16: Second Soul Ring

Mo Yuhan took a deep breath, his consciousness sinking into his body.

At the same time, he immediately connected with two vastly different yet subtly balanced power sources within him: the nascent Spirit Core located at his chest's Tanzhong acupoint, the origin of his Xuan Huang Flame Spirit, and the endlessly rotating Dou Qi, filled with a desire to devour, at his Dantian Qi Sea, three inches below his navel.

"Pull!"

With a thought, the profound thousand-year spirit ring seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, slowly descending and enveloping his body.

The process was a hundred times more perilous than absorbing the first spirit ring; the extreme energy of the thousand-year spirit ring, like a bursting torrent of lava, carrying violent fire and heavy earth attributes, wildly impacted his meridians and Spirit origin.

The Xuan Huang Flame spontaneously burned fiercely around his body, forming a defense, but the violent energy still made him feel as if his body was being torn apart and his soul was about to be ignited.

Dark yellow flames and the spirit ring's dark red energy fiercely clashed within his body.

Boom—!!!

Like a dormant volcano suddenly erupting, a torrent of energy a hundred times more violent than an ordinary thousand-year spirit ring, carrying the explosive heat of Earth Core lava and the heavy solidity of the earth, instantly surged into Mo Yuhan's body.

This power was too fierce, as if it would completely crush and incinerate his meridians, bones, and even his soul.

"Ugh!"

Mo Yuhan groaned, his body trembling violently, his skin instantly turning crimson, and fine beads of blood oozing from his pores, only to vaporize into a bloody mist under the high temperature of the Xuan Huang Flame.

He felt like a small boat thrown into a sea of lava, ready to disintegrate at any moment.

At the Tanzhong acupoint in his chest, the dull Spirit Core, condensed from the origin of the Xuan Huang Flame, suddenly burst forth with dazzling dark yellow light, like a bottomless black hole, or a primordial beast awakening, erupting with astonishing devouring power.

The vast spirit ring energy was forcibly pulled apart and torn, surging into the Spirit Core.

The dull Xuan Huang Flame furiously burned and refined it, stripping and purifying the violent fire and heavy earth attributes within, transforming them into the purest Soul Power origin, nourishing the Spirit Core itself, and pushing the Soul Power level towards a higher rank.

Level 20, Level 21...

However, the energy contained within this thousand-year extreme spirit ring was simply too vast; although the Spirit Core's devouring speed was fast, a large amount of unrefined energy, still carrying the explosive characteristics of Earth Core lava, surged wildly through his meridians, causing wanton destruction.

Just as this violent energy was about to break through the meridian restraints and cause irreversible damage.

The Dou Qi at the Dantian Qi Sea, as if smelling an unparalleled delicacy, suddenly erupted with an unprecedented greedy suction force, this suction was not directed at Soul Power, but precisely locked onto the pure fire attribute energy within the spirit ring energy that had not been completely refined by the Xuan Huang Flame, like the core of Earth Core lava, and the power like the pulsation of the earth.

"Om—!"

The Dou Qi vortex spun wildly, accelerating, its rotation speed instantly increasing tenfold, a hundredfold, forming a miniature energy storm.

This violent lava and earth energy, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, was forcibly pulled away from the Soul Power's refining path by this terrifying suction, surging madly into the Dantian Qi Sea.

The lava and earth energy that surged into the Dantian was instantly swept into the center of the storm by the rapidly rotating Dou Qi vortex; the rotation of the vortex carried a profound rhythm, no longer simply devouring, but beginning to temper and fuse.

The milky white Dou Qi, under the scorching of the violent lava energy, rapidly deepened in color, turning from milky white to crimson, and then from crimson settling into a heavy, condensed, dark yellow color with a texture like the earth.

Like fine iron repeatedly hammered in a furnace, impurities were removed, and Mo Yuhan felt as if his entire being was being sublimated.

The form of the vortex also changed dramatically; it was no longer a blurry vortex, but in its high-speed rotation, its edges became incredibly condensed and clear, and its center formed a tiny, stable vortex core.

Its volume was compressing, its density soaring, and the suction force generated by its rotation and the energy contained within it both underwent a qualitative leap.

The moment the last pure lava and earth energy was completely devoured and fused—

"Boom!"

A silent thunderclap seemed to reverberate within Mo Yuhan's Dantian; the rapidly rotating dark yellow vortex suddenly paused, then, with an even more condensed and vast posture, it roared into form.

