"Xiao Tian, how are you feeling? Do you feel any discomfort in your body?"
In the room, Ning Fengzhi carefully examined Tian Lin's condition once more. Whether it was his physical body or his mental state, he found that Tian Lin was exceptionally strong, with no apparent issues. However, Chen Xin was still worried and asked again several times.
"Master, rest assured, I'm fine. I wasn't unconscious these past few days. My consciousness was always in my spiritual sea," Tian Lin reassured him, explaining that he was in excellent condition.
After Tian Lin explained how he had greatly expanded his spiritual sea during this time, they finally understood that he had been organizing his suddenly surging spiritual strength over the past few days.
"A spiritual sea? Xiao Tian can observe his spiritual sea? That's something only many soul masters specializing in mental abilities can do. This shouldn't be something achievable with a sword-type martial soul. It seems that his second martial soul must be somewhat related to spiritual power," Ning Fengzhi speculated internally.
However, there was still one point of confusion for him. Why did absorbing a soul ring cause Tian Lin's spiritual sea to expand?
The Purple Flame Golden-Eyed Beast attacked using its eyes, which could barely qualify it as a soul beast with mental attributes. But the soul ring Tian Lin absorbed was only just over a thousand years old. Its spiritual power shouldn't be this strong.
"Xiao Tian, can you recount in detail everything that happened when you absorbed the soul ring?" Ning Fengzhi, full of curiosity, asked Tian Lin. Something extraordinary must have happened.
Everyone present was trustworthy, so Tian Lin decided not to keep anything from them. He recounted everything that had occurred in his spiritual sea, except for the details regarding the Shu Mountain Treasure Record, which he kept to himself.
After listening to Tian Lin's explanation, Ning Fengzhi was overjoyed. "I understand now! No wonder your spiritual power increased so much. Xiao Tian, you've gained an incredible advantage this time!"
"Fengzhi, stop being cryptic and just say it! What exactly happened to Xiao Tian?" Chen Xin couldn't stand how smart people always left others hanging, piquing curiosity without explaining further.
"Haha, Sword Uncle, don't be impatient. If my guess is correct, the entity that attacked Tian Lin in his spiritual sea wasn't just any ordinary force—it was a soul bone, more specifically, the Flame Golden Eyes from the Purple Flame Golden-Eyed Beast!" Ning Fengzhi said with a smile.
Soul Bone!
The term shocked everyone present. In the world of soul masters, soul bones were priceless treasures. The appearance of any soul bone would inevitably lead to fierce battles and bloodshed among soul masters.
Even a wealthy sect like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had very few soul bones in its possession.
"Wait, something doesn't add up," Bone Douluo suddenly said, confused. "Aren't soul bones limited to the six main body parts: head, torso, and four limbs? What about the eyes? Could it be…?"
He seemed to have a guess but hesitated to voice it, suspecting that what Tian Lin had obtained was more valuable than an ordinary soul bone.
"Bone Uncle, you're exactly right! Xiao Tian absorbed an external soul bone!" Ning Fengzhi explained excitedly.
External soul bones were far rarer than ordinary ones.
In the world of soul masters, external soul bones were ranked second on the "Soul Master's Wish List," a ranking of the most coveted treasures. They were second only to the nearly mythical hundred-thousand-year soul rings.
The most unique feature of external soul bones was that they evolved alongside their owner's soul power. This meant the earlier one absorbed them, the better.
In the original story, Tang San absorbed an external soul bone at the thirtieth rank. Tian Lin, however, obtained his even earlier, a testament to his extraordinary fortune.
"So, it's an external soul bone. No wonder it's so powerful," Tian Lin finally understood the nature of his miraculous opportunity.
He activated his soul bone by channeling his soul power into his eyes. Instantly, his originally black pupils turned fiery red, and flames seemed to burn within them.
The room's temperature began to rise sharply. Ning Fengzhi and the others realized that Tian Lin had activated his external soul bone and watched curiously to see what wonders his Flame Golden Eyes could perform.
Tian Lin walked to the window and gazed into the distance. Everything in his line of sight seemed frozen. Even a mosquito far away, flapping its wings at incredible speed, appeared to him as if in slow motion.
Moreover, his vision extended extraordinarily far—up to several kilometers.
Turning back to Ning Fengzhi and the two Douluo, Tian Lin said, "Uncle Ning, Master, Grandpa Bone, after activating my external soul bone, I found that all my attributes have increased, especially my spiritual power and perception, which have reached terrifying levels."
Ning Fengzhi nodded. "As I expected. Eye-related external soul bones primarily enhance spiritual power and perception. What about additional abilities? Does it grant any active-type spirit skills?"
"It does," Tian Lin replied. "I've gained a move called Golden Flame Soul Burn, a spiritual attack that makes the opponent feel as though their spirit is engulfed in flames, delivering a lethal blow. However, the skill consumes a lot of energy. Using it once drains nearly half of my spiritual power."
Although Tian Lin's spirit skill was powerful, its high cost made it impractical for frequent use. Ning Fengzhi and the others, however, were unconcerned.
"That's fine. The high consumption is because your external soul bone is still at a low age. As your strength grows, it will become more powerful, and the energy cost will decrease. Spiritual attacks are incredibly rare," Ning Fengzhi reassured him.
Chen Xin agreed. "Xiao Tian's Suppressing Demon Sword already surpasses my Seven Kill Sword and the Clear Sky Hammer in physical attacks. Now, with such a terrifying spiritual attack, it seems my title as the continent's number one offensive Douluo will soon belong to someone else!"
If his disciple surpassed him, Chen Xin would be more than pleased.
"Wow! Another soul bone! Sword Brother is amazing! Now you have two soul bones, while I don't even have one," Ning Rongrong said with a pout, her voice filled with envy.
The little girl still believed that Tian Lin had some kind of gem-like soul bone, unaware that he had once tricked her into concealing the truth about his twin martial souls.
One could easily imagine how angry Ning Rongrong would be when she eventually learned the truth. She might even bite Tian Lin with her little tiger teeth out of frustration.
Ning Fengzhi smiled knowingly. He was glad to see Ning Rongrong and Tian Lin's relationship growing closer, just as he had hoped.
"Xiao Tian, you're the most outstanding soul master I've ever met. I believe your future goes far beyond becoming a Titled Douluo. Perhaps even the so-called human limit of Rank 99 won't stop you. When that day comes, I'll leave Rongrong and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in your care," Ning Fengzhi said.
"Don't worry, Uncle Ning. No matter where I go, I'll never forget that I'm part of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect," Tian Lin promised.
He could make this promise without hesitation because he had never considered betraying the sect.