The absorption of the soul ring had already neared its end, and the mental shock had long since subsided.
The moment the golden light entered Xu Yang's forehead, he immediately sensed something. After thinking for a moment, he guessed what it was.
It could only be an External Soul Bone.
However, upon thinking of the Sun Sacred Beetle's characteristic large horn, Xu Yang felt a chill in his heart.
He really didn't want to have a towering horn on his head during battle. Even though this horn could provide great battle power and soul skills, he didn't need it.
After all, battle strength was one thing, but being handsome was a lifelong matter.
Moreover, if the External Soul Bone appeared elsewhere, it didn't necessarily mean its power would be diminished.
Xu Yang quickly split a portion of his consciousness and controlled his soul power to wrap around the golden energy cluster on his forehead. He guided it through his meridians toward his right hand. He intended to move this External Soul Bone to his hand.
"But the horn seems a bit too ugly. I'd better change its shape while the External Soul Bone hasn't fully formed. This will give me a chance to try my third soul skill!"
Xu Yang thought for a moment, then quickly made a decision. Although his third soul ring hadn't fully absorbed yet, it was nearly done and he could already use the soul skill.
His third soul skill was called Sun Sacred Blade, which, as he had guessed, was a rare weapon-type soul skill, similar to the Blue Silver Emperor's Overlord Spear. However, what Xu Yang formed was a Tang Sword with solar patterns, which was the Sun Sacred Beetle's signature soul skill.
Now, he wanted to use this soul skill to reshape the External Soul Bone he had already moved into his palm, changing it from a horn into a Tang Sword.
"Third Soul Skill: Sun Sacred Blade!"
The purple-black soul ring flashed with light, and then the golden light cluster in Xu Yang's right palm began to elongate. It quickly transformed into the shape of a Tang Sword, slowly凝聚成实体, becoming a Tang Sword made of golden bones that he held in his hand.
"..."
Madam Ning, who was watching, was dumbfounded. She had never seen anyone change the position and appearance of an External Soul Bone, turning it into a sharp blade.
Just then, the previously purple-black soul ring completely turned black. The eerie black light was mesmerizing, causing Madam Ning to unconsciously shift her gaze from the External Soul Bone to the soul ring.
As a Soul Douluo, she could see through the essence of the soul beast, so she quickly understood why the soul ring had evolved into a 10,000-year ring.
The Sun Sacred Beetle, aside from a few soul skills related to armor, most importantly had that large horn on its head. This horn gathered the majority of the Sun Sacred Beetle's essence, especially the soul beast's origin contained within the External Soul Bone, which was far superior to other soul bones of the same age.
When Xu Yang used his third soul skill before the soul ring was fully absorbed, his body instinctively absorbed a part of the soul bone's origin to complete the absorption. As a result, the soul ring evolved into a 10,000-year ring.
She had never seen such a situation before, but she had heard of similar cases. They were extremely rare and few people knew about them. It was because she was now in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School that she had seen such cases.
That was when a soul master absorbed the same-origin soul bone, and if the soul ring was at a critical point, it could evolve. The age of the soul ring would also increase, just like Xu Yang's, from a 1,000-year ring to a 10,000-year ring.
Another half hour passed, and Xu Yang opened his eyes, exhaling a breath of stale air. Then, he began to feel his own state.
His soul power level had reached level 33, and it was just one step away from level 34. With the near-10,000-year soul ring and the External Soul Bone, his soul power was advancing rapidly, far surpassing ordinary soul masters.
The most important improvement wasn't just his soul power but the strength of his body. The enormous soul power of a nearly 10,000-year soul beast continuously washed over his body, significantly enhancing his physical qualities. This improvement wasn't just in terms of strength, but it was a comprehensive boost.
He could now say that his body was as tough as steel. Xu Yang now strongly suspected that without using his martial soul or soul power, he could rely purely on his physical strength to fight against a regular Great Soul Master.
Summoning his martial soul, Xu Yang looked at the black soul ring. He was a little confused. If he remembered correctly, the soul ring he absorbed should have been a purple-black 9,000-year soul ring, not a 10,000-year soul ring.
He looked at his masters's wife with a confused expression.
"It's because of the soul bone. If the soul ring absorbs a soul bone of the same origin, there is a certain probability that the soul ring's age will increase. And you, my lucky disciple, encountered this rare situation, which caused your soul ring to evolve into a 10,000-year ring!" Madam Ning explained with a smile in her eyes.
Hearing this, Xu Yang turned his gaze to the golden Tang Sword still in his hand, still in disbelief. He never expected that just absorbing an External Soul Bone would cause his third ring to reach the 10,000-year level. How were others supposed to compete with this?!
Suppressing the smile in his heart, Xu Yang began experimenting with the soul skill of the External Soul Bone in his hand.
Unlike typical weapon-type soul skills, an External Soul Bone was like an extra bone growing from the body. When summoned, it grows from the body, so it can't be taken off. If he hadn't thought quickly and moved the soul bone to his palm, he wouldn't have known how to use it.
The soul skill of the Tang Sword External Soul Bone was very simple—it was blade energy, or what could also be called a slash. It could convert the soul power injected into the soul bone into blade energy, which would then be fired out.
Besides this, there was also a method to condense the blade energy onto the soul bone itself, enhancing the damage dealt in close combat.
Xu Yang swung the Tang Sword at a nearby tree. The golden blade energy shot out and split the tree in half, with a clean, smooth cut like a mirror, and it fell to the ground.
"Third Soul Skill: Sun Sacred Blade!"
The black soul ring emitted black light, and a Tang Sword identical to the one Xu Yang held appeared in his left hand. However, the material of the two swords was completely different—one was clearly bone, and the other seemed metallic. This was the difference between the External Soul Bone and soul skills.
Then, Xu Yang swung the Tang Sword in his left hand at the nearby tree. A golden blade energy slashed out, and the tree was easily split in half, as if it were tofu.
"Compared to the blade energy released by the soul skill, the blade energy from the soul bone is twice as powerful, and the speed is faster. This is still without the soul bone fully merging. After complete integration, the skill from the soul bone will continue to grow."
"Of course, this soul skill really gave me a huge surprise. In addition to using soul power to form the Sun Sacred Blade, there are three other methods of use. It's truly a pleasant surprise."
Xu Yang's mind raced, quickly familiarizing himself with the External Soul Bone and third soul skill.
"Yang'er, this External Soul Bone is exactly the same as your third soul skill. It's honestly a bit useless!" Madam Ning, who had been watching for a while, suddenly spoke up.