Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone

In an instant, blue light spread from the Soul Bone.

The light was not dazzling. Warm and gentle as moonlight, it spread upward through the meridians in Yu Chen's right leg.

"Phew-"

Yu Chen could not help letting out a long breath.

This feels so good.

At that moment, he felt as though he were soaking in a hot spring, warm energy rising from the soles of his feet all the way to the crown of his head.

Every inch of skin, every bone was wrapped in the warm current, tingling pleasantly.

The surging soul power inside him circulated, round after round.

Yu Chen could clearly feel his strength swelling and his soul power increasing. Even his spiritual power had risen by a considerable margin.

Xiao Bai lay on Yu Chen's shoulder, her entire body likewise covered in a layer of pale blue light.

Her purple eyes were half closed, as though she were dozing. Yet her tail remained upright, swaying gently from side to side, her vigilance never easing in the slightest.

Deep within the Star Dou Great Forest.

The Lake of Life.

The Silver Giant Dragon lay curled up, every scale on her immense body gleaming with a cold, shadowy luster.

With each breath, the surrounding space trembled faintly.

Whoosh!

The instant Yu Chen absorbed the Soul Bone, Gu Yuena's eyes snapped open.

An exceedingly tiny wisp of green energy circled her body, as fine as a strand of hair.

"What pure life energy!"

As Gu Yuena sensed the aura of that wisp of life energy, her eyes filled with delighted surprise.

She was known as the God of Elements, commanding fire, wind, water, earth, light, darkness, and space. Yet her control over the power of life was almost nonexistent.

Otherwise, she would not have remained asleep until now because of her severe injuries.

Although this wisp of life energy was pitifully weak, it was a seed.

One day, that seed could take root, sprout, and grow into a towering tree.

When that happened, she could not only recover completely from her injuries, but also break through her own limitations and fully master the power of life.

Mastering one more element would add another ten percent to the power of her Elemental Tide.

That ten percent was not to be underestimated.

At the divine level, even the slightest improvement was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Gu Yuena gazed at the image before her. Inside the cave, Yu Chen sat cross-legged, having absorbed all the blue energy.

"Little fellow, hurry up and become a god."

Inside the cave.

"Drip."

A droplet fell from the suspended funnel, landing precisely in the little flowerpot below.

The water seeped into the soil, nourishing the blue silver grass.

Its stalks had grown a little sturdier. Although its leaves were still withered and yellow, the fine golden lines along their veins were noticeably brighter than before.

Boom-

A tremendous aura erupted from Yu Chen, shaking loose soil from the cave ceiling in a pattering shower.

"Phew."

He slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a stale breath.

"What rich energy. It really lives up to being a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone!"

Yu Chen clenched his fists, then relaxed them.

He could feel an unprecedented sense of strength. His body was at least three or four times tougher than before.

"If we compared physical strength alone, I should be no weaker than Uncle Dashan now!"

Yu Chen rolled up his sleeves. His arms were the same healthy wheat-brown color as before.

He felt his face as well, but nothing had changed there either. His chin was still the same chin, his nose still the same nose. At least, he could not feel anything wrong.

Yu Chen quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

His greatest fear had been ending up like Tang San, whose face changed after absorbing the Blue Silver Emperor's Soul Bone. He would never have been able to explain that when he returned home.

As for his soul power level, he had already reached the level-twenty bottleneck. Any increase would only become apparent after he absorbed a Soul Ring.

But judging by how he felt, Yu Chen estimated that absorbing this Soul Bone had raised his soul power by at least ten levels.

Once he obtained his second Soul Ring, he might shoot straight to level thirty, then absorb his third Soul Ring!

"This really is... a windfall dropped straight from heaven."

Yu Chen could not help breaking into a grin.

He walked over to the funnel and checked it. Half the water remained.

Absorbing this Soul Bone took about three days. I need to hurry home.

Yu Chen thought to himself.

Back when he cultivated at home, there had been a few occasions when he had stayed out all night.

With him having vanished for three days straight this time, Old Tom must have been terribly worried.

He stepped out of the cave.

The sun shone brightly beneath a cloudless sky.

Yu Chen picked up the little pot and took a deep breath of fresh air.

Xiao Bai had originally planned to find a secluded patch of forest and plant Ah Yin there.

After some thought, Yu Chen decided to take her home.

If you helped someone, you helped them to the end; if you escorted the Buddha, you took him all the way west.

Since he had taken Ah Yin's Soul Bone, bringing her home would serve as repayment.

According to the original story, the Blue Silver Forest lay along the border between the Balak Kingdom and the Silves Kingdom, conveniently on the way to Heaven Dou City.

"Xiao Bai, let's go!"

At Yu Chen's command, he grabbed Xiao Bai's legs and took to the air.

After absorbing the Blue Silver Emperor's Soul Bone, Yu Chen had gained two skills: flight and healing. But ordinarily, he could not afford to reveal his Soul Bone so casually.

There was not a soul around at the moment, but who knew whether some sleazy old man with a taste for peeping was following him?

In the shadows.

Di Tian stepped out of the darkness.

"The hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor's Soul Bone must have been hidden by that Titled Douluo. No wonder he kept clinging to life despite his severe injuries."

Di Tian recalled Tang Hao, whom he had fought before.

The rich life energy within that ninth Soul Ring remained fresh in his memory.

Without a doubt, this Soul Bone had come from the same source as that man's ninth Soul Ring.

"Yu Chen's luck-no, his fortune-is truly remarkable."

Di Tian marveled inwardly.

As a former god, he naturally knew about fortune.

Some children of destiny were born amid heavenly phenomena and could find money simply by stepping outside. Even if someone knocked them off a cliff, a chance encounter would lead them to some treasure.

"I wonder what other surprises Yu Chen will bring me."

Di Tian's figure flickered, and he followed.

Zonghun Village.

As soon as Yu Chen reached the village entrance, he saw Ming Dashan hurrying out anxiously.

"Uncle Dashan!"

Yu Chen waved in greeting.

"Yu Chen! You're finally back!"

Ming Dashan hurried over, covering three strides in two, and inspected Yu Chen from head to toe.

After the banquet at noon that day, Ming Dashan had returned to Nuoding Academy.

This morning, Old Tom had come to him and said that Yu Chen had not returned home for three days. Ming Dashan had put aside his work and rushed back from Nuoding City, intending to search the mountains for Yu Chen.

A level-twenty prospective Soul Grandmaster already counted as a powerful figure in Nuoding City.

But if he happened to encounter a fallen soul master who had wandered in from elsewhere, he would be in serious trouble.

"Yu Chen, where have you been these past few days? The village chief and I were worried sick!"

Only after confirming that Yu Chen was uninjured did Ming Dashan breathe a sigh of relief.

Yu Chen glanced around. There were few people at the village entrance just then, only a villager carrying a shoulder pole walking past in the distance.

Lowering his voice, he said mysteriously, "Uncle Dashan, this isn't the place to talk. I found a real treasure while I was out this time."

"A treasure?"

Ming Dashan's eyes filled with puzzlement.

He had watched Yu Chen grow up, and the boy had never liked showing off. Anything he called a "real treasure" was probably no ordinary object.

Ming Dashan nodded. "Come on. Let's go home and talk."