One Year Later

"It's a Spirit Bone!" Xie Xie cried excitedly.

Everyone stared at the Right Palm Bone, their eyes alight with excitement.

Spirit Bones were incredibly rare, even more precious than Spirit Rings. They said one might drop only after ten thousand Soul Beasts had died.

But Soul Beasts were protected now, making it impossible to kill them.

Just imagine how scarce Spirit Bones were!

And this one was a Right Palm Bone, no less.

"Isn't this the Spirit Ascension Platform? How could a Spirit Bone drop here?"

Xu Xiaoyan's question brought everyone back to their senses.

"Yeah, isn't the Spirit Ascension Platform virtual? How could a Spirit Bone drop here?" Wei Xiaofeng asked.

Yun Xiao had a few guesses of his own.

Cheng Duoyi explained, "Some of the Soul Beasts in the Spirit Ascension Platform are formed from these Spirit Bones. When those Soul Beasts die, the Spirit Bones drop."

Cheng Duoyi stepped forward and picked up the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear Right Palm Bone. Looking at everyone, he said, "This is the Right Palm Bone of a hundred-year Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear. After fusing with it, you're guaranteed to gain an offensive skill. It'll most likely be one of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's attack skills. Who wants to try fusing with it?"

Everyone stared at the Spirit Bone, their eyes filled with longing.

But they also knew that the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's Spirit Bone was incredibly domineering and extremely difficult to fuse with. The slightest mistake could make them suffer a backlash from its power.

Xu Xiaoyan blinked her big blue eyes and asked curiously, "Brother Cheng, is this Spirit Bone real? Will fusing with it really give us the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's power?"

Cheng Duoyi nodded. "There's a good chance, but the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's strength is overwhelming. Even an ordinary Four-Ring Soul Ancestor couldn't fuse with it, and it could even be life-threatening. Someone with an exceptionally strong body and decent spiritual power could give it a try."

Xie Xie scratched his head. "I'll pass. I'm an agility-type attacker. This Spirit Bone isn't right for me."

Wei Xiaofeng shook his head, too. "I'll pass as well. My Martial Soul is the Green Shadow Snake, so its attributes don't match this Spirit Bone. Besides, I definitely couldn't withstand its power."

Wang Jinxi stared at the Spirit Bone and hesitated for a long time, but eventually shook his head. "I can't do it either. My Martial Soul is the Bone Dragon King. Even though it's also strength-type, the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's power is too domineering. I'm afraid I couldn't fuse with it."

Yun Xiao shook his head outright.

His Martial Soul was the Star Disk, which had nothing in common with the Spirit Bone.

Just then, Tang Wuling stepped forward. Looking at Cheng Duoyi, she said firmly, "Brother Yi'er, I want to try fusing with this Spirit Bone."

"Ling'er, you?" Cheng Duoyi looked at Tang Wuling with concern. "Fusing with this Spirit Bone is dangerous."

Tang Wuling shook her head, her gaze utterly resolute. "I'm not afraid. I want to become stronger!"

Gu Yue looked at Tang Wuling, a complicated expression flashing through her eyes.

But in the end, she said, "I believe you can do it."

Cheng Duoyi looked into Tang Wuling's resolute eyes, then finally nodded. "All right. Give it a try."

"Mm!" Tang Wuling nodded firmly.

Cheng Duoyi handed her the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear Right Palm Bone. Tang Wuling accepted it, took a deep breath, sat cross-legged, and began trying to fuse with it.

Everyone gathered around her, watching nervously.

The Spirit Bone touched Tang Wuling's right palm and, wrapped in Soul Power, merged into it.

In an instant, a domineering force rampaged through Tang Wuling's body.

Her face turned pale.

"Ling'er!" Cheng Duoyi cried nervously.

At the same time, he amplified Tang Wuling's Seven-Colored Bloodline aura.

"I'm fine..." Tang Wuling said.

Just then, golden light radiated from Tang Wuling's right arm. A powerful dragon's might surged forth, instantly suppressing the power of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear Spirit Bone.

Under the suppression of the Golden Dragon King Bloodline, that domineering force grew much more docile and obediently surged toward Tang Wuling's right palm.

Tang Wuling breathed a sigh of relief and seized the chance to guide the power, fusing it with her right palm.

Time passed second by second.

Everyone's hearts were in their throats.

At last, when the golden light faded, Tang Wuling slowly opened her eyes.

"I did it!" Tang Wuling cried excitedly.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief, happy smiles spreading across their faces.

"Congratulations, Ling'er!" Cheng Duoyi said happily. "The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear Right Palm Bone doesn't count toward your Spirit Bone limit. You can still fuse with a Right Arm Bone in the future. When you do, the strength of your right arm will rise another level!"

Tang Wuling nodded. Looking at her right palm and feeling the powerful force within it, her heart filled with joy.

"Want to try out the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear Right Palm Bone's skill?" Xie Xie asked curiously.

Tang Wuling wanted to try, but found she couldn't use it. When she told everyone, they were all astonished.

"That doesn't make sense!"

