Absorption, Crystal Bear Left Palm Bone

The transparent liquid entered his palm, and a cool sensation seeped deep into his marrow. Yet this coolness quickly transformed into stabbing pain and scorching heat.

Cheng Xiao circulated his Soul Power through the Three Yin and Three Yang Meridians of his hand and into his left hand, harmonizing the fusion of the External Soul Bone with his own bones.

The pain eased somewhat, and his entire left hand turned transparent. His muscles and blood vessels were clearly visible, especially the bones wrapped in the liquid transformed from the Crystal Bear Left Palm Bone, which gleamed like diamonds.

An unbearably strange itch gradually crept up from his left hand, making Cheng Xiao frown as irritation began to rise within him.

Boom!

All at once, the strange itch abruptly became an intensely scorching sensation, as though his entire left hand had been plunged into magma. Unspeakable agony began battering Cheng Xiao's will.

"Mm..."

Cheng Xiao let out a muffled groan, held his breath, and focused his mind as he adjusted his condition.

Absorbing a Soul Bone was unlike absorbing a Soul Ring. The age of a Soul Ring was crucial, but Soul Bones placed greater emphasis on quality. If a Soul Beast's quality was exceptionally high, absorbing its Soul Ring might be just right. But fusing with its Soul Bone could fail because of that exceedingly high quality. That was the difference between Soul Rings and Soul Bones!

Though the Crystal Bear could not compare to the Dark Golden Dreadclaw Bear, it was still extraordinary. Naturally, the quality of its Soul Bone was not poor. Moreover, the Crystal Bear's cultivation age had already reached Cheng Xiao's limit, so there was no need to question the danger of its Soul Bone.

Thus, Cheng Xiao had long anticipated that the Crystal Bear Left Palm Bone would bring immeasurable pain.

Fortunately, he had awakened the Crystal Bear's shadow beforehand, so no remnant soul remained within its Soul Bone or Soul Ring. There would therefore be no backlash during the absorption process.

As long as he endured the pain brought by replacing his bones, nothing would go wrong.

The scorching sensation ravaged him wildly, as though it had turned into countless blades scraping his arm inch by inch.

"Pfft, pfft, pfft..."

The skin of his entire left arm began to crack, as though countless blood blisters had burst. Blood sprayed from the fissures. In mere moments, his left arm was drenched in blood, its dripping, bloody appearance utterly horrifying.

The pain brought by the External Soul Bone left Cheng Xiao soaked in sweat. His body temperature had risen to an alarming degree, and his evaporating sweat formed a faint mist around him.

Cheng Xiao's body convulsed from time to time. His small body swayed as though he would collapse at any moment, yet whenever he seemed closest to falling, he steadied himself again.

Cheng Xiao's Spiritual Power had always been extraordinary, and he had already endured a bout of torment when his Martial Soul had initially awakened. His resistance was naturally far greater than most. With his terrifying perseverance, he ultimately withstood the seemingly endless pain.

Time passed bit by bit. The crystal-like liquid still wrapped around Cheng Xiao's left-hand bones, seemingly unchanged.

But upon closer inspection, one could see that the liquid's undulations were gradually becoming rigid.

Clearly, he had passed the initial hurdle and was now entering the fusion and solidification stage. Cheng Xiao's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, while the scorching sensation slowly faded.

Driven by Cheng Xiao, his Tai Chi Soul Power circulated without end. One gentle and one forceful stream of Soul Power repeatedly hammered the fusing bones. The two utterly opposing forces were like a steel wire being bent back and forth, and the tempering of the Soul Power accelerated the fusion considerably.

Crack!

With a crisp sound, the increasingly rigid liquid finally solidified, transforming the bones of his entire left hand into a transparent, diamond-like color.

Crack, crack, crack, crack...

A series of explosive cracks rang out from his entire arm. The next moment, Cheng Xiao abruptly opened his eyes, a relieved smile appearing on his face. "It worked!"

Cheng Xiao rose to his feet and raised his left arm. His entire left hand was transparent, as though forged from diamond, its sharply defined facets refracting brilliant seven-colored rainbow light.

His five fingers had become longer, covered in sharp, transparent claws like five diamond blades. Under the sunlight, they looked exceptionally dazzling.

"Hiss—"

Cheng Xiao swung his left hand, and the air immediately let out a shrill whine. Its cutting power was clearly exceptional.

Crack—

Cheng Xiao narrowed his eyes and tested it on a nearby stone. His palm came down hard, and his claws instantly carved several vicious claw marks into the rock.

"Looks like the Crystal Bear's tearing ability is still somewhat lacking..."

With a thought, Cheng Xiao poured Soul Power into his left palm and struck a huge tree that required two people to encircle it.

Soul Power flowed into the massive tree. It only trembled slightly, but in the next instant, a layer of crystal appeared where Cheng Xiao had struck it. The crystal spread at incredible speed, and before long, the entire tree had transformed into crystal.

Even the leaves had turned to crystal, their veins clearly visible beneath the refracted sunlight. Looking up, the exquisite texture of the crystal tree struck straight at the heart. It was like an eternal work of art, utterly mesmerizing.

"It really has the Crystal Bear's Crystallization!" Cheng Xiao's eyes brightened.

Although this ability was inferior to Ultimate Metal and Ultimate Ice, its effects were not lacking in the slightest. So long as he activated his Soul Power, he could turn living creatures into crystal. Unless one possessed formidable Soul Power, there was simply no way to resist it.

At a turn of his thoughts, his dazzling palm began to return to normal. Its ice-crystal texture gradually faded, the claws retracted, and his entire left hand no longer looked much different from before.

"Hahaha! It was worth it!" Cheng Xiao said with a laugh.

His desperate struggle earlier had not been in vain!

"Once I hunt a Soul Beast and take its Soul Ring, it'll be time to head back."

Feeling thoroughly satisfied, Cheng Xiao prepared to leave.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, a group of shadows entered his Shadow Domain. They were not Soul Beasts, but humans!

They were complete strangers, however. Cheng Xiao had never encountered them before.

His expression shifted several times. Cheng Xiao's gaze flickered, and he withdrew the Shadow Soul Beasts guarding the area.

For the moment, it was not suitable to reveal the Shadow Soul Beasts before others. Unless his life was in danger, it was better to keep them hidden.

Otherwise, if he attracted the curiosity of some Titled Douluo, the initiative would no longer be in his hands. With only this handful of Shadow Legion members, they would not even be enough to fill a Titled Douluo's teeth.

Once his Shadow Legion became large enough to hold off a powerful opponent, he could use this ability openly before others without restraint.

After recalling the Shadow Soul Beasts, Cheng Xiao left his concealed hiding place. But that group was extremely fast. Before Cheng Xiao could circle around them, they had already blocked his path.

"Dad, I told you not to bring her, not to bring her, but you just wouldn't listen! It would've been fine if she simply followed us, but she insisted on wandering off alone and attracted a mad bear. Isn't she just dragging us down...?"

A sweet, resentful voice came from afar and drew closer, reaching Cheng Xiao's ears. Before he had time to hide, the group had already arrived nearby when he looked up.

Thanks to reader 20230211225335149 for the reward. Due to platform issues, there was no notification in the backend, so this thanks came late. Please forgive me.