When they saw the Blazing Azure Luan emanating an overwhelming aura and pressure far beyond that of an ordinary Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, everyone's hearts sank.
"Twenty thousand years! This has absolutely exceeded the absorption Limit for a fifth Soul Ring!" Elder Li Tianji said grimly, his tone resolute. "Xuansheng, give up. It's too dangerous! The theory of Soul 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 a regression in cultivation at best, or death from exploding at worst!"
Elder Dongyue Qingxuan slowly shook his head as well. "Xuansheng, your talent is unparalleled, and your future is boundless. There's 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 Soul Beast."
Dongyue Ling, Li Xuanbei, and the others all spoke up to dissuade him, their faces filled with worry. They all knew Li Xuansheng's potential and did not want him to take such a terrible risk.
Li Xuansheng pressed his lips tightly together, his gaze fixed on the majestic and powerful Blazing Azure Luan in the basin. The flames burning around it seemed to resonate ever more strongly with his Divine Phoenix Halberd. He remained silent for a long time, weighing his options rapidly. Give up? That was indeed the safest choice. But... could he truly accept that? A top-tier Soul Beast's Soul Ring from a twenty-one-thousand-year-old creature with Phoenix bloodline—the quality of the Soul Skill it would grant and the nourishment it would provide to his martial soul's origin were incomparable to those of an ordinary Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast!
He took a deep breath, turned around, and swept his gaze across the crowd. The struggle in his eyes gradually transformed 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 give it a try."
Before anyone could object again, he quickly explained, "First, the strength of my martial soul is exceptionally high. The Divine Phoenix Halberd has tempered my body far beyond those of the same rank. The resilience of my meridians and my Soul Power capacity are inherently far greater than those of ordinary Soul Masters."
"Second, ever since I awakened my martial soul at the age of six, I have never stopped using medicinal baths to temper my body, nor have I stopped physical training. I have also used quite a few of the family's rare treasures that strengthen one's foundation, nurture one's vitality, and widen the meridians. My foundation is far more solid than that of an ordinary person."
"Third, the four Soul Rings I absorbed previously were all at the peak of the theoretical age Limit, or even slightly beyond it. Although the process was stressful, I never felt where my true Limit lay. I suspect that my body's endurance may be higher than the current theoretical standard!"
His eyes burned as he looked at the two Titled Douluo. "Elders, I understand the risks. But the Blazing Azure Luan's attributes are perfectly compatible with my Divine Phoenix Halberd, and its bloodline can draw out the power buried deep within my martial soul. 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 stake everything on this!"
His words were logical and well-founded, analyzing both his own advantages and the enormous potential rewards. Li Tianji and Dongyue Qingxuan exchanged a glance, each seeing the complicated emotions in the other's eyes. How could they not know how precious this Soul Ring was? It was simply that their worry outweighed everything else.
Seeing Li Xuansheng's resolute attitude and knowing that his analysis was not without merit, Elder Li Tianji let out a long sigh. "Fine! You brat... your mind is made up, and anything more we say will be useless." His expression turned stern. "But you must promise that if anything uncontrollable happens during the absorption process, Elder Qingxuan and I will intervene immediately and forcibly stop it! Even if the Soul Ring is ruined, even if you suffer internal injuries, it is still better than losing your life!"
"Thank you, Elder! Xuansheng understands!" Li Xuansheng gave a solemn bow, and a great weight lifted from his heart.
Since the decision had been made, there was no more time to waste. Elder Dongyue Qingxuan moved, gliding silently down the ridge like a ghost and appearing in the basin in an instant.
The fiercely battling Blazing Azure Luan and Lava Earth Dragon both sensed the terrifying presence, and their movements stiffened. Dongyue Qingxuan did not even release his martial soul. He merely flicked a finger, sending a highly condensed streak of azure Soul Power shooting like an arrow toward the Lava Earth Dragon's hard scales.
Pfft! With a muffled sound, the scales were pierced clean through, leaving a small hole from which blood flowed steadily.
The Lava Earth Dragon let out a pained roar. Its cold vertical pupils gave Dongyue Qingxuan a terrified glance before it turned without hesitation. Its thick limbs tore at the earth as it burrowed into a crack in the ground with a thunderous rumble, fleeing at top speed.
Only the Blazing Azure Luan remained. Sensing the deadly threat, it cried out sharply in rage and beat its wings fiercely, firing countless scorching flaming feathers at Dongyue Qingxuan like arrows.
Dongyue Qingxuan's expression did not change. An invisible wall seemed to stand before him, and every flaming feather disintegrated three feet away from his body. He extended his palm and clenched it in the air.
Bzz!
The energy between heaven and earth seemed to be drained away in an instant, forming a gigantic azure hand that forcibly seized the Blazing Azure Luan as it tried to soar into the sky. No matter how it struggled or spewed flames, it could not shake the hand in the slightest! The power 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 Blazing Azure Luan, which had been completely suppressed, its eyes filled with unwillingness and fear. He took a deep breath, raised the Divine Phoenix Halberd, and gathered all his Soul Power, will, and longing for strength at its tip.
