As the hundred-thousand-year soul ring slowly took form, Oscar raised his brow, his eyes full of surprise.
In the original story, when Tang San killed the Dark-Gold Three-Headed Bat King, no soul ring appeared. The blood bats, too, left no soul rings after being slain, because they were classified as variant species, much like the Ten-Headed Sun Serpent, which only possessed an inner core but no soul ring.
What Oscar did not know was that these blood bats, though also a variant species, would still produce soul rings and soul bones once they surpassed the hundred-thousand-year threshold, no different from ordinary soul beasts.
Even if Oscar was unaware of this secret, it did not lessen his joy and surprise at the sight of a genuine hundred-thousand-year soul ring before him.
Whatever mysteries lay behind this, the fact remained that before him was a real hundred-thousand-year soul ring.
Looking at the soul ring that was gradually taking shape, Oscar quickly pulled out several Super Recovery Sausages from his soul tool, stuffed them into his mouth, and sat cross-legged to restore his depleted soul power and spiritual energy.
Because of the special nature of the Death Arena's space, time here flowed differently from the outside world. No matter how long Oscar remained inside, no time would pass outside.
The only drawback was that this space lacked the ambient spiritual energy of heaven and earth for cultivation. Otherwise, Oscar could have simply dragged someone in each year, killed them, and then cultivated endlessly within, since no matter how much time passed here, the outside world would remain unchanged.
With the help of several Super Recovery Sausages, Oscar's condition returned to its peak within half an hour.
Staring at the fully formed blood-red soul ring before him, Oscar released his Sausage Martial Soul with his right hand.
Having already reached the bottleneck of level seventy, this hundred-thousand-year soul ring would serve perfectly as his seventh soul ring.
As for his second martial soul's soul rings, Oscar already had a clear plan. This unexpectedly obtained hundred-thousand-year soul ring was entirely suitable for his first martial soul.
In this space, there was no longer the unique suppression of the City of Slaughter. As soon as Oscar released his first martial soul, six brilliant soul rings rose around him: two yellow, one purple, two black, and one red.
He began guiding the hundred-thousand-year soul ring with his soul power. His body and spiritual strength had already reached the level of a rank ninety-two Title Douluo, fully capable of absorbing such a powerful soul ring.
The absorption process went surprisingly smoothly. When the soul ring floated above Oscar's head, a roaring Dark-Gold Three-Headed Bat King appeared in his spiritual sea.
The creature carried immense malice, for although Oscar had killed it instantly, it had just achieved a breakthrough before its death. Undaunted, it launched a ferocious assault against him.
Oscar, however, felt no fear.
Within his spiritual sea, his silver ponytail was neat and tight, his silver eyes full of disdain as he gazed upon the Dark-Gold Three-Headed Bat King.
"Even when you were alive you were no match for me. Now you think you can overturn the heavens in my domain?" Oscar sneered, and a cyan jade sword appeared in his hand.
With a single casual swing, a terrifying sword aura like a rainbow across the sky shot forth. In just one strike, Oscar annihilated the hundred-thousand-year Dark-Gold Three-Headed Bat King within his spiritual sea.
The reason was simple. Though the Bat King's physical strength was immense, its spiritual power was far inferior to Oscar's, and here in Oscar's own domain, it could not stir even the slightest ripple.
When the bat was completely destroyed in his spiritual sea, the blood-red seventh soul ring descended onto Oscar's body. He immersed himself in the power it brought, carefully tempering both his body and his mind.
Time passed unnoticed. Eventually, seven soul rings circled Oscar's body,two yellow, one purple, two black, and two red. The absorption was complete, yet he did not stop cultivating. From the bat's corpse emerged a crystalline bone.
The body dissolved into pure energy and flowed into the bone, which then slowly drifted to Oscar's head.
Though Oscar already possessed a head soul bone, this new one still sought to merge there.
It was well known that hundred-thousand-year soul bones were treasures equal to hundred-thousand-year soul rings. Whenever such a ring appeared, a matching bone would follow.
These soul bones not only granted two powerful abilities from the original beast but could also adapt their form based on the needs of the soul master who obtained them.
Normally, if absorbed separately, the soul bone would form according to the beast's strongest part in life. But the Dark-Gold Three-Headed Bat King was different. Being a variant species, it had no soul ring before reaching the hundred-thousand-year threshold, and so its soul bone behaved differently as well.
Oscar had planned to condense it into a torso soul bone, which offered the greatest boost. But when he began, he discovered this soul bone had no restrictions and could even stack with an existing one.
Thus, he chose to enhance his original head soul bone, which had only been fifty-five-thousand years old.
That bone was already top-grade on the continent, but now he had the chance to raise it to the hundred-thousand-year level,a rare opportunity he could not pass up.
Though this meant forgoing a torso soul bone, what he gained was an immensely stronger head soul bone.
