Absorbing a Spirit Bone

Shen Lian flipped his wrist, and a Spirit Bone glowing with an eerie blue light appeared in his palm.

It was the right leg bone of a thirty-thousand-year-old Gale Demon Wolf. Patterns flowed across its surface like a sweeping gale, accompanied by a faint howling sound.

"Tonight, you'll absorb this Spirit Bone."

Shen Lian held the Spirit Bone out to Zhu Zhuqing, his gaze burning as he said:

"My grandfather gave this to me, but it isn't very useful to me. For an agility-attack-type Soul Master like you, though, it's a perfect treasure. After absorbing it, you'll gain Gale Demon-Breaking Claw. This soul skill can double the power of your attack speed and break through fifty percent of an opponent's defenses."

Zhu Zhuqing's pupils contracted sharply. Staring at the precious Spirit Bone, she instinctively took half a step back.

"No, this is far too valuable! I... I don't know how I could ever repay you."

Zhu Zhuqing's fingertips trembled slightly. The Spirit Bone was far more precious than she had imagined. Even within the Star Luo Imperial Family, it was a treasure capable of sparking fierce contention.

Shen Lian stepped forward, abruptly closing the distance between them. His warm breath nearly brushed against her cheek.

Watching Zhu Zhuqing's flustered, evasive gaze, Shen Lian spoke in a low, suggestive voice.

"It may be precious to you, but it means nothing to me. As for repayment..."

Shen Lian deliberately paused, a faint smile curling at the corner of his lips, before saying to Zhu Zhuqing:

"With how clever you are, you should have guessed what I'm thinking, right?"

Zhu Zhuqing's cheeks instantly flushed crimson, the tips of her ears burning as her heart pounded like a drum.

She lowered her eyes to avoid Shen Lian's fiery gaze. The way he had looked at her during training that day, those feelings he had seemed unable to voice—all of it was now unmistakably clear.

After a long silence, she bit her lower lip and slowly reached out to accept the Spirit Bone. When her fingertips touched the warmth of Shen Lian's palm, she quickly drew them back as though burned.

"Start absorbing it now. I'll stand guard beside you."

Shen Lian's voice carried a gentleness that brooked no refusal.

Zhu Zhuqing nodded lightly, sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, took a deep breath, and pressed the Spirit Bone against her right leg.

Eerie blue light instantly enveloped her, while fragments of Soul Power drifted through the room like fireflies.

Leaning against the wall, Shen Lian kept his gaze fixed firmly on Zhu Zhuqing.

Candlelight flickered over her pale face. As time passed, fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, her brows knitted tightly together, and her body began to tremble slightly.

Shen Lian gathered Soul Power in his palm, ready to deal with any sudden emergency.

From the deep night until the sun hung high overhead, more than ten hours passed.

When the first ray of noon sunlight pierced through the window lattice, the blue light around Zhu Zhuqing suddenly surged, exploding through the room like a miniature sun.

As the light faded, she slowly opened her eyes. A sharp, eerie blue glinted within them, and every movement she made now carried a chilling edge.

Noon sunlight filtered through the mottled window paper, outlining Zhu Zhuqing in a hazy halo.

Shen Lian keenly sensed the Soul Power fluctuations around her abruptly rise. Her aura, once like a gentle stream, had become a surging river. With the aid of this thirty-thousand-year Spirit Bone, Zhu Zhuqing's Soul Power had risen from level twenty-seven to level thirty.

"Congratulations, Zhuqing. You've broken through to Soul Elder now."

A sincere smile rose on Shen Lian's lips, while a barely noticeable trace of admiration flickered in his eyes.

He stepped half a pace closer, naturally restraining the pressure emanating from his body around Zhu Zhuqing, afraid of disturbing the realm she had just stabilized.

Zhu Zhuqing slowly rose to her feet, a faint flush appearing on her pale cheeks from the breakthrough.

She looked up at Shen Lian, her eyes filled with gratitude. Her voice still carried a trace of lingering weakness as she blushed and said:

"Brother Lian, it's all thanks to you."

That intimate form of address was like a stone dropped into a deep pool, stirring countless waves in Shen Lian's heart.

His body stiffened slightly, and his Adam's apple bobbed unconsciously. Only after a moment did he return to normal.

Shen Lian raised a hand and rubbed Zhu Zhuqing's head, the gesture so natural it seemed as if he had practiced it countless times.

"All right, let's go outside and test your soul skill."

As he spoke, he took out the remaining two pieces of Whale Rubber from his Storage Soul Tool and lightly tossed them in his palm before continuing:

"As for your third Spirit Ring, once you've consumed these two pieces of Whale Rubber, I'll take you to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for one."

Zhu Zhuqing's eyes brightened slightly, and she nodded firmly.

The two walked out of the wooden house side by side. Sunlight poured down, stretching their shadows long behind them.

Shen Lian led Zhu Zhuqing to an open meadow outside the village. Withered yellow grass swayed in the wind, and scattered birdsong echoed in the distance.

"Try out your new soul skill."

Shen Lian stood several steps away with his arms folded, his gaze focused.

Zhu Zhuqing took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

The Martial Soul of the Hell Spirit Cat appeared around her, its silver fur gleaming with a cold luster.

With a sharp cry, her figure suddenly vanished, leaving only an afterimage in the air.

When she reappeared, azure gales coiled around her claws as she viciously slashed at a massive boulder nearby.

"Gale Demon-Breaking Claw!"

With a thunderous boom, the boulder shattered, and fragments of stone sprayed through the air like rain.

Zhu Zhuqing staggered slightly as she landed. Shen Lian swiftly caught her, and the warmth from his palm left them both stunned.

"The power is good, but you still need to master it."

Shen Lian withdrew his hand, though the tips of his ears reddened slightly. He then continued:

"Let's go back and rest. We'll start taking the Whale Rubber tonight."

Zhu Zhuqing looked at the lingering Soul Power in her palm, a faint smile curling on her lips.

The setting sun edged her figure in gold, and her shadow gradually overlapped with Shen Lian's beside her.

On this land far from the Star Luo Empire, new power and new feelings quietly began to grow.

Night fell, and bamboo shadows swayed across the window lattice. In Shen Lian's room, the dim halo of an oil lamp cast a hazy golden edge over the celadon bottle on the table.

Zhu Zhuqing looked at the crystalline Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone Shen Lian had taken out. Its snow-white petals glowed with a gentle sheen, like fine jade soaked in moonlight, releasing a faintly sweet fragrance that left her puzzled.

Over the past three days, under Shen Lian's careful guidance, she had successfully absorbed the Whale Rubber. A lingering warmth still flowed through her body, yet now she had to face this mysterious Immortal Herb. She did not know what changes it would bring.

"Didn't I say I would help you increase the speed of your Soul Power cultivation? I'm helping you now."

Shen Lian's deep, assured voice broke the silence.

Shen Lian gently picked up the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone with his long fingers, his movements as delicate as if he were touching a priceless treasure, before continuing to Zhu Zhuqing:

"This Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone can nourish the tendons and strengthen the bones, opening the flow through the extraordinary meridians and eight channels. Once you absorb it, the path of cultivation may become clear before you."

Zhu Zhuqing stared at the Immortal Herb. Shen Lian's words replayed in her mind. Though she still had doubts, her desire to grow stronger was even greater.