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After Wang Kun left, Xue Tianxing did not stay for long and went straight to the area where Shui Bing'er and others were in seclusion to absorb soul bones and immortal herbs.
He found a pavilion near the retreat room where several people were sitting and sat down, patiently waiting for them to finish absorbing.
The sunlight shines into the pavilion through the gaps in the leaves, and the air is filled with faint fluctuations of soul power, which is the breath emitted by several people when they absorb soul bones and immortal herbs.
Time passed little by little, and near noon, the doors of the rooms where Shui Bing'er, Dugu Yan, Oscar, Ning Rongrong, and Shui Yue'er were in seclusion began to open one after another.
The first one to come out was Shui Bing'er. The icy blue soul energy fluctuations around her were even more intense than before. There was a hint of fatigue on her face, but she couldn't hide the joy in her eyes:
"Tianxing, I've achieved a breakthrough and am now a level 47 Soul Master. I've also gained a new soul skill, the 'Ice Phoenix Freezing Formation,' which can freeze enemies in a large area. My defense and control are much stronger."
Soon after, Dugu Yan also came out; her spirit power aura increased significantly:
"I'm now level 48. My new soul skill, 'Green Phosphorus Poison Field,' can continuously release poisonous mist. Not only is it more toxic, but it can also slowly weaken the enemy's soul power. Combined with my previous soul skills, my combat effectiveness has increased by at least 30%."
Oscar followed closely behind, his face full of excitement:
"I'm level 42! My new soul skill, 'Recovery Sausage - Extreme,' restores my energy twice as fast as before, and also temporarily boosts my energy recovery. From now on, I'll be able to provide even better support during your battles!"
Ning Rongrong and Shui Yue'er also came out one after another. Ning Rongrong said with a smile:
"I'm now level 36. My new soul skill adds a layer of resilience to everyone's defense, making it even harder to break. Yue'er is also level 36. Her new soul skill, 'Water Dragon Break,' has much stronger attack power than before and can even penetrate enemy defenses."
Xue Tianxing looked at the excited expressions of the five people and felt sincerely happy for them.
After the five people absorbed the ten thousand-year soul bones, their soul power increased by one or two levels. They also obtained powerful soul skills that were suitable for their own martial souls, and their overall strength was greatly enhanced.
Dugu Bo did not let Dugu Yan absorb the fifty-thousand-year soul bone. Dugu Bo did not want Dugu Yan to absorb two soul bones in a short period of time to quickly improve her soul power, so he asked Dugu Yan to wait until she had practiced and adapted for a period of time after absorbing the ten thousand-year soul bone before absorbing the fifty thousand-year soul bone.
Next, everyone waited for Cao Qing outside the pavilion.
Cao Qing not only has to absorb the immortal grass, but also has to fuse the soul bones left by his parents, which takes longer than others.
While everyone was chatting about their insights after absorbing the soul bones, they would occasionally look towards the room where Cao Qing was in seclusion, their eyes full of anticipation.
As evening approached, the setting sun dyed the sky orange-red, and the door of Cao Qing's retreat room finally slowly opened.
Xue Tianxing took a look for the first time and saw that the fluctuations of Cao Qing's soul power were steady and strong. It was no longer the previous level 39, but had steadily broken through to the 40th level of the Soul Sect!
More importantly, a shield spirit was floating in front of Cao Qing. The surface of the shield was no longer the previous mysterious light pattern, but had tortoise shell-like patterns on it, and it also faintly exuded a heavy and majestic aura of a divine beast.
"My martial spirit... has evolved!"
Cao Qing walked up to Xue Tianxing, his voice trembling slightly, his eyes full of excitement and gratitude.
He bowed deeply to Xue Tianxing, his tone extremely solemn:
"Your Highness, thank you! After I absorbed the immortal grass you gave me, my martial spirit's Xuanguang Shield not only became stronger, but also evolved into an Xuanwu Shield. With the addition of the aura of the mythical beast Xuanwu, my defense capability has at least doubled!"
"If it weren't for you, I would have died outside of Soto City long ago, and I wouldn't have been able to achieve the martial spirit evolution and soul power breakthrough I have today!"
Xue Tianxing smiled and helped Cao Qing up. He carefully examined his basalt shield and nodded.
"Indeed, the Black Tortoise Shield is much stronger than the Black Light Shield. From now on, you will be our team's most solid defensive barrier. Moreover, you have just broken through level 40. Once you absorb the fourth soul ring, your soul power will surge, and your strength will reach another level.
Cao Qing nodded heavily, his eyes full of determination:
"Don't worry, Your Highness. I will definitely find a suitable fourth spirit ring as soon as possible, improve my strength, and protect Your Highness and the team!"
In the setting sun, everyone gathered together, their faces filled with joyful smiles.
Xue Tianxing looked at Cao Qing's excitement after breaking through to the Soul Sect, and suddenly an idea came to his mind:
Cao Qing had just joined the team, so he took the opportunity to help him hunt the fourth soul ring to let everyone fight together and develop a tacit understanding in advance.
After all, when participating in the Continental Soul Master Competition, the seven of them need to work closely together to unleash their strongest strength. They can't just practice behind closed doors all the time. Actual combat is the best way to improve their tacit understanding.
Then, Xue Tianxing said to everyone:
"Cao Qing has now officially joined our team. We will all be participating in the Soul Master Competition together, so it's important to build chemistry and rapport beforehand.
Moreover, Cao Qing needs to hunt for the fourth soul ring, so why don't we go to the Star Dou Great Forest together and help him find a suitable soul beast?
This will not only allow Cao Qing to successfully break through, but also allow everyone to become familiar with each other's spirit skills in actual combat, increasing team coordination, killing two birds with one stone."
"Okay!" Shui Bing'er was the first to nod in agreement. "We'll all be teammates from now on. Hunting souls together allows us to look after each other and practice at the same time. It's definitely more interesting than training in the palace."
Duguyan, Oscar, and others also echoed:
"We're fine! This is a good opportunity to test our strength after absorbing the soul bones and see if the new soul skills can be used in actual combat."
Cao Qing was deeply moved and quickly thanked everyone. Being able to get help from everyone in the team, his sense of belonging to this group deepened.
The next morning, Xue Tianxing came to the palace hall and explained to Xuezhe his idea of taking the team to the Xingdou Great Forest to help Cao Qing hunt soul rings.
Xuezhe did not agree immediately, but frowned slightly - the siege incident a while ago was still vivid in his mind, and he was worried that everyone would be in danger again.
But on second thought, strong people are never cultivated in a greenhouse. Xue Tianxing and the others need actual combat training to truly grow.
Finally, Xuezhe nodded, but added:
"You may go, but you cannot act alone. I will send two Soul Saints to accompany you as guards.
But don't worry, they won't interfere with your battle and will only take action when your life is in danger.
This will ensure your safety and won't affect your actual combat training."
Xue Tianxing felt warm in his heart, realizing that his father was worried about their safety.
With two Soul Saints here, even if we encounter a siege team like last time, we may not be able to win, but at least we will have enough time to evacuate, and our safety will be greatly improved.