Evolution, Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear! (Please Vote!!!)

"How much longer?"

"Three to five days at the soonest, ten days to half a month at the latest."

"Come with me."

Zhu Jiuyang directly took Su Ming out of Gengxin City.

"Teacher, where are we going?"

"To the Meteorite Iron Mine. Your Soul Spirit originally cultivated by relying on the environment there, so it would be better to return there for its evolution. Besides, evolving a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear will likely require a great deal of Metal Element power, which will be difficult for a Soul Master like you to provide."

As Zhu Jiuyang spoke, he checked his Storage Soul Tool.

"I still have two Earth Origin Fruits here. They're Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures best suited for replenishing Soul Power. If a wild Soul Beast consumes one while evolving, as long as it hasn't exceeded ten thousand years, the evolution process will go very smoothly and won't be troubled by energy."

Three days later.

Meteorite Iron Mine.

"We're here."

The master and disciple arrived at the Meteorite Iron Mine.

The meteorite iron here had been mined for two and a half years, and most of it had already been extracted. However, the Metal Element energy had yet to disperse.

Little Gold had returned home and felt deeply familiar with the place, awakening directly from his slumber.

"Roar!"

Scenes from his life as a bear flashed through his mind before turning into a thunderous roar.

His body began to grow larger.

A highly conspicuous pair of Dark Gold Claw Covers covered his hands, fitting perfectly over the dark gold claws extending from his fingertips.

Zhu Jiuyang's gaze locked onto Little Gold's hands.

"Did you make those for him using Soul Tool techniques?"

"Yes. I also used Thousand Forgings metal."

After Su Ming completed Thousand Forgings with Spirit, he had secretly shared it with Zhu Jiuyang. Zhu Jiuyang had been deeply envious, which was why he had never gone hunting for his Eighth Soul Ring.

He wanted to try obtaining a Soul Spirit as well.

But Ten-thousand-year Soul Spirits were not so easy to acquire.

Ten Thousand Year Soul Beasts already possessed intelligence. If they resisted forcefully, the contract could easily shatter.

Therefore, Zhu Jiuyang needed time and was patiently waiting for a Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast suitable for becoming a Soul Spirit.

"Roar!"

Little Gold's roar pulled Su Ming's attention back.

He looked at Little Gold.

Little Gold's body had now swollen to a full five meters tall. His dark gold fur flickered unsteadily, turning brilliant gold one moment before dimming again the next.

Su Ming could see that with every flicker, his fur was becoming thicker and heavier. Beneath that fur, his skin and flesh were also undergoing astonishing transformations.

Through their contract, Su Ming received feedback as well. The surrounding Metal Element Qi surged madly into his body, tempering his physique.

"Hiss—"

Su Ming could not help sucking in a breath. It hurt far too much.

"Roar!"

Little Gold continued roaring.

Su Ming now knew that it was a roar of pain, and he too began to howl uncontrollably.

Watching Su Ming and Little Gold howl in pain at the same time, Zhu Jiuyang could only take out the Earth Origin Fruits and toss one to each, man and bear.

After eating the Earth Origin Fruit, abundant qi flowed through Su Ming's body, easing his pain.

But Little Gold's pain continued.

His bear paws grew incomparably broad, while his dark gold claws gradually became sharper.

Every change was equivalent to growing a new pair of Dark Gold Dreadclaws.

Streams of sharp Metal Element aura began to emerge, and the Claw Covers adapted perfectly to his newly evolved Dark Gold Dreadclaws.

"Roar!"

Little Gold threw back his head and roared, then directly swung his bear claw toward the front.

His right claw carved five streaks of Claw Light through the air. The five streaks swept across the ground, leaving behind five ravines.

Evolution—Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear!

Su Ming panted heavily, his entire body drenched in sweat.

Little Gold's evolution had benefited him as well, tempering his entire body once over.

