The 100,000-Year Lovesick Heartbreak Red Torso Bone floated above his palm.
Its radiance flowed, bathing the entire room in a warm red glow.
"Er Ni, absorb and fuse with it next."
Hearing this, Er Ni froze when she saw the item in Lin Qing's hand.
"Th-this is..."
"A Soul Bone. A 100,000-Year Lovesick Heartbreak Red Torso Bone."
Lin Qing gave a concise introduction, his tone calm as if he were talking about an ordinary object.
"A Soul... Bone?!"
Er Ni jerked her head up in shock, no longer caring about being shy.
Although she had only recently become a Soul Master,
under Lin Qing's intentional and unintentional guidance, she had long understood what the words "Soul Bone" meant.
It was a universally acknowledged supreme treasure in the world of Soul Masters!
A rare opportunity that could only be encountered by chance!
A dream that countless Soul Masters might spend their entire lives pursuing without ever seeing!
Even a Thousand Year or Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone was enough to stir up bloody turmoil and drive innumerable Soul Masters mad!
And now, Ah Qing wanted to give her a Soul Bone—and one that sounded incredibly powerful, a "100,000-Year Torso Bone"...
"Ah Qing! This is far too precious! No! Absolutely not!"
Er Ni shook her head fiercely, her tone firmer than ever before.
"Something this precious should be used by you. Giving it to me would be such a waste. I-I can't use it!"
"Stop!"
Lin Qing interrupted her.
"This Soul Bone shares the same origin as your Lovesick Heartbreak Red martial soul. It suits you best. If I used it, the results might not even be as good."
More importantly, he simply did not think much of this 100,000-Year Soul Bone.
With his ability to collect the relics of his parallel selves, obtaining Soul Bones that were hundreds of thousands of years old, or even a million years old, was not impossible.
Especially since one of the unfulfilled final wishes now offered a Million-Year External Soul Bone as a reward.
Unless it was an External Soul Bone, he truly did not care much for a 100,000-Year Soul Bone.
He looked into Er Ni's eyes and said seriously, "Fuse with it. Your strength will undergo a qualitative leap, your physical foundation will become more stable, and your future path of cultivation will be smoother."
"Only then can you grow stronger faster and truly help me, right?"
"Don't forget, you're my 'exclusive support,' the most important person to me."
"If I don't give it to you, who should I give it to?"
Those final words were like a key, gently unlocking the last trace of hesitation and unease in Er Ni's heart.
Exclusive support... the most important person...
That was right. Wasn't she growing stronger so she could stand beside Ah Qing and help shoulder his burdens?
If this Soul Bone could truly help her grow stronger faster, then... she should not refuse it.
"Ah Qing..."
Er Ni's eyes reddened again.
This time, it was not from embarrassment, but from the deeply moving feeling of being cherished.
She extended both hands and carefully, solemnly accepted the Soul Bone from Lin Qing's palm.
The halo felt warm in her hands, pulsing gently as if it were alive and producing a faint resonance with the Lovesick Heartbreak Red martial soul in her palm.
"I'll fuse with it properly. I won't disappoint you."
Er Ni's voice was soft, but it carried a determination as resolute as one who had smashed her cauldron and sunk her boats.
"Mm, I believe in you."
Lin Qing nodded.
Just in case, he still took out the Gold of Life and that level-seven Soul Tool Milk Bottle, placing them at hand.
After all, it was a 100,000-Year Soul Bone.
If anything went wrong during the fusion process, he would be able to rescue her in time.
However, his worries seemed unnecessary.
When Er Ni followed Lin Qing's instructions and guided the cluster of red light into her chest, letting it sink into her torso,
there was no anticipated energy conflict or painful struggle whatsoever.
The entire process was astonishingly smooth.
The red light gently enveloped Er Ni, seeping strand by strand into her skin, muscles, bones, and especially her spine.
There was no rejection.
There was no pain.
There was only a natural, seamless sense of harmony.