The vortex rotated steadily, its central swirl profound, the dark yellow Dou Qi condensed like paste, and an energy fluctuation completely different from Soul Power, carrying the sharpness and heaviness of a Dou Zhe, powerfully spread from his body.

At the Spirit Core, the Xuan Huang Flame also completed its final refinement.

Without the interference of the most explosive part of the lava and earth energy, the remaining pure Soul Power was smoothly absorbed and transformed by the Spirit Core.

The Soul Power fluctuations around Mo Yuhan surged like a rising tide, finally stabilizing at Level 23.

The dark yellow Xuan Huang Flame flowed around his body, becoming more restrained, as if containing the power of the earth's origin.

And within his Dantian, the steadily rotating dark yellow Dou Qi vortex announced his official entry into the Dou Zhe 1-star mid-stage realm.

The Dou Qi vortex slowly rotated, echoing the steadily burning Xuan Huang Flame Spirit Core in his chest; one heavy and explosive, the other condensed and fundamental, forming a peculiar balance and complementarity.

Mo Yuhan slowly opened his eyes; in the depths of his left pupil, a dull Xuan Huang Flame seemed to flash and disappear, while in the depths of his right pupil, a faint dark yellow Dou Qi vortex illusion flowed.

His aura became incredibly profound and complex, possessing both the Soul Power fluctuations of a Spirit Master and the unique condensation and sharpness of a Dou Zhe.

His mind stirred slightly.

Hum!

Beneath his feet, a second profound purple spirit ring, with a lava-like dark red hue, rose.

At the same time, the dark yellow Dou Qi vortex in his Dantian slightly accelerated its rotation, and a condensed Dou Qi surged along the meridians of his arm, condensing in his palm into a flickering, heavy, and scorching dark yellow Dou Qi flame.

Bibi Dong had been watching silently, a hint of relaxation flashing in her profound eyes.

"Spirit Master Level 23, not bad at all."

Bibi Dong's voice carried a hint of emotion, "The thousand-year spirit ring's extreme energy was perfectly absorbed."

She stepped forward, looking at the dark yellow flame in Mo Yuhan's palm, similar to the Xuan Huang Flame yet with the unique condensed feel of Dou Qi, and a genuine smile appeared on her beautiful face: "How is this second Spirit Ability?"

Mo Yuhan nodded, dispelling the flame in his palm and the spirit ring.

He concentrated his thoughts, and the dull Xuan Huang Flame reappeared; this time, the flame did not form a lion's head, but quickly flowed and condensed around his body.

A suit of ancient, heavy, and ferocious dark yellow flame armor instantly covered his entire body.

The armor had rigid lines, sharp flame barbs at the joints, and dark red patterns flowing on its surface like solidified lava, emitting an extremely powerful defensive aura and scorching elemental power.

Even more peculiar, within the armor, faint dark yellow Dou Qi light flowed through the patterns, adding a sense of earth-like stability and resilience.

"Second Spirit Ability—Flame Armor Guardian." Mo Yuhan's voice carried the sense of power after his breakthrough, "It merges the defensive characteristics of the spirit ring with the condensing amplification of Dou Qi. Physical defense, energy resistance, fire and earth dual-attribute damage reduction, and it also has a counter-damage burning effect."

Bibi Dong felt the heavy as earth, scorching as lava mixed aura emanating from the armor, and her eyes showed even greater admiration: "Good! Both offense and defense, with a solid foundation. This Earth Core Lava Armor Scorpion's spirit ring is truly a perfect match for you."

She changed the subject, and the familiar teasing glint reappeared in her beautiful eyes: "Now that your Soul Power has broken through and your strength has greatly increased... Xiao Han, you must have more confidence to go find that little female dragon now, right? Auntie is keeping track of that Spirit Bone dowry for you."

Mo Yuhan: "..."

The joy and sense of power from his breakthrough were instantly shattered by his auntie's precise teasing.

He silently retracted the Flame Armor, his small face taut, his dark eyes looking beyond the Star Dou Great Forest, towards Spirit City, his heart a mix of emotions.

Next time they met, what would Liu Erlong, with her crimson long hair, honey-colored skin, and burning eyes, be like?

He subconsciously touched the steadily rotating dark yellow vortex in his Dantian, and then felt the solidity of the Spirit Core in his chest.

Perhaps... if he were a little stronger, he would have a little more confidence when facing her?

This strange thought had just popped up when he forcibly suppressed it himself.

It was just a coincidence. Mo Yuhan thought so.