Killing the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear

"Hoo~"

Su Mo took a deep breath and pulled a Horizontal Blade about three feet long from his storage Soul Tool. Other than its hilt and blade, it had nothing else, and its appearance was remarkably plain.

This Horizontal Blade was a Chakra ninja tool Su Mo had forged from Deep Silver himself when he had been bored.

Because Deep Silver possessed excellent conductivity, it was perfectly suited for crafting Chakra ninja tools.

Thanks to the years he had spent studying in the Land of Artisans, Su Mo had also found forging to come naturally after arriving on the Douluo Continent.

Forgers on the Douluo Continent were divided into nine levels. Levels one and two were Forgers, levels three and four were Master Forgers, levels five and six were Grandmaster Forgers, levels seven and eight were Saint Craftsmen, and the highest, level nine, were Divine Craftsmen.

By the Blacksmith Association's standards, Su Mo was now a qualified Level 6 Blacksmith.

Even across the entire Sun Moon Federation, a Level 6 Blacksmith could be considered an elite.

Of course, that was assuming Su Mo did not cheat.

Everyone knew that on the Douluo Continent, the mark of a blacksmith becoming a Saint Craftsman was the ability to complete Soul Forging, which meant granting metal life and self-awareness.

And in the Naruto World, there happened to be a ninjutsu capable of granting life and self-awareness to inorganic objects.

Therefore, if Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation, which Su Mo had learned at Ryūchi Cave, was included, then there was no doubt that Su Mo had already entered the legendary realm of Saint Craftsmen.

Moreover, with Inorganic Reincarnation, a ninjutsu that was practically bug-level, Su Mo could complete a perfect Soul Forging with a flick of his finger. Even a Divine Craftsman would be heartbroken by such outrageous Soul Forging efficiency.

As Su Mo slowly infused Deep Silver Horizontal Blade with Chakra that had undergone wind-nature transformation, an invisible transparent sword aura attached itself to the blade.

"Roar, roar~"

The Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear roared as it charged toward Su Mo. With every step its hill-sized body took, the ground trembled continuously.

Unfortunately, before Su Mo, who had activated his Sharingan, every movement of the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear seemed slow and riddled with openings.

"Seven Heavenly Breaths, Third Activation, open!"

Wanting to end the battle quickly, Su Mo activated the Seven Heavenly Breaths without hesitation as he dodged to the side.

Unlike the Eight Inner Gates, which had a long history and had been improved by countless people, Ziluo, the creator of the Seven Heavenly Breaths, had not even been a ninja before Gaara took office. Only after Gaara took office had Ziluo qualified to take the ninja examination.

Back then, in order to obtain this breathing technique that could rival the first seven gates of the Eight Inner Gates, Su Mo had specifically waited until Gaara was captured before trading news of Gaara to Ziluo.

The greatest difference between the Eight Inner Gates and Seven Heavenly Breaths, these two supreme taijutsu techniques, lay in how they strengthened the user.

The Eight Inner Gates opened the body's acupoints, temporarily lifting the body's restrictions on Chakra flow and allowing one's strength to explosively surge for a short time.

The Seven Heavenly Breaths, meanwhile, flooded the body with oxygen to activate every cell, focusing on steady and sustained enhancement.

Unfortunately, the Seven Heavenly Breaths did not possess a finishing move like the Eight Inner Gates, so it was somewhat inferior in raw power.

However, the Seven Heavenly Breaths also had advantages the Eight Inner Gates lacked. It lasted longer and caused less harm to the body.

One burned the heart, while the other blew out the lungs. Anyone knew which one to choose.

Naturally, because the two techniques enhanced the body through different methods, Su Mo could use them simultaneously to strengthen himself.

Great quantities of air entered Su Mo's lungs through his rhythmic breathing, becoming a ceaseless supply of energy. Then, a wave of orange energy suddenly erupted from his body.

Could this be the Innate Secret Method of the Body Sect?

Outside the screen, Wu Zhangkong watched as Su Mo's muscles visibly swelled and his body turned as red as a boiled lobster, silently making his guess.

Although the Body Sect was no longer as glorious as it had been ten thousand years ago, the Innate Secret Method it had inherited still allowed it to rank among the Douluo Continent's first-rate factions.

