TDG : rise of shadow army

"Everyone take a soul crystal. These primary soul crystals should be well preserved. Before reaching a soul force of 500, this primary soul crystal can be used to check your soul force level. Once your soul force exceeds 500, you'll need to get an intermediate soul crystal!" Nie Li said, distributing the soul crystals to Du Ze and Lu Piao before turning to Xiao Ning'er. "Sorry, but I didn't prepare a crystal for you, sister Ning'er."

"Don't worry, Nie Li, I already have one unused because brother Chan Wei asked me to keep one on me just in case," she said with a smile.

Nie Li nodded before turning to Du Ze. "Du Ze, you'll test first! Do the same thing you did during enrollment!"

"Alright," Du Ze nodded. Lifting the primary soul crystal, he slowly injected his soul force. The soul crystal gradually began to glow. Brighter and brighter, illuminating Du Ze's youthful yet slightly mature face, dots began to appear, dancing inside the soul crystal.

Judging by the level of brightness, he still had some distance to go before reaching the rank of a Bronze 1-star Demon Spiritualist. The others swept their gazes over it and could roughly estimate the number of points in the shimmering glow, with each point representing soul force.

"Du Ze, you've improved really fast. You already have a soul force of 52!" Lu Piao said excitedly. With a soul force of 52, Du Ze would probably be the first among them to reach 100 and become a 1-star Demon Spiritualist.

Du Ze looked at Nie Li. Nie Li was currently focused on observing the soul crystal. In Nie Li's view, the amount of soul force didn't matter—whether it was dozens or hundreds meant nothing. The most important thing was the attributes and form.

Inside the soul crystal, there were white specks of light, shimmering with reddish-gray rays that sometimes gathered into different shapes, much like a cloud. Seeing this scene, Nie Li showed a hint of surprise on his face and said, "It's actually the Lightning Fire attribute, and it's also the Heavenly Thundercloud form. No wonder Du Ze's cultivation speed is so fast."

With the Heavenly Thundercloud form and the Lightning Fire attribute, it was simply a perfect match. Unfortunately, in his previous life, Du Ze had practiced the Sacred Flame inscription pattern, so upon reaching the Gold 1-star rank as a Demon Spiritualist, he had already hit his limit. But in this life, with Nie Li's guidance, Du Ze would undergo great changes.

"Lightning Fire attribute, Heavenly Thundercloud form?" Everyone present was intrigued by what Nie Li had just said. Chan Wei watched the scene before stepping forward slightly.

"As Nie Li said, a person isn't limited to just one color; otherwise, it's like comparing demon beasts solely by their size without considering anything else." A flash of understanding crossed the group before Nie Li spoke again.

"In this world, there are no paralyzed soul realms. Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, azure, and indigo are the seven types of soul realm colors. Each represents a person's personality and unique talents. For various reasons, some soul realms are easier to cultivate, but that doesn't mean red soul realms are crippled," he declared confidently before continuing.

"If you find the right cultivation technique, even with a red soul realm, you can still unleash powerful strength. For those who classify soul realms into different levels, when it comes to soul force cultivation, they're just a bunch of amateurs!" Nie Li smiled slightly as he reinforced Chan Wei's words, more openly criticizing the old ranking system.

Hearing the words of Chan Wei and Nie Li, Du Ze, Lu Piao, and Xiao Ning'er were stunned. It was too shocking. Since the founding of Glory City, those Legend-rank experts had always told them that soul realms were ranked—orange was stronger than red, yellow was stronger than orange... but now, was Nie Li saying that those so-called Legend-rank experts were just amateurs?

"A group of blind men with no real competence?"

When it came to understanding the soul realm, even Legend-rank experts weren't on the same level as Nie Li. As for Chan Wei, he simply followed along because he had received this lesson from Nie Li a few days earlier thanks to Shen Xiu's crystal. Nie Li could challenge any Legend-rank expert on the knowledge of the soul realm.

In his previous life, Nie Li had reached a level beyond Legend rank—an unimaginable rank for them. Nie Li continued,

"Once you find a suitable cultivation technique, any soul realm color can also reach Legend rank! Du Ze has a yellow soul realm with the Lightning Fire attribute and the Heavenly Thundercloud form. With the right cultivation technique, an inscription pattern, and a Heavenly Thunder Beast demon spirit for his Lightning Fire attribute, his achievements will be astonishing. Comparatively, his power would drop significantly if he practiced something else, not to mention his cultivation would progress much more slowly."

