In the darkness, time passed incredibly quickly.
Shen Hanyu sat quietly in meditation like an old monk in deep contemplation. His skin had become extraordinarily crystalline, with pure energy occasionally flashing beneath it, emitting a faint glow.
The energy within Tian Meng's body was immensely vast. All Shen Hanyu could do was accept as much as possible, sealing the majority of it back into his body for gradual absorption in the future.
This process might even continue until Shen Hanyu broke through to the Titled Douluo level. During this time, this extremely pure energy would serve as another form of "power bank" for Shen Hanyu, capable of playing a role in critical moments no less than various heavenly treasures.
Of course, the benefits Tian Meng brought were far more than just these. As the first million-year soul beast on the continent with dual spirit and ice attributes, even though it lacked the powerful strength to rival other formidable soul beasts, its age was undeniable, something no other powerful soul beast could compare to.
A million-year soul ring emitting a platinum glow steadily settled into Shen Hanyu's seventh soul ring position.
This was completely different from the white soul ring that appeared when Tian Meng sacrificed itself to Huo Yuhao in the future, having sealed most of its power. The soul ring on Shen Hanyu truly radiated the majestic power belonging to a million-year soul beast, containing energy that surpassed the total of several hundred-thousand-year soul rings combined.
The color of the soul ring was a sacred platinum, clearly distinguishable at a glance from a ten-year white soul ring. Even compared to the hundred-thousand-year soul ring from the Fallen Sea Demon, it remained dazzlingly brilliant.
Although Shen Hanyu and Tian Meng were delighted to have achieved their goal, Dugu Bo, above them, had completely darkened his face.
The spiritual fluctuations emitted during Tian Meng's earlier sacrifice had attracted almost all the powerful soul beasts in the entire Sunset Forest to the vicinity.
In the past few days, nearly every force with some strength on the continent had sent people into the Sunset Forest to investigate.
If not for the dense forests and towering cliffs surrounding the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, which almost completely concealed this small paradise, it might not have escaped detection by those scouts.
Of course, even if discovered, it probably wouldn't have caused much trouble.
With Dugu Bo stationed here, it deterred the vast majority of forces. Naturally, that didn't rule out those brainless lunatics.
Although there was no major danger, staying vigilant against the surrounding scouts was still an extremely exhausting task, and the mental strain involved was considerable.
After waiting for a few days, Dugu Yan quietly returned to Tiandou Royal Academy to attend classes and study, as if nothing had happened, continuing her highly regulated life.
She was well aware that she couldn't casually get involved in this matter. If she accidentally leaked something, it wouldn't rule out the possibility of some people jumping the wall in desperation.
As time slowly passed, the search frequency by various forces decreased, and the time spent each time grew shorter.
Spending massive manpower and resources on an unknown strong individual's spiritual fluctuation was a business where the cost and return were worlds apart. On the entire continent, probably only the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and the Spirit Hall could afford such a thing.
......
The view returned to the bottom of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Shen Hanyu had finished absorbing and had opened his deep, profound eyes. He was slowly exhaling and sensing the tremendous changes that had occurred in his body.
His originally extraordinarily broad meridians had been further strengthened and consolidated, allowing soul power to circulate more rapidly and smoothly. His bones, tempered and nourished countless times from childhood onward, combined with the terrifying gains from Tian Meng's sacrifice this time, had turned his entire skeleton into a blue-green color resembling ten-thousand-year profound ice, with hardness comparable to many rare metals.
The greatest improvement was in his soul power. Although it had only increased by three levels, the quality and quantity of his soul power had undergone astonishing changes, far surpassing that of soul masters at the same level. This also meant combat power far exceeding that of peers at the same rank.
At the same time, tremendous changes had occurred in Shen Hanyu's sea of spirit. The originally clear sea of spirit had expanded several times over, and incomplete skies and land had begun to appear. This was an astonishing change—Shen Hanyu's sea of spirit was evolving toward a spiritual inner world, indicating that his spiritual power was transforming, advancing to a higher level.
Tian Meng lay comfortably on a patch of lush green grass, with a blade of grass in its mouth, humming an unknown tune, looking completely relaxed and enjoying itself.
Shen Hanyu surveyed his current sea of spirit, a flash of delight in his eyes. Such changes in the sea of spirit were something he hadn't anticipated. In the long records of the continent, no soul master had ever exhibited such a peculiar phenomenon.
This change reminded him of the inner worlds described in higher-level fantasy novels from his previous life. Though he didn't know the reason, it was undoubtedly a good thing.
Tian Meng lazily rolled over, as if finally reacting, and said in a somewhat drowsy tone:
"Hanyu, you've seen the changes in your sea of spirit too. Although Bro doesn't know what's happening, Bro can clearly feel that this place is like a small plane still in its developmental infancy. It can continue to improve as your strength grows. Bro has a feeling that as long as your strength is sufficient, your sea of spirit can keep evolving into a complete world plane. By then, no one will be able to harm you spiritually, and you could even freely enter this plane to avoid damage you can't resist."
Tian Meng's words left Shen Hanyu somewhat excited and impassioned. Such a divine skill was something no powerful soul master could refuse, not even a god...
"Oh, right, Hanyu, there's also the skull brother condensed. Brother has already placed it in your spirit tool. Brother fused over seventy percent of its spiritual origin into this soul bone. Once you fuse with this soul bone, your spiritual power can truly enter what you humans call the Super Douluo level, of course, that's without brother's help."
Shen Hanyu's pupils contracted slightly. Previously, he had absorbed a considerable amount of Tian Meng's spiritual origin, along with the Look Through Autumn Waters Dew that only affected spiritual power. Moreover, although the hundred-thousand-year soul bone from the Fallen Sea Demon was a leg bone, it still carried some spiritual attributes. After several reinforcements, his spiritual power had long reached the level of an ordinary Titled Douluo.
But the chasm between Titled Douluo and Super Douluo was heaven-defying. Even in terms of spiritual power, progress was difficult. This time, taking advantage of Tian Meng's sacrifice, it seemed he could break through the previously insurmountable barrier in one go, even stepping onto a higher level. This was undoubtedly another great opportunity.