Chapter 247: True Dragon Soul Bones and the Path to the Soul Saint
"Ah Sheng, you're back. How have you progressed in the past three years?"
In the main hall of the Soul Palace, Xiao Qiang asked Xiao Sheng about his current situation.
"In that dragon tomb, I found some items that can improve my body, but they seem impossible to bring out. However, I managed to bring this with me, and it's just right for you to absorb."
Xiao Sheng opened the storage soul guide, revealing ten soul bones. Judging by their quality, these soul bones were all produced by true dragons. Each soul bone was no worse than a hundred-thousand-year soul bone. Especially the trunk bone — a faint yet powerful aura radiated from it, surpassing even the ice wall scorpion soul bones Xiao Qiang carried.
"That trunk! Even Emperor Tian might not have a soul bone of higher quality than this!" Xiao Qiang felt the trunk bone was slightly inferior, but Tian Meng in Xiao Qiang's spiritual sea instantly recognized its power.
"Stronger than Emperor Tian? So the trunk bone in the middle must be from the Mountain Dragon King?"
"It should be. Based on the attributes and grade, this mountain dragon's soul bone must belong to the Mountain Dragon King you mentioned," Tian Meng analyzed.
"I really didn't expect this." Because entering Dragon Valley required a level reduction and suppression for three years, Xiao Qiang had initially given up on the Mountain Dragon King's trunk bone. After all, there was the Deep Sea Demon Whale King with a nearly million-year-old soul bone, almost comparable in grade. He planned to use that as the trunk bone. Yet, unexpectedly, this Mountain Dragon King soul bone had appeared, gifted by his younger brother.
"I absorbed the trunk bone, but as for the others…" Xiao Qiang's spiritual scan showed Xiao Sheng had not yet fused any soul bones. These true dragon soul bones were no worse than hundred-thousand-year soul bones, and since Xiao Sheng's martial soul was a bone dragon…
"You should absorb them. Don't worry about Xiaolan — she has plans for her soul bone. Although the True Dragon Soul Bone is powerful, it isn't quite suitable for her. I've prepared other hundred-thousand-year soul bones for her. Originally, I had some for you too, but since you already have a suitable True Dragon Soul Bone, you should absorb these. By the way, don't absorb the torso bone yet. I have other things prepared for you."
Whether from Shrek's compensation or the soul beasts captured in the Star Dou Great Forest, Xiao Qiang was extremely rich in hundred-thousand-year soul bones. He had so many that his younger siblings could pick and choose the ones most compatible with their martial souls, instead of simply absorbing soul bones that might not suit them.
Any piece of the True Dragon Soul Bone was superior to ordinary hundred-thousand-year soul bones. Yet after capturing countless hundred-thousand-year soul beasts, his sister naturally could select the very best among them, sometimes even beasts over 200,000 years old, which made the ordinary True Dragon Soul Bones seem less impressive.
"I understand."
Seeing the quality of the soul bones, Xiao Sheng accepted the judgment that if these were unsuitable, none would be. Without further hesitation, he began fusing the soul bones of the limbs and head. Thanks to their compatibility and his refined physical strength from Dragon Valley, the fusion of the five soul bones took only two and a half hours.
"Level 50, not bad." Xiao Qiang pinched Xiao Sheng's shoulders, feeling his physical strength and soul power level.
After confirming Xiao Sheng had reached the stage to require soul rings, Xiao Qiang summoned a hundred-thousand-year soul beast from the storage soul guide.
"This is…"
"The Ice Demon Dragon Eagle, a soul beast with a dragon bloodline from the Far North. He's now over a hundred thousand years old — perfect for your soul. I'll help you absorb his soul ring and soul bone."
Though Xiao Sheng was only level 50, with the gains from Dragon Valley and the blessing of the true dragon soul bone, he could now fuse soul rings over 50,000 years old — equivalent to a hundred-thousand-year soul ring.
Xiao Qiang wasn't worried about mental power either. As someone merging souls for the first time, his spiritual sea had no extra souls, and the dragon's head soul bone boosted his mental power. He was certain his mental strength was at least on par with the Spirit Abyss Realm.
With sufficient mental power and a sturdy body, Xiao Sheng would only need another two and a half hours.
"Level 58. As expected, the sooner you absorb a hundred-thousand-year soul ring, the better. Normally, reaching soul power level 7 takes two years or more," Xiao Qiang said after Xiao Sheng merged with the hundred-thousand-year-old Ice Demon Dragon Eagle.
"It shouldn't be just level 58. I feel I'm close to breaking through to level 59. Looks like I can become a seven-ring Soul Saint within two years."
"You can do it now. Eat this — no need to wait two years."
Xiao Qiang took out a sixty-thousand-year-old Earth Dragon Gourd. Created by the Yin-Yang Eyes of Ice and Fire, its soul and soul bones had been absorbed by Xiao Qiang, but the body was a top-tier treasure.
After Xiao Sheng consumed the Earth Dragon Gourd, his soul power broke through to level 60. The soul then produced a second hundred-thousand-year soul ring. At level 50, fusing a hundred-thousand-year soul ring gave level 8 soul power; at level 60, the soul power improved further, allowing an average soul emperor to reach level 67 in about a month. This was the standard for Dou Yi.
Normally, Xiao Sheng should have stopped at level 66 to 67. But the Earth Dragon Gourd boosted his soul power by more than two levels, jumping from level 58 to 60, then breaking through the level 70 barrier. The soul began producing a third hundred-thousand-year soul ring.
Eventually, Xiao Sheng's soul power, enhanced by the hundred-thousand-year soul and the Earth Dragon Gourd, soared to Soul Saint level 75, with four black and three red soul rings.
"That's right. When you reach level 80, don't use the normal hundred-thousand-year soul rings. I have other paths for you. Your physical strength should be sufficient, but before that, I'll teach you to condense the soul core first, then wait for the mixed condensation to succeed…"
Xiao Qiang's expression turned serious, no longer playful. "It's a good time for you to spar with Xiao Hongchen. He recently merged his sixth soul ring, a hundred-thousand-year-old one, and is now challenging Soul Saint level. You just broke through to Soul Saint yourself."