External Spirit Bone

"Yu Xiaogang! What kind of attitude is that? You're acting as if your elder brother is certain to die!" Yu Yuanzhen erupted in fury.

"Father, I... I didn't mean that." Yu Xiaogang hurried forward, guilt creeping into his voice.

"You'd better not have!"

Yu Yuanzhen snorted and set aside the urge to teach him a lesson for now. While watching Yu Mingxiao absorb the Soul Ring, he cut open the Great Prajna's head and extracted the Spirit Bone.

A moment later, a Spirit Bone shaped like a grimacing mask appeared in his palm.

Yu Yuanzhen's eyes lit up as he studied it. "This isn't a Head Soul Bone. It's... an External Soul Bone!"

"Father, what's an External Soul Bone?" Yu Xiaogang stared at it, his eyes burning with curiosity.

"Xiaogang, aren't you always studying books? How can you not know that?" Yu Yuanzhen asked coldly.

After seeing Yu Xiaogang recoil as though he couldn't get away fast enough, Yu Yuanzhen had wanted to beat him. There was no way he would answer him patiently now.

His son had cared only about his own safety, not whether his elder brother lived or died. It was inexcusable!

"Father, I..." Yu Xiaogang had no answer. His lips moved, but no words came out.

"Hmph!" Yu Yuanzhen put the External Soul Bone away, intending to let Yu Mingxiao absorb it.

The Great Prajna was a fire-attribute Soul Beast, so it would not conflict with the Radiant Sacred Dragon's light attribute.

What was more, the External Soul Bone it had dropped could continue to grow. It was a rare treasure, second only to a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring on every Soul Master's wish list!

Yu Yuanzhen ignored his younger son and looked back at Yu Mingxiao. Seeing him tremble violently, he prayed in silence: Please absorb it safely. Don't let anything happen to you.

Five hours later...

The aura around Yu Mingxiao changed. His leaking Soul Power gradually drew inward, and two Soul Rings, one yellow and one purple, rose beneath his feet.

He slowly opened his eyes and smiled.

His Soul Power Level had risen to level 23.

Second Soul Skill—Heavenly Dragon Flowing Radiance.

It formed a mass of golden light that exploded on impact, reducing the target's Soul Power defense by 50%.

"A Millennium Soul Ring?!" Yu Xiaogang's eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost. "Big Brother, you actually absorbed a thousand-year Soul Ring at level twenty? How is that possible?"

"According to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's records, the limit for a Second Soul Ring is only 764 years. How could you absorb one that's 1,200 years old?"

"Hm?" Yu Mingxiao slowly stood. "Xiaogang, you don't seem happy that I absorbed this Millennium Soul Ring."

"If that's how you feel, then I hope you die soon too."

"Xiaogang, what the hell are you saying? Did you want your elder brother to die in the Star Dou Great Forest?!"

Yu Yuanzhen strode up to Yu Xiaogang, eyes blazing, and struck him hard across the face.

Smack! The blow sent Yu Xiaogang sprawling to the ground.

"How did I raise a son like you? I must have indulged you too much to turn you into such a heartless wretch!"

Still furious, Yu Yuanzhen hauled him up and slapped him again and again. Sharp cracks rang out as each blow landed on Yu Xiaogang's face.

"I was only curious... Father, I won't do it again! Waaa..."

Yu Xiaogang's cheeks swelled. He shook as he cried and begged for mercy between sobs.

"Whew..."

Yu Yuanzhen took a deep breath, his gaze icy. "Go back to the clan and reflect on what you've done!"

"I hope this is the first and last time you disrespect your elder brother!"

With that, he turned away from Yu Xiaogang and smiled at Yu Mingxiao. "Mingxiao, you were incredible!"

"You absorbed a thousand-year Second Soul Ring! No one in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has ever done that before!"

Yu Mingxiao smiled. "You're too kind, Father. It's just a pity the Heavenly Dragon Horse didn't drop a Spirit Bone."

"Haha! A thousand-year Soul Beast rarely drops a Spirit Bone. It was already extraordinary that the Great Prajna did. And what it dropped wasn't even a Head Soul Bone." Yu Yuanzhen laughed heartily.

He took a ferocious-looking mask from his Soul Tool. "This is an External Soul Bone, the rarest and most precious kind of Spirit Bone on the continent."

"Don't be fooled by its age. Right now, it's only a little over a thousand years old."

"As its owner grows stronger, the External Soul Bone grows stronger too. It's a treasure every Soul Master dreams of!"

"An External Soul Bone!" Yu Mingxiao's face lit up. He had thought this trip would bring no further rewards, but fortune had surprised him.

The Great Prajna had actually dropped an External Soul Bone!

Yu Yuanzhen handed him the mask. "It's yours. I'm already a Titled Douluo. Even if I absorbed it, I could hardly bring out its potential."

"Thank you, Father!" Overjoyed, Yu Mingxiao put the Spirit Bone away.

Off to the side, Yu Xiaogang's face had swollen like a pig's. Tears welled in his eyes as jealousy burned through him.

Damn it! He gets everything good!

Ever since I awakened this pig of a Martial Soul, you haven't shown me a shred of concern!

"It's getting late," Yu Yuanzhen said. "The Star Dou Great Forest is far too dangerous to linger in. Let's return to the clan."

"All right. I'll collect the Great Prajna and Heavenly Dragon Horse first." Yu Mingxiao stored both carcasses in his Storage Soul Tool.

The three retraced their route out of the Star Dou Great Forest and flew back to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

Yu Mingxiao returned to his courtyard, shut himself in his room, and sat cross-legged on a cushion.

He took out the ferocious Prajna mask and placed it against his face. Circulating his Soul Power, he began to absorb the Spirit Bone.

External Soul Bones seemed to grant very little Soul Power, but the abilities they provided were usually excellent.

Take the Eight Spider Lances, the External Soul Bone Tang San had obtained from a thousand-year Man Faced Demon Spider. Using them increased all his attributes by 50%.

They also possessed poison and devouring abilities.

Yu Mingxiao's Prajna Ghost Mask, however, clearly focused on mental power. It was fundamentally different from the Eight Spider Lances.

Roughly four hours later, Yu Mingxiao finally finished absorbing the mask.

With a thought, the ferocious mask appeared on his face.

Its effects were excellent.

Skull Armor: Mental power increased by 200%; head defense doubled.

Divine Mind Defense: Reduces mental attack damage by 50%.

Illusion Mask: Conceals the wearer's aura and Soul Power Level, blocks low-level Spirit Detection, and prevents enemies from probing him.

It also had two active abilities.

Soul Capture: Shakes an enemy's mind and weakens their will to fight.

Soul Shock: Releases a ghostly howl that strikes nearby enemies mentally and briefly stuns them.

The effects of this thousand-year External Soul Bone far exceeded Yu Mingxiao's expectations.

He had never imagined a mask-shaped Spirit Bone could possess so many abilities.