Heaven-Turning Melon Concept, Earth Dragon Shield

The material of the Earth Dragon Golden Melon determined that it was not something to be simply eaten. Perhaps with a Martial Soul Avatar, one could forcibly transform into it, swallow the thing whole, and digest it like a Spirit Beast—but that was far too distant a prospect for Chen Ming. He chose a more convenient and effective method.

Chen Ming pressed the stem of the Earth Dragon Golden Melon against his Dantian, carefully absorbing the energy within it before circulating that energy through the Eight Extraordinary Meridians inside his body.

As the energy gradually flowed, a great deal of the Earth Dragon Golden Melon's energy followed Chen Ming's guidance and poured into his body like threads of silk.

While drawing upon its energy, Chen Ming infused part of his own essence and vitality into it. He then slowly reduced the speed and altered the direction of his Soul Power circulation, allowing this energy marked with his imprint to gradually flow back into the Earth Dragon Golden Melon.

At first, this process produced no major changes. However, after Chen Ming steadily refined it three times a day—morning, noon, and night—for an entire month, the Earth Dragon Golden Melon finally began to undergo noticeable changes.

The Earth Dragon Golden Melon, originally the size of a muskmelon, had shrunk somewhat and become slightly lighter. At the same time, its shape had grown rounder, like a large golden ball polished perfectly smooth.

When Chen Ming closed his eyes, he could sense the Earth Dragon Golden Melon within a certain range. If it was within three steps of him, a wave of his hand would make it sway in his direction.

If Chen Ming closed his eyes and poured Soul Power and will into the Earth Dragon Golden Melon with all his might, it would begin to glow and grow heavier due to the golden earth-attributed energy within it.

The Earth Dragon Golden Melon was naturally a Dragon Core prepared for dragonkind. Chen Ming could not absorb it directly, but he could activate it outside his body and gain some of its abilities.

Chen Ming's ultimate goal was to turn the Earth Dragon Golden Melon into his External Elixir and a weapon. He did not expect to reach the level of the legendary Heaven-Turning Seal, but he felt that if he worked hard enough, turning the Earth Dragon Golden Melon into a Heaven-Turning Melon was not impossible.

Then, it could aid his cultivation and purify the essence of his Martial Soul and his own Soul Power when used for refinement; in battle, it could transform into a falling meteor in midair and smash down upon his enemies. That was the true cultivation treasure Chen Ming wanted.

For now, the Earth Dragon Golden Melon could not be stored within his body. It was only faintly connected to him and could not yet be used as a true weapon. Once it could shrink to the size of a pellet and be swallowed by Chen Ming to serve as his Soul Core, its refinement would be complete.

As his essence was continuously replenished and purified, Chen Ming's Martial Soul was also changing.

Now, when he summoned his Martial Soul, the scales covering his body were no longer earthen yellow, but carried a hint of gold. His formerly heavy armor had begun to grow thinner and more agile, while its actual weight increased rather than decreased.

If Chen Ming had once looked like he was wearing heavy armor, and in truth had been wearing heavy armor, then now he looked as though he wore medium armor, while his defense had only increased compared to before.

If Chen Ming's former Martial Soul had been like a large chunk of raw metal ore filled with impurities, then after absorbing part of the Earth Dragon Golden Melon's energy and undergoing an initial transformation, his Martial Soul had become forged pig iron.

Though it was still some distance from being an excellent material, it was vastly superior to unmined and unrefined metal ore.

Then one day, while carrying out his usual training, Chen Ming turned his scales into energy and gathered them in his hand. When they finally formed a metal shield engraved with dragon patterns, Chen Ming understood that the time had finally come for him to obtain a Spirit Ring.

Carrying the shield formed from part of the scales on his body, Chen Ming went to find Dugu Bo.

Chen Ming's performance during this period had greatly stimulated Dugu Bo as well.

After confirming that his granddaughter, Dugu Yan, was doing well at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Dugu Bo sent word outside that Chen Ming was safe. Then he buried himself in the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well and began his own research.

Chen Ming studied Dugu Bo's body, detoxifying him while learning the mysteries of Titled Douluo and Martial Souls.

Meanwhile, Dugu Bo studied the theories and methods Chen Ming had provided, attempting to understand them and incorporate them into his own cultivation and legacy.

He even sincerely believed that the results of his research into Chen Ming would be more precious than the poison arts he had accumulated over his entire life.

However, Chen Ming's speed in studying Dugu Bo and Dugu Bo's speed in studying Chen Ming were completely different matters. Even when Chen Ming broke everything down and explained the principles in detail, Dugu Bo's progress was still far from fast.

For that reason, Dugu Bo had personally built a wooden hut on the outer side of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, determined to stay closer to Chen Ming.

Still, compared to Chen Ming's wooden house, which had been built only after careful calculations and combined beauty with practicality, the hut Dugu Bo had made with his own hands was rather ugly.

Seeing Chen Ming push open the door and enter his room, Dugu Bo had no objection. He merely looked up at the sky.

"Eh, is it time for treatment again? Was I too absorbed in my work today? Why does it feel earlier than usual?"

Dugu Bo muttered to himself, then moved to take off his shirt so Chen Ming could treat him with acupuncture and gua sha. Chen Ming reached out and stopped him.

"Senior, can't you see that something about me has changed?"

"Changed? Where did that shield come from?" Dugu Bo looked at Chen Ming, whose scales were far fewer than usual after Martial Soul Possession, then fixed his gaze on the metal shield with dragon patterns in Chen Ming's hand.

"This is... a Spirit Skill, right? It has to be a Spirit Skill, right?"

Though Dugu Bo had roughly guessed how Chen Ming had accomplished it, he still spoke with a trace of hope.

"It's a Beast Soul Tool-ification talent I figured out." With a thought from Chen Ming, the Dragon-Patterned Shield turned into energy and returned to his body, while the scales that had vanished from his body "grew back."

Chen Ming closed his eyes and focused, mobilizing his blood and Soul Power. Several seconds later, the scales on his body gathered in his hand as though melting, eventually forming a shield.

Chen Ming's shield was about one meter long, fifty centimeters wide, and roughly five millimeters thick. Rectangular in shape, it was a genuine medium shield.

As for its weight, it was probably over fifteen kilograms. Compared to ordinary shields, it was a truly overweight shield.

If it had not been part of his Martial Soul and therefore lighter and easier for Chen Ming, its owner, to wield than it actually was, using it alone would have required enormous strength and concentration.

When used, it could serve as a wall during defense, shielding most of his body. When swung, it could easily shatter a person's bones.

Its material looked like some kind of metal, but when Dugu Bo carefully touched it, he could feel a faint vitality and a rock-like texture. He could also sense Chen Ming's Soul Power slowly flowing within it.

Due to the influence of Chen Ming's Martial Soul essence, the shield bore layer upon layer of dragon-scale-like patterns. Some areas were faintly streaked with golden threads and glimmers of golden light. Under the sunlight, the shield exuded an imposing aura.

Even viewed on its own, it was a Tool Martial Soul of decent quality. Yet it was only a part of Chen Ming's Martial Soul.

Though it did not truly count as Twin Martial Souls, possessing both a Tool Martial Soul and a Beast Martial Soul still gave Chen Ming an enormous advantage over ordinary Spirit Masters.

Dugu Bo remained silent for a long time, as though he had disconnected from the world. In the end, he let out a long sigh and summoned his own Martial Soul.

"Help me take a look. Does my Martial Soul have the talent for Beast Soul Tool-ification?"