It was as if this 100,000-Year Lovesick Heartbreak Red Torso Bone had always been a missing part of her body, finally returning to its rightful place.
Lin Qing stood watch at her side.
Seeing this, he was completely relieved.
Sure enough, it was just like when he had fused with the Mystic Pupil Lotus External Soul Bone.
Because they had absorbed Immortal Herb Essence from the same source,
their bodies and souls had long been branded deeply, making the fusion of a Soul Bone from the same source almost entirely without obstacle.
Still, the energy contained within a 100,000-Year Torso Bone was simply too vast. The fusion process required time to slowly digest, absorb, and assimilate it.
This would take far longer than when he had fused with the External Soul Bone.
Lin Qing kept watch for two full days and nights.
He did not sleep or rest, constantly monitoring Er Ni's condition.
From time to time, he used his Spiritual Power to inspect the flow of energy within her body, making sure everything remained stable.
Not until the morning of the third day, when the sky had just begun to brighten,
did the stable layer of red light around the quietly meditating Er Ni finally begin to slowly draw inward.
Her long eyelashes trembled a few times before she slowly opened her eyes.
At that instant, a flash of red seemed to pass through the depths of her gaze.
Her entire temperament appeared to have changed subtly once again.
She had lost some of her previous fragility, gaining a restrained toughness and an indescribable vitality and resilience.
"How do you feel?"
Lin Qing asked immediately, concern evident in his voice.
"I feel great!"
Er Ni moved her shoulders and neck, surprise and excitement appearing on her face.
"It feels like there's an especially warm, especially powerful 'pillar' in my spine, supporting my entire body!"
"My whole body feels warm and full of strength!"
She carefully sensed the changes brought by the Torso Bone.
Then she unreservedly shared with Lin Qing the most important Soul Bone Skill information it had given her.
The 100,000-Year Lovesick Heartbreak Red Torso Bone had bestowed upon her two powerful Soul Bone Skills.
[First Soul Bone Skill · Red Stamen Immortal Body]
An instant defensive skill.
It could instantly add a scarlet protective barrier around both herself and the "beloved person" she had locked onto.
Effect: Defense increased by 300%, life recovery speed increased by 100%, and Soul Power recovery speed increased by 100%. The duration of the barrier depended on the amount of Soul Power infused into it.
[Second Soul Bone Skill · Light of Weakness]
A wide-range control skill.
It unleashed invisible pale-red ripples that swept forward in a fan-shaped area. Targets struck by the ripples would enter a "weakened" state, with all attributes—strength, speed, defense, Soul Power intensity, and so on—reduced by 30%, while their spirits became listless. It lasted ten minutes.
The effect weakened against enemies far stronger than herself.
"..."
After hearing this, Lin Qing fell silent for a long while.
He looked Er Ni up and down, as if he were seeing her for the first time.
Then he took a long, deep breath and slowly let it out.
"Er Ni, Er Ni..."
He shook his head, his tone filled with amazement and... intense excitement that he could not conceal.
"You're already a true 'monster-class' support now."
Her Soul Skills could increase all attributes and save lives.
Her Soul Bone Skills could boost defense, increase life and Soul Power recovery speeds, and even inflict a group weakening debuff with considerable range and duration upon enemies!
How was this support?
She was clearly a strategic-level humanoid walking buff machine combined with a weakening aura!
With Er Ni by his side, Lin Qing felt he could take on dozens of Soul Masters of the same rank.
"Th-these were all given to me by you, Ah Qing."
Er Ni's face reddened again, but this time her eyes were bright and resolute.
"So these abilities all belong to you too, Ah Qing."
"I'll make good use of them. I'll definitely be able to help you!"
"Mm!"
Lin Qing nodded heavily.
His satisfaction with Er Ni, this "Five-Star Specialist Support," instantly shot through the roof.
With such a dedicated healer and super buff machine at his side, he would have far greater confidence in carrying out many of his future plans!
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