The next morning, Han Li woke up from his cultivation as usual. Feeling the soul power still accumulating, he left the stone chamber with satisfaction.
Today was the day Dugu Yan's martial soul would evolve, and it was also the day they would be leaving. Having lived in the wild for more than half a month, despite all the preparations, Han Li felt quite uncomfortable. He missed the soft bed and the somewhat annoying sounds of the city.
After a simple wash and a quick bite to eat, he leisurely headed towards the platform. As expected, he was the last to arrive. The three of them were already sitting there, chatting.
Though they were chatting, it was two people trying to ease Dugu Yan's nervousness. She looked quite uneasy.
"Good morning, Master, Senior, and Sister Yan," Han Li greeted the three.
"What's so good about it? This old man didn't dare to wake you up, so he dragged me up early in the morning. We've been talking for almost an hour," Guang Ling complained from the side.
Han Li smiled but didn't respond, instead looking at Dugu Yan. Coincidentally, Dugu Yan also looked over at him. Seeing his relaxed demeanor, her nervousness eased a bit.
"How are you feeling, Sister Yan? Ready?" Han Li asked softly.
"Ready. Let's start. Either way, I'll become stronger," Dugu Yan took a deep breath and stood up. As the moment approached, she became calm.
"That's right. You'll succeed," Han Li nodded at her. He then flipped his left hand, revealing a red Ganoderma that had already been picked clean of leaves, and handed it to Dugu Yan.
"As mentioned before, there are no special requirements. Just eat it all," Han Li placed the item in her hand and gently squeezed it, encouraging her.
"Okay," Dugu Yan looked at the ganoderma in her hand, nodded to the three, and walked to an open space, sitting down.
After a brief pause, she brought the ganoderma to her mouth. The Nine-Grade Dragon Ganoderma wasn't big, so she swallowed it in just a few bites and began to circulate her soul power. Almost instantly, as she mobilized her soul power, a blood flame erupted from her body, enveloping her completely. The potent medicinal power transformed into pure energy, enhancing her soul power. Her aura visibly strengthened.
"This?"
Dugu Bo looked at Dugu Yan with some concern, pacing back and forth.
"Don't worry, Senior. This is normal. You and Master are both at such high levels that the immortal herbs can only improve you in limited ways, mostly enhancing other aspects. Sister Yan is just a Grandmaster. It's normal to see unusual signs. Don't forget when my martial soul evolved, the commotion was much bigger," Han Li rolled his eyes. "Look, even her clothes are fine."
"Haha, I was just worried," Dugu Bo finally stopped pacing and smiled sheepishly.
Time ticked by, and the blood-red flames around Dugu Yan showed no sign of weakening. Instead, a faint dragon aura began to emanate from her.
"Senior, it's your turn now. Use a bit of your martial soul's aura to touch Sister Yan and activate her martial soul's instincts. The rest is up to her, whether she transforms into a dragon or devours one," Han Li turned to Dugu Bo, signaling it was his turn to act.
Originally, Han Li was supposed to handle this step, but after releasing those auras within him last time, his recovery sped up significantly, and he couldn't find any trace of them anymore. He couldn't provoke the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well again just to help Dugu Yan evolve. Fortunately, Dugu Bo could also complete this task. Their martial souls originated from the same source, so the effect wouldn't be any different than if Han Li did it himself.
"Alright," Dugu Bo's expression turned serious. He instantly activated his martial soul, carefully controlling his aura as he approached Dugu Yan on the open ground.
As he got closer, Dugu Yan seemed to sense his aura. A small emerald-green snake appeared from behind her, hissing before merging back into her body.
Seeing this, Dugu Bo immediately retracted his martial soul and let out a long sigh of relief.
"Alright, we've done everything we can. The rest is up to Sister Yan," Han Li said as Dugu Yan's blood flames began to flicker, and a look of pain appeared on her face. Dugu Bo clenched his fists tightly.
Another hour passed as the blood flames around Dugu Yan danced wildly.
Suddenly, the blood flames stopped for a moment. In the next second, a powerful wave of soul power radiated from her, spreading in all directions.
As the aura dissipated, Dugu Yan opened her eyes and stood up. She assessed her condition before smiling and waving at the three of them.
"I did it."
Seeing her awake, the three quickly approached.
"Yan Yan, how do you feel? What has your martial soul evolved into? Let Grandpa take a look," Dugu Bo immediately began examining his granddaughter, eager to know about the changes.
Well, how should I put this? Dugu Yan has undergone significant changes.
