Chapter 26 The Third Soul Ring
After spending these years together, Ye Chen also discovered that Xiao Wu had a tendency to be a miser.
Normally, when Ye Chen bought her delicious food and fun things, she always picked the cheaper ones. She would definitely be a good wife and loving mother who cared for her family in the future.
If she knew that Ye Chen had spent three million gold coins in three days, how heartbroken would she be?
"...Why would I be heartbroken?"
Xiao Wu asked, puzzled.
"Do you really want to know?"
"Mm-hm."
Xiao Wu nodded seriously.
"Alright then, for the past three days, I've been using some expensive items to boost my luck, hoping to find suitable Spirit Beasts."
"...How expensive?"
Xiao Wu asked cautiously. However, remembering Ye Chen, who usually seemed to have no shortage of money, even he felt depressed, so it must have been a considerable amount.
Ye Chen didn't speak, he just held up three fingers.
"Three hundred gold coins?"
Xiao Wu raised her eyebrows and stated a number.
Ye Chen shook his head.
"Three thousand?"
He shook his head again.
"It can't be thirty thousand gold coins, can it?"
Xiao Wu's face turned a little green. She had never seen so many gold coins in her life!
Although all this money belonged to Ye Chen, wasn't Ye Chen's money Xiao Wu Jie's?
Thinking that Ye Chen had thrown away so many gold coins, Xiao Wu naturally looked displeased.
"None of those, it's three million!"
"Hiss~, three million gold coins?"
Xiao Wu was immediately shocked. Oh my goodness, three million gold coins! It would be enough to bury her alive, wouldn't it? This spendthrift!
"Cough, cough, calm down~, calm down!"
"How can I calm down~, this is three million gold coins! I wouldn't be able to spend this much money in my entire life!"
Xiao Wu said angrily, feeling that Ye Chen was too extravagant!
"Xiao Wu, do you know how much an Immortal Herb costs?"
"That Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone?"
Xiao Wu recalled the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone she had consumed last year.
"Mm."
"How much?"
"One hundred million!"
"One hundred million gold coins?!"
Xiao Wu's eyes widened. She never expected the Immortal Herb she ate to be so expensive! Even if she were sold, she wouldn't be worth one hundred million, would she?
Oh, no, that's not right. Xiao Wu is a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast in human form, possessing a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring and a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Bone. If Ye Chen's System Shop had her for sale, she should be priced at two hundred million.
"Chen Ge, you wouldn't happen to be the illegitimate son of the Heaven Dou Empire's emperor, would you?"
Immediately, Xiao Wu's attention shifted from the three million. Compared to one hundred million, three million seemed rather insignificant, didn't it?
"Didn't I take you to pay respects at my parents' graves? Where would an illegitimate son come from?"
Ye Chen rolled his eyes. Was that old man Xue Ye even worthy?
"Then why are you so rich?"
Xiao Wu said with a suspicious look.
"Didn't I tell you already? I'm the reincarnation of the God of Wealth!"
"You're fooling ghosts! Reincarnation of the God of Wealth, if you were the reincarnation of the God of Wealth, why isn't your Spirit a gold coin?"
Xiao Wu didn't believe Ye Chen's words at all. If Ye Chen were truly the reincarnation of the God of Wealth, then his Spirit would at least be a gold coin or a treasure bowl, right? How could it be a Bamboo Staff?
'The little bunny has grown up, she's not so easy to fool anymore~'
Ye Chen thought to himself.
"Anyway, I am the God of Wealth!"
"Hmph~, God of Wealth, it's getting late, hurry up and pitch the tent!"
Xiao Wu looked at the evening sky and said with a look of disdain.
Ye Chen: "..."
...
Afterward, the two found an open space and prepared to set up their tent.
However, just then, a black-backed mountain pig, about six hundred years old, appeared in their line of sight.
Ye Chen's eyes immediately lit up, and he said to Xiao Wu, "Xiao Wu, how about we don't eat dry rations tonight and have a barbecue instead?"
Don't let the black-backed mountain pig's ugly appearance deceive you, its meat is actually very delicious.
For the past three days, the two had been eating pre-prepared dry rations. Although the taste was acceptable, Ye Chen was tired of it and wanted to try something different.
"Mm-hm!"
Xiao Wu was also a bit disgusted with the dry rations and wanted to eat something tasty.
Although she was a rabbit and liked to eat grass and carrots, after transforming into human form, besides not eating rabbit, monkey, or snake meat, she included all other types of meat with good flavor in her diet.
