Chapter 87: The Purification and the Breakthrough
Xiao Qiang rejected Yu Mengdi without any hesitation.
As long as Mu Qingxue successfully fused with a soul, she could immediately reach the level of an Eight-Ring Soul Douluo. With her talent, advancing to Titled Douluo wouldn't take long either.
Moreover, if the soul she fused with was Fiery Apricot, then according to Le Zhengyu's words in Legend of the Dragon King, her angel martial soul would directly acquire the attribute of Ultimate Fire. This meant that in the upcoming competition, Xiao Qiang would gain another Titled Douluo-level powerhouse with an Ultimate Fire attribute, and a terrifying soul ring configuration of six black and three red rings.
This kind of strength would place her firmly among the high-end combatants of Douluo II. After all, Yan Shaozhe had once said that the Titled Douluo with an Ultimate Martial Soul was practically invincible.
Although this "invincibility" might be questionable in the later stages, it still proved how terrifying an Ultimate Martial Soul could be.
As long as Mu Qingxue reached Titled Douluo rank, with six black and three red rings and the boost of Ultimate Fire, she would be comparable to Yan Shaozhe within five years.
In ten years, reaching the Super Douluo level would not be out of reach either. At that point, Mu Qingxue could be benchmarked against the Grand Elder Xuan Lao himself.
Even when facing evil soul masters or opponents like Ye Xishui, she would not be without the power to fight back.
This was a combat strength that could rise dramatically in a short time.
Thus, even if some risks were involved, Xiao Qiang would do everything possible to obtain it.
On the other hand, Yu Mengdi was a different case.
Although she also had an angel martial soul, her strength and talent were clearly inferior to Mu Qingxue's.
Given enough resources, Yu Mengdi could indeed grow stronger, but Xiao Qiang did not have the luxury of time to let her develop slowly.
Furthermore, Xiao Qiang's resources—especially 100,000-year soul rings—were currently limited.
He and Xue Di had not yet established a strong relationship, and the mass production of souls had not begun.
The only 100,000-year souls Xiao Qiang could currently access were from the immortal herbs inside the Yin-Yang Love Begonia Basin.
Only after securing Xue Di's support could he grant 100,000-year souls on a large scale to his people.
Right now, he truly couldn't afford to allocate precious resources to someone with average talent like Yu Mengdi.
"Why does my aunt get one but not me? Is it because I'm not as pretty as her?"
Yu Mengdi protested angrily.
Mu Qingxue chuckled and rubbed her head. "After all, a 100,000-year spirit ring is extremely valuable. But if you practice diligently and improve faster, you might earn one yourself."
Xiao Qiang nodded and added, "Right now, the resources I control are limited. But I promise that in the future, you'll have the opportunity. However, 100,000-year soul rings will only be given to the most loyal and outstanding talents—or those who make extraordinary contributions.
Still, even now, as one of my saints, I guarantee that your spirit rings will not be below 60,000 years."
Although Xiao Qiang was making grand promises, they weren't entirely empty words.
As long as he grew stronger, even if the Snow Empress refused to cooperate, he could still venture into the Demon Forest, the Star Dou Great Forest, or even the seas to hunt for suitable souls.
Yu Mengdi's eyes immediately lit up.
Although 60,000-year soul rings were not as precious as 100,000-year ones, having a 60,000-year sixth soul ring far surpassed most soul masters.
Usually, a 60,000-year spirit ring was considered seventh- or eighth-ring level.
Some weaker Titled Douluo even had 60,000-year soul rings as their ninth ring.
"Alright, it's a deal!" Yu Mengdi said happily.
"Oh, by the way, I have a niece. Since you're leaving, take her along too. As for her treatment…"
Mu Qingxue smiled.
"Don't worry," Xiao Qiang replied calmly. "As a saint like Yu Mengdi, I'll guarantee her a spirit bone and a soul ring that's beyond the normal absorption age."
Mu Qingxue nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. Then I'll call Gu Yi over, and we'll purify the Soul Devouring Carving Knife together."
"Gu Yi? Surname Ye?" Xiao Qiang raised an eyebrow.
"You know him?" Mu Qingxue asked, tilting her head.
"No," Xiao Qiang replied flatly.
Mu Qingxue: "…"
(You don't even know the surname Ye?)
Although she felt something was off, Mu Qingxue didn't press further.
Soon, Mu Qingxue, Yu Mengdi, and Ye Gu Yi gathered to purify the Soul Devouring Carving Knife.
The three of them released their Angel Martial Souls simultaneously and used their strongest soul skills to suppress the evil Soul Devouring Blade.
As expected, the Soul Devourer was a terrifying existence from three thousand years ago.
Sensing the holy light of the Angel Martial Souls, it immediately retaliated fiercely.
The evil soul within, possessing Titled Douluo-level strength, had seemingly grown even stronger after thousands of years of precipitation.
It was evil and corrupted, yet somehow capable of suppressing the power of angels.
However, just as the Soul Devourer was about to succeed in counterattacking, Mu Qingxue's soul rings suddenly began to merge.
Her two yellow, two purple, and two black soul rings gradually faded away, leaving only a single blood-red 100,000-year soul ring behind.
With her 70th level cultivation, Mu Qingxue unleashed the full power of the 100,000-year soul skill.
The evil soul that was about to break free was forcefully suppressed.
"So this is what ring fusion looks like…"
Using his Sharingan, Xiao Qiang carefully observed the changes in Mu Qingxue's soul power and the transformation between her soul rings.
After a long period of analysis—and with Tianmeng's help to verify his theories—Xiao Qiang successfully grasped the core principles behind the fusion of soul rings.
"There's only a little bit left," Mu Qingxue panted heavily, sweat dripping from her forehead.
It was obvious that using the fused 100,000-year ring at her current level placed an enormous burden on her.
At that moment, Xiao Qiang noticed that the souls of all three people—and the residual soul of the evil master—were nearing their limits.
Without hesitation, Xiao Qiang activated his fourth soul skill and copied Mu Qingxue's Angel Martial Soul!
"Let me help with the final purification," he said.
Releasing his own Angel Martial Soul, Xiao Qiang joined the effort.
The sudden burst of purifying power from him became the final straw that broke the camel's back.
With a piercing shriek, the evil aura within the Soul Devouring Carving Knife dissipated completely.
In its place was a new weapon—the Living Blade, radiating pure vitality, completely free of evil influence.
The rich breath of life exuding from the Living Blade made everyone present feel a sense of soothing gentleness.
"What a powerful life aura… Although it may be tricky to utilize, with enough research, I'm confident you could gain at least a thousand years of life extension," Tianmeng said excitedly within Xiao Qiang's spiritual sea.
Xiao Qiang felt a surge of excitement too—but it wasn't just because of the Living Blade's energy.
It was because he had broken through to level 50!
During the final purification, as he unleashed the Angel Martial Soul and aided the process, a sudden surge of soul power had been fed back into Xiao Qiang's body, pushing him smoothly from level 49 to level 50!
Could it be that when an evil soul master's spirit is purified with an Angel Martial Soul, it grants feedback soul power?
A bold idea suddenly popped into Xiao Qiang's mind.
The Holy Spirit Church of the Sun and Moon Empire… was that really a cult?
Or was it secretly a holy place for rapid strength improvement?!