Inside Ning Fengzhi's private office within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, both Sword Douluo and Ning Fengzhi displayed expressions of extreme surprise at the report they had just received.
"Uncle Bone, are you truly saying that Yang Xiong's first soul ring successfully absorbed a five-hundred-and-forty-year soul ring? And that the soul beast was not an ordinary Dark Tortoise, but rather the legendary Dark Underworld Tortoise?"
Bone Douluo nodded solemnly. "Even I nearly misjudged the creature's true identity. That was definitely a Dark Underworld Tortoise, and its actual age exceeded five hundred and forty years - I would estimate it fell somewhere between five hundred and forty and five hundred and fifty years old."
"Although Yang Xiong experienced considerable pain during the soul ring absorption process, he ultimately succeeded, and his soul power has reached level thirteen. Based on my observations, absorbing hundred-year whale collagen to increase a soul ring's age limit by approximately one hundred years should pose no significant problems. However, with the more advanced thousand-year and ten-thousand-year whale collagen varieties, the potential increases probably will not follow such simple calculations. I cannot even begin to estimate how much enhancement they might provide."
Ning Fengzhi nodded thoughtfully. "This represents an enormous breakthrough for our understanding. Using whale collagen to increase soul ring absorption age limits should dramatically enhance physical fitness and soul ring energy intake capacity, which would indeed prove tremendously beneficial for Soul Master cultivation advancement. Whale collagen truly deserves to be called a miraculous treasure."
"Furthermore, this Yang Xiong has exceeded all my expectations. He managed to correctly identify the Dark Underworld Tortoise based solely on written descriptions and simple illustrations. It appears this young man possesses considerable knowledge about soul beast classification and characteristics. You should understand that even the experienced Teacher Lin Gong was nearly deceived by the creature's appearance."
Lin Gong had been specifically selected by Ning Fengzhi to serve as Ning Rongrong's homeroom teacher. Although his soul power level remained relatively modest, his expertise in student education and Martial Soul theory was definitely among the finest within the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. He had even served as Ning Fengzhi's own homeroom teacher during his student years.
Bone Douluo expressed some regret with a hint of indignation. "It is unfortunate that this young man did not discover the secrets of whale collagen sooner. Otherwise, our dear Rongrong's first soul ring could have also benefited from a significantly increased age limit. Perhaps she might even break through the traditional limitations of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda in the future."
Ning Fengzhi remained diplomatically silent at this suggestion. Yang Xiong was approximately the same age as Rongrong, but he had achieved his breakthrough to level ten more than a year and a half later than his daughter. The gap in their natural talents and cultivation speeds was substantial. Comparing their achievements hardly seemed fair to either child.
After Yang Xiong returned to the safety of his family home, the soul power coursing through his body suddenly spiraled completely out of control. He experienced excruciating pain along his spine and throughout his ribcage, as if every bone in his body was about to undergo some violent transformation.
In truth, Yang Xiong had sensed that something was wrong with his physical condition immediately after absorbing the soul ring. He felt as though something was preparing to grow from within his body. However, with so many people present during the absorption ceremony, he could only summon his Martial Soul and attempt to suppress the abnormal sensations occurring within his skeletal structure.
However, after returning to the privacy of his room, his previously tense nerves began to relax slightly. The bones throughout his body seemed to enter a state of wild growth, rapidly expanding to fill most of the available space in his chamber.
When this frenzied transformation within Yang Xiong's body gradually subsided, he found himself encased within what appeared to be an enormous tortoise shell. His spine and ribs had somehow fused together to form a comprehensive protective structure resembling a massive shell.
This tortoise shell differed completely from any he had previously observed. Rather than simply covering his back, the shell seemed designed to wrap around his entire torso. In addition to the large protective covering that had grown across his back, even his chest and abdomen were now encased by shell-like armor, creating what resembled a suit of natural protective gear. The only significant drawback was that carrying such a prominent shell on his back created a rather ungainly appearance.
Normal turtle-type soul beasts, while possessing relatively strong backs, also featured robust chest and abdominal protection covered by thick shell segments. However, these frontal protections were typically less obvious than their distinctive back shells.
The external soul bone that had manifested on Yang Xiong's body appeared completely different from ordinary external soul bones described in historical records. Rather than simply growing from his spine, the transformation had affected all his ribs as well, creating armor-like protection that covered his entire chest and abdomen.
Yang Xiong experimentally knocked on both the shell covering his back and the armor protecting his chest, discovering that the defensive capabilities felt extraordinarily strong. Both his back and front torso were now comprehensively protected. Even his underlying bone structure had become significantly more robust than before. Most remarkably, the shell armor possessed two distinct operational states.
