Chapter 25: Look Upon the World with Double Pupils, Tread the Earth with Qilin Steps!
Inside Tingtao Pavilion, the deafening hum of soul power—rumbling like the low, guttural roar of an ancient dragon—finally began to subside. The dense mist of ambient energy swirling around the room slowly settled. In the center of the chamber, Liu Yuan slowly opened his eyes. A highly condensed, terrifying brilliance flowed within his deep, dual-irised gaze, flashing with a cold, absolute clarity before fading into the depths of his Double Pupils.
He exhaled a long, white breath that cut through the air like a physical arrow. Beneath his skin, he could feel the vast reserves of soul power surging endlessly, crashing through his meridians like a raging river breaking a dam. A faint, unconscious smirk lifted the corners of his mouth as he savored the raw, kinetic sensation of his own growing strength.
For the past month, he had completely severed all contact with the outside world. He had locked himself within this secluded pavilion, a small sanctuary overflowing with rich, untainted spiritual energy. His daily routine was brutal and monotonous: devouring massive quantities of high-grade soul beast meat to replenish his violently depleted vitality and blood, then frantically circulating the Body Secret Method until his muscles screamed and his bones ached.
Under this hellish, self-imposed cultivation regime—one that wrung out every last drop of his latent potential—his soul power had achieved yet another explosive leap. He now stood firmly and steadily at Rank 27.
"Rank 27," Liu Yuan murmured, his voice calm but laced with a dangerous edge. "Only three ranks left until the Rank 30 bottleneck."
He slowly clenched his right fist. The joints popped like firecrackers, and an explosive, heavy sense of physical power radiated from his fingertips, vibrating through his entire arm.
Given his current, terrifying speed of cultivation—driven by the Body Secret Method deeply stimulating his very origin—he possessed absolute confidence. Within two months, at most, he would shatter the Rank 30 bottleneck. And then, he would claim his third soul ring.
As for the nature of his upcoming third soul skill, his calculating mind had already begun to draft a blueprint. He closed his eyes again, carefully analyzing his current combat arsenal, weighing every strength and exposing every flaw.
His first soul skill, Spirit Ray, granted him a terrifying long-range offensive capability. The extreme piercing power and searing heat of those beams were more than enough to effortlessly melt through the defenses of opponents at the same rank, and even threaten those at a higher cultivation level.
His second soul skill, Undying Body, provided him with an almost shameless, rule-breaking guarantee of survival. As long as his mental strength was not entirely drained, his flesh would knit back together, his bones would mend, and he would stand as an unyielding war god upon any battlefield.
However, this combat system was not without its glaring shortcomings.
During his intense sparring match with Long Aotian, a harsh reality had been laid bare. If an assault-system Soul Master with extreme explosive power managed to close the distance, or if he found himself encircled within complex, restrictive terrain... he was vulnerable. He lacked a reliable method to rapidly displace himself, create distance, or unleash an instantaneous, devastating burst of power in extreme close-quarters combat.
'I have the optical beams for long-range suppression, and the Undying Body for infinite recovery,'Liu Yuan thought, his fingers tapping rhythmically against his knee.'What I truly lack right now is close-quarters explosive lethality, paired with an unpredictable movement technique that can fully use the monstrous vitality and blood of this physique.'
As he pondered this, a domineering, arrogant phrase from the memories of his past life surfaced in his mind, echoing with supreme confidence:
Look upon the world only with the Double Pupils; tread the earth only with the Qilin Steps!
The Qilin. An ancient, mythical divine beast that could tread upon the very void. Its steps were steady, elegant, yet carried the crushing weight of ten thousand mountains. This was the exact concept he wanted to target for his third soul skill.
The Qilin Steps he envisioned would serve a dual purpose. First, as a top-tier movement technique, allowing him to flash across the battlefield like rolling thunder, leaving behind nothing but elusive, phantom afterimages. Second, as a devastating offensive tool. With a single step, he could instantly channel the entirety of his body's raging vitality, blood, and soul power down through his legs. The resulting impact would trigger massive, devastating shockwaves for area-of-effect destruction, or concentrate into a fatal, pinpoint stomp capable of crushing a skull into dust.
'A soul skill that perfectly synchronizes high-speed mobility with catastrophic heavy attacks... That is the missing puzzle piece for my current immortal-assault combat style,' Liu Yuan concluded. His eyes narrowed, his mind already locking onto the specific types of soul beasts he would need to hunt for his third soul ring.
"However, I am still three ranks away from Rank 30," he muttered, shaking his head slightly to clear his thoughts. "I need to accelerate my cultivation. The sooner I shatter that bottleneck, the sooner I can claim that ring and finalize my foundation."
Just as he adjusted his posture, intending to settle his mind and dive back into a deep meditative trance, the heavy, rhythmic crunch of footsteps echoed from the stone path outside the pavilion.
"Junior Brother, are you in there?" a deep, resonant voice called out.
Before Liu Yuan could even answer, the heavy wooden doors were pushed open. A tall, burly figure strode into the room, carrying an air of natural confidence. It was none other than his senior brother, Long Aotian.
But the moment Long Aotian crossed the threshold, his casual, easygoing smile froze completely.
As a Soul Ancestor exceeding Rank 40, and a genius who possessed a Gold-tier Body Martial Soul awakening, Long Aotian's perception of soul power fluctuations was razor-sharp.
