READ NOVEL FREE Chapter 149: Secret Room
My dear readers, I apologize for my absence. I was without a computer for a few days, due to technical problems. I can now use it again, so don't worry, I will post the chapters that were missing from Saturday until today.
Also, an important announcement: I will cancel the double chapters for the weekend starting in February. The reason: in case anyone has read one of my replies to an old comment, I will finally post the second work to be translated. This is a Japanese work that I found on a raw site, so I hope no one has picked it up to translate yet. If anyone knows of a translation of this story, please let me know. So, the name of the story is: [When I, a 22-year-old part-time worker, was transferred to another world, a non-human girl fell in love with me].
I hope you enjoy the story and the chapters, and I hope you continue to follow me.
-x-X-x-
**Chapter 149: Secret Room**
In the secret training room of the Papal Palace.
Gu Ziyi was practicing silently inside.
This secret room was originally built by Qian Xunji, but now it was also being used by Gu Ziyi.
Qian Daoliu had no need for it.
At this moment, Gu Ziyi was sitting cross-legged in the secret room, practicing in silence.
Waves of Soul Power circulated through his body.
Buzz—
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, purple, black!
Six Soul Rings appeared around Gu Ziyi.
Then, his first Soul Ring began to flicker constantly. The Soul Ring expanded and contracted, its light alternating between yellow and purple.
Gu Ziyi was currently improving the quality of his Soul Rings.
For a Titled Douluo's cultivation, there is no real difference between century-level and millennium-level rings.
So he planned to upgrade his first and second Soul Rings to purple millennium-level rings.
Now that it had been revealed that self-condensed Soul Rings could evolve, Gu Ziyi no longer needed to hide this ability. He decided to upgrade them to millennium-level quality, making them more aesthetically pleasing.
Buzz—
Before long, Gu Ziyi's first Soul Ring stabilized, and its color changed from yellow to purple.
Its quality evolved from a century-level ring to a millennium-level ring.
Buzz—
Next was his second Soul Ring. In just fifteen minutes, Gu Ziyi upgraded his second Soul Ring to purple, with millennium-level quality.
But the real challenge was next.
The primary goal of his training this time was to upgrade his fifth Soul Ring from purple to black, achieving the ideal configuration for Soul Rings.
This time, Gu Ziyi needed more time.
He had spent most of his efforts raising his Soul Power level before and had not focused much on improving the quality of his Soul Rings.
As a result, his fifth Soul Ring still had a six-thousand-year quality from when it was first condensed.
Upgrading it to a ten-thousand-year quality naturally required significant time and effort.
Fortunately, the institute had long developed a secret cultivation method specifically designed to enhance the quality of Soul Rings.
Even so, it took Gu Ziyi three months of using this secret method to upgrade his fifth Soul Ring to ten-thousand-year quality, changing its color from purple to black.
"It's better not to waste time improving Soul Rings in the future. It's too time-consuming!"
"I'll wait until I can break through to Titled Douluo. Then, I'll focus on upgrading again—the speed will be much faster!"
After this promotion, Gu Ziyi made up his mind. Since he was only at the Soul Emperor level, his speed in cultivating to improve Soul Ring quality was still somewhat slow.
If he had spent all that time, it would have been better used to increase his Soul Power level.
However, with his fifth Soul Ring upgraded from six-thousand-year quality to ten-thousand-year quality, Gu Ziyi's Soul Power level had also exceeded a new threshold.
This also proved that improving the quality of Soul Rings could indeed lead to breakthroughs in Soul Power levels.
"Purple, purple, purple, purple, black, and black!"
"Now my Soul Ring configuration exceeds the ideal setup for Soul Masters!"
Looking at the six Soul Rings around him,
"Next, let's try again!"
After optimizing the configuration of all his Soul Rings, Gu Ziyi raised his right hand and took out the Heart of Poseidon, which he always carried with him.
The reason he wanted to upgrade his Soul Rings to the ideal configuration was to test again whether he could gain the Heart of Poseidon's approval.
Buzz—
Without wasting any time, Gu Ziyi placed the Heart of Poseidon on his forehead and began refining it again.
In an instant, his consciousness returned to the vast ocean.
Boom—
Boom—
The familiar crashing waves swept over him once more.
Gu Ziyi was prepared this time and began to use his abilities to resist.
"Tai Chi Domain!"
"Soul Power, transform into a shield!"
"Golden Light Shield."
"…"
Gu Ziyi displayed all his usable soul abilities, constantly resisting the relentless attacks of the waves.
Boom—
Boom—
Boom—
Wave after wave struck him, and with each impact, the force grew stronger.
At first, Gu Ziyi endured, but gradually, he could no longer hold on.
