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Bao Zhen had already come to terms with her situation and smiled as she said, "Actually, there's no need for everyone to worry about us. The sect has given us plenty of compensation, enough for us to live comfortably for the rest of our lives."
"Without my eyes, I no longer need to chase after worldly things. From now on, I'll focus on cultivating within the sect. Elder Sword once said that when I break through to Soul Sage, I can use soul power to sense my surroundings. By then, I'll have a kind of 'eyes' again."
"Bao Zhen…" Huang Wu sighed deeply.
Walking up to Bao Zhen's bedside, he tightly embraced her with his remaining left arm.
Bao Zhencontinued with a smile, "There's one more thing we haven't told anyone yet—Huang Wu and I are planning to get married next month. However, we don't plan on holding a wedding ceremony. Please don't worry about it or let it delay your training. We'll stay in the sect and wait for all of you to return."
Ning Rongrong abruptly stood up, her expression serious as she declared, "Bao Zhen, Huang Wu, please rest assured. On behalf of the sect, I promise you that we will not mistreat you."
With the resources of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, even if they didn't have herbs capable of regenerating lost limbs, they still had the means to obtain them.
However, such precious herbs were undoubtedly extremely rare. Even if the sect managed to acquire some, they would most likely be stored in the treasury for emergencies, rather than used on mid-level soul masters like Soul Ancestors.
Huang Wu and Bao Zhen naturally held no grudges against the sect. After all, their contributions were minimal, far from enough to Asurarant such valuable herbs. They had only joined the sect less than six months ago, and the fact that the sect was providing them with lifelong support was already more than generous.
If this had happened in another sect, they would have likely been kicked out long ago.
After chatting with Huang Wu and Bao Zhen for a while, Chen Huayu and the others tactfully left the room, not wanting to disturb the couple's private life.
At this point, Chen Huayu no longer had the heart to organize a dinner gathering.
After talking with Ning Rongrong for a bit, he decided to travel across the continent with Oscar and search for herbs to heal the two injured teammates.
---
The original Shrek Academy had been completely demolished, and the secondary commercial center built by the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was nearing completion. Only the final capping and interior decoration remained before it could be put into use.
In the back mountains
Since Flender had left with Ma Hongjun, Yu Xiaogang and the others' lives had gradually returned to peace.
With money in hand, their lives became carefree and comfortable. Yu Xiaogang devoted himself fully to researching soul master theories.
Without Tang San as his test subject, Yu Xiaogang turned to Dai Mubai, who was close by, for experiments.
However, Dai Mubai wasn't exactly idle.
At first, he continued to flirt with women around the city.
No one knew he was a eunuch, and with his handsome appearance, he attracted quite a bit of attention from women.
That was until a few days ago, when Dai Mubai got intimate with a woman during a passionate moment. She soon discovered his condition as a eunuch.
That very day, news of Dai Mubai's situation spread throughout Tiandou City, and afterAsurad, no woman would give him the time of day.
After all, who would want to associate with a powerless eunuch?
The Tiandou Imperial Palace even sent people to invite Dai Mubai to serve Emperor Xue Ye in the palace.
Such an opportunity to humiliate the Star Luo Royal Family was too good to pass up.
Fortunately, Dai Mubai managed to escape quickly; otherwise, he would have been dragged into the palace.
Because of this, he begged Yu Xiaogang for money to purchase medicine to restore his body.
Yu Xiaogang was straightforAsurad and took him to every major pharmacy in the city. However, herbs capable of regenerating lost limbs were incredibly rare—how could they possibly be casually displayed on store shelves?
As expected, this trip yielded no results.
Under repeated blows, Dai Mubai's willpower gradually crumbled.
At his age, he was supposed to be in the prime of physical development, yet he had lost the dignity of being a man.
Over time, Dai Mubai's behavior and demeanor began to feminize, and he even started trying on women's clothing.
Liu Erlong initially disapproved, but Yu Xiaogang persuaded her to let it go.
After all, given Dai Mubai's circumstances, it was hard for anyone to accept. As long as he didn't harm himself, he could do whatever he wanted.
---
"The sword falls, and its momentum continues endlessly. The third stage of swordsmanship cultivation is complete!"
Ning Tianchen gazed at the sword marks carved into the stone slab, unable to conceal his excitement any longer.
These past days, he hadn't participated in the Hell Arena matches. Instead, he stayed in his room, honing his sword techniques.
With the accumulation of killing intent and his insights into the "kill" character sword technique from the other day, breaking through to the third stage of swordsmanship cultivation came naturally.
