After fully absorbing the spirit ring, Wu Tong no longer had any worries and turned his full focus to dealing with the rampaging energy.
The wild energy was suppressed by his spiritual power and unable to resist. It was subdued and absorbed bit by bit by Wu Tong.
Once the energy was completely refined and brought under control, it lost all its violent nature. Instead, it became incomparably gentle toward Wu Tong, like a beast that had been thoroughly tamed, offering no further resistance.
After circulating through Wu Tong's entire body, the energy seemed particularly satisfied with his brain region and ultimately converged at the center of his forehead.
As this energy surged inward, a silvery-white mark identical to that of the Mind-Eye Golden Fox appeared between Wu Tong's brows.
Once the mark fully formed, Wu Tong opened his eyes. Looking at the concerned faces in front of him, his heart warmed. Using the last of his strength, he said, "Everyone, I did it."
Then, he collapsed and lost consciousness.
——Return——
When he opened his eyes again, a new day had already begun.
Seeing the somewhat familiar ceiling, Wu Tong quickly understood—he had been brought back by the members of the soul hunting team.
Struggling to sit up, he noticed that the blood and grime on his body had long been cleaned away, and his belongings were neatly placed on the table nearby.
He turned over and got out of bed, walked to the table, and picked up a fresh set of clothes to get dressed.
But to his surprise, the clothes no longer fit. Only then did Wu Tong realize that his body had undergone a dramatic change.
His height had jumped from about 1.4 meters to nearly 1.6 meters. The once faint muscle lines now stood out clearly. Eight-pack abs took shape, his torso broadened with a steel-hard chest and back, giving off a sense of strength and stability.
His muscles were now more compact and powerful, knotted and layered. Each muscle fiber was packed with explosive power, as though he could unleash a torrent of energy at any moment. His arms were long and robust; when he clenched his fists, the muscles bulged with a vivid masculinity.
Bare-chested, Wu Tong walked to the mirror and gazed at the reflection of the handsome youth standing within—like a refined nobleman stepped out of a painting. The mark on his brow added a touch of divinity, highlighting his noble, ethereal presence—like a banished immortal descended to earth. (Just as handsome as you, dear readers!)
Wu Tong nodded in satisfaction. 'Not bad. As expected of me. (∪`●)ゝ'
As he touched the silvery-white mark between his brows, a wave of lingering fear swept through him—followed quickly by uncontrollable joy.
An external spirit bone.
Spirit bones came in six types: left arm, right arm, left leg, right leg, skull, and torso.
They provided powerful enhancements to a spirit master's body and could even grant an extra spirit ability. Because of this, spirit bones were frantically pursued by spirit masters on the Douluo Continent. The appearance of a ten-thousand-year spirit bone could spark a bloody war—hence they were also called "Blood River Treasures."
However, on the Douluo Continent where strength reigned supreme, very few spirit masters were fond of reading, so even fewer knew that beyond the six types of spirit bones, there existed another kind—external spirit bones.
This type not only didn't occupy one of the six traditional slots, but could still provide enhancements and even spirit abilities. More importantly, they possessed the potential to infinitely evolve as the spirit master grew stronger.
But because most spirit masters could only reach the level of Title Douluo at best, the potential of external spirit bones was often limited. Therefore, the earlier one obtained such a bone, the stronger it could eventually become.
The mark on Wu Tong's brow was precisely such an external spirit bone—the heart eye of the Mind-Eye Golden Fox.
Filled with joy, Wu Tong was just about to get dressed when Liu Feiyan's voice came from outside.
"Little Wu Tong, still not up yet? The sun's already up past your butt!"
Before the person arrived, the voice did.
With a loud bang, the door was flung open, and Liu Feiyan barged in.
Then, after a moment of silence...
"AAAAAHHHHHH!!!" =()
Wu Tong: "Σ(д|||)"
…
A while later, now fully dressed, Wu Tong came downstairs, where Wu Tu and the others were gathered around the table waiting for him.
At a glance, Wu Tong noticed that Liu Feiyan still had a faint blush on her face.
To ease the awkwardness, Wu Tong was the first to speak.
"Uncle Wu Tu, I really have to thank you all for your help. I've now officially become a soul master."
"No need to thank me. It's your own effort that got you here. But more importantly—how's your body holding up?"
Wu Tu waved off the gratitude, but he did express concern about Wu Tong's condition. After all, what Wu Tong went through earlier had looked terrifying.
"Don't worry, Uncle Wu Tu. My body's a bit special. It recovers quickly from injuries. After a night of rest, I'm already fully healed."
Wu Tong replied calmly, though he didn't reveal that it was the external spirit bone that had repaired his body. As the saying goes, you can draw the skin but not the bones; you may know a person's face, but not their heart. Matters related to spirit bones always required caution.
Hearing this, Wu Tu smiled and nodded.
"As long as you're okay. But really, what we witnessed this time was nothing short of a miracle. A five-hundred-year first spirit ring—truly unprecedented. Wu Tong, your theory was undoubtedly correct."
The others had varied expressions, but there was clear envy and congratulations in their eyes. Two of the female team members even had a strange gleam flash through their gazes.
Wu Tong responded to Wu Tu's praise with a modest shake of his head, saying he still had much room for improvement.
He then treated everyone to a meal, paid the final fee for the soul hunt, and bid farewell to the team.
"Wu Tong, take care on the road! If you ever need anything, just say the word—we'll be there for you!" Wu Tu called out to Wu Tong's retreating figure.
"Got it, Uncle Wu Tu. If anything comes up, I won't hold back."
Wu Tong turned back, smiling as he replied.
…
Several days of travel followed.
Practicing as he journeyed, Wu Tong eventually returned to Nuoding City.
After reaching the dormitory, he could no longer hold back the exhaustion from the road and fell into a deep sleep.
(End of chapter)