Soul Bone Fusion Exploit

Time flowed like water, and a month passed in the blink of an eye amid hellish training.

Over that month, Lu Chen had barely left the medicinal pool.

The Innate Secret Art had begun to take shape, while his physical strength had soared to a level comparable to a Soul Ancestor's.

On the training grounds, fierce winds howled.

"Again!"

Long Aotian roared, two Soul Rings—one yellow and one purple—glittering beneath his feet.

Like an enraged gorilla, he drove his fist at Lu Chen, tyrannical Soul Power wrapped around it.

Lu Chen shifted slightly to the side, his Hands tracing an exceptionally smooth arc before his chest.

The Flowing Water Rock-Shattering Fist emphasized overcoming hardness with softness.

And now, every thread of Lu Chen's force seemed to carry the weight of ten thousand tons.

Even if he faced Zhou Ji again, he was fully confident he could defeat him without trading injuries.

Smack!

Lu Chen's palm landed precisely on Long Aotian's wrist.

At that instant, Long Aotian felt as though his attack had plunged into a mass of cotton.

Then, a force several times more violent than his own attack suddenly rebounded at him.

Yet at that moment, pale blue currents also began to swirl around Long Aotian's Hands.

He reached out with both Hands, dispersing Lu Chen's force with a backhand motion before sending it back with a flowing counterforce.

Boom!

Fists and palms alternated, their collisions falling as densely as rain.

From below the platform, their movements were too fast for the naked eye to follow.

Only two streaks of blue Soul Power remained, repeatedly weaving together and clashing in the center of the arena.

The sounds of bang bang rang without end.

"It's only been a month, yet Senior Brother Ao Tian can already trade blows with the Young Sect Master!"

Chen Lü swallowed and muttered, "As expected, they're all monsters!"

"Not bad progress!"

Lu Chen turned his fist into a palm again, striking straight for Long Aotian's jaw.

Blue light flashed in Long Aotian's eyes. He swung a palm backhandedly to disperse and rebound the force, then counterattacked with the momentum.

"That's all thanks to Brother Lu's guidance!" Long Aotian said excitedly.

The corner of Lu Chen's mouth lifted. "In that case, let me show you another fist technique."

Before his words had faded, his offensive suddenly changed.

The originally surging, gentle flowing force instantly became sharp and swift.

His aura was like a drawn sword, its edge fully exposed.

Long Aotian's expression abruptly changed. Lu Chen before him seemed like an entirely different person.

"Watch carefully!"

Lu Chen gave a warning, then used his palm like a blade and swung it rapidly toward Long Aotian.

Whirlwind Iron-Cleaving Fist!

Long Aotian's pupils constricted. Lu Chen's speed had reached the absolute limit.

For a moment, he could not catch the trajectory of the attack at all.

The powerful airflow carried countless razor-sharp cutting forces, instantly shattering his Soul Power defense.

"Brother Lu, don't!"

Long Aotian's face went pale as he cried out in alarm.

But the attack had already arrived. There was nowhere to evade.

The next instant!

Long Aotian's clothes were instantly shredded into scraps that scattered across the ground.

Only a pair of red triangle briefs barely preserved his dignity.

Gasp!

Everyone below the platform immediately gaped, frozen in place.

"Holy shit! They're red!"

Chen Lü's eyes widened. For a moment, he could not find words to describe his shock.

"Pervert!"

Quite a few female disciples hurriedly covered their eyes, though their fingers secretly left gaps.

"Lu Chen, you!"

Long Aotian desperately covered his crotch with both Hands, glared at Lu Chen in grief and indignation, then turned and ran off the platform in a flash.

He wished he could find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.

"Tut, tut. So it's your zodiac year, huh."

Lu Chen curled his lips and teased him.

Pfft!

Tang Ya watched Long Aotian's miserable retreating figure and could not hold back her laughter.

Her beautiful eyes shot Lu Chen a reproachful glare. "Little Chen, you're too nasty. How is he supposed to face anyone after this?"

Lu Chen shrugged. "Who told him to start showing off after blocking a few moves?"

"Still, his martial talent is genuinely terrifying. In just one month, he's mastered the Flowing Water Rock-Shattering Fist.

Though he's still not proficient with it, he's already surpassed ordinary people."

During their previous spar, Lu Chen had deliberately held back in the end, allowing Long Aotian to last for one minute.

He had also taught the Flowing Water Rock-Shattering Fist to him.

Lu Chen wanted to cultivate someone who could spar with him.

Someone who could deepen his own understanding of fist techniques.

He just had not expected Long Aotian's talent to be so formidable.

"Sect Master!"

At that moment, a chorus of shouts suddenly rose around them.

Du Busi had somehow arrived at the edge of the training grounds.

Today, he wore a clean dark green robe, and the satisfaction in his gaze toward Lu Chen was impossible to hide.

Elder Guan Yi and Elder Luo Wei followed behind him.

"Master, Sixth Elder, Fourth Elder." Lu Chen hurriedly bowed in greeting.