"Damn it, you never intended to let me pass this test!"
He cursed loudly, already realizing that he might fail again this time.
Boom—
Sure enough, Gu Ziyi couldn't withstand the next turbulent waves and was defeated once more.
"Those who toil like flies and dogs are unworthy of the Heart of Poseidon's recognition!"
As his consciousness submerged, Gu Ziyi heard that majestic voice again.
Sigh—
Opening his eyes, his consciousness returned to his body. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his face pale.
"Pooh!"
Gu Ziyi exhaled calmly and slowly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
It was merely the backlash from the failed refinement and caused no serious harm.
"It seems I truly have no chance with this treasure!"
Picking up the Heart of Poseidon again, he held it in his hand and stared at it, muttering with frustration.
Gu Ziyi was unwilling but had no choice. Since the Heart of Poseidon did not acknowledge him, no matter how many times he tried, he would fail.
Previously, he believed the Heart of Poseidon rejected him because his Soul Ring configuration wasn't ideal.
Now, it seemed that even if he upgraded his Soul Ring configuration to the ideal setup—or even exceeded it—he still would not gain the Heart of Poseidon's recognition as its master.
Thinking of this, Gu Ziyi's face darkened.
Was he being rejected simply because he had stolen the Heart of Poseidon?
Or was that just an excuse?
He had already been denied before due to his less-than-ideal Soul Ring setup, so was this just another pretext? After all, no one could blatantly contradict themselves, right?
The expression on Gu Ziyi's face shifted unpredictably. No matter the reason, he was clearly not destined to become Poseidon.
If not for his fear of offending Poseidon directly, he might have thrown the Heart of Poseidon into the toilet, leaving it to drown in filth.
But Gu Ziyi suppressed this impulse. After all, doing so would be tantamount to stomping on Poseidon's dignity.
He was not yet in a position to completely offend the Sea God.
…
A year after Bibi Dong entered the City of Slaughter.
Back in the secret room of the Papal Palace.
Boom—
A powerful surge of Soul Power erupted from Gu Ziyi's body, finally elevating his Soul Power level to Rank 70.
A month later, he successfully condensed his seventh Soul Ring.
This time, the seventh Soul Ring he condensed was a black Soul Ring with a quality of 28,000 years.
Buzz—
At the moment his seventh Soul Ring was about to take shape, his consciousness once again entered that mysterious mental space.
"What's happening? Does the seventh Soul Ring also allow me to choose soul abilities?"
Gu Ziyi was a little surprised.
He had originally thought that his seventh soul ability, like all other Soul Masters, would be the true form of the Martial Soul, and thus there would be no need for him to enter and choose a soul ability!
Boom—
However, this time, Gu Ziyi discovered that he really couldn't choose a soul ability.
Without waiting for him to decide, one of the many abilities transformed directly into a stream of light and invaded his consciousness.
"The Laws of Heaven and Earth (Fa Tian Xiang Di)?"
Gu Ziyi saw this soul ability manifesting in his consciousness.
It was very similar to the golden light he had used before to transform into a Golden Light Talisman.
However, that was merely a simulation using the Golden Light Talisman, whereas this time, it was the real Laws of Heaven and Earth.
The Laws of Heaven and Earth (Fa Tian Xiang Di) refer to a colossal manifestation of the original body, which closely resembles the true form of the Martial Soul.
The difference is that while the true form of the Martial Soul appears as the embodiment of the Martial Soul, the Laws of Heaven and Earth (Fa Tian Xiang Di) represent the embodiment of the Soul Master himself.
When the true form of the Martial Soul reaches its highest level, the Soul Master's true form can also appear.
For example, Tang Hao: every time he used his Martial Soul avatar, not only would the Clear Sky Hammer avatar appear, but his own shadow would also condense.
Thus, in the anime, you can see a massive shadow of Tang Hao wielding a gigantic Clear Sky Hammer to attack enemies.
This is an effect achievable only when the Martial Soul is cultivated to a very high level.
When ordinary people use the true form of their Martial Soul, only the Martial Soul itself appears.
"Seventh Soul Ability: Laws of Heaven and Earth (Fa Tian Xiang Di)!"
After returning to consciousness, Gu Ziyi immediately activated his seventh soul ability, intending to see how it looked.
Boom—
Upon activating the seventh soul ability, a golden shadow rose from his body, towering from the ground.
It didn't stop until its head nearly reached the ceiling of the secret room.
The golden shadow was about seven or eight meters tall.
It resembled Gu Ziyi but was massive in size.
At that moment, the golden shadow was surrounded by numerous talismans, spinning around Gu Ziyi's body.
Simultaneously, floating texts flowed across the golden shadow's form, radiating a profound Taoist charm.
