100

As the three of them were celebrating Guangling's advancement, a beast's roar echoed from afar.

Everyone turned toward the source.

A majestic lion emerged—not far away—its body over four meters long and nearly two meters tall.

Its coat shimmered crimson, but its mane...

Its mane glowed with the radiant gold of the sun.

Even more unusually, the golden mane wasn't limited to its neck. It stretched along its back and down to the tip of its tail, giving it a regal and divine appearance.

"Could this be the Blazing Lion King?"

Fire Phoenix's eyes lit up. She could hardly suppress the rising excitement in her aura.

She turned to Tang San, her tone urgent.

"Yes," Tang San confirmed, equally awestruck.

"This is my first time seeing one in person, but according to the records, the Blazing Lion King is known for its golden mane, as bright as the sun. That's its signature trait."

"Good!"

Fire Phoenix released her martial soul.

Six spirit rings—two yellow, two purple, and two black—rose behind her.

The pressure of a Spirit Emperor surged through the air.

The Blazing Lion King hesitated, then turned to flee.

But how could its speed rival a Spirit Emperor's, especially one whose martial soul was the Blazing Fire Bird, a phoenix-type?

Her flight speed easily outmatched the lion's sprint.

Sensing that it could not escape, the Blazing Lion King suddenly stopped and turned to face her.

Its golden mane blazed like fire as its aura erupted.

Dozens of golden energy spheres appeared, glowing like tiny suns.

Then, unexpectedly, they didn't launch.

Instead, they released beams of light in all directions, cutting off every escape route.

Fire Phoenix was forced to activate her fourth soul skill, summoning a spherical shield to block the bombardment.

Even so, the beams' piercing power was immense.

Her defense trembled under the assault, and she was clearly struggling.

Seeing her grandmother in such a state, Huo Wu turned anxiously to Tang San.

"What kind of spirit beast is that Blazing Lion King? Why can't Grandma take it down right away?"

Tang San explained, "There's little documentation on the Blazing Lion King, but two things are clear. First, its cultivation isn't over two thousand years—if it were, there'd be a sun pattern on its forehead. This one only has faint traces. Second, its growth rate is monstrous."

"At ten years old, it can fight a thousand-year spirit beast. At a hundred years, it can take on a ten-thousand-year beast. At a thousand years, it's said to match a fifty-thousand-year spirit beast."

"This is a super spirit beast—comparable to the Titan Giant Ape."

Tang San's voice turned serious.

"That's why even a Quasi-Titled Douluo with a matching attribute would fight to obtain its ring, even if it's just a thousand-year-old beast."

Huo Wu's face went pale.

"A thousand-year-old beast that can match a fifty-thousand-year one? Then isn't Grandma in danger?"

Tang San shook his head.

"It depends. That statement may refer to a Blazing Lion King at its peak—close to ten thousand years old.

It's unclear whether a thousand-year-old one like this could really fight a fifty-thousand-year-old beast."

"Given that your grandmother is a Spirit Emperor and seems to be gaining the upper hand, I think it's safe to assume the Blazing Lion King's true leap in power happens closer to the five-thousand-year mark."

As expected, time wore on, and the Blazing Lion King's aura began to falter.

Eventually, Fire Phoenix crippled it and dragged the lion over to Huo Wu.

"It really is worthy of being the Blazing Lion King," Fire Phoenix said, breathing heavily. "It was even harder to deal with than most ten-thousand-year spirit beasts."

Without hesitation, she handed the kill to Huo Wu.

Huo Wu drew her dagger and plunged it into the lion's throat.

After a final shudder, the lion went still.

A purple spirit ring rose from the corpse.

Xiao Wu turned away, unable to watch.

She hadn't flinched when Guangling killed the Irontooth Fish—it was too ugly to sympathize with.

But the Blazing Lion King was beautiful.

Though she was a rabbit, and the lion was her natural predator, she couldn't help feeling a bit of sadness—"When a rabbit dies, the fox grieves."

Huo Wu released her martial soul and began to absorb the ring.

Her spirit power had just reached level thirty over the past few days, so she was ready.

Roar!

The moment the purple ring attached, her martial soul ignited.

The crimson flames turned gold, enveloping her body in a blazing golden fireball.

"What's happening?"

Fire Phoenix grew anxious.

"No one's ever had a transformation like this during absorption!"

"Don't worry, Senior Fire Phoenix," Tang San said calmly. "This is likely the martial soul's transformation process."

"The Blazing Lion King's power matches Huo Wu's Fire Shadow perfectly. That, plus her taking thousand-year Whale Glue, makes absorption easier."

"Yes, she did take it."

Fire Phoenix nodded, calming slightly.

Her family had started gathering Whale Glue after Tang San's publication, but it was already late—most of it had been snapped up by Spirit Hall.

And hunting whales in the sea?

Even a Titled Douluo wouldn't dare say it was a sure thing.

Four hours passed.

The sky dimmed into twilight.

Tang San, Xiao Wu, Guangling, and Fire Phoenix set up tents to spend the night.

As for testing Guangling's martial soul evolution, it wasn't the right time—Fire Phoenix's presence made it awkward.

Tang San decided to wait until he reached level thirty and obtained the Sun Moon Grass before conducting a more accurate analysis.

The next morning, 9 a.m.

The golden fireball finally dispersed.

Huo Wu stood in its center, reborn.

Her body gleamed like polished jade.

Her clothes had been burned away, and her reddish-brown hair had turned completely crimson.

It hung loosely over her shoulders, barely covering the most essential areas.

"Where are my clothes?! No—where's my soul tool?!"

Huo Wu immediately crouched, covering herself.

Fire Phoenix quickly pulled spare clothes from her storage soul tool.

Handing them over, she turned to Tang San—who had respectfully turned away.

"Don't be shy. He's just eight years old. He's still a child."

"Grandma! Can you even hear yourself?!"

Huo Wu quickly dressed, glaring at her grandmother.

Then she said to Tang San, "Alright, I'm dressed."

Tang San turned back and looked at her—reborn, glowing with new power.

"How is it? Has your martial soul transformed?"

"I'm about to find out."

Huo Wu summoned her martial soul.

A radiant figure appeared beside her.

It looked exactly like Huo Wu herself, with an identical face and body.

On its chest burned a sun-like mark, releasing golden flames that cloaked its form.

Her once reddish hair had become a cascade of crimson-gold, flowing like fire.

She looked like a goddess who ruled over sunlight itself.

(For a visual, refer to the comic adaptation of Huo Wu's martial soul.)