Chapter 596: Chapter 596: High Tian Class Soul Training Method!

After the Yellow Springs Mountain Range came under their control, the Yellow Spring Stone Tablet naturally became an inheritance site for the Snake-People Tribe, a place where one could attempt the trial and, if successful, obtain the Yellow Spring legacy.

The tablet did not grant the Yellow Spring Three Forms to everyone indiscriminately. Each cultivator had to challenge the trial and earn the inheritance alone.

Xiao Yan’s brow furrowed. He could sense that Zi Yan’s Spiritual Strength fluctuations were in complete chaos.

’This girl is being far too hasty.’ He shook his head helplessly. Not long ago, she had swallowed a Tier 9 Treasure Pill, which had replenished her life force and even raised her cultivation by half a stage to intermediate 4-star Dou Saint. But she had never sat beneath the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree to comprehend its mysteries. Her Spiritual Strength had not improved at all.

If she were cultivating Yellow Spring Finger or Yellow Spring Palm, she would have no problem. But Yellow Spring Divine Anger demanded the most from one’s soul. The Ancient Void Dragon bloodline did nothing to boost Spiritual Strength, and Zi Yan had never once cultivated her soul.

Right now, she was forcibly pouring Dou Qi and bloodline strength into her Spiritual Strength, trying to brute-force her way through the Yellow Spring Divine Anger trial.

A warm, broad hand suddenly pressed against her back. A calm voice sounded directly in her mind. "Steady yourself. I’ll use a Heavenly Flame to protect your soul."

Hum—

The Three Thousand Burning Flame flowed down Xiao Yan’s arm and into Zi Yan’s body. A heartbeat later, the flame scattered into countless starlike motes that wrapped her jade-smooth form in a gentle coat of light.

Back when Xiao Yan had refined the Three Thousand Burning Flame in the Star Region, Zi Yan had been there. At that time, the flame had borne a Dragon Seal, and suppressing that seal had required Zi Yan’s Dragon Emperor bloodline.

Because of that shared history, she maintained a subtle bond with the Three Thousand Burning Flame and could even exert some control over it.

Xiao Yan’s power steadied her at once. Zi Yan’s mind stabilized, and her Spiritual Strength, which had been on the verge of spiraling out of control, began to smooth and settle.

"Phew... why is this girl in such a rush? After we deal with the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame, I’ll help her handle the three Dragon Kings," Xiao Yan murmured as he slowly withdrew his hand.

Qing Lin approached with light, careful steps. Like a little maid eager to make a report, she came right up beside him, rose on tiptoe, and leaned close to his ear. Something soft and warm pressed lightly against his arm as she whispered, "Young Master Xiao Yan, Zi Yan is doing this because she wants to help you seize the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame."

How could Xiao Yan not understand Zi Yan’s intentions? He reached out and gently pinched Qing Lin’s cheek. Her skin was tight and tender as a baby’s, so smooth his hand almost refused to let go. He chuckled. "Alright, this young master knows. Stand guard for me. I’m going to cultivate here and refine some things."

"Mm-hm!"

Xiao Yan turned his gaze toward the Nine Serene Yellow Spring below. Deep within the pool, he could sense an immensely powerful aura slowly awakening. Cai Lin should emerge from seclusion soon.

Nearly two years had passed since she had entered the Nine Serene Yellow Spring to refine the Nine-Colored Origin Stone, also in order to help him seize the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame.

His eyes narrowed slightly. For this Purifying Lotus Demon Flame expedition, he had mobilized every ounce of strength he could gather. He was determined to succeed.

He steadied his mind, chose a massive boulder, and sat cross-legged upon it.

Hum—

The Asura Abyss materialized before him with a low, resonant buzz. A Soul Light Cluster roughly five feet across floated out and hovered in mid-air. Soft, pure radiance spilled from it in gentle waves, casting a glow over the surface of the Nine Serene Yellow Spring and turning its dark waters into shimmering crystal.

Xiao Yan studied the Soul Light Cluster and exhaled slowly. He extended his hand and touched it. The instant his palm met the light, an endless, vast soul essence surged into his senses. His brow chakra tingled with warmth; his entire soul felt as though it were soaking in a hot spring.

He drew out the complete Emperor Soul Technique and slowly unrolled it. A surge of boundless soul information slammed straight into his mind.

"Ah!"

Even with Spiritual Strength at the Late Heavenly State, the sheer volume of information still made him feel as if his soul were being torn apart!

"Clan Mark, manifest!"

His hands flashed through a seal. The Divine Grade Clan Mark bloomed between his brows with a resonant hum. Spiritual Strength roared to life, boiling and climbing until it broke straight through to the Perfected Heavenly State.

Only with the Hun Clan’s Dou God Bloodline supporting him did the agony finally ebb.

Generally speaking, cultivating high-level techniques was extremely difficult. Simply being handed a Qi Method was no guarantee one could successfully train in it. The Flame Mantra was an exception. It was unique in that it could continuously evolve. Xiao Yan’s path of cultivation had been nothing more than steadily devouring Heavenly Flames and letting the Flame Mantra transform on its own. There was almost no need for grueling, step-by-step practice; he just had to keep feeding it Heavenly Flames.

