Before long, he had finished inspecting them.
Flender gathered the corpses of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear and the Ghost Tiger into his Storage Soul Tool, then turned to Lin Mo and said with regret, "What a shame. We were incredibly lucky to encounter this Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, which is exceedingly rare in this area.
"But our luck was both good and bad. The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear didn't produce the Soul Bone we'd expected."
After saying this, Flender scratched his head.
In his view, a thousand-year Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear had a considerable chance of producing a Soul Bone, given the strength of its bloodline.
Its odds were certainly no worse than those of an ordinary Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
He'd essentially gotten a bargain this time, killing two Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts in succession, yet somehow hadn't obtained a single Soul Bone.
If only he'd managed to get even one Soul Bone, he could have sold it and secured the Shrek Academy's living expenses for a long time to come—even if it was just a Thousand-Year Soul Bone he didn't care for.
Flender sighed, his pained expression impossible to hide.
Shrek Academy's finances had always been tight, and being its dean was no easy job.
He'd finally caught two high-quality Soul Beasts, only to come away without a single Soul Bone. Of course he was disappointed.
After saying this, Flender patted Lin Mo on the shoulder with a regretful look. "While we're at it, let me teach you something every Soul Master needs to know.
"When the Soul Ring and Soul Bone produced by the same Soul Beast are absorbed by the same Soul Master, their effects can be maximized."
"I've learned my lesson." Lin Mo nodded slightly.
His expression was perfectly calm, revealing no flaw.
Judging by Flender's current behavior, he seemed to care little about a thousand-year Soul Bone.
He'd acted as if even if the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear had produced one, it would belong to him.
But Lin Mo was certain that Flender, a Seven-Ring Soul Sage, probably wouldn't care for an ordinary thousand-year Soul Bone, even one produced by a Soul Beast like the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear.
An External Soul Bone, however, was an entirely different matter.
The biggest difference between an External Soul Bone and an ordinary Soul Bone was its potential for growth.
An External Soul Bone was different. It continued to evolve as its bearer grew, steadily improving in quality and power.
This trait made an External Soul Bone far more valuable than an ordinary Soul Bone of the same quality.
If he'd dared to reveal the existence of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's left and right palm bones just now,
Forget Flender—even a Titled Douluo present would have been tempted.
They might even kill him to take the bones.
Lin Mo wasn't about to gamble his life on someone else's character.
Human nature was the one thing that couldn't withstand a test.
Lin Mo didn't dare take that risk, and there was no need to.
Quietly reaping a fortune was the right approach for him.
Flender stretched and glanced at the darkening sky. "All right, we shouldn't linger here. It's time to head back."
Lin Mo nodded and followed him.
One after the other, they hurried through the forest.
Flender chose their route carefully, avoiding several areas where he'd sensed strong Soul Beast auras.
Now and then, they heard beasts roaring in the distance, but no Soul Beasts approached them.
By the time darkness had fully fallen, they'd finally left the Star Dou Great Forest.
Flender stopped and glanced back at the forest behind them, then took a wide cloak from his Storage Soul Tool and draped it over himself.
"I'll take you the rest of the way. We'll get there much faster." With that, Flender grabbed Lin Mo by the shoulder.
The next moment, Flender released his Four-Eyed Owl Martial Soul, and a pair of broad wings spread behind him.
He carried Lin Mo into the sky and flew at full speed toward Notting City. The night wind roared past their ears as mountains and rivers raced by beneath them.
Before long, the outline of Notting City appeared on the horizon.
After asking Lin Mo what he preferred, Flender took him back to the outskirts of Notting City at great speed.
In the night, the city gates were already mostly shut, with only a small door left open for people passing through after dark.
Flender withdrew his Martial Soul and looked Lin Mo up and down.
Flender nodded to himself.
This student really did have excellent talent. He'd absorbed his Soul Ring cleanly and efficiently, without any hesitation. Even more impressively, he was steady-minded; obtaining his Second Soul Ring hadn't made him the slightest bit restless.
That kind of calm disposition could take him farther along the path of cultivation.
"Lin Mo, the academy will reopen in about half a month. I'll be waiting for you and Xiao Wu at the academy then.
"Shrek Academy welcomes you both."
Flender waved to Lin Mo, then turned and said without looking back, "I'll be off. The academy will be reopening soon, and I have things to take care of."
He was eager to sell the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear and Ghost Tiger corpses.
Though he regretted not getting a Soul Bone, the corpses of two fairly high-quality Soul Beasts would still fetch a good price.
That would be enough to ease Shrek Academy's financial difficulties a little.
The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's corpse was in excellent condition. Aside from the fatal wound on its head, the rest of it had been preserved almost perfectly.
The corpses of top-tier Soul Beasts like this were always in high demand on the market. Whether sold as food or processed for materials, they could fetch a good price.
The Ghost Tiger's corpse was worth a little less, but a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast was still a rare commodity.
It could fetch a good price.
The money from selling Soul Beast corpses would be a fortune to an ordinary Soul Master, but for an academy, it was still a drop in the bucket.
Still, something was better than nothing. It would keep Shrek Academy from becoming so destitute that it ran out of food in the coming months.
"See you, Dean."
Lin Mo smiled as he greeted Flender, in high spirits.
He watched Flender disappear down the road before finally turning his gaze away.
After briefly figuring out which way to go, Lin Mo strode toward Notting Academy.
He and Flender had spent a considerable amount of time hunting Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest.
During that time, Xiao Wu, whose cultivation had long been stuck at the peak of level nineteen, should have broken through and successfully condensed her Second Soul Ring.
Lin Mo still remembered what Xiao Wu had told him before he set out to hunt for a Soul Ring.
He had no intention of turning down her invitation to spar.
If his guess was right, then the first six Soul Skills Xiao Wu obtained by condensing her own Soul Rings would all be fixed.
And Xiao Wu's Second Soul Skill was Charm.
Lin Mo was also eager to use Xiao Wu's Second Soul Skill, Charm, to verify a theory of his own.
A theory concerning his spiritual power!