Entering the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform

"Everyone, step back."

Xiao Mu placed a coin on his thumb, his knuckles slightly curled as blue electric arcs danced across them.

Na'er did not hesitate, her figure darting backward.

Gu Yue also retreated, elements churning in her palms, ready to provide support at any moment.

The Dark-Gold Dread-Claw Bear roared at the sky, its dark-gold fur shimmering with a cold, metallic luster under the sunlight. It slammed its paws into the ground, causing the entire forest to tremble, and charged straight at Xiao Mu like a moving mountain.

Xiao Mu's gaze remained calm, devoid of the slightest panic. He watched the coin at his fingertips. The silver metallic surface reflected a cold light, like a flickering star.

"Watch this move!"

His first soul ring suddenly brightened, and electric light erupted around his body. Plasma was ionized by high voltage in the air, forming orange electric arcs that spiraled up his right arm.

The coin flicked upward. The moment it touched the trajectory, the electric arcs exploded. Electromagnetic force, like an invisible giant hand, violently propelled the silver metal disc forward.

The high temperature generated by the coin's friction with the air melted it into a scorching stream of light, tearing through the darkness like a blazing thunder spear.

The shockwave from breaking the sound barrier spread in a cone, sweeping away all the fallen leaves, gravel, and broken branches around Xiao Mu.

The orange trajectory left a scorching afterimage in the air, piercing straight toward the chest of the Dark-Gold Dread-Claw Bear.

The Dark-Gold Dread-Claw Bear instinctively crossed its paws to block, its dark-gold fur standing on end as soul power infused it, pushing its defense to the limit.

But the stream of light pierced through its defense like a war spear, plunging into its chest.

"Pfft—"

Flesh and blood were vaporized by the high heat. A bowl-sized bloody hole exploded in the bear's chest, its dark-gold fur curling into charred remnants, and its bones melted under the intense heat, exposing the blackened muscle tissue beneath.

Its body flipped sideways from the momentum, slamming heavily into the ground and carving out a trench three zhang long.

The orange stream of light continued forward after piercing the bear's body, drilling through three ancient trees in its path before finally exploding against a rock wall a hundred meters away.

Rocks shattered, flames soared into the sky, and the shockwave swept away all the surrounding shrubs.

At this moment, outside the Spirit Ascension Platform, Wu Zhangkong confirmed Xiao Mu's strength; ordinary soul masters could not pose a real threat to him.

"This strength..." the Spirit Pagoda staff member couldn't help but remark.

He felt this recording needed to be reported to the higher-ups; they would certainly be interested.

Inside the Spirit Ascension Platform, Xiao Mu stood where he was, his right arm hanging down as the arcs of electricity on his palm slowly dissipated.

"Brother." Na'er rushed over, shock in her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Xiao Mu's voice was slightly hoarse. "Just a bit of soul power consumption."

He looked down at his palm, feeling that the power of this move was still a little weak.

Gu Yue walked over from the side, looking at the remains of the Dark-Gold Dread-Claw Bear in the distance, then back at Xiao Mu, the emotions in her eyes complex and hard to decipher.

"This is a two-ring Great Soul Master?"

She couldn't fathom it; she would have believed it if someone said he was a Soul King.

"This is the power of science. As long as it can be observed multiple times and interact, it is definitely science."

As Xiao Mu spoke, he flipped a new coin between his fingers. "Science is the crystallization of human development."

Gu Yue was speechless. Could this really be explained as soul guidance technology?

Following your logic of "multiple observations and interactions," are you going to start experimenting on gods too?

"How do you explain gods?" she suddenly asked.

"If you find me a god to dissect, I'll definitely be able to trigger a technological breakthrough," Xiao Mu said directly. As long as I have time, I will definitely be able to research it.

Tang Hao should contribute to the progress of the Douluo Continent by letting me dissect him.

"Exactly, exactly! Gu Yue, go get a god for my brother to dissect," Na'er chimed in, smiling cheekily.

"Go get one yourself." Gu Yue crossed her arms and said no more.

After the Dark-Gold Dread-Claw Bear fell, its body slowly dissipated.

However, something was flickering with a dark-gold light on the ground.

Xiao Mu walked forward and confirmed that this was a century-old soul bone: the Dark-Gold Dread-Claw Bear Right Palm Bone.

It was not large, about the size of a palm, resembling a miniature hand skeleton. Five long, narrow blades grew from the front, like a scaled-down version of the Dark-Gold Dread-Claw Bear's right claw. A dark-gold halo rippled over the blades like water, casting a cold, metallic luster in the dim forest.

Xiao Mu squatted down, his fingertips hovering above the bone surface without touching it.

"A soul bone?" Gu Yue asked, puzzled, suppressing the restlessness in her heart.

"This is the Dark-Gold Dread-Claw Bear Right Palm Bone," Xiao Mu said as he picked up the soul bone. "An external soul bone. The kind that can grow. This is also the reward for defeating the guardian of the Spirit Ascension Platform."

"Was this your other objective?" Gu Yue asked.

"You could say that." Xiao Mu stood up, flipped the bone in his palm, and pressed it against his right hand. "I need to absorb the soul bone. Guard me."

He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and soul power surged from his palm, seeping into the bone.

At first, the soul bone was warm, but as his soul power was injected, the warmth quickly turned into a scorching heat. The dark-gold halo suddenly surged, completely swallowing his right hand.

The bone surface began to soften, like a pool of dark-gold liquid, flowing through his fingers and seeping inside.

Gu Yue stood three zhang away, watching Xiao Mu's right hand—the skin there was becoming transparent, the outline of the bones faintly visible, while dark-gold patterns climbed and spread across the bone surface like vines.

"Ugh..." Xiao Mu let out a muffled groan; fusing with the spirit bone was a bit more painful than he had imagined.

The moment that pool of liquid seeped into his metacarpal bones, it turned violent, like a startled beast rampaging through his right palm.

The frenzied will of the Dark-Gold Dread-Claw surged upstream along his spirit power, attempting to invade his consciousness. Fine beads of sweat seeped from Xiao Mu's temples, and his knuckles turned white from the strain.

The liquid rotated, compressed, and condensed within the force field, transforming from a violent beast into a docile river, eventually merging completely with his palm bones.

The dark-gold radiance slowly receded, like a retreating tide.

Xiao Mu opened his eyes and raised his right hand. Beneath the skin of his palm, dark-gold patterns flowed silently, and five sharp blades extended from the tips of his knuckles, glinting with a cold light.

"So this is the Dark-Gold Dread-Claw. It certainly looks impressive; I finally have some means of cutting things." His voice was calm, and he was certain this could be combined with his first spirit ability.

After all, his first spirit ability was quite versatile.

Gu Yue walked over and asked, "How does it feel?"

Xiao Mu clenched his fist, the blades retracting between his fingers. "My strength has increased by thirty percent, though my attack range hasn't improved much."

He stood up and walked toward the depths of the forest. "Let's go. We're heading straight to the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform to increase the age of my spirit rings as much as possible."

Gu Yue and Na'er followed closely behind him, and they seemed to pass through an invisible barrier.

Arriving in another world, it was even more secluded and even more dangerous here.