"Splurt!"
Blood sprayed into the air as the Sun Sacred Blade slashed across the Golden Crow's neck. Its massive head flew into the sky, then crashed heavily to the ground beside the Fusang Tree. Hatred and unwillingness still lingered in its eyes, even in death. At the same time, a crimson soul ring floated up from its lifeless body.
Xu Yang sat cross-legged beside the corpse. He summoned his Sun Martial Soul and drew in the soul ring, beginning the refinement process using the Great Sun Manual. A vast surge of soul power poured into his body, but not a single ripple stirred. Before it could damage his meridians, it was fully absorbed by the Golden Core inside him, which refined it into even purer energy and released it back into his body, steadily elevating his cultivation.
The absorption process was far easier than expected. Even the Golden Crow's lingering soul, which would normally resist during soul ring fusion, was immediately suppressed upon entering Xu Yang's spiritual sea. Once drawn by the Golden Core into the upper dantian, it was crushed into pure spiritual energy and completely absorbed.
Chen Xin descended from the sky. Seeing the relaxed and peaceful look on Xu Yang's face, he could tell that the refinement was going smoothly. He turned his gaze to the Golden Crow's body. Any soul beast over 100,000 years was guaranteed to leave behind a soul bone.
This was the first time he had encountered a soul beast with over 200,000 years of cultivation. He was eager to see what kind of soul bone this Golden Crow would produce.
He walked slowly to the front of the corpse and released his spiritual power to investigate. Soon, a flicker of surprise appeared in his eyes.
"Two soul bones? That's incredibly rare!"
Though rare, there were precedents. Legend held that Bibi Dong, the current Pope of Spirit Hall, had received both arm bones after killing the Death Spider Emperor. Even so, Chen Xin hadn't expected to personally witness such a low-probability occurrence.
With a wave of his right hand, two sword lights flashed, tearing open the flesh on the Golden Crow's legs. Inside were two intact crimson-gold leg bones, extending all the way to the thigh roots. Flickers of flame danced faintly along the bones' surfaces, dazzling in their brilliance.
"What perfect leg bones… they're complete to this degree?"
Chen Xin was stunned. Aside from age, the quality of a soul bone was largely determined by completeness. The more complete the bone, the higher its grade. These two leg bones ran from the upper thigh to the heel — without a doubt, they were of the highest quality.
Even Chen Xin felt a flash of temptation. But that was all — just a flicker.
These soul bones were undoubtedly meant for Xu Yang. Not only were their attributes highly compatible, but more importantly, Xu Yang had once provided him with the method to break through to Ultimate Douluo. That kind of favor was not something he would ever forget.
And above all, in Chen Xin's heart, Xu Yang was no longer just a genius — he was family.
"If a grandfather doesn't spoil his grandson, who will?"
Even if Xu Yang could easily handle the violent soul power and spiritual backlash, the energy of a ferocious beast with over 200,000 years of cultivation would still take a long time to fully absorb.
One week later
Above Xu Yang's head, his Sun Martial Soul now looked like a true miniature sun. Within it, titanic waves of energy clashed continuously. Crimson-gold flames danced atop its surface like playful spirits, seemingly celebrating its evolution.
The blood-red soul ring gradually slowed its rotation and settled into place. Now, seven soul rings gleamed around Xu Yang:
Yellow, Purple, Black, Black, Black, Black, Red — a complete set of seven, circling silently around him.
"Level 72? That's it? Why so little improvement? Or... did something go wrong during the absorption process that I missed?"
Chen Xin frowned. Based on what he could sense, Xu Yang had only reached Rank 72. That didn't make sense. A soul ring over 100,000 years old, while not as explosive as a soul beast sacrifice, would still raise a Titled Douluo's rank by at least three. And this Golden Crow was over 200,000 years old! By his estimates, it should have given Xu Yang a five-level boost — especially since he was still just a Soul Sage.
Worried, Chen Xin immediately sent his spiritual power into Xu Yang's body to check — but found absolutely nothing wrong.
"Where did all that soul power go?"
He was certain Xu Yang's body was fine. But the vast soul power from that 200,000-year-old beast had to have gone somewhere.
What Chen Xin didn't know was that Xu Yang had never told anyone about his Golden Core. Unlike ordinary soul masters who cultivated externalized, solidified soul power, Xu Yang's soul power had been fully condensed into his Golden Core—so pure and concentrated that even the vast energy of the Golden Crow couldn't trigger the kind of explosive breakthrough others would expect.
Just as Chen Xin stood there in confusion, Xu Yang's eyes suddenly snapped open. His seventh soul ring lit up beneath him. The Sun Martial Soul floating above his head began to soften, then melted into a golden stream that flowed directly into his body.
In that instant, blinding sunlight radiated from Xu Yang's entire being. He had completely merged with his martial soul—this was his Sun Spirit Avatar.
Xu Yang slowly rose into the air. The crimson-gold glow was drawn back into his body. His hair had turned completely crimson-gold, and his eyes gleamed like twin suns—seemingly able to pierce through all things.
He extended his right hand and gently closed it. A ball of crimson-gold flame bloomed in his palm, dancing and morphing with his thoughts—sometimes like a dragon coiling through the sky, sometimes like a Golden Crow spreading its wings.
This was complete control over Sun True Fire—something he had never been able to achieve before without activating his Sun Golden Eyes or relying on the Flame Control Right Arm Bone. Now, he felt like he was the sun itself. Not only could he command the True Sunfire at will, he could also manipulate pure sunlight as a weapon.
With a flick of his hand, the dispersed sunlight in the sky instantly gathered into his palm and formed a glowing orb. A gentle push—and a thin beam of light shot out, piercing the sea. Instantly, steam surged upward as the ocean boiled.
And that was just the most basic use.
Xu Yang's long-held dream of "cleansing the world with sunlight" had finally come true.
With a single thought, dozens of miniature suns formed around him and fired one by one into the distant ocean. Wherever they passed, their searing heat incinerated everything. The sea level visibly dropped. Countless sea soul beasts were burned to ash before their remains could even rise to the surface.
And this was merely the simplest, most direct application. If he truly wanted, he could play with those suns however he pleased.
Chen Xin stared blankly, mouth agape, eyes filled with disbelief.
Even the few trial attacks Xu Yang had just used... he wasn't confident he could survive them. Especially the last wave of miniature suns—each one carried enough power to kill him.
And Xu Yang clearly hadn't even gone all-out. These were just tests.
Which meant... Xu Yang already possessed Ultimate Douluo–level combat power.
But how was that possible?
He was still only a Soul Sage!
Even if his path was different from ordinary soul masters, there was no way someone could defy heaven like this—standing at the peak of the continent while still at the Soul Sage stage!
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin