"Are you insane? You really want to absorb that soul bone?" Leng Yaozhu looked at Gu You with a complicated expression. This child had surprised her too many times — fighting the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear head-on while injured, and winning.
Gu You turned to look at her, gritting his teeth against the pain.
"You promised to help me. You just sat there watching."
After thinking it over, he added firmly, "Of course I'll absorb it. This soul bone paired with my dragon claws would be a perfect match."
Leng Yaozhu didn't respond right away. She simply snatched the Terrorclaw Bear's right arm bone from Gu You and examined it carefully before shaking her head.
"This isn't just any hundred-year soul bone. It's from a Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear over two thousand years old. I didn't even realize the Ascension Platform could drop such rewards. You absolutely can't absorb this yet. I'll hold onto it for you — wait until you break through to Soul Elder before trying."
But instead of discouraging Gu You, her words only strengthened his resolve. He knew these Ascension Platform soul bones couldn't be taken out — if he didn't absorb it now, it would just reform as another Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear for the next challenger. Maybe someone else would succeed and claim it. He couldn't stand that thought.
"Let me try just once, okay, Master?" Gu You's tone was firm.
"…Fine. I'll stand guard. But if anything goes wrong, you must immediately cut off the process and press the emergency exit button." Leng Yaozhu finally agreed, though she sighed.
Gu You smiled, took back the soul bone, sat cross-legged, and began focusing his soul power to link his right arm to the bone. He also released his martial spirit to assist the absorption.
With a snap of her fingers, Leng Yaozhu summoned a fiery red energy shield around Gu You, shielding him from outside view. Even the staff monitoring from outside couldn't see what was happening inside the cocoon.
Suddenly —
"Ahhh!"
Gu You's scream echoed out. Leng Yaozhu shook her head slightly. She could tell this was youthful arrogance: with a little talent, he thought he could absorb anything beyond his limit. But truthfully, she admired it. The path of the soul master was all about competing for strength, and the younger you were, the faster you could grow.
From what she could tell, Gu You's martial spirit was at least divine-level quality. There was simply no other explanation for how a six-year-old — whose bones hadn't even fully developed — could physically withstand close combat with a Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear. The only reasonable explanation was that his martial spirit's boost effect was absurdly strong.
To put it in perspective, a Vajra Baboon martial spirit's first ring would grant some basic physical traits, like extra body hair or size. But Gu You's dragon-type spirit enhanced his strength dramatically, and that said everything: his spirit was, without question, quasi-divine level or higher.
If Gu You really succeeded in absorbing this soul bone, he would become the first six-year-old in millennia to possess a soul bone — an absolute prodigy.
"Go quickly! Report to Tower Master Qiangu!" Outside the Ascension Platform, one of the staff clutched his chest in disbelief, urging his colleagues. A two-thousand-year soul bone, gone just like that — and not just any soul bone, but a top-tier piece! These days, soul bones were precious beyond measure.
Of course, the Spirit Transferring Tower could afford to gift one, but this wasn't just about the item — it was about Gu You, the terrifying six-year-old genius who had fought a Terrorclaw Bear. And he was Leng Yaozhu's disciple. Plus, the political tension between the vice tower master and tower master had been growing lately. As a loyal underling of Qiangu Dongfeng, the staff member naturally wanted to escalate the matter.
Inside, Gu You was overwhelmed.
The pain… it was unbearable!
He'd expected his right arm to hurt, but instead, his entire body felt like it was about to shatter.
A violent, rampaging power surged to tear him apart. The bear's ferocious resentment poured from the soul bone, battering his body relentlessly. Blood vessels bulged under his skin, his eyes bloodshot, veins pulsing visibly across his form.
Yet just when he thought he couldn't endure anymore —
A dragon's roar echoed.
Suddenly, Gu You's whole body was enveloped in purple scales. The blood-red veins across his face darkened, turning a deep blackish purple. Strangely, the soul bone's raging resentment dimmed after the roar, weakening as if bowing in submission.
"What's happening?" Leng Yaozhu was stunned. The fiery red barrier she'd created began to darken, shifting into a deep purple-black as an intense annihilation attribute began devouring her protective soul power.
Martial spirit mutation!
The realization hit Leng Yaozhu hard.
If Gu You's original Purplegold Dragon Emperor martial spirit had come from a mutation of the Purple Radiant Sky-Extinguishing Dragon, then this would be a second mutation. And if the first mutation was beneficial, the second almost certainly would be too.
But she could only speculate. It was possible Gu You's martial spirit was something unprecedented, something never before recorded in history. In that case, they would have to wait and see if this mutation enhanced or weakened him.
Inside Gu You's spiritual sea, the tiny Chicki-Ba — his pet Tyrannosaurus soul spirit — sprouted a patch of purple scales on its head. Massive waves of energy swirled around it, the accumulated energy from the Ascension Platform, enough to boost a soul ring to about five or six hundred years after leaving.
The pain in Gu You's body began to ease. He could now clearly hear his own heartbeat and feel the changes in his right arm and hand.
As the scales gradually receded, he realized that the clothes he'd worn during the Terrorclaw Bear battle were almost entirely shredded. He was left with only a pair of shorts.
But the transformation was undeniable. Even though he was just six years old, Gu You now stood at about 1.5 meters tall, his skin pale and smooth, his delicate features making him a downright handsome little boy. The only downside was the awful stench of expelled body impurities that filled the air.
With the toxins purged, Gu You felt incredibly refreshed — but he couldn't relax yet. He needed to maintain his meditative state until the soul bone fully fused, and he might as well use the time to recover his soul power.
In Gu You's mind, fusing with this soul bone had already raised his physical strength to match that of a three-ring Soul Elder. Absorbing a thousand-year soul ring should be no problem now. So once the fusion was complete, his goal wasn't just another hundred-year ring — it was a thousand-year ring.
Outside, Leng Yaozhu waited anxiously. But when she saw the purple glow gradually fade into white, she froze in surprise. Gu You had really done it.
Once the soul bone stabilized, the energy cocoon faded away. Gu You stood up, grinning, ready to share the good news —
WHAP!
Leng Yaozhu slapped him across the face, sending him flying.
"Are you even my master?! Damn it!!" Gu You yelled angrily as he tumbled through the air.
"You little brat. Already learning to act cocky, huh? You needed that lesson to remember your place." Leng Yaozhu casually pressed the red exit button. With Gu You's current strength, there was no longer any need for him to stay in the junior Ascension Platform. His martial spirit mutation appeared beneficial, and hundred-year soul beasts were now like ants to him.
She smirked softly to herself as she watched him go tumbling off.
"Maybe I really did take in a good disciple…" she murmured.
Not far away, five devastating light beams slammed into two startled three-ring Soul Elders.
The two had noticed Gu You's lone first ring — a mere ten-year soul ring — and hadn't taken him seriously. But when they felt the crushing pressure of those five attacks, it was too late to react.
Under their terrified gazes, they disintegrated into shimmering light, leaving behind a heap of energy.
Gu You's heart surged with joy. Those two Soul Elders had just killed a thousand-year soul beast and were preparing to absorb it, but then Leng Yaozhu's slap had conveniently sent him crashing right into their camp. He'd picked up an enormous freebie. Without that, facing two fully powered Soul Elders would've been a tough fight.
(End of chapter)
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