Ye Lingling watched Dugu Yan leave, feeling genuinely moved by her words. It wasn't just the potential of their martial spirit fusion skill or resolving her spirit's limitations; Dugu Yan's power had truly advanced fast! After obtaining her fourth spirit ring, she'd already reached level 49. Ye Lingling knew that Dugu Yan's success was closely tied to Su Ming.
It seemed it was finally time for her to approach Su Ming. She had to be proactive now. She wondered what their martial spirit fusion skill would be like.
At midnight, Su Ming opened his eyes right on time, curious about what reward the system would grant this time.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing today's diary entry. You have received the reward of a 10,000-year increase to the age of all your spirit rings!]
Whoa!
All his spirit rings increased by 10,000 years. The system was being generous this time.
Now, all his spirit rings were at least 20,000 years old. Although the year count increased, the spirit skills themselves hadn't changed. He guessed that he'd need to reach 50,000 years, as with his fourth spirit skill, to experience a true transformation.
Afterward, Su Ming entered his spiritual sea, smiling at the increasingly solid Ah Yin before him. "Ah Yin, how's it going? Did you feel a power boost?"
Ah Yin nodded. "Yes, my cultivation increased by 10,000 years. I don't know how you managed it, but thank you."
Su Ming said, "Think of it as a reward for helping me out back in the Star Dou Forest. Without your help, Zhuqing wouldn't have been able to bear the pressure of a ten-thousand-year spirit ring."
System: ...
Ah Yin: ...
Although she knew the power increase wasn't directly from Su Ming, it technically came through him via the system, so indirectly, it kind of made sense.
"My role wasn't that significant," Ah Yin replied. "You did most of the work yourself. You're already stronger than I was, even though you're only at the Soul Elder stage. Plus, if it weren't for your strong spirit power, that girl wouldn't have withstood the spirit ring's resentment."
After a pause, Su Ming asked, "By the way, can you sense what's going on in Holy Spirit Village?"
Ah Yin sighed, knowing exactly what he meant. "I sensed it. After you removed Xiao San's spirit bone and relocated the villagers, I kept a watch on the village. A few days ago, Xiao San and Tang Hao returned. Tang Hao introduced Xiao San to the Blue Silver Grass he thinks is me, then handed him the disguised hundred-year Blue Silver Grass right leg bone, which Xiao San promptly absorbed."
"After absorbing it, he noticed… nothing changed. Both of them were utterly shocked, as the spirit bone clearly emitted my aura."
Su Ming could imagine the shock on their faces. Tang San and Tang Hao must've been baffled, expecting a powerful ten-thousand-year spirit bone to be much stronger.
"Ah Yin, do you know what spirit skill Tang San gained from absorbing that bone?"
Ah Yin nodded, though she found it hard to put into words. That spirit skill was disappointing, to say the least.
"The skill lets Xiao San grow Blue Silver Grass around himself in a one-meter radius… and then those plants convey any sensed information back to him."
"Pfft! Hahahaha!"
Su Ming couldn't contain his laughter. He couldn't help it; the skill was just too ridiculous.
Ah Yin watched him with an annoyed look, remaining silent as Su Ming finally stifled his laughter.
"Ahem, Ah Yin, if you found out about this days ago, why didn't you tell me?" Su Ming asked.
Turning away slightly, Ah Yin replied, "You never asked me. And besides, even I have my limits. You didn't consult me before taking Xiao San's spirit bone, did you?"
Su Ming: ...
He explained, "Ah Yin, you've been with me long enough to know that there's a good chance Tang San isn't actually your son. Otherwise, where did he get his knowledge of hidden weapons and special techniques?"
"He's constantly talking about establishing a Tang Sect. Doesn't that sound strange to you?"
Ah Yin knew that too. After so much time with Su Ming, Tang San's behavior indeed didn't match that of her son. And considering that battle all those years ago, could her real son have survived its devastating aftershocks?
Though she'd often tried to convince herself otherwise, Ah Yin still found it difficult to let go of the hope that Tang San might truly be her son.
Seeing her struggle, Su Ming's heart softened, and he decided not to press her. She had her reasons, and he understood them.
After all, they hadn't yet resolved this mystery or found concrete evidence. Despite her suspicions, Ah Yin hoped Tang San was her child. Not consulting her before removing the spirit bone was, in hindsight, insensitive.
"Listen, Ah Yin, I just hope you'll stay rational about this. Even though I don't have proof yet, all signs point to the fact that Tang San isn't your son."
"Let's wait a while longer. Once your cultivation reaches ten thousand years and you can reconstruct your body, I'll take you to meet Tang San and Tang Hao. You can confront them face-to-face."
"But remember, they may not be truthful. Ultimately, you'll have to rely on your own judgment."
Su Ming gently wiped away her tears before withdrawing from his spiritual space.
Ah Yin's sorrowful expression tugged at his heart, making him want to protect and comfort her. But he knew that now wasn't the time—she had to regain her strength first.
That day would come soon. With her cultivation already at over 60,000 years, Su Ming estimated that without additional system rewards, she could still reach around 70,000 years before the Soul Master Tournament began.
