Zhu Zhuqing's Purpose, the Destructive Power of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw

Back at the residence.

Gu Linyuan closed the door, sat cross-legged on the bed, and circulated the Soul Power within his body.

The Ancient Tree of Life swayed gently inside him, emanating a soft aura of life that nourished every part of his body. The Scepter of Destruction lay dormant deep within his dantian, its dark-red gemstone glowing faintly like a slumbering beast breathing.

The two utterly opposing powers formed a delicate balance within him.

Soul Power surged through his meridians like rivers flowing into the sea.

Suddenly.

A muffled boom came from within his body, as though something had been broken through.

Gu Linyuan suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp gleam flashing through his pitch-black pupils.

"My cultivation has broken through to level twenty-eight."

He muttered softly, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

Knock, knock, knock.

Just then, someone knocked on the gate outside the courtyard.

Gu Linyuan frowned slightly.

"Hm?"

"Who is it?"

He was somewhat surprised.

Gu Rong had brought him back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect when he was young and raised him there. Other than a handful of people within the sect, he had almost no other friends.

After arriving in Suotuo City, he had kept an even lower profile. Aside from going to the Great Soul Arena, he hardly interacted with anyone.

Who would come knocking at this hour?

Someone from Shrek Academy?

Gu Linyuan rose to his feet, casually draped his Black Mysterious Robe over his shoulders, and headed toward the courtyard gate.

He opened the courtyard gate.

Moonlight flowed like water, spilling across the bluestone path before the gate.

A Girl stood outside, the moonlight stretching her slender shadow long behind her.

Gu Linyuan's gaze fell upon her, and a trace of surprise flashed through his eyes.

She wore tight black leather clothes that vividly outlined her already well-developed, graceful figure. The collar was not cut very low, yet it revealed just the right sliver of snow-white collarbone, gleaming beneath the moonlight like jade.

Her waist was slim enough to be held in one hand, while below it, her figure flared into beautiful curves. Her tight leather pants wrapped around her straight, long legs, and black ankle boots covered her feet. She looked like a black panther poised to pounce.

But what truly made it impossible to look away was her face.

Her skin was fair—not the sickly sort of pallor, but like the finest white jade, carrying a faint, lustrous glow. Moonlight fell across her face as though draping that exquisite visage in a veil of silver gauze.

Her features were refined yet coldly beautiful, her brows like distant mountains and her eyes like frigid stars.

Her lips were thin and lightly pink. When she did not smile, they pressed together slightly, giving her an air that kept others at a distance.

Her long black hair fell to her waist, its ends curling faintly as they fluttered gently in the night breeze. A few loose strands covered half her forehead, making her face appear all the more cool and ethereal.

She simply stood beneath the moonlight, her black leather blending into the night. Only her snow-white face and pale eyes stood out with particular clarity.

Gu Linyuan studied the Girl before him, and he already had an answer in his heart.

In Suotuo City, there seemed to be only one Girl with such distinctive looks and such a cold temperament.

Zhu Zhuqing.

One of the Shrek Seven Devils, and the owner of the Hell Spirit Cat Martial Soul.

Gu Linyuan was greatly surprised.

Even if Xiao Wu or Ning Rongrong had come looking for him, he would not have found it strange. After all, both of them had exceptionally lively personalities.

But Zhu Zhuqing...

What a rare visitor.

Why had she come looking for him?

Gu Linyuan leaned against the doorframe, his Black Mysterious Robe casually draped over him, revealing the tight black inner shirt beneath. He crossed his arms and looked down at the Girl outside the gate, his sharply defined face clearly visible beneath the moonlight.

"Something wrong?"

Gu Linyuan asked with his arms crossed.

Zhu Zhuqing raised her head, her pale eyes looking toward Gu Linyuan.

Under the moonlight, the young man's face looked younger than she had imagined.

It was not the kind of delicate handsomeness that bordered on femininity, but a rugged, sharply defined sort of attractiveness. Sword-like brows, star-bright eyes, a high nose bridge, thin lips pressed together, and a jawline as sharp as if carved with a blade.

Most striking of all were his eyes. They were black as an abyss, so deep it seemed as though they could draw in one's soul.

Zhu Zhuqing's gaze lingered on his face for a moment before quickly shifting away.

Her expression remained unchanged, but an imperceptible flicker passed through her pale eyes.

"Are you Long Yuan?"

Zhu Zhuqing asked somewhat uncertainly.

"Mm. What is it?"

Zhu Zhuqing fell silent for a moment, seeming to organize her thoughts.

"I watched tonight's match."

She finally spoke again. Her voice remained cool, but she spoke more slowly than before, as though weighing every word.

"You are very strong."

Gu Linyuan raised an eyebrow.

Was she complimenting him?

That did not seem like Zhu Zhuqing's style.

"So?" he asked.

Zhu Zhuqing lifted her eyes, her pale gaze staring directly at Gu Linyuan.

Moonlight danced in her pupils, like the moon reflected in two clear pools.

"If I am not mistaken, the final attack you used on the Soul Fighting Platform was an External Soul Bone, and one from the palm bone of a high-level Soul Beast."

Zhu Zhuqing took a deep breath and spoke.

"You observed quite carefully. You are right. It was indeed an External Soul Bone." Gu Linyuan instantly understood Zhu Zhuqing's purpose.

"Our Zhu Family's Hell Spirit Cat Martial Soul primarily attacks with our claws. So we specialize in claw techniques and know more about External Soul Bones located around the hands," Zhu Zhuqing explained.

"I see."

Gu Linyuan's furrowed brows relaxed.

"Any Soul Beast capable of producing a palm bone must possess talent in that regard. I want to purchase the other paw parts of that Soul Beast from you and make a pair of claw gauntlets..."

Hearing this, Gu Linyuan nodded in understanding.

As an agility-attack Soul Master, half of Zhu Zhuqing's strength lay in the agility of feline Soul Beasts, while the other half lay in the cat claws she gained after Martial Soul Possession.

"I can give you that. But I am afraid you cannot afford it."

Gu Linyuan considered it briefly.

He had absorbed the Soul Ring of that ten-thousand-year Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear. As for the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's body, he had chopped it into pieces and stored them in his storage Soul Tool.

Over the past few days, he had occasionally cut off some bear meat to make roasted meat. It had a unique flavor.

A Soul Beast with the bloodline of such a ferocious beast was treasure from head to toe.

However, the most valuable parts were the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's claws.

When Xiong Jun, the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear clan chief, had cultivated for less than five hundred thousand years, he had injured the Beast God Di Tian with his Sky-Rending Claw. That showed just how formidable it was.

It could be said that the reason the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear could become a top-tier ferocious beast was its destructive power, far exceeding its cultivation. Even a ten-thousand-year Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear could, with its claws, inflict damage normally possessed only by ordinary hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts.

If Zhu Zhuqing used the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's paws to make a pair of claw gauntlets, her strength would undoubtedly rise greatly.

This girl was not stupid.