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Ah Yin hesitated for a moment but eventually accepted the soul bone. After all, she had already freeloaded so many resources—it wasn't like one more soul bone would make a difference.
However, as the soul bone settled into her grasp, Ah Yin's heart silently acknowledged that the debt she owed Ye Wen could never be repaid in this lifetime.
At this moment, Ye Wen spoke, "Ah Yin, you should have already formed a new soul bone within your body, right?"
Without suspicion, Ah Yin nodded straightforwardly, completely unafraid that Ye Wen might covet her soul bone.
Ye Wen, upon hearing her response, nodded knowingly.
Soul bones were an incredibly important resource for soul masters across all works of Douluo. Not only did they provide additional soul skills beyond the nine soul ring slots, but they also enhanced a soul master's physical attributes.
But soul bones weren't just valuable as equipment—they gained a new definition in later iterations of Douluo. For spirit beasts, soul bones were equivalent to the soul cores possessed by soul masters.
Especially in the case of Di Tian, the ostensible ruler of spirit beasts, who absurdly developed two soul cores within his body—essentially possessing two soul bones. However, since the subsequent series devolved into the "Tang Family Continent," Ye Wen hadn't followed up on it. He only knew that Di Tian eventually sacrificed himself but didn't know if he dropped any soul bones.
Still, Ye Wen didn't dwell on these matters. That guy was still hiding out with his naive overlord in the Life Lake of the Great Star Dou Forest.
Ye Wen addressed Ah Yin seriously, "Ah Yin, merge this soul bone into your body. But remember—do not fuse it with the soul bone already inside you. Let it exist as a separate entity."
Though Ah Yin didn't understand why Ye Wen wanted her to do this, his previous actions had proven his wisdom, so she obediently complied.
Since the soul bone originated from her, it naturally integrated into Ah Yin's body. As it fused, the aura of the Dark Blue Silver Emperor surged dramatically.
"Is this a breakthrough!?" Ye Wen's face lit up with surprise. His ferocious beast cultivation plan hadn't even begun, and yet Ah Yin had already given him such a pleasant surprise.
However, Ah Yin didn't stop refining her energy after the breakthrough. She continued circulating her soul power, and her aura steadily grew stronger.
This process didn't last long—about an hour later, Ah Yin slowly opened her beautiful eyes and delivered the answer Ye Wen sought in a cool tone.
"I'm now at 130,000 years of cultivation. What should I do next, Ye Wen?"
Ye Wen smiled faintly, detecting the barely concealed excitement in Ah Yin's voice, and replied, "Not so fast. Let me confirm your condition first." After some thought, he asked, "You now possess two soul bone sources. Does this mean your Devouring ability's effectiveness has doubled?"
Ah Yin tested simultaneously activating the two soul cores within her body and arrived at a satisfying conclusion.
"That's correct. My Devouring ability has grown stronger. If both soul bones are activated together, my Devouring efficiency doubles. However, activating both soul bones at once also increases the mental strain on me."
(T/N: No I did not make a mistake, the raw text says soul bone not soul core. Yes, I double checked. Cheers 👍🙂)
Ye Wen nodded in understanding, refraining from asking the foolish question of how Ah Yin managed to activate two soul cores simultaneously. After all, someone who could effortlessly manipulate tens of thousands of vines wouldn't find dual-core operation challenging—heck, even octa-core would be manageable! (Bro treating her like she's a processor 😂)
Ye Wen then asked Ah Yin a few more questions and finally concluded that while Ah Yin now possessed dual soul cores, they weren't complementary yin-yang cores like Di Tian's. Instead, her system had simply evolved from single-core to dual-core operation.
The most noticeable enhancement from this change was the significant boost to Ah Yin's Devouring ability. Additionally, she now had a backup hidden energy source, extending her combat endurance from an already exaggerated level to something even more absurd.
In the end, Ye Wen summarized, "If Ah Yin fights in an area teeming with plants, she will essentially become immortal unless Tang Hao destroys both of her soul cores. Otherwise, she can simply outlast him, especially since he's already injured."
Receiving Ye Wen's approval, Ah Yin felt a surge of emotion and was about to rush off to confront Tang Hao. However, Ye Wen stopped her.
"Wait! Wait! Didn't I tell you not to rush? You're not strong enough yet! While your theoretical strength may surpass Tang Hao's, don't forget—he can detonate his soul rings! If the quality of your Blue Silver Grass isn't superior to his, and he finds an opportunity to escape, do you think you'll catch him with how fast he is?"
Upon hearing this, Ah Yin immediately deflated.
But Ye Wen didn't coddle her. With a sharp tongue, he added, "Hurry up and train, you weakling. How do you expect to kill Tang Hao without reaching the level of a ferocious beast? If he escapes later, I'll demand a return on my investment!"
Ah Yin: (_) Anger!!!
At this moment, Ah Yin transformed back into a tentacle monster, determined to teach Ye Wen a lesson for daring to mock her again—it was simply unacceptable!
Ye Wen flinched. Oh no (◎_◎lll), Ah Yin looked too easy to bully, and he'd gotten cocky again!
Just as Ye Wen began inching backward, preparing to flee, a cheerful female voice came from behind him.
"You really are here, Wen. Though Sister Ah Yin is beautiful, you shouldn't spend all your time here, you know. I might get jealous~"
Huo Yu'er's youthful and tender voice rang out. Compared to six months ago, though she still appeared somewhat immature, her movements now carried the unique charm of a mature woman.
Ye Wen's lips twitched. While he was grateful for his "first wife" coming to save him, compared to Ah Yin's playful teasing, Huo Yu'er's upcoming antics were sure to be explosive.
At this moment, Ye Wen already felt a dull ache in his lower back.
Ah Yin regained her composure and didn't respond to Huo Yu'er's words. She merely watched silently as the young couple left.
After Ye Wen and Huo Yu'er departed, however, Ah Yin's illusory figure revealed eyes brimming with regret.
"Ah Wen… Why did we meet so late? If I had met you instead of that scumbag Tang Hao, perhaps I wouldn't have ended up on this path…"
Unfortunately, Ah Yin wasn't skilled in poetry; otherwise, she might have lamented, "You were born, but I wasn't yet; now I am old, and you remain." A poignant expression of life's regrets.
But for a pure-hearted romantic like Ah Yin, the deeper the regret, the more thoroughly it fueled her blackening heart!
The dark aura surrounding the Dark Blue Silver Emperor grew even denser, and her ruthless extraction of life force from the corpses of spirit beasts beneath the earth intensified.
At this moment, Ah Yin was consumed by thoughts of revenge. She wanted to reach the twenty-thousand-year ferocious beast level as quickly as possible to exact vengeance on that faithless man. Even if it cost her life, she would not hesitate!
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