Void Star Beast, Absolute Domain

Although Xiao Cheng already had an External Soul Bone, the Dark Demon Scorpion Tail, who would ever complain about having too many Soul Bones?

Just then, the meeting room door was pushed open.

Leng Zhaoran walked in with a smile on his face, carrying an exquisite wooden box.

"You're all here? Perfect. Saves me from having to find you one by one." Leng Zhaoran walked to the conference table, set down the wooden box, and opened it—

Seven Storage Soul Tools lay quietly inside, each emitting faint Soul Power fluctuations.

"These are your rewards for this mission," Leng Zhaoran said. "One Storage Soul Tool each. Inside is a high-year Soul Bone suited to your attributes, along with some cultivation resources. The Soul Bones belong to the Spirit Pagoda, but you have lifetime usage rights. Make good use of them, and don't let down the Pagoda Master's expectations."

The seven of them all brightened at once.

"Thank you, Uncle Leng!" "Thank you, Pagoda Master!" "Thank you, Vice Pagoda Master!"

Everyone stepped forward to collect their own reward.

Xiao Cheng accepted his Storage Soul Tool and sent his spiritual power inside. A deep dark-blue right leg bone appeared in his mind. Silver-white star track patterns flowed across its surface, as if real stars were slowly being born and extinguished within it. It radiated dense spatial energy and the power of the stars. Several bottles of pills and some rare metals sat beside it.

At least an eighty-thousand-year Soul Bone... And it has both spatial and stellar attributes. Both are widely recognized as rare and powerful. The Spirit Pagoda has truly gone all out this time. Still, they probably mean it as compensation and an investment as well. Long Yeyue attacked me this time, so the Spirit Pagoda likely used that excuse to squeeze plenty of good things out of Shrek Academy.

"All right, the rewards have been distributed. Now it's time to discuss business." Leng Zhaoran clapped his hands, signaling everyone to quiet down. "Three days from now, the Spirit Pagoda will hold an official celebration banquet for you. The Pagoda Master will attend in person, and several renowned forces from across the continent will send representatives to offer their congratulations. Prepare yourselves well. Don't embarrass the Spirit Pagoda."

"Yes!" the seven answered in unison.

When they left the meeting room, the seven members of the Seven Luminaries Team each held their newly acquired Storage Soul Tool, their faces glowing with undisguised delight.

Leng Yaozhu was the first to lose patience and immediately took her Soul Bone from her Storage Soul Tool. It was a left arm bone as red as fire, with faint flame patterns flowing across its surface. The instant it appeared, the surrounding air seemed to grow several degrees warmer.

"Haha! Fire attribute! A perfect fit for my Heavenly Phoenix martial soul!" Leng Yaozhu's eyes shone as if she wanted to absorb the Soul Bone on the spot. "I can feel that this Soul Bone is at least sixty thousand years old!"

"Mine is a left leg bone." Qiangu Dongfeng also took out his Soul Bone. It was a golden leg bone that radiated a heavy, steady aura. "It just happens to make up for my weakness in explosive speed."

Qiangu Qingfeng said nothing. He merely glanced at his Soul Bone—a dark-purple left arm bone that gave off a cold, sharp aura, perfectly matching the attributes of his Purgatory Halberd. He nodded slightly, clearly quite satisfied.

Zhang Geyang had received a fire-attribute torso bone, which complemented his Nether Flame Beast martial soul perfectly. Xia Zhengleng's was a spiritual-attribute skull bone that could enhance her control over sound waves. Leng Yulai's was a shadow-attribute right arm bone, perfectly suited to her Dark Phoenix martial soul.

"It seems the higher-ups really put thought into selecting these Soul Bones for us," Xiao Cheng said with a smile. "Every one of them perfectly suits our respective martial soul attributes."

"Of course." Qiangu Dongfeng smiled. "Our Seven Luminaries Team is now the Spirit Pagoda's signature force. Naturally, the higher-ups will cultivate us well. Come on, everyone must be itching to go back and absorb their Soul Bones. Let's disband here and head home!"

"Okay!" everyone replied in unison before going their separate ways.

