Douluo: Starting with a self-created soul ring

**Chapter 164: Taking Advantage of My Father-in-Law**

As time passed, the cultivation method for self-condensing Soul Rings, initiated by Gu Ziyi, was recognized by more and more Soul Masters across the Douluo Continent.

Many young people were already practicing this new cultivation path.

However, although many Soul Masters acknowledged this achievement, many others were unwilling to accept it.

"What's so great about having a self-condensing Soul Ring? Especially if the quality of the Martial Soul is too low, it's not worth learning. A Soul Master without soul skills isn't impressive at all!"

"Yeah, I think the cultivation method for self-condensing Soul Rings is a conspiracy by the Martial Soul Hall. They want us all to practice this new cultivation method, so no one will compete with them for Soul Beasts."

"The number of Soul Beasts is decreasing. Wouldn't the Martial Soul Hall need to find a way to stop everyone from hunting them?"

"That makes sense!"

"It makes perfect sense. Anyway, I don't see what's so powerful about a self-condensing Soul Ring. From what I know, there's a genius from the Thunder Junior Soul Master Academy who practiced this new cultivation method, and as a result, his first soul skill is trash. It's simply too weak."

"Since ancient times, we've absorbed Soul Rings from Soul Beasts to enhance our cultivation. This is the right path to follow, because only by absorbing Soul Beast Rings into our Martial Souls can we evolve!"

"Gu Ziyi, the Acting Pope of the Martial Soul Hall, explained this well in his speech. Ordinary people can also practice self-condensing Soul Rings in the early stages and eventually absorb a high-quality Soul Beast Ring to evolve. The problem is that with the lack of soul skills at the beginning, no matter how high your cultivation level is, it'll be useless!"

"Anyway, I believe that the Soul Rings from Soul Beasts are the right path, and self-condensing Soul Rings are an evil heresy of this sacred path!"

"That's right! By absorbing the Soul Ring from a Soul Beast, you can instantly obtain a relatively high-quality Soul Ring and achieve a significant improvement. The self-condensing Soul Ring will be much weaker!"

"..."

Many people still criticized and claimed that this new cultivation path was not good.

There were various reasons behind this criticism!

Some people might not want others to practice self-condensing Soul Rings because they themselves can't practice it, so they claim these Soul Rings are no good!

Some Soul Masters might genuinely believe that hunting Soul Beasts is the easier path!

There were also those from powerful sect families who argued that absorbing Soul Rings from Soul Beasts was better.

This was because they didn't want ordinary Soul Masters with weaker Martial Souls to evolve into a power that could rival theirs in the future!

A Martial Soul that was originally of low quality would remain low quality for generations!

Therefore, behind some of the voices criticizing self-condensing Soul Rings, it was possible that these sect family forces were adding fuel to the fire.

Nevertheless, many Soul Masters were influenced by this negativity.

There wasn't much Gu Ziyi could do to stop this.

However, there was no need for him to explain too much. In the future, when the Soul Masters practicing self-condensing Soul Rings matured, they would naturally become the best form of advertisement.

As long as it is truly good, the sect family forces will no longer be able to suppress it.

After all, the cultivation of the self-condensed Soul Rings promoted by Gu Ziyi was carefully studied by the Martial Soul Hall Research Institute.

Unlike the theory of the ten core competitiveness proposed by Yu Xiaogang in the original story—which was not suitable for all Soul Masters, only for the most talented, and was not rigorously researched—the self-condensed Soul Rings are suitable for all Soul Masters, from the weakest to the most gifted.

...

"That's right, absorbing Soul Rings from Soul Beasts is the correct path!"

"I have the Xuantian Technique. By absorbing Soul Rings, I can go beyond the limit and grow stronger and faster!"

After hearing these voices, Tang San strongly agreed with them.

He firmly believed that the self-condensed Soul Ring wasn't as good as claimed.

After all, the self-condensed Soul Ring was not compatible with his Xuantian Technique.

His Xuantian Technique is far more advanced than the cultivation techniques of this world, but it cannot enhance the quality of the Soul Rings that follow this new path.

Naturally, the flaw was not with his Xuantian Technique but with the self-condensed Soul Ring itself!

Of course, before this, Tang San actually tried to modify the Xuantian Technique so that it could merge with the Martial Soul when it was operating within the body, thus achieving the effect of enhancing the quality of the Soul Ring.

However, Tang San failed in his attempt. The Xuantian Technique is a very refined high-level cultivation method that cannot be easily altered, not even a single change is allowed.

After teaching the disciples of the Tang Sect how to practice the Purple Demon Eye, he slowly began teaching other Tang Sect techniques and about hidden weapons.

The Xuantian Technique, Mysterious Jade Hand, Purple Demon Eye, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Crane Control and Dragon Capture, and the Hundred Solutions to Hidden Weapons.

