Dark Golden Claw Bear

"This is Golden Jade Bee honey. No bear can resist its temptation." Facing the swarms of Golden Jade Bees, Ye Xuanji remained expressionless. His fair, jade-like palm made a slight grabbing motion, and the enormous hive was immediately enveloped in Soul Power and drawn into his hand.

The Golden Jade Bees were trapped inside as well.

"Kid, watch closely. This is how Golden Jade Bee honey is used." A gentle stream of Soul Power slowly entered the hive, instantly driving the already-agitated Golden Jade Bees into a frenzy. Then, a scent a hundred times stronger than before erupted and spread in all directions.

"Now, all we have to do is wait for the fish to bite."

Ye Xuanji casually snapped off a branch. As he dispersed the Soul Power, he drove the hive into the tree trunk with a backhanded palm strike.

Immediately afterward, the Golden Jade Bees surged out of the hive like a tidal wave, fleeing wildly as though escaping a disaster. In barely a moment, they vanished from Junting and his companion's sight.

"This is how Golden Jade Bee honey works. Once stimulated by Soul Power, its fragrance becomes a hundred times stronger. The Golden Jade Bees will then quickly abandon it. Otherwise, the bear-type Soul Beasts drawn here will devour the entire colony in their hive."

Ye Xuanji then led Junting to hide nearby.

"Roar!"

Before long, a furious roar soared into the sky.

The savage sound echoed through this region of the forest. Countless birds flew into the sky in panic, while the sound of trees crashing to the ground drew closer and closer.

"They're here. But..."

Ye Xuanji was delighted at first, but after carefully distinguishing the sound for a while, he frowned. "Why does this sound a little strange?"

"Master, the Soul Beasts are here." Junting stared fixedly in the direction where the trees were collapsing. Feeling that increasingly violent aura drawing near, he gripped the Seven Kills Sword tighter and tighter.

"Boom..."

The tree pinning the hive to the trunk collapsed, revealing the figures of four bear-type Soul Beasts. Two of the giant bears were more than five meters long. Their broad, powerful shoulders were like city walls, and their black fur reflected a faint metallic luster. The other two looked essentially identical, apart from being slightly shorter.

At the ends of their two thick arms were razor-sharp, Dark Gold giant claws. Each claw alone was more than a foot long, perhaps even longer. They were terrifying to behold.

Clearly, this was an entire family.

"What luck! We didn't lure out Claw Bears, but instead attracted Dark Golden Claw Bears—and an entire family at that. Four of them!"

Junting only knew what Dark Golden Claw Bears looked like from written descriptions, so he failed to recognize them at first. Ye Xuanji, however, was far more experienced and immediately called out their names.

Dark Golden Claw Bears were known as Earth Rippers. They were among the most powerful Soul Beasts in existence, and were war maniacs of the forest.

Since they possessed Dark Gold claws even more terrifying than Fear Claws, they were undoubtedly more suitable than Claw Bears to serve as Junting's First Soul Ring.

Ye Xuanji then looked at the excited Junting and said, "Your luck is pretty good, kid. You've finally encountered what you've been longing for. Although the two larger Dark Golden Claw Bears have cultivation bases of several tens of thousands of years, the two smaller ones are only around three hundred years old. Either one can be used as your Soul Ring."

"Master, I'll trouble you." Junting stared fixedly at the Dark Golden Claw Bear family as they began to feed and nodded lightly.

"You stay away from here. Don't move around carelessly."

After leading Junting far into the distance, Ye Xuanji concealed him with his aura. He didn't dare let Junting approach the battlefield with the Dark Golden Claw Bears. After all, two Dark Golden Claw Bears with cultivation bases of several tens of thousands of years would be no weaker than a Titled Douluo when they joined forces.

If Junting were caught in the aftermath, his current strength would mean certain death.

With a flash, Ye Xuanji arrived in front of one of the two hundred-year Dark Golden Claw Bears.

His Sword Intent locked onto it, startling the Dark Golden Claw Bear.

Before the hundred-year Dark Golden Claw Bear could react, it had already fallen unconscious.

Just as Ye Xuanji grabbed the Dark Golden Claw Bear and prepared to retreat, the two Ten-Thousand-Year Dark Golden Claw Bears reacted with astonishing speed.

