Cell Activation

Jiang Hao walked slowly toward the lake, an iron Short Sword in hand.

Yan Shaozhe used his Soul Power to hold down the Gem Lanternfish for Jiang Hao.

Terror flashed in the Gem Lanternfish's eyes as it struggled violently.

Two sword strokes fell in succession.

Jiang Hao sat cross-legged and began absorbing the Soul Ring using the guidance method Qian Duoduo had taught him.

He sank his breath to his dantian, circulated his Soul Power, and drew the Soul Ring toward his Body Martial Soul.

As the five-hundred-year Soul Ring gradually approached his body, its violent energy poured into every limb and bone.

The prescribed circulation route forced the Soul Power to flow slowly through his body.

According to the so-called limit theory, the upper limit for a First Soul Ring was around two hundred years.

But this was the era of Douluo II. Gangzi's theory had long since become outdated; Whale Rubber could raise the maximum age of a Soul Ring a human Soul Master could absorb.

Wasn't that because it strengthened the entire body?

Five hundred years was already close to the age of an ordinary Soul Master's Second Soul Ring.

Yet Jiang Hao seemed to feel nothing unusual as he absorbed it.

Guided along, the Soul Ring's energy flowed gently through his body, steadily widening his meridians.

It left Jiang Hao's meridians feeling slightly swollen and sore.

Meanwhile, as he absorbed the Soul Ring, the Gem Lanternfish's gem, which had already turned dull gray,

lit up once more, flickering with a faint red glow.

It then became a streak of red energy and slipped into the deep-yellow Soul Ring.

"To think this child could absorb a five-hundred-year Soul Ring beyond the normal limit so smoothly, without feeling the slightest pressure."

Yan Shaozhe carefully watched Jiang Hao's condition from the side.

He was confident Jiang Hao could absorb a five-hundred-year Soul Ring, but he still had to do his duty.

If Jiang Hao could not force himself through it, Yan Shaozhe would naturally step in and stop the process.

This was Qian Duoduo's promising recruit. He did not want anything to go wrong.

Yet Jiang Hao's performance now left him somewhat stunned.

"Good! He really is a fine prospect. Absorbing a five-hundred-year First Soul Ring hasn't put any pressure on him at all."

"Looks like I found him one too young. I should've found one around seven hundred years old."

"Then we could aim for a Thousand-Year Soul Ring for his second."

"Qian Duoduo would probably wake up laughing from his dreams."

Jiang Hao's consciousness appeared in the Sea of Consciousness.

He had been forcibly pulled into a spiritual space. A Gem Lanternfish leaped out of the water.

It roared as it swam toward Jiang Hao. Wasn't this the soul shock that only came when absorbing a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?

What's a five-hundred-year Soul Beast like you doing joining the commotion?

He felt the pressure bearing down on his spiritual form.

Outside, Jiang Hao could not help coughing up a mouthful of blood, and the rate at which he absorbed the Soul Ring dropped by half.

His own Soul Power also began to fall into disorder.

Yan Shaozhe's earlier delight vanished. His expression tightened, and he nearly interrupted the absorption.

But when he realized Jiang Hao had not reached the critical limit, he held back.

Jiang Hao's brows drew together, and beads of blood began seeping from his skin.

All of it had been caused by that sudden spiritual attack.

In the Spiritual Sea...

Jiang Hao steadied his mind and adjusted the state of his body.

Good, good. It caught me off guard, but my body can still keep things under control. Now I just need to deal with this lanternfish.

Jiang Hao wiped the tomato juice from the corner of his mouth. His bones cracked all over.

"Spiritual pressure?"

"It really would be deadly for an ordinary low-level Soul Master."

"But..."

"This is my home ground. That's all you can manage here."

Jiang Hao slowly raised his right hand.

The pressure from a single soul inside his mind was weak, after all.

"That's right, you old Main Body thief!"

"Didn't expect a guest to drop by today."

The space within the Spiritual Sea had been small and dark.

Now a sun rose from its surface. Beneath it sat a huge phantom, cross-legged with its palms pressed together, golden light radiating from its entire body.

Its eyes shone with an oppressive force!

