Dark Gold Dreadclaw! Let's Make It a Done Deal...

Inside the observation room.

Mu Chen and all the Spirit Ascension Platform staff were dumbfounded.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, an invincible existence within the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform, had actually been killed!

And it had died such a miserable death.

Yet the culprits were merely a Two-Ring Great Spirit Master and a Soul Elder.

Moreover.

The two of them were Blacksmiths.

Had Blacksmiths become this powerful already?

Their throats felt unbearably dry, and they could not help swallowing.

But in truth, even Mu Chen himself was staring blankly at the moment.

As Lin Jin's teacher, he naturally knew that Lin Jin possessed exceptional talent in combat as well.

But he had never expected Lin Jin to display such terrifying battle prowess already!

His daughter had played a role in the battle too.

But clearly, she had served more as a distraction.

Just then.

The East Sea Spirit Pagoda Master arrived, his expression slightly gloomy.

He looked at Mu Chen and forcibly squeezed out a smile.

"Congratulations, President Mu."

"Hm?"

Mu Chen froze, unable to understand what Meng Canglan meant for a moment.

Meng Canglan did not explain. His gaze fell upon the surveillance screen, and his emotions were complicated.

The Spirit Ascension Platform was divided into three tiers: primary, intermediate, and advanced.

Each tier of the Spirit Ascension Platform had a guardian.

Generally speaking, these Guardians were impossible for anyone meeting that tier's cultivation requirements to kill.

At the same time, they were usually beings with extremely high-grade bloodlines.

With current Spirit Soul technology, beings of this kind could not be replicated within the Spirit Ascension Platform.

Therefore, the Spirit Ascension Platform Guardians were constructed using Soul Bones as their foundation.

Only the upper echelons of the Spirit Pagoda knew this.

He was clearly one of them.

While this made the Spirit Ascension Platform Guardians exceptionally powerful, it also left behind an "Easter egg."

Killing a Spirit Ascension Platform guardian would not grant spiritual power as a reward.

Instead, one would receive the Soul Bone used to construct it!

The Primary Spirit Ascension Platform's guardian, the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, had been constructed upon a Dark Gold Dreadclaw External Soul Bone!

Though it was only at the hundred-year level, it was an External Soul Bone capable of growth!

Its value was impossible to measure!

He could not stop this now, especially with Mu Chen watching right beside him.

He could only hope that Lin Jin lacked the knowledge to recognize it as a Soul Bone and would not absorb it within the Spirit Ascension Platform.

That way, he would not be able to take the Soul Bone away.

Inside the Spirit Ascension Platform.

Lin Jin panted heavily, his clothes already soaked through with sweat.

Mu Xi, meanwhile, had long since been left staring in shock.

She had witnessed the entire process of Lin Jin killing the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear.

While she had been deeply shaken.

She suddenly found herself unable to regard this little junior brother of hers as merely a younger brother anymore.

So powerful, and... so reassuring.

Her heart pounded wildly.

When she realized what she was thinking, a blush quietly spread across Mu Xi's face.

Cursing herself inwardly, Mu Xi hurried over to Lin Jin.

She helped him up, then reached out and lightly patted his body, checking for injuries.

"I'm fine, Senior Sister."

Lin Jin was somewhat helpless.

Are you really checking my injuries?

Besides, they were inside the Spirit Ascension Platform. What did it matter whether his injuries were severe or not?

Only then did Mu Xi give an "Oh," reluctantly withdrawing her hand.

Lin Jin's gaze fell upon the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's corpse.

At that moment.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear did not dissipate like other Spirit Beasts and release spiritual power.

Instead, it broke apart into specks of dark golden light.

A moment later, a dark golden palm bone appeared on the ground.

"Huh, what is this?"

Following Lin Jin's gaze, Mu Xi noticed the bone as well.

She picked it up and examined it in her hand for a while. Her expression suddenly changed, and she said in shock:

"Th-this can't be a Soul Bone, can it?!"

"I've heard that Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bears have an extremely high chance of producing Soul Bones—more precisely, External Soul Bones!"

"But isn't this the Spirit Ascension Platform?"

"Everything here should be fake."

"Why would a Soul Bone appear here, especially a rare treasure like an External Soul Bone?"

Mu Xi was filled with confusion and could not understand it.

Lin Jin gently shook his head.

Naturally, he knew the reason.

But if he said it aloud, it would be far too suspicious.

After all, without a certain position within the Spirit Pagoda, it was impossible to know such a secret.

In the original timeline.

Among Tang Wulin's team, only Gu Yue had known about it.

Thus, Lin Jin could only pretend he did not know.

"Forget it."

"Since it appeared, it belongs to us."

"A Jin, hurry up and absorb it!"

Without hesitation, Mu Xi stuffed the Dark Gold Dreadclaw into Lin Jin's hands.

Lin Jin was slightly stunned.

"This is an External Soul Bone. Its value is impossible to estimate."

"Senior Sister, aren't you tempted?"

Mu Xi rolled her eyes.

"Who wouldn't want a Soul Bone?"

"But I'm your Senior Sister. How could I compete with you for something?"

"Besides, this was your spoils of war to begin with."

"And although Soul Bones are precious, they can't just be absorbed recklessly."

"Because of blacksmithing, my physical condition isn't bad either."

"But absorbing this Soul Bone would probably still be very risky for me."

"Besides, haven't you always been thinking about how to make use of your physical advantages?"

"This Dark Gold Dreadclaw is the best choice."

Mu Xi was not omniscient.

In this era, where Spirit Souls were dominant and Battle Armor Masters ruled the upper ranks of Spirit Master combat power.

Schools actually taught very little about Soul Bones.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw was relatively special.

Because the Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao, the founder of the Spirit Pagoda who had ascended to the God Realm ten thousand years ago, possessed a Dark Gold Dreadclaw.

Furthermore, Xiong Jun, the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, had been one of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts ten thousand years ago.

Thus, related history courses still provided some introduction to it.

That was why Mu Xi knew these things.

Lin Jin naturally understood all this as well.

In fact, he had chosen to clash head-on with the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear from the start precisely to secure the Dark Gold Dreadclaw for himself.

But no matter what, it was not entirely his achievement alone.

And.

Mu Xi was right. As a blacksmith, her physique was not weak.

At the very least, she was far stronger than many female Spirit Masters of the same rank.

While absorbing the Dark Gold Dreadclaw placed high demands on a Spirit Master's physical condition.

A mere hundred-year Dark Gold Dreadclaw would not be too difficult for Mu Xi to absorb.

Yet Mu Xi gave it up so easily.

"Hurry up and absorb it. Otherwise, be careful—the people from the Spirit Pagoda might refuse to acknowledge it once we leave."

"Let's make it a done deal. Then we won't have to fear them going back on their word."

Mu Xi urged him.

"Alright."

Lin Jin nodded and poured his Soul Power into the Dark Gold Dreadclaw.

The absorption process was faster than he had imagined.

Lotus Flower Flame bloomed.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw seemed to transform into a mass of dark golden liquid in an instant, directly seeping into Lin Jin's right palm.

Within moments, the fusion was complete.

Under the Lotus Flower Flame, none of the pressure on his body appeared.

There was not even the slightest discomfort.

At that very instant, Lin Jin's expression shifted slightly, and his aura fluctuated for a moment.