"Could the Spirit Bones in the Spirit Ascension Platform be fake?"

"Then all that effort was for nothing."

Cheng Duoyi thought of something. "Ling'er, try using your Golden Dragon Claw and see what happens."

Tang Wuling nodded. Her Soul Power and blood energy rapidly dwindled as her Golden Dragon Claw appeared. Everyone immediately noticed a change.

"Tang Wuling's Golden Dragon Claw has changed. It seems sharper. Could it have absorbed the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear Right Palm Bone? Otherwise, she should be able to use its skill!"

At those words, Tang Wuling attacked again and discovered that her Golden Dragon Claw could unleash a dark-gold strike. It instantly punched through the trees ahead.

Everyone was stunned!

"That attack's so powerful!" Xie Xie's eyes widened.

The others swallowed. Tang Wuling was already so strong. Now that she had a powerful ranged attack, wouldn't she be invincible?

Everyone was happy for her; no one was jealous. They knew they wouldn't have succeeded even if they'd tried fusing with it themselves. They'd seen how difficult it had been for Tang Wuling.

With her new ranged attack, Tang Wuling was even stronger. It consumed a lot of Soul Power and blood energy, but with Cheng Duoyi there, she recovered quickly.

The group continued hunting Soul Beasts in the Spirit Ascension Platform, and everyone's Spirit Ring age increased considerably.

They kept going until their Soul Power was nearly exhausted. Any further fighting could put them in mortal danger, and an even more powerful presence had locked onto them. Only then did Cheng Duoyi lead everyone out of the Spirit Ascension Platform.

Yun Xiao's Soul Spirit broke through. White light flashed, and his white Ten-Year Soul Ring turned into a yellow Hundred-Year Soul Ring. Everyone congratulated him in turn.

Wu Changkong looked at everyone and said sternly, "I told you from the start that the Spirit Ascension Platform was dangerous, and that you weren't to act on your own. Zhang Yangzi was eliminated because he didn't follow orders. I hope you'll learn from that and won't make the same mistake again."

"Yes, Teacher Wu." Zhang Yangzi lowered his head, looking dejected.

Wu Changkong looked at everyone, his tone softening a little. "Still, overall, your performance this time exceeded my expectations. You successfully hunted a large number of Soul Beasts and increased the age of your Spirit Rings. You also killed a thousand-year Earth Bear and a hundred-year Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, and even obtained a Spirit Bone. That proves your training hasn't been in vain."

Xie Xie and the others looked up, happy smiles on their faces.

"All right, you're all exhausted. Go back and rest. We'll continue training tomorrow," Wu Changkong said.

"Yes, Teacher Wu."

Everyone returned to Eastsea Academy, said goodbye to Wu Changkong and Leng Xue'er, and headed to their dormitory to begin meditating and cultivating.

In the blink of an eye, a year passed.

Throughout that year, the members of Class Zero endured grueling training under Wu Changkong's strict instruction.

Apart from the time they needed to rest, they spent nearly every moment on the training grounds.

They also spent time in the forging workshop of the Eastsea Blacksmith Association and the Mecha Room established by Eastsea Academy.

The effects of Cheng Duoyi's Seven-Colored Bloodline amplification grew more and more obvious with time.

Cultivating by his side helped everyone's Martial Souls evolve to varying degrees.

Zhang Yangzi was the first to change.

Ever since he'd been eliminated from the Spirit Ascension Platform for acting rashly, Zhang Yangzi had become much more composed.

He trained even harder and was especially focused whenever he cultivated under Cheng Duoyi's amplification.

Hard work paid off.

During one trip to the Spirit Ascension Platform, Zhang Yangzi faced a life-or-death crisis, and the Dark Phantom Eagle Martial Soul within him evolved. The Dragon Clan bloodline in his body awakened, transforming it into the Dark Phantom Dragon Eagle.

No one had expected Zhang Yangzi, who hadn't benefited from Cheng Duoyi's amplification before, to be the first to evolve his Martial Soul. After evolving, Zhang Yangzi's strength surged. He became faster and stronger, and even gained a trace of dragon's might.

A faint silver pattern also appeared on his forehead, resembling the ones on Xie Xie and Wei Xiaofeng.

After his Martial Soul evolved, Zhang Yangzi became even more grateful and loyal to Cheng Duoyi.

He understood better than anyone that without Cheng Duoyi's amplification, his Martial Soul could never have evolved.

From then on, he obeyed Cheng Duoyi's orders without question, even more decisively than Xie Xie.

Next, Xie Xie and Wang Jinxi's Martial Souls also showed signs of a Second Awakening.

Xie Xie's Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger grew more and more solid, and their dragon's might grew more and more intense. Sometimes, in battle, the Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger seemed to transform into two dragons!

Wang Jinxi's Bone Dragon King Martial Soul grew even larger. A faint layer of black dragon scales covered his right arm, greatly increasing his defense and strength.

Wei Xiaofeng changed quite a bit, too.

