Lin Tian's eyes lit up, and his heart stirred. He felt that this Nine-Headed Bat suited his temperament best.
He immediately increased the power with which he urged his Blood Sea Martial Soul, pouring all his Soul Power into it and doing his best to send his blood energy toward the Nine-Headed Bat.
The dense blood energy of the Blood Sea spread out. The Unyielding Soul Spirit of the Nine-Headed Bat, which had been completely still, felt the bloody scent and its pitch-black eyes suddenly lit up. Then it shot toward Lin Tian, radiating an intense craving for blood.
You little rascal. You just couldn't resist that delicious scent!
Lin Tian was delighted, knowing he had found a Soul Spirit compatible with him. He immediately guided the Nine-Headed Bat closer and began absorbing it.
At that moment, Han Tianyi stood right beside Lin Tian, afraid he might meet with any misfortune, and began teaching him how to absorb an Unyielding Soul Spirit.
"The most important thing when absorbing a Soul Spirit is to use your Martial Soul to sense it. Since the Unyielding Soul Spirit chose you, that proves it has taken an interest in you.
As long as you withstand the Unyielding Soul Spirit's tests and trials, the response it gives you will be incredibly powerful."
Lin Tian nodded at once. Without further hesitation, he guided the Nine-Headed Bat toward his Martial Soul and began absorbing the Soul Spirit.
Absorbing an Unyielding Soul Spirit was far more perilous than absorbing an ordinary Soul Spirit. The saying that nine out of ten would die was no exaggeration.
At first, the Nine-Headed Bat had been drawn only by the blood energy on Lin Tian. But once it realized Lin Tian intended to absorb it and make it his Soul Spirit, it began to resist.
Its will was exceedingly stubborn. It repeatedly battered Lin Tian's Mental Sea, trying to resist the fusion.
Lin Tian gritted his teeth and called upon the Blood Sea Martial Soul to suppress it, while also controlling his powerful mental strength to have his Blue-Veined Starfish Martial Soul suppress it in tandem.
Under the forceful suppression of the two Martial Souls, the Unyielding Soul Spirit gradually began to fuse with him, little by little, becoming assimilated.
As time passed, sweat covered Lin Tian's forehead, and his face grew as pale as paper. His mental strength and Soul Power were both being heavily depleted. Several times, he felt he was about to give out.
But he had to hold on. He had to grow stronger. He couldn't just collapse under the weight of a mere Hundred-Year Soul Spirit and become a laughingstock.
No one knew how much time had passed. Then, with a soft hum, the Nine-Headed Bat's Soul Spirit completely merged into his Blood Sea Martial Soul. The next instant, the Soul Spirit materialized beside him, floating before his eyes.
A yellow Soul Ring appeared out of thin air beneath Lin Tian's feet, radiating the steady aura of a Hundred-Year Soul Ring.
At the same time, Lin Tian broke through his bottleneck. His Soul Power surged wildly, and he smoothly advanced from Level 10 to Level 12.
Lin Tian slowly opened his eyes. Feeling the power that had surged within him, he couldn't hide his excitement. He was very pleased with this Unyielding Soul Spirit.
But just as he was about to inspect his Soul Skill, a sharp pain suddenly struck his head. His vision went black, and before he could utter a sound, he toppled straight to the ground and lost consciousness.
"Lin Tian!"
Han Tianyi and Leng Yaozhu cried out at the same time and hurried over.
But before they could touch Lin Tian, they saw his skin lose its luster before their very eyes. His once rosy cheeks and sturdy limbs rapidly withered, as though all the moisture and energy in his body were being drained away by an unseen force.
In just a few breaths, Lin Tian had changed from a lively youth into little more than skin and bones, his breathing faint.
"Oh no!"
Han Tianyi's expression changed dramatically as he reached for Lin Tian's pulse.
The moment he touched him, a terrifying suction force surged from Lin Tian's body, nearly drawing Han Tianyi's Soul Power into it as well.
He immediately jerked his hand back, his eyes filled with shock and unease.
"Something's wrong with his Martial Soul. During the absorption, Tian's Blood Sea Martial Soul went out of control. It's devouring his life energy and Soul Power!"
Before he had even finished speaking, Han Tianyi immediately and without hesitation took countless precious natural treasures, brimming with life energy, from his Storage Soul Tool. They were all treasures he had collected over many years.
He immediately infused them into Lin Tian's body to replenish what it had lost.
Yet the moment that vast energy entered Lin Tian's body, it vanished like a stone sinking into the sea, swallowed up completely.
"The depletion is too severe."
Han Tianyi's expression was grave as he took out several bottles of high-grade Soul Power recovery potions and life essence, pouring all of them into Lin Tian's mouth.
As the terrifying energy flowed into him, Lin Tian's withered body finally regained some fullness, but the energy was still being consumed at a horrifying rate.
Han Tianyi didn't begrudge him any of it, pouring everything into Lin Tian.
He was a Level 98 Super Douluo, the strongest Mental Attribute Soul Master on the continent, and the Spirit Pagoda's chief designer of the Spirit Ascension Platform. His wealth was immense. Even if Lin Tian consumed resources at this rate every day, Han Tianyi could support him for several years.
He had finally found a disciple he was so satisfied with. There was no way he would give up.
Besides, hadn't Qiangu Dongfeng volunteered to take Lin Tian as his disciple?
Then they could split the cost of these supplies down the middle. Han Tianyi could claim half from Qiangu Dongfeng. After all, Qiangu Dongfeng had brought this on himself.
At that moment, Lin Tian's unconscious mind had also sunk into his Blood Sea Martial Soul.
Whenever he was forcibly knocked unconscious, he was compelled to appear here. He couldn't return on his own, since his body hadn't come around yet.
Lin Tian silently tried to return, but when it proved impossible, he gave up. Besides, he wanted to see what changes had occurred in his Martial Soul.
The Blood Sea World no longer looked anything like he remembered. It was undergoing a drastic transformation.
At first, the Blood Sea had been nothing more than ordinary blood, without any Soul Power. Now, the entire sea was shrouded in a faint white Soul Power, and a subtle aura of life had appeared in the blood.
The blood, which had contained no special energy at all, now seemed to pulse with power in every drop. The Blood Sea World had undergone a visible, qualitative leap.
What shocked Lin Tian even more was that all the Blood Sea Monsters scattered across the sea, which had previously possessed no cultivation, had also changed beyond recognition.
The Red Blood Cell Monsters had all evolved into Blood Grain Worms. Their bodies had doubled in size, becoming blood-red spheres covered in a thin membrane of Blood Fiend energy. Flowing blood patterns were faintly visible beneath the membrane, and each had a single crimson eye on its head, surrounded by a delicate haze of blood mist. They radiated the aura of Ten-Year Soul Beasts.
The White Blood Cell Monsters had transformed into White Armor Guards. Their bodies had doubled in size and grown even more imposing, covered from head to toe in heavy white armor. Protrusions jutted from the joints of their blood-colored bone frames, and sharp bone spikes grew from their bodies. Their single eyes were milky white, and their tentacles had evolved into fully formed arms, each gripping a short blade condensed from bone armor. They, too, radiated the cultivation of Ten-Year Soul Beasts.
The Coagulation Platelets, which were responsible for clotting, still looked like disks, but their bodies had become much more three-dimensional. A blue eye kept blinking, and a transparent pale-blue shield condensed from Soul Power surrounded them.
The Lymphocyte Monsters had evolved into Blood Blade Guards as well. Their bodies had become swifter and more streamlined, like blood-red leopards, and blade-sharp patterns had appeared across their skin.