Heaven-Mixing Sash

The surface of the illusory lotus root began to peel away.

The impurities accumulated over the years in the Black Iron-grade body martial soul were forcibly expelled.

A purer white light shone from within its joints.

The faint red glow it carried also intensified severalfold.

Li Zha's body, already on the verge of collapse, finally triggered the deeper power of his body martial soul.

Undying Lotus Root, second awakening!

The Black Iron-grade body martial soul, Undying Lotus Root, had astonishingly evolved to Silver grade!

"Boom!"

A surge of life Soul Power burst from within the lotus root!

It swiftly covered Li Zha's entire body!

The torn muscles in his chest were forcibly pulled back together by lotus fibers.

His dislocated shoulders were also pushed back into place.

His bones, muscles, meridians, internal organs—every damaged part was repaired at once.

Li Zha's physical strength, power, recovery ability, and capacity to bear Soul Power all increased by sixty percent at that moment!

The ten-thousand-year Soul Power blocking the meridians in his chest finally had room to advance.

The Soul Power passed through his chest and flowed into his right arm, instantly pouring into the Flaming-tipped Spear once more.

"Buzz!"

The black soul ring finally descended completely!

"Rumble!"

A vast blaze of crimson flames erupted from the Flaming-tipped Spear.

The black soul ring circled the spear shaft and quickly stabilized.

The countless wounds on Li Zha's body began to close.

Even his lost breath miraculously returned as his body recovered on its own.

Though his breathing was long and slow!

Hu Liena stared at him intently several times.

Only then did she finally confirm that Li Zha was still alive.

She raised a hand to wipe her face, wanting to dry her tears, but the more she wiped, the more tears came.

"You succeeded..."

"Li Zha, you really succeeded!"

"Mm..."

Li Zha nodded weakly and slowly opened his eyes.

The black soul ring rose from the Flaming-tipped Spear.

The absorption of his first soul ring, thirteen thousand years old, was complete!

Just as he was about to speak, Hu Liena had already pounced on him.

"That's wonderful!"

She wrapped both arms tightly around Li Zha, pressing her entire body against him.

"Crack, crack!"

Li Zha's newly repaired shoulders let out soft cracks.

"Nana, let go first..."

"I won't!"

Hu Liena buried her face in his shoulder, her voice still thick with tears.

"You nearly scared me to death just now!"

Li Zha looked down at her.

Then he glanced at the clothes on his body, which had been torn to almost nothing.

He was just about to remind Hu Liena.

When a swelling pain suddenly came from his torso.

Immediately afterward, a burning sensation arose at his neck and right shoulder.

He could sense that two new things seemed to have appeared inside his body.

He lowered his head to look.

Beneath the skin of his abdomen, a red glow slowly moved.

Hu Liena was still hugging his shoulder.

"Hm? What's wrong with you?"

Noticing his body suddenly tense, she immediately let go.

Li Zha replied, "Something's moving."

"Did your wounds split open again?"

"It's not a wound."

Li Zha raised a hand and pressed it against his abdomen, sending Soul Power through his meridians to probe inside his body.

The next moment, a red silk sash emerged from his abdomen.

The sash was only two fingers wide, vivid scarlet in color, with fine golden patterns running along its edges.

It extended from his abdomen, circled his waist once, then withdrew back into his body on its own.

Hu Liena froze where she stood.

"This... could it be a soul bone?"

"Most likely."

Li Zha circulated his Soul Power again.

The red sash reappeared and rapidly spun around his body.

It moved faster and faster until it finally clung to the surface of his skin, forming a thin protective glow.

Hu Liena reached out to touch it.

Before her fingertips could touch Li Zha's body, the sash knocked them away.

"It can protect its master too?"

"That's what it looks like for now."

Li Zha raised his right hand and tried to control the sash.

The Heaven-Mixing Sash shot from his abdomen and wrapped around a protruding rock on the cave wall.

He gave a gentle tug with his palm.

The rock immediately cracked apart, and fragments rolled down.

"Its power isn't particularly strong. It's mainly for defense and binding."

Li Zha tried it several more times.

He concentrated Soul Power within the Heaven-Mixing Sash, and its edges immediately became sharp.

Then he changed the way he circulated his Soul Power.

The golden patterns on the sash lit up. After wrapping around the rock, it rapidly tightened.

Several deep grooves appeared across the rock's surface.

"It has a soul skill?"

Hu Liena stepped closer.

"It should be an ability that comes with the torso soul bone."

Li Zha raised his hand.

"Silk Guard."

The red sash instantly adhered to his body.

Hu Liena took out a short blade and thrust it toward Li Zha's chest.

When the blade was still half an inch from his clothes, the red sash suddenly sprang up and wrapped around her wrist.

Hu Liena jumped in fright.

"What are you doing?"

Li Zha said, "Testing its reaction speed."

Hu Liena pursed her lips. "You could've warned me first!"

"If I warned you beforehand, the test results wouldn't be accurate."

"So you're letting me test it?"

"You were the one who reached out to touch it just now."

Hu Liena was left speechless.

The red sash remained wrapped around her wrist, its grip gradually tightening.

She hurriedly circulated Soul Power, and foxfire rose around her wrist.

The moment the red sash encountered the foxfire, it immediately tightened, sealing the flames outside.

Hu Liena frowned and hastily used her Soul Power to break free.

The red sash was pulled taut, yet it did not immediately let go.

The two remained locked in a stalemate for several breaths before Li Zha raised his hand and withdrew his Soul Power.

Only then did the red sash release Hu Liena's wrist and return to his abdomen.

Hu Liena rubbed her wrist.

"The binding ability of your soul bone is a little terrifying. Even a rank twenty-nine Soul Master would probably find it difficult to break free."

"The power of a soul bone is tied to the soul master himself."

Li Zha lowered his head and inspected his abdomen.

"I was only testing it just now, so it wasn't very strong. My Soul Power is only rank ten right now. Once I become stronger... hm?"

His brows rose slightly.

He could clearly feel that the Soul Power within his body was very different from before!

There was much more of it.

It had nearly doubled.

He closed his eyes and carefully sensed it.

He soon confirmed the answer.

A faint curve appeared on his lips. "Nana, guess what rank I am now."

Hu Liena's small mouth fell open.

Hearing his question, she roughly guessed that he had improved considerably.

"A normal hundred-year soul ring can probably raise someone by one rank... I've never seen a thousand-year one, let alone a ten-thousand-year one..."

She fell into thought.

Then she made a bold guess.

"You... became a rank fourteen Soul Master?"

Li Zha shook his head. "Guess again."

"Fifteen?"

"Be bolder."

Hearing that, Hu Liena answered with extreme confidence, "Seventeen!"

Li Zha still shook his head. "Guess again!"

Hu Liena was shocked and spoke weakly, "S-sixteen?"

Li Zha was speechless. "Why are you guessing lower now?"

"Don't tell me you're rank eighteen!"

Hu Liena's eyes widened.

Li Zha shook his head. "No."

Hu Liena had just breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Zha spoke again. "I'm rank nineteen."

Hu Liena: "???"

Her mouth hung wide open, enough to fit an egg inside!

"Rank nineteen?!"

"You mean you only absorbed one soul ring,

And it was your first soul ring, yet you went straight from a rank ten Soul Scholar to a rank nineteen Soul Master?!"

Her voice rose sharply.

Li Zha still wore a calm expression.

"That's right, rank nineteen."

"What a pity. If it were just a little more, I'd reach rank twenty and directly absorb my second soul ring."

Hu Liena: ??

What exactly was there to pity?