Chapter 83: External Palm Bones
Two Soul Bones hovered silently before Jiang Bai.
One was entirely ice-blue and translucent; the other was entirely crimson, like fire.
They were not ordinary arm bones or leg bones, but rather the far rarer and more uncommon palm bones.
Their joints were sharply defined, with five long, slender, and razor-sharp claw blades extending from the tips. Gleaming with a chilling light, they clearly harbored a terrifying destructive power.
"These are... External Soul Bones?"
Jiang Bai examined them closely, unable to conceal the delight in his eyes.
The value of External Soul Bones far surpassed that of ordinary Soul Bones; not only could they evolve, but they also granted unique abilities—making them treasures that every Soul Master dreamed of possessing.
"Yes, Master."
The blue-robed girl—the human manifestation of the Ice Dragon—spoke in a voice that was cool yet melodious.
"As our cultivation levels rise, their age and power will increase in tandem. They are bound to become a powerful asset for you, Master!"
Jiang Bai nodded in satisfaction, then asked, "By the way, what exactly are your current cultivation levels?"
The red-robed girl—the human form of the Fire Dragon—eagerly chimed in, her voice crisp and enthusiastic: "Master, my original cultivation base was relatively low, so I didn’t dare absorb too much energy from my Dragon Core. Right now, I’m at roughly the 90,000-year level."
The Ice Dragon girl added, "I currently possess an 180,000-year cultivation base."
External Soul Bones of 90,000 years and 180,000 years!
A surge of excitement coursed through Jiang Bai.
External Soul Bones of such immense age—the energy they contained and the abilities they might bestow—were absolutely beyond imagination.
He reached out and accepted the two Soul Bones; one felt cool to the touch, the other warm, yet through them both, he could clearly sense a surging, boundless power.
He couldn’t help but use his other hand to ruffle the heads of the two young girls, chuckling as he said, "Well done, well done! You’re both good girls! Hahaha!"
The Ice Dragon and Fire Dragon narrowed their eyes, basking in their master’s affectionate touch like a pair of cats being stroked.
"Alright, I’m going to head out now to absorb these two Soul Bones," Jiang Bai announced.
"In a little while, we’ll need to go out and—shall we say—con a new friend into joining our big family."
The Ice Dragon and Fire Dragon exchanged glances, a flicker of understanding and anticipation flashing in their eyes.
Con them? What nonsense!
To be chosen by their master was a blessing in itself!
Just look at the environment here! Look at the treatment we receive! Who wouldn’t be absolutely overjoyed to join us?
...
His consciousness returned to reality.
Jiang Bai opened his eyes as the radiant glow of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda slowly subsided.
With a mere thought, he retrieved the two external Soul Bones from the space within the pagoda, causing them to hover before him.
The ice-blue left palm bone and the crimson-red right palm bone emitted a faint, ethereal glow within the room; the intermingling currents of biting cold and scorching heat gave the room’s atmosphere an oddly surreal quality.
Jiang Bai first stowed the Ice Dragon’s external left palm bone into his storage bracelet, intending to begin by absorbing the Fire Dragon’s right palm bone, which possessed a relatively lower cultivation age.
He picked up the palm bone—crimson as fire—and found it warm to the touch; it felt as though he were gripping a red-hot branding iron, yet it caused no burns to his skin.
He pressed the Soul Bone against the center of his right palm, circulated his Soul Power, and guided it to establish a connection with the bone.
The absorption process proceeded with exceptional smoothness.
The palm bone seemed to melt away, transforming into a torrent of searing energy that permeated the skin of Jiang Bai’s right hand, fusing perfectly with the bones of his palm and fingers.
Alternating sensations of numbness, intense heat, and faint prickling pain washed over him, yet all remained well within the bounds of his endurance. Jiang Bai could distinctly feel the bones of his right hand being reinforced and reshaped.
Approximately one hour later, the crimson glow completely receded into his body.
Jiang Bai raised his right hand and examined it closely.
Outwardly, his palm appeared largely unchanged—still slender and fair—but the moment he stirred his intent and infused it with Soul Power...
"Swish!"
From the tips of his five fingers, five beams of crimson-gold light—each approximately one foot and two inches long—instantly extended outward!
The light was solid and tangible; broad at the base and tapering toward the tip, the beams resembled crescent-shaped blades, their edges shimmering with the heat-induced distortions of intense thermal energy.
