Word Count: 3,443
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The Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear and the Evileye Tyrant had both fallen, leaving behind three External Spirit Bones that could only be described as treasures people would spill rivers of blood for.
In the current ‘Legend of the Dragon King’ era, spirit beasts teetered on the brink of extinction, and spirit bones grew rarer with every passing year.
External Spirit Bones, however, were national-level treasures in any age.
And in the hands of a monstrous Spirit Master, absorbing one was practically equivalent to absorbing a Great Beast spirit bone!
Na Er cradled the Evil Eye and flashed to Zhao Xuanzhen’s side, her voice brimming with amazement.
“Three External Spirit Bones! That Evileye Tyrant was probably a descendant of the Evil Emperor, and the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear dropping two palm bones means there’s a very high chance it was Bear Lord’s offspring. The strongest race, the best possible body part, the most compatible attributes. Aunt Leng really made the Spirit Pagoda cough up blood this time!”
“More than that,” Zhao Xuanzhen replied.
“Teacher was obviously exploiting a loophole in the rules. She transferred those two spirit beasts into the Eastsea City Spirit Ascension Platform ahead of time and then sent us here to kill them. Once the Pagoda Master finds out, he won’t be able to do anything to Teacher directly, but he’ll learn from this. From now on, if Spirit Masters kill platform guardians again, the Spirit Pagoda will make sure they can’t absorb any External Spirit Bones.”
The value of an External Spirit Bone was no lower than that of a 100,000-year spirit bone.
Having lived in the Spirit Pagoda for ten years, Zhao Xuanzhen understood the rules involved and the price behind them.
Tang Wulin had safely absorbed a 100-year Dark Gold Terror Claw right palm bone without suffering any reckoning from the Spirit Pagoda afterward.
Ninety-eight percent of that was likely because Gu Yue had intervened in secret, most probably leveraging Leng Yaozhu’s authority to forcibly suppress whatever trouble that spirit bone had left behind.
“Let’s absorb the spirit bones first, then go wander around Eastsea City and eat all the local specialties!” Na Er said eagerly.
“You go first. I’ll stand guard.”
They were still inside the Rebellion Spirit Ascension Platform, where stray spirit beasts could interrupt at any moment.
Taking turns was the only way to guarantee complete safety.
Na Er sat down cross-legged and guided the Evil Eye External Spirit Bone into fusion with her spirit power.
A spirit bone could strengthen a Spirit Master’s body while also granting a spirit skill linked to the bone itself.
The Evileye Tyrant was a spiritual-attribute spirit beast, so Na Er’s spiritual power would rise sharply after fusion.
The skill contained within the Evil Eye would almost certainly be spiritual in nature as well, and there was even a chance it might grant her spatial power.
Leng Yaozhu had not chosen these spirit bones at random.
She had analyzed both of their abilities and selected spirit beast species that were powerful and perfectly suited to each of them.
Na Er’s spiritual power far surpassed that of Spirit Masters at the same rank, and her Silver Dragon Spear walked the path of space.
An Evileye Tyrant that had comprehended the spatial attribute was the ideal first choice for her.
Zhao Xuanzhen’s Body Martial Spirit, True Self, encompassed both body and spirit.
His Tai Chi was peerless in close combat, and the Dark Gold Terror Claw was universally acknowledged throughout the Spirit Master world as the finest palm bone in existence.
The boost it would give both his hands was immense.
The force behind his fists and palms would undoubtedly surge yet again.
Na Er’s eyes fluttered open some time later.
The fusion had gone through without the slightest trouble.
Against one half of the Silver Dragon King, a mere 1,000-year Evileye Tyrant truly could not stir up any waves.
After fusing with the Evil Eye External Spirit Bone, Na Er’s silver pupils seemed slightly brighter and more radiant than before.
Clear, lively light swirled within them, and her irises shimmered like exquisite crystals, dazzling and soul-stirring.
