After Yang Xiong took the inner cores of the ten Fierce Sun Snakes, he saw that the entire Hell Road seemed on the verge of collapsing. He had no time to think and dashed forward at full speed.
The farther he went, the higher the temperature rose, and the closer he drew to the Blood River. A red mist began to spread, and his entire body felt agitated, his mind gradually slipping out of control. Visibility dropped sharply.
After half an hour, the Hell Road and the Blood River were nearly level with each other. The surrounding heat surpassed that of ordinary flames,enough to roast the body of a normal Soul King alive.
Now completely engulfed in the red mist, Yang Xiong could feel that it carried a poison capable of affecting one's mind, even stronger than the bewitching power of the martial soul fusion skill used by Hu Liena and her brother.
Ahead, a white light appeared, like a shimmering portal. Yang Xiong knew this was the end of the Hell Road. Passing through it meant completing the trial and gaining the Killing God Domain.
But at that moment, he felt his body teetering on the edge of losing control,not the worst part. More importantly, his main martial soul seemed to be drawn toward the Blood River, as if they were connected in some way.
At his current speed, he could still reach the light gate before the Hell Road collapsed completely, even though every step he took left the path behind him crumbling.
The gate loomed closer,hundreds of meters shrinking to mere dozens.
But as he approached, the space shook violently, and the collapse quickened, as if its speed were tied to his distance from the gate.
It was then that hesitation flickered in his eyes.
On the Hell Road, the red poison mist and the beasts were already severe tests, but this final stretch was like being submerged in a sea of Shura's blood, on the verge of losing himself entirely.
The red mist surged into his body, rushing into his head, agitating his martial soul and even his spirit, making him feel dangerously close to losing his mind.
Just a few meters from the gate, Yang Xiong suddenly stopped. Ignoring the collapsing Hell Road, he leapt,straight into the Blood River.
This was his choice, one he made at the last instant, though perhaps it had been brewing in his mind for some time.
By his reckoning, after undergoing the Ice and Fire Body Tempering and years of intense training, as well as the influence of the killing aura in the City of Slaughter and Hell Road, his body felt on the verge of breaking through its limits.
Yet no matter how much he trained or studied the killing intent, his martial soul still seemed blocked by an invisible barrier.
He had always pursued the golden-level awakening of his main martial soul, and according to the rules of such awakenings, only in the space between life and death could one truly awaken,testing the limits of willpower.
The most dangerous moment in his life so far had been during the Ice and Fire Body Tempering, when he had truly thrown everything aside.
Now he wondered,could the poison of the Blood River be stronger than that of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well? Could its heat surpass the yang spring within it?
The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was formed from the corpse of the Ice and Fire Dragon King, whose waters could kill even a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, and the dragon itself had once been of god-king level.
His parents and loved ones were safe for now, having been given escape routes by him in advance.
At this moment, Yang Xiong only wanted to gamble,to shatter his limits and the shackles of his talent.
He knew clearly that compared to Tang San and Qian Renxue, he was at a great disadvantage.
Tang San had twin martial souls and could use the Clear Sky Hammer to quickly increase his strength after becoming a Title Douluo.
Qian Renxue had unparalleled talent and the Angel God's inheritance, allowing her to train faster through divine trials.
Although Yang Xiong believed his combat instincts were no weaker than theirs, after reaching Title Douluo, his cultivation speed would inevitably lag behind. The only way to close the gap was through relentless effort.
And with his martial soul drawn toward the Blood River, he sensed that this was his key to breaking through,a rare opportunity unmatched anywhere else in the world.
When he plunged into the river, the Hell Road's collapse suddenly froze, as if time had paused.
But the Blood River was far more terrifying than he had imagined. The instant he entered, it felt as if his entire body was melting.
Even after summoning his martial soul and turning silver from head to toe, his skin was stripped away in moments. Endless killing intent poured into his mind and bones, like facing an incomparably fearsome beast.
The pain was excruciating,his soul bones felt like they were melting. It was countless times worse than the Ice and Fire Body Tempering.
Even the silver giant in his mind was wrapped by the blood sea, his spiritual world on the verge of collapse.
Gritting his teeth, Yang Xiong knew he could not give up,one slip and he would be reduced to nothing but blood.
All his soul bones manifested, especially the hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor soul bone in his right leg, flooding him with life energy.
His bones seemed to link together, showing signs of fusion. The Xuanming Armor on his torso connected all the bones, forming a massive shell.