Especially after Ye Chen bought some convenient barbecue tools and various delicious spices, she fell in love with grilling skewers.
Immediately, Ye Chen's Ink Jade Divine Bamboo Staff appeared in his hand, and he struck the distant black-backed mountain pig with it.
"First Spirit Ability, Binding!"
Instantly, a phantom of the Bamboo Staff descended upon the black-backed mountain pig's head, striking its pig head fiercely.
"Dong—"
Three green halos appeared, restricting the black-backed mountain pig in place. No matter how it struggled, it couldn't break free.
Then, Ye Chen pulled out a Type 95 assault rifle from his spirit tool and fired a burst of bullets at the pig's head.
"Puff, puff, puff~"
Blood bloomed, and the black-backed mountain pig fell into a pool of blood. A yellow spirit ring appeared.
After bleeding the black-backed mountain pig, Ye Chen put it into his spirit tool and took Xiao Wu to find a nearby water source.
A short while later, by a clear stream, Ye Chen skinned and butchered the black-backed mountain pig.
"Hey~, Chen Ge, that lotus flower over there is so beautiful~"
Xiao Wu pointed to the other side of the stream and turned to Ye Chen, saying.
Ye Chen, who was busy with his task, immediately looked in the direction Xiao Wu indicated, only to see a Green Lotus Flower blooming solitarily on the stream.
"A three-thousand-year-old Green Lotus Flower?"
Ye Chen raised his eyebrows. He didn't expect a three-thousand-year-old plant-type Spirit Beast to be growing in this ordinary stream?
"Wait, the innate Spirit Ability of a plant-type Spirit Beast like the Green Lotus Flower seems to be mental force blockade?
Thinking of this, Ye Chen's eyes immediately lit up. Sealing mental force, isn't this a powerful control-type Spirit Ability?
The importance of mental force goes without saying. On the continent, some Spirit Masters use mental force as their primary means of combat, such as Spirit Hall's little fox Hu Liena. Her Spirit is a Charming Fox, and she follows the path of mental control.
If Ye Chen had the Spirit Ability to seal mental force, it would absolutely counter Hu Liena, as Hu Liena is not particularly strong in other aspects besides her mental force.
"Xiao Wu, you truly are my lucky star!"
Ye Chen wasn't sure if it was the lucky card he had used earlier that took effect, or the luck Xiao Wu brought him that allowed him to find a suitable target for himself. But Ye Chen wasn't a dense man, so he naturally attributed it to Xiao Wu.
"Hehe~"
Xiao Wu smiled and didn't say much.
The stream was neither deep nor wide, and the two easily waded across.
However, given that it was mealtime, Ye Chen didn't immediately take action. He decided to fill his stomach first, then attach the spirit ring.
Ye Chen's grilling skills were much better than Xiao Wu's, so he busied himself grilling skewers, while Xiao Wu set up the tent nearby.Chapter 27 External Soul Bone? !
After enjoying a delicious barbecue, Ye Chen went to the Green Lotus Flower, thinking of 'destroying the flower with a ruthless hand'.
Perhaps sensing Ye Chen's approach, the Green Lotus Flower instinctively released its innate Spirit Ability.
A misty green light enveloped Ye Chen.
Unfortunately, while the Green Lotus Flower's innate Spirit Ability could seal mental force, it made little difference to Ye Chen.
After all, although Ye Chen's mental force was formidable after cultivating the Creation Soul Forging Art, he didn't rely on mental force for his power; his two Spirit Abilities had nothing to do with mental force.
Lotus-type Spirit Beasts are not just the lotus flower or leaves that appear on the water surface; they also have lotus roots underwater, which are their vital parts.
If only the lotus flower and leaves were cut, it would only be a severe injury, not a fundamental one, and they would regrow in a short time.
Given that the vital part of this Green Lotus Flower was underwater, Ye Chen didn't consider throwing a white phosphorus grenade, as white phosphorus, despite its low ignition point, wouldn't burn without oxygen.
After some thought, Ye Chen bought a depth charge from the System Shop and threw it towards the root of the Green Lotus Flower.
With a 'boom—', the powerful depth charge exploded, sending creek water three zhang high, and the underwater mud and sand turned murky.
Once it settled, Ye Chen saw a dazzling purple spirit ring appear.
Compared to animal-type Spirit Beasts, plant-type Spirit Beasts are easier to deal with because their intelligence is far inferior to animal-type Spirit Beasts, and most are immobile with limited means, making them easy targets for Spirit Masters.
