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Ye Wen nodded, then sat cross-legged on the ground. Manipulating his Nana martial soul, he guided the soul ring toward him.
The moment the soul ring enveloped his martial soul, Ye Wen felt a surge of scorching soul power coursing through his entire body.
However, Ye Wen had already undergone the Ice-Fire Body Dugu and experienced both extreme ice and extreme fire. How could the residual extreme fire soul power of a mere ten-thousand-year spirit beast harm him?
Thus, Ye Wen didn't feel any discomfort. On the contrary, thanks to this pure soul power, his strength increased slightly.
As Ye Wen had anticipated, the energy within the Twin-Headed Fire Phoenix's soul ring posed no threat to his thoroughly tempered body.
Meanwhile, Dugu Bo and Chen Gang were closely monitoring Ye Wen, ready to intervene at the slightest sign of trouble.
But at this moment, Chen Gang suddenly furrowed his brows, looking at the corpse of the Twin-Headed Fire Phoenix with surprise.
In theory, after a spirit beast's death, its soul power would gradually dissipate into nature, leaving behind an ordinary corpse—perhaps with some nourishing value in its flesh.
However, at this moment, Chen Gang sensed a peculiar soul power fluctuation emanating from the corpse, which should have been devoid of soul power.
At this point, Dugu Bo remarked, "Old Lion, don't get distracted. Are you really that dazzled by a mere ten-thousand-year soul bone?"
Chen Gang snorted disdainfully.
"Stop underestimating me, you old poison fiend. I'm just amazed at how lucky Xiao Wen is. Do you think I'm the kind of person who'd covet such trivial things?"
The two old men continued their bickering, but Ye Wen had already reached the most challenging part of the soul ring absorption process.
For the first time, Ye Wen directly entered his own spiritual world.
Gazing at the boundless expanse of his mental space, Ye Wen was momentarily stunned but quickly regained his focus and vigilance.
At this moment, Ye Wen hadn't yet realized that although his spiritual world was sparsely filled with mental energy, its sheer vastness was highly abnormal.
Soon, Ye Wen noticed a roaring inferno burning not far away. Four fierce phoenix eyes glared at him.
Summoning his Nana martial soul, Ye Wen merged it with his consciousness, unleashing an astonishing aura.
"Although in your previous life, birds like you were considered auspicious beings,
in this world, you are merely a slightly more noble spirit beast compared to ordinary ones.
I feel no guilt in killing you, for this is the rule of your kind and ours alike.
Survival of the fittest—it's as simple as that.
So here, I will exert all my strength to obliterate your soul completely, making you a part of my existence!"
With a piercing cry, the Twin-Headed Fire Phoenix shrieked mournfully. Its wings flapped violently, sending waves of blazing flames surging toward Ye Wen.
Ye Wen felt a bit of heat—perhaps this was the mutated mental power the injured mental-attribute Soul Sage had mentioned. After all, ordinary living beings' mental energy lacked elemental properties.
However, Ye Wen only found it mildly warm, nothing like the exaggerated injuries suffered by the Soul Sage.
Ye Wen didn't believe the Soul Sage had deceived Chen Gang—unless the Sage truly wished to die.
Ultimately, Ye Wen attributed his resistance to the extreme fire-attribute mental attack to the subtle strengthening of his own mental fortitude after undergoing the Ice-Fire Body Body Forging.
At this moment, the battle truly began.
Since this was Ye Wen's spiritual world, the residual soul of the Twin-Headed Fire Phoenix had nowhere to escape and was forced to confront Ye Wen head-on.
But the abilities Ye Wen had bestowed upon himself were incredibly overpowered.
His first soul skill, though containing only a trace of spatial attributes, enhanced both his defense and attack power. After the evolution of his Nana martial soul, it even gained the defensive prowess of dragon scales, making it akin to the finest protective armor.
If push came to shove, Ye Wen could activate his third soul skill to summon stone barriers to block attacks or launch counterattacks, not to mention his razor-sharp wind blade strikes.
Though the Twin-Headed Fire Phoenix was utterly exhausted, it still fought back fiercely—but in vain. In the end, it was completely worn down and destroyed by Ye Wen.
Looking at the powerless phoenix collapsing to the ground and emitting its final mournful cry, Ye Wen's expression remained calm. This victory was well-deserved.
As the Twin-Headed Fire Phoenix's soul dissipated entirely, Ye Wen felt his mental power increase, and his spiritual world became significantly more stable. A faint smile crept onto his face.
The feeling of growing stronger was truly exhilarating.
Outside, Dugu Bo and Chen Gang also wore satisfied smiles as they stood guard for Ye Wen.
After all, the soul ring of a spirit beast like the Twin-Headed Fire Phoenix was extraordinarily exceptional. It required not only a high-quality martial soul but also an absurdly high level of mental strength.
Yet, with only ten thousand years of cultivation, it was too low-level for Soul Emperors or Soul Sages but too powerful for Soul Kings to absorb.
It was truly a case of being neither desirable nor disposable. And yet, Ye Wen had succeeded.
Among the two, Chen Gang smiled the widest. As someone who possessed extreme fire attributes himself, he deeply understood the power of such an attribute.
At this moment, Ye Wen slowly opened his eyes and smiled at the two.Â
"Thank you, Teacher and Grandpa, for guarding me. I've successfully absorbed this fourth soul ring."
Dugu Bo and Chen Gang exchanged satisfied smiles. Then Dugu Bo asked, "So, Xiao Wen, what is your fourth soul skill?"
Though they had already guessed, since Ye Wen's previous soul skills were all about elemental control, Ye Wen didn't disappoint as he calmly replied, "Fire Element Control."
When Ye Wen summoned a small flame in his hand, the two were even more pleased.
This wasn't ordinary fire—it was the flame of ultimate fire. With this single ability, Ye Wen had solidified his foundation as an unrivaled powerhouse at his level.
After a brief exchange filled with joy, Chen Gang said, "Xiao Wen, don't get too carried away. There's still a surprise waiting for you."
Since any disturbance might have affected Ye Wen's soul ring absorption earlier, Chen Gang had refrained from acting.Â
Now that Ye Wen had completed the absorption, there was no need to hold back. With a wave of his hand and precise control of soul power, Chen Gang caused the left wing of the Twin-Headed Fire Phoenix to explode. A relatively small red bone floated into the air and drifted into Chen Gang's hand.
Looking at the soul bone, Chen Gang nodded in satisfaction.
"Although it's only a little over ten thousand years old, its form is remarkably intact. It's no wonder it came from a spirit beast with extreme fire attributes. Xiao Wen, your left arm hasn't absorbed a soul bone yet, right? As a soul bone originating from the same source as your soul ring, this is the most suitable one for you. Absorb it now while you can. Since this is the first time it's being absorbed, it should also increase your soul power by one level."
Ye Wen stared blankly for a moment, astonished that his grandfather-in-law hadn't shown the slightest greed and had simply handed over such a treasure.
After all, this soul bone was not only suitable for Ye Wen but also for Chen Gang. It came from a spirit beast with extreme attributes and aligned perfectly with Chen Gang's own fire affinity.
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