"Yan Yan, are you alright?!"
Seeing that Dugu Yan had finally succeeded in killing the Sky Demon Scorpion, Dugu Bo immediately flashed to her side, helping her up with deep concern in his eyes.
"Grandfather, I'm fine!"
Dugu Yan patted the dust off her body. Though her exquisitely featured and valiant face was a little smudged with dirt, it now shone with a bright, joyful smile.
Because this time—she had challenged herself and won!
"Yan Yan, I knew it! You could do it!"
At that moment, Ye Yu walked over, his face full of encouragement and trust.
"Ah Yu!"
Even though she had already tested the power of Ye Yu's sugar explosive grenades, she was still overwhelmed with emotion after witnessing three of them take down a 600-year-old Sky Demon Scorpion.
Dugu Yan, bursting with excitement, threw off Dugu Bo's support and flew into Ye Yu's arms. Her emerald-green eyes shimmered with tears.
"Ah Yu, I thought I'd never see you again...!"
Beside them, the elderly Dugu Bo's kind smile instantly stiffened. His heart filled with displeasure and resentment.
He dared not say anything to his granddaughter, of course.
But all his frustration was now aimed at Ye Yu, his gaze cold and filled with killing intent.
Ye Yu, however, quickly turned to speak after comforting Dugu Yan:
"Yan Yan, the Sky Demon Scorpion's spirit ring has finished condensing."
"It's time to absorb it!"
Dugu Yan reluctantly released Ye Yu and walked toward the corpse of the Sky Demon Scorpion.
Floating above the scorpion's body was a deep yellow spirit ring.
Dugu Yan sat cross-legged beside it, closing her eyes in meditation. After summoning her Biphosphorus Snake spirit, she began to absorb the ring.
The spirit ring was soon drawn over and settled around her body.
However, during the absorption process, a faint expression of pain appeared on Dugu Yan's delicate face.
"Yan Yan!"
This immediately made Dugu Bo anxious.
But Ye Yu remained calm.
In his view, this was completely normal.
After all, the Sky Demon Scorpion was similar in nature to the Man-Faced Demon Spider—a dark and sinister-type spirit beast. Its spirit ring was not easy to absorb.
Moreover, due to Ye Yu's setup, the Sky Demon Scorpion died filled with hatred and resentment.
This made the ring even harder to assimilate.
Still, Dugu Yan should be able to successfully absorb a 600-year-old Sky Demon Scorpion's spirit ring without issue.
Although… it didn't seem like a regular spirit bone had dropped.
Ye Yu couldn't help but wonder—
Would Dugu Yan, like Tang San when he absorbed the Man-Faced Demon Spider's spirit ring, obtain an External Spirit Bone?
As Ye Yu nervously speculated—
Dugu Yan's initial pain began to subside.
But then suddenly—!
A sharp cry of agony escaped her lips, her body bent forward in pain. Her spine arched unnaturally as if something was protruding from it.
"Yan Yan!!"
Dugu Bo's worry spiked.
But upon seeing the change in Dugu Yan's back, Ye Yu's face lit up with excitement.
"Teacher, we did it! We really did it!!"
In that instant, Dugu Yan's spine visibly rippled—as though something was writhing beneath the skin.
A sharp, pitch-black scorpion stinger suddenly burst through her skirt!
It extended swiftly—
Taking the form of a Sky Demon Scorpion's tail, dark and deadly, whipping through the air behind her.
Dugu Yan slowly opened her emerald-green eyes. Though her strikingly beautiful face still showed signs of exhaustion, it was also filled with excitement and joy.
Because she had just realized—she'd gained a new limb.
This was... the legendary External Spirit Bone!
Ye Yu's theory on spirit bone drop mechanics—was real!
"Yan Yan, we did it!"
Ye Yu stepped forward to help Dugu Yan up, his handsome face full of joy and excitement.
The two embraced tightly.
Watching the pair embrace, Dugu Bo's sinister face showed a flicker of complexity.
After spending so much time with Ye Yu—and especially after this event—
He had no choice but to admit it.
Ye Yu might fall short in spirit and martial soul talent, but in spirit theory and other fields...
He was a true genius!
If only his spirit and natural aptitude were better!
Dugu Bo sighed internally.
He couldn't help but wonder—was Ye Yu's theory about spirit ring origin enhancement and evolution also valid?
If it was…
And this boy could truly evolve his martial soul multiple times—
That would be astonishing!
Having obtained the External Spirit Bone: Sky Demon Scorpion Tail Hook, the group began the journey back to the Dugu Estate from Sunset Forest.
On the way, Dugu Bo clasped his hands behind his back, and after a long silence, finally turned to Ye Yu with a rare show of concern. He asked in a deliberately casual tone:
"Brat, how's that spirit ring origin enhancement theory of yours coming along? Have you found any suitable spirit beasts yet?"
"Since you helped Yan Yan, this old man can assist you in finding and hunting the spirit beast you need for your ring."
Ye Yu was a bit surprised that Dugu Bo would bring this up.
Still, he knew this was an opportunity.
He smiled and replied:
"Teacher, I've actually already identified several target spirit beasts that meet my criteria."
"But I don't want to hunt them yet, nor absorb a ring just now."
"Because at my current level, I'd only be able to absorb century-level spirit rings."
"But according to my theory, for a weaker spirit like my Blue Silver Vine, the higher the spirit ring's age, the better."
"That's why I want my first spirit ring to be a thousand-year ring."
"A thousand-year spirit ring? That's impossible!"
"Especially considering your martial soul is a plant-type!"
Dugu Bo scowled, deeply disapproving of Ye Yu's unrealistic expectations.
"Brat, give up on that idea!"
"You'll just waste your time!"
He spoke earnestly, trying to dissuade Ye Yu, thinking the boy was being too arrogant.
But Ye Yu only smiled with calm confidence.
"Teacher, normally, absorbing a thousand-year spirit ring as a first ring is indeed impossible."
"But what if I found a method to strengthen my body?"
"One of the main reasons I became your disciple and started studying pharmacology..."
"Was precisely to refine and upgrade that method."
"What?! A way to strengthen the body?!"
Dugu Bo was shocked.
Ye Yu didn't hide anything.
He revealed the secret of whale rubber (鲸胶) to Dugu Bo and explained his theory:
"Teacher, I know you may not believe that something like whale rubber has body-strengthening effects."
"But I've tested it. It truly does."
"It's just that no one has discovered it yet."
"Its aphrodisiac effects? Just a side effect."
"As a stimulant, it allows users to remain vigorous even after multiple rounds of intense activity."
"That alone proves it contains incredible life force."