Changes in Two External Soul Bones, First Encounter with Yu Tianheng

The first ray of morning sunlight slanted in through the cave entrance.

Gu Linyuan slowly awoke from his cultivation.

He sat cross-legged beneath the rock wall, his back against the cold stone, his hands resting naturally on his knees. His breathing was steady and deep. Throughout the entire night, he had circulated his Soul Power, using the Origin of Destruction to temper the newly acquired Eight Spider Lances and the Source of Life to heal the hidden injuries left by his clash with Zhao Wuji.

After one night, his injuries had fully healed, and the Eight Spider Lances had also been preliminarily refined.

He opened his eyes.

A deep, ghostly gleam flashed through his pitch-black eyes like an undercurrent surging through an abyss. Those eyes were deeper, heavier, and more unfathomable than yesterday. It felt as though one more second of looking into them would drag one into endless darkness.

He exhaled a breath of turbid air.

The breath shot from his mouth like a white arrow, gathering without dispersing in the air and drifting several meters before slowly fading away.

The dense aura of Destruction around him, so thick it had nearly overflowed, completely receded at that moment.

Gu Linyuan lowered his head and looked at his hands.

He turned his right palm upward, his fingers slightly spread.

The Power of Destruction was no longer as violent as before, no longer trying to tear apart his body. After this period of adjustment, it had become docile, like a tamed beast.

He raised his left hand and turned over his palm.

The Dark Gold Terrorclaw faintly emerged along the lines of his palm. The dark-gold blade had not fully extended, only revealing a thin sliver of sharpness. Yet that very sliver reflected a chilling gleam beneath the morning light.

The original Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear Soul Bone had been pure dark gold.

Sharp, savage, and filled with the wildness of ancient beasts.

But now, after being soaked and tempered day after day by the Power of Destruction, the Dark Gold Terrorclaw was undergoing subtle changes.

Its dark-gold foundation remained unchanged, but a faint layer of purple-stained patterns had appeared upon the blade's surface. Those patterns were as thin as hairs and wound like snakes, stretching from the base of the claw to its tips. They resembled ancient runes, yet also seemed like imprints inherent to the Origin of Destruction.

Dark-gold radiance intertwined with a dim dark-purple glow. It was no longer merely the power of savage wilderness; it had gained a trace of the divine essence of Destruction.

"The Dark Gold Terrorclaw is looking more and more like a Destruction God Claw."

The claws of the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear were certainly powerful, but they were the strength of a mortal beast.

The Power of Destruction, however, was the source of a God King.

As the Power of Destruction seeped into the Dark Gold Terrorclaw, remaking it, tempering it, and elevating it bit by bit, it was no longer an ordinary object.

It was transforming from a Soul Bone toward a divine artifact.

"Generally speaking, after becoming a god, an External Soul Bone will undergo a complete transformation and become a divine artifact. But I feel that even before becoming a god, I may be able to raise it into one."

Gu Linyuan lowered his left hand and willed it.

A faint sound like bones grinding against each other came from behind him.

Eight purple-black spider legs silently extended from the spine on his back.

The Eight Spider Lances.

After preliminarily refining them last night, he had only been able to store them inside his body.

But after a night of tempering with the Power of Destruction, the Eight Spider Lances had completely fused with him. They were like extensions of his limbs, like the feelers of a sixth sense.

The current Eight Spider Lances were completely different from when he had first extracted them yesterday.

Their originally crystalline purple-black hue had become deeper and more restrained, their entirety now carrying a dark purple almost akin to an abyss.

A cold, ghostly glow flowed across the spider legs' surfaces, like moonlight scattered upon an ink-black lake, or poisonous snakes lurking in the darkness as they flicked their tongues.

At the tip of each spider leg, a thin line of black light faintly glimmered.

Gu Linyuan controlled the Eight Spider Lances as they lightly danced behind him. The eight spider legs moved like eight nimble arms, tracing smooth yet eerie arcs through the air.