They protected their sole remaining child behind them and immediately let out furious roars. Waving their bear paws, they attempted to intercept the human from both sides.

"Buzz!"

Starlight flashed, and Sword Qi swept in all directions, instantly cutting down the few remaining trees nearby.

At the same time, the crisscrossing starlight formed an enormous "kill" character, fully ten meters tall, directly enveloping the two Dark Golden Claw Bears.

One Dark Golden Claw Bear stood at the very front. A layer of Dark Gold light surged from its fur. The light did not radiate outward, but was instead contained within its coat.

The strands of Dark Gold fur instantly stood erect like steel needles, blocking the "kill" character.

But how could it block an attack from a Super Douluo without coming away unscathed?

That piercing starlight "kill" character tore through the Dark Golden Claw Bear's defense as easily as slicing through tofu. Dark-red blood gushed out, leaving the flesh of its chest mangled beyond recognition.

Seeing his mate's miserable state, the other Dark Golden Claw Bear's fury surged to its peak. It viciously raised its enormous paw, which tripled in size midair, expanding from three feet to three meters. Its terrifying claws gleamed with dark golden light as they slashed straight at Ye Xuanji's head.

Ye Xuanji's gaze sharpened. The yellow light of his Second Soul Ring flashed and vanished. Streams of starlight drifted out from the Star Saint Sword. Centered around the Star Saint Sword, the brilliant starlight became as dazzling as the sun and formed a barrier that forcibly stopped the claw's radiance.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ye Xuanji retreated. He grabbed Junting with one hand, seized the Dark Golden Claw Bear with Soul Power in the other, and left the area by Sword Flight.

Only the Dark Golden Claw Bear couple remained behind, roaring furiously!

"Bang!" Amid a cloud of thick dust, Ye Xuanji brought Junting to a relatively open area.

"Although its cultivation is only a little over three hundred years and hasn't reached the absorption limit for your First Soul Ring, the Dark Golden Claw Bear is still a super Soul Beast. It's far stronger than a four- or five-hundred-year-old Claw Bear, so you're not losing out at all. Hurry up and absorb it."

A three-hundred-year Dark Golden Claw Bear had no ability to resist in the hands of a Super Douluo. After Ye Xuanji shattered every inch of its body, it could only await its fate.

"Alright."

Junting summoned the Seven Kills Sword. After walking up to the Dark Golden Claw Bear, he tore open a patch of Dark Gold fur at the back of its neck.

Under the Dark Golden Claw Bear's resentful gaze, the Seven Kills Sword in Junting's hand pierced straight through its neck and severed its central nervous system, killing it instantly.

However, the resistance transmitted through the tip of the Seven Kills Sword still made Junting marvel at the Dark Golden Claw Bear's terrifying defense. If his master hadn't crippled this Dark Golden Claw Bear, whether he could have pierced its defenses with the Seven Kills Sword would have been difficult to say.

But when a yellow Soul Ring slowly floated up from the Dark Golden Claw Bear's corpse, Junting cast those thoughts aside. His heart gradually began to burn with excitement, because once he absorbed it, he would become a true Soul Master.

Thinking of this, Junting quickly adjusted his condition. He sat cross-legged and closed his eyes. After laying the Seven Kills Sword across his legs, he released the Soul Power within his body to draw in the Soul Ring.

"Sit cross-legged and steady yourself. Focus your mind on your Martial Soul. No matter how fiercely the Soul Ring's power attacks your body, you must keep your consciousness clear. Only then can you absorb the power of this Soul Ring."

Ye Xuanji watched the Soul Ring and solemnly instructed him.

Junting engraved those words in his heart. Apart from determination, he was filled with anticipation. As the Dark Golden Claw Bear Soul Ring drew closer, he felt an unprecedentedly powerful pressure. Even the bones throughout his body began to make faint cracking sounds beneath it.

Soon, the Soul Ring arrived above Junting's head. Because of the Seven Kills Sword Martial Soul's special nature, the Soul Ring rapidly contracted into a yellow star before imprinting itself onto the sword's blade. The yellow light seemed to have found an outlet and immediately surged into Junting's meridians like a bursting flood.

At that instant, Junting's body shook violently! Before he could react, a massive wave of heat suddenly flooded into his body, scorching him like boiling magma. At the same time, a savage aura continuously battered him.

