Before reaching the Soul Ancestor level, Soul Masters experienced their fastest rate of growth. Gaining three ranks of Soul Power in a single year was considered effortless.
But after reaching Soul Saint, even a single level of improvement could contain more Soul Power than all thirty levels of the Soul Ancestor realm combined.
It was, quite simply, terrifying.
Xu Yang had long studied why Ultimate-attribute Martial Souls slowed down so drastically between Soul Ancestor and Soul Saint. To confirm his theory, he had even sought out Dugu Bo, Chen Xin and Gu Rong, asking them to examine his body through their own senses.
As he expected, the result was clear.
His Martial Soul's Ultimate attribute was simply too powerful.
His body and soul couldn't keep up with the intensity, forcing them to instinctively draw in massive amounts of Soul Power just to adapt.
It was like putting a jet engine inside a scooter. To keep the whole thing from shaking apart, it could only move slowly. To unleash the engine's full power, you'd first have to reinforce the entire vehicle.
Xu Yang had always trained body, energy, and spirit in tandem, but his physical and spiritual refinement was still mostly self-taught—and far from reaching the Soul Saint level.
Moreover, the Soul Ancestor to Soul Saint range encompassed four stages where a Martial Soul gradually fuses with the user's body. Once that fusion completed, the Soul Master would unlock the Seventh Soul Skill: Spirit Avatar—a universal turning point for all Soul Masters.
For Ultimate-type Soul Masters, this fusion was even more difficult due to the tyrannical nature of their attributes.
That was why Xu Yang, after just a moment of reflection, made up his mind—
He would take the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew.
He was done enduring the crawling pace of cultivation he'd suffered for the past four years.
Without hesitation, he retrieved the delicate plant. Looking at Gu Rong, he smiled confidently:
"Grandpa Gu, I have a way to solve the spiritual strength problem. This is the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew I acquired four years ago in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. It can significantly boost a Soul Master's spiritual power. Once I take it, please help me weaken that Fire Crow."
Gu Rong's brows rose as he examined the emerald-green herb in Xu Yang's hands. In the center of its leaves, three snow-white petals surrounded a few translucent droplets of dew.
"An immortal herb?"
Gu Rong exhaled slowly. Having consumed the Land Dragon Golden Melon himself, he understood just how miraculous immortal herbs could be. Still, he couldn't be completely certain, so he said cautiously:
"Not yet. Absorb the herb first. If it works, then we'll proceed."
"Alright. Then I'll trouble you to protect me while I cultivate."
Xu Yang sat cross-legged, placed the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew near his lips, and gently inhaled. The dew on the leaves was drawn into his mouth in an instant. The plant itself withered and crumbled into dust, vanishing completely.
He immediately entered a meditative state—his consciousness splitting between breath control and visualization as he began refining the medicinal power.
The dew's energy wasn't violent at all. On the contrary, it was incredibly gentle and cool, unlike anything he'd experienced before. The refreshing stream flowed through his meridians and directly into his mind.
In that moment, Xu Yang felt his spiritual power skyrocketing.
The sun that once flickered faintly in his spiritual sea was now blazing clear and bright—identical to Sun Spirit
His mind grew sharper, his thoughts more fluid than ever. Even fragments of memory from his previous life—things he hadn't recalled in years—began flooding back with crystal clarity.
Watching over him nearby, Ning Haiyan, Dugu Bo, and Gu Rong all suddenly felt a strange wave of spiritual force radiate from Xu Yang's body.
"Formless, yet present... This is the kind of spiritual fluctuation only top-tier Soul Douluo can produce. How is this possible?!"
Gu Rong gasped. He couldn't believe it. By his estimation, Xu Yang's spiritual power was only at the Soul Emperor level just a short time ago. But now? He had leapt two entire realms in one go. It was unbelievable.
"Formless yet tangible"—that was a tier of spiritual power only reached by a rare few Soul Douluo. Even most Titled Douluo hovered just at this level.
"So this is the power... of an immortal herb?"
Gu Rong no longer had any doubts. With Soul Douluo-level mental strength, Xu Yang could now suppress the spiritual backlash from the 30,000-year mutated Fire Crow with ease.
"Old Monster, I'll leave Xu Yang to you. I'll be back shortly."
"Go on," Dugu Bo replied casually, leaning against a tree near Xu Yang.
With a nod, Gu Rong opened a spatial portal, and in the next instant, reappeared beside the golden Three-Tailed Fire Crow. As nine perfectly arranged Soul Rings emerged beneath his feet, the power of a Level 97 Super Douluo erupted.
The Fire Crow barely had time to react before it was met with a fist the size of a hammer.
"Boom!"
Everything went black—the Fire Crow fainted on the spot.
Gu Rong grabbed it by the neck, opened another spatial tear, and returned to Xu Yang's side, tossing the unconscious beast aside like luggage.
Compared to the Phoenix Crest Sunflower, absorbing the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew was far simpler. As a result, it didn't take long to refine.
What Xu Yang hadn't expected, however, was that his mental visualization technique would reach completion during this process. The radiant sun in his spirit sea was the sign.
His eyes also began to warm. A strange power was subtly transforming them.
One hour later, Xu Yang slowly opened his eyes.
Inside his pupils, two golden flames burned steadily, radiating brilliant light like twin suns.
"Those eyes…"
Gu Rong immediately knocked out the Fire Crow again with a punch, but he was stunned speechless by what he saw. Xu Yang's eyes—were they really altered by the herb? Could an immortal herb do this?
"My vision… it's unbelievably clear."
Xu Yang stared ahead. He could see every texture on the bark of a distant tree—even its interior structure. More than that, he had the distinct feeling that if he concentrated… he could burn it down.
As soon as the thought formed, a flicker of golden light sparked in his pupils—
—and the tree ahead erupted in golden flames, reduced to ash within seconds.
"What the...?"
Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan exchanged stunned glances. They had no idea what had just happened.
Even Ning Haiyan was totally dumbfounded. The more time passed, the less he felt he understood Xu Yang. Not that he ever really did.
Only Gu Rong, with his deep insight as a Super Douluo, noticed the truth. Just before the combustion, he saw a faint wave of spiritual energy fused with Soul Power emerge from Xu Yang's eyes—followed by spontaneous combustion.
"This is basically… Douluo version Amaterasu."
Xu Yang was just as bewildered. He could clearly sense that his eyes had undergone a mutational awakening.
After absorbing the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, his eyes had evolved far beyond simple perception. In addition to typical pupil techniques, they now granted:
Soul Power perception
Illusion-breaking
Spatial awareness within a 100-meter radius
And now… incineration by gaze
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin