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Three hours later, the absorption of the soul ring was complete.
As soon as Ning Tianchen stood up, a pair of sword wings unexpectedly emerged on his back, resembling the wings of the Sword-Winged Dragon.
"An external spirit bone!" Chen Xin's lips twitched slightly.
Ning Tianchen's luck was truly incredible. During his first soul hunt, his martial soul evolved. Now, during his third soul hunt, he had obtained an external spirit bone—an exceedingly rare treasure.
It was important to note that external spirit bones possessed growth potential and did not occupy any of the six spirit bone slots on the body. Their value was only slightly lower than that of a hundred-thousand-year spirit bone.
Once an external spirit bone fully merged with a soul master, even if the soul master were killed, others would be unable to take it away.
"Is my luck really this good?" Ning Tianchen couldn't help but feel dazed.
Moments later, information about the external spirit bone entered his mind.
This spirit bone was called Sword Wings. When activated, it granted the ability to fly. Moreover, the edges of the sword wings were exceptionally sharp, allowing them to be used as weapons.
"Not bad for an external spirit bone."
After a pause, Chen Xin reminded him, "Tianchen, before the external spirit bone fully merges with you, try to—"
Ning Tianchen scratched his head. "Sword Grandpa, this external spirit bone has already completely merged with my body."
"What?!"
After conducting a thorough inspection, Chen Xin finally believed his claim.
External spirit bones were exceedingly rare, so Chen Xin wasn't sure whether this situation was normal or not.
"Let's set aside the matter of the spirit bone for now. How is your third soul skill?"
Normally, the skills associated with spirit bones were meant to be kept secret. However, neither Chen Xin nor Ke Jie were outsiders, and they had both assisted in hunting the soul ring.
Ning Tianchen explained frankly, "My third soul skill is called Sword Wing Soaring. It's similar to Sword Elder's third soul skill. When used in conjunction with the external spirit bone, the feather blades on the sword wings can be launched as flying projectiles for long-range attacks."
"This is absolutely insane," Ke Jie said enviously.
If he had such an opportunity, he probably would have broken through to become a Title Douluo by now.
"Truly surpassing your teacher—excellent work," Chen Xin said sincerely, genuinely pleased for him.
…
After briefly testing out his new soul skill, Ning Tianchen prepared to leave when he was suddenly stopped by Chen Xin.
"Hold on a moment."
"Sword Elder, what's wrong?" As he asked, both Ke Jie and Ning Tianchen instinctively became vigilant, scanning their surroundings.
"I can sense a unique soul power fluctuation nearby. This isn't from a spirit beast—it feels more like a heavenly treasure or rare herb," Chen Xin said gravely.
Ning Tianchen suddenly recalled, "Not long ago, I fought against a six-hundred-year earth dragon."
"Earth dragons shouldn't be able to reach six hundred years of cultivation. The heavenly treasure you're sensing might be the key to why that earth dragon had such a high cultivation level."
Any treasure capable of increasing a spirit beast's cultivation could likely also enhance a soul master's strength.
Such an item was no ordinary find. Having encountered it, there was no reason to pass it up.
Following his senses, Chen Xin led them to the entrance of a cave.
Upon entering, they discovered it was an enormous underground cavern.
After some searching, Chen Xin brought everyone to a patch of medicinal herbs.
Though Ning Tianchen didn't know much about miraculous herbs, the soul power fluctuations emanating from this plant left no doubt—it was definitely a miraculous herb.
Chen Xin examined it closely and sighed regretfully. "What a pity. This is Beast Luring Grass, useful only to spirit beasts. Human soul masters cannot withstand its violent energy."
"Beast Luring Grass?" Ning Tianchen was puzzled.
After some explanation, he finally understood the grass's effects.
This was a peculiar type of miraculous herb. It didn't need to be consumed; simply being near it while cultivating allowed spirit beasts to rapidly increase their cultivation levels.
The location of this Beast Luring Grass was unique. Though the underground cavern was vast, its passages were extremely narrow, preventing larger-bodied spirit beasts from entering. This was likely why it had survived for so long.
After some searching, Ke Jie found traces of earth dragon activity nearby. "These droppings are from the earth dragon. The creature you and Miss encountered earlier might have lived here originally."
Chen Xin formed a sword finger with his right hand and flicked it gently, severing the Beast Luring Grass at its roots.
"In the past, Thunderclap Gorge didn't have any ten-thousand-year spirit beasts. Yet, despite the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family's lineage being less than a thousand years old, the number of ten-thousand-year spirit beasts here has grown explosively. This is likely closely tied to the Beast Luring Grass."
Spirit beasts aged fifty thousand years or more were almost impossible to domesticate. Once they realized they were being captured, they would choose to self-destruct rather than submit.
Thus, the high-level spirit beasts in Thunderclap Gorge must have broken through after being brought here.
"Sword Elder, are you suggesting that this Beast Luring Grass was deliberately planted here?" Ke Jie asked.
"It's possible." With that, Chen Xin carefully stored the Beast Luring Grass in a soul-guidance device.
As a heavenly treasure, bringing it back to the sect would enrich the treasury. In the future, it might even be traded for something even more valuable.
"There may be more treasures here, but our soul-hunting mission is over. Staying here for too long could invite trouble. Let's go—there's nothing left worth lingering for."
With that, Chen Xin turned and walked toward the exit of the cave.
"Sword Elder, there might be other heavenly treasures in this cave. Shouldn't we search a little more?" Ning Tianchen suggested quickly.
Chen Xin shook his head. "I've already sensed it—there are no other treasures in the cave."
Ning Tianchen chuckled helplessly.
This place wasn't like the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, a treasure basin where numerous heavenly treasures could flourish. During their growth, miraculous herbs absorbed the surrounding natural energy. Outside of a treasure basin, even if countless seeds were sown, only one miraculous herb would survive.
The rest would inevitably wither due to insufficient nutrients.
…
Inside the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's meeting hall
After hearing Ning Tianchen's report, Ning Fengzhi's face broke into a faint smile. "Well done. With an external spirit bone, your future achievements are limitless."
His expression shifted as he furrowed his brows. "Uncle Sword, is the information Uncle Bone brought back true?"
When the discussion turned serious, Ning Tianchen prepared to leave but was stopped by Ning Fengzhi. "Tianchen, stay and listen. This matter concerns you as well."
Confused, Ning Tianchen stood aside and listened attentively.
Chen Xin laid out all his suspicions.
Upon hearing this, Ning Tianchen was stunned.
In his mind, though the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family wasn't exactly virtuous, he never imagined they would stoop to such underhanded tactics. Especially Yu Yuanzhen, whose actions were always upright—he didn't seem like someone who would make such decisions.
Ning Fengzhi shared his thoughts. Initially, he too found it hard to believe.
Chen Xin explained, "Tianchen and Rongrong are destined to be geniuses who will lead an era. How can the so-called Blue Lightning Duo, those unworthy heirs, compare to them?"
Yu Tianheng and Yu Tianxin both had innate soul power of level eight and were only three or four years older than Ning Tianchen.
In the early stages of cultivation, their soul power levels might surpass Ning Tianchen's. But after twenty years, the advantage of full innate soul power would become evident.
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