Word Count: 3,085
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Four years later.
Spirit Pagoda, Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform.
Amid layer upon layer of lush green, a young girl stood in a pure white dress. Silver hair fell past a slender waist so narrow it seemed one hand could encircle it. Her silver-white eyes were ethereal and clear, their gleam shifting like the soft radiance of morning stars. Her features were exquisite beyond words, and her unworldly beauty was so striking that even the surrounding landscape seemed to dim in her presence.
"ROAR—"
Across from her, a spirit beast bellowed in fury. It was a crystalline toad roughly two meters tall, snow-white all over like carved jade. Only its eyes were different: blood-red to the point that they looked ready to drip scarlet, making for a deeply unsettling sight.
Red Eyed Ice Toad, 3,000 years cultivation!
An ice-, fire-, and poison-attributed spirit beast whose territory had once lain along the border between the Extreme North and the human world. It was known as the 'King Within the Crevice!'
A flash of silver swept through the air, and the iconic Silver Dragon Spear appeared in the girl's hand, making her identity unmistakable. It was Na Er, four years older. She held the spear with its tip slanted toward the ground, tall and valiant, like a war goddess in all her glory.
"Silver Dragon's Fury!"
Na Er gave a clear shout, her voice crisp as pearls striking jade. Two purple spirit rings rose around her body, and the second burst into brilliant light!
Scorching brilliance ignited in her silver eyes. The Silver Dragon Spear erupted with dazzling radiance, and a layer of silver dragon scales emerged from the right hand gripping the shaft. They spread swiftly across her delicate body until, in the space of a blink, every inch of exposed skin below her face was sheathed.
Silver Dragon Spear's Second Spirit Skill, Silver Dragon's Fury!
An enhancement-type spirit skill. The Silver Dragon King's bloodline within the Silver Dragon Spear fed back into Na Er, sharply boosting her attack, speed, spiritual power, and the might of her spirit skills!
The amplification from Silver Dragon's Fury was astonishing. Flame-like radiance kept surging higher. Na Er seemed to transform into an erupting volcano as blazing light clung to her silver scales and swallowed her body from sight, gathering into the enormous illusory figure of a silver dragon. Dragon roars rang out one after another, clear and soaring!
"Roooar..."
The pressure erupting from Na Er far surpassed what her spirit power level should have allowed. The Red Eyed Ice Toad instinctively retreated half a step on its hind legs. Standing opposite that silver dragon, it found breathing difficult, as though an immense boulder were crushing down on its heart. This was fear drawn from the deepest reaches of its bloodline!
A 3,000-year spirit beast already possessed considerable intelligence. The Red Eyed Ice Toad understood just how dangerous the human before it was and knew it had to go all out. The swollen lumps on its back split open, and streams of blue-white liquid light shot toward Na Er!
Innate Spirit Skill, Corrosive Ice!
Despite the word 'ice' in its name, the Red Eyed Ice Toad's most terrifying trait was the hybrid poison born from absorbing the world's utmost cold and combining it with the fire attribute of its crimson eyes: Red Eyed Ice Toad Poison!
A single tiny drop was enough to corrode an Armor Plated Giant Rhinoceros of the same cultivation level into a puddle of toxic liquid!
The Red Eyed Ice Toad gave Na Er the utmost respect. It practically wrung every last trace of toxin from its body. Corrosive Ice spread across the sky, and a dense curtain of poisonous rain came hammering down!
In the next instant, Na Er taught it a hard truth: in matters of bloodline, supremacy was still supremacy.
The illusory silver-white dragon threw back its head and roared. Na Er neither dodged nor retreated and charged straight into the toxic rain. Flickers of black danced within the blazing light around her, and tiny spatial cracks continuously devoured the falling Corrosive Ice!
Na Er was one half of the Silver Dragon King. Even without inheriting that complete command over multiple elements, her innate elemental affinity still remained. Fusing with the Thorn Dragon Spirit Soul had served as a medium, allowing her to communicate with the spatial attribute hidden within her body. From that point on, space itself had become one of her weapons!
The Red Eyed Ice Toad drew eighty to ninety percent of its strength from its deadly poison. Its physical prowess and close-combat ability were not especially outstanding. Na Er closed the distance in an instant, and the Silver Dragon Spear swept across!
First Spirit Skill, Silver Dragon Slash!
The Red Eyed Ice Toad was blasted into the air, blood spraying wildly. Only after smashing through seven or eight ancient trees did it finally come to a stop. Its forelimbs were shattered, great sections of its chest and belly had cracked apart, and bright red blood snaked down its body. Its aura weakened rapidly.
