Absorbing the Soul Bone
The journey from the Star Dou Great Forest back to Spirit City took Ning Buhui four full days. This was only because he had rented a fast carriage.
The Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone was still lying in the ring, and he wasn't in a hurry to fuse with it. He needed to find a safe place where no one would disturb him and quietly absorb the Soul Bone.
On the evening of the fourth day, the white walls of Spirit City came into view.
He settled in a grove of low trees outside the city. The grove was not far from the main road, but it was overgrown with vegetation and ordinary people would not come in. He found a sheltered crevice in the rocks, shrunk the tower to the size of a speck of dust and threw it in, then slipped into the third level.
The bamboo house was furnished as before, with the soft rustling of the wind through the bamboo groves, and all around was quiet.
Ning Buhui sat cross-legged on the bamboo bed, her fingertips reaching into her storage ring. When she took it out, her palm was firmly holding the 120,000-year -Time-Reversing Heavenly Secret Skull. The bone was pure white, like solidified frost, yet it felt warm to the touch. The fine lines on its surface were layered upon each other, like the rings of an ancient tree or ripples on a lake. Upon closer inspection, one could see tiny glimmers of silver light slowly flowing between the lines, exuding a profound aura that seemed to have seen through the ages.
He took a deep breath, held his breath, and slowly pressed the Soul Bone against his brow. The spiritual energy that had already condensed in his brow surged out, enveloping the entire skull like a tide. The Time-Reversing Heavenly Secret Skull trembled slightly, and the patterns on its surface suddenly lit up, transforming into a condensed silver stream of light. Guided by the spiritual energy, it "whooshed" into his brow, directly striking the source of his consciousness.
The shockwave from this fusion far surpassed that of any previous Soul Bone. The refining of the arm bone and External Soul Bone only affected the muscles, bones, and flesh, but the skull directly shook the foundation of the soul. The moment the silver energy rushed into his sea of consciousness, Ning Buhui felt a sudden darkness before his eyes. His entire spiritual world was like a turbulent ocean, with towering waves surging endlessly. Intense, throbbing pain exploded from the depths of his sea of consciousness, spreading along his nerves to his entire skull. It felt as if thousands of fine needles were piercing his soul, or as if his skull was shattering and then rebuilding inch by inch.
At the critical moment, the illusory image of the Suppressing Domain-Suppressing Pagoda deep within his sea of consciousness trembled slightly, and an invisible wave of spiritual power spread out, suppressing the surging spiritual tide like Sea God. Ning Buhui clenched his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, cold sweat trickling down his temples and soaking his clothes. He forced himself to maintain a clear mind, guiding his Soul Power strand by strand to gather at the top of his head, cooperating with the primordial energy of the Time-Tracing Heavenly Secrets, slowly tempering and reshaping his skull and soul.
After an unknown amount of time, the silver raging tide in his sea of consciousness finally gradually subsided. The excruciating pain, like the receding tide, slowly calmed down, transforming into a gentle, warm current that gently sank into the depths of his sea of consciousness, completely merging with his Spiritual Origin.
Ning Buhui slowly opened her eyes. The world before her suddenly became several times clearer—every bamboo fiber texture on the bamboo wall, every speck of dust floating in the air, and the subtle ripples that spread when the Soul Power flowed in the corner of the room were all clearly reflected in her eyes, and even the boundaries of light and shadow were sharper than before.
He closed his eyes and concentrated, carefully observing the changes deep within his soul. Two new abilities were already firmly bound to his soul: the first was "Pupil of Illusion Breaking," a passive, permanent Soul Skill that revealed all disguises, illusions, and concealed forms within his gaze, dispelling all falsehoods; the second was "Eye of the Future," which could be actively activated, allowing him to glimpse the future three seconds ahead. Although there was no daily limit on the number of uses, each activation required consuming one percent of his mental energy.
At the same time, his spiritual power was several times stronger than before the fusion, and the range of his spiritual perception expanded by more than three times. He could clearly distinguish even the slightest movement of wind and grass within a thousand meters outside the bamboo house. His Soul Power cultivation also broke through the bottleneck and reached a new level, steadily stopping at the level of forty-nine.
Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the bamboo windows into the bamboo house, casting dappled patterns of light on the ground. Ning Buhui sat cross-legged on the bed, not in a hurry to go out, but holding her breath and concentrating on carefully testing the abilities of the Time-Reversing Heavenly Secret Skull.