The first state activated when the armor was normally summoned, providing protection for his chest and back while maintaining a relatively modest profile. In this configuration, the shell area covering his back remained reasonably sized, protecting all the major muscle groups without creating excessive bulk.
The second state occurred when the shell was fully deployed, transforming into an incredibly large protective cocoon. In this mode, his entire body became completely enclosed within the shell's protection, with even his head and limbs able to withdraw inside the impenetrable barrier.
Yang Xiong decided to call this remarkable creation the Dark Underworld Armor, recognizing its origins in the Dark Underworld Tortoise he had absorbed. He felt particularly excited knowing that this armor was currently only five hundred years old and should continue evolving as he advanced in cultivation. Eventually, it might develop into armor providing complete full-body coverage.
If the Dark Underworld Armor ever evolved to reach the hundred-thousand-year level, Yang Xiong suspected that virtually no attack would be capable of penetrating its defenses.
The Dark Underworld Armor also provided Yang Xiong with an exceptional soul skill called "Impregnable Defense." This ability allowed him to summon the armor's protective properties to resist enemy attacks of all types. Whether facing physical assaults or energy-based attribute attacks, the armor could provide effective resistance. However, if an opponent surpassed Yang Xiong by two major cultivation realms, the defensive effectiveness of the Dark Underworld Armor would be significantly reduced.
Initially, Yang Xiong had felt somewhat disappointed by his circumstances. Although external soul bones appeared rarely throughout Douluo Continent, those that did manifest were typically considered exceptional treasures of the highest quality.
Examples like Tang San's Eight Spider Lances, Huo Gua's Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear Claws, or even Bibi Dong's Six-Winged Purple Light Wings were universally recognized as top-tier external soul bones that appeared both powerful and extraordinary. When comparing these legendary examples to his own turtle shell, the difference in apparent prestige seemed enormous. If he had known the outcome in advance, he might have reconsidered choosing the Dark Underworld Tortoise as his first soul ring source.
However, upon more careful consideration, Yang Xiong realized that his Body Martial Soul remained relatively weak during the early stages of cultivation. When engaging in combat with other Soul Masters, he would essentially be limited to hand-to-hand fighting, which could easily result in serious physical injury. The Dark Underworld Armor, despite its somewhat ungainly appearance, actually provided comprehensive defensive coverage that perfectly suited his needs. Even when not actively summoned, it enhanced the natural resistance of his ribs and protected the vulnerable soft tissue areas of his chest and abdomen. For his particular Martial Soul type, it represented the most suitable possible choice.
The Dark Underworld Armor also possessed remarkable shock-absorption capabilities. Even when subjected to violent attacks, his internal organs would not suffer serious damage, effectively adding an invisible layer of protection that operated continuously.
Beyond the remarkable external soul bone, what truly amazed Yang Xiong was the first soul skill he had obtained from the absorption process.
Yang Xiong had been taking an enormous gamble with his choice, but he never expected to achieve such spectacular success. His first soul skill had actually manifested as the most feared spatial attribute ability of the Dark Underworld Tortoise.
"Dark Underworld Displacement" allowed him to instantly switch positions with an opponent within a specific range. When an enemy was unprepared for such an attack, once they became locked onto by Dark Underworld Displacement, escape became virtually impossible. The effective range extended to one hundred meters, with stronger enemies requiring proportionally more soul power to affect.
Yang Xiong felt particularly excited about the future development potential of this soul skill. For example, if he could swap his position with empty air space directly in front of an enemy, the effect would essentially function like teleportation - perhaps even superior to traditional teleportation techniques. Moreover, this ability could dramatically compensate for his weaker combat capabilities during the early stages of his cultivation journey.
Yang Xiong experimented with controlling the Dark Underworld Armor using his soul power, discovering that the entire structure did not simply extend from his spine as he had initially assumed. Instead, it functioned more like an extension of all the bones throughout his chest, abdomen, and back, creating an integrated protective system.
During the early stages of his development, this would serve as the Dark Underworld Armor. As his cultivation advanced to higher levels, Yang Xiong anticipated that it would evolve into something even more impressive - perhaps a complete Dark Tortoise Divine Armor that would provide unparalleled protection.
The manifestation of this unique external soul bone represented far more than just defensive enhancement. It symbolized Yang Xiong's successful gamble on a cultivation path that no other Soul Master had ever attempted. While the road ahead would undoubtedly present new challenges, he now possessed both the defensive capabilities and spatial manipulation abilities necessary to pursue his ambitious goal of mastering all fundamental attributes and achieving unprecedented power levels.
As Yang Xiong continued to explore the capabilities of his new armor and soul skill, he felt confident that his unconventional choices were leading him toward a destiny that would reshape the very understanding of what was possible in the Soul Master world.
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