"Whenever I continuously nourish them with the Power of Destruction, these two External Soul Bones will slowly develop some Destruction inscriptions. The more intricate and densely packed the inscriptions become, the more powerful the External Soul Bones will be."

"If this transformation continues, even if these two External Soul Bones only gain one percent of the Supreme Bone's power, that would be enough for me to reign supreme in this world."

Gu Linyuan muttered quietly.

Over the past few days, he had more or less discerned a pattern.

Ordinary Soul Masters could stimulate their External Soul Bones to merge with them and even evolve. But the direction of that evolution was uncertain, and the process was incredibly slow.

Without the opportunity to become a god, the increase in power most External Soul Bones gained through a Soul Master's cultivation would not be particularly significant.

But by nourishing them with the Sources of Life and Destruction within his body, Gu Linyuan could not only determine the direction of their evolution, but also accelerate it at an astonishing rate.

If he could transform the Dark Gold Terrorclaw into a true Destruction God Claw, its power would definitely surpass Huo Yuhao's Dark Gold Terrorclaw of the same period by several times.

"As for the Eight Spider Lances, in the original story, Tang San's Eight Spider Lances barely had any presence at all. Such a treasure was completely wasted on Tang San. Still, that wasn't really Tang San's fault."

"During his early days, Tang San did not have many resources either. If an External Soul Bone could not evolve, then it was really just a somewhat stronger thousand-year Soul Bone..."

The greatest strength of an External Soul Bone lay in its potential for growth. Conventional Soul Bones provided immediate combat power, and the soul skills within them steadily and substantially enhanced a Soul Master's fighting strength. But if External Soul Bones were not carefully cultivated, they truly were not all that useful.

However, Gu Linyuan believed that in less than a year, the Eight Spider Lances would be completely transformed by his origins. He would not merely use the Origin of Destruction to alter their offensive properties; he would also nurture them with the Source of Life.

"The Eight Spider Lances' innate trait is devouring, which also aligns with the Life Great Dao. If the Dark Gold Terrorclaw specializes in Destruction while the Eight Spider Lances specialize in life, that would actually be a good choice."

Gu Linyuan stroked his chin as he pondered.

"Forget it. I'll think about it later. I still have plenty of time. I can slowly observe these two External Soul Bones." Gu Linyuan yawned and rose to his feet.

His bones let out a crisp series of cracks, like bamboo joints stretching or a treasured sword leaving its sheath.

Morning light fell across his face, bringing his sharply defined features into striking clarity.

Sword-like brows, starry eyes, a high nose bridge, and thin lips pressed lightly together. A night's cultivation had not left the slightest hint of weariness on his face. Instead, it made him seem more spirited and keener, like a freshly honed sword.

Gu Linyuan pushed open the inn room door and wandered casually through the streets of Heaven Dou City.

Qian Renxue had told him to find her as soon as he returned to Heaven Dou City, but Gu Linyuan naturally had not taken it seriously.

Though he did want to see what Qian Renxue looked like dressed as a man.

"Heaven Dou City really is bustling."

Seeing the streams of pedestrians on the streets, Gu Linyuan sighed.

"But unfortunately, this prosperity does not belong to you."

"Gu Linyuan. I didn't expect you to still be in Heaven Dou City."

Gu Linyuan turned around.

The sight before him made his gaze freeze slightly.

Three people.

At their head stood a young man around twenty years old, tall and upright, with handsome features.

He wore a dark-blue brocade robe, a silver belt at his waist, and black boots on his feet. From head to toe, he carried himself like a young master from an aristocratic clan. His features could be called handsome, with sword-like brows, starry eyes, and a high nose bridge. Yet his eyes always carried a sinister air, like a venomous snake lurking in the grass and watching its prey.

His gaze landed on Gu Linyuan, and a faint half-smile curved his lips. That smile held contempt, amusement, and a trace of hostility that was difficult to describe.

Yu Tianheng.

The direct descendant of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and captain of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team.