Of course, this is only limited to low-year plant-type Spirit Beasts; if they are high-year, they might be even more troublesome than animal-type Spirit Beasts. Regardless of the type of plant-type Spirit Beast, their recovery ability is definitely superior to animal-type Spirit Beasts.
Seeing the spirit ring appear, Ye Chen nodded in satisfaction.
Dealing with this immobile plant-type Spirit Beast was too simple for Ye Chen.
Subsequently, his Ink Jade Divine Bamboo Staff Spirit appeared in his hand, and Ye Chen began to attract the spirit ring.
As soon as this qing he hua spirit ring was drawn by the Spirit, it immediately landed on Ye Chen's body, then the spirit ring rapidly shrunk and settled onto the Ink Jade Divine Bamboo Staff.
Instantly, Ye Chen felt a vast spirit power, filled with Pure Nether aura, surging into his body through the Spirit.
Ye Chen had already absorbed two thousand-year spirit rings. If an ordinary Level 30 quasi-Spirit Elder were here, even if they could originally withstand this qing he hua spirit ring, they would undoubtedly explode and die if they tried to attach it.
After all, a Level 30 Spirit Master certainly couldn't bear spirit rings with a cumulative age of five thousand years. But Ye Chen was different; he cultivated the Creation Body Tempering Art, and his physical quality far exceeded that of Spirit Masters of the same level, so he could still withstand it.
.....
Time slowly passed, and after half a day, the spirit power contained within this qing he hua spirit ring was almost completely refined by Ye Chen.
However, just then, Ye Chen, who was refining the spirit ring, suddenly encountered an unexpected situation.
Suddenly, Ye Chen felt a strong pain in his glabella, and this pain was not physical but mental.
"Ah—"
The intense pain made Ye Chen let out a scream.
Xiao Wu, who was originally guarding Ye Chen nearby, suddenly heard the scream and immediately ran to Ye Chen's front with a worried expression.
At this moment, Ye Chen had a miniature Green Lotus Flower, like a mark, at his glabella, emitting a misty green light, as if it wanted to take root in his glabella.
"How could this happen?"
Looking at the agonizing Ye Chen, Xiao Wu was extremely anxious, but she had no good solution. After all, when a Spirit Master absorbs a spirit ring, the most taboo thing is to be disturbed by others.
However, at this moment, after Ye Chen recovered, his mood was joyful.
When absorbing the spirit ring, he had Xiao Wu guarding him, and the year of this qing he hua spirit ring was also within his tolerance range, so no mistakes should occur.
But now that a change had occurred, it must be because his luck was off the charts, and he had encountered a very rare external Spirit Bone.
Any Spirit Master with a bit of knowledge knows that Spirit Bones have six parts: head, torso, left arm, right arm, left leg, and right leg. However, there are some Spirit Bones that are not among these six parts.
Aside from the Spirit Bones in these six normal parts, all other Spirit Bones are collectively referred to as external Spirit Bones.
external Spirit Bones manifest in various ways: some are tail-like, some are wing-like, some are claw-like, some are spider leg-like, and so on.
Moreover, the value of an external Spirit Bone, for Ye Chen, was even higher than a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Bone in a normal part.
This is because external Spirit Bones can increase in age as the Spirit Master's strength improves. As long as one advances to Titled Douluo, an external Spirit Bone can evolve into a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Bone, and if one continues to advance, the age of the external Spirit Bone will further increase.
And Ye Chen's future achievements would definitely be far more than just newly advanced Titled Douluo.
'Indeed, this Lucky Card wasn't used for nothing; it finally showed its value!'
At this moment, Ye Chen was both in pain and happy.
'It seems my external Spirit Bone should be a head external Spirit Bone.'
Since it was his head that hurt, and not other places, there was no doubt that this was definitely a head external Spirit Bone.
Although he wasn't sure what effect this head external Spirit Bone would have, Ye Chen believed it was definitely a good thing.
Ye Chen even thought that after obtaining the external Spirit Bone, the schedule for increasing the age of various spirit rings could be moved up.
After all, a Spirit Master's tolerance for spirit rings has a certain upper limit. Even if Ye Chen currently had a large amount of gold coin and had cultivated the Creation Body Tempering Art, it was impossible to infinitely increase the age of spirit rings.
Otherwise, it might be bearable now, but when he cultivated to the next bottleneck, he might not be able to attach spirit rings again.