"Zhao Xuanzhen!"
Na Er called out triumphantly after severely wounding the Red Eyed Ice Toad with a single strike.
The one she called stood tall and straight, black hair tied back, his features fair and handsome. He wore dark cyan garments beneath a loose outer robe, its sleeves embroidered with Liangyi symbols that echoed the flow of Yin-Yang Qi.
While Na Er had been fighting the Red Eyed Ice Toad, Zhao Xuanzhen stood opposite another imposing spirit beast.
It was also a toad-type spirit beast, yet it looked nothing like the hideous creatures people usually imagined. Instead, it was exquisitely noble and splendid to behold. Brilliant gold dominated its body, its eyes shone with keen intelligence, and three legs supported its frame.
4,000-year spirit beast, Three Legged Golden Toad!
The Three Legged Golden Toad carried divine beast bloodline and was born with control over the metal attribute, earning it the title 'Metal Controller.'
From the Sun Moon Empire, predecessor to the Sun-Moon Federation, all the way to the present day, the Three Legged Golden Toad had enjoyed lofty status within the federation. One family whose inherited Martial Spirit was the Three Legged Golden Toad had held important positions in Sun-Moon for generation after generation.
Killing intent surged from the Three Legged Golden Toad's pair of brilliant golden eyes. One of these two spirit beasts had once slumbered in a metal mining region of the Sun-Moon Federation, while the other had lived at the edge of the Extreme North. The Spirit Pagoda had forcibly turned both into Spirit Souls and placed them inside the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform, in an area simulated after the Hybrid Region of the Star Dou Forest.
By a twist of fate, the two had found each other and become lifelong mates. Red Eyed Ice Toad Poison and metal control were both top-tier abilities. Together, the pair of toads had gradually risen to become local overlords within one section of the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform. Ordinary spirit beasts did not dare draw near.
Now Zhao Xuanzhen and Na Er had intruded into their territory. The Three Legged Golden Toad was enraged beyond measure, determined to bury these two humans beneath boundless metal artillery fire!
Creak, creak...
Amid sharp metallic clanging, ring after ring of golden light climbed upward. The skin on the Three Legged Golden Toad's back split apart, and one cannon barrel after another took shape within the glow.
The toad resembled a living spirit cannon platform. Legend held that the very origin of Spirit Guidance Devices traced back to this species. Tens of thousands of years ago, ancient Spirit Guidance Masters had modeled Spirit Guidance Devices after the Three Legged Golden Toad!
Countless metallic motes gathered from all directions and rushed toward the cannon barrels with the force of rivers returning to the sea. Every point of light that drew close to the Three Legged Golden Toad was nourished and strengthened, causing dense golden halos to spread outward as the metal aura boiled thicker and thicker.
Innate Spirit Skill, Metal Blast!
Zhao Xuanzhen's gaze remained calm. So calm it seemed entirely devoid of temperature, as though nothing in the world could find reflection there. It looked like absolute arrogance, yet it felt perfectly natural. His entire being carried a kind of artistic conception, as if all things rested within his heart.
True Self, Manifestation!
A strand of black hair turned white. Two 1,000-year spirit rings rose around him. Unlike Na Er's vivid purple rings, Zhao Xuanzhen's faintly revealed a darkness as deep as an abyss!
Metal Blast roared in. The barrage thundered so violently it seemed ready to pierce eardrums, and the shells' tremendous momentum wove a curtain of fire that blotted out sky and earth. Human-like smugness surfaced in the Three Legged Golden Toad's eyes. An innate ability born of divine beast bloodline was not something mere humans could ever touch. Its pupils widened slightly, eager to watch the artillery fire crush Zhao Xuanzhen to dust!
"Croak?!"
The Three Legged Golden Toad froze, staring at Zhao Xuanzhen in utter disbelief.
A scene that overturned everything it had known across four thousand years of existence unfolded before its eyes. Not a single shell struck Zhao Xuanzhen. The instant each one drew near, some unseen force tugged it aside and sent it circling endlessly around his body. The deep purple spirit ring at the end of the sequence blazed with dazzling brilliance!
Second Spirit Skill, Yin-Yang Reversal!
Yin-Yang Qi traced out an inviolable domain of black and white. Every metal shell that approached was enveloped in that twin current and drawn into a vortex centered on Zhao Xuanzhen, one swirling with black, white, and gold.