When Xiao Cheng returned home, Xiao Ran was sitting in the living room reading, while Mu Wan was busy in the kitchen preparing dinner.

"Dad, Mom, I'm back." Xiao Cheng changed his shoes, walked into the living room, and took the dark-blue right leg bone from his Storage Soul Tool. "Uncle Leng handed out the rewards. I got a Soul Bone. Please help me take a look at it."

On the Douluo Continent, high-level Soul Bones could not be absorbed carelessly. Some were exceedingly sinister and came with all sorts of absorption requirements. If one failed to meet those requirements, the Soul Bone might backlash during absorption, causing extremely severe consequences. Although Leng Zhaoran was unlikely to give him such a Soul Bone without even a word of warning, it was better to be safe than sorry. It would be wiser to let his parents inspect it first.

Xiao Ran set down his book. The moment his gaze landed on the Soul Bone, understanding flashed through his eyes. Then he smiled. "This Soul Bone... is the right leg bone of a Void Star Beast that was more than ninety thousand years old."

"A Void Star Beast?" This was Xiao Cheng's first time hearing the name.

"Strictly speaking, the Void Star Beast isn't a Soul Beast, but a creature from beyond the Douluo Plane," Xiao Ran explained. "It was likely swept into the Douluo Plane by a small spatial storm. In terms of quality, the Void Star Beast was no inferior to a super Soul Beast like the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear. In fact, its spatial and stellar attributes made it even stranger and harder to deal with. It was also famously good at running. When it first ended up on the Douluo Continent, it caused quite a commotion. In the end, it drew the attention of the higher-ups from both the Spirit Pagoda and Shrek Academy. Each side sent several Three-Word Battle Armor Masters to form an encirclement before they finally captured it."

"And then?" Xiao Cheng asked curiously.

"Afterward, the Spirit Pagoda turned it into a Soul Spirit, while Shrek Academy took this Soul Bone," Xiao Ran said. "This Soul Bone sat in Shrek Academy's treasury for many years, and very few people could absorb it. The Void Star Beast's power was too special. Only Soul Masters with sufficiently powerful spatial attributes and strong physical constitutions could absorb it."

He paused and looked at Xiao Cheng, a trace of gratification in his eyes. "This time, the Spirit Pagoda extracted five top-tier Soul Bones and some other resources from Shrek Academy. This Void Star Beast Right Leg Bone was the most precious of them all. When I went on behalf of the Spirit Pagoda to select the Soul Bones, I specifically chose this one—for you."

Warmth filled Xiao Cheng's heart. "Dad, thank you."

"What are you thanking me for? You're my son. If I don't make plans for you, who will I make plans for?" Xiao Ran smiled and handed the Soul Bone back to Xiao Cheng. "Besides, the Void Star Beast's Soul Spirit is also being kept by the Spirit Pagoda. It's an Unyielding Soul Spirit. It's one of the future Soul Spirits I've planned for you. Once your cultivation reaches the required level, you can try fusing with it."

"The Void Star Beast's Soul Spirit?" Xiao Cheng's eyes lit up. "Doesn't that mean I can possess both the Void Star Beast's Soul Ring and Soul Bone in the future?"

"That's right." Xiao Ran nodded. "The Void Star Beast's spatial attribute is highly compatible with your Azure Sky Snake martial soul, while its stellar attribute can open up even more possibilities. If you successfully fuse with its Soul Spirit, your spatial power will reach an entirely new level."

Xiao Cheng clenched the Soul Bone in his hand, his heart full of anticipation.

"All right, don't think that far ahead yet." Xiao Ran patted his shoulder. "Absorb this Soul Bone first. The Void Star Beast's power is no trifling matter. You must focus completely during the absorption process and cannot afford to be careless."

"I understand, Dad." Xiao Cheng nodded before returning to his bedroom.

After closing the door, Xiao Cheng sat cross-legged on his bed, holding the dark-blue Void Star Beast Right Leg Bone in his hands.

The Soul Bone felt icy cold to the touch. Silver-white star track patterns flowed across its surface, as if real stars were slowly being born and extinguished within it. Xiao Cheng could sense the immense, pure energy contained within it, carrying both the profundity of space and the vastness of the stars.