"I'm sorry!"
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 stopped abruptly. Its massive body collapsed to the ground, and a black Soul Ring slowly condensed above it, radiating energy fluctuations that made hearts tremble.
Li Xuansheng sat down cross-legged, adjusted his breathing, and raised his condition to its peak. Then, he guided the fifth Soul Ring, far beyond the Limit, toward the Divine Phoenix Halberd.
Boom—!
The instant the Soul Ring settled onto him, Li Xuansheng felt as though a volcano had erupted inside his body! Wild, incomparably scorching energy surged into his limbs and bones like a flood bursting through a dam. His meridians immediately felt as if they were being torn apart, fine beads of blood seeped from his skin, and his entire body seemed to be forged within a Furnace!
His body began trembling violently. His face instantly turned crimson, veins bulged across his forehead, and he clenched his teeth tightly as suppressed groans escaped him. That vast energy did not merely burn his body—it also carried the Blazing Azure Luan's lingering pride and violent will, crashing into his sea of consciousness.
"Steady your mind! Circulate your cultivation art and guide the Soul Power!" Elder Li Tianji's shout exploded beside his ears like thunder.
Li Xuansheng guarded the last trace of clarity in his mind and circulated the family's Heavenly Phoenix Art with all his strength, guiding the violent energy along predetermined routes as he tried to tame and refine it. The pain was beyond description. Every moment felt like suffering through mountains of blades and seas of fire. His body seemed to have become a battlefield, where his own Soul Power clashed and merged violently with the foreign energy.
Time passed bit by bit. One hour, two hours... Li Xuansheng's aura rose and fell, while the crimson color on his body alternately blazed brightly and dimmed. The two Titled Douluo and all his companions held their breath as they watched anxiously. Li Tianji and Dongyue Qingxuan had long since gathered Soul Power in their palms, ready to intervene at any moment.
A full ten hours passed! From evening until deep night, then until the first light of dawn the next 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 settle. The profound black Soul Ring completely stabilized, perfectly imprinting itself upon his Divine Phoenix Halberd. The crimson color faded from his skin, and though his aura was weak, it carried the solid and powerful quality of 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 Soul Ring beyond his rank had brought his Soul Power to level fifty-two, and that level fifty-two Soul Power was incomparably stable. He could feel that his Divine Phoenix Halberd had undergone some kind of transformation, its power increasing dramatically!
However, the surprise was far from over. As they began handling the Blazing Azure Luan's corpse, a pair of wing bones about the size of palms slowly floated up. They were entirely condensed from crimson-gold energy, crystal-clear and translucent, with feather patterns visible in perfect detail. They radiated a gentle yet powerful glow!
"An External Soul Bone!" Elder Dongyue Qingxuan cried out, his face full of disbelief. "And an extremely rare flight-type External Soul Bone!"
Everyone was stunned by this sudden stroke of fortune. External Soul Bones were even rarer than ordinary Soul Bones and possessed tremendous growth potential. They were supreme treasures that countless Soul Masters dreamed of obtaining!
Li Xuansheng looked at the exquisite wing Soul Bone pair. He was initially overjoyed, but then he looked at everyone and said sincerely, "This Soul Bone... I already have the Soul Ring. This is far too precious, and it should rightfully..."
"Brother Xuansheng!" "Cousin!" Before he could finish, everyone interrupted him in unison.
Li Xuanbei stepped forward and said seriously, "Xuansheng, this Soul Bone shares the same origin as your martial soul. It should be absorbed by you! Only when the Soul Ring and Soul Bone are united in one body can their greatest power be unleashed!"
"That's right!" Dongyue Qingxuan 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 destined for you. Do not betray this opportunity."
Seeing the sincere and resolute looks in everyone's eyes, a warm current surged through Li Xuansheng's heart. He stopped being overly formal and nodded heavily. "All right! Thank you, everyone!"
He sat down cross-legged once more. After adjusting his condition, he guided the crimson-gold wing Soul Bones into his body. Unlike the violent absorption of a Soul Ring, the fusion of a Soul Bone was relatively gentle, more of a transformation and nourishment of the bones and meridians in his back.
A little over half an hour later, the wing Soul Bones had completely fused into his shoulder blades and vanished. With a thought from Li Xuansheng, whoosh, a pair of magnificent wings with a span of over a meter, formed entirely from crimson-gold energy, suddenly unfurled behind him! The wings flapped gently, lifting him more than a foot off the ground as surrounding fire-element energy joyfully gathered toward him.
"I succeeded!" Li Xuansheng felt the effortless control over the wings behind his back, along with the flight ability and flame power contained within them. A brilliant smile appeared on his face.
A fifth Soul Ring and an External Soul Bone! This journey into the Azure Jade Forest had brought rewards far beyond expectations!
(End of Chapter Nine)
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