Ten months ago, Su Ming fused with Little Gold and broke through to level twenty-three. After reaching Soul Grandmaster, his cultivation speed slowed somewhat further. Two and a half months were no longer enough for him to break through; it took a full three months to rise one level. Thus, he had broken through to level twenty-six a month ago.

This time, with Little Gold's evolution, Su Ming absorbed the surrounding Metal Element Qi and digested the Earth Origin Fruit, directly breaking through two levels to reach level twenty-eight.

"I've surpassed Dou Er."

When Dou Er's Su Ming condensed his Soul Core, he had directly broken through to level twenty-five. After half a year, he had only risen another two levels, reaching level twenty-seven.

"Innate Soul Power can't represent everything."

Su Ming was still feeling slightly pleased with himself.

Surpassing others gave him no thrill. The cultivation speed of Soul Masters in this era was generally far too slow, so he could only surpass himself—surpass his two future selves.

Of course, being able to achieve such a surpassing involved multiple factors.

Although Dou Yi's Su Ming had also dabbled in secondary professions, he had focused on Forging. Su Ming, however, relied on the advantages of his Martial Soul to cultivate during the Forging process, basically without delaying his own cultivation.

Dou Er's and Dou San's Su Ming, on the other hand, genuinely had to study knowledge and put it into practice. It truly could not be carried out alongside Soul Power cultivation.

"Little Gold, how do you feel?"

Su Ming turned to look at Little Gold and discovered that he had grown again. When standing upright, he was a full seven meters tall!

"Roar!"

Little Gold let out a deep, powerful growl.

His pair of bear claws was especially eye-catching. Those enormous paws and Dark Gold Terror Claws gave one the painful sensation that their spirit was being torn apart just by looking at them.

"How is your cultivation?" Zhu Jiuyang asked.

He was extremely concerned about this.

Su Ming could actually sense the changes in his Soul Ring, but he still looked toward Little Gold.

"Roar!" (It's increased by three thousand years!)

"Three thousand years."

Zhu Jiuyang sucked in a sharp breath.

That was a little outrageous.

"It's actually not too bad. If the energy from those two Earth Origin Fruits had truly all been converted into Soul Power, it probably would've amounted to seven or eight levels. I only rose two levels; Little Gold absorbed the rest. Plus, Little Gold and I absorbed quite a bit of the Metal Element Qi here as well," Su Ming said.

"It's not an issue of energy, but the extent of improvement brought by this evolution," Zhu Jiuyang said. "It went directly from one thousand years to Four Thousand years."

"Otherwise, why would it be called evolution?" Su Ming said with a smile.

If it had been the Soul Spirit evolutions of the Dou San era, there truly would not have been such an exaggerated, cliff-like increase. That era's Soul Spirit evolutions all obtained spiritual power from the Spirit Ascension Platform, which was converted into cultivation in real time. Even the transformation from a hundred-year Soul Spirit to a thousand-year one would not have produced such a dramatic change, but rather an extremely gradual improvement.

This was the Dou Yi era. There was no Spirit Ascension Platform.

Over the past half year, Little Gold had improved greatly alongside Su Ming. His pair of Dark Gold claws had unknowingly strengthened considerably through the Tear-type Thousand Forgings Sinking Silver, and he had continuously absorbed the Spirituality within metals through Forging.

All of that accumulated progress had been essential to Little Gold's three-thousand-year increase in cultivation this time.

"A Four Thousand-year second ring—you're already comparable to the Fourth Soul Rings of many Soul Masters," Zhu Jiuyang said. "For your third ring, you're not planning to try absorbing a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, are you?"

Su Ming shook his head.

Seeing him shake his head, Zhu Jiuyang breathed a sigh of relief.

But Su Ming's next words stunned the relieved Zhu Jiuyang once more.

"There's no need to hunt for the third ring. I can sense that Little Gold should still be able to add another Soul Ring for me."

"Roar?" (Huh?)