Inside the Inheritance Hall of the Spirit Transfer Pagoda.
Jing Shaoyu sat casually on the ground. Before him, the two Soul Spirits, Hong Fei and An Ya, were joyfully devouring the floating red Soul Rings in the air, their movements smooth and practiced, as if they had done this many times before.
And indeed, they had. Although Shaoyu's two Soul Spirits had only experienced absorbing Soul Rings once before—two years ago at sea—their instinctive craving for energy as spiritual entities, combined with the Doomsday Godslaying Spear's soul-devouring nature, had allowed them to master the art of consuming Soul Rings with ease.
The quality of the Soul Rings in this Inheritance Hall far surpassed those from the deep sea two years prior. Here, the Soul Rings started at a hundred thousand years, with some even reaching two hundred thousand or three hundred thousand years—Ferocious Beast Soul Rings accumulated by the Spirit Transfer Pagoda over nearly ten millennia. Now, all of them were benefiting Jing Shaoyu.
An Ya was the first to reach her limit and break through the bottleneck. Her cultivation had always been higher than Hong Fei's, already at ninety-nine thousand years before entering the Inheritance Hall. Thus, after absorbing just two hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings, she successfully shattered her boundaries and was about to evolve into a red Soul Spirit with a hundred-thousand-year cultivation.
"An Ya, absorb these dragon pearls as well." Jing Shaoyu took out the dragon pearls condensed from draconic energy in the Dragon Valley and divided them into two portions, tossing one to An Ya.
These dragon pearls, brimming with draconic essence, would make her evolution smoother, helping withstand the impact of the transformation while also enhancing their aura—a perfect supplementary tool.
An Ya leaped up, caught the pearls Jing Shaoyu threw, and swallowed them. Landing on all fours, she folded her wings and knelt as a soft white light began radiating from her body. The light wove like threads, interlacing and constructing around her form, gradually converging into a massive white cocoon that lay quietly on the ground. The outward-spreading light then began retracting inward.
Eventually, An Ya had completely transformed into a silent, dull yet vibrant cocoon, exuding an aura of restraint and profundity.
Not long after, Hong Fei also reached her limit. She had consumed exactly five hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings, and Jing Shaoyu immediately tossed the remaining dragon pearls to her.
The moment Hong Fei swallowed the pearls, a dazzling red light erupted from her body. In the blink of an eye, she was encased in an oval-shaped cocoon, the fierce red glow softening into a warm radiance, making the scarlet cocoon resemble the sun itself.
The red cocoon formed by Hong Fei pulsed with vivid, lively energy, brimming with vitality and rhythm.
Jing Shaoyu gazed at the two cocoons before him, his face alight with eager anticipation. The energy fluctuations from both were steadily rising, and the evolution process was proceeding flawlessly.
He promptly sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and entered a meditative state, synchronizing with the changes in his two Soul Spirits.
Time flowed indeterminately. An Ya, having evolved first, was also the first to complete her transformation. Cracks spread densely across the white cocoon before it shattered explosively, breaking into fragments of light that scattered across the ground and melted away like snow meeting flame.
An Ya's figure emerged, with changes from before her evolution not being overly drastic. The most notable difference was that her golden fur had turned pure white, like clouds, while her white wings had transformed into a brilliant gold, akin to the blazing sun. The reversal of colors between her fur and wings marked An Ya's most significant transformation.
Beyond that, the radiant, multicolored glow emanating from her body grew even more dazzling and resplendent, resembling a rainbow after the rain—utterly dreamlike in its brilliance.
An Ya opened her eyes, her distinct black-and-white irises now adorned with a ring of golden patterns, reminiscent of the sun's corona. The horn atop her head remained as pristine as white jade, pure as untouched water, occasionally shimmering with the hues of a rainbow.
She exuded a sacred aura, her Soul Power steady and condensed.
As An Ya completed her evolution, three Soul Rings materialized behind Jing Shaoyu, all glowing with a vivid crimson light that bathed his composed face, lending him an air of nobility and grace.
Red-grade Soul Spirits possessed an exceptionally high degree of autonomy and independence. Their combat prowess and utility far surpassed those of lower-tier Soul Spirits. According to the Spirit Transfer Pagoda's calculations, a red-grade Soul Spirit could exhibit up to ninety percent of its Soul Master's overall combat strength. When cooperating with a Soul Master to unleash a corresponding Soul Skill, it could significantly amplify the skill's power and grant additional effects.
Of course, this applied to ordinary red-grade Soul Spirits—An Ya was clearly not among them. The traits she possessed would make her an exception among Jing Shaoyu's Soul Spirits.
