Feeling the Soul Ring stabilize, Qin Ming relaxed. He had intended to meditate and regulate his breathing for a while longer.
But at that moment, a piercing, bone-deep pain shot through the center of his forehead.
"Ugh!" Qin Ming let out a muffled groan, his mind, which had just relaxed, tensing up again.
From Xiong Shi's perspective, a fleshy lump the size of a fingernail had bulged from the center of Qin Ming's forehead, as though it were about to burst through his skin. It looked extremely strange.
"What's going on?" Xiong Shi abruptly rose to his feet, watching the changes in Qin Ming with uncertainty and alarm.
He had lived for nearly a century and seen countless Spirit Masters absorb Soul Rings, yet even so, he had never witnessed a situation like Qin Ming's.
As a result, he had no idea what Qin Ming's condition was or how he should respond.
"Fourth Elder, I'm fine. This is an opportunity for me." Qin Ming gritted his teeth and spoke word by word. The agony made his voice tremble slightly, but his tone remained firm.
This symptom appearing after he absorbed the Soul Ring probably meant that an External Soul Bone had manifested.
"Alright." Qin Ming's words reassured Xiong Shi. Qin Ming himself naturally understood the changes in his own body best. If he said he was fine, then he was most likely fine.
A few minutes later, the small lump on Qin Ming's forehead finally split open, revealing a scarlet crystal the size of a fingernail, identical to the Fire Demon Spirit's crystal core.
It was as though it had been embedded directly into the center of Qin Ming's forehead.
Though Xiong Shi was curious, he did not disturb Qin Ming. He simply waited quietly at the side.
After absorbing