The five light blades were seamlessly integrated with his fingers, appearing as if they were mere extensions of his own digits—completely under his command, responding to his will with the effortless precision of moving his own limbs.
Jiang Bai gave his right hand a gentle flick; the five crimson-gold blades slashed through the air, stirring up a faint whistling sound and a wave of scorching heat.
Silently, five shallow, charred scorch marks appeared upon the wall.
"How sharp! What potent fire-attribute energy!" Jiang Bai nodded in satisfaction. With another shift of his thoughts, the light blades retracted, and his right hand returned to its normal state.
He then retrieved the Ice Dragon’s Left Palm Bone and, following the exact same procedure, pressed it against the palm of his left hand.
As an external soul bone of 180,000 years, this one was evidently more difficult to absorb than the 90,000-year-old variant.
An icy-blue radiance enveloped the room, and an intense, biting cold permeated the air; a layer of white frost instantly crystallized upon the surface of the desk.
An even more majestic and refined stream of ice-attribute energy surged into his left hand, making the pain accompanying the physical transformation process feel all the more acute.
Jiang Bai steadied his mind and channeled his soul power with every ounce of his strength to guide the absorption.
Time ticked by, minute after minute.
When Jiang Bai finally opened his eyes once more, the sky outside his window had already begun to lighten with the pale, pearlescent glow of dawn.
He had spent the entire night absorbing the bone!
Sensing the surging power and bone-chilling cold emanating from his left hand—a sensation that surpassed even that of his right—Jiang Bai stirred his thoughts.
"Swish!"
Five slender, icy-blue blades of light—each approximately one foot and five inches in length—extended outward from the fingers of his left hand!
The blades were crystal-clear and translucent, appearing as if they had been forged from the purest ice crystals, and they radiated a coldness capable of freezing the very soul.
The temperature within the room plummeted instantly, leaving even the floor coated in a thin layer of ice.
The Twin Ice and Fire Palm External Soul Bones!
One blazing with heat, the other radiating extreme cold! Jiang Bai attempted to simultaneously activate the soul bones in both his left and right hands; blades of fiery gold and icy blue light shimmered in mutual brilliance, creating a duality of ice and fire within the room—a scene both bizarre and spectacular.
"With these two soul bones, my close-combat capabilities will undergo a qualitative leap!"
Excitedly, Jiang Bai tested out several simple slashing and thrusting motions, finding that he could manipulate the light blades with effortless ease.
What surprised and delighted him even more was that when he channeled his soul power into both palm bones simultaneously, the forces of ice and fire did not merely stack upon one another.
Instead, under his meticulous control, they showed signs of subtly merging and complementing each other, giving rise to some nuanced transformations.
This was something he would need to explore further through actual combat in the days to come.
Deactivating the soul bones, he climbed out of bed and stretched his body, which had grown somewhat stiff.
After washing up, he felt refreshed and invigorated.
The moment he opened his door, he saw that the Snow Empress and the Ice Empress were already waiting right outside.
"Jiang Bai," the Snow Empress spoke directly, her voice cool and crisp.
"Bing’er and I have discussed it, and we would like to enter the spatial realm within your tower to devote ourselves to cultivation for a while. The environment there is unique and would be immensely beneficial for us in consolidating our cultivation bases. Should you encounter any insurmountable dangers while in the Star Dou Great Forest, simply summon us forth."
After a moment’s consideration, Jiang Bai nodded in agreement.
With Bi Ji and Jiang Li’er traveling alongside him—combined with his own current strength—he felt that as long as he avoided venturing deep into the core zone to provoke beings of Di Tian’s caliber, his safety should be well-assured.
Furthermore, allowing the Snow Empress and the Ice Empress to cultivate within the tower would serve to accelerate the overall enhancement of their collective strength.
"Very well."
With a shift of his will, a shimmering phantom of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda materialized, drawing the Snow Empress and the Ice Empress into its depths.
Upon arriving at the hotel’s first-floor restaurant, he found Bi Ji and Jiang Li’er already seated at a window-side table, where several exquisite breakfast dishes were laid out before them.
"Good morning, Bi Ji."
Jiang Bai offered a natural greeting as he took a seat in the empty chair beside them. Bi Ji smiled gently: "Good morning. Where are the Snow Emperor and the Ice Emperor? Haven’t they come down yet?"
Jiang Li’er pouted indignantly: "Why didn’t you say hello to me?"