Max watched with curiosity. "She's testing its movements first… clever."
The serpent retaliated by launching itself into the air, twisting midair to strike her with its tail again, this time imbued with cold silver light—a condensed sword aura.
"Third Spirit Skill: Crimson Flame Parry."
A rose-shaped shield of flame formed in front of her. When the tail struck, the shield shattered, but it absorbed the full force, protecting her.
Arlecchino slid back from the shockwave, boots dragging across the stone. "Hmph."
"Fourth Spirit Skill: Thornstep Mirage."
She vanished, her body turning into a stream of petals. The Blade-Tailed Boa missed entirely as she reappeared on its back.
"Fifth Spirit Skill: Blooming Execution."
With her sword held high, she plunged it into the serpent's back. From the point of impact, roses of flame exploded outward in a radial blast. The Boa screeched in pain, scales charred and body scorched.
But it wasn't done.
The serpent rolled and surged upward into the air, twisting violently and sending out a shockwave of sword aura from its tail. Arlecchino was flung off, but landed gracefully.
Max narrowed his eyes. "It's entering frenzy mode. Good—time to bring out your black rings."
Arlecchino didn't hesitate.
"Sixth Spirit Skill: Infernal Blossom Domain."
Dark crimson petals scattered from her hands and blanketed the area around the mountain peak. A domain field spread 100 meters wide—any creature within it suffered flame erosion and weakened defenses. The Blade-Tailed Boa roared again, visibly pained as the air burned its scales.
Then came her eighth ring—black and glowing:
"Eighth Spirit Skill: Rose Burial Flamestorm."
Dozens of massive, spear-like roses formed in the sky, then rained down like meteors upon the Boa. Each impact carved craters into the mountain, and the serpent was pinned and ravaged by the relentless downpour.
Blood burst from its wounds.
It raised its tail again to unleash a desperate sword-arc—
"Ninth Spirit Skill: Empress Bloom - Final Coronation."
Arlecchino's final spirit ring lit up. She pointed her sword toward the heavens. A giant rose formed in the sky, glowing with divine crimson light. It descended, spinning faster and faster—then imploded in a massive detonation directly atop the Blade-Tailed Boa.
When the smoke cleared, the serpent lay still, body scorched, tail shattered, and golden blood pooling beneath it.
Arlecchino stepped forward, calm and regal, as her Martial Spirit receded behind her.
Max glided down from the air, landing beside her.
"Beasts above 100,000 years are truly powerful—you were forced to use your full strength," he said.
Arlecchino nodded, her expression calm but serious. Max eyed the blood-red spirit ring now floating above the corpse of the Blade-Tailed Boa.
"These rings have two Skills," she said.
Max nodded in agreement. "Also— they leave behind a spirit bone as well. "
Arlecchino looked down at the serpent's shattered body. "It's the tail," she said firmly.
Max moved closer as she bent down, inspecting the severed tail. Embedded within the dense bone was something glowing faintly with a cold white sheen.
"This… is an external spirit bone," Max muttered as he checked it with his System Appraisal.
A shimmering diagram appeared above the bone.
"Well, I wasn't expecting this, but it's even better than I hoped for," Max said with a grin. He sat cross-legged, holding the tail bone in his right hand. "Since it's compatible, I'll absorb the external spirit bone now."
As he began the absorption process, the bone started to shine with a bladed glow. The spirit bone slowly transformed, merging into the sword-shaped design on his right arm.
Arlecchino stood quietly, watching him without saying a word as Max sat cross-legged, finishing the absorption process. After a few hours, his eyes opened.
"Done," Max said with a small smile. He raised his right hand and poured spirit power into it.
A long black sword appeared in his grip — sleek and deadly. It resembled the blade tail of the Boa: one side smooth and razor-sharp, the other jagged like serrated fangs.
"Hmm, it has three skills, as expected from a 100,000-year-old external spirit bone," Max said, inspecting the weapon carefully.
He stepped forward, then slashed once. The sword aura blasted forth, cleaving a distant boulder into two with ease.
"The first skill is 'Sword Aura Burst' — increases the raw destructive force of each slash tenfold," he explained as the energy slowly dissipated.
Next, he lowered the blade and focused his energy again.
"Second skill — 'Condense Sword Aura'." This time, a refined and condensed wave of energy pulsed along the blade, sharpening it further.
Lastly, his aura shifted as he activated the third skill. A subtle hum filled the air.
"Third skill — 'Domain of Sharpness'. Within this domain, my attack speed is increased by 50%, and my enemies' defense is reduced by 30%."
He smiled at Arlecchino.
"Not bad for our first hunt, huh?" Max said with a smirk.
"Hmm." Arlecchino nodded slightly, then sat cross-legged on the sand as she began absorbing the red spirit ring. Her Martial Spirit — Crimson Blood Scythe — flared to life around her, casting a deep crimson glow.
She remained still for a while, her aura surging and condensing in waves. After some time, her eyes opened.
"I got two skills from the ring," she said calmly. "And my level... has risen by one." She stood up, her presence more refined, her power deeper. She was now Spirit Douluo – Level 97.
"Hm. Good," Max replied, his tone approving. "Then let's keep going. We still have more spirit beasts to hunt."
Arlecchino gave a silent nod in return.
With that, Max led her into the skies once more, seeking out eight more spirit beasts, each over 100,000 years old, and each more dangerous than the last.
***
Back in Nuoding City, Peter and the others were now seated comfortably on a wide sofa. Opposite them, Liu Guangzhen sat casually in a laid-back posture — slouched, one leg crossed over the other, arms spread lazily over the cushions.
He let out a long sigh and murmured with a yawn,
"Ahh... finally, some peace."
Seeing him like that — completely relaxed and unbothered — the girls exchanged looks. Some chuckled softly while others raised their eyebrows in silent judgment.
Liu Yan (Lumia) leaned toward Peter and whispered,
"Is he really a Titled Douluo?"
Peter shrugged, but his expression said exactly what the others were thinking.
Despite his impressive title and strength, Liu Guangzhen lacked the overwhelming, regal presence they had seen in Arlecchino. Both were powerful… but their demeanor couldn't be more different. One carried herself like a queen of war — poised and commanding. The other lounged around like he'd just rolled out of bed and found himself in charge by accident.
Still, his strength couldn't be denied — they had seen it firsthand. Even if he didn't act the part, he was a powerful person in his own right.
***
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It's 22 chaps ahead