A white light flickered across An Ya's body, and in the next moment, the elegant white spirit beast vanished, leaving behind only a tall, slender figure in her place. Her features were strikingly beautiful, with golden hair cascading over her shoulders. Her clear eyes shimmered with serenity, and her expression carried a sacred, compassionate grace. The golden wings spread across her back and the flowing white gown draped over her made her resemble an angel.
However, the white horse tail below her waist betrayed her true identity.
Red-grade Soul Spirits could assume human form, though the transformation was incomplete, often revealing certain traits of their original bodies—just as An Ya did now.
An Ya glanced at Hong Fei, who was still undergoing her transformation, and then at Jing Shaoyu, who remained with his eyes closed. She obediently stood to the side, silent and motionless, making no noise. With a wave of her hand, she cast a beam of white light that struck the ground, forming a hemispherical energy barrier that enveloped them.
After some time, the crimson cocoon housing Hong Fei finally stirred. Unlike An Ya's peaceful breakthrough, Hong Fei's transformation was far more dramatic. The first sign was a piercing phoenix cry, followed by a crack splitting open from one end of the red cocoon and rapidly spreading to the other. In the blink of an eye, the cocoon was cleaved in two.
A pair of crimson-gold wings stretched out from the fissure, then unfurled outward. The red cocoon burst apart, and in an instant, a magnificent, crimson-gold avian soared into the sky. Her entire body was covered in lustrous, gilded feathers, exuding an unmistakable air of nobility and grandeur. Mystical, intricate patterns adorned her form like artistic script, a testament to her extraordinary nature.
Hong Fei's size had doubled, with a wingspan of nearly ten meters—already several times larger than certain birds of prey. Yet her talons lacked the sharp ferocity typical of raptors, instead having rounded tips like pink pearls, completely devoid of intimidation.
Her head still bore that elegant plume, emerald green as jade, flowing like drifting clouds from her crown all the way to her tail. Her tail feathers had grown even more magnificent—long, luxuriant, and fluffy, resembling a raging fire or clusters of vibrant blossoms from afar.
Most strikingly, between Hong Fei's eyes and beneath her plume, right at the center of her forehead, was a circular jade gem embedded in her head. It appeared both abrupt and harmonious, emitting a soft green glow. Though pure and empty inside, it gave the illusion of brimming with vibrant life.
Having evolved from a black Soul Spirit to a red one, Hong Fei's lineage and bloodline underwent another sublimation. The golden-feathered jade falcon of her black Soul Spirit days was now a thing of the past. Presently, she had every right to call herself a phoenix. This transformation refined her phoenix bloodline to thirty percent, elevating her into a crimson-jade luan, a step closer to true phoenixhood.
In terms of bloodline hierarchy alone, Hong Fei was now not far behind Bi Ji, the strongest among avian Soul Beasts. Ordinary jade swans could no longer suppress her in lineage—she might even overpower them instead. As for Bi Ji, strictly speaking, she was no longer a jade swan but rather a jade phoenix!
Behind Jing Shaoyu, three scarlet Soul Rings resembling blazing suns rose once more. All six of his Soul Rings had now been upgraded to hundred-thousand-year tiers—a remarkable feat indeed.
"Master!" Hong Fei spoke in human tongue, her voice melodious and lingering, full of charm. She landed before Jing Shaoyu, nuzzling her head toward him with eyes brimming with affection and excitement.
Yet she never made contact—An Ya intercepted her. Shaking her head, An Ya said, "Master is still meditating. Don't disturb him yet."
"Oh, alright!" Disappointment flickered in Hong Fei's eyes, but curiosity about An Ya quickly replaced it. "An Ya, how did you manage to take human form?" she asked enviously.
"No need for envy—you can do it too," An Ya reminded her. "Close your eyes and focus. It's quite simple."
"Really?" Hong Fei exclaimed joyfully, immediately following An Ya's instructions.
A crimson light erupted from her body. Within its glow, the massive crimson-gold bird rapidly shrank, soon transforming into a humanoid girl about 1.7 meters tall. She had flowing crimson-gold hair, with a single emerald-green ahoge sticking up from her head. Her features were exquisite, her skin fair, and behind her ears grew three feathers and a small tuft of down.
A pair of wings—crimson-gold like her true form—extended from her back. She wore a long scarlet dress, its hem spreading like the resplendent tail feathers of a phoenix, revealing slender, shapely legs. Around her ankles grew a ring of crimson-gold down, with a single plume protruding from the outer side.
Hong Fei's human form retained more of her original traits, giving her an exotic allure.