These six main techniques of the Tang Sect originally needed to be practiced from a young age to be more suitable for a person's body.

For the development of the Tang Sect, Tang San naturally wouldn't hide these skills and wouldn't refuse to teach them.

Tang San was still willing to teach the people of his Tang Sect.

In the original story, the Tang Sect he left behind, before ascending to the Divine Realm, mastered all the martial arts and hidden weapon techniques of the Tang Sect.

...

"Brother Yi, I've surpassed Level 60!"

Half a year later, after Bai Lu surpassed Level 60, she immediately shared the news excitedly with Gu Ziyi.

"You're already at Level 60? Not bad!"

After hearing the news, he was naturally happy for her.

"Brother Yi, can you personally take me to hunt the Needle-Tailed Swallow this time?"

Bai Lu stepped forward and hugged Gu Ziyi's arm, speaking coquettishly.

Feeling the softness on his elbow, his heart softened slightly. After thinking about it, he smiled and agreed, "Alright, I don't have anything important to do recently!"

The Pope's support team was now handling the affairs of the Martial Soul Hall more and more efficiently. Gu Ziyi basically didn't need to spend time managing every aspect of the Martial Soul Hall.

Besides practicing, he was quite free for the rest of his time.

Bai Lu probably noticed this, which is why she acted coquettishly and asked him to personally take her to hunt for her Soul Beast.

"Yay, Brother Yi is the best!"

When Bai Lu heard this, her face suddenly lit up with joy. She then stood on her tiptoes and kissed Gu Ziyi on the cheek.

...

The next day, after a brief explanation, Gu Ziyi took Bai Lu to their destination to hunt the Needle-Tailed Swallow!

Needle-Tailed Swifts with relatively low cultivation levels can still be found in other parts of the world.

However, for Needle-Tailed Swifts with over ten thousand years of cultivation, they are basically nonexistent elsewhere.

There is only one place where Needle-Tailed Swifts with such high cultivation levels can be found.

That is at Swallow Cliff (Yanzi Cliff), a highly dangerous gathering place for Soul Beasts.

The primary Soul Beasts gathered there are Needle-Tailed Swifts, along with some other flying Soul Beasts.

Since Swallow Cliff is extremely steep, located at the junction of a basin and a plateau, the cliff is thousands of meters high, making it impossible for ordinary Soul Masters to hunt there.

Only Soul Masters who can fly dare to come here to hunt Soul Beasts for their Soul Rings!

It's not that other Soul Masters don't dare to; rather, they simply can't, as they need the ability to fly to do so.

Aside from Bai Lu, Gu Ziyi also brought Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo on this journey.

He wouldn't put himself in unnecessary danger. Although basically no one would dare to act against him now, what if, by chance, someone did?

Therefore, it was safer to bring these two Titled Douluos.

Swallow Cliff is located within the Starluo Empire, so it took Gu Ziyi and the others several days to get there.

This was also the first time he had come to Swallow Cliff in his life. When he looked up from the bottom of Swallow Cliff, he saw no end to it, as if it reached directly into the sky.

Additionally, the cliff is almost vertical and cannot be climbed normally. No wonder ordinary Soul Masters can't come here to hunt Soul Beasts.

"Flying Talisman!"

Buzz—

However, flying wasn't a problem for Gu Ziyi, so he casually used the Blank Talisman to create a Flying Talisman.

After attaching it to his body, he suddenly felt much lighter and could fly freely through the air.

While Gu Ziyi placed a Flying Talisman on himself, he also placed one on Bai Lu.

As for Yue Guan and Gui Mei, they didn't need it.

Those who have reached the Titled Douluo level can fly on their own.

"Two elders, let's head up!"

After speaking to the two Douluos, Gu Ziyi took Bai Lu's hand and led the way up Swallow Cliff.

"Elder Ghost, let's follow them!"

After Chrysanthemum Douluo smiled at Ghost Douluo, the two followed behind.

However, they didn't follow too closely. They were only hunting a 20,000-year-old Soul Beast this time. It wasn't a big deal for Gu Ziyi, and they didn't expect to take any action during this trip.

They were just following from a distance to ensure their safety.

After flying a few hundred meters up, Gu Ziyi and Bai Lu saw many flying Soul Beasts.

There were also some Needle-Tailed Swifts, but all with relatively low cultivation levels.

This wasn't Bai Lu's target this time. Her goal was to hunt a Needle-Tailed Swift of at least 20,000 years, so the two continued flying upward.

"Huh? There are people up there!"

After flying several hundred meters higher, Gu Ziyi's eyes narrowed as he spotted the figures of other Soul Masters further above.

They were thousands of meters above them!

"There are actually other Soul Masters hunting Soul Beasts here?"

