A bruised and battered Lin Feng returned to the small wooden cabin in the forest.
"Pfft." ×2
Seeing the two women snicker at him, Lin Feng helplessly shrugged his shoulders and walked inside.
He released the Breath of Life, healing the injuries on his body.
Who knows what Qian Daoliu was thinking—he insisted Lin Feng return with a bruised face before allowing him to heal himself.
By late afternoon, Lin Feng began constructing Qian Renxue's soul meridian.
Sure enough, a familiar figure once again appeared in the sky.
Qian Daoliu sighed deeply. He was a Peerless Douluo, yet lately he had been reduced to this secret guard-type work. It was truly frustrating.
Qian Renxue sat cross-legged, her breathing steady.
She looked back over her shoulder:
"Xiaofeng, what should I do?"
Lin Feng placed his hands on Qian Renxue's fair, smooth back.
"Just guide your first soul ring down as we practiced before. My Innate Treasure Pearl can help guide the energy flow.
Leave the rest inside your body to me."
"Mm."
Qian Renxue wasn't nervous at all. After all, Lin Feng said the success rate was 98%.
As someone who knew him best, she understood that when he said 98%, it was practically 100%.
Even if there were a tiny chance of failure, Qian Renxue didn't care.
Not to mention Lin Feng's Innate Treasure Pearl could repair meridians—plus, her grandfather was probably spying from somewhere.
Outside, there were even backup healing-type soul masters prepared—it could be said that every precaution had been taken.
Golden light radiated out as Qian Renxue's Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul appeared.
Among the yellow, yellow, purple, and black soul rings, the lowest yellow ring began to be drawn down.
Guided by the Innate Treasure Pearl, the energy dispersed briefly, then fused into Qian Renxue's liver.
Lin Feng furrowed his brows. Qian Renxue raised hers slightly.
The expected pain didn't arrive; instead, there was only a slight swelling sensation as the energy passed through.
Qian Renxue's lips curled into a smile. Clearly, Xiaofeng was doing everything he could to spare her even a sliver of pain. Her heart warmed.
"Xiaofeng, if it's hard to control, don't hold back on my account. I'm not that fragile."
Lin Feng smiled softly.
He nodded slightly and released a bit more energy.
"Ugh…"
Qian Renxue bit her lip. The sudden changes in her body were a bit uncomfortable, but nothing she couldn't handle.
Having already constructed three soul meridians himself, Lin Feng was very familiar with the process.
Control. Guide. Condense. Deliver to the acupoints.
Though it was his first time doing this for someone else, Qian Renxue's body had been nurtured by the Innate Treasure Pearl for years.
Her meridian pathways were already mapped in Lin Feng's mind. The biggest challenge in constructing a soul meridian in her body was achieving balance.
But Qian Renxue had already consumed the two Ice and Fire Immortal Herbs, and after the Ice and Fire Body Refinement, her physical strength was on another level.
Even the extremes of ice and fire couldn't harm her.
That meant she wasn't afraid of the violent energy surges from a century-old soul ring—her body could handle it well.
Unlike Lin Feng's first soul meridian, Qian Renxue's manifested in a faint golden color after shaping.
It radiated a pure, sacred aura.
This meridian had been prepared thoroughly, and did not share the instability of Lin Feng's initial attempt.
In her liver, a faint golden pathway quietly formed.
It was unlike Lin Feng's second soul meridian, which was lively, or his third, which was steady.
It resembled a calm river—flowing gently, yet filled with energy.
Holy, solemn, and dignified.
"Mm—"
Qian Renxue exhaled a deep breath.
The moment the soul meridian was completed, she felt a sense of sudden clarity throughout her entire body.
She opened her eyes and saw that the lowest soul ring of her Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul had disappeared.
But the martial soul itself didn't appear dim—instead, it became even more radiant.
The golden glow around her martial soul became more brilliant.
Qian Renxue's eyes sparkled. Just like Lin Feng's Innate Treasure Pearl, her martial soul had undergone some changes after the meridian was formed.
Though she couldn't fully understand them, there was no doubt its very nature had shifted.
Lin Feng withdrew his hands from her back. The Innate Treasure Pearl remained in Qian Renxue's body, soothing her energy and healing her meridians, bones, and blood.
Feeling a bit drained, he lay down.
Ling Yuan gently caught him and offered her usual lap pillow, her thumb massaging his forehead to relieve his fatigue.
Qian Daoliu twitched at the corner of his mouth. Seeing that Qian Renxue was unharmed, he hurriedly left.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Qian Renxue carefully sensed her soul power flowing through the first meridian.
She furrowed her brows slightly, a bit puzzled.
"Xiaofeng, I feel like my soul meridian doesn't have the same level of boost as yours—only about 10%. Why is that?"
Lin Feng pondered for a moment:
"I felt that too. Your meridian is different from mine.
It's like something's missing. Hmm…
Maybe it's related to the attributes of my soul rings. I used soul rings with five different attributes when forming mine.
In the human body, the five organs each correspond to a different attribute. Perhaps the resonance between those attributes is what caused the stronger amplification."
He rubbed his chin.
"But that might not be it. My Innate Treasure Pearl is different from other martial souls. It's very unique.
So far, I've never felt any incompatibility during soul ring absorption.
That suggests it's basically all-encompassing—each soul skill seems tailored for it.
Whether it's for constructing meridians or otherwise, it might be the key source of my higher boosts."
"I see…"
Qian Renxue nodded slightly. Though a little disappointed, she quickly let it go and snuggled closer to Lin Feng:
"It's okay, Xiaofeng. I'm already really happy that you helped me form a soul meridian.
That boost is still double what the normal path provides.
And that unique state of the soul meridian—I can already feel it growing.
It's complementing my body, improving my physical condition, and under its nurturing, it will eventually surpass the original age of the soul ring.
At this rate, the energy it holds will soon exceed a thousand years."
Lin Feng nodded, though he remained somewhat puzzled as to why Qian Renxue's first meridian had a weaker amplification than his.
Ling Yuan's eyes lit up:
"Xiaofeng, wasn't your first soul ring wood-element?
If we want to test that first theory, we happen to have the perfect candidate."
The three exchanged glances:
"Nine-Heart Begonia!"
"That's right. As a healing-type martial soul, every one of their soul rings is selected from wood-element or life-element soul beasts.
We already agreed to form a soul meridian for Mother Ye. On our trip across the continent, we can make another stop in Heaven Dou City to test it out.
If it still results in only a 10% boost, then the issue must be with Xiaofeng's martial soul."
Lin Feng nodded and closed his eyes for a nap.
"Xiaoxue, want to try controlling your first soul skill now? That feeling of free-form transformation?"
Qian Renxue raised her brows playfully. The image of Lin Feng casually using soul skills was still fresh in her mind. Now, was it her turn?
With that, the three of them headed to the training ground.
Qian Renxue retracted her martial soul and tried to activate the soul meridian.
Soon, to her surprise and delight, golden divine energy began to gather in her hands.
T/N: For up to thirteen chapters ahead on this fic and twenty on my other, become a P@tron at [email protected]/LordHipposApostle