became far simpler—this was the advantage of Soul Power.
Moreover, in that heightened state of combat readiness, the speed of his Soul Power circulation had more than doubled.
Normally, Soul Power moved through his meridians like a slow river. But in battle, it roared like a raging torrent.
The difference was night and day.
"Young Master, your speed is too fast. Could your physical strength surpass mine?" Little Snake was visibly shocked.
He rarely spoke this much unless utterly astonished.
Dugu Feng was taller and more robust than him—a matter of bloodline.
A leaner frame was better suited for assassination, but Little Snake had never considered himself inferior.
He believed that despite his slight build, his bone density, meridian resilience, and years of muscle training—combined with his Soul Power level—made him superior to the young master.
Yet just now, though Dugu Feng's sword technique was still unrefined, his speed was undeniably swift.
What Little Snake didn't know was that Dugu Feng's body had been tempered by the Core Pearl—a treasure typically possessed only by Titled Douluo.
For a six-year-old child, the effects were nothing short of extraordinary.
Dugu Feng remained silent, his expression inscrutable. He offered no explanation.
Outside the training grounds, Dugu Shuo murmured, "After surviving the deaths of so many, you truly are exceptional. Enduring two years of serpent venom torture from age four to six—your talent is beyond ordinary."
Innate Full Soul Power—as long as one doesn't die, they can cultivate without hindrance all the way to Titled Douluo.
But the world is growing increasingly unstable. Surviving won't be easy.
Next year will be the Six Great Clans' competition. Everyone wants a bite of the fat piece left behind by the Clear Sky Sect, but it'll depend on whose teeth are sharp enough.
"Feng'er, you'll surely shine brilliantly!"
Dugu Shuo smirked coldly.