Golden Rune, Golden Vertebrae!

"Done!"

Tiger Wanderer nodded at the words.

His figure flickered, appearing to the left of the Black-Tipped Black Python Beast King. He struck out with a palm, sending a blast of energy shooting toward the python's Seven-Inch Spot!

"Pfft!"

The Black-Tipped Black Python Beast King let out a hiss. A bowl-sized hole pierced clean through its Seven-Inch Spot, snake blood spraying everywhere. Its python body, thicker than a water barrel, writhed and thrashed, sending rocks flying across the valley.

Seeing this, the Fierce Tiger Beast King's tiger eyes filled with terror. It turned and fled, but Tiger Wanderer's figure flickered again, circling around the Fierce Tiger Beast King once.

"Roar!"

The Fierce Tiger Beast King bellowed in fury, then suddenly collapsed to the ground, rolling endlessly. Its limbs were bent and broken at the joints, unable to support it.

"Young friend, it's done."

Tiger Wanderer stood beside the Fierce Tiger Beast King and smiled faintly at Qin Shuang.

"Such terrifying cultivation!"

Seeing Tiger Wanderer effortlessly break the limbs of a Fierce Tiger Beast King comparable to the Divine Wheel Realm, Qin Shuang's heart trembled with shock. This strength was overwhelming. He forcibly suppressed his awe, activated his movement technique, and landed two zhang away from the Fierce Tiger Beast King.

"Roar!"

As Qin Shuang approached with the Yellow Springs Saber in hand, the Fierce Tiger Beast King struggled desperately, terror flashing in its eyes as it roared.

"Sshhk!"

"Thud!"

The black Yellow Springs Saber in Qin Shuang's hand traced an arc, slicing across the Fierce Tiger Beast King's neck. The massive tiger head tumbled to the ground, its fist-sized tiger eyes wide open, gradually losing their light.

[Killed Fierce Tiger Beast King +1!]

At that moment, a mechanical voice rang out in Qin Shuang's mind.

"Young friend, you can dig out its inner core. It will boost your Qi and Blood, and it's excellent for alchemy too. This is equivalent to a Divine Seed of the Divine Wheel Realm!" Tiger Wanderer's voice sounded behind Qin Shuang.

"Mm."

Qin Shuang stepped forward. The Yellow Springs Saber easily split open the Fierce Tiger Beast King's skull, revealing a blood-red bead the size of a chicken egg, radiating a vast aura of Qi and Blood Essence!

After extracting the Tiger Pill, Qin Shuang also dug out the inner core of the Black-Tipped Black Python Beast King.

"As expected of a growth-type Divine Weapon! Truly sharp!"

Tiger Wanderer looked at the Yellow Springs Saber in Qin Shuang's hand, a flicker of heat in his eyes. But he suppressed his greed. The Yellow Springs Heavenly Saber had already bonded with Qin Shuang. Taking it now would hinder the growth of his Golden Bone.

It wouldn't escape anyway. Once the Golden Seed matured and filled the Flawed Dao Platform, he could step into a higher realm!

"Next, as long as I eat this Fierce Tiger Beast King and refine the Tiger Pill, my Tiger Roar Divine Intent Skill will be complete!"

Qin Shuang gazed at the massive tiger corpse, anticipation shining in his eyes.

He dragged the Fierce Tiger Beast King and the Black-Tipped Black Python to the cliffside and set them down. Tiger Wanderer watched him finish, then pointed at a crack in the cliff wall about one zhang wide below, smiling slightly. "That's where the Earth Core Spiritual Milk is! Go inside and absorb the spiritual milk to forge your bones! I'll stand guard nearby!"

With that, Tiger Wanderer's figure flickered and vanished.

"Thank you, Senior!"

Qin Shuang moved the tiger corpse and the Black-Tipped Black Python Beast King beside the Stone Crack, then peered inside.

The outer edge of the Stone Crack was covered in smooth, worn scales from the Black-Tipped Black Python—clearly, the beast had long coiled here, absorbing the spiritual energy seeping from the crack.

The crack was four to five zhang long and about half a chi wide. The spiritual energy spilling out was indeed much denser than outside.

The vines growing along the crack's edge were also far more lush.

Qin Shuang looked at the hard granite cliff, drew the Yellow Springs Saber, and slashed. With a 'pfft,' the sharp blade cut through the rock like tofu. He twisted the hilt, and a three-chi-square chunk of stone came loose.

Qin Shuang cut inward, digging out the granite. Before long, he had carved fifteen zhang into the mountain. The crack inside widened to two chi, and the spiritual energy grew even richer.

"A cavern inside?"

After more than half an hour, Qin Shuang had dug over fifty zhang into the mountain, creating a stone passage about one zhang high. He finally saw the scene within and couldn't help but marvel.

The cavern inside the mountain was a labyrinth of passages, ranging from one to three zhang in height. With his eyesight, Qin Shuang could barely make out that the spiritual energy here was a full twenty times denser than outside!

