Chapter 171: Chapter 156: Blood-Veined Armor Shield, Bloody Hunt

The requirements for the Shadow Form were the same as for other evolutionary branches, only the Attribute Crystal Stone needed to be of the Dark type.

He had already absorbed the Dark Attribute Crystal Stone, but the Insect Continent wasn’t short on Soul Beasts with this attribute.

In fact, according to the panel’s description, there was no requirement for the Crystal Stone and the essence of flesh and blood to come from the same Soul Beast.

It wasn’t out of the question to find a Soul Beast Crystal Stone of another attribute.

However, Han Ning considered that the heart’s previous owner was a Dark Attribute Soul Beast. There might still be some Dark Attribute Spiritual Energy left in its bloodline, so it would be best to find a matching Dark Type Crystal Stone. Using a different attribute just felt... off.

’Essence of flesh and blood... isn’t a heart the very essence of flesh and blood? Perfect. I still have that giant Winged Demon Heart I haven’t used yet.’

Han Ning looked at the heart, which was wrapped in layers of vines. It was larger than his own head and emitted a faint red glow.

’There’s no flesh and blood more essential than a heart.’

’This way, all I need to do is find an Extraordinary Level Dark Attribute Crystal Stone.’

For a moment, he felt a pang of regret. ’If only I had known, I would have upgraded the All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm first.’

But there’s no use crying over spilled milk. The need to travel to the Earth Flame Forbidden Land grew even more urgent in his heart.

The Insect Continent was covered in the territories of Insect Masters, and most Extraordinary Level insects were raised by them. To kill one meant facing an Insect Master’s wrath.

With his current strength, he would have a hard time even against the weakest Insect Master. Hunting an Extraordinary Level insect in an Insect Master’s territory wasn’t a wise choice—it was just asking for a death wish.

’I’ll talk to Dean Wu and the others tomorrow. The academy is focused on developing its insect swarms right now, so they won’t need me for a bit. I can use this time to make a trip to the Earth Flame Forbidden Land.’

Having made up his mind, Han Ning stopped dwelling on it. He turned his attention to the nearly 100 stalks of Soul Nourishing Grass he had acquired that afternoon.

He set aside a third of the Soul Nourishing Grass collected from Gray Stone Valley and gave it to the academy’s research team for developing Concentration Liquid.

Compared to how much most Insect Masters valued Concentration Liquid, Han Ning didn’t feel a particularly urgent need for the Spiritual Power Potion.

This was all because his system could completely absorb the energy within the raw materials for the Concentration Liquid.

’Does this mean I can get the effects of Concentration Liquid without having to craft the finished product from the raw materials?’

’Or maybe, through various combinations and crafting steps, the raw materials undergo some kind of wondrous chemical reaction, providing even more Spiritual Power than they would on their own.’

For now, Han Ning had no way of knowing.

Gathering all the necessary materials for Concentration Liquid and then crafting it would take ages.

He couldn’t just wait around until the Concentration Liquid was finally produced to absorb the Spiritual Energy within.

So... Han Ning decided to absorb a few dozen stalks of Soul Nourishing Grass first, just to see what would happen. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

He took a stalk of Soul Nourishing Grass from his waist pouch, absorbed the Spiritual Energy within, and gave a small smack of his lips.

[Spiritual Energy +0.05]

’The Spiritual Energy is half of what I get from a worm. I suppose I can’t expect too much from an auxiliary material.’

Han Ning shook his head and proceeded to absorb all the Spiritual Energy from the seventy-odd stalks of Soul Nourishing Grass he had. He then converted it into Attribute Points and added them to his panel.

[

Spiritual Power Level: Tier One (67%)

Current Spiritual Power: 20

]

...

The next morning, Han Ning opened his eyes, emerging from his meditation.

The faint, fluorescent light shimmering around his body instantly vanished.

’Using the ’Spirit Fusion’ method, I can absorb about 10 points of Energy in a single night... not bad at all.’

He carefully observed the changes within his body.

Besides gaining a total of 10 points of Energy, the Elemental Affinity of his three Soul Beasts had each slightly increased by 0.1 to 0.15.

The Spirit Fusion method didn’t just help the Soul Beasts in his Soul Beast Space absorb Spiritual Energy. When the human body was bathed in Spiritual Energy for extended periods, it would gradually increase its sensitivity to various Elements.

’Ten points of Energy a day, an average of 0.1 affinity... that’s over 300 points a month. Each Elemental Affinity can increase by more than 3 points. With constant effort, like water dripping on a stone, it’s only a matter of time before the Soul Beasts break through to the War General Level.’

And this was only at Tier One. At Tier Two, the amount of Energy he could absorb would likely be even greater.

CHITTER~

The All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm within his body also stirred, waking from its night-long slumber.

However, its intelligence still seemed quite low. It only emitted some basic emotions, acting purely on instinct.

What surprised him was that the All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm, despite advancing to the peak of the Awakened Level, hadn’t learned any new Soul Techniques.

It might not have learned a new Soul Technique, but...

Han Ning gazed down at his palm, sensing the Spiritual Power fluctuations from the All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm in his mind. With a single thought...

Unsettling, blood-colored veins spread across his palm. From the tips of his right fingers, five bone-white spurs shot out, gleaming with a cold light and ending in wickedly sharp points!

"Bones? An Awakened Level All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm can actually grow bones?"

Han Ning brought his hand closer, examining the bone-like growths. He realized they weren’t like human bones at all, but more like the articulated limbs of an insect.

This was because they were covered in shimmering, segmented ridges.

An insect’s limbs are essentially constructs of their exoskeleton, muscle, and carapace.

He thrust his palm forward and, with a bit of dramatic flair, clenched his fist at the empty air.

The veins in his palm pulsed with an unsettling, bloody light. Wisps of Blood Qi intertwined, slowly condensing into a diamond-shaped, bone-white Armor Shield.

Immediately after, flesh and blood began to spread across the Armor Shield’s surface, enveloping the jointed appendages within.