Blazing Fire Spirit Crow

"A-Yuan... Sister A-Yuan, tell us about the changes you've experienced after absorbing this spirit bone." Lie Xu leaned against his chair, panting as he spoke.

"Mm-hmm."

Chi Yuan nodded and said to the two of them, "This spirit bone not only increased my flame grade, bringing my attribute infinitely close to the Ultimate Fire, but it also caused my martial soul to evolve."

As she spoke, Chi Yuan manifested her martial soul. Instantly, the temperature in the room soared. A black crow, wreathed in crimson flames, circled around her, emitting joyful caws.

"This is what my martial soul looks like after the evolution. I call it the Blazing Fire Spirit Crow."

It seems this spirit bone wasn't left behind by a bird with pure phoenix blood, but rather by a spirit beast similar to the Three-Legged Golden Crow from the ancient myths of Blue Star. Why haven't the records of Spirit Hall documented such a beast?

At this thought, Lie Xu's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, but he quickly reasoned it out. After all, he himself had transmigrated and even awakened the "Nine Spirit Primal Saint," a martial soul that had never appeared before; none of this was particularly strange. Furthermore, spirit beasts were constantly dying and growing; it was impossible for Spirit Hall to record every single one. It was no surprise to encounter a variant or two.

With that settled, Lie Xu stopped dwelling on it and asked, "Sister A-Yuan, are there any other changes?"

"There are others, but they aren't as stunning as the first two."

Qian Renxue pouted and said, "Sister A-Yuan, stop keeping us in suspense. Tell us, tell us!"

"After absorbing the spirit bone, my spirit power rose by three levels, reaching level sixty-nine. I have a faint feeling of breaking through to level seventy; perhaps I will be able to reach the Spirit Saint realm once this trip concludes. Moreover, this spirit bone granted me two skills: an amplification skill and a domain skill."

"Amplification skill: Blazing Sun. I transform into a sun, increasing my flame attack power and speed by eighty percent."

"Domain skill: Flame Purgatory. Once the domain is deployed, everyone except those with Ultimate attribute martial souls will be suppressed by me, and it carries a continuous burning effect. Within this domain, if I use the 'Blazing Sun' amplification skill to transform into the sun, not only do my attack power and speed increase by another twenty percent, but my recovery ability also increases by twenty percent."

"Wow, that's amazing." Qian Renxue was truly shocked; this spirit bone, which was less than ninety thousand years old, could actually rival the skills of a hundred-thousand-year spirit bone.

Qian Renxue excitedly tugged on Lie Xu's arm. "We really struck gold this time."

"Indeed, we are very lucky."

Lie Xu responded aloud, but in his heart, he was already calculating how to obtain more heavenly treasures to evolve Sister A-Yuan's martial soul once more, seeing if he could push her fire attribute up to the Ultimate level...

As the east turned white, the group packed up simply and walked out of the hotel.

"Good Luck Hotel!"

As Lie Xu turned, he inadvertently caught sight of the elegant, sweeping calligraphy on the hotel sign.

"This sign is quite fitting—a good omen! The calligraphy is also excellent, possessing the style of a master. Not bad!"

Lie Xu couldn't help but nod.

"Hahaha, the distinguished guest has a sharp eye! It is our shop's honor to host such esteemed guests. I wish you all a fruitful journey, with all your wishes granted."

A middle-aged man with a kind face spoke up with a cheerful laugh.

Hearing this, Lie Xu couldn't help but marvel at the innkeeper's quick wit, though he wore a look of satisfaction on his face. After all, who doesn't like to hear compliments? Much like a certain overseas rogue cultivator surnamed Li who preferred not to reveal his real name...

"Haha, well said, Boss!"

A servant by his side, reading the situation well, pulled a small pouch of gold coins from his robes and handed it to the grinning innkeeper.

The group immediately traveled light and stepped into the territory of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Up ahead, agility-type spirit masters shuttled back and forth to scout the path, relaying messages silently. The team maintained a steady rhythm, advancing methodically toward the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest.

At this moment, Lie Xu and Qian Renxue, carried by Xiao Jiu, walked in the middle of the formation. Towering ancient trees blocked out the sky, their branches intertwined like a dome, shattering the sunlight into fragments. Several narrow, winding paths snaked into the darkness; the further they went, the more obscured the roads became, gradually swallowed by overgrown weeds and vines, with Blue Silver Grass swaying in the breeze everywhere.

The surrounding environment was terrifyingly silent—no birds chirped, no beasts roared; it was as if even the wind had frozen in place.

This made the forest feel like an ancient tomb that had slept for ten thousand years, waiting to devour anyone who entered. At a glance, there was no end, only endless, similar forks in the road. Sunlight was completely blocked by layers of giant trees, with only sporadic shards of light leaking through the gaps in the leaves, like faint starlight in the dead of night, barely enough to see the path underfoot.

Once one stepped inside, it was like breaking into another isolated space-time.

Dim, humid, oppressive, ancient, profound, vast...

A sense of awe and unease, born from the instinct of life, quietly crept into their hearts.

Lie Xu couldn't help but sigh inwardly. No forest on Blue Star could compare to the impact this forest had on a person. Even the Amazon rainforest, known as the "Lungs of the Earth," seemed small and gentle compared to the Star Dou Great Forest before him.

Every inch of this land radiated an aura of wilderness and antiquity.

And this was merely the outermost fringe of the Star Dou Great Forest, a range where spirit beasts under five hundred years gathered. Yet, even so, for the vast majority of ordinary people, if they were to accidentally wander in, it would be a dead zone from which there was no return...

"Xiao Xue, what kind of spirit beasts do you intend to hunt for your first and second spirit rings?"

As the team moved forward, Qian Daoliu suddenly slowed his pace, his gaze falling on Qian Renxue atop Xiao Jiu's back, carrying a hint of examination and expectation.

Qian Renxue turned slightly, meeting Lie Xu's steady, warm gaze. Her heart steadied, and she spoke in a crisp voice: "Grandfather, for my first spirit ring, I intend to hunt a Radiant Goddess Butterfly of about eighteen hundred years; for my second, I plan to hunt a Golden Scale Bird of about thirty-six hundred years."

"Hiss~"

As the words fell, Qian Daoliu couldn't help but draw a sharp breath. As the Great Elder of Spirit Hall, he had traveled the continent and the oceans, invincible in the skies, and had seen his fair share of once-in-a-century geniuses.

But he was still shocked by his granddaughter's words. Although his granddaughter had an innate spirit power of level twenty and could absorb spirit rings beyond her level, her first spirit ring's age was more than double the limit of a second spirit ring, and her second was just a step away from the limit of a fourth spirit ring...

Such a spirit ring configuration was unprecedented and unheard of in the entire history of the Douluo Continent!

Even his own configuration of eight red and one black had been achieved through the Angel God's trials, enhanced by the power of the Angel God.

But upon reflection, considering his granddaughter's talent, Qian Daoliu fell silent...