Holding the Yellow Springs Saber and a fire starter, Qin Shuang followed the cavern toward the area with the richest spiritual energy.

After walking seven or eight zhang, Qin Shuang spotted a cavern space five zhang in diameter. From the ceiling hung a stalactite three chi in diameter and over one zhang long. Below it sat an oval stone platform with a three-chi-wide Stone Hollow filled to the brim with milky-white liquid.

The hollow couldn't hold it all—some had overflowed.

The dense spiritual energy emanated from that milky-white liquid!

Just one whiff of this spiritual energy left Qin Shuang feeling refreshed and invigorated!

"This... so much Spiritual Milk!"

Qin Shuang's eyes lit up with joy at the sight. He stepped forward, dipped his index finger in, and put it to his lips with a 'smack.' Instantly, a torrent of energy surged through his Limbs and Bones!

Qin Shuang hadn't forgotten why he came. He immediately sat cross-legged and activated the Tiger Roar Divine Intent Skill.

"Boom!"

As Qin Shuang circulated the skill, the vast spiritual energy within him was instantly converted into Qi and Blood, pouring into the golden bone in his chest and his spine!

"As expected of Spiritual Milk!"

Fifteen minutes later, Qin Shuang opened his eyes, a look of shock within them.

He had merely dipped his finger in some Spiritual Milk, yet it had taken him a full fifteen minutes to absorb it. This pool of Spiritual Milk would likely require a considerable amount of time!

"Continue!"

Qin Shuang knew this was a golden opportunity to forge his Golden Bone and grow stronger. How could he afford to delay?

Six hundred li from the cave where Qin Shuang was.

On a mountain, a woman dressed in black robes, with skin as white as snow and hair cascading like a waterfall, carried a pitch-black long saber on her back. Standing on a rocky outcrop, she murmured softly to herself. "Qin Shuang, I hope you've hidden yourself well. Don't let them catch you..."

A gentle breeze lifted Nangong Wan'er's hair and the hem of her clothes. At this moment, her heart was filled with worry.

She had originally wanted to find Qin Shuang and take him away from Qingzhou City.

But she had been in the mountains for eight days and still hadn't found Qin Shuang.

Instead, she had run into Divine Wheel Realm experts from Jianghu forces like the Divine Saber Sect, the Tang Sect, the True Martial Hall, the Thunderclap Hall, and the Pushen Hall, all of whom were searching for news of Qin Shuang.

The only thing that reassured her was that she hadn't heard of them catching him.

As for the Jianghu legend that Qin Shuang was a descendant of the Jingyan Palace, which had plagued the Jianghu two hundred years ago, and that he practiced the forbidden Jianghu technique, the Life and Death Seal, making him a Demon Lord—she felt the Jianghu crowd might have exaggerated. During her time at the Fusheng Restaurant, she had come to know Qin Shuang quite well and believed he had a sense of justice, not at all like an evil demon.

Nine days later.

Xuan Yin Mountain Range.

Spiritual Milk Cave.

"As expected of Spiritual Milk!"

Qin Shuang sat cross-legged, his consciousness sensing the state within his body, feeling very satisfied.

After absorbing the Spiritual Milk from the Stone Hollow and converting it into Qi and Blood to irrigate his entire skeleton, his sternum, ribs, spine, shoulder blades, collarbone, cervical vertebrae, and pelvic bones had all turned a golden color!

Only the skull, the bones of both hands, the bones of both lower legs and feet, and a small part below the tailbone remained unirrigated and not yet golden!

"What a pity. If only I could have another Stone Hollow of Spiritual Milk, I could achieve a full-body Golden Bone!"

Qin Shuang glanced at the Stone Hollow beside him. The Spiritual Milk inside had nearly run dry. He had even licked clean the Spiritual Milk around the Stone Hollow, wasting not a single drop!

"I'll refine the Tiger Inner Core and use it to irrigate the tailbone!"

Qin Shuang felt the Golden Vertebrae on his body and noticed a tiny white spot the size of a fingernail on the spine that hadn't yet turned golden. His mind stirred, and he took out the inner core of the Fierce Tiger Beast King, placed it in his palm, and activated the Tiger Roar Divine Intent Skill to absorb and refine the Qi and Blood Essence within it.

The inner core of the Fierce Tiger Beast King contained Qi and Blood Essence that, while inferior to Spiritual Milk, was still extremely abundant.

As he circulated the Tiger Roar Divine Intent Skill, the essence of the inner core was frantically converted into Qi and Blood, beginning to irrigate from his chest.

Time passed.

He didn't know how long had gone by when Qin Shuang suddenly felt a tremor throughout his body. The very first bone in his chest that had turned golden began to heat up, and a golden '§'-shaped rune suddenly appeared on its surface!

The rune radiated brilliant light, illuminating the entire cave clearly!

At the same time.

Qin Shuang suddenly heard a violent thunderclap from above. The cave shook violently, and large chunks of stone came crashing down!

If you can't find the book by its title, try searching by the author's name—maybe it's just been renamed!