The Choice to Exceed Limits, an External Spirit Bone Appears

When they saw the Blazing Azure Luan radiating an overwhelming aura and pressure far beyond that of an ordinary ten-thousand-year spirit beast, everyone's hearts sank.

"Twenty thousand years! This has absolutely exceeded the absorption limit for a fifth spirit ring!" Elder Li Tianji's expression was grave, his tone resolute. "Xuansheng, give up. It's too dangerous! The theory of spirit ring age limits is no empty talk—it is experience countless predecessors paid for with their lives! Forcefully absorbing it could result in damaged meridians and regressed cultivation at best, or an exploded body and death at worst!"

Elder Dongyue Qingxuan slowly shook his head as well. "Xuansheng, your talent is unparalleled, and your future is limitless. There is no need to take such a risk now. We can keep searching. The Azure Jade Forest is vast; we may yet find another suitable and powerful spirit beast."

Dongyue Ling, Li Xuanbei, and the others also tried to persuade him, their faces filled with worry. They all understood Li Xuansheng's potential and did not want him to brave such danger.

Li Xuansheng pressed his lips together tightly, his gaze fixed on the mighty and magnificent Blazing Azure Luan in the basin. The flames burning around it seemed to resonate more and more intensely with his Divine Phoenix Halberd. He remained silent for a long time, weighing his options at a frantic pace. Give up? That was indeed the safest choice. But... could he really accept that? A twenty-one-thousand-year top-tier spirit beast ring with phoenix bloodline—its spirit skill quality and the nourishment it could provide to the origin of his martial spirit were far beyond those of an ordinary ten-thousand-year spirit beast!

He took a deep breath, turned around, and swept his gaze across the crowd. The struggle in his eyes gradually turned into determination.

"Elders, Cousin Ling, brothers and sisters, I understand your good intentions." Li Xuansheng's voice was clear and steady. "But I want to try."

Before anyone could object again, he quickly explained, "First, my martial spirit is exceptionally powerful. The Divine Phoenix Halberd tempers my body far more than those of the same rank. The resilience of my meridians and the upper limit of my spirit power capacity are already much greater than those of ordinary spirit masters."

"Second, ever since I awakened my martial spirit at the age of six, I have never stopped tempering my body with medicinal baths, and I have always continued physical training. I have also consumed quite a few heavenly treasures collected by the family that strengthen one's foundation, cultivate vitality, and widen the meridians. My foundation is far more solid than that of an ordinary person."

"Third, the four spirit rings I absorbed before this were all at the very peak of the theoretical age limit, or even slightly beyond it. Though the process was stressful, I never truly felt where my limit lay. I suspect that my body's endurance may be higher than current theoretical standards!"

He looked intently at the two Titled Douluo. "Elders, I understand the risks. But the Blazing Azure Luan's attributes perfectly match my Divine Phoenix Halberd, and its bloodline can even stir the power deep within my martial spirit. If I succeed, my strength will undergo a qualitative leap! This is crucial to the situation we currently face and to the family's future! Please allow me... to risk it this once!"

His reasoning was sound. He had analyzed his own advantages while making clear the enormous benefits. Li Tianji and Dongyue Qingxuan exchanged a glance, both seeing the complicated emotions in each other's eyes. How could they not know how precious this spirit ring was? Their worry simply outweighed everything else.

Seeing Li Xuansheng's determination, and knowing that his reasoning was not entirely without merit, Elder Li Tianji let out a long sigh. "Fine! You brat... your mind is made up, so saying more would be useless." His expression turned solemn. "But you must promise that if any uncontrollable signs appear during the absorption process, Elder Qingxuan and I will intervene immediately and forcibly interrupt it! Even if the spirit ring is ruined, even if you suffer internal injuries, that is still better than losing your life!"

"Thank you, Elder! Xuansheng understands!" Li Xuansheng bowed solemnly, and a huge weight lifted from his heart.

Since the decision had been made, there was no more delay. Elder Dongyue Qingxuan moved, gliding silently down the ridge like a ghost and appearing in the basin in an instant.

The Blazing Azure Luan and Lava Earth Dragon, locked in fierce combat, both sensed the terrifying presence and stiffened. Dongyue Qingxuan did not release his martial spirit. He merely flicked a finger, sending a highly condensed streak of azure spirit power flying like an arrow toward the Lava Earth Dragon's hard scales.

Pfft! With a muffled sound, the scales were pierced through, leaving a small hole as blood gushed out.

The Lava Earth Dragon let out a pained roar. Its cold vertical pupils flashed with terror as it glanced at Dongyue Qingxuan, then it turned without hesitation. Its thick limbs clawed at the ground as it burrowed rapidly into a crevice amid thunderous rumbling, fleeing without a trace.

Only the Blazing Azure Luan remained. Sensing the lethal threat, it let out a shrill, furious cry and beat its wings fiercely, sending countless scorching fire feathers shooting toward Dongyue Qingxuan like arrows.

Dongyue Qingxuan's expression did not change. An invisible wall seemed to stand before him, and every fire feather disintegrated before coming within three feet of him. He extended his palm and clenched it in the air.

Buzz!

The energy between heaven and earth seemed to be drained away in an instant, forming a massive azure hand that forcibly seized the Blazing Azure Luan as it tried to soar skyward. No matter how it struggled or spat flames, it could not shake it in the slightest! The strength of a level ninety-eight Super Douluo was displayed to the fullest!

"Xuansheng, hurry!" Li Tianji shouted.