The Pupil of Illusion Breaking is a passive, permanent talent that requires no deliberate activation; its effects are remarkable simply through natural sight. He looked up at the spiritual plant field outside the window, and everything in his field of vision was several times clearer than before—not just the textures of the flowers and the outlines of the dewdrops, but even the trajectory of Soul Power flowing among the blades of grass and the subtle fluctuations of Soul Power contained within the calyxes were all vividly reflected in his eyes. Previously, he could only vaguely perceive the strength and general location of Soul Power, but now he could clearly see the specific forms of energy fluctuations, as if piercing through a thin veil of illusion, leaving no room for concealment or disguise.
Immediately, a thought struck him, and he activated his Eye of the Future. A wisp of extremely fine spiritual energy separated from the depths of his sea of consciousness, and a layer of pale silver ripples suddenly appeared on the scene before him. The next instant, a phantom image of three seconds later was superimposed on the current scene. He clearly saw a Immortal Herb in the field being blown askew by the wind for a moment. He silently counted to three in his mind, and a gentle breeze swept by, causing the Immortal Herb to tilt, the angle of its fall exactly as predicted. He looked inward at his sea of consciousness; his spiritual energy had only been consumed by one percent, like a drop in the ocean, almost negligible.
Ning Buhui slowly lowered his gaze, a satisfied smile curving his lips. The value of this 120,000-year-old skull was far more astonishing than he had anticipated.
By the time he emerged from the tower, dusk had already fallen, and the world was shrouded in a deep, dark night. He raised his hand and stored the Sumeru Pagoda in his storage ring, his robes brushing against the grass clippings on the ground, and strode quickly toward Spirit City.
The torches at the city gate burned brightly. Two guards, both tall and sturdy, were dozing against the city wall, bored out of their minds, when they caught a glimpse of a figure emerging from the shadows—a boy in a black leather coat, looking no more than ten years old, alone, yet with an unusually steady gait. The two guards were startled at first, instinctively straightening their backs. As the boy drew closer, the torchlight illuminated his face, and one of the guards' eyes widened suddenly. His mouth opened and closed, unable to utter a single word for a long time, before finally speaking in a hoarse voice filled with disbelief, "Young... Young Prince? You... you're back?"
Ning Buhui simply nodded slightly to him, without lingering, and walked straight into the city gate.
He walked towards the Pope Hall. The deacons and lower-ranking disciples he encountered along the way all reacted the same way: first, they glanced at him casually, then their gazes suddenly fixed, their eyes widening. Some disciples even stopped abruptly, turning to stare at his retreating figure for a long time. Only after he had walked some distance did whispers drift up behind him, "Isn't that Ning Buhui? Wasn't it said he'd been missing for almost a year?" "It's him! His Holiness the Pope's personally accepted disciple, how could it be fake?"
Ning Buhui seemed not to hear, his steps not slowing down at all. When he reached the entrance of the side hall, the two guards who were guarding the gate saw who it was and their expressions immediately changed. One reacted very quickly, turning around and running into the hall to report, while the other stood still, looking him up and down with a look as if he had seen a ghost.
Before long, the palace doors opened from the inside. Bibi Dong sat behind her desk, a gilded scroll in her hand. Hearing the noise, she looked up, her gaze lingering on him for a moment. She then placed the scroll flat on the desk, leaning back gently in her chair, her posture as dignified and authoritative as ever. "You've returned," she said, her voice devoid of emotion. "Yes, disciple has returned," Ning Buhui stepped into the palace and bowed respectfully.
Bibi Dong's gaze slowly swept over him twice. With her cultivation level, she could naturally see at a glance that the child's Soul Power was much stronger than when she left, and his aura was also much more composed. She didn't rush to interrogate him, but simply raised her chin. "Sit down, tell me what happened this past year. Why didn't you send a letter to Spirit City?"
Ning Buhui sat down at the desk and began to recount the most important experiences of the past year. From leaving Spirit City to train in the northern part of the Star Dou Great Forest, to accidentally entering the Supreme Sect realm while chasing the Stone Armor Rhinoceros, to the eighty-one trials within the secret realm—the ease with which he faced the mirror images in the first ten trials, and the life-or-death battle against the eighty mirror images in the eightieth trial, he described it all. He also mentioned that his Soul Power had increased from level forty-three to level forty-nine, and finally mentioned the ultimate reward of the secret realm.
After saying that, he changed the subject and asked about the Continental Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament that he had missed.
After listening, Bibi Dong remained silent for a moment, then lightly tapped her fingertip on the edge of the table. "The tournament ended three months ago," she said calmly. "The Spirit Hall team won the championship."
Ning Buhui wasn't surprised. The Spirit Hall already had a deep foundation, and moreover, after the introduction of the Whale Rubber Refining Method three years ago, the younger generation's foundation was even more solid. It would be strange if they didn't win the championship. "How are the results of the other academies?" he asked again.
