The Five-Colored Heavenly Pearl's Ability-Absorb It!

Xu Huxiao was about to test something, something no Soul Master had ever attempted before.

If it succeeded, the slow condensation of the Three Qi-Blood Flowers in his Essence Intent Realm might finally be resolved.

The Blood-Essence Flowers of the Essence Intent Realm condensed extremely slowly. He had entered the Essence Intent Realm and begun condensing them when he enrolled at the academy at the age of six. Yet after an entire year, he had not even condensed a single petal.

That was with him consuming high-energy ingredients every day. Without the Demon Clam Pearl, he estimated that condensing one Blood-Essence Flower would take at least five years.

And that was only the first Blood-Essence Flower. The further he progressed in condensing the three flowers of the Essence Intent Realm, the slower it would become. Judging from the first flower's progress, under normal circumstances and with sufficient high-energy food intake, the second Blood-Essence Flower might take twice as long—ten years.

Then the third Blood-Essence Flower would take more than ten years to condense.

That was far too long.

Yet after absorbing the Demon Clam Pearl, he had condensed one Blood-Essence Flower in merely half a year.

The difference was obvious.

If he had not unexpectedly obtained a Soul Bone today, he would have been preparing to seize the Immortal Herbs from the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well ahead of schedule.

But now that he had a Soul Bone, if tonight's experiment succeeded, there would be no need to rush to seize the Immortal Herbs.

After all, a Poison Douluo was still guarding those herbs. Recklessly taking them with his current meager strength would be extremely risky.

Even if his father could suppress the Poison Douluo—and perhaps even kill him with all his strength—

Two Titles fighting, one representing Spirit Hall and the other backed by the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, would bring far too many uncontrollable factors. It would also inevitably draw the attention of high-level Soul Masters.

Amid such chaos, with his strength, taking the Immortal Herbs without anyone noticing would be very difficult.

Moreover, he was not yet immune to poison. He had only condensed two rounds of Golden Sun, the Nine Yang Divine Skill was far from mastery, and his Yang Origin Soul Power's ability to refine poison into nourishment was still developing.

Therefore, he hoped to use the string of Five-Colored Heavenly Pearls on Yun Ji's wrist tonight to refine the Soul Bone's energy.

That was right. Xu Huxiao did not intend to directly absorb this Soul Bone as his Head Soul Bone. Instead, he intended to treat it as a heavenly treasure, digest and absorb it into his body, and use it to condense his second Blood-Essence Flower.

Although he knew perfectly well that in Douluo Continent, absorbing a Soul Bone required using spiritual power to guide it and fuse it into one's own bones.

Other than that, there had never been a precedent of a Soul Master absorbing a Soul Bone as a heavenly treasure.

But he wanted to try.

Because the string of Five-Colored Heavenly Pearls on Yun Ji's wrist possessed another special ability besides perfectly concealing a Soul Beast's aura.

[Item]: Five-Colored Heavenly Pearl

[Effect]: 1. Responds to special Soul Power auras and can perfectly conceal Soul Beast auras. Even god-level beings cannot see through it. Once worn, it locks onto the wearer's aura and cannot be removed; 2. Refines heavenly treasures.

[Value]: Immeasurable

[Item Description]: In another half year, little pearl here will have worked for two and a half years.

It was the second effect: refining heavenly treasures.

He had learned of it through the Eye of Omniscience the first time he obtained its information.

[Refine Heavenly Treasures]: No matter what type of high-energy item it is, it can be refined through the Five-Colored Heavenly Pearl into the purest origin energy for absorption.

He would use the Five-Colored Heavenly Pearl to refine this Soul Bone into the purest origin energy, then absorb it.

That was Xu Huxiao's experiment.

Would it work?

Xu Huxiao took out the Soul Bone from the Twin Dragon Rings on his left ear and looked at Yun Ji.

"This is a complete Head Soul Bone. I know the string of Five-Colored Heavenly Pearls on your wrist can refine heavenly treasures. I need you to use it to refine this Soul Bone into origin energy, then let me absorb it."

Yun Ji pointed at the Five-Colored Heavenly Pearls on her wrist in confusion. "You mean this? My mother gave it to me. She never said this bracelet had any refining ability."