Li Xuansheng did not dare delay. He leaped into the basin and came before the fully suppressed Blazing Azure Luan, whose eyes were filled with unwillingness and fear. He took a deep breath and raised the Divine Phoenix Halberd, gathering all his spirit power, will, and desire for strength at its tip.

"Forgive me!"

With a low shout, the Divine Phoenix Halberd became a streak of golden-red lightning and pierced precisely through the Blazing Azure Luan's heart.

Its mournful cry came to an abrupt end. Its enormous body collapsed limply to the ground, and a black spirit ring slowly condensed above it, radiating a frightening energy fluctuation.

Li Xuansheng sat down cross-legged, adjusted his breathing, and raised his condition to its peak. Then he drew the fifth spirit ring, far beyond the limit, toward the Divine Phoenix Halberd.

Boom—!

The instant the spirit ring settled onto him, Li Xuansheng felt as though a volcano had erupted within his body! Wild, blistering energy surged madly through his limbs and bones like a burst dam. His meridians immediately suffered tearing pain, fine beads of blood seeped from his skin, and his entire body felt as if it were being forged within a furnace!

His body began to tremble violently. His face turned crimson in an instant, veins bulged on his forehead, and he clenched his teeth as suppressed groans escaped him. That immense energy not only scorched his body, but also carried the lingering pride and savagery of the Blazing Azure Luan, battering against his sea of consciousness.

"Steady your mind! Circulate your cultivation art and guide the spirit power!" Elder Li Tianji's shout exploded beside his ears like thunder.

Li Xuansheng guarded the last shred of clarity in his mind and circulated the family's inherited cultivation art, the Heavenly Phoenix Art, with all his strength. He guided the violent energy along a specific path, trying to tame and refine it. The process was indescribably painful. Every second was like suffering through mountains of blades and seas of fire. His body seemed to become a battlefield, where his own spirit power fiercely collided and merged with the external energy.

Time passed little by little. One hour, two hours... Li Xuansheng's aura rose and fell, while the crimson color over his body flared brightly before fading again. The two Titled Douluo and all his companions held their breath as they watched anxiously. Li Tianji and Dongyue Qingxuan had long gathered spirit power in their palms, ready to intervene at any moment.

A full ten hours passed! From dusk to the depths of night, then until the first light of dawn the following day!

When the first ray of morning sunlight pierced the darkness and fell into the basin, the violent energy fluctuations around Li Xuansheng finally began to subside. The deep black spirit ring completely stabilized, perfectly imprinting itself upon his Divine Phoenix Halberd. The crimson color of his skin returned to normal. Though his aura was weak, it carried a solidity and strength like rebirth through nirvana.

He slowly opened his eyes, and crimson-gold flames seemed to flash through them.

"I succeeded..." His voice was hoarse, yet filled with indescribable joy. Absorbing a spirit ring beyond his rank had brought his spirit power to level fifty-two, and it was incomparably stable. He could feel that his Divine Phoenix Halberd had undergone some kind of transformation, its power multiplied!

However, the surprises were far from over. As they began to deal with the Blazing Azure Luan's corpse, a pair of wing bones about the size of palms slowly rose into the air. They were entirely condensed from crimson-gold energy, crystal-clear, with feather patterns that could be seen distinctly, and they radiated a gentle yet powerful glow!

"An External Spirit Bone!" Elder Dongyue Qingxuan cried out, his face filled with disbelief. "And an exceptionally rare flying-type External Spirit Bone!"

Everyone was stunned by this sudden fortune. External Spirit Bones were even rarer than ordinary spirit bones, possessed tremendous growth potential, and were supreme treasures dreamed of by countless spirit masters!

Li Xuansheng looked at the exquisite wing spirit bone. At first, he was delighted, but then he looked toward the others and said sincerely, "This spirit bone... I already have the spirit ring. This is far too precious. It should rightfully..."

"Brother Xuansheng!" "Cousin!" Before he could finish, everyone interrupted him in unison.

Li Xuanbei stepped forward and said seriously, "Xuansheng, this spirit bone shares the same origin as your martial spirit. You should absorb it as well! Only when the spirit ring and spirit bone are gathered in one person can they display their greatest power!"

"That's right!" Dongyue Qingxuan also said solemnly, "Take it. The stronger you become, the better it will be for both the Li Family and our Dongyue Family! There is no need to refuse!"

Elder Li Tianji stroked his beard and nodded. "Xuansheng, accept it. This treasure is fated to be yours. Do not waste this opportunity."

Looking at their sincere and resolute expressions, a warm current surged through Li Xuansheng's heart. He stopped protesting and nodded firmly. "Alright! Thank you, everyone!"

He sat down cross-legged once more. After adjusting his condition, he guided the crimson-gold wing spirit bone into his body. Unlike the violent absorption of a spirit ring, the fusion of a spirit bone was comparatively gentle. It was more of a transformation and nourishment of the bones and meridians in his back.

A little over half an hour later, the wing spirit bone had completely fused into his shoulder blades and vanished from sight. With a thought from Li Xuansheng, a pair of magnificent wings with a span exceeding one meter suddenly spread from his back with a whoosh! They were formed entirely from crimson-gold energy. The wings fluttered gently, lifting him more than a foot off the ground as nearby fire-element energy happily gathered around him.

"I succeeded!" Feeling the effortless control of the wings on his back, as well as the flight ability and flame power contained within them, Li Xuansheng revealed a brilliant smile.

A fifth spirit ring and an External Spirit Bone! This journey into the Azure Jade Forest had yielded far more than expected!

(End of Chapter Nine)