Sacred Light Praise, How Did It Turn into a Birdman?

"Thank you, Yanyan."

Chen Jieqi nodded, and the Ashbringer in his hand condensed a blazing flame of light, which he gently lowered onto the corpse of the Light Bird to grant it its final rest.

A moment later...

A pale purple thousand-year soul ring rose slowly from the corpse of the Light Bird, carrying its unique pressure and shining brilliantly under the gilded sunlight.

Chen Jieqi sat cross-legged beside the Light Bird's body, the Heart of the Naaru between his brows hovering above his head as he whispered softly, "Draw!"

Unlike the violent, tearing sensation experienced when absorbing other soul rings, this Light Bird soul ring was incredibly docile.

As soon as it approached Chen Jieqi's body, it transformed into a warm current, flowing into his meridians like the warm sun of spring.

There was no excruciating pain from soul power collisions, no discomfort from attribute rejection, only extreme comfort and nourishment.

Chen Jieqi's brows relaxed slightly, and the Holy Light around his body grew increasingly dense, intertwining with the light power of the soul ring to form a golden cocoon of light that enveloped him completely.

The power of the Light Bird's soul ring flowed slowly through his body, deeply fusing with the Holy Light power of the Heart of the Naaru.

The Purification Power of the Light Bird washed over his meridians like a clear spring, elevating the Evil-Breaking effect of the Naaru Holy Light to a new level.

The Light Element Control of the Light Bird also allowed him to manipulate the Holy Light with increasing finesse.

Throughout the process, the phantom of the Light Bird's remnant soul flashed through the cocoon, devoid of any ferocity.

There was only a trace of gentle greeting, as if it were acknowledging this successor who shared the same sacred light.

Chen Jieqi could clearly feel its will—to guard the light and dispel the darkness.

This will resonated perfectly with the mission of the Heart of the Naaru, transforming into an invisible force that merged into his martial soul, adding a sense of sanctity and firmness to his Holy Light.

As time passed, the cocoon of light slowly dissipated, and Chen Jieqi opened his eyes.

A flash of gilded light streaked through his calm pupils before they returned to clarity.

That pale purple thousand-year soul ring settled steadily around his waist, rotating alongside his first soul ring.

The two yellow and purple soul rings complemented the Holy Light around him, appearing exceptionally dazzling under the gilded sunlight of the Yaori Forest Zone.

Chen Jieqi could clearly feel the surge in his soul power and the changes in his martial soul.

The Holy Light of the Heart of the Naaru had become purer and more powerful, with its abilities to purify, dissolve, scorch, and break evil all receiving a qualitative improvement.

Chen Jieqi looked down and said in a calm voice:

"Second soul ring, complete!"

Just as he prepared to stand up, golden light erupted from his body.

A cluster of golden light, so brilliant it was nearly blinding, condensed at his shoulder blades, causing even the sunlight in the Yaori Forest Zone to dim in comparison.

The light cluster slowly condensed and solidified, eventually forming a pair of translucent, miniature light-wing bone fragments—

This was the manifestation of an External Soul Bone, each fragment flowing with sacred patterns of light.

Chen Jieqi immediately held his breath and focused, slowly extending his soul power toward the pair of light wings.

Once the soul bone felt the pull of his soul power, it instantly transformed into a scalding golden liquid, surging like a living thing along his soul power toward his shoulder blades.

Wherever the liquid passed, his skin tingled with a peaceful numbness, as if countless tiny light particles were burrowing and Rooting beneath his skin, even gently widening his meridians with the power of light.

Suddenly, a pure, warm, and sacred energy of light rushed straight into his dantian along his meridians.

It collided and merged with Chen Jieqi's soul power instantly, causing the Holy Light of the Heart of the Naaru to surge and resonate with the power of the soul bone.

Then, the liquid gathered at his shoulder blades and solidified, beginning to reshape his skeletal structure as intense pain swept through his entire body.

"Ah!!!"

Chen Jieqi couldn't help but let out a low roar.

He could clearly feel his shoulder blades expanding, stretching, and reorganizing, with intense pain and extreme relief intertwined—

It was his body accepting a brand-new 'organ', with every inch of bone being reborn under the cleansing of the light power.

Under the astonished gazes of Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan, the golden light on Chen Jieqi's back surged once more.

A pair of pure golden wings, over two meters long, burst forth from his shoulder blades.

The edges of the wings shimmered with fine, gilded light, and every feather bone was clearly visible, sharing the same origin as the wings of the thousand-year Light Bird.

Yet, they were more condensed and sacred, as if they had been forged from light itself.

This was the dream of every soul master: an External Soul Bone, and a flight-type one at that, which was extremely rare!

Before Chen Jieqi could admire them himself, Dugu Yan's voice reached him, "Little Brother Xiao Qi, are you alright? How did you turn into a bird-man??"

Her eyes were filled with surprise and concern.

Dugu Bo chuckled upon hearing this and couldn't help but speak up:

"Yanyan, you're just worried sick. Xiao Qi has encountered a massive stroke of luck.

This is an External Soul Bone, second only to a hundred-thousand-year soul ring, ranking second on the list of every soul master's dreams!"

Chen Jieqi, who had been full of joy, saw a black line flash across his forehead at Dugu Yan's words, and he silently grumbled to himself, What kind of bird-man? This is the Wings of Light!

However, on the surface, he couldn't help but say with pleasant surprise:

"Grandpa, Sister Yanyan, this is indeed the External Soul Bone from the Light Bird. I call it the Wings of Light!"