Hearing Nie Li's words, Du Ze showed a distressed look on his face and said, "Unfortunately, Lightning Fire cultivation techniques in Glory City are incomplete. Even if they're recorded in ancient books, the language used would also be from ancient times..."

Halfway through his sentence, Du Ze suddenly had a thought. Nie Li could even read the Divine Lightning Fire book. He looked at Nie Li with eyes full of hope. At that moment, Nie Li revealed a smile as if he had an ace up his sleeve.

He said, "With me here, there's nothing to fear. Lightning Fire cultivation techniques are nothing too difficult for me. I have with me the 69 most powerful Lightning Fire cultivation techniques. Which one do you want to practice?"

Heavenly Scarlet Lightning technique? No, that technique was too domineering, especially once training reached its peak, it could easily damage the meridians. Celestial Qilin technique? That technique was indeed suitable for Du Ze's physique. The Heavenly Qilin technique had no problems with it, but no one had ever tried practicing it before, including the creator of the technique.

But from Nie Li's perspective, the first nine stages of this technique were very safe, and only the last three stages would pose some difficulty. The strength of the Heavenly Qilin technique needed no mention. Training up to the ninth stage was already shocking and incredible. As for the last three stages, that would depend on Du Ze's fate.

"You will practice the Heavenly Qilin technique, one of the three most powerful Lightning Flame cultivation techniques. I'll give you the chants for the technique and will also make copies of the various martial arts related to it in the future!" Nie Li soon communicated the technique's chant to Du Ze.

The Heavenly Qilin technique's chant wasn't too cryptic, so Du Ze memorized it quickly. As he gently contemplated the chant inwardly, he was extremely shocked. The Heavenly Qilin technique was definitely stronger than any other cultivation technique he had seen before!

Just by chanting, Du Ze could already feel his soul realm surging frantically; his soul force also showed clear signs of strengthening. He hadn't even started training yet, and his soul force was already expanding and increasing!

It was foreseeable that after practicing the Heavenly Qilin cultivation technique, Du Ze would experience all sorts of leaps and bounds in his soul force!

For so long, Du Ze had been struggling with the grim fate of his family.

His dream was to change the fate of his parents and family, but he clearly knew that this goal was too far out of reach. But at this moment, Du Ze felt that by diligently practicing the Heavenly Qilin cultivation technique, all of this wouldn't be a problem! And it was all thanks to Nie Li!

"I'll record all the details of the cultivation technique for you in a few days!" Nie Li said with a faint smile.

Du Ze was filled with gratitude toward Nie Li. His eyes turned red as he solemnly declared,

"The kindness of giving me the Heavenly Qilin technique, I will never forget. If you ever need my help in the future, even if it means trekking through the Blade Mountains or stepping into a sea of flames, if I, Du Ze, hesitate even slightly, may the heavens curse me!"

"Don't say it like that, we're good brothers! It's just a cultivation technique!" Nie Li smiled slightly, patting Du Ze's back.

Xiao Ning'er and Chan Wei looked at the scene with different emotions.

She thought of her childhood friend whom she had stopped talking to and missed dearly, while Chan Wei simply rejoiced at being able to witness these moments in person, the ones that made his blood boil when he had only read about them before.

For Nie Li, it was just a cultivation technique, but for Du Ze, its meaning was entirely different!

At this moment, Lu Piao could no longer contain his excitement and said eagerly,

"You guys talk too softly. As brothers, we should share both blessings and hardships! Nie Li, I only have a red soul realm. Can I also train in soul force?"

"Of course, everyone can train in soul force. Even if it's a red soul realm, the difference lies only in finding the right cultivation technique that suits the red soul realm!" Nie Li said with a smile.

Lu Piao began injecting his soul force into the soul crystal. Soon, the soul crystal started to glow. A dozen bright points, carrying a slight red hue, flickered within the crystal. The brightness was much smaller than Du Ze's!

Seeing this scene, Lu Piao's face turned red as Chan Wei gave him a small teasing smile.

His soul force was simply too weak.

"A red soul realm, with the Chaos attribute and the Scarlet Sun form!"

Nie Li furrowed his brows for a moment. "The Scarlet Sun soul form is quite common, but in reality, the Chaos attribute is extremely rare—there wouldn't be one Chaos attribute in hundreds of thousands of people. Why not practice the Holy Primal Chaos technique?"