"She only told me not to take it off, but now I can't remove it at all. I don't know how to use it to refine a Soul Bone."

"If you don't believe me, you can try. Yun Ji isn't lying."

As she spoke, Yun Ji extended her wrist toward Xu Huxiao, letting him try to remove it.

Seeing her sincerity, Xu Huxiao took hold of her wrist and attempted to remove the string of Five-Colored Heavenly Pearls.

The instant he tried, he felt an unshakable force blocking him. Xu Huxiao stopped. The information obtained by the Eye of Omniscience had been correct.

It could not be removed.

But that was not the key issue. The question was how to use it.

Xu Huxiao stared thoughtfully at the Five-Colored Heavenly Pearls. This world had no magical treasures or artifacts. All sorts of items with bizarre abilities had only one identity.

They were Soul Tools.

And the method of activating a Soul Tool was to infuse it with Soul Power.

With that thought, Xu Huxiao grasped the Five-Colored Heavenly Pearls on Yun Ji's wrist and poured Yang Origin Soul Power into them.

But in the next instant, he frowned.

He could not infuse it?

It was as though an invisible barrier was blocking his Yang Origin Soul Power.

If his Soul Power would not work, what about this little mermaid's?

"Yun Ji, try pouring your own Soul Power into the pearls."

"Oh, I'll try."

As a strand of azure Soul Power flowed from Yun Ji's body into the Five-Colored Heavenly Pearls, something miraculous happened.

Each pearl radiated dazzling light, and a ring of shifting five-colored light appeared over Yun Ji's palm.

Yun Ji stared at the sight in disbelief. As her Soul Power continued pouring into the Heavenly Pearls, information about their functions also entered her mind.

Because of the Fate Ritual, whatever information Yun Ji knew also meant Xu Huxiao knew it.

It was precisely the information under the [Effect] section that his Eye of Omniscience had obtained.

Then Yun Ji blinked her beautiful large eyes and said, "Brother Huxiao, I think I know how to refine it now."

"Good. Then let's begin." Xu Huxiao let out a sigh of relief.

Xu Huxiao held the Soul Bone out before Yun Ji and had her place the hand wearing the Heavenly Pearls against it.

"Be careful. You are only refining it. Don't use your spiritual power to guide and absorb this energy," Xu Huxiao reminded her.

"Mhm, I know. Yun Ji is starting now."

Yun Ji placed her palm against the Soul Bone and poured her Soul Power into the Five-Colored Heavenly Pearls on her wrist, activating their refining function.

As it activated, the ring of shifting five-colored light appeared again. Then, beginning from Yun Ji's palm, it flowed down over the Soul Bone's surface like a scan.

After only two or three seconds, Xu Huxiao felt the Soul Bone in his hand grow hot as it was refined, slowly floating into the air.

The shifting five-colored halo transformed into a light barrier that completely enveloped the Soul Bone.

Then it began to rotate...

Half an hour later, Yun Ji's palm began to tremble. The prolonged output of Soul Power was making it difficult for her to continue.

Seeing this, Xu Huxiao took out a Black Crystal Abalone and held it to her mouth.

"Eat it. It can't restore Soul Power, but it can recover some of your stamina and refresh your mind. Hold on a little longer, and the refinement will succeed."

"Don't give up halfway."

"Mhm, I can hold on. Come on!"

After encouraging herself, Yun Ji ate the abalone. Azure light radiated from her body, her legs transformed into a fish tail, and two bright yellow Soul Rings rose and fell around her.

Mermaid Martial Soul Possession!

With the Mermaid Martial Soul Possession empowering her, Yun Ji felt much less pressure.

Second by second, the five-colored light barrier continued spinning as it refined the Soul Bone...

Finally.

A quarter of an hour later, the light barrier gradually stopped rotating, and a smile appeared on Yun Ji's face.

"Success!"

"You did well. I'll try absorbing it."

Once the refinement was complete, the five-colored light barrier vanished. Looking at the dark purple sphere of solidified energy in his hand, Xu Huxiao had a question.

Wait.

So how was he supposed to absorb it?

Should he just eat it, or what?

Just as Xu Huxiao had no idea how to begin, his Twin Arms Martial Soul transmitted an intense desire to absorb it.