Roughly three days passed before Xiao Yan completely digested the Emperor Soul Technique. He opened his eyes and let out a long breath. "Cultivating this Emperor Soul Technique really is no easy matter."

The complete Emperor Soul Technique was a High Tian Class Soul Training Method, and a monstrously complex one at that. Its internal circulation routes wove and crossed through one another like a tangled web.

Even so, Xiao Yan wasn’t discouraged. He had expected as much. He was now an elite Dou Saint, no longer the young man of years past. At this realm, his comprehension far surpassed that of ordinary humans. On top of that, he had refined the Bodhisattva Heart. When it came to grasping techniques, if he wasn’t the foremost in the world, he was certainly among the top five.

The more intricate the Emperor Soul Technique, the more brightly his eyes shone. Complexity was proof of true power. With a Soul Training Method of this caliber supporting him, every Soul Technique he cast would only grow more powerful.

He formed a hand seal and began circulating the Emperor Soul Technique.

Hum—

Xiao Yan’s Spiritual Strength condensed into a three-faced Asura silhouette that wrapped snugly around his body. The Asura’s three grim visages drew in a long, powerful breath, and the Soul Light Cluster hovering before him shuddered.

A heartbeat later, it collapsed into a massive torrent of soul essence that surged straight into the Asura’s maw.

As the Emperor Soul Technique operated, thin threads of pitch-black energy began to bubble up out of the soul essence flood. Each wisp of black gas was annihilated the instant it appeared, dissolving into nothing.

Xiao Yan only smiled faintly. These deeply hidden negative emotions were nothing more than minor irritants, not even close to the Dou God-level negativity that had once coiled around the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree.

As he grew more adept at running the Emperor Soul Technique, the suction force of the three-faced Asura grew stronger and stronger. In the end, the Soul Light Cluster trembled once and then broke apart entirely. All of it was drawn into the Asura’s body.

As the last trace of the Soul Light Cluster vanished, a strange, crystalline film slowly formed across the surface of Xiao Yan’s Asura Soul, like a layer of translucent crystal armor.

With all the soul essence absorbed, the Emperor Soul Technique continued to refine it. Ring after ring of invisible ripples spread outward from Xiao Yan at the center. Though formless, the waves carried an overwhelming soul pressure. Even the Nine Serene Yellow Spring below quivered in response.

In that instant, every living creature in the forests spanning the entire Yellow Springs Mountain Range felt a pressure rise from the depths of their souls. Under that weight, even the fiercest magical beasts of the mountains could only tremble in fear, bodies pressed flat against the ground, not daring to let out so much as a growl.

Hiss hiss hiss!

The Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent, which Qing Lin had summoned to guard the Nine Serene Yellow Spring, raised all its heads high. Its eighteen snake eyes shone with a rare, solemn light.

Since devouring a portion of the Yellow Spring Demon Saint’s essence blood, the Nine-Headed Heaven Serpent had partially restored its Ancient Heaven Serpent bloodline. Its strength had surged to late-stage 1-star Dou Saint, and its battle power could now contend even with a 2-star Dou Saint.

Yet facing Xiao Yan, it felt only pure apprehension.

The commotion caused by Xiao Yan’s cultivation this time was anything but small. Those invisible ripples carried a soul-deep pressure that brooked no resistance. It didn’t take long for the spreading waves to catch the attention of many powerful figures within the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe.

’How can this fellow’s Spiritual Strength be so terrifying...’ Yao Ming’s expression was grave beyond measure. The relationship between the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe and the Snake-People Tribe was subtle and complicated.

Though he had been rescued, the vast majority of their territory and inheritances had been seized. There was both grace and enmity between them.

However, the soul fluctuations Xiao Yan was releasing soon began to recede and condense, forming a unique soul field around the entire Nine Serene Yellow Spring. That special soul pressure actually carried the effect of tempering one’s soul!

Qing Lin was the first to notice a faint increase in her Spiritual Strength. Then Hua She Er and Yue Mei came over as well. Although simply staying there made their souls feel heavy and oppressed, they could clearly sense their souls being refined and toughened, ever so slowly yet undeniably growing stronger!

Having tasted such sweetness, more and more powerful experts from the Snake-People Tribe began to gather. Eventually, even Yao Ming brought the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe’s experts over to bask in the field, using the opportunity to temper their Spiritual Strength. All of them hoped to one day qualify to cultivate the Yellow Spring Divine Anger!

The one benefiting most, however, was none other than Zi Yan, seated not far from Xiao Yan and still locked in her trial!

As time passed, the area around the Nine Serene Yellow Spring, originally a forbidden sacred ground, unknowingly filled with people sitting cross-legged in silence. The stronger their cultivation, the closer they drew to Xiao Yan. In that strange tableau, he sat untouched at the center like a sage giving a sermon, while the crowd of experts surrounding him resembled disciples listening in rapt attention, seeking the Dao.

It was a sight as bizarre as it was striking.

This odd scene persisted for two full months. On the sixtieth day, Xiao Yan, who had been cultivating with eyes closed, finally opened them. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

BOOM!

A Spiritual Strength so terrifying it defied description exploded outward!