He didn't need to use his own eyes but instead saw through the eyes of Fa Tian Xiang Di, observing how he appeared in that moment.
"Beautiful, so beautiful!"
"This Dharma of Heaven and Earth is incredible!" (N/E: Dharma is another way to refer to Heavenly Law.)
Gu Ziyi immediately praised the appearance of the golden figure.
'This Martial Soul avatar... No, it should be called the Laws of Heaven and Earth or Fa Tian Xiang Di. It's so majestic and awe-inspiring.'
The golden figure's appearance was far more majestic than the one he had previously transformed using the Golden Light Talisman. It exuded an aura of holiness and power.
Buzz—
At that moment, Gu Ziyi suddenly felt a cold energy rapidly gathering between his brows.
Then, within the enormous golden figure of Fa Tian Xiang Di, a gap opened between its brows, revealing a vertical eye.
In an instant, through the vertical eye of both himself and the golden figure, he began to see the world in an entirely different way.
This time, what Gu Ziyi saw through his vertical eyes was clearer than when he looked through his own eyes.
"The power of the Immortal Herb I absorbed earlier to see better through the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew helped me awaken my celestial eye?"
After discovering this, Gu Ziyi naturally felt a bit happy.
Now he could see through even more things!
The false Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils were already very powerful before, and he believed they would be even stronger this time.
Whoosh~
"Master, is this the true form of your Martial Soul?"
"Isn't it beautiful?"
"It's actually the true form of the highest realm of Martial Souls!"
At that moment, the Peachwood Sword, which had been left aside by Gu Ziyi, transformed into a human figure, came to his side, and kept exclaiming.
She thought what he displayed was the true form of his Martial Soul.
However, seeing that Gu Ziyi's Fa Tian Xiang Di was surrounded by talismans, one might say it was the true form of a Martial Soul.
These talismans were the true essence of the Martial Soul, while Gu Ziyi's shadow appeared because the Martial Soul's true body had reached its highest state.
"Yes, this is my seventh soul ability!"
Gu Ziyi smiled as he heard this and didn't explain much. This was not the true form of his Martial Soul but the Law of Heaven and Earth (Fa Tian Xiang Di).
In any case, it was indeed his seventh soul ability, so he let others mistake it for the true form of his Martial Soul.
Otherwise, it would be too difficult to explain.
Moreover, Gu Ziyi believed this situation would only happen to him. Even if others were practicing self-condensing Soul Rings, their seventh soul ability would likely still be the true form of the Martial Soul.
"Eh~"
Gu Ziyi looked at Xiao Tao and felt a slight stir in his heart.
Through his vertical eyes, he saw things in Xiao Tao that he had never noticed before.
It was a type of energy different from Soul Power.
Gu Ziyi suddenly became curious about what this energy was.
Just by looking at Xiao Tao's alluring outfit, he, having been in seclusion for so long, suddenly felt a surge of excitement.
"Xiao Tao, come here!"
Gu Ziyi immediately abandoned his research and pulled Xiao Tao into his arms.
He then shared intimate moments with Xiao Tao in the secret room.
Finally, some of the real purposes of this secret room were revealed.
It would be perfect if he could bring Bibi Dong here to have some fun.
However, that would have to wait until his older sister returned.
"Judging by her strength, it's almost time for her to finish."
After Bibi Dong entered the Slaughter City, Gu Ziyi paid attention to her and didn't simply ignore her.
He couldn't enter himself, but he could inquire about her performance in the Slaughter City through the staff or gatekeepers.
Thus, Gu Ziyi was aware of Bibi Dong's extraordinary performance in the Slaughter City and knew that she was clearing the Hell Slaughter Fields as quickly as possible.
After some intense exercises with Xiao Tao, she reverted to her sword form as her time was up.
"Seventh Soul Ability: Law of Heaven and Earth (Fa Xiang Tian Di)!"
After relaxing for a while, Gu Ziyi returned to studying his earlier discoveries.
Buzz—
This time, he controlled the golden figure, not allowing it to expand to nearly ten meters tall but instead letting it overlap with his body.
After completing this adjustment, the vertical eye of Fa Tian Xiang Di appeared directly on Gu Ziyi's forehead, as though it were his own.
Gu Ziyi looked at the Peachwood Sword in his hand again and confirmed that he could still see the special energy within it.
His heart stirred slightly.
He then summoned the flying soul bone and the invisible soul bone.
"Sure enough, they also have special energy!"
Gu Ziyi was pleasantly surprised.
He had a vague feeling that, as long as he researched thoroughly, he might be able to draw the Wind Talisman and Invisibility Talisman without using the soul bone as a pen!
…
(End of chapter)
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