Black Dragon scales edged in platinum rapidly covered Xu Huxiao's arms, and one yellow and one purple Soul Ring appeared on their own.

His Platinum Dragon-Scaled Arms had actually completed Martial Soul Possession on their own!

Seeing this, enlightenment struck Xu Huxiao. Following the process for absorbing a Soul Ring, he willed the palms transformed by Martial Soul Possession to slowly envelop the dark purple energy sphere.

Absorb!

Xu Huxiao released his suppression over his Martial Soul. In an instant, he felt a powerful suction force from both palms.

The purplish-black energy sphere trembled, split into two streams, and flowed directly into his body through his palms.

At once, the feeling of absorbing a Soul Ring returned. Heavy as mountains, the purplish-black energy filled every meridian in his body.

And it was still pouring in without end.

What enormous energy!

Xu Huxiao immediately sat cross-legged and focused entirely on absorbing it.

Fortunately, the origin energy refined by the Five-Colored Heavenly Pearls was not violent at all. It was exceptionally gentle.

Within his inner vision.

All Twelve Primary Meridians were occupied by purplish-black energy. The faint golden meridians gradually swelled and filled to capacity beneath the energy's impact.

The two rounds of Golden Sun in his dantian and the Twin Arms Martial Soul that had absorbed this energy were refining it with all their strength, but the energy was simply too vast.

Under this immense pressure, the refinement speed became slower and slower.

Xu Huxiao frowned. He had clearly overestimated himself. This Soul Bone's origin energy far exceeded his expectations. There was no way he could absorb it all.

The energy was still entering him, and every meridian throughout Xu Huxiao's body was already sending stabbing pain from being overly swollen. If his body had not been nurtured since birth, his meridians would likely have ruptured, leaving him severely injured.

What should he do!

The Blood-Essence Flower condensed in the Essence Intent Realm had been used to absorb the Soul Ring and would not recover for another week. The two rounds of Golden Sun in his dantian were already close to coming to a complete stop.

Through his Martial Soul's perception, the two Black Dragons were being suppressed by the vast, nearly tangible purplish-black energy, unable to move at all.

His body had reached its limit. He could not absorb any more!

But once the arrow left the bow, there was no turning back. This energy had been absorbed by the Twin Arms Martial Soul, and now that the Martial Soul was suppressed, he could not control the energy flowing in at all.

The purplish-black Soul Bone energy continued surging into Xu Huxiao's body without pause.

Pain filled Xu Huxiao's face, and even Yun Ji outside could see that something was wrong.

The meridians all over Xu Huxiao's body, including his face, had turned purplish-black, making him look incomparably sinister and terrifying!

"What do I do, Brother Huxiao? How are you? What should I do??"

Yun Ji was frantic with worry, her little hands clenched tightly, but she had no idea how to help him.

"Right, I'll go find Uncle Xiao Kong and the others. They'll definitely have a way." Suddenly struck by an idea, Yun Ji turned to leave in a hurry.

But a palm covered in dragon scales grabbed her.

It was Xu Huxiao!

He opened his eyes and spoke with difficulty.

"Don't go outside to find anyone. I'm fine. Trust me."

"Yun Ji, stay here and protect me. Don't let anyone disturb me."

After speaking, Xu Huxiao closed his eyes again.

Hearing Xu Huxiao's words, Yun Ji gradually calmed down. Looking at Xu Huxiao's face, now covered in purplish-black patterns, immense courage rose within her and drove away her panic.

Was this what it felt like to be trusted?

My Holy Knight needs me right now!

Then I can't let him down either!

"Don't worry, Brother Huxiao. I'll stay here and guard you. I won't leave."

Then Yun Ji found a towel in the room. Imitating the way others cared for someone, she carefully wiped the sweat from Xu Huxiao's forehead.

She could do nothing else, so she would do whatever she could.

After stopping Yun Ji, Xu Huxiao no longer had the attention to spare for anything else. His entire focus was on the tangible purplish-black energy inside his body.

Since he could not refine it now, he could only store it temporarily first.

Although the meridians in his body, the Twelve Primary Meridians, were already full.

However.

Unlike ordinary people, he still had the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, which had been connected since birth!

Then he would pour the excess energy into the Eight Extraordinary Meridians.

"Eight Extraordinary Meridians, absorb it!"