The cave was so quiet that the faint hum of the Moonlight Stone could be heard.
Qing Zhengyue stood before the vine that seemed to pierce heaven and earth, his grip on the sword hilt tightening slightly. One hundred thousand years. He had read that number in ancient texts and heard of it before, but he had never truly faced it. The Hundred-Thousand-Year Life Ancient Vine looked like nothing more than a thick vine—dull, breathless, devoid of the imposing pressure expected of a soul beast. Yet it stood there silently, running through the entire cave.
Qing Mufeng stood behind his grandfather, his Azure Dragon Pupil fixed on the vine. In his vision, light filled its interior. It was not reflected from the surface, but shone from within—a gentle, warm green radiance, like an enormous heart slowly beating.
That was the light of life.
"Grandpa, that's it."
Qing Zhengyue nodded but did not step forward. Liu Yunlan stood to one side holding the Moonlight Stone, her eyes reddening as she looked at the vine. Her old man was about to absorb a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring. A year ago, this was something they would not have dared dream of. Qing Hongyuan and Shen Wanqing stepped forward as well, four pairs of eyes fixed on the dark green vine.
For a long time, no one spoke.
"It won't resist," Qing Mufeng broke the silence. "I sensed it. There aren't any aggressive Soul Power fluctuations. It doesn't even have consciousness, only instinct—absorbing nutrients, growing, then absorbing nutrients and growing again. That was how it had spent one hundred thousand years."
Qing Zhengyue turned to look at his grandson, then at his family. Without them, he would never have broken through Rank 70, obtained an External Soul Bone, or stood here before a Hundred-Thousand-Year Life Ancient Vine.
"Grandpa, absorb it."
Qing Zhengyue took a deep breath, turned around, and walked toward the vine. He pressed his palm against its surface, feeling the rough, cracked bark. Warmth flowed beneath it—the life force accumulated over one hundred thousand years, vast as the sea. Soul Power entered the vine through his palm—a probe, a sense. The vine did not resist or even react. It simply stood there quietly, as it had for the past one hundred thousand years.
Qing Zhengyue withdrew his hand, stepped back, and drew his longsword.
"You all, retreat to the cave entrance."
The four retreated to the edge of the entrance. Liu Yunlan's hand trembled around the Moonlight Stone. Qing Hongyuan wrapped an arm around his mother's shoulders, Shen Wanqing stood beside her husband, and Qing Mufeng stood at the very front, his Azure Dragon Pupil locked firmly on the vine.
Qing Zhengyue gripped the sword in both hands, raised it overhead, and his black Soul Ring flared to its limit as he brought it down in a slash.
The blade bit into the vine like it was cutting hard wood, producing a dull thud. The first strike cut only a third of the way through. Qing Zhengyue pulled out his sword and struck the same spot again, cutting another third. On the third strike, the vine broke.
There was no blood and no sap. Only a cloud of faint green motes drifted from the break, fluttering through the cave like fireflies. The motes fell upon the cave walls, the vine, and Qing Zhengyue, turning into pure life energy that nourished his body.
Qing Zhengyue retreated two steps and looked at the severed vine. Green light at the fracture grew brighter and denser, pouring out from within.
Within the glow, a red Soul Ring slowly rose.
A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring. Blood-red, it radiated a strange yet warm glow in the dim cave. A hint of gold shone through the red—the distinctive luster of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring.
Liu Yunlan covered her mouth as tears slid silently down her cheeks. Qing Hongyuan's breathing quickened, and his Azure Snake Dragon Wing spread uncontrollably. His martial soul was resonating—not in fear, but reverence. Shen Wanqing leaned against her husband, hands pressed to her chest. Her Jade Orchid martial soul trembled faintly within her body; plant-type martial souls were especially sensitive to the aura of the Life Ancient Vine.
Qing Mufeng walked out from the cave entrance and came to his grandfather's side. Looking up at the red Soul Ring, he said, "Grandpa, absorb it."
Qing Zhengyue nodded and sat cross-legged beside the vine's remains.
The red Soul Ring slowly descended toward Qing Zhengyue. It did not struggle or resist. Quietly and docilely, like a falling leaf, it drifted toward the seventy-eight-year-old man.
The instant the Soul Ring entered his body, Qing Zhengyue shuddered violently.
One hundred thousand years of Soul Power surged into his meridians like a tsunami, a hundred times fiercer than any absorption before. The Soul Power battered the walls of his meridians, every channel scoured by immense force, each impact bringing tearing pain. Qing Zhengyue clenched his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead as sweat poured down like rain. The meridians strengthened by Whale Rubber endured that terrifying force, stretching to their limits before springing back, growing tougher. His bones creaked and his muscles spasmed, but nothing ruptured.
His Soul Power began to rise.
The Rank 70 bottleneck had already been broken when he absorbed the External Soul Bone. Now, his Soul Power raced like an unbridled horse. Rank 71, Rank 72, Rank 73—each level took only a few breaths. Rank 74, Rank 75, Rank 76. The pace slowed, finally stopping at Rank 76.
Qing Zhengyue closed his eyes and felt the newborn power within him. No fresh blood seeped from his skin, and his breathing gradually steadied. His Soul Power settled firmly at Rank 76. Several more strands of black appeared in his white hair, and the wrinkles on his face faded slightly.
A Rank 76 Soul Sage.
His seventh soul skill—Martial Soul Avatar. The phantom of the Azure Snake martial soul appeared behind him, several times larger than before. Its eyes had turned golden, and its forehead bulged slightly, the budding shape of dragon horns.
But that was not all.
When the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring completely fused into his body, a strange force surged from the vine's remains and spread through his meridians. It was not Soul Power, but something more fundamental—the life force the Life Ancient Vine had accumulated for one hundred thousand years, all flooding into his body at the moment it was severed.
That force did not increase his Soul Power. Instead, it seeped into his meridians.
His meridians were changing. They became broader, tougher, and more elastic. Moreover, a faint green film emerged along the inner walls of every meridian. Like a protective layer, it increased their recovery speed severalfold and greatly expanded the amount of Soul Power they could store.
An External Soul Bone. Not wing bones, arm bones, or leg bones.
It was his meridians.
This kind of soul bone might have appeared for the first time in the entire history of Douluo Continent.
Qing Zhengyue opened his eyes and looked down at his hands. His age spots were gone, his veins no longer stood out, and his skin had become supple.
"Rank 76. Soul Sage." His voice was somewhat hoarse.
Liu Yunlan rushed over and examined her husband from head to toe. Once she confirmed he was unharmed, she threw her arms around him. The old woman cried like a child. Qing Hongyuan stood nearby with reddened eyes. Shen Wanqing covered her mouth as tears flowed silently down her face. Qing Mufeng stood on the outskirts, looking at his embracing grandparents with a faint smile.
A Rank 76 Soul Sage. An unprecedented External Soul Bone—Life Meridians. That was what the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring had brought them.
Qing Zhengyue released his wife and extended his hand. Six Soul Rings rose beneath his feet—two yellow, two purple, and two black. The seventh Soul Ring was red, one hundred thousand years old.
He turned to face the Life Ancient Vine's remains deep within the cave and gave it a deep bow.
"I am indebted to you."
The old man's voice was soft.
Liu Yunlan walked over and took his hand. Qing Hongyuan held his mother by the shoulders, Shen Wanqing stood beside her husband, and Qing Mufeng stood at the very front.
Qing Zhengyue raised his head, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.
"Now that I have become a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Sage, I will do everything in my power to protect the rise of the Qing Clan!"
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