Absorbing the God-Given Spirit Ring

In a small forest by the Sun Moon Empire's border, it was so quiet Ye Guyi could hear her own heartbeat. She sat cross-legged atop a flat stone, with a bright God-Given Spirit Ring floating before her. The Angel God had bestowed it upon her specifically. From the very beginning, she had known that absorbing this spirit ring was her first divine trial. She was both expectant and nervous, silently resolving to complete it perfectly.

Not long ago, she had successfully fused with a ten-thousand-year Eight Spider Lances External Soul Bone. It was of the same type as Tang San's, and after fusing with it, she had directly evolved Angel Six Wings. The wings rested lightly against her back, their snowy white feathers edged with a faint golden glow that made them seem brimming with power. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and circulated the soul power within her, beginning to draw the spirit ring's power into her body.

At first, the absorption went smoothly. Guided by her soul power, the spirit ring's holy energy slowly seeped into her meridians, warm and comforting, filling her entire body with strength. The spirit ring's age increased steadily—ten thousand, twenty thousand, thirty thousand... But just as it was about to break past thirty thousand years, it suddenly seemed to strike an invisible wall and could go no further. Ye Guyi clearly felt a blockage in her dantian. The spirit ring's power swayed wildly outside her body before starting to batter her meridians instead. Pain instantly covered her forehead in dense cold sweat, her face turned pale, and she bit her lips until they reddened. She tried to force her way through by driving her soul power again, but the harder she pushed, the more intense the swelling pain in her meridians became. The Angel Six Wings on her back flapped ever more slowly, and the golden light on their feathers dimmed considerably. She had clearly reached her physical limit.

Huo Yuhao, seated not far away, had been silently watching her condition. Seeing her body begin to tremble from the pain and her soul power become tangled chaos, he knew that if she kept forcing herself, not only would she fail to continue absorbing it, but she might also damage her meridians. Without hesitation, he raised a hand. A gentle wisp of Life Gold condensed at his fingertips, its faint jade-green radiance like a tender shoot in early spring as it drifted lightly toward Ye Guyi.

The instant the Life Gold touched her body, it transformed into a cool, gentle force that flowed through her meridians and spread to every part of her body. Her painfully swollen meridians felt as though they had been nourished by a clear spring, and more than half the pain vanished at once. The wildly surging soul power was soothed by the force as well, gradually becoming steady and orderly. Ye Guyi visibly relaxed, her tense shoulders easing as the cold sweat stopped running down her forehead. Seizing the opportunity, she focused once more and circulated her soul power. This time, the spirit ring's power seemed to find a breakthrough and began steadily seeping into her body again. The Angel Six Wings behind her gently flapped once more, guiding the spirit ring's holy power into her body faster.

Time passed slowly. The wind swept through the forest again and again. Occasionally, a few little birds landed on nearby branches before chirping and flying away. Ye Guyi maintained her meditative posture the entire time, concentrating on absorbing the spirit ring's power. Huo Yuhao stood guard beside her, checking her condition from time to time. Whenever her soul power showed signs of instability, he added another wisp of Life Gold to ensure her meridians would not be overloaded. After a long while, the light on the horizon slowly faded from bright to dark, then from dark to a hazy dawn. Suddenly, the God-Given Spirit Ring before Ye Guyi sharply contracted, transforming into a dazzling streak of golden light that shot into the center of her brow.

The absorption was finally complete! Ye Guyi let out a long breath and slowly opened her eyes. A flash of golden light passed through them before gradually fading away. She could clearly sense that the newly absorbed spirit ring had settled firmly into her sequence of spirit rings. Its final age was sixty-three thousand years, more than twice her initial limit, and its power was pure and immense. The Angel Six Wings behind her had become more solid and powerful than before. With the slightest flap, they stirred a powerful current of air.

Before she could fully recover her senses, a warm feeling suddenly rose from between her brows. Immediately afterward, a tiny golden Angel Brand slowly emerged, no larger than a fingernail, like a little angel spreading its wings. It radiated a gentle yet holy light and faintly burned. At that moment, a gentle yet authoritative voice sounded directly within her consciousness. She did not hear it with her ears; it was carved straight into her mind. "Ye Guyi, your first divine trial has been completed perfectly." The voice carried the Angel God's unique sacred aura, stirring instinctive reverence. "The second divine trial has begun. Within three years, you must raise your soul power to level sixty. Hold fast to a pure heart and do not lose the Angel's path. Only then may you continue onward."

After the voice faded, the Angel Brand between her brows slowly disappeared, leaving behind only a faint warmth. Ye Guyi froze for two seconds before realizing this was an instruction from the Angel God. Surprised and delighted, she hurriedly touched her forehead, feeling the abundant power within herself and that sixty-three-thousand-year spirit ring. Then she turned toward Huo Yuhao, her voice still somewhat hoarse but unable to conceal her excitement. "Huo Yuhao, I succeeded! I passed the first divine trial! The Angel God even told me about the second trial. I have to reach level sixty soul power within three years!" Seeing that she was unharmed and had perfectly completed her divine trial, Huo Yuhao revealed a faint smile as well. He nodded and said, "Congratulations. This is the result of your own hard work. Level sixty within three years—keep it up. I'll always be by your side."

Ye Guyi's face reddened slightly, but she still gave Huo Yuhao a deliberately serious response.

"Ye Guyi, let's depart for the Far Northern Land at once."

Ye Guyi nodded slightly. "I'll listen to you."

Within the Spirit Sea, a plump, wriggling bug with an oily sheen across its body teased, "Little Yuhao, this girl has completely fallen for you! You have to treat her well."

"Tian Meng, stop teasing me. I'll treat her well for the rest of my life."

"Hurry to the Far Northern Land, Little Yuhao. Bingbing has been waiting for me for so long. I suspect Bingbing has come down with lovesickness. Hurry to the Far Northern Land! My poor Bingbing is still there, waiting devotedly for my arrival!"

Watching the somewhat comical Tian Meng Ice Silkworm perform his one-man act, Huo Yuhao merely shook his head lightly and said nothing more.