As the Blue Silver Empress's body dissolved into radiant blue-gold specks of light and merged into Qi Lin's body...
Above his head, a soul ring of the same blue-gold hue silently formed.
Qi Lin reached out and caught a shimmering blue seed and a translucent blue jade-like soul bone that fell from the sky where the Blue Silver Empress had vanished.
The seed was the transformed form of the Blue Silver Empress—a rare plant-type seed. The soul bone was a sparkling piece of left arm bone.
Standing nearby, the Silver Dragon King's expression remained unchanged, unaffected by the Blue Silver Empress's self-sacrifice. Instead, her gaze was fixed on Qi Lin with a deep sense of concern.
"How do you feel? Any discomfort?"
Qi Lin scratched his head and smiled, "Don't worry, Sister Na. I'm fine."
As he spoke, rings of soul light began to rise from beneath his feet.
In order: glimmering white, dazzling gold, fiery red, vibrant green, and finally, radiant blue-gold.
Incredible—not a single duplicate among them!
Gu Yuena looked curiously at the colorful lineup of soul rings. "What's your fifth soul skill?"
Qi Lin grinned widely. "I have two fifth soul skills. One is called Divine Healing Light, and the other is Life Photosynthesis."
"Divine Healing Light can heal injuries and remove negative conditions regardless of cultivation level. Its effectiveness depends on how much soul power I use."
"Life Photosynthesis allows plants to grow rapidly. Since I'm currently Rank 50, I can only use it five times a day. Each time, it can extend a plant's age by fifty years."
"But as my soul power increases by every ten levels, both the number of uses and the age increase will improve."
Gu Yuena's expression grew serious as she processed what he said.
These soul skills were terrifying. If Qi Lin ever reached Rank 90, he could potentially add 810 years of age to a plant-type soul beast every single day.
As for Divine Healing Light, though she hadn't felt it herself, its description alone spoke volumes.
Had she not heard it straight from Qi Lin's mouth, Gu Yuena would never have believed that such powerful abilities could come from the sacrifice of an 180,000-year-old Blue Silver Empress.
It was simply absurd!
The effects were so extraordinary, they could rival—or even surpass—divine abilities.
Qi Lin spoke up again, "Sister Na, aren't you still injured?"
"Let me try Divine Healing Light on you."
As soon as he finished, the blue-gold soul ring above his head began to glow.
Fifth Soul Skill: Divine Healing Light!
Qi Lin opened his palm, and a four-leaf clover, veined with golden patterns, emitted a burst of blue-gold light that enveloped Gu Yuena completely.
Within seconds, Qi Lin felt his soul power draining at an astonishing rate—he could actually see it depleting.
In just a few moments, he had lost 70% of his total soul power.
Fortunately, Gu Yuena reacted quickly. She dispersed the blue-gold glow around her body and halted the soul skill.
"How do you feel?" Qi Lin asked anxiously, ignoring the emptiness inside caused by the rapid loss of energy.
Gu Yuena's cool, flawless expression softened slightly as she gazed at him.
"Your skill helped a little. But your soul power is still too low. Wait until you're stronger before using it on me again."
Then, she leaned in, her snow-white face nearing his, and gently pecked his cheek.
"What you just did made me really happy. Consider this your reward."
The two were standing very close, and Qi Lin could clearly catch the faint fragrance from Gu Yuena.
Her voice, usually cold, was now filled with warmth and passion. To Qi Lin, it was like music to the ears.
Suddenly, Gu Yuena's eyes narrowed, staring into the darkness of the forest in the distance.
"Someone's coming. A Title Douluo!"
A whistling sound cut through the air. A figure rapidly grew clearer in their vision—it was an old man.
He was tall and thin, with dark green hair and beard. His body was as straight as a javelin, exuding a chilling aura.
Given his sinister appearance and the fact they were deep in the Sunset Forest, his identity was obvious—Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo.
He was Dugu Yan's grandfather!
Dugu Bo swiftly landed in front of Qi Lin and Gu Yuena. His sharp eyes scanned the surroundings, and he frowned.
He had rushed over as fast as he could after sensing a strange fluctuation of life energy in this area.
But judging by the scene before him, it looked like nothing had happened at all.
His gaze swept across Qi Lin and Gu Yuena. Surprise flickered in his eyes as he silently speculated.
The environment showed no signs of battle, so it probably wasn't the result of some newly-born treasure.
And the two people in front of him were clearly not ordinary soul masters. Their presence alone suggested high status.
They were young—one looked about thirteen or fourteen, and the other in her early twenties. Even if they were extremely talented, their soul power couldn't be too high.
Yet they were deep in the heart of Sunset Forest. Without the guidance of a powerful elder, how could they possibly be here?
"Where are your elders?" Dugu Bo asked directly.
Given the intense life energy from that earlier burst of blue-gold light, he assumed one of their elders must be a high-level healing-type soul master.
Which sparked his interest—he needed help.
Dugu Bo's martial soul was inherently poisonous, and not only did it torment him, but its toxicity was also passed down to his descendants.
He could manage, being a Title Douluo. He suffered, but he wouldn't die.
But he feared for his only granddaughter, Dugu Yan.
Unlike him, Dugu Yan didn't have the strength to suppress the toxins in her body for long.
Dugu Bo's son had died young from poison, and his daughter-in-law had wasted away soon after.
He couldn't bear to lose his granddaughter too!
So, even a sliver of hope was something he'd pursue.
Qi Lin looked at the old man and quickly guessed his identity. He smiled and greeted him.
"You must be Senior Dugu Bo. Yan Zi has told me about you."
Hearing his granddaughter mentioned, Dugu Bo's expression changed to one of surprise.
"You know Yan Yan?"
If this kid knew Yan Yan, things might be easier.
Qi Lin chuckled, "We only just met recently. We're both at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy."
Dugu Bo nodded. "So you're a student at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy?"
"Student?" Qi Lin shook his head and smiled. "No, I'm a teacher at Heaven Dou Academy."
"Teacher?!"
Dugu Bo blurted out in disbelief. His gaze grew dark. His expression clearly said: You? A teacher? At your age?
Are you joking with this old man?