The Three Legged Golden Toad refused to accept it and poured out even more power. Black smoke began rising from the cannon barrels on its back as the metal attribute overloaded, yet the result did not change in the slightest. The vortex did not dissipate. It actually swelled larger and larger!
If the Three Legged Golden Toad could speak, it would surely have laughed three times first, then pointed at the heavens and cursed: What kind of heaven-defying matching system is this?!
Its opponent's spirit skill was a complete nemesis to ranged attacks!
Then something even more terrifying happened. The vortex that had absorbed every last one of its attacks came rushing back, and the energy contained within was greater than the total amount the Three Legged Golden Toad itself had unleashed!
The gold belonged to the Three Legged Golden Toad's bombardment. The black and white belonged to Zhao Xuanzhen's Yin-Yang. With the two spirit skills layered together, the resulting power could only be more devastating than the original Metal Blast!
No one knew its own attacks better than the Three Legged Golden Toad. It understood all too well how destructive two full waves of Metal Blast bombardment could be. The moment Yin-Yang Reversal descended, instinct screamed that there was no dodging this. In the very next instant, its body would be annihilated by Yin-Yang Qi!
Yin-Yang Reversal's counterattack carried a locking effect!
The principle behind Yin-Yang Reversal was not difficult to understand. It borrowed force to return force, turning the tables on their heads. Yin-Yang Qi absorbed an enemy's ranged attack, converted it into its own momentum, and struck back with guaranteed accuracy.
This was the greatest power the spirit skill had ever displayed since Zhao Xuanzhen obtained his second spirit ring. Ninety-eight percent of the credit belonged to the Three Legged Golden Toad and its continent-renowned long-range bombardment.
Borrow force, return force. The core lay in how much force could be borrowed.
If this had been a Wind Baboon instead, Yin-Yang Reversal would have fizzled on the spot. The two miserable wind balls that fellow spat out were not even worth a single shot from the Three Legged Golden Toad!
There was only one way to counter a guaranteed-hit skill besides becoming invincible and intangible, and that was to reduce the damage by any means possible. The Three Legged Golden Toad's body immediately melted into liquid metal!
Yin-Yang Reversal exploded. Sharp metallic aura ran rampant, slicing the liquid body into fragments. Then the liquid reformed and condensed once more into the Three Legged Golden Toad, now covered head to toe in wounds!
Its heart hammered like a war drum. Fortunately, its divine beast bloodline had granted it a lifesaving skill. Otherwise, it truly would have died the most stifling death imaginable, killed by its own Innate Spirit Skill!
Two against two. The Three Legged Golden Toad and the Red Eyed Ice Toad had both suffered heavy injuries at almost the same time. Spirit beasts knew full well that humans would show no mercy. The ruthless desperation of cornered animals flooded their hearts!
The Three Legged Golden Toad rushed toward the Red Eyed Ice Toad. The two toads merged like twin pools of liquid becoming one, fusing into a gigantic red-gold toad. Metal from the Three Legged Golden Toad mixed with the Red Eyed Ice Toad's deadly poison, and a pair of black beast eyes stared outward, dark as a graveyard abyss!
"A spirit beast version of a Spirit Fusion Skill? That's my first time seeing one!" Na Er flashed to Zhao Xuanzhen's side.
"There's precedent for it. Ten thousand years ago, two Spirit Masters possessed this very skill. If humans can do it, spirit beasts naturally can too," Zhao Xuanzhen said.
Spirit beasts could do more than fusion skills. There were even examples of three-in-one fusion skills, and the fusion between the Three Legged Golden Toad and the Red Eyed Ice Toad already had historical precedent of its own!
"I'll leave the ranged attacks to you, then!"
The Silver Dragon Spear turned into a streak of light and returned to Na Er's body. The silver scales on her skin receded like the tide, and she calmly ducked behind Zhao Xuanzhen. The gap between two 1,000-year spirit beasts and Zhao Xuanzhen was far too vast for a single Spirit Fusion Skill to bridge.
"All right."
Zhao Xuanzhen smiled faintly, paying no mind to Na Er's blatant attempt to slack off.
His second spirit ring lit up again. The deep purple ring expanded outward, and the vortex of Yin-Yang Reversal spread across the battlefield once more!
The red-gold toad opened its enormous mouth. Deep in its throat, a mass of white-hot light took shape, brimming with the cold hardness of metal and the sinister malice of ice-fire poison. A kind of twisted, almost hysterical madness erupted all at once!
Let's see if you can reflect THIS, human!
