Conflicting Rules, Failed Fusion

"This is my true appearance. My previous appearance was a disguise for a mission I was carrying out at the time."

Qian Renxue spoke softly, a small, secret delight stirring in her heart.

Yet the scene she had anticipated never appeared.

In just an instant, Jiang Li put away his astonished expression. His eyes were clear, without a trace of anything impure.

Granted, Qian Renxue was beautiful.

But to Jiang Li, that was merely a bonus.

In this period on the Holy Demon Continent, in this chaotic age, strength was the only truth.

No matter how beautiful someone was, without the strength to protect themselves, they were nothing but a meal when faced with the Demon Race.

He had personally witnessed many women of breathtaking beauty die miserably at the hands of the Demon Race.

Compared with Qian Renxue's appearance, he cared more about how to use this unexpected development involving her to improve his strength and solidify his foundations.

"I'm honored. The fact that you're willing to meet me in your true appearance means you've already begun to trust me. Please rest assured that I won't betray that trust."

"On the journey ahead, just as I said when I first extended that invitation, I will grow alongside you and face everything with you!"

Jiang Li looked utterly sincere, adopting a very humble stance. There was no helping it, given the situation. Ultimately, he had to rely on her to change his current circumstances.

Whatever Qian Renxue's reputation might be, she was a woman who had arrived alone on an unfamiliar continent. He still needed to give her some peace of mind.

One thing did surprise Jiang Li greatly, however: why had Qian Renxue taken the initiative to reveal her true appearance? It felt rather abrupt.

By his estimation, Qian Renxue would have continued meeting him disguised as Xue Qinghe for as long as possible, only revealing that she was a woman when she could no longer hide it.

Has something changed, or does she want to be herself on this continent where no one knows her?

Jiang Li's thoughts raced as he speculated inwardly.

"I'll be staying in this world for a long time to come. It's only right that I meet you openly."

"This is a gift I prepared for you, a specialty of my continent."

Jiang Li's words and demeanor surprised Qian Renxue greatly, but once she recalled that he was a knight, it suddenly seemed quite reasonable.

Every word and action he displayed was thoroughly in keeping with the knight's code.

As she spoke, she took a box from her Storage Soul Tool and handed it to Jiang Li.

As for why she had met him in her true appearance, Jiang Li's guess had coincidentally hit the mark.

Now that she no longer had an undercover mission, she had also shed her disguise, wanting to live a life of her own under her true identity.

Of course, there was another crucial reason besides that.

Thanks to her cultivation and the Angel Head Soul Bone, her mental power far surpassed Jiang Li's, giving her a deeper understanding of this so-called equal contract. Once Jiang Li's cultivation advanced further, he would be able to perceive certain things through the equal contract. There would be no way to hide them.

She might as well reveal herself openly.

"This is..."

Looking at the gift Qian Renxue had brought him, Jiang Li was rather surprised. Filled with anticipation, he opened the box.

Immediately afterward, a crystal-clear bone radiating a soft glow came into view.

The bone had a very distinctive shape. It was about the size of a human right leg bone, but its shape looked nothing like a human bone. Faintly, the phantom of an enormous golden dragon could be seen roaming within it.

A soul bone!

Although Jiang Li already had a guess, he still feigned confusion as he looked at Qian Renxue and asked, "This... what is this?"

"A soul bone, something unique to the continent I come from."

"This is a right leg bone produced by a seventy-thousand-year-old Golden Earth Dragon King. After fusion, it increases the strength of the right leg's bones by 320%, allowing them to almost ignore physical attacks of the same level. It also boosts explosive power to the extreme, greatly improving sprinting, kicking, and jumping abilities. Attacks also gain armor-piercing and tearing effects. Your physique and resilience will improve greatly, as will your resistance to jolts and impacts. You'll no longer need to fear heavy blows damaging your internal organs through vibrations..."

