Yang Xiong and Lin Gong soon arrived at the training ground, ready to test Yang Xiong's true physical strength.
Yang Xiong immediately summoned his martial soul and spirit rings. His whole body turned blood-red, and he charged swiftly toward Lin Gong.
Lin Gong appeared unusually casual. With just a wave of his hand, countless Purple Radiance Bamboos appeared, blocking Yang Xiong's path.
Yang Xiong struck one of the bamboos with all his strength, causing it to bend instantly under his force.
However, no matter how powerful Yang Xiong's strength was, the bamboo did not completely break; instead, it bent to an extreme degree.
Startled, Yang Xiong felt a strong counter-shock from the bent bamboo, sending him flying several meters.
Lin Gong smiled. "Xiao Xiong, if this is all the strength you have, I advise you not to think about a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring. Still, your strength is much greater than I expected."
Without hesitation, Yang Xiong activated his third and fourth spirit rings simultaneously,his third spirit skill, Rage of the Tyrant Dragon, and his fourth spirit skill, Dragon-Elephant Steel Body.
After using the two skills together, Yang Xiong's originally 1.9-meter-tall body swelled instantly. His muscles became rock-solid, his bones hardened, and his strength and physical endurance increased severalfold. Even his height grew to about 2.3 meters in that instant.
He then charged at Lin Gong again, or rather, at the Purple Radiance Bamboo.
With his Bone-Crushing Steel Fist, Yang Xiong smashed into the bamboo. This time, the extremely tough bamboo shattered under his blow.
Even Lin Gong was a little impressed,purely in terms of strength, Yang Xiong had reached the level of a Spirit Douluo.
But then, nine spirit rings appeared around Lin Gong, and countless Purple Radiance Bamboos sprang up around Yang Xiong, as if to encase him completely.
Yang Xiong continued to punch, shattering each bamboo, but more kept appearing.
At that moment, Lin Gong unleashed his second spirit skill: Purple Bamboo Ten-Thousand Stabs. The countless bamboos transformed into sharp blades aimed at Yang Xiong.
Yang Xiong gathered all his spirit power into his skin and bones, activating his self-created skill, Steel Muscles and Iron Bones.
The bamboo blades struck his body but failed to pierce his defense.
Lin Gong was mainly testing Yang Xiong's physical qualities,strength and defense,so neither side used many combat techniques.
Still, Yang Xiong felt sharp pains, as if his skin were being pierced. He could barely hold out.
Before he could recover, all the bamboo swords suddenly exploded,Lin Gong's fourth spirit skill, Purple Radiance Bamboo Explosion.
Countless blasts erupted around Yang Xiong, with bamboo shards flying toward him.
Yang Xiong roared, releasing an endless blood-red aura, doing his best to withstand the explosion.
When the smoke cleared, he emerged, standing tall and unyielding.
But then, a green light flashed from Lin Gong's head. Yang Xiong's body went numb, as if paralyzed,Lin Gong's head soul bone skill, Mental Paralysis.
Yang Xiong felt his head splitting apart, his spirit and spirit power completely out of control.
Gritting his teeth, Yang Xiong's eyes turned blood-red, releasing a crimson beam,the Asura Divine Light of the Purple Demon Eye.
Surprised, Lin Gong countered with another flash of green light. The red and green beams clashed in the air, exploding violently.
When things settled, Yang Xiong sat on the ground, his spirit power completely drained.
Normally, with two top-tier amplification skills, Yang Xiong's strength and defense would be quadrupled. Using the Shura Body on top of that increased his strength another threefold, meaning his power had risen twelvefold overall. His defense had also greatly improved.
With this terrifying boost, his strikes carried over ten thousand jin of force,Spirit Douluo-level strength.
But Lin Gong was a Title Douluo. No matter how strong Yang Xiong's short-term burst was, his control over spirit power was far inferior.
Lin Gong spoke seriously. "Xiao Xiong, your strength is even greater than I imagined. Your physical quality may have reached Spirit Douluo level, and your spiritual power is also top-tier for that rank.
