Half a month later.
A day before reaching Spirit City, the group spent one last night resting on the plains outside the city.
The night sky was beautiful, and everyone took this rare opportunity to gather together. Since they would be entering Spirit City the next day, drinking was out of the question—otherwise, Ning Rongrong would undoubtedly put on another display of her formidable drinking prowess.
After the gathering ended, Ning Fengzhi handed a wooden box to Chen Xiaoming. As he took it, his eyes lit up. Without saying much, he exchanged a few words with Tang San and the others before heading back alone to his carriage.
Opening the wooden box, he found inside a right leg bone, faintly exuding soul power fluctuations, roughly at the thousand-year level. Chen Xiaoming was unimpressed.
He then retrieved the soul bones Tang San had given him a few days prior, along with the ones he had obtained from Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo.
Four crystalline soul bones—left leg bone, right leg bone, right arm bone, and skull—were now laid out before him. Combined with the left arm bone he had already fused, Chen Xiaoming was close to completing a full set of soul bones in such a short time.
"Phew."
Ding!
[You took a deep breath—Experience +100,000!]
Taking a deep breath before an upgrade had become second nature to Chen Xiaoming.
Without hesitation, he picked up the left leg bone first. Then, with the dexterity honed from years of single life, he rapidly upgraded it.
Ten-thousand-year spirit bone: 51,000… 61,000… 71,000… 81,000… 91,000… 100,000!
In just a short while, the left leg bone flashed with a crimson glow, directly advancing to the hundred-thousand-year level.
Chen Xiaoming casually set it aside and picked up the remaining three bones, upgrading each to the same level in succession.
In just a brief moment, the four soul bones before him had undergone a complete transformation, radiating a soft yet powerful hundred-thousand-year soul power aura. Just looking at them was satisfying.
"Time to begin."
Starting with the right arm bone, Chen Xiaoming sat cross-legged and began the absorption process. For him, fusing a hundred-thousand-year soul bone was a mere formality.
By the time the night had turned cool, he finally opened his eyes, stretching comfortably. A crisp series of bone-cracking sounds echoed as he felt the immense power coursing through his limbs.
If soul rings enhanced a Soul Master's soul power, then soul bones strengthened their physical body.
Having fused five hundred-thousand-year soul bones, Chen Xiaoming felt that he could now crush weaker Titled Douluo with sheer brute force alone.
After all, most Soul Masters were glass-cannon mages, whereas he was a walking fortress. They stood no chance.
"Mmm, this kind of power feels amazing."
Clenching his fists, he relished the explosive strength surging within him.
"Now, only the torso bone remains."
A Soul Master's body had six major areas, corresponding to six soul bones, with the torso bone being the rarest of all.
But that was no problem. Chen Xiaoming recalled that the last soul bone he needed would surely drop after slaying a hundred-thousand-year soul beast.
Images of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts flashed through his mind.
Should he go after Di Tian? Or perhaps the Evil Emperor?
Both were viable choices. It was a tough decision.
"Whatever, I'll decide when the time comes. Let fate choose the unlucky one."
With Spirit City just ahead, there was a chance the Spirit Hall itself had a torso bone in its treasury. So, for now, he wasn't in a hurry.
More importantly, hundred-thousand-year soul bones were just the beginning for him.
With his absorption complete, Chen Xiaoming leaped onto his carriage, lying atop the roof as he gazed at the endless sea of stars.
Closing his eyes slightly, he drifted into sleep.
The next day.
Spirit City was not large. Compared to sprawling metropolises like Heaven Dou City or Soutou City, it was much smaller—less than a tenth of Heaven Dou City's size.
However, its walls stood an imposing eighty meters tall, making for a majestic sight. The walls were over thirty meters thick and built entirely of granite.
The hexagonal city had six walls, each adorned with a massive relief sculpture representing six powerful Martial Souls.
Chen Xiaoming had expected a grand reception upon his arrival, yet he was met with unexpected silence.
This puzzled him.
He had already killed four of their people, yet Bibi Dong remained unnervingly calm. Her patience ran deep.
Still, if she didn't show up, all the better. He was more than happy to explore the city at his leisure.
What he didn't know was that, inside the Pope's Hall, Bibi Dong was on the verge of exploding with rage.
"Damn it!"
Within the grand Pope's Hall, a woman seethed with anger. She was not tall, draped in luxurious black robes with gold embroidery. A nine-curved purple-gold crown rested atop her head, and she held a gem-encrusted scepter nearly two meters long. Her flawless complexion and nearly perfect features exuded an air of nobility.
But at this moment, her eyes burned with fury, at odds with the sacred and dignified aura she typically radiated.
This woman was none other than Bibi Dong, the Pope of Spirit Hall, the queen who had led it to glory.
"Chen Xiaoming… fine, I'll remember you!"
As Pope, she had never been threatened like this before. If not for the fact that Chen Xiaoming had wiped out her most trusted subordinates, she wouldn't have had to exercise such restraint.
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo were among the few in Spirit Hall who stood on her side—most others aligned with Qian Daoliu.
With them dead, she was left without reliable subordinates.
Otherwise, how could she have allowed Chen Xiaoming to waltz into Spirit City unscathed?
A cold glint flickered in Bibi Dong's eyes as she gazed out the window at the eerily silent city.
Meanwhile, after spending the day wandering the city, Chen Xiaoming returned to his temporary residence. Staring at the deep night sky, he muttered to himself,
"A moonless, windy night… the perfect time for murder."
With a chuckle, his figure flickered and vanished.
As the stronghold of Spirit Hall, Spirit City was heavily guarded. Even the patrols consisted of numerous Soul Masters. Under normal circumstances, no one would dare cause trouble here.
Yet, in the darkness, a shadowy figure slipped through undetected. In mere moments, they arrived at the lodgings prepared for the Soul Master Tournament participants.
Draped in black robes, the figure blended seamlessly with the night, so much so that the patrolling Soul Masters failed to notice their presence.
Without hesitation, the figure moved swiftly, entering a particular room in a flash. A cold gleam flickered, striking silently.
"Pfft!"
A strange noise echoed. The figure paused momentarily but immediately retreated.
Just as they leaped out, a figure stood suspended in midair above them.
Bathed in soft moonlight, the person had clearly been waiting.
With a calm smile, they spoke.
"Looking for me?"
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