No matter what Ye Lingling thought, Dugu Feng soon left the Ye residence.
He sensed the situation at Blue Tyrant Academy.
Zhu Zhuqing had already broken through to the Soul Ancestor rank, reaching level 41.
Tang San and Xiao Wu had each gained another level, reaching level 36.
Tang San was doing well, cultivating quite quickly.
As for the others—Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun—they were all progressing steadily in their cultivation, with their Soul Power Levels rising.
After briefly observing them, Dugu Feng left Heaven Dou City.
He returned to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
Having obtained the Wisdom Head Bone, Dugu Feng's confidence in fusing with the Overlord Venom had reached its peak.
His conditions were truly exceptional.
With three External Soul Bones, one right leg bone, one head bone, plus the Core Pearl, and having consumed two Immortal Herbs—everything was in place. Dugu Feng couldn't wait to cultivate to the Soul King rank!
This time, he vowed not to leave the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well until he became a Soul King.
Dugu Feng expertly made his way to the vicinity of the Blazing Apricot Delight.
This Immortal Herb, containing the highest-grade fire poison, looked like a fiery red cabbage.
A faint red glow enveloped the "cabbage," a light infused with deadly poison—just a trace of it could reduce a Soul Ancestor-level Soul Master to nothing but bones.
But for Dugu Feng, this red glow was the very thing he sought to conquer.
With his experience refining the Eight-Angle Black Ice Herb, Dugu Feng smoothly extended his Eight Spider Lances into the Blazing Apricot Delight's ten-meter attack range.
This action immediately provoked a counterattack from the herb.
The red glow spread, and the fire poison surged through the Eight Spider Lances, enveloping Dugu Feng in its deadly embrace.
Pain struck!
Dugu Feng began his battle against the fire poison.
With every trace of fire poison he refined, the scorching energy within was absorbed by him.
This fiery energy continuously accumulated in his meridians, bones, and External Soul Bones, gradually tempering his physique.
Dugu Feng immersed himself in the process, rapidly increasing his strength.
The tenacious willpower forged through years of cultivation gave him an unyielding determination—he would not stop until he succeeded.
Step by step, he closed the ten-meter distance.
If he used the Slaughter God Domain, he could approach the Blazing Apricot Delight much faster.
But the fire-attribute energy in his body was inherently weaker than his ice-attribute energy.
His comprehension of fire poison was also far from sufficient.
Only after solidifying his foundation would he rely on the shortcut of the Slaughter God Domain to claim the Blazing Apricot Delight.
Otherwise, even if he forcibly uprooted the herb with external means, he wouldn't be able to wield a fire poison domain as effectively as he could with the Frost Poison Domain from the Eight-Angle Black Ice Herb.
Outside the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, the energy core for activating the fire poison domain would be his own body.
He needed to contain an immense amount of fire poison energy within himself.
A month passed, and Dugu Feng advanced fifty centimeters.
Three months passed, and through sheer physical endurance, he reached within nine meters of the Blazing Apricot Delight.
Seven months passed, and his Soul Power rose to level 49.
This invigorated Dugu Feng even more.
"Soul King… I'm almost at Soul King!"
Dugu Feng continued his cultivation.
Outside, the discussions and rumors about the Soul Master Competition finally died down.
This year's competition had caused a massive uproar due to the consecutive deaths—especially those of high-status Soul Masters.
The emergence of Martial Soul Fusion Skills and Seven-in-One Fusion Skills during the Soul Duel, along with Gem Academy's unexpected championship victory, were all topics that could cause a stir.
The Spirit Master World was bustling with excitement after a long lull.
Gem Academy became an overnight sensation.
Seizing the opportunity, Old Snake recruited over three hundred students and more than fifty teachers.
They also managed to attract some graduates from previous years of the Five Element Academy.
Soul Masters like Zhang Jingyang, who had participated in the Soul Master Competition, became the backbone of Gem Academy.