The fourth stage of swordsmanship cultivation—uniting body and sword, sword and spirit.
The fourth stage was also the most difficult to breakthrough.
For those with average talent, even spending half a lifetime might not be enough to reach the threshold of the fourth stage.
Before leaving the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, Sword Chen Xin had already imparted all the essentials of the fourth stage to him.
The requirement was to wield the sword with one's body, fusing body movement, footwork, sword techniques, and sword momentum into one.
One must achieve the unity of intention, spirit, and sword, channeling spirit, intent, energy, and strength into the sword technique.
From here on, he no longer needed to return to the sect—he could attempt to grasp it on his own.
Of course, the fourth stage couldn't simply be taught through verbal instruction; it required personal insight.
Cultivating the sword heart varied from person to person—it wasn't a one-size-fits-all path. Chen Xin's sword heart might not suit him, so forging his own path was the most important thing.
However, it was clear that breaking through in a short period of time was impossible.
According to his memories, Ning Tianchen had never consumed any Bloody Mary. But after staying here for so long, the chronic toxins lingering in the air made him feel dizzy often.
Taking the antidote pills provided by Dugu Bo helped him resist the toxins somewhat, but as the toxins accumulated in his body, the effectiveness of the antidote pills would only diminish over time.
The pressing matter now was to participate in matches as soon as possible.
Before this, he had already achieved a fifteen-match winning streak. He still needed eighty-five more consecutive wins to reach a hundred.
"It's been so long—there should be quite a few newcomers in the Hell Arena by now," Ning Tianchen said with a faint smile.
The newcomers wouldn't know of his fearsome reputation, and since he hadn't appeared for a while, some people probably forgot about him.
In the short term, winning four or five consecutive matches shouldn't be a problem.
Deciding to act, Ning Tianchen left his room and headed straight for the Hell Arena.
Of course, along the way, there were always some unwise individuals who tried to pick a fight with him. In the end, this person became his ticket to enter the Hell Arena.
It didn't take long for ten participants to gather, and Ning Tianchen stepped onto the arena.
Before the match began, the nine others on the field glanced at each other Asuraily.
Ning Tianchen, however, stood calmly to the side, appearing unruffled, forming a stark contrast with the others.
Some of the degenerates in the audience were puzzled. "Who's that kid? He seems oddly familiar."
Every day, new kings were born in the Hell Arena. Since Ning Tianchen hadn't competed for nearly a month, many had forgotten about him.
After much discussion, these degenerates still couldn't figure out who he was.
Until—the match began!
"That kid seems off. Let's all attack him first, then we'll settle things among ourselves!"
Someone took the lead, and others quickly followed.
After all, who didn't want to survive a little longer in the Hell Arena?
Ning Tianchen remained calm and composed. People like this were either fools or seasoned veterans of the killing grounds. Their choice wasn't wrong—they just picked the wrong opponent.
Ning Tianchen, having recently broken through, had undergone a transformation in strength.
As the group charged at him, the Seven Kill Sword suddenly materialized, its dragon-patterned blade gleaming brilliantly.
With just one swing, a burst of intense golden light erupted from the sword. An azure dragon emerged from the hilt, racing along the blade.
"Seven Kill Sword—Azure Dragon Break."
Azure Dragon Break had evolved from soul ring skills into his self-created soul skill.
The azure dragon qi howled as it swept through the arena. In an instant, the other nine people on the stage collapsed.
Even after the azure dragon qi dissipated, the lingering sword momentum remained, deeply shocking everyone present.
Immediately, some degenerates in the audience recognized his identity.
These people stumbled backAsurad, falling to the ground, trembling with fear. "He's the Sword Asura! He's the Sword Asura!"
Among the audience, a high-ranking strongman muttered softly, "He wasn't killed by the degenerates. During this time, his cultivation must have broken through."
Strongmen with long winning streaks would avoid encountering each other as much as possible.
After all, they were all powerful. Why risk their lives fighting each other when they could dominate weaker opponents instead?
---
On the arena, Ning Tianchen retracted the Seven Kill Sword martial soul into his body. With a flick of his sleeve, he absorbed the soul power and killing intent of the nine fallen opponents.
Unfortunately, after the first match, he hadn't encountered any strong opponents. These people were only at the Soul Elder level, so the amount of killing intent and soul power he could absorb was minimal.
Ning Tianchen wanted to encounter stronger opponents, but those strongmen wouldn't give him the chance.
He was like a small tyrant—everyone avoided him like the plague.