"Wow! A human body is so convenient and refreshing!" Hong Fei cheered with a delighted laugh.
An Ya looked at her with the gaze one would give a child, her beautiful eyes tinged with helplessness. Judging by their birthdates, it was hard to say which of the two Soul Spirits was older, but in terms of years lived, An Ya was undoubtedly much older than Hong Fei. So in her eyes, Hong Fei truly was still a child.
Jing Shaoyu opened his eyes and saw Hong Fei and An Ya in their human forms. A satisfied and joyful expression spread across his face. Excellent, truly excellent—both Soul Spirits had successfully evolved into red-tier Soul Spirits.
"Master!" Hong Fei and An Ya noticed Jing Shaoyu waking up and immediately approached him, calling out with reverence and affection.
"You've done well, very impressive!" Jing Shaoyu first praised them, reaching out to ruffle their heads, then set a new goal for them. "Next, strive to evolve into orange-tier Soul Spirits!"
"Yes!" the two Soul Spirits answered in unison.
After Hong Fei and An Ya had devoured some of the Soul Rings in the sky, many still remained. Naturally, Jing Shaoyu didn't hold back and directly instructed his Soul Spirits, "Go ahead and devour all the other Soul Rings here, except for the hundred-thousand-year ones."
"Understood!" Hong Fei and An Ya immediately sprang into action.
Jing Shaoyu then summoned Po Ya, having her join the battlefield as well, launching a full assault on the Soul Rings within the Inheritance Hall.
By the time Gu Yue returned, only a single golden-veined hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring remained in the sky. All the two-hundred-thousand-year and three-hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings had been completely devoured by Jing Shaoyu's three Soul Spirits.
Among them, Hong Fei had absorbed three two-hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings, An Ya had absorbed four, and Po Ya—being the most advanced in cultivation—had absorbed two two-hundred-thousand-year and two three-hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings.
"Hong Fei and An Ya have both successfully evolved," Gu Yue remarked at once, noticing the changes in them. She smiled. "Why not continue absorbing? There are still so many hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings here."
"Ah—" Jing Shaoyu scratched his head at her question and chuckled. "Leaving nothing behind wouldn't look good. We should leave some for future generations, haha!"
"Suit yourself!" Gu Yue rolled her eyes. "I hope you won't regret it!"
Jing Shaoyu smiled without responding. No matter the process, the end result would be the same—the Spirit Transfer Pagoda would inevitably fall into his hands. Of this, he was utterly confident.
"Let's go," Gu Yue said softly, unaware of Jing Shaoyu's thoughts.
"Alright." Jing Shaoyu nodded. He didn't ask about Gu Yue's Soul Spirits, since her initiative to leave meant she had completed her task well. There was no need to bring up something that might make them both uncomfortable.
With a wave of his hand, he grasped the Evil Eye Tyrant Skull and the Sky Wind Kirin Emperor Right Leg Bone, while Hong Fei, An Ya, and Po Ya transformed into streaks of light and flew back into his body.
Then, hand in hand with Gu Yue, a brilliant white light flashed around them, so dazzling it made one instinctively blink. The blue sky and white clouds vanished, and the two found themselves back in the circular hall.
Leng Yaozhu was leisurely waiting for them. Seeing the two emerge from the light, she immediately stepped forward with delight. "A Yuan, Yue'er, how did it go? Any gains?"
"Indeed, quite a bountiful harvest!" Jing Shaoyu replied with a beaming smile, presenting two Soul Bones to Leng Yaozhu. While his gains were truly substantial, only these two Soul Bones could be revealed at the moment.
"Same here," Gu Yue responded, flipping her left palm upward to reveal a Soul Spirit egg materializing in her hand.
"Excellent!" Leng Yaozhu exclaimed excitedly, too thrilled to notice the subtle oddities in her disciples' behavior. She smiled warmly, "As expected of my disciples, acquiring top-tier treasures at once."
As both the Deputy Tower Master of the Spirit Transfer Pagoda and a Limit Douluo, Leng Yaozhu needed only one glance to recognize that both Jing Shaoyu's Soul Bones and Gu Yue's Soul Spirit belonged to the absolute finest batch from the Inheritance Hall. Far from feeling any regret or reluctance, she was genuinely delighted. After all, treasures were inanimate while people lived—wasn't the greatest purpose of these Soul Bones and Soul Spirits to be utilized by Soul Masters?
Rather than gathering dust inside or being claimed by mediocrities, having her two precious disciples absorb them represented the most glorious fate these treasures could hope for!
(End of Chapter)