Yan Shaozhe looked at the Soul Bone radiating a terrifying aura and gently shook his head.
If it had been a limb bone, Yan Shaozhe would have handed it to Lu Heqiu to absorb without hesitation. But the Soul Bone before them wasn't a limb bone. It was the most important kind of all: a torso bone!
If something went wrong while he was absorbing the torso bone...
How could they stop Lu Heqiu?
They couldn't exactly chop off his torso, could they?
Even if Lu Heqiu were a Limit Douluo, that would still kill him.
Human technology hadn't advanced to the point where someone could survive without a torso bone.
Xuan Zi gave a soft snort.
He'd known this kid couldn't possibly be that lucky.
"Let's keep this Soul Bone for now."
"He'll be able to use it when he's older."
"Fortunately, Soul Bones don't fade away over time like Soul Rings. As long as this kid grows up safely, the Soul Bone will still be his."
Yan Shaozhe could only give a gentle nod. It was the only option left: they would have to save the torso bone until Lu Heqiu was old enough to absorb it. That day wouldn't be far off, but it certainly wasn't today.
What Yan Shaozhe hadn't expected, though, was that—
Lu Heqiu, who had been standing beside the Azure Blood Dragon Beast, actually began walking toward the Soul Bone.
His tiny, rosy hand grabbed hold of the enormous Soul Bone. As his Soul Power began to circulate, he immediately started absorbing it into his body.
Yan Shaozhe was too late to stop him.
Even Xuan Zi hadn't seen it happen.
Lu Heqiu, who had been staggering just moments before, sat cross-legged on the spot and began absorbing the Soul Bone with surprising composure.
"This kid!"
Xuan Zi cried out in shock.
But there was no chance to stop him now.
All they could do was glare at Lu Heqiu, waiting for the Soul Bone to be fully absorbed into his body. A flicker of regret passed through Ma Xiaotao's eyes. She should have been the one keeping an eye on Lu Heqiu.
But she had been so absorbed in listening to Yan Shaozhe that she hadn't noticed Lu Heqiu's movements, giving him the chance to act.
Even if Xuan Zi flew into a rage now, it wouldn't help.
Once Soul Bone absorption began,
it was already beyond his power to interrupt.
All they could do was pray that Lu Heqiu succeeded this time.
As for that Soul Ring... there had never been much hope for it in the first place. If it faded away, so be it. No one present could absorb it anyway, so it wasn't a waste. They could just consider the little guy lucky to have obtained a Soul Bone.
Within the Sea of Consciousness,
Lu Heqiu sat cross-legged in midair, his body bound tightly by nine chains. The lightning on them, specifically aimed at him, showed not the slightest sign of letting up. It kept its eyes on him—until the torso bone appeared.
"A Hundred Thousand Year torso bone?"
"Then... come over and strengthen this body a little more."
He gently beckoned with his left hand.
As if summoned, the torso bone flew toward Lu Heqiu.
The surrounding lightning paid it no heed. This was a power permitted by the rules of this world, so Lu Heqiu wasn't breaking them. In fact, the lightning around him seemed to encourage it, using its power to remove the impurities within the torso bone.
When it landed in front of Lu Heqiu,
the bone, which had originally been emerald green, now gleamed gold.
It looked almost exactly like the golden ocean below.
Without Lu Heqiu needing to do anything else, the Soul Bone sank straight into his body.
Outside, Xuan Zi stared in astonishment.
Though they hadn't been able to stop Lu Heqiu from absorbing the Soul Bone, they could still see how far along he was. They had thought it might take several days for him to absorb it completely, but before even fifteen minutes had passed, he was already close to succeeding.
Most of the power within the Soul Bone had already merged into Lu Heqiu's body. Not only was he very likely to succeed, he was absorbing it far faster than Xuan Zi and the others had expected!
"This..."
"Is it a perfect match?!"
"No, how could a Soul Bone ever be so perfectly compatible with a human? Surely this little guy isn't the reincarnation of an Azure Blood Dragon Beast?"
Xuan Zi couldn't believe his eyes, but he was even less willing to doubt a Super Douluo's perception. Lu Heqiu really was on the verge of successfully absorbing it!
Yan Shaozhe wore a wry smile. He, too, found it hard to believe what he was seeing, but he still spoke up for Lu Heqiu.
"Xuan Zi is joking."
"There's only one Azure Blood Dragon Beast of its kind in the Star Dou Great Forest."
"Even if there were others of its kind, none could have reached the Hundred Thousand Year level. This little guy really is human... a monster."
Xuan Zi gave a soft snort and ignored him.
He really did grow more boring with age!
Couldn't he tell it was a joke?
Still...
Xuan Zi's gaze returned to the Blood-Red Soul Ring that was gradually turning translucent. An idea suddenly crossed his mind: could this kid really prove him wrong?
The moment the thought surfaced, Lu Heqiu abruptly opened his eyes. They had changed. One of them had even turned golden, apparently influenced by the Azure Blood Dragon Beast Torso Bone he had just absorbed.
His body had changed as well.
Whether it was because his physique had grown stronger or because the seal had loosened again, his clothes, which had been slightly loose, were now stretched tight. From the outside, Lu Heqiu now looked no different from an ordinary two- or three-year-old child. No one would have guessed that he had still looked barely six months old when he first arrived in the Star Dou Great Forest.
"Did he succeed?!"
A flicker of delight appeared in Yan Shaozhe's eyes.
Lu Heqiu absorbing this Soul Bone had already been beyond anything he and Xuan Zi had expected. But now, it really seemed possible that Lu Heqiu might absorb the Red Soul Ring completely before it faded away!
A Hundred Thousand Years! This was a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring!
There had never been one in the history of the continent!
"What Soul Skill did you get?"
Though Xuan Zi looked deeply troubled, he still spoke to Lu Heqiu. But Lu Heqiu showed no sign of answering and headed straight for the vivid Blood-Red Soul Ring.
It wasn't that he didn't want to answer.
Lu Heqiu hadn't even had a chance to examine the Soul Bone closely.
The Soul Ring had already been here for some time.
He needed to absorb it as quickly as possible!
The Soul Bone had been an unexpected bonus.
Only the Soul Ring could unlock the seal!
Watching Lu Heqiu approach the Blood-Red Soul Ring, Xuan Zi didn't try to stop him. A glimmer of anticipation appeared in his aged eyes. This little guy had already created too many miracles.
There was no need to stop him from absorbing this Soul Ring.
Even if he failed,
they still had a chance to help interrupt the process. Surely it couldn't be more dangerous than the Soul Bone had been?
Ma Xiaotao wore the same excitement as Yan Shaozhe. She wanted to see a miracle from Lu Heqiu, too. Having a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring as his First Soul Ring was a miracle in itself!
Under the three of them, each watching with a different expression,
Lu Heqiu's small, thin frame walked toward the Soul Ring. He sat cross-legged before it, used the Soul Power in his body to draw it toward himself, and let its scarlet light spread in all directions. The remnant soul of the Azure Blood Dragon Beast hidden within the Soul Ring ran rampant.
But everyone knew—
Soul Ring absorption had begun!
Before you continue