"This is indeed the most precious treasure I've obtained in the past three years. This torso Spirit Bone comes from a forty-five-thousand-year-old Nine Heavens Dragon Centipede."
At those words, the two young women were shaken to the core, but worry immediately filled their eyes.
"Forty-five thousand years?! And it's a torso bone!"
"Brother Iggy, that kind of Spirit Beast is a sea beast of the sub-dragon race. So this is the harvest of your battles against the Sea Spirit Beasts these past three years? That's far too dangerous!"
Ignaz only smiled faintly, then handed the forty-five-thousand-year Nine Heavens Dragon Centipede torso bone to Dugu Yan.
"This bone will benefit you the most, little sister. Take it as compensation for the time I was out of touch."
"I can't. Brother Iggy, you don't even have a single Spirit Bone yet, and your fifth Spirit Ring already came from the Nine Heavens Dragon Centipede. If you absorb this torso bone, you'll gain the greatest benefit."
Though Dugu Yan was moved by his intention, a Spirit Bone was an unimaginably precious treasure. To her, letting Brother Iggy—who had no torso bone—absorb it was clearly the best choice. As her cultivation advanced, her grandfather would surely find her one more suitable.
Ignaz could only smile helplessly. In truth, he already possessed two exceptional Spirit Bones: one was his external Dragon Crown Bone, whose quality had risen to the ten-thousand-year level; the other was his hundred-thousand-year right leg bone.
Patting his right leg, he explained:
"My teacher already prepared a right leg bone for me long ago, and I've successfully absorbed it. This torso bone was meant for you. If you truly don't want it… then I'll have no choice but to shatter it completely."
"Don't! I want it—I'll take it!"
Seeing his serious stance as if he might really destroy it, Dugu Yan quickly snatched the torso bone, clutching it tightly in her arms as if it were the rarest treasure.
Even so, Ignaz was worried. "Little sister, even though you've already absorbed a ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring as a Spirit King, this is a forty-five-thousand-year Spirit Bone—its difficulty is on par with what a high-level Spirit Emperor would face. You must be extremely careful while absorbing it."
"Brother Iggy, you underestimate me. I'm already a level 52 Spirit King."
Dugu Yan had her own pride. Since the bone had been given to her, she had no choice but to absorb it—only then would she not let down Brother Iggy's goodwill.
She sat cross-legged, pulling the torso bone before her chest, and began absorption.
Ignaz then turned toward Ye Lingling, who sat nearby looking lost.
"Lingling, Yan told me your Ye Clan's Nine-Heart Begonia Spirit has a terrible flaw—that only two Nine-Heart Begonia Spirit Masters can exist in the clan at the same time, and always as women."
At that, Ye Lingling's expression changed. Sadness overtook her, and her mood darkened. Fighting back tears, she whispered:
"Yes. When I awakened my Nine-Heart Begonia Spirit at six years old, my grandmother passed away that very year."
Her voice caught as tears spilled down her cheeks.
Ignaz handed her a handkerchief. "Do you want to free yourself completely from that pain of losing loved ones?"
"I've wished for it… but what can I do? It's the curse of the Nine-Heart Begonia Spirit."
For generations, her family had searched desperately for the legendary Nine-Heart Begonia flower. If it could be consumed or its Spirit Ring absorbed, perhaps it would break the curse. But decades of searching across three generations had yielded nothing.
Ignaz reached into his Hundred Treasure Pouch and brought out a stalk with white stem and red petals—the peerless flower known as Lovesick Heartbreak Red, the King of Flowers.
"The Nine-Heart Begonia Spirit has its corresponding flower. Your clan must have considered this. This plant is the Lovesick Heartbreak Red, a flower king that rivals the Begonia itself. It may solve the curse binding your clan's bloodline."
He wasn't certain—but as the Flower King, even the Nine-Heart Begonia flower would be beneath it. By principle of king and vassal, the Heartbreak Red should have the power to overcome the curse.
He even had another, wilder idea: since the Nine-Heart Begonia was a healing-type Spirit, what if Ye Lingling consumed the Blue Silver Emperor, another life-attribute plant Spirit? Perhaps it could push her Spirit toward evolution. But the Blue Silver Emperor in his possession was still a frail sprout, hardly stronger than ordinary Blue Silver Grass. Even if nurtured in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, it would take millennia before it matured. That idea was far too unrealistic for now.
"Brother Iggy… this flower is so rare and beautiful. Are you truly willing to give it to me?"
"Take it. It was meant for you."
He placed the Lovesick Heartbreak Red—still rooted in stone—into her trembling hands. Overcome with emotion, tears filled Ye Lingling's eyes.
But Ignaz reminded her:
"Lingling, this immortal herb acknowledges a master. You must drip a drop of blood on it while holding the image of the person you love most in your heart. If it accepts you, it will leave the stone of its own accord."
As for its tragic love story, Ignaz had no intention of explaining. If not for the blood-recognition requirement, he would have given it to Yang Wudi to use for alchemy long ago.
"I understand, Brother Iggy."
Ye Lingling bit her finger, letting a drop of blood fall onto the flower's stamen. She closed her eyes, recalling the day she had once rescued Ignaz at the roadside… and then the countless moments of silent affection that followed.
Outside, Ignaz saw the Lovesick Heartbreak Red shine with dazzling crimson light. Ye Lingling's cheeks flushed deeply. He had a faint guess—perhaps she harbored feelings for him.
When the flower finally tore free of the stone, Lingling opened her eyes in a rush, face red with shyness. Without thinking, she threw herself into Ignaz's arms and, catching him off guard, kissed him lightly.
"Thank you, Brother Iggy. You've helped me finally see what's truly in my heart."
Before he could respond, she darted to Dugu Yan's side, devoured the entire flower in three bites, and sat cross-legged to refine its energy.
Meanwhile, Dugu Yan was already struggling bitterly. Sweat beaded down her forehead as her Earth Domain Poison Iggyao Spirit manifested on its own, coiling protectively around her.
"ROAR—"
Its growl grew deeper and more pained by the second.
Ignaz's face sank.
"This is bad."