The Dark Gold Terror Claw left and right palm bones floated into the air, trailing twin ribbons of dark-gold light.
Specks of radiance drifted free and drew close to Zhao Xuanzhen’s palms.
‘What a pity.
If only it had dropped an elbow bone too, that would have been perfect.’
Even in the last second before fusion, Zhao Xuanzhen still had not given up on his dream of the ultimate elbow strike.
Energy from the two External Spirit Bones poured into his palms like a hundred rivers returning to the sea.
Dark-gold ripples instantly spread across the surface of his skin, leaping and twisting, brightening and dimming as the Dark Gold Terror Claw’s will struggled fiercely against fusion with a human Spirit Master.
That was not its choice to make.
Zhao Xuanzhen overrode the will of both External Spirit Bones and relied on the sheer ferocity of his physical constitution to seize and absorb every last drop of their power.
An illusory figure of the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear condensed before him.
Under Zhao Xuanzhen’s cold, unyielding pressure, that massive, majestic beast somehow looked small, pitiful, and helpless.
In the end, it let out a low, reluctant growl, as if conceding defeat and acknowledging this absurdly monstrous host.
The entire process went smoothly.
Zhao Xuanzhen opened his eyes and found Na Er’s breathtaking face right in front of him, along with a pair of large eyes blinking at him.
Na Er stared at his hands, which had changed hardly at all, and a flicker of surprise crossed her gaze.
“Zhao Xuanzhen, I just realized something.”
“Oh?”
“I found a book in the headquarters library before. It had information on Body Martial Spirits.” Na Er spoke with growing curiosity.
“It said that people who awaken a Body Martial Spirit are completely different from ordinary people, because their body cells undergo drastic mutations. For example, if someone’s Body Martial Spirit is their arm, that arm will be especially thick and powerful even without Martial Spirit Manifestation. If it’s the brain, then the Spirit Master’s head will be very large. So what’s going on with you? True Self hasn’t changed your appearance at all, and even after absorbing the Dark Gold Terror Claw, your hands look exactly the same as before.”
Zhao Xuanzhen could not help laughing.
“A Body Martial Spirit is part of the Spirit Master’s own body. Every Body Martial Spirit is a different version of oneself. I can change my body however I want, enlarge or shrink it at will, but that sort of thing has no real effect. Strength lies in every tempered muscle, every resilient meridian, every drop of flowing blood. It has nothing to do with how big something looks.”
“Enlarge or shrink at will?”
Na Er ignored everything after that and latched onto those few words instead.
She pulled a serious little face and asked with grave solemnity, “Anywhere?”
“Why would I lie? Full-body coverage, no dead angles whatsoever—” Zhao Xuanzhen answered without thinking, then froze.
“Wait, no! That’s not what I—”
He caught the flush creeping across Na Er’s cheeks and glared at her.
Good grief, this girl and her dirty mind!
The two laughed and bickered for a while longer before leaving the Rebellion Spirit Ascension Platform together and returning to the Eastsea City Spirit Pagoda.
In the observation room, Leng Yaozhu watched the two children she was so proud of rise to their feet and smiled.
“Congratulations on passing the test and obtaining the rewards you deserved.”
“Aunt Leng, you’re the best!” Na Er launched into flattery at once.
Leng Yaozhu gently stroked Na Er’s smooth silver hair, then turned her crimson phoenix eyes toward Zhao Xuanzhen.
“I’m meeting Gu Yue’s mother, Purple Dragon Douluo, shortly to discuss Gu Yue’s entry into the Spirit Pagoda. I’ll also take the opportunity to probe the background of that hidden faction. You two can move freely for now. I’ll assign two teams of Eastsea City Spirit Pagoda enforcers to protect you.”
“Understood, Teacher.”
“Okay, Aunt Leng!”
…
The damp evening breeze caressed their cheeks.
Sunset clouds blazed across the sky, painting everything in breathtaking color.