But with an external Spirit Bone and its age increased, even if the primary enhancement of the head external Spirit Bone should be in terms of mental force, it would certainly significantly improve his physical quality.
Perhaps the spirit ring configuration for an ordinary Four-Ring Spirit Ancestor could at most reach two yellow and two purple, and an extremely outstanding genius might achieve two yellow, one purple, and one black, which would be remarkable.
But Ye Chen would definitely be able to achieve a four-black spirit ring configuration when he was a Four-Ring Spirit Ancestor!
This spirit ring configuration, if an ordinary Spirit King were to try it, would definitely result in an explosion and death.
After all, according to the maximum age for the optimal spirit ring ratio, the sum of the ages of the five spirit rings on a Five-Ring Soul King would only be around twenty thousand years, or even less than twenty thousand years.Chapter 28 Er Ming Comes to See You
Time passed by second by second. By the stream, Xiao Wu felt a little relieved seeing that Ye Chen was no longer crying out, but she still waited anxiously.
Ye Chen, meanwhile, silently endured the pain in his head, fully absorbing this external Spirit Bone for the head.
But just then, Xiao Wu seemed to sense something, her eyes immediately widened, gazing at the distant forest.
Soon, with the help of the bright moonlight, Xiao Wu saw a massive figure quietly emerge from the forest ahead.
It was an existence like a mountain, with dark fur that shimmered faintly under the weak starlight and moonlight. Although it was on all fours, its shoulder height definitely exceeded seven meters.
If it stood upright, its height would probably be over fifteen meters.
Outwardly, it was an existence that resembled both an ape and a chimpanzee. Aside from a pair of lantern-sized eyes that glowed with a yellow crystal-like luster, its entire body was pitch black, covered in granite-like muscles.
In terms of muscle, looking across the entire Douluo Continent, this colossal creature was definitely among the top ranks.
It was precisely one of Xiao Wu's little brothers, the 100,000-year Titan Giant Ape, Er Ming.
These past few days, Er Ming was bored at 'home', so he left the core area and wandered aimlessly in the Star Dou Great Forest.
Although Xiao Wu had a disguise necklace, she only shielded her Spirit Beast aura. In other aspects, she didn't bother with anything extra.
Sure enough, Er Ming, who had wandered nearby, sensed her and immediately rushed over.
After all, in these years, Xiao Wu had gone to the human World and there had been no news of her. Er Ming was very worried, fearing that Xiao Wu would be discovered by human powerhouses and have her spirit ring and Spirit Bone taken.
And when Er Ming appeared, Ye Chen, who was in the process of absorbing the external Spirit Bone, suddenly felt his hairs stand on end.
'What's happening?'
Due to his insufficient mental force, Ye Chen couldn't project his mental force, so he couldn't see anything, but he could feel that some formidable big guy seemed to have arrived.
'Could it be that big monkey Er Ming has come?'
Ye Chen thought to himself.
Xiao Wu, upon seeing her little brother Er Ming, her face lit up with joy, but she instantly thought of something and immediately raised her index finger to her mouth, signaling him not to make a sound.
Then, glancing at Ye Chen beside her, Xiao Wu tiptoed towards Er Ming and led him away to a distance.
"Roar~!" "Xiao Wu Jie, I miss you so much~!"
Er Ming let out a soft growl. Although Er Ming hadn't learned to speak yet, Xiao Wu Jie was 'omnipotent' and naturally understood what her little brother was saying.
"Hehe, Er Ming, Xiao Wu Jie misses you too. How is Da Ming?"
Upon hearing this, the Titan Giant Ape nodded.
"That's good. Er Ming, don't worry, I won't be in danger in the human World. Look now, has my aura changed?"
Xiao Wu said to Er Ming.
"Roar?" "What's going on?"
Instantly, Er Ming's eyes widened. He sensed that Xiao Wu's aura had changed. If he hadn't confirmed it with his own eyes, he would have thought someone was impersonating his Xiao Wu Jie!
"This necklace can change my aura at will. Don't worry, I definitely won't be discovered by Spirit Master powerhouses!"
Saying that, Xiao Wu raised the 'carrot' necklace she was wearing around her neck.
"Er Ming, hurry back. I'm very safe in the human World. You and Da Ming must hide well in the forest!"
"Roar~"
With a soft growl, Er Ming covered a hundred meters in a single leap and disappeared from Xiao Wu's sight.
He had to hurry back and tell Da Ming the news that their Xiao Wu Jie was safe and sound!