Originally, she had short purple hair, but after the martial soul evolution, it had turned dark red, resembling the blood flames that had enveloped her. Her eyes were still green, but not the same vivid green as before; they had lightened considerably, becoming a pale green.
Overall, her aura of otherworldliness had diminished somewhat, but she now exuded a more heroic spirit.
"Grandpa, you're asking so many questions at once; which one should I answer first?" Dugu Yan, being herself, immediately started to act spoiled with her grandfather.
"Alright, Grandpa won't ask anymore. Take your time and tell us everything," Dugu Bo, ever the doting grandfather, didn't rush her. Instead, he stroked his largely nonexistent beard and nodded continuously as he observed his granddaughter's changes.
After calming herself, Dugu Yan began to speak slowly, "I'm not sure if my martial soul is a dragon or a snake now, and it seems the form of my martial soul possession has also changed."
As she spoke, she raised her right hand, and a tiny energy snake appeared in her palm.
"Hmm?"
The three of them immediately noticed the change. Generally, beast martial souls manifest through possession, sometimes showing animal traits and sometimes not. However, Dugu Yan's martial soul now appeared in her palm in an energy form.
"Can you still perform a normal possession?" Han Li quickly asked.
"Yes."
Hearing his question, Dugu Yan immediately dispersed the martial soul in her right hand and performed a normal martial soul possession.
"Martial Soul Possession."
As the tiny energy snake in her hand dissipated, she murmured.
With the soul ring's radiance flashing, Dugu Yan's stature increased slightly, her body seemed to become more supple, and her legs transformed into a snake tail. Her long, narrow eyes took on a cold glint.
However, she was not standing on the ground but floating about half a meter above it, with a pair of dark red energy wings appearing out of nowhere behind her.
"Good, very good," Dugu Bo was overjoyed. Even though he had only seen this new appearance of his granddaughter, he was certain it was far superior to her previous Jade Phosphor Serpent martial soul.
"Interesting," Guang Ling also gave Dugu Yan a once-over, nodding with interest before turning to Dugu Bo. "It seems your granddaughter's evolution might be a notch higher than yours."
"How do you mean?"
Dugu Bo didn't mind Guang Ling using his granddaughter to slight him; instead, he eagerly pressed for more details.
"Well, it's understandable that you wouldn't know, given that although you have a family, you essentially came up on your own," Guang Ling habitually took a jab at Dugu Bo before continuing. "According to the long-standing records of the Martial Soul Hall, when it comes to martial soul possession, especially flying-type martial souls, those that can manifest wings purely in energy form without using a soul skill, generally have high quality. At the very least, they border on top-tier martial souls."
"On the other hand, those whose arms transform into wings or grow feathers during possession typically have significant drawbacks. They might be able to fly, but they don't offer much in terms of combat capability. For someone like her, who can achieve independent flight through mere possession, the martial soul's quality is undoubtedly high, even among top-tier martial souls."
"So, in short, she's struck it rich," Guang Ling concluded.
"Directly into the top-tier martial soul range? And among the best?" Dugu Bo looked at his floating granddaughter, grinning widely.
Though his Jade Phosphor Serpent had evolved into the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor, becoming a top-tier martial soul, it still had substantial drawbacks. Now, however, the quality of his martial soul mattered less to him than it did before he achieved his title. Reaching the rank of Super Douluo was already an immense satisfaction for him.
But Dugu Yan had always been his concern. He feared she would face the same limitations he had. Now, seeing her martial soul's evolution, he felt relieved, confident that achieving a Titled Douluo would not be a problem for her.
While the two conversed, Han Li observed the evolved Dugu Yan. This was his first time seeing her in martial soul possession form. During his previous visit to the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, they were only doing routine training and hadn't revealed their martial souls.
He curiously examined her lower body, now a snake tail, trying to understand the mechanics behind it. From the color of the snake's tail, it was evident her martial soul had fundamentally changed; even the distinctive green scales of the Jade Phosphor Serpent had turned the same dark red as her hair.
Moreover, due to his elemental control, he could sense a strong fire attribute aura emanating from her, unlike Dugu Bo, whose soul power had only a slight purifying quality mixed in.
As he scrutinized her snake tail so openly, a blush of embarrassment flashed across Dugu Yan's face. However, she didn't dispel her martial soul possession. Instead, she floated closer to him, swinging her tail toward his hand.
"Hmm?"
Staring at the snake tail now beside his hand, Han Li felt a big question mark form in his mind. Instinctively, he reached out and stroked it.