Beneath the sinking sun, their shadows wavered like flowing shards of gold.
The hem of the girl’s white dress fluttered softly, and the bell hanging from the red cord at her waist chimed with every step.
“What do you want to eat?” Zhao Xuanzhen pulled out his Spirit Communication Device and began scrolling through food guides.
“Eastsea City is famous for its seafood. Should I pick a restaurant on SpiritNet and book us a big seafood dinner?”
Na Er shook her head like a rattle drum, then rose onto her tiptoes and looked down at him with magnificent disdain.
“Who goes traveling just to eat at SpiritNet-recommended restaurants? Those places exist to cheat outsiders! We’re going to a hidden little local spot to properly taste the local flavor!”
“That… actually makes sense.” Zhao Xuanzhen paused.
“So where exactly is this hidden local spot hiding?”
That was precisely the line Na Er had been waiting for.
She looked so smug her tail might as well have shot straight into the sky.
“On the way to Eastsea City, I made a post on SpiritNet. I specifically found a restaurant that didn’t look too bad, then wrote that Eastsea City was nothing special, not even as good as neighboring Skysea City, basically a total culinary wasteland! The Eastsea locals lost it. They called me blind to real quality and started recommending all the little places they actually go to. Someone even offered to treat me personally so I could taste what Eastsea City’s real food is like!”
“…”
Zhao Xuanzhen stared at her, dumbfounded.
Great.
I’m the clueless tourist after all.
Na Er hooked herself around his arm and spoke earnestly.
“When it comes to finding food, ten of you together still wouldn’t equal one of me. Just follow the clever Queen Na Er, and I guarantee you’ll be satisfied tonight!”
The two of them threaded through Eastsea City toward their target restaurant.
Two teams of Spirit Pagoda enforcers trailed far behind, neither interfering with the two little ancestors’ outing nor ever straying so far that they could not step in at a moment’s notice.
They arrived on an old street thick with the pulse of everyday life.
Shops stood shoulder to shoulder on both sides, and all manner of fragrances drifted and mingled in the air, setting appetites ablaze.
“Stew-Pot Beef…”
Zhao Xuanzhen looked up at the weathered old signboard and hesitated.
“This is what the locals recommended?”
Na Er was brimming with confidence.
“They all said this place’s stew-pot beef is ridiculously good. Today we’re doing what ordinary people on SpiritNet do: visiting a shop like real food explorers! Hurry up, Zhao Xuanzhen, come up with two taglines!”
Zhao Xuanzhen smiled despite himself.
Taglines?
Easy enough.
“The web’s full of phonies, a dime a dozen. Na Er finds the flavor that’s really buzzin’!”
“With one look from Xuanzhen, you’ll know what’s true then!”
…
The Stew-Pot Beef shop was not large.
Its stove faced the street, nearly a hundred burner holes lined across it, each holding a copper-yellow clay pot simmering with beef.
Fragrant steam rose in waves, rattling the pot lids until they hummed, the aroma luring in every passerby.
The middle-aged owner wore an apron bearing a few grease stains and greeted them with a broad smile, ushering them to sit.
Beef, side dishes, rice, and drinks arrived in a steady stream.
Zhao Xuanzhen and Na Er lifted their lids.
Chunks of beef bobbed in amber broth, each piece soaked through with sauce until it gleamed with a honeyed glaze.
Zhao Xuanzhen picked up one trembling morsel.
Broth stretched into a golden thread before dripping back into the bowl.
He placed it in his mouth and savored it carefully.
Now that’s authentic!
He had to admit it.
This stew-pot beef really had something to it.
No wonder the locals had recommended it so strongly!
Na Er ate with wild abandon.
One pot of beef and a bowl of rice vanished into her stomach in two or three minutes flat.
Her bright eyes turned sly, and her chopsticks crept quietly toward Zhao Xuanzhen’s pot.
Clink—
The tips of their chopsticks met inside the pot.