In fact, within the Star Dou Great Forest, besides the Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Azure Bull Python, there were other 100,000-year Spirit Beasts, but they were all well-hidden and little known.
Spirit Masters and Spirit Beasts were naturally hostile. Unless it was a Titled Douluo, encountering a 100,000-year Spirit Beast meant there was no chance to even escape. This also led to the situation where 100,000-year Spirit Beasts were extremely rare.
A 100,000-year Spirit Beast itself was equivalent to a human Titled Douluo, and due to racial advantages, they basically possessed the strength of a human 95th Level Titled Douluo.
Even powerful 100,000-year Spirit Beasts with strong bloodlines like the Titan Giant Ape and Sky Azure Bull Python were no match for ordinary 95th Level Titled Douluo.
Of course, this was assuming the Titled Douluo did not possess 100,000-year spirit rings and Spirit Bones.
However, one point was a bit illogical: Bibi Dong possessed two 100,000-year spirit rings and more than four 100,000-year Spirit Bones, and she brought several Titled Douluo-level subordinates, yet she still couldn't take down the 100,000-year Titan Giant Ape and Sky Azure Bull Python. Isn't that a bit of a letdown?
With this configuration, plus her spirit power level of a 99th Level Peerless Douluo, let alone 100,000-year Spirit Beasts, even if their age doubled, she should still be able to easily take them down, right?
...
As the moon set and the sun rose, when the sun hung high, nearing noon, Ye Chen finally successfully absorbed this external Spirit Bone for the head.
At this moment, a small, Green Lotus Flower mark appeared between Ye Chen's eyebrows.
"Chen Ge, how are you?"
Xiao Wu, who was nearby, immediately stepped forward and asked.
"I'm fine!"
Ye Chen said with a joyful expression.
"What happened earlier? Why would there be an accident when absorbing a spirit ring?"
Because external Spirit Bones were rare, Xiao Wu had never seen one, so she didn't connect the two.
"I was lucky this time; I encountered an external Spirit Bone!"
Ye Chen secretly thought that his three lucky cards were not wasted.
This Green Lotus Flower was about three thousand years old. Even if what he got wasn't a precious external Spirit Bone but an ordinary three-thousand-year head Spirit Bone, its value would definitely be over three million gold coins. If it were put up for auction, it would probably sell for at least ten million gold coins, right?
After all, the value of head Spirit Bones and torso Spirit Bones exceeded that of ordinary limb Spirit Bones.
Just like in the original work, the Mind Condensing Wisdom Skull rewarded to the champion team of the Soul Master Competition, although its age was only fifty thousand years, its value was already no less than that of an ordinary 100,000-year Spirit Bone.
"external Spirit Bone?"
Xiao Wu's eyes widened, and she said with an incredulous expression.
Although she had never seen an external Spirit Bone, she had heard of them, especially since Ye Chen had previously educated her about the preciousness of external Spirit Bones.
"Mm-hmm."
"I don't see any changes in you? Didn't you say external Spirit Bones are all like tails, wings, or claws?"
Xiao Wu looked Ye Chen up and down, only noticing that a mark had appeared between Ye Chen's eyebrows; there was no other difference from before.
"A Green Lotus Flower, where would it get these strange things?"
Ye Chen rolled his eyes.
However, in Ye Chen's opinion, claw and wing-type external Spirit Bones looked decent, but if it were a tail, as a grown man, he would feel a bit awkward. But if it were a girl, perhaps it would be more charming?
Of course, these were still considered normal. If it were a toad-type Spirit Beast that dropped a tongue-type external Spirit Bone, that would be a bit... something else~Chapter 29 Confession
"Then, what is the use of this external Spirit Bone?"
"The effect is good. The attached Soul Bone Skill—Emerging from Mud, Yet Untainted—can grant immunity to 20% of physical, energy, and mental damage."
As he spoke, a green light flashed from the green lotus mark between Ye Chen's eyebrows, and a palm-sized lotus platform appeared, floating a foot above Ye Chen's head.
As soon as the green lotus platform appeared, it immediately cast down a misty green light, enveloping Ye Chen's entire body.
The Soul Bone Skill attached to this external Spirit Bone—Emerging from Mud, Yet Untainted—was not a passive Soul Bone Skill, but an active one, which could be turned off and on at any time. When in use, it required continuous consumption of Ye Chen's spirit power.
Originally, the name of the Soul Bone Skill was just 'Damage Immunity', but wasn't it up to Ye Chen to decide the name? He directly adopted a slightly more elegant name.