As an inner disciple of the Tang Sect, Wu Zhangkong naturally knew of the Body Sect.

While Wu Zhangkong pondered Su Mo's origins, Su Mo had already become entangled in battle with the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear.

After activating the Seven Heavenly Breaths, Su Mo's speed and reaction time increased by several times over.

The Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear, which had never been known for speed, now moved as slowly as a snail in Su Mo's eyes.

"Whoosh—"

Blade light suddenly blossomed.

Su Mo lightly tapped the ground with his toes, leaving an afterimage where he had stood.

The Horizontal Blade swept upward in an arc, its edge skimming past the bear's neck and scattering a string of crescent-shaped blade lights.

The Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear roared as its massive claws, gleaming with dark-gold metallic luster, slapped toward Su Mo again.

As Su Mo sidestepped, he gave the blade's back a light push and used the force to flash to the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear's rear flank.

Wind-nature Chakra suddenly erupted, and the invisible sword aura coating the blade instantly extended by half a foot.

Even though the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear's defense was astonishing, it was completely useless before Su Mo's Horizontal Blade, which had undergone Soul Forging and was infused with wind-nature Chakra.

With a single horizontal slash, Su Mo cut a bone-deep wound across the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear's shoulder blade.

The Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear howled in pain and fury, opening its bloody maw to bite Su Mo.

Su Mo lowered his stance, anchoring himself in place like a nail. Gripping the hilt with both hands, he viciously slashed upward into the bear's mouth.

Amid a dull impact of metal striking bone, the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear was knocked back, leaving its center wide open.

Su Mo decisively seized the opportunity, aimed at the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear's heart, and threw the Horizontal Blade in his hand.

The Horizontal Blade turned into a streak of light and tore through the air. Accompanied by a low whistle, it plunged into the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear's chest with a "Pfft—".

The Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear's massive body jolted, its furious roar abruptly cut off as the golden light in its eyes quickly dimmed.

Su Mo stepped forward and, using the explosive strength granted by the Seven Heavenly Breaths, leaped onto the bear's back and poured all his Chakra into the blade.

Violent wind-nature Chakra traveled through the blade into the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear's body, shredding its internal organs to pieces.

"Boom!" The Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear's hill-sized body crashed heavily to the ground.

Looking at the lifeless Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear before him, Su Mo let out a heavy breath and deactivated the Seven Heavenly Breaths.

The instant the Seven Heavenly Breaths were released, Su Mo's body immediately shrank back to its original state.

Inside the observation room,

Wang Ling was utterly dumbfounded when he saw Su Mo kill the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear without taking a single injury.

A rank 29 Soul Grandmaster had killed a Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear with a hundred years of cultivation without injury. If Wang Ling had not seen it himself, he would have thought the world had gone mad.

Yet such an outrageous sight had truly happened, right before his own eyes.

"No, I need to report this to headquarters immediately."

Coming back to his senses, Wang Ling gave his colleague a look and prepared to report the matter to Spirit Pagoda headquarters.

However, before Wang Ling could leave, Wu Zhangkong stopped him.

Wu Zhangkong seemed to have seen through Wang Ling's intentions. He spoke meaningfully, "Forget about trying to recruit him. My student is from the Body Sect."

"The Body Sect?!"

Upon hearing Wu Zhangkong say that Su Mo was a Body Sect disciple, Wang Ling's eyes widened. Clearly, he had heard of the Body Sect.

However, Wang Ling did not doubt Wu Zhangkong's words. If Su Mo was not from the Body Sect, then Su Mo's unusual condition just now would have been impossible to explain.

And when registering Su Mo, Wang Ling had already noticed that Su Mo's Martial Soul was a Body Martial Soul.

Thinking that this gifted genius he had finally discovered already belonged elsewhere, disappointment nearly overflowed from Wang Ling's face.

When Wu Zhangkong saw that Wang Ling had actually believed his nonsense, he remained calm on the surface while secretly bursting with laughter inside.

Su Mo being a disciple of the Body Sect was merely a lie he had made up on the spot.

Before figuring out Su Mo's true origins, he would not stupidly allow Wang Ling to report this matter.

Although Su Mo being from the Body Sect was practically certain, what if?

What if Su Mo was not a Body Sect disciple? Then Spirit Pagoda would be getting a huge bargain.