Chapter 187: Reunion
Sitting slouched in the flower garden of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes, Su Cheng gazed absentmindedly at the swirling vortex of ice and fire spiritual energy rising not far away.
It had been eight years since he parted ways with Bibi Dong, and now he had already cultivated to the level of a Titled Douluo.
"Sigh, Bibi Dong..."
With a silent sigh, Su Cheng's thoughts wandered.
In fact, over the past few years, he could sense that the other party had visited Sunset Forest many times, but each time, they only lingered outside the valley without truly entering the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eyes.
He didn't have much to say about it.
Shaking his head, Su Cheng collected his thoughts and raised his arm, extending a finger.
Then, a strand of sword qi, about an inch long, appeared on his fingertip.
Although this sword qi seemed extremely weak and didn't require much of his strength, it emitted an astonishing power fluctuation.
Over the years, Su Cheng had obviously done more than just cultivate.
His accumulation had become profound enough; in terms of knowledge, cultivation, and strength, he had reached the pinnacle of history.
On this basis, his exploration of the third volume of the Innate Power had also progressed to a profound level.
The fluctuating sword qi between his fingertips at this moment was a manifestation of that.
In this sword qi, his physical strength, profound soul power, and substantial mental strength were merged.
The mental power within it was completely different from the rigid and inflexible mental power of ordinary soul masters, appearing exceptionally agile. This was because it wasn't ordinary mental power materialization but rather transformed from the power of the soul.
The profound power born from the complete integration of his own essence, energy, and spirit was tens of times stronger than pure soul power.
Since this kind of power came from the Innate Power, with a nature completely different from soul power, he named it the Innate Power.
However, Su Cheng couldn't fully control this Innate Power at the moment. It was still difficult for him to use this power to unleash powerful sword techniques; it would always dissipate halfway through integration.
"I wonder what the so-called divine power in this world is and how it differs from the level of power formed by integrating my own essence, energy, and spirit."
Su Cheng pondered silently.
It was certain that the nature of divine power was absolutely different from the Innate Power he was currently using.
From the process of becoming a divine being like the Sea God, it could be seen that divine power definitely contained the power of belief. Just this point completely distinguished them.
The power of belief was external assistance, which was obviously different from Su Cheng's power, which originated solely from himself.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Su Cheng put aside his speculation about divine power.
Studying those things now was not meaningful; he had no examples to verify.
Moreover, the powers of various deities such as the Sea God, Angel God, Asura God, Rakshasa God, etc., differed greatly in attributes, which obviously couldn't be solely attributed to belief.
Thanks to the talent he chose for this simulation, Su Cheng also had some understanding of the power of belief.
Although that power came from the desires of many believers, it was equally pure and not mixed with various impurities, so it wouldn't cause such huge differences in attributes.
He refocused his gaze on the sword qi at his fingertips.
"Now, physical strength has become my weakness, but it's difficult to actively improve in this aspect. The best way to compensate for these deficiencies is to try to convert the three different powers as much as possible, and even further, to replace the soul power I currently use. However, the latter is extremely difficult and risky, and it cannot be attempted lightly."
Su Cheng pondered, "Perhaps after I completely perfect this technique, I can try to deeply utilize the power of bloodlines in the soul rings. But with my current strength, it's obviously far from being able to shatter the rules within the soul rings. Let's see if I can do it after this simulation ends..."
Shattering the rules within the soul rings was completely different from what he did when he condensed his own soul rings.
The law halo formed when condensing the soul ring had nothing to do with his own strength, and he couldn't create it out of thin air.
What he did was simply guide the power in his bloodline to form a stable core of the soul ring, and then use it to condense soul power to perfectly conform to the rules of advancement in this world.
Thinking of this, Su Cheng's expression suddenly changed slightly, "Right, maybe I can refer to the Exploding Ring of Haotian Sect. Although the purpose of that soul skill is just to absorb the power in the soul ring and doesn't really touch the core, it's still worth considering its approach."
The secret skill Exploding Ring in the Great Desolate Hammer only fully stimulated the soul power contained in the soul ring, exerting a power far beyond what a soul master would normally possess, and it didn't affect the core of the soul ring at all.
This could be seen from the fact that after using the Exploding Ring, the soul ring attached to the Haotian Hammer would gradually recover over time.
After using the Exploding Ring in the Haotian Sect, it seemed that the soul ring disappeared, but in reality, only the layer of soul power on the surface disappeared.
Su Cheng, who could condense his own soul rings, naturally understood the principle of the soul ring's composition.
