Only a few minutes had passed since the ancient Lion had spoken his final words. And now, Qiang Ming found himself lying naked in a massive, bowl-shaped indentation at the heart of the lion's underground lair, surrounded by stone, silence, and unseen, suffocating pressure.
His body was slick with sweat. His breathing ragged. His skin flushed with heat.
Tian Jue Dui stood beside him, sleeves rolled, expression impassive, as he shoved another heavenly treasure into Qiang Ming's mouth with all the gentleness of a blacksmith hammering a blade into shape.
"Chew," the master said.
Qiang Ming did. Barely.
More treasures followed—crushed into paste, ground into liquids, or injected directly through bone needles into his meridians. Ginseng older than most kingdoms. Rare herbs whose names were lost to common alchemists. All flowing through him like a volcano's worth of heat and raw energy.
Even with his absurdly robust physique, Qiang Ming felt like his body was going to rupture. His every pore steamed. His every joint crackled. He had always been strong, but now he was being forced into something greater—whether he liked it or not.
All he could do was endure.
Around him, the great chamber buzzed with life. More than twenty Three Eyed Golden Lions had gathered—massive creatures that radiated silent dignity and overwhelming presence. Their fur glistened like sunlight woven into silk. Their third eyes pulsed with deep red light. But none dared approach the center, where their old patriarch stood beside Tian Jue Dui.
Qiang Ming, through bleary eyes, could just barely make out their expressions. Reverence. Sorrow. Hope.
The passing of a mantle.
"So," the Lion said, his voice heavy with finality. "What am I to do?"
Tian Jue Dui, still standing at the edge of the bowl, nodded solemnly.
"Fill the basin with your essence blood. Then pass your spirit bone and your will into him. The rest… will be up to the boy."
The great Lion didn't question. He simply looked up once, at the ceiling of the cave, as if saying goodbye to something unseen. Then, without ceremony, his third eye cracked open wider—splitting along the center with a wet sound.
A thick, glowing droplet of crimson-gold blood welled up, then dropped.
And another.
And another.
Though each drop was tiny compared to the size of the beast, the blood carried the weight and authority of a dying sun. It hissed as it struck the stone, yet didn't sizzle—it sank, seeping into the bowl like it had always belonged there.
The hole began to fill.
Then the Lion turned toward Qiang Ming one last time. Its gaze was calm. Proud.
And without further words, it disintegrated into radiant golden particles. No roaring. No howling. No last words. Only light—pure and clean—rising into the air, coalescing into a single crystalline object: a Skull Soul Bone, pulsing with majestic power.
The soul bone hovered in the air for only a moment before it slammed into Qiang Ming's forehead like a comet. He didn't scream. He couldn't. The pain hit his mind directly, bypassing all physical sensation.
He barely registered Tian Jue Dui's voice whispering in his ear—
"Absorb it. Survive it. Succeed—and you'll break the curse that binds not only you, but your entire clan."
And then Tian Jue Dui pushed him fully beneath the now-filled pool of essence blood.
Qiang Ming's world turned to fire.
No… not fire.
Unmaking.
It felt as if every cell of his being was being torn apart and then reconstructed molecule by molecule. The blood and the soul bone merged with his own biology, clawing through muscle, nerves, marrow. His spirit trembled as if screaming. He could feel the essence of the ancient beast—not just entering him, but becoming him.
He felt his skin boil, then harden. His blood roar, then change hue. His bones creak, then grow silent.
Worse still was the sense of unlocking.
Like a sealed door in the deepest part of his soul was being forced open. Rusted chains breaking. Forgotten memories—ancestral instincts—screaming into the void.
It was agony.
And it lasted days.
Tian Jue Dui did not speak during this time. He stood watch, motionless, sometimes feeding in more heavenly treasures to stabilize the process, like tossing wood into a blazing furnace.
Then weeks passed.
Exactly on the twenty-first day, the process shifted.
The blood around Qiang Ming began to recede. Slowly, gently, it peeled away, drawn into the core of a newly forming shape. A figure emerged from the center of the bowl—a silhouette made of purple and gold light.
At its side, a massive hammer pulsed with oozing violet energy. On its forehead, a third eye glowed with ruby intensity. And beside it floated the phantom of a lion—enormous, majestic, identical in form and aura to the Pride's fallen patriarch.
The Lions watching fell into silence. Even the new leader, the daughter, gasped audibly. No words were needed. The sight spoke volumes.
This was no longer a human boy.
This was a King.
A King reborn in golden light and primordial wrath.
The glowing form let out a deep, guttural roar, one that shook the entire cavern. It wasn't just a sound—it was an announcement, a declaration of presence that reverberated into the bones of every soul beast watching.
Then, slowly, the light dimmed.
The lion phantom vanished. The hammer faded.
Qiang Ming stepped forward on bare feet, now fully visible. His body gleamed with health. His musculature was denser, his skin smoother. His eyes—no longer purple, but a gleaming golden-purple hue—shimmered with intelligence. His third eye, still embedded in his forehead, slowly blinked shut, but the power radiating from him lingered like storm winds after lightning.
'You did well, kid.'
The voice echoed directly in his mind, warm and ancient.
'Jin Shi…?' Qiang Ming replied inwardly.
'Indeed. And now, I'll be your Spirit Soul. A natural one. One of flesh and pride and memory.'
Qiang Ming swallowed.
'It's an honor to fight beside you.'
'I owed your Master more than my life, kid, this is the least I could to repay the immeasurable debt I and our species has with him.'
'You said… "our kind?" But I'm human…'
'Not anymore. Not fully. You're one of us now. A hybrid, yes, but also a King among my species. That means you can do what was done for you… for others. Your clan can rise again—through you.'
Qiang Ming was stunned.
'How do you know about them?'
'While you were submerged, I helped keep your mind stable. I saw your memories. Your pain. Your pride. You truly have the heart of a lion, kid… but don't let pride be your leash. Trust me. I speak from personal disaster.'
Qiang Ming chuckled softly. 'Noted.'
Before he could think more, something hit his face.
His clothes.
"Cover yourself," Tian Jue Dui's voice rang out with his usual casual command. "We have much to do."
Still dazed but far more alive than ever, Qiang Ming dressed quickly. As he followed his master from the center of the lion's domain, he passed by the other Three Eyed Golden Lions. They didn't bow. They didn't kneel.
But they watched him with something far more precious.
Recognition.
And he felt it, too.
Not just their gazes.
Their bond.
For the first time in his life, Qiang Ming was more than a hammer-wielding prodigy.
He was a successor.
He was a lion.