"When things reach their extreme, they reverse!"
Zhao Xuanzhen pushed both palms forward. Ripples spread across the Yin-Yang Qi vortex, and visible waves wrapped layer upon layer around the incoming light. The might of the Spirit Fusion Skill spun at blistering speed within the maelstrom!
He withdrew his palms and drew the force back. The Spirit Fusion Skill once known ten thousand years ago as 'Hongchen's Yearning' erupted with even fiercer radiance and shot toward the red-gold toad, trailing a magnificent tail of blazing light!
BOOM!!!
A terrifying explosion rang out, brilliant and splendid like a lotus in full bloom. In the red-gold toad's despairing gaze, Yin-Yang Reversal struck back and annihilated every living thing within its destructive radius.
Energy feedback: 700 years!
The final piece fell into place. Black swallowed purple!
Spirit ascension complete. 10,000-year spirit rings!
Two pitch-black spirit rings, dark as ink, rose and fell around Zhao Xuanzhen, and his aura surged violently upward.
Thanks to the absolute physical foundation provided by True Self, Zhao Xuanzhen could already endure two 10,000-year spirit rings. On top of that, his spiritual power had broken through to Spirit Sea Realm a year and a half ago, more than enough to bear a 10,000-year Spirit Soul.
Na Er's body and spiritual power also far surpassed those of Spirit Masters at the same level, but the physical enhancement provided by the Silver Dragon Spear simply could not compare with that of True Self. Her spirit ring years had already reached their limit, and for now she could not withstand two 10,000-year spirit rings. Today, she had come solely to accompany Zhao Xuanzhen in completing his spirit ascension.
He pressed the signal device, and the two withdrew from the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform.
They awakened inside their metal cabinets. The crisp sound of high heels striking the floor echoed through the quiet underground space as a graceful, slender figure approached them and spoke softly:
"Xuanzhen, is there anything unusual with your body?"
Zhao Xuanzhen stood and looked toward her with a smile. "Everything is as usual, Teacher."
Leng Yaozhu let out a breath of relief. She treasured this one and only direct disciple of hers far too much. Originally, she had hoped he would wait a while longer before ascending his spirit rings, but she had not been able to outargue Zhao Xuanzhen.
"Don't worry, Aunt Leng! I was keeping an eye on him!" Na Er said with a grin.
Leng Yaozhu poked Na Er on the forehead in helpless exasperation. "It's been three months since I last tested your physical data. Let me see how you two have changed. Xuanzhen, you're first."
A helmet descended onto Zhao Xuanzhen's head, and a blue crystal ball appeared in his hand.
On the white Spirit Screen, the spiritual power reading kept jumping. Meanwhile, the crystal ball, whose upper limit was Rank 30, flared brightly at once, missing that final threshold by only the faintest, barely perceptible trace.
"Peak of Rank 29." Leng Yaozhu nodded.
"My spirit power showed signs of breaking through last night. Three days at most before I reach Spirit Elder," Zhao Xuanzhen said.
Four years. He had grown from Rank 13 to Rank 29. If one counted it as Rank 30 and subtracted the one rank of spirit power granted by his second spirit ring, the average came out to a neat four ranks per year.
Compared with Xu Xiaoyan and Xie Xie, who also possessed Innate Full Spirit Power, Zhao Xuanzhen's cultivation speed was like traveling on an expressway.
Beep beep beep!
The spiritual power reading stopped.
666. Triple six. The number representing smooth sailing.
Spirit Sea Realm (500-5000): The mind became like the sea, vast and boundless. Spiritual power at this stage had truly entered the higher tiers, enough to support five yellow Spirit Souls, or three purple Spirit Souls and one black Spirit Soul.
Between his innate Spirit Connection Realm talent, the Illusory Brain Douluo Han Tianyi's wholehearted instruction, and being drilled in the True Illusory Realm three times a week, Zhao Xuanzhen's spiritual power far exceeded that of anyone his age.
A short while later, Na Er's results came in as well: Rank 27 Spirit Grand Master, spiritual power 520, Spirit Sea Realm!
"520! A perfect number!"
Na Er stared at the spiritual power reading and cackled with delight. Zhao Xuanzhen covered his face in helpless resignation.
This is bad. The first symptoms of lovestruck-brain syndrome are already showing!
[TN: The number 520 (wǔ èr líng) is popular Chinese internet slang for 我爱你 (wǒ ài nǐ), meaning "I love you," due to similar pronunciation. It's considered a very romantic number.]