The essence of a soul ring below one hundred thousand years was formed by the core rules and condensed soul power, and the law ring itself was colorless and formless, unaffected by the Exploding Ring. This was also why the attached soul ring of the Haotian Hammer gradually recovered over time.
However, as time passed, if the Soul Master who used the Exploding Ring appeared in intense battles again, the law halo without additional soul power would naturally be difficult to maintain stability.
Therefore, the Haotian Sect explicitly required Soul Masters not to use the Exploding Ring multiple times in a short period after using this skill.
"Cheng Xue, I'm here."
At this moment, accompanied by a melodious and pleasant voice like a clear spring, a graceful figure leaped down from above and glided into the valley.
Compared to the last time they parted, Bibi Dong now appeared much more mature.
She was already a peerless beauty, and after eight years of precipitation, she finally completely shed the last trace of girlish innocence, becoming mature and reserved, her temperament appearing even more noble and dignified.
Su Cheng was momentarily stunned, feeling a sudden pang of regret.
Women like Bibi Dong possessed a unique charm at every stage of life.
The purity and clarity of childhood, the delicacy and tenderness of adolescence, the shyness and awkwardness of young adulthood, and the grace and beauty of maturity...
The time he missed might have become a masterpiece.
However, the complex emotions only flashed through his mind.
There was no possibility of anything happening between them.
The real Bibi Dong was also completely different from the person in front of him.
"Congratulations on breaking through level ninety and about to ascend to the rank of Titled Douluo," Su Cheng stood up straight, nodded lightly at her, and said with a smile, "Let's go, I'll take you to find a hundred-thousand-year soul beast."
Bibi Dong looked at Su Cheng, her eyes shimmering with a hint of undisguised joy and a touch of melancholy.
But when she saw the deep black eyes under that mask, she swallowed back the words she wanted to say, and simply walked forward to stand by his side.
She was inherently stubborn, and the years of separation not only did not dilute her feelings, but instead intensified them.
However, after the previous lesson, she dared not be too impulsive now.
It was inevitable for the two of them to achieve the rank of Titled Douluo, and even becoming a ninety-ninth level Transcendent Douluo was not impossible. They had plenty of time to spend together in the future, so there was no need to rush.
She regretted acting hastily and driving people away several times over the past few years.
Fortunately, after Su Cheng left, he almost always stayed in this place and didn't go looking for any troublemakers.
She had visited nearby many times before, and every time, there was only Su Cheng's presence here.
"I have almost perfected the third volume of the Innate Power, but I can't teach it to you temporarily," Su Cheng said as he walked outward, "You have taken the Immortal Grass, and there is still a lot of residual medicinal power in your body. I'm worried that there might be accidents."
"Okay, I'll follow your arrangement."
Several days later, in the Star Dou Forest.
After Su Cheng and Bibi Dong passed through a dense forest, the view ahead suddenly opened up.
Looking at the scene in front of them, Su Cheng's eyes narrowed slightly, while Bibi Dong's expression became even more solemn.
Not far away, mist rose above a clear lake, reflecting the towering trees around it on the lake surface. Under the sunlight, the scenery was even more dreamlike.
On one side of this captivating picture, a towering figure like a mountain squatted quietly there, its entire body of jet-black fur shimmering with a faint light under the sunlight.
Although it was on all fours, the height of its shoulders was more than seven meters. If it stood upright, its height would probably be more than fifteen meters.
It was a huge black giant ape, its robust muscles bulging like small hills, and its lantern-sized eyes flickering with a golden brilliance.
It was none other than one of Su Cheng's targets on this trip, the hundred-thousand-year soul beast, Titan Giant Ape!
At the moment, it hadn't released any intimidating aura, but even just silently squatting there, it gave off a heavy and oppressive feeling like a mountain.
This place was not unfamiliar to Su Cheng.
During the second simulation, he had been here before, but at that time, it was not the Titan Giant Ape in front of him, but the three brothers of the Thousand Catty Ant Emperor.
As the two of them entered this place, the Titan Giant Ape turned its head, and its huge eyes suddenly lit up. Even in the daylight, they were as dazzling as two small suns.
A majestic and majestic aura emanated, causing ripples to appear on the surface of the lake in front of it.
"How about that guy? Do you think you can deal with him?" Su Cheng's expression remained unchanged as he casually asked the stunning beauty beside him.
Bibi Dong swallowed lightly.
Having read the books in the Martial Soul Hall, she naturally knew what kind of terrifying soul beast was before them.
It was an existence known as the king of soul beasts, unrivaled among soul beasts of the same level.
"ROOAARR...."
As if understanding Su Cheng's words, the Titan Giant Ape's massive body stood upright and let out a roar towards the two people, causing waves to ripple on the lake surface.