Although the damage immunity percentage of the 'Emerging from Mud, Yet Untainted' Soul Bone Skill was a bit low, it didn't matter. An external Spirit Bone could increase its years as a Spirit Master's spirit power level increased. After the years increased, the effect of the Soul Bone Skill would definitely improve accordingly.
What's more, Ye Chen could buy Spirit Bone year-boosting cards in the System Shop. He didn't need to wait until he became a Titled Douluo to raise its years to 100,000 years. Anyway, he had plenty of money now.
Although an external Spirit Bone could automatically increase its years, Ye Chen didn't plan to let it evolve automatically. After all, increasing the years of a Spirit Bone, similar to a spirit ring, could also increase his spirit power level.
The large amount of gold coins consumed, through early promotion to a higher level, would result in more filial piety from his own son. For Ye Chen, it was definitely more profitable.
"Emerging from Mud, Yet Untainted? The name is quite elegant! Does this external Spirit Bone have a specific name?"
Xiao Wu asked Ye Chen.
"Let's call it Creation Green Lotus!"
After some thought, Ye Chen gave his external Spirit Bone a high-end, atmospheric, and classy name.
Although he knew that his Creation Green Lotus was a 'monkey version', countless levels inferior to the legendary Creation Green Lotus of his previous life, it sounded more comfortable, didn't it?
Moreover, with the Creation Green Lotus above his head and a Bamboo Staff in his hand, it perfectly fit Ye Chen's immortal-like demeanor. If any discerning onlookers saw him, wouldn't they exclaim, 'A True Immortal who has attained the Dao'?!
"By the way, Xiao Wu, did anything happen when I was absorbing the external Spirit Bone earlier?"
Ye Chen asked Xiao Wu with a serious expression.
"No?"
Xiao Wu feigned an innocent and adorable look.
"Xiao Wu, don't ever leave me!"
Ye Chen looked deeply at Xiao Wu, then pulled her into his arms.
"What's wrong~, why are you like this~"
Xiao Wu was stunned by Ye Chen's sudden action, then her face flushed as she asked softly.
"Just remember, don't ever leave without saying goodbye!"
As he spoke, Ye Chen saw the rabbit ears on Xiao Wu's head and couldn't help but reach out to touch them.
'??? Could Chen Ge know about my Spirit Beast transformation identity?'
At this moment, Xiao Wu suddenly thought of this point. In her shock, she didn't even react in time when Ye Chen touched her rabbit ears.
One had to know, when they were at Notting College before, Ye Chen had also thought about Xiao Wu's rabbit ears, but every time he tried, he would inevitably be beaten up by Xiao Wu.
'Never mind, Chen Ge won't hurt me anyway!'
On this point, Xiao Wu had absolute confidence.
Although Xiao Wu wasn't sure where Ye Chen got the cards that could increase the years of a spirit ring.
But since he could use such cards to increase the years of a spirit ring, Spirit Bones should also be possible, right? Then he definitely wouldn't covet her 100,000-year spirit ring and Spirit Bone.
And Xiao Wu also knew that the Immortal Herb she had taken back then was no less valuable than her spirit ring and Spirit Bone. Ye Chen definitely wouldn't do anything to harm her.
Recalling the little moments they had shared over the years, a sudden impulse arose in Xiao Wu to tell Ye Chen her true identity.
"Chen Ge, you'll protect me, right?"
Xiao Wu said to Ye Chen with a loving expression.
"Mm-hmm, my Xiao Wu is so cute. Anyone who dares to harm her will pay with their life!"
Ye Chen nodded seriously.
"Chen Ge, I deceived you before. My true identity is actually a 100,000-year Spirit Beast who has taken human form. Can you forgive me for hiding it?"
Raising her small head, Xiao Wu looked at Ye Chen with her watery eyes.
'??? Why did this little rabbit suddenly confess?'
Looking at the soft and adorable Xiao Wu, Ye Chen didn't say much and chose to respond with action, directly pressing his lips against her cherry-red mouth.
A long time passed~
"Mmm~"
When Xiao Wu was almost out of breath, she finally pushed Ye Chen away.
"Why are you taking advantage of me?!"
Xiao Wu said to Ye Chen, her face full of anger.
"We've shared a bed for so many years, can this still be called taking advantage?"
"Hmph~, you only know how to bully me!"
"Wronged! How can I, a mere Spirit Elder, bully you, a four-ring Spirit Ancestor?"
If Xiao Wu hadn't resisted, Ye Chen wouldn't have been able to succeed.
