"But… you're telling the truth?"
"Of course."
Meeting the dragon's skeptical gaze, Chen Junting nodded firmly.
"But I clearly remember you saying soul beasts can't become gods!"
The Domineering Bone Dragon pointed one bony claw at Chen Junting, its face twisted in confusion—a sight so absurdly comical that Chen Junting nearly chuckled.
"But we can find a loophole," Chen Junting explained smoothly. "As long as I ascend to godhood, you can become a god too. And there's already precedent for this."
With that, he recounted the story of Da Ming and Er Ming.
"You know that too!?"
"Ah, that's not important right now," Chen Junting waved his hand dismissively, quickly steering the conversation back. "Just tell me—do you want to use this method to become a god or not?"
"Of course I do! Absolutely!"
The massive skeletal head bobbed up and down eagerly, instantly forgetting its earlier doubts. But then, to Chen Junting's utter astonishment, the face of this ancient creature—over one hundred thousand years old—suddenly twisted into a comically pitiful, almost whiny expression!
At that moment, the Domineering Bone Dragon sighed mournfully:
"But… my soul ring dissipated tens of thousands of years ago, and my soul bones were completely detonated. I have nothing left to anchor my soul to!"
"No need to worry—this humble scholar has a clever solution," Chen Junting said confidently, skipping the theatrics. "My master can use your lingering soul thread and anchor it to a 100,000-year soul ring and soul bone, transforming you into a spirit soul that resides within my Sea of Consciousness."
"Spirit soul?"
The term was entirely new to the dragon.
Seeing its confusion, Chen Junting didn't bother explaining further. Instead, he summoned Mad King—letting actions speak louder than words.
"Ahhh… so this is a spirit soul," the dragon murmured, eyes suddenly alight with hope. Becoming a god had always been its dream. It had resigned itself to failure—yet here, at the very end, lay one last gamble, one final chance!
As for whether Chen Junting could actually become a god…
Please!
Even setting aside the fact that this was its only option—the kid's luck and talent clearly surpassed that damn Qian Lingyun! If she could become a god, why not this guy?
"Deal! I—I mean—I'm in!"
The Domineering Bone Dragon gently lifted Chen Junting onto its skull and immediately switched to a familiar tone:
"And hey, let's settle on names! You can call me 'Bao Jun'—or if that's too formal, just 'Old Bao'!"
Old Bao?
Chen Junting blinked. He hadn't expected this ferocious, ancient dragon to be… oddly goofy in private?
"Well then," he said with a smile, "let's properly get acquainted."
Not overthinking the dragon's personality, Chen Junting—now seeing them as future companions—introduced Bao Jun to Mad King. Surprisingly, the atmosphere between them was harmonious.
Mad King: …
Harmonious? Of course it is!
Their power levels are worlds apart—my ancestor himself wouldn't dare act recklessly!
"Master, I'll leave the rest to you," Chen Junting said, turning to Electrolux. After all, he'd never witnessed the process of crafting a spirit soul firsthand.
"Very well," Electrolux nodded slightly, then added, "But first, there's one thing you must do: release the leftover energy from your first spirit soul into a place where it can be properly absorbed—otherwise, it'll just remain trapped inside, wasted."
"I'll channel it into my martial soul," Chen Junting decided without hesitation.
Had he not encountered Bao Jun, his sixth soul ring would've come from Mad King anyway. Beyond the practical need to optimize multiple soul rings from a single spirit soul, his martial soul was on the verge of achieving true Ultimate Metal—so absorbing as much Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear energy as possible was crucial.
"Mad King, I'll trouble you."
"Hrrrmm…"
Mad King gave a low growl, shook its head, then let its semi-transparent form glow with dark-gold radiance, enveloping Chen Junting entirely.
Gradually, like drifting stardust, the luminous particles converged toward Chen Junting's right hand.
Buzz—!
A crisp, resonant chime rang out—and the crystal-like Seven Kill Sword blazed with silvery-white light. An incomparably sharp aura emanated from its blade, so potent it seemed to eclipse even killing intent itself.
In that instant, the Seven Kill Sword resonated with metal!
Every soul tool on Chen Junting's body trembled in response—until the silver-white glow faded, revealing the sword's transformed state.
Ultimate Metal — Seven Kill Sword!
"Finally… permanently awakened to the Ultimate attribute," Chen Junting murmured with satisfaction. He flicked the blade—a clear, ringing note echoed through the air.
Sensing the flow of soul power within him, he smiled faintly. "Looks like my cultivation will advance slowly until I hit Level 70. I wonder if I'll make it to Level 70—Soul Saint—before the next Continental Elite Young Soul Master Tournament begins."
"But now, onto the next step."
With that, he retrieved the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, its consciousness long erased. This flower's soul ring and soul bone would serve as the necessary vessel.
If Bao Jun's remains had contained marrow or other life-marking essence, Electrolux wouldn't have needed the chrysanthemum at all—he could've crafted the spirit soul from scratch.
After severing the flower's roots, a blood-red 100,000-year soul ring and soul bone slowly rose into the air.
Preparations complete, Chen Junting turned to Bao Jun.
Electrolux had already approached the dragon. Without waiting for a formal cue—and having already received silent consent—he acted.
With a light tap of his scepter, he extracted the soul thread from the Wrathful Bone Dragon. Then, he split the stored annihilating power in half, combining it with the chrysanthemum's soul ring and soul bone.
A swift, sweeping motion—and a white flame instantly engulfed the mixture.
Under the flame's searing heat, soul-deep agony wracked Bao Jun—but not a single cry escaped its form.
Moreover, when fragments of the chrysanthemum's residual consciousness surfaced within the soul ring and soul bone, Bao Jun didn't hesitate—it bit down and swallowed them whole. The remnants offered no resistance whatsoever.
In short order, a brand-new spirit soul emerged, fresh from the crucible.
"Is this my new body?"
Bao Jun examined itself with delight—only to find it wasn't its old, fearsome dragon form, but rather a winged, serpentine dragon.
"Hey! I've got wings now!" it crowed excitedly.
Electrolux glanced over once, then said nothing. The transformation was clearly a side effect of fusion—but it brought no drawbacks.
He turned to Chen Junting. "Ready to contract your second spirit soul."
At those words, man and dragon grew solemn.
The moment the Spirit Contract Array flared beneath Chen Junting's feet, Bao Jun pressed its ethereal dragon claw against his forehead. Violent waves of violet-black radiance surged from its form!
Pure annihilation power flooded into the Seven Kill Sword—so intense that Chen Junting instinctively activated his Seven Kill Domain, using killing intent both to resist and to sense the flow.
Soon, his entire body shimmered with violet-black light. The star-like emblems on his martial soul detached from the sword, transforming into five soul rings that floated around him:
Yellow, Purple, Purple, Black, Black… and one blazing Red.
Six soul rings now gleamed in unison.
Simultaneously, the soul bone—now shaped as the Domineering Bone Dragon's right leg—fused seamlessly onto Chen Junting's own leg, becoming one with him.
In that instant, Chen Junting ascended to Soul Emperor—a Soul Emperor wielding Ultimate Metal!
ROOOOAR!
From the sixth soul ring, Bao Jun's spirit soul burst forth, joy radiating from every scale.
Chen Junting smiled softly—then grew thoughtful.
"There's one more thing to test," he said, pointing toward the original Wrathful Bone Dragon, its eye sockets still burning with emerald-green soul flame. "Old Bao… see if you can control this undead body from your spirit soul form."
A moment passed…
"I can!"
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