Bibi Dong leaned back in her chair and announced the rankings in a calm and measured tone, "Runner-up: Star Luo Royal Academy; third place: Godwind Academy; fourth to sixth place: Heavenly Water, Blazing Fire, and Heaven Dou Royal Academy, respectively."
Ning Buhui nodded. It wasn't surprising that Star Luo Royal Academy made it to the finals; most of the Soul Master from there followed unorthodox methods, had ample practical experience, and fought recklessly. Godwind Academy was a gathering place for wind-attribute Soul Master, and their fast-attack style always had an advantage on the field. The remaining schools ranking at the bottom were all reasonable. The overall structure of this competition was similar to what he remembered from his previous life, except that the Spirit Hall's participating teams had changed, but their rankings remained the same.
"What about the Shrek Academy?" He paused, then asked again.
Bibi Dong glanced at him, her brows furrowing almost imperceptibly. "Shrek? Never heard of them. They were probably eliminated in the preliminaries."
Ning Buhui responded. At this time, Shrek was still far from being a force to be reckoned with. Tang San had only just turned ten, Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing had probably only recently enrolled, and Oscar and Ma Hongjun hadn't even gathered yet. The true Shrek Seven Devils wouldn't be able to reunite until two years later, when Tang San- two. This tournament had nothing to do with them.
"This disciple missed this competition." He lowered his eyes. "Next time, this disciple will definitely not miss it again."
Bibi Dong didn't respond. She picked up the teacup beside her, took a sip, and her gaze returned to him, as if weighing something. After a moment, she put down the teacup, the porcelain clinking softly against the table. "Tell me about the Head Soul Bone you obtained."
"The Time-Reversing Heavenly Secret Skull," Ning Buhui answered truthfully. "Its passive ability is the Pupil of Illusion Breaking, which can see through all disguises and illusions; its active ability is the Eye of the Future, which can foresee the course of events three seconds from now."
Bibi Dong's hand, holding the teacup, paused abruptly, the rim still resting on her lips. She looked up at him, a flicker of surprise crossing her deep eyes before settling back down. "Eye of the Future. Three seconds," she repeated, her tone flat and emotionless.
"Yes."
Bibi Dong didn't press further, only nodded slightly, and said, "Go back and rest for a while," before picking up the documents on the table again, clearly ending the conversation. Ning Buhui stood up, bowed, and turned to leave the side hall.
As soon as he stepped out of the palace, the night wind rushed into his collar, carrying a chill. He walked along the corridor towards his meditation room, and as he passed the martial arts arena, he saw lights still on in the distance. As he got closer, he realized that Yan and Xie Yue were practicing extra. Neither of them used their Soul Skill, but rather relied purely on physical techniques to exchange blows. Their punches and kicks were powerful, and when they collided, they produced dull crackling sounds.
Yan caught sight of him, immediately withdrew his fist, stood frozen for two seconds, then strode over, raised his hand and slapped him hard on the shoulder, his voice booming. "You little brat, you actually know how to come back? I thought you'd run into trouble out there!"
"Brother Yan." Ning Buhui smiled.
Xie Yue stopped fighting and stood a few steps away, his gaze quickly sweeping over the man as if assessing his cultivation level. Then he spoke, his voice low and deep: "I can't see through you anymore. What level are you now?" "Level forty-nine."
Yan clicked his tongue and whistled. Xie Yue didn't speak, only a faint smile appeared on his lips. Ning Buhui knew that these two had a lot of questions waiting for him. He had just returned, and Hu Liena had already blocked him once before, but he had dismissed her with "we'll talk about it tomorrow." Now these two were blocking him here again.
"Can we talk about it tomorrow?" he pleaded before the two could speak, "I'm really tired after a whole day of this."
Yan opened his mouth to speak, but Xie Yue reached out and tugged at his arm. Xie Yue nodded at him: "Okay, tomorrow at noon, the usual spot in the cafeteria." "Okay." Ning Buhui, waved to the two of them, and continued walking towards the meditation room.
Back at his lodgings, he fetched a bucket of water, washed himself, and changed into clean pajamas. As he lay in bed, his mind was still racing.
He doesn't plan to take the Spirit Ascension Pill now. His current level is still in the middle range, so it's not the right time to take it. To maximize its benefits, he should wait until he's over level 80. That way, he'll save a lot of cultivation time, and he can also use it as a trump card. In case he needs to suddenly increase his cultivation level sometime, this would be a good safeguard.
He turned over, pulled the blanket up a little tighter, and wrapped himself up more tightly. Tomorrow he still had to deal with Yan and Xie Yue's questions, and check on the situation of that secret realm map; there was a lot to do, but nothing was urgent. Sleepiness gradually washed over him, he closed his eyes, his breathing slowly evened out, and soon he fell into a deep sleep.