Four Soul Skills suitable for me? Li Xun became intrigued.
He naturally knew about Huo Yuhao's four Soul Skills, but he hadn't expected that Sky Dream Iceworm still had the energy to make some adjustments.
"Hehe!" Sky Dream Iceworm circled around Li Xun in his Spiritual Sea of Consciousness, brimming with pride. "Just at the moment of fusion, I studied your second Martial Soul. Although this Martial Soul has a rule-like innate talent, its flaws are also quite apparent."
"Fortunately, my energy is vast, and it would be a waste to let the excess dissipate, so I forcibly used this energy to make some fine adjustments. How about it? Isn't this nearly million-year-old Soul Beast impressive?"
"First, I've given you three skills: Mental Detection, Mental Sharing, and Mental Interference."
"The fourth is Mental Lock. It uses spiritual power to mark an enemy, so even if you retract your detection skill, you can still sense their location and launch precise attacks."
Li Xun stroked his chin. Aside from the fourth skill, the others weren't much different from the original, except that Mental Impact had been replaced. Still, without an omniscient perspective, Sky Dream had done remarkably well.
Moreover, his own spiritual power wasn't weak, and with the amplification from the Azure Silver King Skull, the first three skills could indeed provide him with some assistance.
More importantly, through Sky Dream, he had gained a more detailed understanding of his second Martial Soul: Martial Soul Reconstruction.
Opening his eyes, Li Xun stared at the delicate ice needle in his hand, lost in thought. After weighing it in his palm, he aimed at a direction, and the ice needle instantly shot out, transforming into a white streak that vanished from sight.
With Sky Dream's enhancement, Li Xun's spiritual power could detect farther, and the feedback was even more detailed.
He easily located the ice needle on a tree a kilometer away, and this was without using his full strength.
Not only that, but after Sky Dream Iceworm's modifications, his originally attribute-less second Martial Soul had undergone a change. The ice needle emitted a faint chill that spread outward, and the tree began to frost over at a visible rate.
Nodding in satisfaction, it seemed that choosing Sky Dream as the first Spirit Ring for his second Martial Soul was indeed the right decision.
If he had simply hunted for a Spirit Ring through brute force, he might have missed out on many things.
Standing up, Li Xun gave Sword Douluo a reassuring glance before slowly walking over to the Yin Yang Well.
It had been a long time since he last visited this place. The Immortal Herb roots he had left behind had already sprouted tender shoots.
The Blue Silver Emperor, nurtured by the unique environment here, had grown to about five meters tall, and even the Blue Silver King was thriving.
...…
In recent years, the Heaven Dou Empire had flourished, primarily due to the empire's suppression of crimes committed by Soul Masters, which had led to a more stable living environment for ordinary citizens.
Since ancient times, the Soul Master community had relied on their martial prowess to assert dominance. In everyone's minds, becoming a Soul Master meant escaping poverty. If they didn't have something, they would take it by force. Land annexation, robbing merchant caravans, and abducting women—such incidents were all too common.
However, these acts had always been perpetrated by those at the lower rungs of society, while the lofty nobles and emperors turned a blind eye.
The empire simply couldn't afford to provoke the Soul Masters, nor could it stand against them.
Since the Crown Prince ascended the throne and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School became the empire's guardian sect, such petty and corrupt practices have significantly decreased.
First, new laws were enacted, treating commoners and Soul Masters equally. Later, the Xunyang Pavilion blacklist was widely publicized. Now, anyone on this list would be subject to local investigations, and if any criminal records were found, they would be sent to prison.
However, such measures inevitably caused dissatisfaction among certain groups. But given the sheer size of the empire and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, they could only choose to remain silent.
Some extreme Soul Masters, while cursing loudly, fled to the more liberal Star Luo Empire. Naturally, Heaven Dou didn't care much about this. After all, these Soul Masters didn't contribute much to the country, and their departure reduced crime rates and oppression.
But some ambitious Soul Masters were not willing to accept this.
At some point, rumors about Slaughter City began to spread across the continent. It was said to be a place of complete freedom, where crimes went unpunished, making it the most open place on the continent.
Qian Renxue gazed at the angel statue on her desk. She was promoting the worship of this deity in the Heaven Dou Empire, and the results were surprisingly smooth.
Although people didn't understand why they should worship the same god as the Spirit Hall, most didn't resist. Qian Renxue believed that if she persisted, the Angel God would inevitably become the continent's sole deity.
"Your Majesty?"
A call interrupted Qian Renxue's vision of the future. She turned to see Li Xun and Ning Fengzhi. "Teacher, where were we?"
"I was wondering if you have any intention of returning to the Spirit Hall?" Ning Fengzhi tentatively asked.
"Teacher, rest assured, I have no such plans. I believe that if the empire continues to develop this way, merging the Spirit Hall into Heaven Dou might not be a bad choice."
Qian Renxue smiled playfully. "The Pope already holds significant power. If I were to hand Heaven Dou over to her, who knows what might happen?"
"Besides, the Spirit Hall should rightfully be inherited by me. Why should I willingly give up my power to her?"
Qian Renxue closed her eyes, recalling the whispers she had heard from within the Spirit Hall. "Let her and that Huliena play their little game of Pope and pretend!"
It seems power truly changes people. Li Xun and Ning Fengzhi exchanged a knowing glance.
However, Bibidong's actions were indeed questionable. The Spirit Hall had always been passed down through the lineage. Even if she didn't want to acknowledge Qian Renxue as her daughter, what did it mean to intend to pass the position of Pope to an outsider? Although Bibidong hadn't announced it yet, the Spirit Hall insiders were already aware of her intentions.
No wonder Qian Renxue was now overthinking. If Qiandao Liu were to die, and Bibidong took the position of Great Enshrinement while Huliena inherited the Pope's throne, where would that leave Qian Renxue, the rightful heir, within the Spirit Hall?
Although these were just internal whispers for now, such things don't arise out of thin air. Qian Renxue naturally understood this.
"Since Your Majesty has no plans to return to the Spirit Hall, we in Heaven Dou must prepare early."
Ning Fengzhi pondered for a moment, then spoke in a low voice. "You know what the Spirit Hall plans to do next. If they manage to take over Star Luo, the advantages you currently hold will be greatly diminished."
"I suggest that Heavenly Dou should strike first. This way, no matter what the future holds, the initiative will always be in your hands."
"Moreover, in the past two months, Star Luo has been vigorously expanding its factories to manufacture military armaments. I suspect that after the Clear Sky Sect joined the Star Luo Empire, Tang San taught the Star Luo royal family the methods of crafting hidden weapons."
"Currently, the most elite Blacksmith Association on the continent is in Star Luo. Given time, the weapons they produce could pose a significant threat to our Heavenly Dou."
At this point, Ning Fengzhi's eyes gleamed with intensity, and a commanding aura naturally emanated from him: "The Spirit Hall's plan will take at least three more years. I believe Heavenly Dou should take advantage of this time to conquer Star Luo before the Pope Crown takes action. At the very least, we should tear off a large piece of their territory."
(End of Chapter)