[Chirp—]
[Martial soul evolution—]
Amid the rustling leaves, the notification rang out. The martial soul that had gone dormant emerged from the sea of consciousness, and a smooth, wondrous little spirit bone floated before him.
Then, a streak of dazzling light shot up into the sky.
Xiao Ge was bathed in that golden light from head to toe. A warm, invigorating sensation spread through him, and his soul power began to rise rapidly. At the same time, the ordinary spirit bone floating before him began its own astonishing evolution.
The spirit bone, which had been utterly unremarkable, even seemingly steeped in darkness, was now wrapped in a layer of golden light. It gave off a gentle glow, and its impurities slowly faded until they disappeared completely.
A moment later, another streak of light shot into the sky.
Unlike the first, whose divine, transformative golden radiance had enveloped Xiao Ge, this second beam shone with an alluring purple hue. Its aura was filled with a fierce, destructive intent.
Gentle radiance and dark light intertwined like fine silk, shrouding the divine realm.
Ying San strolled between the flowers and plants, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth. His mood had been excellent lately.
Everything was under his control.
Everything in the lower realms was under his command, and everyone was moving according to the plans he had laid out.
As long as he completed his plans, he could become the master of the Douluo Star and, from there, the entire divine realm.
The next moment, a figure radiating purple light all over suddenly appeared in Ying San's sea of consciousness.
The smile on Ying San's face vanished in an instant, replaced by a look of deep gloom.
Damn it... You dared to make an enemy of me. Just wait until I make it—I'll see who can stop me then!
Ying San took a deep breath, once more putting on the calm expression of someone who had everything under control. He couldn't help glancing toward the Douluo Star, but in that instant, his gaze turned grave.
For some reason, the Douluo Star—which had always served as his eyes and ears—had grown hazy, as though a layer of gray shadow had fallen over it, completely blocking his view.
Why would this happen?
Could it be that the lower realms have an expert who can defy the heavens?
Ying San's heart sank.
His plans for the coming years couldn't afford to be disrupted by anyone!
It'd better not be someone secretly plotting against me in the dark. If you show yourself... You're as good as dead!
A trace of cold killing intent flickered in Ying San's eyes, but he didn't lose his composure. Instead, he began to sense things carefully.
Soon, Ying San let out a sigh of relief.
No matter what strange circumstances had appeared, as long as Huo Yuhao's aura remained intact, that was all that mattered.
Everything else was unimportant.
Judging by the timing, Huo Yuhao would soon be joining the Tang Sect. Once he joined Ying Bei, Ying San would have a chance to turn him into a loyal subordinate who would obey him without question!
But... that gray shadow seemed to have blocked his vision and awareness. It was undoubtedly a troublesome matter.
He would need to find some time to investigate exactly what it was.
For now... he needed to hurry and carry out the plans he had already set in motion.
Otherwise, even a small mistake could lead to a major disaster, and throw all his plans into disarray.
"Third Brother?"
Hearing that gentle voice, Ying San's heart settled. He put his confident expression back on and replied, turning around, "I'm here, Xiao Wu."
The light had faded!
A white beam that seemed to stretch forever rose from near the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, naturally drawing the attention of many. But it didn't linger for long before vanishing without a trace.
Even the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well's two guardian spirits had hurriedly started investigating the strange disturbance. In the end, however, they found nothing.
Only Duoduo, who had been nearby, guessed that the beam might have something to do with Xiao Ge.
After all, the last thing Xiao Ge had said before leaving was that he was going to open a new gift pack. That beam of light must have come from the gift pack, right?
Duoduo's thoughts stirred, and she immediately hurried in the direction where the beam had appeared.
A milky-white, palm-sized spirit bone floated quietly before Xiao Ge. Delicate golden patterns flowed across its surface, and as it hovered, a gentle glow scattered from it. It felt warm and smooth as jade to the touch.
Behind Xiao Ge, three purple spirit rings appeared as well.
Having spent three days fighting spirit beasts and two days cultivating, he had reached the tenth rank of soul power before turning six. He'd been lucky enough to obtain an additional spirit ring, too.
The main reason was that the Star Dou Great Forest was full of danger, and Xiao Ge had been frightened.
Still, Xiao Ge was grateful for his previous cowardice.
He'd barely managed to reach the twenty-fifth rank of soul power, and was now a Soul Elder at the thirty-first rank. He'd been just in time to use all three of those spirit rings.
If he'd been any more diligent, running around the Star Dou Great Forest, at most he would've absorbed a spirit ring from a ten-thousand-year-old spirit beast—or perhaps an ordinary hundred-year-old spirit bone—instead of getting a thousand-year-old spirit ring as his first one.
Looking at the milky-white spirit bone floating before him, Xiao Ge's eyes shone with delight.
His martial soul had evolved to its fullest extent. The plain, ordinary little spirit bone had transformed into a sacred bone, possessing brilliant radiance and a sacred, transcendent quality—even surpassing that of his ancestors.
The Sacred Bone Martial Soul possessed by his ancestors had only been slightly stronger than a weapon-type martial soul. It couldn't begin to compare with that brilliance and sacred quality.
And besides his sacred, extraordinary spirit bone martial soul, he had also awakened his second martial soul—Demon Ape.
Of course, it wasn't the highest-ranked martial soul, the Demon Ape.
Instead, it was a demon ape possessing sinister darkness and a brutal, bloodthirsty nature.
Xiao Ge's thoughts stirred. A palm-sized, pitch-black spirit bone floated beside the sacred bone. Fine, twisting dark-purple patterns covered its surface, and it gave off a bone-chilling aura, as cold as deathly ice to the touch.
The two spirit bones floated side by side, their contrasting lights interacting. Yet they balanced each other out, with no trace of their energies leaking out.
Looking at the two spirit bones floating before him, Xiao Ge nodded with satisfaction, then immediately recalled his martial souls.
The results of the daily sign-in had completely exceeded his expectations. In other words, he could stop worrying about having to sign in every day to maintain his cultivation. He could focus entirely on training and saving up, instead of being dragged into a sign-in routine.
From now on, I won't have to worry about my cultivation falling behind.
Ah, no.
I'm a lone wolf.
No matter what, he'd finally gotten back on track. Next, he'd cultivate slowly and steadily, then head to the divine realm once he'd built up enough strength and give Ying San a vicious slap across his big, smug face!
As for now...
Let's go home and sleep!
A leisurely tune, a stroll through the day—what could be better?
Xiao Ge casually picked up the shoulder bag on the table and hurried toward the largest village outside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Before you continue