"Have you really forgiven me for hiding it?"
Xiao Wu wasn't angry; instead, she asked seriously.
"Mm-hmm, my Xiao Wu is so cute, who would dislike her?"
Ye Chen said gently, stroking Xiao Wu's head.
"No, no, you knew already, didn't you?"
Suddenly, Xiao Wu remembered the disguise necklace Ye Chen had given her. Perhaps he knew back then?
"Oh? I didn't realize! Xiao Wu, you're quite smart!"
Ye Chen was surprised. When did this silly little rabbit become so clever?
"Tell me, when did you find out!"
Instantly, Xiao Wu reverted to her usual 'savage' demeanor.
"Didn't I tell you? I'm the reincarnation of the God of Wealth. The first time I saw you, I realized you were a cute little rabbit."
"You're lying again!"
"I'm not lying, after all, Xiao Wu is a little rabbit, isn't she~"
"You're asking for a beating!"
Immediately, Xiao Wu pounced on Ye Chen, and the two of them started playfully wrestling.
...
"Chen Ge, thank you~"
After their playful fight, Xiao Wu sat beside Ye Chen and said to him.
"Thank me for what? If you really want to thank me, just call me Ge! From now on, I'll protect you, little rabbit!"
"Ge!—"
"Mm, Xiao Wu is so good!"
At this moment, their relationship grew even closer.
"Wait a minute~, Ge, you're only a three-ring Spirit Elder, and I'm a four-ring Spirit Ancestor. Why would I need your protection?!"
Suddenly, Xiao Wu remembered this and said with a look of disdain.
Ye Chen: "..."
"You just wait, I'll become a Spirit Ancestor very soon!"
This was simply unbearable!Chapter 30: The Effect of Staying Clean in the Muck
Subsequently, Ye Chen began to examine the changes in himself after advancing to a three-ring Spirit Elder.
The first thing he checked was the number of gold coins his attached 'son' always presented to him.
He found that when he was at the two-ring Spirit Grandmaster level, he only received four gold coins each time, but after advancing, it had now become six. Over a year, this was enough for him to save over 189 million glittering gold coins.
[Attribute Panel]
[Host: Ye Chen]
[spirit power: Level 33]
[Spirit: Ink Jade Divine Bamboo Staff]
[spirit rings: Purple, Purple, Purple]
[First Spirit Ability: Binding]
[Second Spirit Ability: Hun Luan (Chaos)]
[Third Spirit Ability: Spirit Restriction]
[Spirit Bone: Creation Green Lotus (external Spirit Bone)]
Looking at his attribute panel, Ye Chen nodded in satisfaction.
A three-thousand-year qing he hua spirit ring, plus an external Spirit Bone of the same age, directly raised his spirit power level to 33 Spirit Elder upon advancement.
And the third Spirit Ability, Spirit Restriction, similar to the Green Lotus Flower's innate Spirit Ability, also sealed the opponent's mental force.
Perhaps this Spirit Ability wouldn't have much effect in the early stages, but in the later stages, when the role of mental force became more prominent, its effect would be significant.
Moreover, this Spirit Ability was a natural counter to Spirit Masters who followed the mental control or mental attack routes.
Seeing that there was still half a small goal of gold coins in his System Shop, Ye Chen directly bought seven purple thousand-year and nine black ten-thousand-year Spirit Bone year-boosting cards.
For now, boosting the external Spirit Bone: Creation Green Lotus to a hundred thousand years was enough. Ye Chen kept the remaining gold coins as backup, and he also planned to boost all his spirit rings to black ten-thousand-year after advancing to Spirit Ancestor.
With the use of seven purple thousand-year Spirit Bone year-boosting cards, the age of the Creation Green Lotus, under the shining of a green radiance, increased to ten thousand years, incidentally boosting some of Ye Chen's spirit power.
And the Soul Bone Skill: Emerging from Mud, Yet Untainted, also increased from immunity to 20% physical, energy, and mental force damage to 30% immunity.
'Not bad, it really improved!'
As Ye Chen had expected, after the Creation Green Lotus's age increased, the immunity percentage also improved.
Without hesitation, Ye Chen also integrated the remaining nine black ten-thousand-year Spirit Bone year-boosting cards into the Creation Green Lotus.
Instantly, the green radiance became even more dazzling, and as the Creation Green Lotus advanced to a hundred thousand years, Ye Chen also felt a surge of vast spirit power emerge.
