Douluo: Manifesting the Black Abyss and White Flower at the Start

"But…!" Zhang Lexuan hesitated, her expression uncertain. In her heart, she truly wished for Lu Jingming to absorb this soul bone and use it to increase his strength.

"But what? You're already mine—what's a mere hundred-thousand-year soul bone? Be good and refine it. Besides, I have to absorb the Mountain-Moving Ape's soul ring myself." Lu Jingming affectionately reached out and pinched Zhang Lexuan's delicate nose, his tone carrying an undeniable assertiveness.

"Mhm!"

Lu Jingming's slightly domineering words and intimate gesture made Zhang Lexuan's pretty face flush instantly, her beauty growing even more striking.

Especially when she noticed Jingliu still quietly watching nearby, her heart fluttered with shyness as if a little deer were crashing around inside her chest.

Zhang Lexuan did not refute Lu Jingming's "you're already mine," because, deep down, this was already an unquestionable fact.

Looking at Lu Jingming—who had already grown so tall, almost catching up to her—her gaze grew a bit dreamy.

She knew that Lu Jingming was still growing, and in a few years, when he reached adulthood, he would surely become even more mature, steady, and handsome.

Clutching the Silvermoon Flood Dragon King's torso bone, Zhang Lexuan turned and walked aside to begin refining it.

This was a hundred-thousand-year soul bone—countless Titled Douluos had fought to the death for one like it, yet Lu Jingming had handed it to her without hesitation.

Such deep affection—wasn't that already more than enough for her?

"This girl is already hopelessly attached to you," Jingliu watched quietly, speaking in a calm, even tone.

Though she herself had never experienced love, Jingliu had lived for many centuries and seen all manner of joys and sorrows, love and hate.

With her experience, she could instantly see Zhang Lexuan's current state—utterly enraptured by her love for Lu Jingming, unable to extricate herself. Even when facing life and death, she would likely never let go of this deep feeling.

"I never planned to let her leave me, Teacher. You know me—I'm greedy. What I want, I will never give up easily."

Lu Jingming spread his arms, making a grasping gesture as if he wanted to hold all the world's beauty in his hands. His eyes shone with determination as he spoke calmly.

Jingliu, hearing this, understood the deeper meaning behind his words. She chuckled softly and said, "If you can do it, go ahead and try, you rebellious disciple!"

Lu Jingming was secretly delighted that Jingliu wasn't angry, nor did she draw her sword to strike him. A confident smile blossomed on his face. "Teacher, I have enough time to achieve my goals. If ten years isn't enough, then I'll take a hundred. If a hundred isn't enough, then a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand—until the moment I succeed."

His tone was filled with an unprecedented determination and persistence, enough to make even Jingliu—whose heart was normally unshaken by the collapse of the heavens—feel a subtle, almost undetectable ripple in her soul.

"Hurry up and absorb your soul ring. Two hundred-thousand-year soul beasts have died here… the true rulers of this forest might not sit still for long." Jingliu's expression was calm, deftly changing the subject.

"Alright." Lu Jingming understood perfectly.

When the Body Sect entered the Star Dou Forest and hunted four hundred-thousand-year soul beasts, Di Tian was enraged and launched a terrifying beast tide. If not for the Body Sect and the three empires' reinforcements arriving in time, Shrek Academy might not have withstood the onslaught.

Now, with two more hundred-thousand-year soul beasts falling at once, Di Tian might not trigger another beast tide like last time, but his anger would certainly not be easily quelled.

Fortunately, Jingliu's overwhelming strength had isolated all space and aura here, so Di Tian wouldn't notice the incident for a while.

By the time he did, the three of them would likely have already left the Star Dou Forest, and Di Tian would have no choice but to swallow this bitter pill.

Of course, absorbing a hundred-thousand-year soul ring wasn't easy. For Lu Jingming, who had just broken through to level fifty, it was a real challenge—especially since the Mountain-Moving Ape was no ordinary hundred-thousand-year soul beast. Yet, the biggest obstacle in absorbing such a ring—the remnant soul—was not the hardest part for Lu Jingming.

The ape's remnant soul was extremely fierce, filled with resentment and unwillingness. It tried to stir up chaos in Lu Jingming's spiritual sea, attempting to seize his body and be reborn.

But in the face of the Black Abyss White Flower's power, all resistance was futile.

The Wither authority of the Black Abyss White Flower could decompose not just matter, but energy and souls as well.

As Lu Jingming's strength increased, the powers of Wither and Genesis from the Black Abyss White Flower grew even stronger.

When he absorbed his third soul ring, he still had to fight the remnant soul of the Holy Flame Sky Tiger personally with the Black Abyss White Flower.

But now, facing the Mountain-Moving Ape's remnant soul, Lu Jingming simply activated the Wither authority, and his entire spiritual sea transformed into a deep, black ocean, instantly devouring the ape's remnant soul—reducing it to nothing and turning it into fuel for his own spiritual growth.

It had to be said: at level fifty, Lu Jingming's control over the Black Abyss White Flower was on a whole different level than at level thirty.

Because of the Genesis authority, Lu Jingming's absorption process had become extremely brutal.

He forcibly refined the violent soul power, ignoring the severe damage to his body.

Under this wild influx of power, his meridians repeatedly ruptured and blood spilled from his lips, but the power of Genesis quickly took effect, repairing the damage and making his meridians tougher and able to hold even more spirit power.

This unique absorption method made his ring absorption even faster than Zhang Lexuan's.

When Zhang Lexuan finally finished refining the Silvermoon Flood Dragon King's hundred-thousand-year torso bone, Lu Jingming had almost simultaneously finished absorbing the Mountain-Moving Ape's hundred-thousand-year soul ring.

When Zhang Lexuan saw the two purple, two black, and one red ring on Lu Jingming—five in total—her beautiful eyes filled with astonishment and pride.

As someone who had also absorbed a hundred-thousand-year ring, she knew how difficult it was.

Lu Jingming was just at Soul King, yet he'd succeeded. How could she not feel proud? After all, what woman wouldn't be delighted if her man was so outstanding?

Lu Jingming felt the power of his two new hundred-thousand-year soul skills, his expression unsurprised.

The Mountain-Moving Ape was an earth and gravity-type soul beast, but the soul skill he gained had nothing to do with either type.

The Black Abyss White Flower's power was too domineering—whatever soul skill it granted would not be influenced by the soul beast's original attributes.

However, soul bones were another story.

As a martial soul, the Black Abyss White Flower didn't affect the soul bone's properties or ability, so Lu Jingming still had a chance to gain a gravity- or earth-type soul bone skill.