This action made Dugu Yan's body shiver slightly in mid-air. She shot him a reproachful look, filled with both embarrassment and annoyance, before immediately dispelling her martial soul possession and landing back on the ground.
Han Li watched as her snake tail transformed back into legs, with her shoes miraculously still neatly on her feet. This was quite bewildering.
"Forget it," Han Li thought, deciding to abandon any further investigation into this mystical phenomenon. After all, the current situation wasn't appropriate for such inquiries.
The two titled Douluo finished their conversation and turned their attention back.
"By the way, Sister Yan, try using the energy form for possession again," Han Li said calmly.
"Yes, Yan Yan, quickly try it. Grandpa hasn't seen this form of beast martial soul possession before," Dugu Bo urged with curiosity, echoed by Guang Ling.
"Alright."
Dugu Yan wanted to try as well, so she called out, "Martial Soul Possession."
This time, unlike before, there was little change in Dugu Yan herself, except that her aura became somewhat colder. A dark red snake-like energy phantom appeared above her head.
As they focused on it, they noticed that this martial soul phantom no longer resembled the Jade Phosphor Serpent at all. The martial soul phantom above her head was entirely dark red, with a pair of wings on its back, flickering with sparks. The body was undeniably that of a snake, but the head was peculiar. Its head no longer looked like the triangular head of a snake but was more dragon-like, although it lacked horns. The eyes remained those of a snake, and it periodically flicked its tongue, appearing quite intelligent.
Interestingly, while the phantom retained some of the sinister aura of a snake, its martial soul presence also exuded the majesty of a dragon, making it difficult to determine whether it was more snake-like or dragon-like. No wonder Dugu Yan herself couldn't tell if her martial soul was a snake or a dragon.
"This possession form somewhat resembles the incomplete martial soul possession state that a Soul Sage achieves with their true martial soul form," Guang Ling observed thoughtfully. He demonstrated by summoning a bit of his energy, manifesting a bow phantom behind him.
"Yes, it does resemble that. But Yan Yan, can you use soul skills in this state?" Dugu Bo asked.
"Yes."
After Dugu Yan answered, the yellow soul ring above her head flashed, and a beam of energy, imbued with explosive fire attributes and potent poison, shot out from the snake phantom above her head. The attack struck a large stone not far away, shattering it instantly. The plants along its path caught fire, and the places where the shattered stones landed saw the plants quickly wither and die.
"Not bad power," Guang Ling remarked casually, noting the damage she had caused. It was quite impressive for a hundred-year first soul skill.
"Yan-yan, have your soul skills also changed? What about the poison?" Dugu Bo asked anxiously after seeing the effects of her attack.
"Yes, my soul skills have changed with the martial soul evolution. The first soul skill is the attack I just used. I call it Lava Beam," Dugu Yan explained.
"Lava Beam is a linear energy attack with fire attributes, emitted from the mouth for long-range attacks. It has burning and venomous effects, consumes very little soul power, has good penetration, and can be fired continuously without cooldown."
"The second soul skill is an amplification skill. It enhances fire attribute power by 30%, but it only lasts for half an hour and has a cooldown of one hour."
Although Dugu Yan spoke with some regret, everyone present could see from her expression that she was quite satisfied with her mutated soul skills.
"As for the poison, don't worry, Grandpa. My body is now completely free of toxins. This poison is a fire poison that accompanies my martial soul attacks. The main attribute of my evolved martial soul is fire. Although it's still a snake with venom glands, it's different from the Jade Phosphor Serpent. Its primary attack method is elemental fire attacks."
"Also, I can tell that my martial soul's evolution has given it a high resistance to poison. Even poisons that invade my body can be assimilated and absorbed by the fire element. And the best part is, any poison originating from my own body, whether from my martial soul or myself, is completely immune to me. It won't harm me at all."
"So, Grandpa, you can rest assured that I won't be affected by poison anymore," Dugu Yan said happily.
"Yan-yan, this is great news. But there's one thing you need to remember: your new martial soul doesn't have horns or legs, so it's a snake, right? How could it be a dragon? Don't you agree?"
Hearing that his granddaughter was no longer troubled by poison, Dugu Bo relaxed and his thoughts wandered.
"Yes, Grandpa, you're right. It's a snake," Dugu Yan agreed, nodding. She also felt that it was better to think of it as a snake. After all, she had always been proud of her snake martial soul for so many years, not to mention that her martial soul possession mode still had a snake tail.