After all, even if a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Bone were given to a Level 91 Titled Douluo to absorb, it could still raise their spirit power level by one, couldn't it? On Ye Chen, the increase would certainly be very significant.
However, compared to a Titled Douluo, Ye Chen's absorption efficiency was not high; otherwise, the immense spirit power required for a Titled Douluo to advance one spirit power level would be enough to burst Ye Chen, this small three-ring Spirit Elder.
As the age of the external Spirit Bone: Creation Green Lotus increased to a hundred thousand years, the immunity effect of Emerging from Mud, Yet Untainted also increased to 50%.
From now on, any enemy attacking Ye Chen would have their damage halved. This effect was heaven-defying, truly worthy of a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Bone.
Ye Chen even fantasized that if the age of the Creation Green Lotus were to advance to a million years, wouldn't the effect of Emerging from Mud, Yet Untainted be even more heaven-defying?
"!!! Still a bit short?"
Feeling his spirit power level, still a little short of Level 40 quasi-Spirit Ancestor, Ye Chen was a bit down.
However, this was still good. The energy contained in a Spirit Bone was far lower than that of a spirit ring of the same age. When Ye Chen was Level 30, attaching a three-thousand-year spirit ring would basically only raise him to Level 32 Spirit Elder.
That is to say, the hundred-thousand-year Creation Green Lotus external Spirit Bone directly increased Ye Chen's spirit power by nearly 7 levels, not quite 8 levels. Ye Chen estimated that he would need to cultivate for almost two years to achieve that much spirit power.
However, being just one step away from being able to attach the fourth spirit ring was not a problem for Ye Chen.
After all, with the hundred-thousand-year head external Spirit Bone, his physical quality and mental force had greatly improved. Ye Chen could also boost the age of his three spirit rings by spending money, thereby driving the increase in his spirit power level!
With his current capacity, bearing four ten-thousand-year spirit rings was definitely not a problem.
In fact, even if Ye Chen didn't have the boost from the Creation Green Lotus, by the time he advanced to a four-ring Spirit Ancestor, he would still be able to bear four ten-thousand-year spirit rings, as the Creation Body Tempering Art he had cultivated for many years was not just for show.
Since he was going to boost the age of his spirit rings, Ye Chen also bought spirit ring year-boosting cards for Xiao Wu.
Aside from the fourth spirit ring, Xiao Wu's current spirit ring configuration was similar to Ye Chen's. Her first and second spirit rings, after the last boost, were both just over a thousand years old, and her third spirit ring was also just over three thousand years old.
If both of them wanted to boost their spirit ring configuration to all black, it would require a full half of a small goal of gold coins. So, Ye Chen set his sights on the purple thousand-year spirit ring year-boosting cards.
The reason for buying purple thousand-year ones instead of black ten-thousand-year ones was mainly because these spirit ring year-boosting cards could not be split for use. If he bought black ten-thousand-year ones, his small treasury would not be enough.
When Ye Chen bought fifty purple thousand-year spirit ring year-boosting cards, the balance in the System Shop was almost zero.
However, Ye Chen's savings accumulation speed was very fast now. In one day, he could save over three hundred thousand gold coins, and in just over half a year, he could restore his 'financial level' to a healthy state of one small goal.
Moreover, after he obtained his fourth spirit ring, this speed would be even faster.
"Xiao Wu, half for you."
Ye Chen handed half of the large stack of spirit ring year-boosting cards in his hand to Xiao Wu.
"Purple ones? Does that mean they can boost by a thousand years?"
Xiao Wu had used these cards before in the Hunting Soul Forest, so she naturally knew what they were for. However, the ones she used last time were only yellow hundred-year ones. Now they had become purple thousand-year ones?
"Mm, actually they are all the same. It's just that this kind of treasure cannot be split for use; it can't boost the age of two spirit rings at the same time."
"Huh? There are twenty-five? So, does that mean I can boost all three of my previous spirit rings to ten thousand years?"
Counting the cards in her hand, Xiao Wu's eyes immediately widened.
She was only a four-ring Spirit Ancestor, yet she could possess four ten-thousand-year spirit rings. This was something she had never heard of!
On the Douluo Continent, let alone a four-ring Spirit Ancestor, even among Titled Douluo, only a select few could achieve having their first four spirit rings reach black ten-thousand-year.
As far as Ye Chen knew, currently only Qian Daoliu, Poseidon, and Bibi Dong's Soul Eating Spider Emperor Spirit had their first four spirit rings all reach ten thousand years.