However, Old Snake's actions were discreet and low-key.
All the Soul Masters who joined the academy focused on cultivation, researching Martial Souls, and training students within the academy.
Thus, it didn't cause much of a disturbance.
After all, it was normal for a Soul Master academy to recruit students and teachers—especially one that had just won a championship.
The Dugu Family's expansion took a solid step forward, and Gem Academy itself settled into a period of consolidation.
Other factions also seemed to be quietly building their strength.
The Spirit Master World returned to its usual calm.
Dugu Feng paid no attention to the outside clamor or Gem Academy's development.
His focus was solely on cultivation.
In the blink of an eye, another half a year passed.
"My Soul Power has advanced again—Level 50. It's been a while since I cultivated for such a long stretch in one go. Feels great!
Truly exhilarating!"
Dugu Feng's eyes gleamed with clarity.
"Now's the time to seize you in one go!
It's been over a year. I've gotten to know you, and you've gotten to know me. Let me say the same thing I told the Eight-Angle Black Ice Herb—follow me, and I'll give you opportunities to grow further in the future!"
Dugu Feng stared at the Blazing Apricot Delight.
The Blazing Apricot Delight remained shrouded in red light, unmoved.
By its instincts, it would never submit to a Two-Horned Beast unless faced with a life-or-death crisis.
Dugu Feng no longer held back. The Slaughter God Domain erupted from his body.
The Asura Slaughter Formation began to rotate.
The razor-sharp Killing Intent blades sliced open a path through the fiery poison ahead.
Dugu Feng strode forward through the poison.
Step by step, he reached the Blazing Apricot Delight and ruthlessly yanked the entire fiery-red plant from the ground.
What followed was identical to what had happened with the Eight-Angle Black Ice Herb. Faced with the threat of withering, the Blazing Apricot Delight quickly surrendered.
Having subdued both Immortal Herbs, Dugu Feng was very satisfied.
Threads of scorching and icy energy continuously merged into his body.
The poison was absorbed by his Crab Claw and Eight Spider Lances.
The energy was absorbed by his meridians and bones.
Every moment, the two Immortal Herbs subjected his body to the tempering of ice and fire.
After just a short while of cultivation, Dugu Feng realized the immense benefits this had on his body.
Using the two Immortal Herbs as conduits, he was continuously channeling the dual energies of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well into his body—wasn't this precisely ice-fire body tempering?
Perfect for one final boost to his physical strength before the next step.
That Man-faced Demon Spider had a cultivation of forty thousand years—absorbing its Spirit Ring wouldn't be easy.
Indeed, his target for the Fifth Soul Ring had already been decided.
For his Fifth Soul Ring, he would hunt a spider-type Spirit Beast from the Jade Scale Five Poisons.
There was no need to deliberate—it had to be the Man-faced Demon Spider.
With his Eight Spider Lances, absorbing the Man-faced Demon Spider's Spirit Ring would further promote their evolution.
Energy of the same origin and nature could greatly enhance the quality of his Soul Bone.
And the Eight Spider Lances had the potential to evolve to a divine level in the future.
Moreover, in terms of poison potency—
The Man-faced Demon Spider's venom was just as formidable, not inferior to that of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent, Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, Nine Heavens Dragon Centipede, or Zhu Jing Bing Chan.
It was the most suitable Spirit Beast.
Hunting a 40,000-year-old Spirit Beast for his Fifth Soul Ring—Dugu Feng was being quite bold.
The 40,000-year-old Man-faced Demon Spider was the highest-aged spider-type Spirit Beast in the Sunset Forest.
As for those with lower ages, Dugu Feng disdained to absorb them.
"The effects are at their best right after undergoing the Ice-Fire Body Tempering. After one more month of tempering, I'll hunt the Man-faced Demon Spider and advance to Soul King!"
Dugu Feng made his decision.
Red and white light shimmered across his body as he resumed his cultivation.
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