Luo Wei smiled teasingly. "Brat, Ao Tian cares most about his reputation. You embarrassed him in front of everyone, so he'll probably go into seclusion for at least a month and be too ashamed to show his face."

"Uh... surely it's not that bad."

Lu Chen coughed lightly and changed the subject, turning toward Guan Yi. "Sixth Elder, what are we training today?"

"Training will pause for now."

Du Busi waved a hand. "The New Year is only a month away, and you'll soon be ten. It's time for you to acquire your first Soul Ring."

Lu Chen froze for a moment, then understood.

He had been so focused on tempering his body lately that he had forgotten he was still only a Soul Scholar.

"That's true. It is time to absorb my first Soul Ring." Lu Chen nodded.

His physique would be difficult to improve further in the short term, and delaying a breakthrough in Soul Power any longer would be more loss than gain.

"With Little Chen's current physique, absorbing a Millennium Soul Ring should be safe, right?" Tang Ya asked curiously.

Vina's eyes widened. "A Millennium Soul Ring as a first ring? It seems no Soul Master on the continent has ever managed that."

"A millennium is certainly safe. With this boy's vitality, I'd say even fifteen hundred years would be no problem." Guan Yi spoke slowly.

But Luo Wei shook her head, her gaze sharp. "Too low. The Young Sect Master's self-healing ability is absurd. His bodily limit far exceeds that of ordinary people. I think he can try a Soul Beast around two thousand years old."

Hiss—

The surrounding disciples collectively sucked in cold breaths.

Were they haggling at a market? They were discussing Soul Ring ages far too casually.

A two-thousand-year first Soul Ring?

That was no longer genius. It was defying the heavens!

That was an age limit only Soul Elders dared touch!

Du Busi snorted and cut off the discussion. "Two thousand years? You underestimate my disciple too much. I think even a three-thousand-year Soul Beast could be worth trying!"

As soon as he said that, the entire venue fell deathly silent.

There was an even bigger monster here?!

A three-thousand-year first Soul Ring would be enough to go down in Douluo Continent's history.

Even those few who became gods ten thousand years ago could not accomplish it!

Yet Lu Chen frowned slightly after hearing this, as though he was still dissatisfied.

Three thousand years might sound high, but his physique had already reached the level of a Soul Ancestor, and he had his Immortal Body as a safeguard.

As long as he endured the Soul Beast energy's initial explosive surge, he could slowly absorb it through his constantly repairing body.

Besides, even if he failed, it would not matter. At worst, he could simply find another one.

Lu Chen only had one Martial Soul, so naturally, the higher the Soul Ring age, the better.

After a pause, Lu Chen asked, "Master, aside from training and consuming Whale Rubber, is there anything else that can strengthen the body and further increase the Soul Ring absorption limit?"

His training had currently reached its limit, and Lu Chen had consumed quite a lot of Whale Rubber this month. He had even taken the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue he had obtained from Luo Du.

Beyond that, Lu Chen truly could not think of any other way to improve his body for the moment.

As for the Immortal Herbs in the Mandarin Duck Pot, Lu Chen had no intention of going there for now.

Who knew whether Tang San had left some sort of backup there?

That Poison Scripture was highly suspicious.

Du Busi raised an eyebrow. "What? A three-thousand-year Soul Beast still isn't enough for you?"

Lu Chen nodded and spoke bluntly. "I want to absorb a five-thousand-year one. Only then will my second Soul Ring be able to directly cross into the ten-thousand-year level."

"What?!"

As soon as those words came out, the entire area froze. A pin drop could have been heard.

"Young Sect Master, you're not joking?" Luo Wei blurted out, her face filled with shock.

Five thousand years was an age that only Soul Ancestors could absorb!

Du Busi frowned slightly but did not refute him outright.

Instead, he considered it seriously. "Five thousand years is too difficult.

Your age limits your body's development. Unless you have a special treasure to bolster you and raise the threshold of what your body can endure once more."

"What treasure?" Lu Chen pressed.

"Other than continuing to consume Whale Rubber of even greater age, only absorbing a high-quality Soul Bone remains."

Jiang Yixi quietly reminded him from the side, "A Soul Bone can directly strengthen the body and greatly increase the margin for error in Soul Ring absorption."

"A Soul Bone is indeed viable."

Vina took over. "But high-age Soul Bones are far too rare.

And once absorbed, they cannot be replaced. Absorbing a low-grade Soul Bone would be a waste.

With your talent, your first Soul Bone must at least be a top-quality one over ten thousand years old to be worthy of your future."

"That's right, a Soul Bone! How did I forget about that?"

Lu Chen's eyes lit up.

He still had a seventy-thousand-year Shadow Ghost Leopard right leg bone in his storage ring.

As for the issue of replacing Soul Bones...

A thought stirred in Lu Chen's mind. *Since I can regenerate severed limbs, can I exploit this bug somehow?

If it works, I can just get myself a whole set of Soul Bones to wear first!*

At that thought, Lu Chen perked up and immediately took out the right leg bone.