Birds and beasts of every kind surrounded it. Tufts of Blue Silver Grass sprouted from the lake, followed by all manner of flowers, grasses, poisonous beasts, and insects.

Then the first towering tree burst from the sea.

Clones emerged one after another from spatial rifts, staring straight at the surrounded Gem Lanternfish.

"You might be able to destroy one person's Spiritual Sea without breaking a sweat."

"But what about one shared by more than two thousand people?"

"You've got to be kidding, you old Main Body thief. We carved out your Spiritual Sea inch by inch."

"You think this thing can come in, splash around twice, and break it?"

Hoe Bro carried his Martial Soul hoe on his shoulder. Looking at the stranded Gem Lanternfish below, he gave an evil grin.

"Brothers, beat it up!"

"Yeah!" Baozi Bro cracked his knuckles.

"The other brothers are all outside having the time of their lives!"

"But those of us who finished our jobs last time have been stuck in the Spiritual Sea ever since."

"I haven't been out for fresh air in a whole day, and you little bastard come here to provoke me."

"If I don't beat you up, who should I beat?"

"Yeah, Boss Baozi's right! Get the bastard!"

The Gem Lanternfish, once all claws and teeth, was easily beaten into submission in Jiang Hao's Sea of Consciousness.

It curled up miserably and was bound within the Spiritual Sea by a spiritual chain.

Just then, an echo from Shrek City reached the Sea of Consciousness.

"Old Main Body thief! Xuan Zi has shown up in Shrek City. After hearing the news about himself, he stormed over and crushed two Steam Bird News managers to death."

"He's at Steam Bird News right now!"

"Want to stir things up?"

The information came from Shadow Bro, a new member of the main force. After absorbing a Soul Ring, he had gained the ability to turn hidden and conceal himself in shadows.

He could move constantly from place to place, making him ideal for gathering information.

He was also the only inside man Jiang Hao had left in Shrek City. Hearing his report, Jiang Hao did not know what to say. Xuan Zi was as reckless as ever.

He had actually killed people right outside a newspaper office. Was he afraid the news would not spread fast enough?

"No. He publicly killed someone with a clean background in Shrek City."

"Shrek Academy will have a hard time whitewashing this. He'll have plenty to suffer from this alone."

"If we pile anything else on, he might wriggle out of it using the Evil Soul Master excuse. Stay put and wait for me to come back so we can split the spoils."

After settling matters with his Clones, Jiang Hao returned his attention to the present. The absorption of his Soul Ring was in its final stage, and he took control of his body back from one of the Clones.

He firmly fitted the Soul Ring onto his Martial Soul. Once the absorption was complete, information appeared in his mind.

Cell Activation.

Expand an aura and continuously expend Soul Power to stimulate every cell in the body, bringing them into a state of engorgement and increasing physical strength! The effect is doubled when used on oneself.

The description was extremely brief.

Jiang Hao felt a surge of excitement. As his five senses reconnected with his brain, a foul, bloody smell rushed into his nose.

He snapped his eyes open and found Yan Shaozhe's large face right in front of his.

Yan Shaozhe felt around Jiang Hao's face with both hands and asked slowly, "How do you feel? Is there anything wrong with your body?"

That soul shock just now had given Yan Shaozhe quite a scare.

"I'm fine." Jiang Hao shook his head. "I just feel sticky."

Looking down, he discovered that his body was covered in grime and crusted blood.

Did absorbing a Soul Ring also come with a marrow-cleansing effect? Since when did it have a perk like that?

Jiang Hao examined his body, and his face lit up.

"Looks like you've gained something new. Try circulating your Martial Soul."

The bloody smell filling his nose made Jiang Hao want nothing more than to bathe in the lake and wash it off.

But that strange, pleasant sensation inside his body kept drawing his attention.

Curious, he began circulating his Soul Power and released his Martial Soul.

His Soul Power Level, which had been stuck at level ten, suddenly shot up to level fifteen.

But he knew that was because of Fanzi Bro, so that was not what had changed.

As his Soul Power flowed through his heart, a deep, powerful heartbeat thudded in his ears.

Thump... thud-thud... thud. One beat came, then another...