With a thought, the golden wings of light behind him slowly retracted and merged into his body, leaving only a pair of symmetrical golden light patterns on his back, which usually remained hidden beneath his skin and appeared instantly when activated.

"Xiao Qi, you must never tell anyone about the External Soul Bone you obtained from hunting this spirit today.

Although External Soul Bones cannot be absorbed by others like ordinary soul bones,"

Dugu Bo restrained his smile, his tone becoming serious, "but as the saying goes, the tree that stands above the forest will be destroyed by the wind. Before you have enough power to protect yourself, the fewer people who know you possess an External Soul Bone, the better, so as to avoid anyone targeting you out of jealousy."

"Thank you, Grandpa. No one is better at 'lying low' than I am!"

Chen Jieqi nodded in thanks, as in his view, low-profile development was the golden rule for survival on the Douluo Continent.

"Isn't Grandpa here to protect us? You don't have to be so serious."

Dugu Yan held Dugu Bo's arm and acted like a spoiled child, instantly dissolving the heavy atmosphere from just a moment ago.

"That's true, that's true!"

Being adored by his granddaughter, Dugu Bo couldn't suppress the corners of his mouth; the dignity of a Title Douluo vanished, leaving only a face full of doting affection.

"Little brother Xiao Qi, hurry up and test your spirit power, and describe what your spirit skill does.

Your thousand-year second spirit ring is likely one of a kind on the continent."

Dugu Yan immediately turned her head, her eyes sparkling as she stared at Chen Jieqi, full of curiosity and anticipation, and even Dugu Bo restrained his smile, looking seriously at Chen Jieqi, ready to witness the results of this top-tier opportunity.

Chen Jieqi took out the Spirit Power Crystal upon hearing this, and it immediately shone brightly.

"Level 23!"

Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan spoke in unison, their eyes filled with shock:

"What a monster!"

Dugu Bo couldn't help but mutter a few words to himself, though his tone was full of admiration.

Chen Jieqi was not surprised, as he had already estimated it:

This Light Bird was a spirit beast of about 1200 years. After absorbing the spirit ring, his spirit power rose to level 22, and then merging with the External Soul Bone pushed him straight to level 23.

This was very reasonable!

As soon as they finished speaking, Chen Jieqi smiled slightly, "Sister Yanyan, if I weren't a bit of a monster, how could I dare to say I'd protect you, right?"

He then raised his hands above his head, and the Heart of the Naaru between his brows shone with golden light as scorching and fierce holy light surged from his body.

[Second Spirit Skill: Holy Light Praise]

Consumes 20% of base spirit power to increase all attributes by 50%, self-holy attribute by 100%, and resistance to darkness, corrosion, and other anomalies by 100%, lasting for the duration of two incense sticks.

"It really is infuriating to compare people; it's one thing that this attribute boost is as high as 100%, but it also provides an all-attribute boost!

Not to mention the increased resistance to other anomalies and negative effects; it's simply a perfect counter!"

Dugu Bo, standing to the side, sighed, his eyes filled with admiration as he looked at Chen Jieqi.

"Little brother Xiao Qi, you are truly amazing. This is already no worse than my third spirit skill."

Dugu Yan also said with admiration after hearing this, her gaze toward Chen Jieqi filled with a bit more reverence.

Ignoring their exclamations, Chen Jieqi continued:

"The basic ability of my External Soul Bone, the Wings of Light, is to grant me flight, and its speed will increase as the age of the soul bone increases.

At the same time, as my attributes improve, the wings will become more refined, thereby absorbing surrounding light energy to reduce spirit power consumption, which is especially obvious under the sun!"

"There is another, more important aspect: purification amplification, which will further strengthen my Holy Light Domain.

Within the domain, I can slowly dispel all negative states from my teammates, such as (poisoning, confusion, curses, paralysis), etc."

As soon as Chen Jieqi finished speaking, the pupils of Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan shrank, their voices trembling as they blurted out:

"I thought your External Soul Bone only granted flight; I never expected it could also strengthen your Holy Light Domain!"

"Such heaven-defying luck, even in the entire spirit master world, would be enough to drive countless Title Douluo crazy!"

Chen Jieqi did not feign modesty this time, nodding in response to what he heard.

Even with his own firm resolve, he could not help but feel his heart tremble, a wave of wild joy sweeping through his entire body like a tsunami.

After a long while, the group gradually calmed down from their surprise, and as the bright moon hung in the sky, they began to set up camp for the night, taking the opportunity to sample the taste of roasted bird meat.

The campfire crackled and danced, its warm glow reflecting off the faces of the three, softening the chill of the night in the Yaori Forest Zone.

Chen Jieqi turned the meat on the rack, grease dripping down the grain and landing in the fire to send up tiny sparks, the aroma mixing with the crispness of the light energy and drifting far away.

Dugu Yan crouched nearby, clutching a sharpened branch in her hand, staring longingly at the sizzling, oily meat with her nose almost touching it:

"Little brother Xiao Qi, do you think if we eat this Light Bird meat, we'll pick up some of its light energy too?"

"Silly girl, once a spirit beast dies, its power dissipates; how much could possibly be left?"

Dugu Bo sat to the side, his tone teasing:

"However, the meat is tender, and it really is fragrant when roasted. Back in the day, when I was in the Extreme North, I even roasted the leg of an Ice Jade Scorpion..."

"Grandpa, you're just bragging!"

Dugu Yan curled her lips, turning her head to look at Chen Jieqi with sparkling eyes, "Little brother Xiao Qi, are you coming with me to the Tiantou City Royal Academy, or...?"