He guided the energy from the spirit ring into his liver, condensing it anew.
From a ring-shaped form, it began reshaping into a soul vein—a conduit for channeling soul power.
Under the faint white glow, the Innate Pearl flickered steadily.
His internal flesh and blood repeatedly broke down and regenerated. His meridians tore apart, only to be reforged again.
"Pfft—"
Blood spilled from the corner of Lin Feng's mouth. Blue veins bulged on his forehead as his body trembled uncontrollably, yet his eyes shone with determination.
The gaseous form of the soul ring within him pulsed—expanding and contracting—as if struggling to return to its original ring shape.
But Lin Feng gave it no chance. Under the guidance of the Innate Pearl, he slowly dispersed the energy, wrapping it around his liver and forging a new internal node!
Ye Zixin stood stunned, unable to comprehend the transformation taking place inside the boy.
To her, Lin Feng's stomach looked like it held an inflating and deflating balloon—disturbingly abnormal—and blood occasionally leaked out.
Even Ling Yuan was pacing anxiously.
"Xiaofeng, should I heal you?"
"No... not now. Healing would disrupt the internal balance I'm forming."
Lin Feng spoke deliberately, word by word, then closed his eyes and focused fully on forging the first soul vein.
No one knew how much time had passed. The night faded away. A faint purple glow crept over the horizon as the light of dawn rose.
Dong—
A bell chimed within Lin Feng's body. He opened his eyes—utterly exhausted, yet incomparably clear-headed.
Qian Daoliu let out a long sigh of relief, smiled in satisfaction, and turned to leave for the Hall of Douluo.
At last, Lin Feng's body collapsed.
Whoosh—
Ling Yuan caught him in her arms. As she looked down at the youth in front of her, an overwhelming sense of admiration filled her heart.
It had been six hours since Lin Feng began forging his soul vein.
And for six uninterrupted hours, he had endured the agony of his flesh and soul veins breaking and regenerating.
Ling Yuan asked herself: if she were his age, could she have endured this?
If they had lived in the same generation, she would no doubt have been drawn to him.
"You did it… didn't you?"
Her voice trembled slightly as she gently wiped the blood and sweat from Lin Feng's body.
Lin Feng nodded slowly, barely able to move.
Once he confirmed it was safe to proceed, Ling Yuan let out a deep breath and signaled Ye Zixin.
Ye Zixin blinked as if waking from a dream and hurried forward to begin treatment.
Lin Feng, regaining a little strength, tried to sit up—only for Ling Yuan to press him down firmly.
He ended up resting on her lap.
"No moving! Lie still!"
Faced with the soft warmth right in front of him, Lin Feng's thoughts turned chaotic. He squirmed slightly, then gave up resisting and simply turned his face away.
"Don't pressure yourself too much. You're already doing more than enough. When it comes to theoretical breakthroughs like this, take your time."
Ling Yuan leaned down and spoke softly, gently caressing his face, her affection clear in every gesture.
Her warm breath caressed his cheek. Lin Feng gritted his teeth silently.
"Mmm…"
A low, satisfied hum escaped him.
Wrapped in softness, and with something distinctly... large pressing against the back of his head, Lin Feng found himself caught between embarrassment and bliss.
Ye Zixin gave them an odd look. From her angle, their position seemed... strange.
Especially with Ling Yuan leaning over him like that—it almost looked like...
Ye Zixin blushed. Maybe I've been reading too many romance novels lately…
Once Lin Feng's complexion returned to normal, Ling Yuan gave Ye Zixin a few quiet instructions and helped carry Lin Feng back to his room.
There was no worry of Ye Zixin leaking anything—she was assigned to him by Qian Daoliu himself, as a trusted healing soul master.
The two of them relaxed on a sofa.
"How's your body feeling?"
Lin Feng quietly examined himself.
"The first vital node has been completed. The soul ring has been transformed into a soul vein. I can already begin constructing internal soul power pathways."
"With the support of the Innate Pearl, I estimate that this single soul vein will enhance my cultivation speed by at least 20%."
Ling Yuan's eyes widened.
"The soul ring is gone?"
Lin Feng nodded and summoned the Innate Pearl.
Its glow remained steady, but the hundred-year yellow soul ring that once surrounded his martial spirit had vanished.
"This is…"
Lin Feng smiled faintly.
"No need to worry. It became a soul vein. I can still use my soul skill—Breath of Life."
White light shimmered in his hand, bringing with it a familiar sensation. Ling Yuan, almost instinctively, reached out and took his hand.
"It really works? That's incredible!"
Lin Feng looked down at their hands, puzzled. Why is she being so... affectionate today? She's not usually like this…
"Um... can you let go now, sis?"
Ling Yuan just shook her head. Seeing the flush creeping up his ears, her eyes sparkled with mischief.
"Nope. You haven't fully recovered. I need to monitor your condition closely."
Lin Feng's mouth twitched.
After a pause, he said:
"This first stage of research is complete. I can report it to the Grand Priest now. The path I'm exploring—even without transforming the soul ring—can still circulate normal soul power."
"Really?!"
Ling Yuan lit up. She knew how game-changing this could be. If Lin Feng wasn't just a special case—if this method could be generalized—it would send shockwaves through the soul master world.
"Yes. Though the effect is weaker—probably only a 5% increase in cultivation speed."
"That's still huge!"
Ling Yuan's heartbeat quickened. As someone who had broken through to Soul Douluo, she understood just how significant even a 5% boost could be.
Over a span of 100 years, it would be the equivalent of 105 years of training. That extra five years could be the edge needed for a breakthrough.
And Lin Feng was just getting started—this was only the beginning.
She looked at him, eyes full of anticipation.
"Xiaofeng~ teach me~"
Her voice was soft and playful—completely different from her usual composed tone—and it tugged directly at his heartstrings.
Lin Feng shivered. His mouth opened on its own:
"...Alright."
Ling Yuan smiled triumphantly. Looking at him, she felt an odd satisfaction—as if nurturing a future Emperor.
She closed her eyes and activated her soul power to explore the path he had opened. Lin Feng furrowed his brow, deep in thought.
There were three things he hadn't told her yet.
First, transforming a soul ring into a soul vein allowed it to be nourished by the Innate Pearl. As his soul power grew, the soul vein would grow with it.
This meant the original ring-based power could surpass its original age limit. In time, the strength of the soul vein could far exceed its starting point.
Second, the vital node built in his liver wasn't perfectly stable.
After all, this was an artificial path carved within the body. The soul ring's energy couldn't fully settle within the node.
To solve this, Lin Feng had two ideas:
Use a celestial herb from the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well to enhance his physical foundation and stabilize the soul vein.
Or, let time do the work—allowing the vein to slowly adapt and integrate. But this method was slow, and Lin Feng didn't like wasting time.
Third, when the soul ring shattered and was recondensed, Lin Feng gained profound insights into how soul rings were structured.
He began to suspect: maybe soul rings didn't have to come from soul beasts at all.
After all, deities could bestow god-given soul rings—those weren't made by killing beasts.
Maybe one day, the technique to self-condense soul rings could be fully unraveled.