"Besides that, it comes with a soul bone skill called Golden Dragon Flying Kick. It gathers golden dragon power in your right leg, instantly unleashing the dragon race's utmost speed for a high-speed, short-range dash that produces golden, dragon-shaped force. After it hits the target, the golden dragon energy explodes, tearing apart the opponent's protective soul power with extremely powerful armor-piercing force..."

"Oh, right. Soul bone skills are similar to the skills on your continent. The difference is that once you fuse with a soul bone, you can control its skill directly without having to learn it."

Qian Renxue explained the soul bone's effects in detail.

She had specifically taken this soul bone from her grandfather's collection.

Even within the entire Spirit Hall, this was a top-tier soul bone. Had Grandpa Golden Crocodile not already fused with a right leg bone, he would have fused with this one long ago.

"This... to think such a rare treasure exists in this world, along with skills you can acquire without learning them!"

"How is that possible?"

Jiang Li displayed an expression of immense surprise, but inwardly, he was wondering whether he could truly fuse with a soul bone without a martial soul.

After all, the rules of the two planes were different.

"Place the soul bone against your right leg and guide the soul power within your body-no, on your continent, it should be called spiritual power..."

Seeing the astonishment on Jiang Li's face, Qian Renxue's lips quietly curved upward, and she felt a little pleased with herself.

She then told Jiang Li how to fuse with the soul bone.

Faced with a seventy-thousand-year soul bone, one that could improve his innate talent and increase his strength, Jiang Li did not refuse.

He then attempted to fuse with the soul bone using the method Qian Renxue had described.

He circulated his spiritual power, guiding the soul bone.

The next moment, Jiang Li's expression changed sharply, and he hurriedly withdrew the spiritual power within his body.

It had failed!

What he had feared had happened after all.

The rules conflicted.

During the fusion process, Jiang Li could clearly feel the Douluo origin power within the soul bone rejecting the Holy Demon Continent's spiritual power system. If he forced the fusion, the soul bone's power would erupt, and the soul beast's remnant soul would directly assault his soul.

Ultimately, he lacked the core needed to support a soul bone: a martial soul.

"What... you can't fuse with it?"

Seeing Jiang Li stop, Qian Renxue looked surprised.

She had experienced no difficulty adapting after coming to this continent. After all, she had fused with the Angel Head Soul Bone.

"It failed."

"Perhaps it has something to do with my lack of a martial soul. I may only be able to fuse with a soul bone after reaching your continent and undergoing martial soul awakening."

Jiang Li pondered for a while before giving his conclusion.

In the process, whether deliberately or otherwise, he brought up the Douluo Continent where Qian Renxue lived.

But inwardly, he could not stop grumbling.

They were both continents, so why did the Holy Demon Continent have so many restrictions, while the Douluo Continent was like a great melting pot, where both Tang Sect cultivation methods and the Holy Demon Continent's magic could be practiced directly?

"Go to my continent and awaken a martial soul..."

Hearing that Jiang Li could not fuse with the soul bone, Qian Renxue felt somewhat disappointed.

She could directly practice the skills he had given her, yet he could not fuse with the gift she had given him at all.

That difference left her feeling as though she owed him something.

But she soon seized on the key point in Jiang Li's words.

"You mean you can also go to the continent I come from? By being summoned through the equal contract?"

Qian Renxue asked.

If this was feasible, perhaps she could also find a way to bring her grandfather and the others to this plane. Then, whatever she wanted to do, she would no longer have any worries holding her back.

"Reverse summoning through the equal contract may be possible, but it depends on the distance between the planes."

"Even if it succeeds, there are still certain risks involved. Once you and I are both on that continent, we might end up unable to return, along with facing some uncontrollable risks."

During this time, apart from consolidating his cultivation, Jiang Li had also done some research on the summoning formation, which had led him to this conclusion.

"I can guarantee your safety. Would you be willing to give it a try?"

Qian Renxue thought of her grandfather. With him there, nothing would go wrong.

She was genuinely curious whether Jiang Li could awaken a martial soul if he went to her world, and what martial soul he would awaken.

It was a very interesting prospect.