"But you're still only a quasi–Spirit Emperor. Your spirit power difference with me is far too great. The stronger the skill, the more spirit power it consumes, and the more it drains your stamina. You might have terrifying combat power in the short term, but you can't sustain it.
"You could probably absorb any spirit ring below a hundred thousand years, but for a hundred-thousand-year ring, your body isn't ready. You might survive the initial shock, but absorption takes a long time,you wouldn't last until the end.
"If you truly want to absorb one, your body must undergo another transformation. As you are now, it's impossible."
After thinking, Yang Xiong replied, "Teacher Lin, I still have my trump cards. I will make my body transform again. I will absorb a hundred-thousand-year ring as my sixth ring."
Lin Gong sighed. "I don't know if you're persistent or suicidal. If you're set on it, we old fellows will go to Sunset Forest with you.
"As for that spirit beast, I'm not sure it's truly a hundred-thousand-year one. Its aura feels slightly weaker than the Azure Bull Python in Star Dou Forest,perhaps a lower tier."
Yang Xiong didn't dwell on it. He took out the Ten-Headed Blazing Sun Snake's inner core.
"Teacher Lin, what level of energy does this inner core have?"
Lin Gong examined it. "About sixty to seventy thousand years. As a spirit ring, it would be quite good."
Yang Xiong thought for a moment. "I still want an ultimate fire-attribute, strength-type spirit ring. Let's check Sunset Forest first,there might be surprises."
Lin Gong shook his head. "You're too picky. Fire attribute and strength type,where will we find a hundred-thousand-year beast like that?"
Yang Xiong smiled. "I once heard a bull's roar. Bulls are usually strength-type. If it has a fire attribute, it would be rare. I hope the beast in Sunset Forest matches my guess."
Lin Gong sighed and handed Yang Xiong a lead box. "Maybe I owe you in this life. This might help you."
Inside was a green head soul bone, radiating immense life energy.
Yang Xiong sensed it was of the same origin as his hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone.
Lin Gong explained, "My ninth spirit ring was from an eighty-five-thousand-year Blue Silver Grass, hunted with Sword Douluo and five elders of the Body Sect. I already have a head soul bone, so this one is useless to me. You can absorb it,it may help you at a critical time."
Yang Xiong asked, "Teacher Lin, that Blue Silver Grass wasn't from Star Dou Forest, right?"
Lin Gong snorted. "Star Dou Forest isn't the only place with rare beasts. I found a strange plant forest where all the plants were Blue Silver Grass, many over ten thousand years old. That eighty-five-thousand-year one had insane vitality,it took all of us working together to kill it."
Yang Xiong suspected it was the Blue Silver King, and based on timing, it had been a while since its death.
In the original story, Tang San relied on the Blue Silver King to awaken his martial soul into the Blue Silver Emperor. If it was killed early, Tang San might never have awakened.
Yang Xiong had no major grievances with Tang San, aside from intercepting the Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone. But now, thanks to Lin Gong, their fates were more entangled.
Still, Yang Xiong took the soul bone,it was a rare treasure.
His right leg soul bone had already changed after training in the Killing Capital's Blood River, its blue aura tainted blood-red. Even Tang Hao might not recognize it. But with another Blue Silver Emperor soul bone, Tang Hao surely would.
Back home, Yang Xiong reflected on Lin Gong's words. A hundred-thousand-year ring would be far harder to absorb than he expected.
But he was unwilling to accept that his body couldn't surpass others like Du Busi.
The Ten-Headed Blazing Sun Snake inner core felt like a chicken rib,powerful, but not fitting his needs. He wanted strength-type rings, and its age was too low.
In the original story, Ma Hongjun used it as his seventh ring, evolving into the Ten-Headed Fire Phoenix.
If Yang Xiong absorbed it, his martial soul might mutate into something strange,possibly ten-headed,and that would be troublesome.