But when Flender turned to look at Lin Mo, he was horrified to discover that the residual claw strike released by the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear had somehow landed on Lin Mo.
Several bloody streaks appeared on Lin Mo's body.
The next moment, however, something even more surprising happened.
The wounds on Lin Mo's body quickly began healing before their very eyes.
"Dean, I'm fine."
Feeling Flender's gaze, Lin Mo glanced down at the several gashes on his body.
The wounds weren't very deep, though they looked rather gruesome.
"My Martial Soul has pretty good self-healing abilities. Minor injuries like these heal quickly," Lin Mo explained.
Although his Innate Life State was only at the first level, he had already transformed the skin and flesh covering his entire body into Qi-Skin.
With an injury this minor, as long as his bones weren't damaged, his body could repair itself in just a few breaths.
As he spoke, Lin Mo glanced at the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, which was already trying to flee nearby, and muttered, "But isn't this bear's attack power a bit too ridiculous?
"Those were only the aftershocks of its attacks, yet just grazing me was enough to tear through my Body-Protecting Qi and wound my skin."
"It is a bit ridiculous."
Flender nodded, agreeing with Lin Mo.
Then he smiled. "But the more ridiculous this bear's strength is, the better for you, isn't it?
"That means the Second Soul Ring you're about to obtain could be even more powerful!
"You'll get an even stronger Second Soul Skill!"
Lin Mo smiled at that.
The more powerful a Soul Beast was, the higher the quality of the Soul Ring it produced, and the more astonishing the boost it gave a Soul Master.
"The dean is right."
Lin Mo nodded. "Then let's hurry up and make sure this beast doesn't get away."
Flender followed Lin Mo's gaze. The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear was dragging its wounded body clumsily into the distance.
Its escape was a pitiful sight, but the ferocity in its eyes hadn't diminished in the slightest.
Its little eyes were filled with venom. Every so often, it looked back at the two of them, as if trying to carve their faces into its bones.
Once he was sure Lin Mo was unharmed, Flender didn't hesitate any longer. To avoid letting things drag on and invite trouble, he darted toward the fleeing Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear.
His fourth Soul Ring lit up, and blades of wind flashed.
The bear's gray-black fur proved utterly defenseless against the whirlwind of wind blades Flender unleashed.
The fur was sliced apart, exposing the muscle underneath.
Blood gushed out, staining the ground around the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear a dark red.
Before long, Flender used his wind blades to grievously wound the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear. He then severed the tendons in its hands and feet, stripping it of its ability to resist or move.
Four wind blades fell at once, precisely severing the tendons in the bear's four limbs.
The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's massive body crashed to the ground with a roar. It let out an unwilling howl, its voice brimming with fury.
It tried to struggle back to its feet, but its limbs no longer obeyed.
The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear now lay where it had fallen, its face full of hatred as its venomous little eyes glared at Flender and Lin Mo nearby.
It was only because its cultivation was still too low.
If only its cultivation were a little higher—five or six thousand years, say—it would be confident it could kill the two of them instantly!
Its eyes remained fixed on Flender, but he paid the beast's glare no mind.
"Do you need any help?"
Flender looked at Lin Mo as he approached. "From what I've learned from Old Zhao, the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's fur is just as absurdly tough as its attacks."
As he spoke, Flender looked at the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's gray-black fur.
"No need, Dean."
Lin Mo shook his head. "You've already wounded it this badly. If I still can't take its life, wouldn't that make me completely useless?"
Flender didn't say anything more. He simply took a dagger from his waist and handed it over.
The dagger was a dark silver all over, its edge gleaming with a cold light.
Lin Mo took the dagger and weighed it in his hand. It was fairly heavy and felt solid in his grip.
He looked up at the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear. The venom in its eyes was almost tangible now.
After taking the dagger Flender handed him, Lin Mo infused it with Soul Power and drove it into the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's body through the wound Flender's wind blades had opened.
The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's body twitched a few times, then fell completely still.
The light in its blood-red little eyes finally faded.
A deep purple Soul Ring slowly emerged from the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's corpse.
A Thousand-Year Soul Ring!
A genuine Thousand-Year Soul Ring!
At the sight of it, Lin Mo didn't hesitate. He immediately sat down cross-legged, raised his hands skyward, and circulated the Soul Power within his body.
As if drawn by some force, the purple Soul Ring slowly drifted toward Lin Mo.
To Lin Mo's surprise, the instant this Thousand-Year Soul Ring settled around him, he suddenly felt a special power separate from it and surge toward his palms.
Sharp and indestructible—that was Lin Mo's first impression!
As that power coursed through him, even his meridians began to ache faintly.
Lin Mo's body, in its Innate Life State, quickly repaired the parts torn by that power.
Although the damage was just beyond what the first level of Innate Life State could repair, it wasn't too severe, and his body could still manage to heal it.
The moment Lin Mo began absorbing the Thousand-Year Soul Ring, Flender also became fully alert. He kept his eyes fixed on Lin Mo as he guarded him, afraid that something might go wrong.
A Thousand-Year Second Soul Ring!
If word got out, the entire Soul Master World would be thrown into an uproar.
Although Flender was certain Lin Mo's physical constitution would let him absorb a Second Soul Ring of a thousand years without any trouble, his heart still felt uneasy now that Lin Mo had begun.
After all, this was an unprecedented feat!
Flender raised a hand and pushed up his black-rimmed glasses, never daring to take his eyes off Lin Mo.
He focused all his attention on Lin Mo.
Time passed, second by second.
Lin Mo sat there motionless.
The fluctuations of Soul Power around him rose and fell, and Flender's heart rose and fell with them.
But absorbing a Soul Ring always depended on one's own strength. Flender didn't dare approach and recklessly disturb Lin Mo as he absorbed it.