Meanwhile, on the other side, several of the female protagonists were perplexed. It was well past midnight—why hadn't they received their system rewards yet? Was there a delay?
The most anxious of all was Qian Renxue, confident that the reward this time would be hers.
Once Su Ming finished his conversation with Ah Yin, the system notification finally appeared for the female protagonists.
[Ding! The female character mentioned most today is Qian Renxue!]
[Reward: Breath of the Sun.]
Qian Renxue: ???
Breath of the Sun? What could that be? Breathing was a natural skill; did it really need teaching?
Perplexed, Qian Renxue looked at the skill description and soon realized it was far from what she initially thought—almost embarrassing herself with the misunderstanding.
[Breath of the Sun: A top-tier breathing technique from another world, containing twelve powerful forms, designed for immense offensive capability.]
After reading about the skill, Qian Renxue understood that Breath of the Sun was a specialized combat technique originating from a world plagued by demons, where its primary purpose was to eliminate such creatures.
The system had also adjusted the skill to suit her needs. Thanks to her martial spirit, the moves she used with Breath of the Sun would be imbued with holy fire and could be unleashed through her Angelic Sacred Sword.
Qian Renxue mused, realizing that if Su Ming's diary mentioned someone often, their reward was likely impressive. Breath of the Sun could even pass as a self-created skill without arousing Su Ming's suspicion. Just to be cautious, though, she decided not to call out the technique's name aloud during battles, and if Su Ming ever asked, she'd just rename it on the spot.
The system had given her the technique, but actually wielding it was up to her. She would need to train diligently, but Qian Renxue was content. With her talent, she was confident she'd master it in no time.
But what reason could she use to meet Su Ming next? Last time, it was the conflict with Xue Beng that brought him over. This time, without a legitimate excuse, it would be difficult for her to seek him out, despite her status as a prince of the empire.
The next morning, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing eagerly found Su Ming. They told him that there was an auction in Tian Dou City today and that they wanted to check it out.
The suggestion was Xiao Wu's. She was genuinely curious about auctions, while Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing were tagging along since they had both attended many auctions before due to their family status.
Hearing this, Su Ming remembered the auction he'd heard about in Tian Dou City recently and realized this would be a great chance to see one firsthand. With a decent amount of money saved up, he thought if anything caught his or the girls' interest, he could buy it.
As they prepared to leave the academy, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling approached them.
"Su Ming, are you all heading out?" Dugu Yan asked, curious.
After a night of thought, Ye Lingling had resolved to be more proactive. She wanted to find out about their martial spirit fusion technique and other possibilities related to her spirit's abilities, but going alone felt daunting. She asked Dugu Yan for a little help, and her friend, naturally, obliged.
Su Ming nodded. "Yes, we heard about a big auction happening in the city and wanted to see it for ourselves. Do you two need something?" he asked, glancing at them.
Ye Lingling, realizing they were interrupting, felt bad and tugged at Dugu Yan's sleeve, hinting that they could come back another time.
Dugu Yan, ignoring her, smiled and quickly added, "Oh, we're interested in the auction too! Mind if we join you?"
Su Ming was slightly surprised but agreed. "Of course. Let's all go together."
He noticed Ye Lingling's little gesture just now, hinting that she had a reason to approach him but was too shy to ask directly, leaving Dugu Yan to take the lead. He then remembered mentioning a while back that they'd explore their martial spirit fusion technique at Tian Dou Academy. Finally, it dawned on him that he had probably left Ye Lingling waiting for months. It was a bit awkward, but better late than never.
He was genuinely curious about what their fusion skill could do, especially since both their spirits had healing capabilities. Would their fusion skill be healing-related as well? He wasn't sure, as his understanding of fusion skills was limited.
As they walked, Dugu Yan glared playfully at Ye Lingling, urging her to stand her ground and not back down so easily.
Before long, they arrived in the bustling city center. Since there was still time before the auction began, they decided to stroll around. Su Ming didn't mind; Tian Dou City was lively and bustling, so it was nice to explore a bit. When they grew tired, they could grab some food and then attend the auction.
Suddenly, a snippet of conversation nearby caught their attention.
"Did you hear? The Tian Dou Auction House got robbed! A valuable treasure went missing!"
"Really? That thief must be crazy! Doesn't everyone know the auction house is backed by the royal family?"
"Who knows? But that just proves how extraordinary the treasure must have been…"
Hearing this, Su Ming smirked, realizing that the auction house's prized spirit bone had already been stolen by Shi Nian. That spirit bone was invaluable, and its auction could've easily sparked fierce competition among various factions.
In the original story, Ning Fengzhi probably learned about this theft and decided to attend the auction out of curiosity. After all, ending a major auction with only a Catwoman slave as the final lot seemed anticlimactic. Though the Catwoman was indeed beautiful, such luxuries were easily accessible to nobles and hardly worth a special trip.
But Su Ming knew he couldn't interfere. The royal and empire-wide demand for slaves was a product of the empire's deep-seated structures, with slaves making up about one-fifth of the population—a grim but entrenched fact.
Notes-Read advanced chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X, i will be finished uploading the whole series in patreon in a month or less, thanks for supporting me
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