"This time, it's a bit different. Do you still have any Invincible Shields left?"
"Are you in danger?" Ye Xiaosheng's expression shifted when he heard this.
"An Evil Soul Master… self-destructed in front of me." Wang Nan's expression was complex. He recalled the two lines of tears he had seen on the child's face at the time. He didn't know if someone who couldn't control themselves truly counted as an Evil Soul Master.
Ye Xiaosheng looked Wang Nan up and down, only relaxing when he saw no obvious injuries on him. "Good. But you've 'taken' more than one Invincible Shield from me over the past few years, haven't you? Have you used them all?"
"I gave one away. You know this person too; it's Gongyang Mo."
Ye Xiaosheng's gaze became a little strange at this.
"Do you know how much an Invincible Shield can sell for outside? You just gave it away? You two aren't—"
"Go, go, go." Wang Nan waved his hand. "I traded the Invincible Shield for something from him."
Ye Xiaosheng was only joking and quickly took out another Invincible Shield. "You're lucky to have met me. Otherwise, even an ordinary fifth-rank Soul Master, even if they can craft fifth-rank spirit tools, wouldn't be able to casually give away something as special as an Invincible Shield like I can."
"Indeed, thank you for this." Wang Nan said this sincerely. If not for Ye Xiaosheng's spirit tool, this surveillance mission would definitely not have been so easy.
However, Wang Nan's sincerity made Ye Xiaosheng feel a little embarrassed. "I'm just afraid you'll accidentally lose this brain full of various ingenious ideas out there."
…
First, he met Cai Meier, then Ye Xiaosheng. By the time Wang Nan returned to his dormitory, it was already late at night. Wang Nan sat on his bed, and through the window, he could see the moon hanging in the sky.
He swept his right hand over the storage spirit tool on his wrist, and a blood-red Spirit Bone appeared in his hand.
Several days had passed, and this Spirit Bone was still the same as before, with a blood-red light swirling around it, subtly trembling. A faint heartbeat sound emanated from within the Spirit Bone.
Wang Nan meditated for a moment, adjusting himself to the best state, and then poured his spirit power into the Spirit Bone.
The blood-red Spirit Bone slowly softened, gradually transforming into a mass of red liquid that continuously spun in Wang Nan's hands.
Immediately after, Wang Nan controlled the liquid to merge into his chest.
Hot.
This was Wang Nan's first sensation. It felt as though a flame had been lit in his chest. His heart rate continuously accelerated, accompanied by intense breathing. All the blood in his body rushed wildly as if boiling, and then his chest felt as if it were being pricked by thousands of silver needles.
The red liquid gradually merged with Wang Nan's sternum. At that instant, dozens of tiny red spikes extended from the Spirit Bone, piercing into Wang Nan's chest and connecting with his blood vessels.
"Thump-thump—"
This was Wang Nan's heartbeat. As the Spirit Bone integrated, the sound became more rapid.
"Thump-thump—"
This was another unfamiliar sound, as if another heart had begun to slowly beat in Wang Nan's chest.
Wang Nan's blood surged throughout his body under the action of the two "hearts," flowing repeatedly through various blood vessels. The blood vessels throughout his body experienced waves of pain due to this turbulent blood, and his skin also turned crimson.
The speed of blood flow became faster and faster, and it seemed as though waves were surging from within Wang Nan. As the "waves" grew higher, Wang Nan's spirit power began to fluctuate along with them.
Blood and spirit power surged and circulated through Wang Nan's blood vessels and meridians, flushing his body repeatedly. His entire body seemed to "swell up."
Wang Nan's body endured immense pressure. He simultaneously controlled his spirit power to absorb the Spirit Bone and used his mental force to restrain the almost uncontrollable power within his body.
"Thump-thump—"
Perhaps it was only an instant, or perhaps a long time had passed, but Wang Nan was completely immersed in the changes in his body. Only this one sound remained in his ears; it was both his original heartbeat and the pulsation of the Spirit Bone.
Wang Nan's body gradually returned to normal. His blood and spirit power had calmed down, and this external Spirit Bone had completely integrated with him.
Wang Nan slowly opened his eyes. The moon outside the window had already turned into the sun, and several low shouts came from afar, seemingly from Inner Courtyard Disciples sparring on a platform.
Wang Nan stood up from the bed, feeling a refreshing sensation throughout his body, as if the pain he had endured earlier was just an illusion. After moving his body, he discovered that not only had his hearing improved, but his body had also become much lighter, and the power contained within him had grown stronger.
Wang Nan sensed his own state and raised his eyebrows slightly. In his consciousness, it seemed that only a very short time had passed. But judging from his current state, although he didn't know exactly how long it had been, it was definitely more than one day.
However, no matter how long it took, he felt it was extremely worthwhile to obtain such an external Spirit Bone that all Spirit Masters dreamed of.
After Wang Nan fused with this external sternum Spirit Bone, the defensive power of his chest was greatly enhanced. Of course, just like Ji Tongxuan back then, this Spirit Bone could temporarily replace the internal organs in Wang Nan's chest to sustain life when he was severely injured.
In normal times, this Spirit Bone would also enhance Wang Nan's heart and lung capabilities, making his blood flow and breathing more powerful, and even strengthening his entire body as a result.
Perhaps Ji Tongxuan hadn't possessed this Spirit Bone for very long, or perhaps for other reasons, Wang Nan hadn't seen the Spirit Ability that this Spirit Bone could provide him.
It wasn't until Wang Nan completely fused the Spirit Bone with himself that he learned the skill it granted him.
Wang Nan named this skill Boiling Blood.
As the name suggests, it makes all of Wang Nan's blood "boil." After using this Spirit Ability, Wang Nan's physique, strength, attack power, endurance, and explosive power will all be greatly enhanced. The degree of enhancement and duration will be affected by Wang Nan's physical strength.
For the current Wang Nan, fully unleashing Boiling Blood can double his attributes, but the duration is only a few short seconds. Of course, if the amplification level is reduced, the duration of Boiling Blood will become longer.
Although it wasn't an offensive Spirit Ability, Wang Nan was even more satisfied. His main offensive methods were all on the Coiling Dragon Staff, so the attribute boost brought by this sternum Spirit Bone was even more important to him.
Moreover, as an external Spirit Bone, it could grow along with the Spirit Master's own power. Wang Nan was already very content to have obtained it.