After leaving the arena, Ning Tianchen didn't leave. For the next while, he planned to stay in the Hell Arena.
Once this batch of people was mostly wiped out, he would retreat to cultivate for a while, allowing his reputation to cool down.
After all, he had only achieved a dozen consecutive wins, yet he already had a title in the Hell Arena. Such strength was already shocking.
Ordinary strongmen usually earned their titles after twenty or more consecutive wins.
And the title "Sword Asura"—the word "Sword" came from his martial soul, while "Asura" represented the highest rank in the Hell Arena.
This alone showed how much the degenerates feared him.
---
Meanwhile, in front of a waterfall in the Great Star Dou Forest
Since his twin martial souls began clashing, Tang San's cultivation speed had noticeably slowed.
After prolonged cultivation and with the nurturing of Tang Hao's soul power, his soul power successfully broke through to the next level, reaching rank 50.
"Xiao San, come with me to a place."
Tang Hao interrupted Tang San, who was practicing hammer techniques, then turned and walked toAsurad the Great Star Dou Forest.
"Father, what's wrong?" Tang San set down his wooden hammer, looking puzzled.
Tang Hao stopped, his tone gentle as he explained, "You've already broken through to rank 50. As I've said, from now on, you'll focus on cultivating your Blue Silver Grass martial soul. Now, I'll take you somewhere to add a soul ring to your Blue Silver Grass."
Tang San finally understood.
Previously, Tang Hao had mentioned that his fifth soul ring for the Blue Silver Grass would be obtained in a special place.
Moreover, his Blue Silver Grass martial soul would undergo a second awakening, transforming into the true Blue Silver Emperor.
He quickly caught up with Tang Hao's pace, and the father-son duo ventured deeper into the Great Star Dou Forest.
---
The Blue Silver Forest was a small woodland within the Great Star Dou Forest, completely dominated by Blue Silver Grass.
Upon entering, Blue Silver Grass could be seen almost everywhere.
Over ninety percent of the grass was ordinary weeds with no cultivation whatsoever.
As they ventured deeper, Blue Silver Grass with actual cultivation gradually came into Tang San's view.
"Father, isn't it publicly known on the continent that Blue Silver Grass cannot be cultivated? How can there be Blue Silver Grass here with thousands of years of cultivation?" Tang San was utterly astonished.
It seemed that in this ocean exclusive to Blue Silver Grass, some common knowledge simply didn't apply.
Tang Hao countered, "Where did you learn these theories?"
"My teacher taught me," Tang San replied honestly.
InAsuradly, Tang Hao sneered.
A shortsighted, fame-seeking person like Yu Xiaogang dared to call himself a master?
To study soul master theory, one not only needed broad knowledge but, more importantly, experience traveling across the continent to uncover lesser-known secrets.
Back in Noding City, Tang Hao had his own matters to attend to and couldn't oversee Tang San's growth, so he entrusted him to Yu Xiaogang.
After all, Yu Xiaogang was a disciple of the upper three sects, so Tang Hao trusted him. At the time, formal apprenticeship was merely because Tang San had just been introduced to soul master theory and needed a mentor.
But now, the mentor had long outlived his usefulness.
Tang Hao said, "Xiao San, there are endless theories on the continent. If what you see differs from the theories others have taught you, you should trust what you've witnessed."
He didn't speak ill of Yu Xiaogang but instead sought to help Tang San recognize the limitations of Yu Xiaogang's theories in this way.
Tang San nodded heavily.
At the same time, he mentally made excuses for Yu Xiaogang. "Perhaps Teacher never reached the Blue Silver Forest. No one is perfect—Teacher knowing so much about soul master theory is already commendable."
What followed unfolded consistently with the original timeline.
Notably, when the Blue Silver King awakened Tang San's bloodline, Tang Hao personally activated his martial soul and stood guard nearby.
If anything were to happen to Tang San, he would destroy the entire Blue Silver Forest.
Tang San's soul power had just reached rank 50, while the Blue Silver King had over fifty thousand years of cultivation. If it harbored any thoughts of replacing Tang San, he would surely perish.
With Tang Hao's intimidation, everything proceeded smoothly.
The Blue Silver lineage was inherently tied to life-type soul beasts, and the Blue Silver King's healing abilities cured most of Tang San's internal injuries.
However, the drawbacks of dual martial soul cultivation remained unresolved. In the future, if Tang San focused on cultivating just one martial soul, there wouldn't be any issues.
With the completion of the second awakening of his martial soul, Tang San underwent a complete transformation.