Bai Lu was also a bit surprised to hear this.

Usually, very few people come to this place to hunt Soul Beasts. Moreover, Swallow Cliff is extremely vast, stretching for dozens of kilometers, so the chances of encountering others above them are quite small.

"It seems to be someone from your Min Clan!"

Gu Ziyi's eyes narrowed, and when he looked more closely, he noticed that the Martial Souls used by those Soul Masters were also Needle-Tailed Swifts.

He immediately recognized that those Soul Masters were all members of Bai Lu's clan—the Min Clan.

"They're from the Min Clan?"

"Where?"

Bai Lu suddenly became excited upon hearing this.

Unfortunately, her eyesight was far inferior to his, so she couldn't see clearly yet.

"We'll find out when we get closer!"

Gu Ziyi smiled slightly and continued flying upwards rapidly with Bai Lu.

As they got closer, he immediately recognized a figure among the group.

My goodness, it turned out to be his future father-in-law, that is, Bai Lu's father, Bai He!

"Lulu, it's your father up there!"

After seeing this clearly, Gu Ziyi immediately shared the news with Bai Lu.

He believed Bai Lu would be very happy to hear this.

Since leaving the Clear Sky Sect, she hadn't returned to her clan and hadn't seen her relatives for many years.

"It's my father!"

Sure enough, when Bai Lu heard that her father was really there, her eyes suddenly became slightly red.

"Brother Yi, I'm going ahead!"

After learning that her father was there, Bai Lu could hardly wait to rush over.

Buzz~

She then released her Martial Soul. Once possessed by her Martial Soul, she flew quickly toward her father's group in front of her.

Although Bai Lu wasn't as strong as Gu Ziyi in terms of cultivation level, she was much faster than him in terms of speed.

Gu Ziyi smiled softly as he watched her, then followed behind at a slower pace.

About to meet his future father-in-law, he felt a bit strange in his heart.

This would be the first time he was meeting the father of one of his women.

Neither Ning Shuangjiang nor Bibi Dong had fathers to introduce him to, especially Li Chanfei.

And Xiao Tao as well!

Therefore, Gu Ziyi had never met any of his nominal fathers-in-law before.

So the Bai He he was about to meet would be the first father-in-law he'd encounter, which naturally made him feel a bit strange.

However, Gu Ziyi wasn't afraid of this meeting. He was simply meeting the father of his woman.

He wasn't the same person who had achieved nothing in his previous life.

In his past life, he didn't have money to buy a house, a car, or even enough to spend freely. What could Gu Ziyi possibly offer back then?

But in this life, in terms of status, he was the acting Pope of the Martial Soul Hall and was sure to become the Pope of the Martial Soul Hall in the future.

As for strength, there's no need to say much.

Among his peers, no one could stand against him.

Not just his peers—even some of the current Douluos might not be able to rival Gu Ziyi.

And a Titled Douluo is already among the top existences on the Douluo Continent!

"Father!"

Bai Lu, who had rushed ahead, called out excitedly as she clearly saw her father in the distance.

"It's Lulu!"

Bai He, in the distance, suddenly trembled upon hearing Bai Lu's voice.

Bai He, who thought he was hearing things, quickly turned around and saw her figure clearly. Wasn't that his precious daughter?

Swish~

Bai He's figure disappeared in the blink of an eye, and when he reappeared, he was standing in front of Bai Lu.

Although Bai Lu's speed was extremely fast for her cultivation level, she was still far behind compared to her father's speed.

"Lulu, is it really you?"

Bai He looked at his precious daughter, whom he hadn't seen in years. His eyes were slightly red, and he was visibly emotional.

"It's me, father!"

Bai Lu responded excitedly.

She was extremely happy to meet her father here.

"Father, it's all my fault for not coming back to see you for so long!"

She spoke with excitement but also with guilt in her voice.

Bai Lu had often wanted to return to visit her clan and her relatives, but she didn't want to go back and hear criticism about her clan from the members of the Haotian Sect and other affiliated clans, so she never returned.

She knew very well that her clan would definitely object to her choice of following Gu Ziyi and joining the Martial Soul Hall, especially the disciples of the Haotian Sect.

So she never went back!

"It's alright. I don't blame you. I never went to visit you during this time either, did I?"

Bai He waved his hands and spoke with equal guilt.

"Alright, now that we've finally met, let's not talk about these sad things!"

"Lulu, are you here to hunt a Needle-Tailed Swift?"

Bai He quickly changed the subject.

"Yes, father!"

"I've already surpassed Level 60, and I'm here to get my sixth Soul Ring!"

Bai Lu nodded and quickly responded.

"What?"

"Lulu, you're already at Level 60?"

When Bai He heard this, his old eyes widened in shock.

...

(End of the chapter)

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