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"We can attempt it. However, even if the sacrifice is completed as you described, our souls will still be incredibly weak. We will inevitably fall into a deep slumber," the Stone Monster warned.
Su Wen dismissed the concern with a wave of his hand. "That won't happen. I'm not just going to sit idly by. Once your souls are bound to my spirit ring, it creates a unique contractual relationship between us. I should be able to sense your presence throughout the process."
Su Wen intended to maintain a constant mental lock on the three souls during the fusion to ensure they weren't lost in the transition. Once the integration was complete, he would use that connection to pull them back from the brink.
While recovering within a spirit ring might be a slow process, the same couldn't be said for his Sea of Consciousness. Not only could he nourish them with his own mental energy, but he could also use his Heavenly Visualization to carve out a dedicated "World Page" tailored specifically for stone-based lifeforms. This would allow them to recover rapidly and perhaps even continue their autonomous cultivation.
Su Wen hadn't expected to find an opportunity to experiment with creating something akin to a Spirit Soul this early. Naturally, his method of absorption differed from the "Spirit Soul" technology he knew of from future eras, but the end result and manifestation were identical.
"In the original stories of the future, I heard of one Spirit Soul providing multiple rings. I never imagined I'd end up with one ring containing multiple Spirit Souls..." Su Wen thought, feeling a bit speechless. One spirit ring, but three extra mouths to feed.
The Stone God certainly knew how to invest.
These three massive Stone Monsters clearly held a special status. As the first three individuals created by the Stone God, their connection to their creator was profound. Having them serve as Su Wen's Spirit Souls was an absolute win for his future growth.
The Sacrifice
In the Stone God Realm, a blood-red light suddenly bathed the world. Three spirit rings overlapped, radiating a thick, crimson aura. Every Earth-attribute spirit beast in the vicinity prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling in the face of such raw power.
As the three Great Elders began their sacrifice, the other Stone Monsters awakened, forming a protective perimeter around Su Wen and his companions near the Stone God Pillar. Though the strength of the remaining monsters dipped slightly following the elders' departure, they remained at the 100,000-year level—absolute overlords within this realm.
The overlapping crimson rings descended upon Su Wen. They shattered into motes of light and surged into his body.
Ring Replacement Method!
Su Wen utilized his specialized technique to complete the absorption. One by one, his spirit rings manifested around him: Purple, Black, Red, Black, Black, Black.
The sight of these six rings made Ning Rongrong and the others swallow hard. This wasn't the result of Twin Martial Souls; this was a single Martial Soul!
Seeing this configuration, Dugu Bo nodded thoughtfully. He finally understood how Su Wen possessed such illogical, heaven-defying combat power. Before the finals of the Continental Elite Competition, Su Wen's rings must have already undergone a transformation. With a setup like that, supplemented by self-created skills, exploding with the power of a Spirit Douluo actually seemed... reasonable?
Especially with four 10,000-year rings combined with the Great Sumeru Hammer's Ring Exploding secret art; as long as the body could withstand the strain, even a Super Douluo would feel the pressure, let alone anyone below the Titled rank.
The blood-red third ring stabilized, emitting terrifying waves of energy. Within the crimson glow, faint golden threads began to weave together, eventually forming a single, perfect golden circle around the ring.
Su Wen opened his eyes and felt the surge of soul power within him. He let out a breath of relief. Good, only one level.
He aimed to condense his Soul Core before reaching Level 70. Before entering the Stone God Realm, he was at Level 68. Given the feedback from three 100,000-year-level sacrifices—which provided far more energy than a standard absorption—he had been genuinely worried he might skip straight past the threshold.
Fortunately, he had landed at Level 69. The sacrifice hadn't diluted the quality of his soul power; if anything, it was now purer and denser than if he had spent months manually compressing it.
"With my current soul power quality, condensing the first Soul Core should happen very soon."
Once the core was formed, Su Wen would break through to Level 70 and seek his seventh ring to become a Spirit Saint. An eighteen-year-old Spirit Saint!
Su Wen turned his focus to his third ring. He extended his mental power into it and "plucked" the three soul entities out. Their states weren't exactly "bad," just dormant. They couldn't leave the ring on their own, but thanks to Su Wen's intervention, they were no longer at risk of dissipating.
"Enter my Sea of Consciousness. I've prepared a place for you in my Heavenly Visualization."
The three Stone Monsters nodded and dove into Su Wen's mind. They settled into a space composed of jagged rocks and crags, merging into the terrain and falling silent.
Su Wen observed their condition and felt a bit exasperated. "I get the feeling that even if I didn't help them recover and just let them sleep in the ring for a century, they wouldn't have complained at all." Recalling the sedentary habits of Stone Monsters, Su Wen's lips twitched.
Probing the Rules
With the third ring reaching the 100,000-year rank, the third of his Nine Divine Trials was complete.
Third Divine Trial: Use the Ring Replacement method on a compatible ring to upgrade it to at least the 100,000-year rank. COMPLETED.
Reward: Increased affinity with the Power of Faith.
The notification echoed in Su Wen's mind. Inside the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, a massive amount of the Sea God's Power of Faith surged forth. This didn't surprise Su Wen; he had seen the artifact absorbing faith back on Sea God Island. It hadn't been a secret.
The Sea God's faith transformed into divine power, but this time, the process occurred directly inside Su Wen's body, allowing him to feel every nuance.
"The Sea God really doesn't miss a single loophole in the laws," Su Wen thought.
The deity was "wildly maneuvering" at the very edge of the universal rules. However, as the beneficiary, Su Wen could only hope the Sea God wouldn't "crash the car." He wouldn't mind a few more maneuvers like this.
The Sea God's divine power circulated through his veins. Unlike the last time, which focused on tempering his physical toughness, this energy was integrating into his very being. His body was undergoing a fundamental sublimation. It was similar to gaining an elemental affinity from a spirit ring, but much more precious.
As the divine power fused with his flesh, Su Wen felt that the "Faith" he could previously only sense was slowly becoming something tangible—something he could actually touch.
(End of Chapter)