100,000-Year Torso Bone, Red Stamen Immortal Body, Light of Weakness!

The Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone, Lovesick Heartbreak Red, hovered in his palm.

Light rippled, bathing the room in a warm, crimson glow.

"Er Ni, you are to absorb and fuse with this next."

Hearing this, Er Ni froze as she saw what was in Lin Qing's hand.

"Th-this is..."

"A soul bone. A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone, Lovesick Heartbreak Red."

Lin Qing introduced it concisely, his tone calm, as if he were speaking of an ordinary object.

"A soul... bone?!"

Er Ni was so shocked she looked straight up, forgetting her shyness entirely.

Although she had only just become a soul master.

Under Lin Qing's intentional and unintentional guidance, she had long known what the words "soul bone" signified.

It was a treasure recognized by the entire soul master world!

It was an opportunity that could be sought but never found!

It was a dream that countless soul masters struggled their whole lives to even catch a glimpse of!

A thousand-year or ten-thousand-year soul bone was enough to incite bloodshed and drive countless soul masters to madness!

And now, Ah Qing wanted to give her a soul bone—and a "Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone" that sounded incredibly powerful at that?

"Ah Qing! This is too precious! No! Absolutely not!"

Er Ni shook her head violently, her tone more resolute than it had ever been.

"Something this valuable should be used by you. It would be a waste on me. I—I don't need it!"

"Stop!"

Lin Qing interrupted her.

"This soul bone shares the same origin as your Lovesick Heartbreak Red martial soul, making it the most suitable for you. If I were to use it, the effects might not be as good."

Moreover, the most important thing was that he himself did not look down upon this Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.

Possessing the ability to collect the relics of his parallel selves, it was not impossible for him to obtain soul bones of hundreds of thousands or even a million years.

Especially since the current pending last words still included a million-year External Soul Bone as a reward.

Unless it was an External Soul Bone, he truly did not care for a hundred-thousand-year one.

He looked into Er Ni's eyes and said earnestly, "Fuse with it, and your strength will undergo a qualitative leap. Your physical foundation will become more solid, and your future path of cultivation will be much smoother."

"Only in this way can you become stronger faster, and only then can you truly help me, right?"

"Don't forget, you are my 'exclusive support,' my most important person."

"If I don't give it to you, who would I give it to?"

This final sentence acted like a key, gently unlocking the last bit of hesitation and unease in Er Ni's heart.

Exclusive support... most important person...

Yes, wasn't her goal in becoming stronger to better stand by Ah Qing's side and help him shoulder his burdens?

If this soul bone could truly help her grow stronger faster, then... she shouldn't refuse.

"Ah Qing..."

Er Ni's eyes reddened again.

This time, it wasn't out of shyness, but because of the heavy, cherished emotion she felt.

She reached out both hands, solemnly and cautiously taking the soul bone from Lin Qing's palm.

The halo felt warm to the touch, pulsing gently as if it had a life of its own, creating a subtle resonance with the Lovesick Heartbreak Red martial soul in her palm.

"I will fuse with it properly. I won't let you down."

Er Ni's voice was soft, yet carried a determination as if she were burning her bridges.

"Mm, I believe in you."

Lin Qing nodded.

Just in case, he took out the Gold of Life and that level-seven soul tool Milk Bottle, placing them close at hand.

After all, it was a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.

If any accidents occurred during the fusion process, he would be able to provide timely rescue.

However, his worries seemed to be unnecessary.

As Er Ni followed the method Lin Qing had instructed to guide the red halo, it slowly merged into her chest, sinking into her torso.

The expected energy conflict and painful struggle never came.

The entire process was surprisingly smooth.

The red light gently enveloped Er Ni, seeping bit by bit into her skin, muscles, and bones, especially around her spine.

There was no rejection.

There was no pain.

There was only a sense of natural, seamless harmony, as if everything had fallen into place.

It was as if this hundred-thousand-year Lovesick Heartbreak Red torso bone had always been the missing piece of her body, and now, it had finally returned to its rightful place.

Lin Qing stood guard nearby.

Seeing this scene, he finally set his heart at ease.

It was exactly the same as when he had fused with his Mystic Pupil Lotus External Soul Bone.

Because she had absorbed the essence of immortal herbs of the same origin.

Her body and soul had long since been deeply branded, making the fusion of a soul bone of the same origin almost effortless.

However, the energy contained within a hundred-thousand-year torso bone was, after all, immense; the process of fusion required time to slowly digest, absorb, and assimilate.

This duration was far longer than the time he had spent fusing with his 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.

He occasionally used his spiritual power to probe the flow of energy within her body, ensuring everything remained stable.

It was not until the dawn of the third day, as the sky began to brighten, that the stable layer of red light surrounding the quietly seated Er Ni finally began to slowly retract inward.

Her long eyelashes fluttered a few times, and then she slowly opened her eyes.

In that instant, a flash of red light seemed to flicker across the depths of her eyes.

Her entire aura seemed to have undergone a subtle change.

There was less of her previous fragility, and in its place, a hint of restrained tenacity and an indescribable vitality and resilience.

"How do you feel?"

Lin Qing asked immediately, his voice filled with concern.

"I feel great!"

Er Ni moved her shoulders and neck, a look of surprise and excitement appearing on her face.

"It feels like there's a particularly warm, powerful 'pillar' in my spine that is supporting my entire body!"

"My whole body feels warm and full of strength!"

She carefully sensed the changes brought about by the torso bone.

Then, she shared the information regarding the most important soul bone skills fed back to her by the soul bone with Lin Qing without reservation.

The hundred-thousand-year Lovesick Heartbreak Red torso bone had granted her two powerful soul bone skills.

[First Soul Bone Skill: Red Stamen Immortal Body]

An instant-cast defensive skill.

It can instantly attach a crimson light shield to protect both herself and a "beloved" she has locked onto.

Effect: Defense increased by 300%, health recovery speed increased by 100%, and soul power recovery speed increased by 100%. The duration of the shield depends on the amount of soul power injected.

[Second Soul Bone Skill: Light of Weakness]

An area-of-effect control skill.

It emits invisible pale red ripples that sweep across the area in front in a fan shape. Targets hit by the ripples will enter a "weakened" state, with all attributes (strength, speed, defense, soul power intensity, etc.) decreased by 30%, accompanied by mental lethargy, lasting for ten minutes.

The effect is weakened against enemies whose strength far exceeds her own.

"..."

Lin Qing listened in silence for a long while.

He looked Er Ni up and down, his gaze as if he were meeting her for the first time.

Then, he took a long, deep breath and slowly exhaled.

"Er Ni, oh Er Ni..."

He shook his head, his tone filled with amazement and... a thick, unconcealable excitement.

"You are now a bona fide 'monster-level' support."

Her soul skills could boost all attributes and save lives.

Her soul bone skills could increase defense, boost health and soul power recovery speed, and even inflict a group-wide weakening debuff on enemies with a significant range and duration!

How could this be called support?

This was clearly a strategic-level, humanoid, self-propelled buff machine and 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 flushed again, but this time her eyes were bright and resolute.

"So, these abilities belong to you as well, Ah Qing."

"I will make good use of them; I will definitely be of help to you!"

"Mm!"

Lin Qing nodded heavily.

His satisfaction with Er Ni as a "Five-Star Specialist Support" was off the charts.

With such a tethered healer and super-buff machine by his side, his confidence in executing many of his future plans had increased significantly!