To his heightened senses, the scene before him was alarming. Although Liu Yuan was merely sitting quietly on his meditation mat, the soul power aura radiating from the younger boy's body was terrifyingly dense—far more condensed than it had been just a month prior. The sheer, oppressive weight of that aura was absolutely not the result of a standard, single-rank breakthrough.
Long Aotian held his breath, narrowing his eyes as he focused his spiritual sense, sweeping it swiftly over Liu Yuan's physical form. A second later, his pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks.
"Rank 27?!" Long Aotian blurted out, his voice cracking slightly, completely losing his usual senior brother composure. "Junior Brother, you... you jumped up another two ranks?!"
A loud, ringing buzz echoed in Long Aotian's brain. He had cultivated within the Body Sect for years. He had been hailed as an unmatched genius by elders and peers alike, and frankly, he had always believed the hype himself.
But now, standing before the calm, unbothered Liu Yuan, Long Aotian was rapidly discovering the bitter taste of his own relative mediocrity.
Another two ranks in a single month? Adding the two ranks from the previous month... didn't that mean this monster had climbed four entire ranks in just sixty days?
His mind raced, doing the terrifying math. If Liu Yuan maintained this absurd, logic-defying efficiency, wouldn't he jump twenty-four ranks in a single year? And that wasn't even factoring in the explosive soul power boost he would inevitably receive upon absorbing his next soul ring. Following this horrific line of logic, wouldn't this junior brother completely surpass him in the blink of an eye?
The deeper Long Aotian went down that rabbit hole, the more a cold sweat broke out across his back.
"Senior Brother, what brings you here?" Seeing Long Aotian standing frozen in the doorway, Liu Yuan stood up smoothly, dusting off his robes. He offered a faint, dashing smile, acting as if his monstrous progression was the most normal thing in the world.
Long Aotian finally snapped out of his daze. Staring at Liu Yuan's calm, placid expression—a face as tranquil as an undisturbed lake—he couldn't help but let out a long, heavy sigh.
"Originally, I thought that since we both possess Gold-tier potential, the gap between us should be negligible," Long Aotian muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "But now it seems that even among Gold-tier geniuses, there is a massive, unbridgeable chasm!"
He shook his head, a bitter yet deeply admiring smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "At this terrifying rate of yours, I'm afraid it won't be long before I am completely left in the dust."
Seeing his senior brother's existential crisis, Liu Yuan modestly waved a hand. "Senior Brother, you exaggerate. I have only managed this rapid improvement through sheer luck and the initial, explosive benefits of practicing the Body Secret Method. In terms of actual combat foundation and raw experience, I am still far behind you."
Long Aotian stepped forward and clapped a heavy hand onto Liu Yuan's shoulder, sighing once more. "Stop being so damn modest, kid. It makes me look even worse. Still... if you didn't possess this monstrous drive, it truly wouldn't do justice to those terrifying eyes of yours."
After a brief moment of banter, the casual demeanor faded from Long Aotian's face, replaced by a stern, solemn expression. He had finally remembered his actual purpose for coming here.
"Right, I nearly forgot my actual mission because of your ridiculous breakthrough." He lowered his voice slightly. "Master has just emerged from seclusion. He stated there is something highly important that requires our attention, and he specifically instructed me to bring you to see him immediately."
"Something extremely important?" Liu Yuan raised an eyebrow, his dual pupils shifting slightly. For Du Busi—a terrifying Rank 98 Super Douluo who stood at the absolute pinnacle of the continent—to personally step forward and label a matter as 'important', it was guaranteed to be no small affair.
Yet, despite his calculating mind, Liu Yuan couldn't immediately deduce what this sudden summons could be about.
"Let's go, then. We shouldn't keep Master waiting." Wasting no further time, Liu Yuan swiftly straightened his robes. The two of them pushed through the courtyard doors and moved like the wind, rushing directly toward the Sect Master's Hall.
A cool mountain breeze swept past Tingtao Pavilion, rustling the ancient pine trees. The originally quiet and reclusive Body Sect was on the verge of stirring up another massive storm, all centered around the rapid, unstoppable rise of this double-pupiled youth.
After traversing the winding, treacherous mountain paths of the sect, Liu Yuan and Long Aotian finally arrived before the grand, imposing doors of the Sect Master's Hall.
Given their supreme status as the Chief Disciple and the direct successor of the Body Sect, the two of them held privileges far above the ordinary members. Naturally, there was no need for them to wait for a guard's announcement.
Exchanging a brief, knowing glance, Long Aotian pushed the heavy bronze doors open, and they strode directly into the cavernous hall.
Inside, the atmosphere was thick and heavy with latent power.
Du Busi stood at the center of the main hall, his hands clasped behind his back, quietly waiting for their arrival.
Hearing the doors open, the old monster turned around. A rare, genuine smile of approval broke across Du Busi's rugged, weathered face as he laid eyes on his two most prized disciples.
But before that warm smile could even fully form, Du Busi's terrifying spiritual senses locked onto Liu Yuan. He instantly detected the boy's newly refined, heavily condensed aura. The Super Douluo's smile froze, instantly replaced by a look of sheer, unadulterated shock.
"Rank 27?!" Du Busi barked, his eyes widening in disbelief as he stared at his youngest disciple. "Liu Yuan, you little monster... did you break through again?!"
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