The sub-dragon bloodline within him had nearly taken shape after being continuously nourished by the Seven-Colored Bloodline. Fine scales had grown across his Green Shadow Snake Martial Soul, and its speed and venom were much stronger than before. His Martial Soul would likely evolve a second time before long.

Alongside their Martial Soul evolution, everyone also made considerable progress in their secondary professions.

Cheng Duoyi had the highest secondary-profession levels among them.

His forging level had reached level four, and he had also reached level four as a Mecha Designer, Mecha Manufacturer, and Mecha Repairer.

He was a true all-rounder.

Under Cheng Duoyi's careful instruction, everyone chose secondary professions suited to them.

Tang Wuling had already studied forging, so she naturally chose it as her second profession. Her forging level had now reached level four.

The Thousand-Refined Metal she forged was exceptionally high-quality, all of it Thousand Refined Grade One or higher. And since Mang Tian knew he couldn't teach Tang Wuling any more, he had her become Mu Chen's apprentice. Mu Chen didn't take all the credit for himself, and the two men became Tang Wuling's teachers, instructing her together.

Gu Yue chose to become a Mecha Designer.

She had exceptional control over the elements, a meticulous mind, and a vivid imagination. She had an astonishing talent for mecha design.

She had now reached level two as a Mecha Designer.

Xie Xie, Zhang Yangzi, and Wei Xiaofeng chose to become Mecha Repairers. After a year, all three had barely reached level one.

Wang Jinxi chose forging, just like Tang Wuling.

Though he wasn't as talented as Tang Wuling, he worked hard enough.

His forging level had now reached level one, and he could produce low-grade Hundred-Refined Metal.

Xu Xiaoyan chose to become a Mecha Designer, just like Gu Yue.

Though she wasn't particularly talented in combat, she had a knack for design.

She had now reached level one as a Mecha Designer and could independently design simple mecha components.

Only Yun Xiao made slow progress in mecha manufacturing, due to the limitations of his Soul Power and spiritual power. He had only just reached level one.

But he didn't lose heart. Instead, he devoted more of his efforts to Soul Spirit cultivation.

With Cheng Duoyi's help and guidance, Yun Xiao showed astonishing talent in Soul Spirit cultivation. The Soul Spirits he raised were gentle and easily fused with Soul Masters.

In just one year, he successfully raised two kinds of ten-year Soul Spirits, earning himself a little renown.

Yun Xiao proved through his actions that even someone with a low Soul Power Level could shine in other fields.

Everyone was happy for him.

Over the course of the year, Cheng Duoyi's level rose the slowest.

Because of his Seven-Colored Bloodline, each level-up required several times as much Soul Power as it did for an ordinary person.

Moreover, the vitality within him kept slowly draining away because of his Martial Soul.

This became especially obvious after he broke through to level twenty. Only when he held Gu Yue's or Tang Wuling's hand could he stabilize his vitality. The rest of the time, although the effects weren't too severe, overusing Soul Power still took a heavy toll.

Cheng Duoyi was now only level twenty-one, a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster.

The First Soul Ring on his Dragon God Heart was no longer a white ten-year ring. It had turned yellow, just like his Second Soul Ring.

As for the Dragon God's Wife, they were naturally two Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings.

Gu Yue and Tang Wuling had advanced the fastest.

Both had now reached level twenty-nine, and were Two-Ring Soul Grandmasters, just one step away from breaking through to become Three-Ring Soul Elders.

Their Spirit Rings had also improved greatly through their many trials in the Spirit Ascension Platform. Both of them now had two purple Thousand-Year Soul Rings, far beyond those of Soul Masters their age.

Gu Yue's control over the elements had reached a level of consummate mastery, allowing her to perform all sorts of complex combination attacks.

She could even briefly fuse three or four elements and unleash even greater power.

In Class Zero, she was the strongest after Cheng Duoyi.

Tang Wuling's strength had become even more terrifying. After fusing with the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear Right Palm Bone, her attack power had soared.

Now, even a five-ring strength-type Soul King wouldn't dare block one of her punches.

On top of that, her Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul had evolved after being nourished by both the Golden Dragon King Bloodline and Cheng Duoyi's Seven-Colored Bloodline. It had become even tougher, and Tang Wuling had truly become the control-type and power-attack-type ace of Class Zero.

Xie Xie, Wang Jinxi, Zhang Yangzi, and Wei Xiaofeng had all reached level twenty-seven, becoming Two-Ring Soul Grandmasters.

Apart from Wang Jinxi, whose spiritual power was a little low and who had two hundred-year Spirit Rings, the others had also upgraded to two thousand-year Spirit Rings, greatly increasing their strength.

Xu Xiaoyan had reached level nineteen and was not far from breaking through to level twenty.

Yun Xiao had the lowest level, at just seventeen.

But under Cheng Duoyi's guidance, he had become more and more adept at using his First Soul Skill, Displacement.

Now he could displace not only people, but also people and objects.

He played a vital rescue role on the team.

A year had transformed the once-naive children beyond recognition.

And Cheng Duoyi remained the team's heart and soul. Everyone trusted and respected him completely. He was like a beacon, lighting the way forward for them...