Xiao Cheng took a deep breath, pressed the right leg bone against his own right leg, closed his eyes, and began circulating the Dragon Transformation Sutra.

As the cultivation technique began to circulate, a gentle, steady suction force emerged from within him, drawing the Soul Bone's energy slowly into his body.

At first, the energy was gentle, like a trickling stream nourishing his meridians and bones. But as time passed, it grew more and more violent, like an awakened ancient beast rampaging through his body!

Xiao Cheng frowned deeply, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

He could feel that the energy contained two entirely different powers—one was the depth and sharpness of spatial power, as if it wanted to tear his body apart; the other was the vastness and crushing weight of stellar power, as if it wanted to pulverize his consciousness.

The two powers intertwined and raged within him. Though they could not pose a fatal threat to Xiao Cheng, they hurt terribly.

"Endure it!" Xiao Cheng gritted his teeth, bearing the intense pain as he circulated the Dragon Transformation Sutra with all his strength, guiding the violent energy little by little into his right leg.

The process was long and agonizing.

Xiao Cheng's clothes were already soaked with sweat, and his face had turned somewhat pale. Yet he never gave up. Again and again, he circulated the cultivation technique, compressing, refining, and absorbing the energy.

Who knew how much time had passed—

At last, the violent energy receded like the tide.

In its place came a warm, comfortable sensation.

Xiao Cheng slowly opened his eyes and looked down at his right leg.

"Success..." Xiao Cheng let out a breath, a smile appearing on his face.

He stood up and moved his right leg. It felt light yet powerful, as though it had fused perfectly with his body.

Then he closed his eyes and began sensing the Soul Skill granted to him by this Soul Bone.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, surprise flashing through them.

"Star Track: Absolute Domain... A domain-type Soul Skill?!"

Domain-type Soul Skills were incredibly rare! Among Soul Masters, every Soul Master who possessed a domain-type Soul Skill stood at the pinnacle of their rank! Yet he was only a Soul Grandmaster, and he already possessed a Soul Bone that granted him a domain-type Soul Skill!

This was simply an enormous surprise!

With a thought, Xiao Cheng attempted to activate the Soul Skill.

An invisible force instantly spread outward from him in every direction!

A silver domain with a radius of ten meters unfolded around him!

Within the domain, space was no longer flat. It had been materialized into countless crisscrossing silver star tracks. Those star tracks spread like a dense spiderweb, each one radiating faint light, as if revealing the mysteries of space.

Xiao Cheng could feel that within this domain, he was the sovereign. He could manipulate those star tracks at will, altering the direction of gravity and the flow of space, throwing enemies into chaotic spatial gravity, making them lose their balance, or even crushing them beneath the weight of space itself!

"What a powerful domain..." Xiao Cheng could not help but marvel.

He withdrew the domain, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.

This Void Star Beast Right Leg Bone had not only granted him a powerful domain-type Soul Skill, but also greatly enhanced his affinity for space and his physical constitution. It could be said that his overall strength had risen to another level.

"With this domain, if I encounter an opponent like Bai Xiao again, I'll be able to handle him much more calmly." Xiao Cheng clenched his fist, confidence gleaming in his eyes.

He walked out of his bedroom and into the living room.

Xiao Ran and Mu Wan had been waiting for him there. When they saw him emerge, concern appeared on both their faces.

"Did the absorption succeed?" Xiao Ran asked.

"It succeeded." Xiao Cheng nodded, then told his parents what he had gained.

When they heard that Xiao Cheng had acquired a domain-type Soul Skill, both Xiao Ran and Mu Wan looked delighted.

"A domain-type Soul Skill?!" Xiao Ran exclaimed in admiration. "Good boy, your luck is truly outstanding! A domain-type Soul Skill from the Void Star Beast is an exceptionally rare thing!"

"Yes." Mu Wan smiled as well. "Our Cheng'er is becoming more and more formidable."

Xiao Cheng smiled, his heart filled with warmth and gratitude.

He knew that he would never have come this far without his parents' support and guidance.

The road ahead was still long.

But he was confident that he would go even farther.