"Holy Primal Chaos technique? Is it strong?" Lu Piao asked excitedly, as the name itself sounded powerful.

"Of course, the Holy Primal Chaos technique is in no way inferior to the Heavenly Qilin technique. Since it doesn't require much effort to practice, only the need to cultivate Chaos Qi within your body, it suits you perfectly," Nie Li said with a laugh.

"Whether you can train it to the highest level will depend on your luck."

Hearing Nie Li's words, Lu Piao's eyes instantly lit up. This cultivation technique suited him too well.

He laughed and said, "I don't need to train it to the highest level. I'll be satisfied as long as I can reach the Silver 1-star Demon Spiritualist rank."

Xiao Ning'er and Chan Wei both chuckled at Lu Piao's words.

"Brother, I think that even if you don't try, it will be difficult for you to remain at just one Silver star," Chan Wei said, continuing to laugh a little with Ning'er.

A 1-star Silver Demon Spiritualist... If the creator of the Holy Primal Chaos technique knew how "great" Lu Piao's aspirations were, he would have choked at the thought.

"Silver 1-star rank…" Nie Li was speechless. He estimated that before long, Lu Piao would realize just how laughable his dream was. By practicing the Holy Primal Chaos cultivation technique, it would be impossible to remain at the Silver 1-star rank. As Chaos Qi accumulated in his body, Lu Piao's cultivation would also progress in giant leaps, reaching a terrifying level!

"Sister, I think it's your turn. Can you inject your soul force into your crystal?" Nie Li asked, turning toward Xiao Ning'er, who was already taking a crystal out of her interspatial ring.

"Alright," Xiao Ning'er nodded and injected her soul force into the crystal. The crystal emitted a dazzling light. Within the light, a shape slowly formed—it was that of a winged dragon, soaring.

Nie Li looked at Xiao Ning'er in astonishment. "Soul force of 83, Wind Lightning attribute, Winged Dragon soul form. No wonder Xiao Ning'er cultivated so quickly in the previous life.

Even though she was bedridden for two years, her cultivation still advanced rapidly. She actually had a Winged Dragon soul form, a rare talent found in only one in ten thousand people. With this kind of soul form, no matter what cultivation technique she practiced, her cultivation would improve very quickly.

If she practiced a Wind Lightning attribute cultivation technique, it would be even more incredible."

"Wind Lightning attribute? Winged Dragon soul form? What does that mean?" Xiao Ning'er couldn't understand what Nie Li had just said. Doubt flickered in her beautiful pupils.

"It means that you are highly suited for a Wind Lightning attribute cultivation technique," Nie Li pondered for a moment and said, "I have a cultivation technique with me, I'll give it to you."

This cultivation technique was something Nie Li had found in a lost ancient city. It was the most suitable for someone with a Winged Dragon soul form. Once she started practicing it, her cultivation would skyrocket, much faster than that of Nie Li and the others—except perhaps Chan Wei, who continued to improve rapidly through refining new shadows.

Even Nie Li was slightly jealous of his new brother's talent, but when he thought of the Sage Emperor, having an overpowered brother would surely be necessary for the final battle.

"This cultivation technique is far superior to the one you're currently practicing!" Nie Li said as he transmitted the technique's chant to Xiao Ning'er.

Xiao Ning'er memorized the Lightning Dragon cultivation technique, and just by reciting its chant, she could already feel its power—it was truly a Wind Lightning attribute technique, and it was simply too powerful and unprecedented! Compared to this, all the other cultivation techniques she had seen before were nothing but garbage!

"This cultivation technique is called the Lightning Dragon Cultivation Technique!" Nie Li laughed, "It's the most suitable technique for you!"

"Thank you." Xiao Ning'er lifted her head, looking at Nie Li with gratitude. She didn't even know how to repay his kindness. He had given her such a powerful cultivation technique.

Biting her lips as her face began to heat up, she softly said, "I don't know how to repay you."

"There's no need for repayment. You are my brother's woman, and you are also my friend—it is only natural for me to help you," Nie Li responded calmly, smiling as Chan Wei nodded toward him in gratitude.

Glancing at the soul crystal in his hand, Nie Li prepared to test his own innate talent.

For various reasons in his past life, Nie Li had taken many detours, and the cultivation techniques he practiced had been chaotic and disordered.

This had caused him to lack the strength he needed at the end of his training.

Therefore, in this life, he wanted to find the cultivation technique most suitable for himself!