Zhao Xuanzhen looked at her in amusement.
“What are you doing?”
“Just one piece! Let me have just one piece!”
Her bright silver-white eyes had transformed into the shining, pleading gaze of a puppy.
“Order more if it’s not enough.”
“You don’t understand! Meat stolen from someone else’s bowl always tastes better!”
Zhao Xuanzhen withdrew his chopsticks, and Na Er got her wish.
The broth-soaked beef burst between her teeth.
Fine beads of sweat gathered at the tip of her delicate nose.
Zhao Xuanzhen pushed the iced sour plum soup toward her.
Droplets of condensation clung to the glass and traced slow paths past his long fingers.
“Boss, ten more pots of beef and fifty salt-grilled prawns.”
“Coming right up!”
For Na Er, the stew-pot beef barely counted as laying a foundation.
She chewed on a salt-grilled prawn and chatted aimlessly with Zhao Xuanzhen.
“Did you hear? Tomorrow night is the continent’s once-in-a-thousand-years Stellar Brilliance Night.”
“I saw.” Zhao Xuanzhen’s gaze flickered.
“On Stellar Brilliance Night, the myriad stars will erupt with boundless stellar energy. Star-attribute Martial Spirits will see a massive boost in combat strength and a surge in cultivation speed. A single night of meditation will be worth half a month of hard training.”
Na Er propped her cheek on one hand.
“Stellar Brilliance Night only comes once in a thousand years. Otherwise, star-attribute Martial Spirits would’ve become the number one Martial Spirits on the continent long ago.”
“Not necessarily. Star-attribute Martial Spirits have plenty of shortcomings too…”
“Old Li! Time to pay this month’s protection fee!”
A rough voice shattered the warm atmosphere of the little shop.
Boss Li’s face went deathly pale, and the expressions of every customer shifted at once.
They were all regulars on this food street.
They knew exactly who had arrived.
Five burly men barged into the shop.
At their head stood a bald brute, bare from the waist up, a vicious dragon tattoo sprawled across both arms so vivid it seemed alive.
“Guang Long, my wife is seriously ill. The little money this shop makes isn’t even enough for her treatment. Can’t you give me a bit more time?” Boss Li pleaded carefully.
“You dodge and stall every single time! What, you think I’m out here begging for scraps?”
Guang Long kicked the stove over.
Clay pots crashed to the ground and shattered.
Meat broth ran everywhere, leaving the shop in ruins.
Ordinary people bullied by Spirit Masters had no way to fight back.
Boss Li spoke bitterly.
“Guang Long, have you already forgotten how Guang Biao got himself into trouble with three students and was beaten in full public view by an Eastsea Academy teacher? And you still dare collect protection money?”
“You dare bring that up…”
A vicious glint flashed through Guang Long’s eyes.
He was just about to teach Boss Li a lesson when he noticed Zhao Xuanzhen and Na Er sitting off to the side, still eating.
Why are there two more kids here again?
His old trauma flared on the spot.
Folding his arms, Guang Long strode over to the pair.
“Let me ask you something! You two students from Eastsea Academy? Know a Spirit Emperor whose Martial Spirit is an ice-attributed longsword?”
“Scram.”
Na Er’s voice could have frozen steel.
Guang Long had ruined her mood and wasted so much delicious stew-pot beef.
Her Silver Dragon Spear was already primed and ready!
Guang Long flew into a rage.
Having learned from the beating he took last time, he was smarter now.
He went straight into Martial Spirit Manifestation: Armored Dragon!
His exposed skin turned iron-gray.
Thick, ridged scales of the same hue bulged along his neck.
One white and one yellow spirit ring rose into view as twenty-seven ranks of spirit power erupted!
“Zhao Xuanzhen, he’s really asking for it,” Na Er said darkly.
“Mm. Keep eating. I’ll handle this.”
Zhao Xuanzhen rose from his seat and closed the distance to Guang Long at near-teleportation speed.
