Southern Ape

But Nezha knew they could not be blamed for this.

Before absorbing the Blue Silver Emperor soul bone, Nezha himself had only planned to try a thousand-year spirit ring first and feel out his body's limits.

But after absorbing the Blue Silver Emperor's Right Leg Bone, the situation was completely different.

The energy contained within that soul bone had not only strengthened his bones and meridians, but had also pushed the Nine-Turn Mysterious Technique forward by a small step.

That step was negligible in terms of the Nine-Turn Mysterious Technique's overall progress, but by Douluo Continent's standards of physical strength, it was an enormous leap.

"Listen to me." Nezha raised a finger. "The maximum age of a spirit ring a soul master can absorb depends on their physical strength. The stronger the body, the higher the age it can withstand. This is an ironclad rule recognized throughout the soul master world."

Xiao Wu crossed her arms. "I know that. So?"

"So—" Nezha rose to his feet and rolled his wrists. "I feel that my physical strength is already no weaker than a Soul King's."

Silence.

Even deeper silence.

Da Ming and Er Ming exchanged a glance.

They knew Nezha had been tough since childhood. He could roughhouse and play with Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts like them, taking tumbles and blows as though nothing had happened.

But no weaker than a Soul King? That was the physical constitution of a soul master above level fifty. A six-year-old child?

Xiao Wu narrowed her eyes. "You say you're no weaker, and that makes it true? Where's the proof?"

Nezha said nothing more. He turned and walked toward an ancient tree by the lake, its trunk so thick it would take several people to encircle it.

He planted his feet, clenched his fist, and threw a punch.

Bang—crack—boom!

The trunk exploded from the point of impact. Wood chips flew everywhere as cracks spread like a spiderweb across the entire tree.

The ancient tree let out a groan under its unbearable burden. Its upper half slowly tilted, then crashed to the ground, startling a flock of birds into flight.

Nezha withdrew his fist and turned to the dumbstruck Xiao Wu, his tone helpless. "Do you believe me now?"

Xiao Wu's mouth hung open for a long while before she finally closed it.

Er Ming stepped forward, poking the fallen trunk with one enormous finger before poking Nezha's shoulder. His bell-sized eyes were full of disbelief.

A complicated glint flashed through Da Ming's vertical pupils. He looked at Nezha and slowly said, "Kid, your physical strength really is no weaker than a Soul King's."

Night fell. The treehouse.

Moonlight leaked through the gaps in the wooden window, painting silver-white streaks across the floor.

Only then did Nezha remember that the Blue Silver Emperor was still inside his Soul Tool. He hurriedly took out the clay pot, pushed open the door, and walked out in front of the treehouse.

He chose a south-facing spot, dug a shallow hole, and carefully transplanted the Blue Silver Emperor from the clay pot into the soil, roots and all.

"This will be your new home from now on." Nezha brushed the dirt from his hands and spoke to the drooping Blue Silver Grass.

"It may not be beside the Lake of Life, but the spiritual energy of heaven and earth here is a hundred times richer than in that cave you used to live in. Grow well. Don't let me down."

The Blue Silver Emperor's leaves swayed gently despite the absence of wind.

Early the next morning, Er Ming passed by the treehouse and spotted the Blue Silver Grass outside the door. He stopped, tilting his huge head as he studied it for a long while.

Blue Silver Grass grew everywhere on Douluo Continent. You could grab handfuls of it by the roadside; it was even more commonplace than wild grass.

Er Ming scratched his head, utterly unable to understand why Nezha would go out of his way to raise one of these things.

"This is my pet." Nezha walked out of the treehouse. "Keep an eye on it for me when you can. Don't let any blind soul beasts come and eat it."

Er Ming looked at the wilted Blue Silver Grass, then at Nezha's serious expression. The complaint that had reached his lips was swallowed back down.

"...Fine," he replied in a muffled voice.

Forget it. If his little brother wanted to raise it, then let him. It was just a stalk of Blue Silver Grass. It hardly took up any space.

In his heart, Er Ming silently added "take an extra look at the Blue Silver Grass outside Nezha's door during daily patrols" to his list of tasks.

Several days later, at dawn, Lake of Life.

Nezha was meditating by the lake, faint golden light flowing across the surface of his body. Cultivating the Nine-Turn Mysterious Technique had become a habit. Practicing for a while every morning was even more refreshing than sleep.

Xiao Wu lay sprawled on a bluestone not far away, lazily flipping through a spirit beast illustrated guide she had brought back from the academy.

Da Ming was curled up on a tree branch, dozing. The tip of his tail soaked in the lake water, occasionally slapping the surface to drive away approaching insects.

Suddenly, a huge black shadow came charging out of the dense forest, each step making the ground tremble faintly. Obvious excitement was written all over Er Ming's honest face. The moment he reached the lake, he threw back his head and shouted, "Nezha! I found it!"

Da Ming, who had been dozing, instantly opened his vertical pupils. Xiao Wu snapped her book shut and sat up, while Nezha ended his cultivation and rose to his feet.

"You found it?" Nezha asked.

"I found it!" Er Ming proudly slapped his chest. "I searched for days, but I finally found one!"

He turned around and let out a roar toward the forest behind him.

Before long, two slightly smaller ten-thousand-year Titan Giant Apes emerged from the woods. They carried a thick vine across their shoulders, and tied to that vine was a giant ape with gray-black fur, knotted muscles, and protruding fangs. It was unconscious.

The two Titan Giant Apes respectfully set the prey on the ground, bowed to Er Ming, then retreated into the forest.

Er Ming pointed to the ape on the ground. "This is a Southern Ape. It has boundless strength and incredible speed. The Southern Apes have been enemies of our Titan Giant Ape clan for who knows how many years. This one has only just passed ten thousand years, so it's perfect for your requirements."

"I searched for several days before finally finding one alone at the edge of their territory. Took some effort, but I caught it for you."

Nezha walked over and looked down at it.

The Southern Ape was far smaller than Er Ming, but its muscles were lean and powerful, its limbs long and strong. One look at its build was enough to tell that it was a spirit beast that relied on explosive force.

"Fine." Nezha withdrew his gaze. "This one."

Xiao Wu hopped down from the bluestone. "Starting now?"

"No time like the present." Nezha rolled his wrists. "Now."

Er Ming called the two ten-thousand-year Titan Giant Apes back and had them stand guard around the perimeter with Da Ming. He himself crouched nearby, glaring fiercely at the unconscious Southern Ape. If anything went wrong during the absorption process, he would act immediately.

Xiao Wu also retreated to the side, standing beside Er Ming's foot with both hands unconsciously clenched tight.

Nezha walked up to the Southern Ape. With a flip of his right hand, the Qiankun Ring appeared in his palm.

He took a deep breath, then raised the ring and brought it down cleanly on the Southern Ape's head.

With a crisp crack, its skull shattered. The Southern Ape twitched once, then moved no more.

The next second, a vast surge of energy poured out from the corpse, gathering in the air to form a black ring of light.

A ten-thousand-year spirit ring.

Its blackness was pure and profound. The black radiance slowly revolved, giving off a heart-pounding pressure.