Junting, whose eyes were closed as he merged with the Soul Ring, furrowed his brows tightly. His body began to tremble uncontrollably. Under the dual, intense pain in his meridians and mind, his expression twisted into something ferocious.

What a Dark Golden Claw Bear. It really is domineering!

The Seven Kills Sword across Junting's legs gave a soft ring. Killing intent flowed from the blade and enveloped him. The fierce aura within the Soul Ring was gradually ground away and extinguished beneath that vast killing intent.

Before long, his aura stabilized.

Watching Junting's condition, Ye Xuanji's eyes revealed a trace of understanding. "No wonder the Seven Kills Sword is known as the greatest sword Martial Soul under heaven. It turns out it possesses Innate Sword Momentum."

After realizing that Junting would have no further problems absorbing the Soul Ring, Ye Xuanji shifted his attention to the Dark Golden Claw Bear. He turned his fingers into a sword and prepared to cut off all four of its paws in succession. After all, Dark Golden Claw Bear paws were one of the ten greatest delicacies in the world. Not only did they taste exceptional, they were also highly nourishing—perfect for his disciple.

However, after cutting off the other three paws, he encountered a slight resistance when cutting into the Left Palm Bone.

A hint of pleasant surprise appeared on Ye Xuanji's face. After completely severing the Dark Golden Claw Bear's left paw, he quickly dissected it and revealed a strange Dark Gold skeleton.

Ye Xuanji's expression changed at once. He carefully examined the Dark Gold Fear Claw. "It's actually an External Soul Bone."

He glanced at his disciple and fell into thought.

In the end, he sighed, "Kid, your luck is truly excellent."

As time passed, Junting opened his eyes. A breath of turbid air escaped his mouth. The comfort brought by absorbing his First Soul Ring for the first time was indescribable. It felt as though he were floating weightlessly among the clouds, yet also as though he had reached the pinnacle of bliss.

"How do you feel?"

Ye Xuanji asked with a satisfied smile.

Junting slowly rose and examined the star on the Seven Kills Sword's blade. "Very strong. My entire body is filled with power."

Yellow light flashed across the blade before he swung it fiercely! A streak of Sword Qi plowed through the ground and split the stone ahead of him in two.

"What is your First Soul Skill called?"

Ye Xuanji examined the Sword Qi and observed the effects caused by the Soul Skill before asking with a slight nod.

"First Soul Skill, Long Sword Unsheathed. Powerful Sword Qi clings to the blade, increasing attack power by fifty percent. Unless my Soul Power is exhausted or I stop using the Soul Skill, its effect will not disappear."

A trace of hesitation flashed across Junting's face. "Teacher, is the effect of my Soul Skill too weak?" After all, the fanfiction he had read in his previous life had given him the fixed impression that amplification-type Soul Skills should start at a hundred percent at the very least. This was even more true for a Soul Ring produced by a Dark Golden Claw Bear.

"Weak?"

Ye Xuanji shook his head. He felt that his disciple had misunderstood Soul Skills because he had never encountered one before.

"Your Soul Skill is already quite good."

Perhaps thinking that his disciple didn't understand what "quite good" meant, Ye Xuanji used Sword Douluo Chen Xin as an example and explained, "Ten thousand years ago, our ancestor Sword Douluo Chen Xin's First Soul Skill was also Long Sword Unsheathed. However, apart from also possessing Sword Qi, its effect only increased attack power by thirty percent. Therefore, your fifty-percent attack increase is already considered top-notch."

Junting immediately understood.

It seems I can't judge Douluo Continent based only on my impressions from the novels. Otherwise, I'll suffer a huge loss.

As he pondered...

"Kid, catch."

Before he could see clearly, a Dark Gold claw landed in his hand. Junting immediately realized what had happened and turned back toward the dismembered Dark Golden Claw Bear. "Master."

"That's enough." Ye Xuanji waved his hand indifferently. "Since you absorbed its Soul Ring, this External Soul Bone naturally belongs to you. Only then can its function be brought into full play. But don't absorb it yet. The Dark Golden Claw is too domineering for you to withstand in your current state."

"Yes."

Junting followed his master's advice without question.

He didn't want to cripple his arm because of a moment of impatience.

After seeing Junting store the Soul Bone in his storage Soul Tool, Ye Xuanji carried him into the air by Sword Flight and left the Star Dou Forest.