As long as he didn't simultaneously reveal both his Blue Silver Grass and Hao Tian Hammer martial souls, no one would know his identity.
"Father, let's go back and continue practicing the Chaotic Wind Splitting Hammer Technique," Tang San said with a smile.
---
Time passed like a white horse galloping past, or like a horse being spurred onAsurad. In the blink of an eye, a year had gone by.
Ning Tianchen had fought for a long time in the Hell Arena, reaching ninety consecutive wins.
The reputation of the Sword Asura resounded throughout the entire Slaughter City. Both newcomers and veterans knew of his reputation.
Many even privately placed bets on whether Ning Tianchen could achieve a hundred consecutive victories.
One day, the Killing Envoy knocked on Ning Tianchen's door. "Is the Sword Asura here?"
Ning Tianchen opened the door and angrily asked, "What do you want!"
His tone was no longer polite but filled with boundless rage.
After spending such a long time in the Slaughter City, anyone would become irritable. Moreover, Ning Tianchen had accumulated so much killing intent that it could manifest tangibly.
Excessive killing intent inevitably affected a soul master's mental state.
By now, Dugu Bo's antidote pills were nearly depleted, and Ning Tianchen planned to use the remaining ones when attempting the Hell Road.
The Sea God Heart (Another name for the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud) in his possession barely stabilized his mind but couldn't suppress his volatile emotions.
The Killing Envoy swallowed hard.
In just over a year, Ning Tianchen had grown to such a terrifying level.
"Master, my King wishes to see you in private."
"The Slaughter King wants to see me? Lead the way," Ning Tianchen nodded.
The purpose of the Slaughter King' meeting with him was certainly not something the Killing Envoy would know, so he didn't ask further questions.
The palace where the Slaughter King resided was the most luxurious in the Slaughter City.
The interior of the palace was dominated by blood-red tones, with black accents, evoking an eerie and terrifying atmosphere.
On the throne in the main hall, the Slaughter King lounged lazily.
"Young Sword Asura, your strength and talent have earned this King's approval."
As he spoke, all the Killing Envoys in the hall retreated, leaving only the two of them.
"Respected Slaughter King, your praise is too kind—I am unworthy," Ning Tianchen said with a bow.
The Slaughter King wasn't angered by his impoliteness.
After all, anyone who stayed in the Slaughter City for a long time was bound to become irritable.
"This King intends to grant you the title of Slaughter God early, but on the condition that you become an Honored Guest Elder of the Slaughter City."
An Honored Guest Elder of the Slaughter City could come and go freely without any assigned tasks but wouldn't receive the Killing God Domain.
After more than a year of exploration, Ning Tianchen roughly understood the principles behind the formation of the Killing God Domain.
Completing a hundred consecutive wins in the Hell Arena would bring the accumulated killing intent to its peak. After passing through the Hell Road and receiving divine blessings, the Killing God Domain would naturally form.
Without the final divine blessing, no amount of accumulated killing intent could form a domain.
Similarly, if one bypassed the Hell Arena and directly passed through the Hell Road, the Killing God Domain wouldn't form either. After all, killing intent was the foundation of the domain.
"I'm sorry, respected Slaughter King, but I must respectfully decline your kindness. I wish to rely on my own efforts to achieve a hundred consecutive wins and pass through the Hell Road."
Surprisingly, the Slaughter King didn't make things difficult for him but nodded in agreement and sent him away.
"A certain force within his body is restless… Could this young man have been chosen by that esteemed being?" the Slaughter King murmured softly.
Although he had devoured Tang Chen's body, he still knew a thing or two about the Asura God. He understood that angering that esteemed being would mean not only his own demise but the complete destruction of the Slaughter City.
---
Leaving the palace, Ning Tianchen was somewhat baffled.
Would the Slaughter King really let him off so easily?
Every time a Killing God Domain was formed, it weakened the essence of the Slaughter City.
This small world was a place for the Asura God to select talents, and countless similar places to the Slaughter City existed. After the Asura God created these small worlds, he left them unattended. Thus, every loss of essence in the Slaughter City took a long time to recover.
After pondering for a moment, Ning Tianchen concluded that there was only one plausible explanation.
Before him, the only Gods of Slaughter that had emerged were Tang Hao and Bibi Dong.
So much time had passed since then, and the lost essence had likely been replenished. The Slaughter King probably didn't care about such a minor loss anymore.
Calculating the time, Ning Tianchen felt a sense of urgency rise in his heart. "I need to speed up the process—Tang San and Hu Liena will arrive soon!"
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