He had long dreamed of collecting a full set of hundred-thousand-year soul bones, though such treasures were too rare. The only one he had ever given away was the hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone he gifted to Dugu Yan.
So this chance to strengthen his head bone to the hundred-thousand-year tier was the best possible choice.
Besides, Oscar was not lacking in quality soul bones. He still had two of fifty-thousand years or more that he had not absorbed. But instead of settling for less, he aimed to see if he could truly collect a full hundred-thousand-year set.
Now that he had a second martial soul, the possibility was no longer so far-fetched. His plan was to attach as many hundred-thousand-year rings as possible to it.
Thus he set aside the lesser bones for now and began merging the Dark-Gold Bat King's bone with his head bone.
The crystalline bone entered his forehead. His original Spirit Condensing Wisdom Skull resonated, and the two began to merge without conflict.
The Bat King's soul bone had no fixed attribute. Having reached the hundred-thousand-year level, its energy was highly adaptable. Though the bat itself was not skilled in spiritual power, once its energy condensed into a head bone, all of it could be poured into strengthening mental strength.
This unexpected advantage delighted Oscar most of all.
The fusion was smooth. His fifty-five-thousand-year Wisdom Skull was instantly elevated to one hundred and fifty-five thousand years, becoming one of the finest soul bones in the entire Douluo Continent.
The enhancement raised Oscar's spiritual and physical strength another great step. Along with the hundred-thousand-year soul ring, his level surged from ninety-two to ninety-four.
Though it seemed a mere two ranks, among Title Douluo each rank was worlds apart. The improvement doubled his power.
The only drawback was that he gained only one ability from the Bat King's soul bone, since the fusion combined them. Still, his head bone now carried both the original Wisdom Skull ability and the Bat King's ability.
Though one skill was lost, the destructive might of the remaining one grew greatly, and the sheer quality of the bone,over one hundred fifty thousand years,was incomparable.
In the end, Oscar had profited immensely. Both the soul ring and the soul bone were gifts beyond expectation.
Moreover, his seventh soul skill was extremely powerful.
Because his martial soul was sausages, his seventh skill was not a conventional Martial Soul True Body. Instead, it inherited the traits of the hundred-thousand-year ring, granting him two powerful abilities.
Though he lacked the usual amplification of a True Body, Oscar was content. After all, he could hardly imagine what a sausage True Body would look like.
Now, with two hundred-thousand-year skills, he had not lost out in the slightest. And with his second martial soul still waiting, he would eventually gain a True Body anyway.
Opening his eyes, black pupils flashing with brilliance, Oscar grinned. He had not only gained a seventh hundred-thousand-year soul ring, but his rank had leapt from seventy to seventy-five, saving him countless years of bitter cultivation.
Clenching his large tiger-like hands, he felt terrifying power crackle through his bones like thunder.
With the body and spirit of a ninety-fourth rank Title Douluo, plus the soul power of a high-level Soul Douluo, he now truly had the strength to contend with ordinary Title Douluo.
If he faced the Dark-Gold Three-Headed Bat King again, Oscar could defeat it even without the Death Arena's aid.
So long as he had the chance to store his newly gained seventh soul skills beforehand.
Feeling his skyrocketing strength, Oscar did not rush to leave. Instead, he used his seventh soul skill to prepare. Inside the Arena he could still use his abilities, but once he returned to the City of Slaughter, his rings would be sealed again.
So he decided to get ready before stepping out. Who knew if there might be other unexpected rewards waiting?
His blood-red seventh ring shone as Oscar chanted the incantation.
Soul power surged within him, and in moments the hundred-thousand-year ring erupted with crimson light. In just a few breaths, a blood-red sausage shaped like a bat appeared in his hand.
He repeated the process four times, creating four sausages, but his soul power was completely drained in the process. Though the Super Recovery Sausages continued to work, they were not enough for him to use the skill again.
So he ate a few more to hasten his recovery.
With four seventh-skill sausages stored, two for each of the two abilities, he was well-prepared.
Since his stock of Super Recovery Sausages was running low, he decided not to make more for now.
Once his power was fully restored, Oscar finally left the Death Arena's space.
His vision went black for a moment, and when it cleared, he was back at the spot where the black hole had swallowed him.
To Dugu Yan, it seemed like Oscar had vanished for only an instant before reappearing. Beating her white wings, she threw herself excitedly into his arms.
Seeing Oscar's vigorous state, Dugu Yan knew he was uninjured, for he had told her before of the Arena's special nature.
Holding her close, the six gray-black lines across his face flickered, and Oscar smiled. "I am fine, and I even gained something special. I will tell you about it later."
He gently patted her head, between her crystalline dragon horns, and took out two blood-red bat-shaped sausages from his soul tool, handing them to her.
Dugu Yan instantly understood much without asking. Smiling softly, she accepted them and stored them away.
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