His right hand clenched into a fist, and he launched a textbook ‘Step Forward, Deflect, Parry, and Punch!’
The instant the blow connected, Guang Long felt as though a mecha had slammed into him.
Overwhelming brute force crashed through his body.
The Armored Dragon’s thick scales might as well have been tissue paper.
The flesh of his abdomen caved inward, and every organ inside him shuddered and twisted!
BOOM—
Guang Long was hurled into the air.
A gush of acid surged up from his stomach.
His ears screamed, blood flooded his vision, and the world spun wildly around him.
Only when the back of his skull cracked against the ground did he realize a single punch had shattered his Martial Spirit entirely!
The power granted by the Dark Gold Terror Claw spoke for itself.
Zhao Xuanzhen recalled a certain saying and smiled faintly.
‘Beating people without even using your Martial Spirit feels great.’ Whoever said that was absolutely right!
“How dare you!”
A dark swarm of men flooded into the little stew-pot beef shop.
At their head, shockingly, stood two six-ringed Spirit Emperors!
“Armored Dragon Spirit Grand Master Guang Long, you attacked a core disciple of the Spirit Pagoda in broad daylight! Your crime is heinous!”
The pair were twin Spirit Emperors whose Martial Spirit was a lightning-attributed baton.
Guang Long had relied on his older brother, Mecha Brigade Captain Guang Biao, and over the years had rubbed shoulders with some Spirit Pagoda personnel.
He recognized the baton-wielding twins instantly and cried out in shock:
“Spirit Pagoda Enforcer Captains?! It’s a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! I never attacked your core disciples!”
Sometimes it took villains to deal with villains.
Spirit Pagoda enforcers had always been firm believers in solving problems with violence.
They did not bother listening to Guang Long’s excuses.
An elbow strike opened the airway.
A jolt of lightning restarted the heartbeat!
The first strike landed on the leg, to keep him from running.
The second struck his mouth, to keep him from begging.
The third smashed into his head, to keep him from resisting!
Guang Long took all three strikes without making a sound.
Not because he was especially tough, but because the first strike had already knocked him out cold!
“Sir, job’s done!”
The baton brothers snapped their heels together and saluted Zhao Xuanzhen and Na Er.
Three strikes in one second was not their limit.
It was simply their way of demonstrating their attitude to Zhao Xuanzhen.
“Good force in the baton, good height on the lift, good angle on the swing. Well done.”
“Thank you for the praise, sir!”
The baton brothers and their team withdrew from the shop to resume their covert guard.
A few enforcers split off to drag the thoroughly unconscious Guang Long and his thugs back to the Eastsea City Spirit Pagoda.
That night, Guang Long would personally verify the law of conservation of electric charge.
Armed with the noble conviction of ‘if I don’t descend into hell, who will?’ he would bravely charge the Spirit Pagoda’s gates.
The little interlude came to a close.
Boss Li was naturally overflowing with gratitude and sent over quite a few extra side dishes, free of charge.
Ding dong—
Zhao Xuanzhen’s Spirit Communication Device chimed.
A message from Illusory Brain Douluo.
“Xuanzhen, Heavenly Phoenix told me you’ve broken through to three rings and become a Spirit Elder. The mecha repair exam wrapped up two days ago. I’ve left a letter for you. Go to the Heaven Dou City Blacksmith Association on my behalf, deliver it to a man named Mu Ye, and pass along my regards. If you can, try to do it out of Heavenly Phoenix’s sight. She cares too much about you, and I’m worried it might spark a conflict.”
At Spirit Pagoda headquarters, Illusory Brain Douluo Han Tianyi saw Zhao Xuanzhen’s one-word reply—”Okay”—and put away his Spirit Communication Device.
He clasped his hands behind his back and gazed out at the black sea of clouds beyond the window.
“Mu Ye… this Martial Uncle can only help you this far. Whether the Body Sect can seize this opportunity will ultimately depend on you.”