Chapter 104 - 100: The Contention of Essence Souls

Flight has been a dream of humankind since time immemorial, and Zhao Lin was no exception.

Even setting aside the sheer pleasure of flying, as a Martial Artist, being able to remain airborne—even for a short time—would provide a significant advantage in combat.

Zhao Lin’s gaze shifted between the two birdcages.

The oriole and the Lark were dozing, completely unaware of the impending danger.

’Which bird’s Essence Soul should I absorb?’

This question was essentially asking, "Which is the better flier, the oriole or the Lark?"

The oriole’s flying ability was average. It mostly flew at low altitudes and typically perched in trees, which is why there are poems about "two orioles singing in the green willows."

The Lark, true to its name, flew higher and had superior flight capabilities. It could not only soar into the clouds but also hover in the air like a helicopter.

Zhao Lin’s eyes settled on the Lark.

’This is just a temporary choice. There are many master fliers among birds. I’ll absorb the Lark’s Essence Soul for now and can switch to a bird with stronger flight abilities later.’

He opened the Lark’s cage, grabbed it, and cupped his hands together...

A moment later, the Lark’s Essence Soul rose up.

Zhao Lin glanced at the Spirit Beast Scroll in his mind. The bear, the Golden Leopard, and the Horseshoe Bat showed no unusual reactions, so he relaxed and drew the Essence Soul into his body.

The Essence Soul entered his body and transformed into streams of silver light...

Zhao Lin was already accustomed to this process and didn’t feel nervous. He simply watched where the silver light flowed.

The silver light split into two clusters, gathering around his chest and back.

After a moment, he felt a squeezing and pulling sensation in his muscles.

This was normal. A bird’s ability to fly is primarily thanks to its wings.

To flap those wings, well-developed pectoral and back muscles are equally essential.

However, Zhao Lin’s muscles had already been strengthened by the bear and the Golden Leopard. The silver light "worked" at them for a moment, found its efforts to be in vain, and quickly stopped.

It then transformed into dozens of "light clusters" that entered his body, heading straight for the acupoints within his meridians.

THUMP THUMP THUMP...

Zhao Lin felt as if a chisel had been driven into six acupoints on his back—Celestial Sect, Bingfeng, Wind Gate, Shen Tang, Jugu, and Yishe—and was being struck repeatedly by a heavy hammer.

Immediately after, he felt the same sensation in six acupoints on his chest: Qihu, Riyue, Jingmen, Yuanye, Yanchuang, and Wuyi.

’What’s happening?’

Zhao Lin frowned. ’In the past, Essence Souls only modified my physical body. Why is this one messing with my acupoints?’

His mind raced, and he quickly thought of a possibility.

’I don’t have wings, so if I want to fly, I can only rely on my acupoints to control my vital energy. Human acupoints are shaped like narrow-mouthed wine jars—small on the outside, large on the inside.’

’The surface opening is only the size of a soybean, and the vital energy it can release isn’t enough to support my body in flight.’

’So... the Lark’s Essence Soul is expanding my acupoints!’

Realizing this, Zhao Lin calmed himself and waited patiently for the process to finish.

About ten breaths later, the foreign sensation in his acupoints disappeared. He immediately directed his vital energy inside to investigate.

The Celestial Sect acupoint he had just opened yesterday was among them. Upon inspection, it was just as he had expected—the acupoint had expanded several times over!

Zhao Lin nodded to himself. He hadn’t expected the seemingly weak Lark’s Essence Soul to possess such power.

But what happened next made his blood run cold.

The remaining silver light, as if guided by an invisible hand, dispersed throughout his body, swarming like ants around his longer bones, such as the humerus, ulna, femur, tibia, and fibula.

Then, with a SWOOSH, it drilled into the bones.

Before Zhao Lin could understand what was happening, a gut-wrenching pain suddenly seized him.

It was a pain that pierced deep into his marrow, a hundred times more intense than any agony he had ever experienced. It felt as if his bones were being devoured and his insides torn to shreds.

At the same time, a faint yet piercing sound emanated from within his bones.

Zhao Lin’s teeth ground together with a CREAK, nearly shattering. He endured the excruciating pain and continued to observe, discovering that the silver light was eroding his bone marrow!

"Damn it!"

He suddenly thought of something: a bird’s ability to fly wasn’t just due to its wings and powerful muscles. There was another key factor.

’A bird’s bones are hollow!’

’Only with hollow bones can they have bodies light enough to spread their wings and soar.’

’Among birds, only penguins and ostriches don’t have hollow bones, and it just so happens they can’t fly.’

"It’s not going to turn my bones hollow, is it?"

A chill washed over Zhao Lin. He never imagined that after all his careful planning and deliberation, this would be the result.

’Hollow bones? Wouldn’t that make me as fragile as glass?’

’With such a powerful physique, how could I function without the support of solid bones? Even if I don’t become a cripple, it would be impossible to advance another inch on the path of martial arts.’

He let out a low roar and tried to stop the silver light from damaging his body, only to find he was completely powerless.

The silver light was the Lark’s Essence Soul. Neither tensing his muscles, striking his own body, nor trying to drive it out with his vital energy could stop it in the slightest.

The inside of his bones was a place he could not reach.

Just then, the bear and the Golden Leopard within the Spirit Beast Scroll suddenly began to flicker. Ripples spread through their cells.

The two beasts looked majestic and fierce, as if they had come to life.

Immediately after, a thick white mist poured out from their cells.

The moment the mist appeared, it rushed toward the bones where the silver light had gathered with the speed of a lightning strike. In the blink of an eye, it had devoured the silver light completely!

’It’s... over?’

Zhao Lin was both shocked and overjoyed. He moved his body and found that he was back to normal, the pain completely gone.

"Let me think about what just happened."

Zhao Lin placed a hand on his forehead and muttered, "To give me the ability to fly, the Lark’s Essence Soul first tried to strengthen my chest and back muscles, then carved out my acupoints, and finally, eroded my bone marrow."

"When it got to the final step, the bear and the Golden Leopard released a white mist that devoured the silver light. The reason is..."

He suddenly paused, realization dawning on him.

’The bear’s strength and the Golden Leopard’s speed both rely on a formidable physique, and a formidable physique naturally includes strong, solid bones.’

’The Lark’s Essence Soul, however, was trying to modify my bones by making them hollow.’

’The two transformations naturally clashed.’

’Clearly, the Lark was no match for the two beasts—especially since the bear is a variant beast, making the power gap enormous.’

"Thank goodness..."

Zhao Lin breathed a sigh of relief. He felt a chill and looked down to see his clothes were soaked with sweat.

The entire process had only lasted for a few breaths, but to him, it had felt like an eternity.

He took a long moment to recover before carefully considering the consequences of this incident.

’The final stage of the Lark’s Essence Soul’s modification failed. This will definitely affect my ability to fly.’

’But as long as my vital energy is strong enough, the impact should be minimal.’

’After all, with enough thrust, even a jet plane weighing several, or even dozens, of tons can fly. That’s a far better outcome than having hollow bones.’

Only then did he have the presence of mind to look at the Spirit Beast Scroll in his mind.

The bear and the Golden Leopard had returned to their original states, as if nothing had happened.

In the fourth cell, the image of a Lark had appeared.

He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but the Lark looked listless and dispirited.