Amid unbearable pain, his eyes were filled with determination and ferocity.
He faintly saw a colossal blood-red figure, tens of thousands of meters tall, like a giant holding up the sky, exuding an aura that treated all life as ants.
Yang Xiong thought he saw a trace of disdain on the giant's lips. All seemed real yet unreal, and in the midst of the agony, he slowly lost consciousness, his body resisting on instinct alone.
In a waterfall somewhere in the Fasno Province,
After a year of intense training, Tang San could wield the Clear Sky Hammer with great mastery, even using the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique in reverse. When he unleashed all eighty-one strikes, the waterfall itself seemed split apart, and the falling droplets could not even reach the ground.
Since becoming a Soul King, Tang San had improved in every aspect, now at level fifty-four,already at the peak of an ordinary Soul King's body.
Tang Hao watched with satisfaction. Tang San's hammer mastery had progressed faster than when he trained with a wooden hammer. The Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique had reached perfection, rivaling Tang Hao's own level back in the day.
When Tang San stepped from the waterfall, he beamed. "Father, I've finally completed your test again. What's next?"
Tang Hao smiled faintly. "Little San, your speed is faster than I imagined. You're well-suited for the Clear Sky Hammer."
"All these years under the waterfall weren't just to train your technique, but to temper your body."
"Your teacher Yu Xiaogang and I have discussed this extensively. When I fought Bibi Dong back then, I was also trying to figure out how she cultivated twin martial souls."
"Our analysis concluded that the key to training twin martial souls is to hone the body to its utmost limit."
Tang San frowned. "Father, it can't be that simple. Though rare, there have been other twin martial souls in the past century,surely others thought of this?"
Tang Hao shook his head. "No, cultivation methods have always evolved slowly. The Spirit Hall and the upper three sects research cultivation far more deeply than the empires or small sects.
"In the past, it was rare to see Soul Kings at the continental tournament, but last time, Spirit Hall had three,proof that their research has advanced."
"You're only seventeen, already level fifty-four, and might reach Soul Emperor in three years. This speed is unprecedented, surpassing even my record for reaching Title Douluo."
Tang San asked, "So what's changed in cultivation? Is there a new meditation method?"
Tang Hao replied, "Not really. The method hasn't changed much, but the focus has shifted.
"In the past, cultivation was centered on meditation, with little emphasis on physical training. Now, the trend is to strengthen the body, since a strong physique speeds up meditation."
"I believe Bibi Dong overcame the twin martial soul rejection through an incredibly strong body, likely aided by a full set of high-quality, high-year soul bones. She probably has at least three hundred-thousand-year soul bones, with the rest over fifty-thousand years. Even I find that terrifying."
Tang San swallowed hard. He only had one head soul bone and an external mantis leg bone,true top-tier hundred-thousand-year bones were still far out of reach.
Tang Hao continued, "Normally, you'd be training your Blue Silver Grass through meditation, but I've made you focus entirely on the Clear Sky Hammer and physical conditioning,and your progress hasn't slowed. This proves my theory."
"So from now on, don't absorb just any soul bone. Only take ones of at least fifty-thousand years, preferably multiple hundred-thousand-year ones. That's the best way to overcome twin martial soul rejection."
"If even that doesn't work, I'll have no other answer."
Tang San nodded. "Thank you, Father. I'll train hard and overcome the twin martial soul problem. I will reach the peak of the soul master world."
Tang Hao looked pleased. He had poured immense effort into Tang San over the years.
Tang San then asked, "Father, my classmate Yang Xiong also focused heavily on body training. Could he have realized the same thing?"
Tang Hao nodded. "That Yang Xiong has a special martial soul and takes physical tempering very seriously. I think he's aiming for the same goal,otherwise, with an innate soul power of only level six, there's no way he could have kept up with you."
After a pause, Tang San asked, "So how will I train next?"
Tang Hao's face turned stern. "Little San, your combat sense and soul power training are excellent, but you lack one thing all true powerhouses must face,the test of life and death, and the baptism of blood."
As he spoke, Tang Hao's killing intent exploded outward, his figure like a massive blood-red giant. Tang San felt a chill to his bones, his soul power suppressed, his spirit trembling.
When Tang Hao withdrew his aura, Tang San slowly recovered.
"Next, I'll take you to a special place. It's deadly dangerous but will grant you great gains. Only by surviving such trials can you become truly strong."
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