The healing process lasted a full quarter of an hour.
Kong Deming could feel that at least a fifth of the old injuries inside his body had been healed, without leaving behind any hidden problems.
The immense surprise was almost too much to believe.
With his talent, if not for the old injuries restricting him, he could have broken through to Soul Power Level 95 many years ago and reached the ranks of a Super Douluo.
In recent years, aside from his usual research into Soul Tools, his main concern had been searching for a way to clear the old injuries from his body.
He had thought that he would never have the chance to break through to Super Douluo in this life, yet today, his nephew had given him an enormous surprise!
As that gentle power faded from his body, Kong Deming felt the shackles that had held him back for years begin to loosen.
It was a sign that his Soul Power was about to break through!
"Uncle, my Soul Power isn't strong enough. This is the limit of what I can do for now. Perhaps when I grow stronger, I'll be able to clear all the old injuries from your body and restore you to your peak."
At those words, Kong Deming snapped out of it. Then, heedless of appearances, he pulled Xu Tianming into a tight embrace, a few cloudy tears slipping from the corners of his eyes.
"Thank you, Tianming! Thank you! If it weren't for you, I might never have had any hope of breaking through in this life..."
Just as Xu Tianming had expected, Columbina's power could indeed heal Kong Deming's injuries. However, because she hadn't yet regained enough of her Authority, she could only heal some of them. To heal him completely, Columbina would need to recover more of her power.
This was wonderful news for Xu Tianming.
It meant that, from now on, the Sun Moon Empire's high-level fighters would no longer be held back by old injuries, and the ceiling for their Soul Power Levels would rise to even greater heights.
At the same time, a bold idea occurred to him:
Since Columbina's power could heal old injuries, couldn't he stop worrying about the side effects of wild natural treasures?
If he swallowed them in vast quantities without holding back, then at most, it would take ten years for him to raise his Soul Power cultivation to Level 90.
By then, his body would be riddled with old injuries. But as long as Columbina used the Authority of the Three Moons to purify and heal him, he would become the youngest Titled Douluo in the history of the Douluo Continent.
A sixteen-year-old Titled Douluo!
Just thinking about it was thrilling.
Xu Tianming immediately couldn't wait to ask Columbina whether the plan was viable.
"Hmm... In theory, it should work. But I'm not sure how much of my Authority I'd need to recover before I could heal all the old injuries in someone's body... I just asked the moon, but it doesn't know either."
That was a bit of a problem.
Until he knew for certain whether Columbina's power could completely clear his old injuries, experimenting on his own body would be a gamble.
If he won, everything would be fine.
But if he lost, he would have sealed off his own future potential with his own hands.
After thinking it over carefully, Xu Tianming decided to play it safe for now.
After all, Kong Deming was right there, ready to let him test things whenever he wanted!
Once Columbina's power was strong enough to heal all of Kong Deming's old injuries, that would mean it was time to begin his rapid-strengthening plan.
Coming out of his thoughts, Xu Tianming looked at Kong Deming, who was still visibly excited, and suggested, "How about you go into seclusion to break through, Uncle? I've already absorbed Soul Rings before, so I'm confident I can succeed even without anyone guarding me."
"How can that be? My Soul Power has been stagnant for years. It won't hurt to wait a little longer. Don't worry about absorbing your Soul Ring, Tianming. I'll guard you, and I guarantee nothing will go wrong!"
Hearing that, Xu Tianming nodded. He took the Soul Tool storing the Soul Ring from Kong Deming, then removed the Ten-Thousand-Year Magic Flame Wolf Soul Ring inside.
The moment the pitch-black Soul Ring appeared, a powerful pressure of Soul Power came with it.
Xu Tianming was fine, but Ye Guyi, standing nearby, opened her beautiful eyes in shock.
"Don't be afraid. This is a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring, and you'll absorb and refine one yourself someday. For now, stay quiet and watch how I refine this Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring. It'll help you later."
After instructing Ye Guyi, Xu Tianming spoke briefly with Mavuika and Columbina in his Mental Sea of Consciousness. Once he confirmed they were both fine, he sat down cross-legged where he was, released his Radiant Sun Martial Soul, and began guiding the Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring into himself.
Under Ye Guyi's admiring gaze, the enormous black Soul Ring gradually shrank. After it was absorbed into the Radiant Sun Martial Soul, it disappeared for a moment. Then a pitch-black Soul Ring appeared around Xu Tianming, spinning rapidly.
The process seemed to pass quickly, but only Xu Tianming knew how dangerous it was.
The instant the Soul Ring entered his body, a terrifying pressure of Soul Power spread throughout him. Though his physical abilities far surpassed those of Soul Masters at his level, he still struggled to withstand the immense pressure. If Mavuika hadn't stepped in at once to help bear what he couldn't endure, that pressure might have crushed his body to pieces.
But this was only the first step in absorbing a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring.
As soon as he withstood the pressure of Soul Power, the second trial began.
The unique mental shock of a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring!
The immense resentment of a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, born from its unwillingness to die, lay dormant inside the Soul Ring. The moment a Soul Master absorbed it, it would erupt, intent only on dragging them both down together.
This time, however, Columbina had already used Kuuvahki to set up an enhanced mental barrier inside Xu Tianming's Mental Sea of Consciousness.
Having witnessed the terrible sight of herself and her child dying together before she died, the Ten-Thousand-Year Magic Flame Wolf's resentment was far greater than that of an ordinary Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. Its mental attack was stronger, too.
At first, Kong Deming, who was guarding him, smiled despite himself when he felt Xu Tianming successfully withstand the pressure of the Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring.
He was proud of his nephew!
A Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring as his second Soul Ring—and absorbed right before his eyes! When he was old, he'd be able to boast about it to anyone, head held high!
But his delight didn't last long. His expression quickly turned tense, and he thought, Something's wrong!
He had sensed that the mental shock from the Soul Ring was abnormal.
A rough estimate put its strength at the level of a fifteen-thousand-year-old Soul Beast!
Kong Deming was frantic with worry, but there was nothing he could do.
After all, only the Soul Master could complete the process of absorbing a Soul Ring. If an outsider interfered rashly, they could have a serious effect on the Soul Master, even without any ill intent.
"Tianming! You have to hold on!"
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