The Unquestionably Valid Star Wheel Ice Staff, Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear

Two voices, one male and one female, rang out. The boy's tone was brimming with confidence, while the girl's was lighthearted yet tinged with skepticism.

Soon, the two emerged from the jungle.

"See? I told you I wasn't lying, there's a pack of Flame Demon Lions here..."

"Huh? Where did my massive pack of Flame Demon Lions go?!"

The leading youth, holding an ice staff, stared at the empty lake. The confident smile on his face froze instantly, and he stood there, dumbfounded.

Beside him stood a petite girl. Her eyes were as bright as stars, her skin smooth and lustrous, her nose delicate, and her lips a soft, rosy pink. Her blue hair was tied into two lively pigtails, and she also held an ice-blue staff. Though still young, she already possessed the budding grace of a beauty.

"Big Brother, you're always trying to trick me. Just wait until I tell Dad when we get back and have him serve you your favorite 'bamboo-strip stir-fry'."

A flash of mischief crossed the girl's bright eyes, and her voice sounded like a devil's whisper in the boy's ear.

"Xiaoyan, I really wasn't lying to you! I specifically noted this pack of Flame Demon Lions when I came last time. How could they just disappear?"

The boy looked as if he were about to cry, his gaze quickly shifting to Jiang Xiu and Na'er on the opposite side of the lake.

"Ice Staff Martial Soul? The Xu siblings?"

Jiang Xiu had already spotted them, and the martial souls in their hands allowed him to identify them instantly.

The girl was none other than Xu Xiaoyan, who would one day be known as the "Strongest Crowd Controller under the Starry Sky," and the boy was her older brother, Xu Xiaoyu.

The two hailed from the Xu Family, a top-tier clan in East Sea City. Xu Xiaoyan's father was not only the Chief Financial Officer of East Sea City but also an important councilor in the Sun Moon Federation.

Moreover, Xu Xiaoyan's martial soul was no ordinary ice staff; it was the Star Wheel Ice Staff, a rarity seen only once in a millennium within the Xu Family.

"Hey! Friends!"

"Have you seen a pack of Flame Demon Lions around here?"

Xu Xiaoyu waved his ice staff, sending out a surge of ice-attribute soul power that formed a frozen path across the lake. He then led his sister toward Jiang Xiu and Na'er, calling out as they walked.

Since the Soul Beasts in the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform were composed of energy, they would dissipate into energy upon death, leaving no remains behind. Naturally, Xu Xiaoyu assumed the Flame Demon Lion pack had simply migrated elsewhere.

"No, we're just passing through," Jiang Xiu said, his eyes flashing.

"Boss, you're so mean, but I like it. Hehe, he might even have to thank us later," Na'er whispered to Jiang Xiu via telepathy, struggling to suppress her laughter.

"You haven't? Thanks anyway, friend."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xiaoyu offered a word of thanks before shaking his head with a sigh.

Beside him, Xu Xiaoyan sniffed the air. Her Star Wheel Ice Staff flickered with a trace of starlight as if it had sensed something. She looked at Jiang Xiu with a hint of surprise but remained silent.

"ROAR!"

Just then, a giant bear's roar erupted from the deeper parts of the forest, startling a flock of birds and echoing throughout the woods.

"Na'er, let's go."

Jiang Xiu's expression shifted slightly. He gave a brief nod to the Xu siblings and instantly dashed toward the depths of the forest with Na'er.

He would have plenty of opportunities to interact with Xu Xiaoyan and the Xu Family later, but right now, the most important thing was the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear within this Primary Spirit Ascension Platform.

Clearly, someone had already engaged the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear. Although the Dark Gold Terrorclaw external soul bone was supposed to be taken by Tang Wulin three years later, his arrival in this world had already caused some things to change slightly.

He absolutely could not allow anything to happen to that soul bone.

"In such a hurry? That direction leads to the location of the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform's guardian spirit. Isn't that just throwing their lives away?"

Xu Xiaoyu watched their retreating figures, his brows knitting together as he muttered to himself.

"Forget it, little sister. Let's keep hunting for soul beasts and look for that pack of Flame Demon Lions, or we'll really be sanctioned by Dad when we get back."

Shaking his head slightly, Xu Xiaoyu spoke up.

His mission this time was to help his sister with her spirit ascension. After all, the riot period of the Spirit Ascension Platform only happened twice a year, and his sister was a once-in-a-millennium genius; he couldn't let this opportunity go to waste.

"Silly brother, stop looking for the Flame Demon Lion pack. They've already been wiped out by someone else."

Xu Xiaoyan worried for her brother's intelligence.

"What do you mean? Who killed them?" Xu Xiaoyu asked, stunned and confused.

"Well, it was that boy and girl from just now," Xu Xiaoyan said, pouting her rosy lips.

"Huh? Stop joking, little sister. Can two Great Soul Masters really take down a whole pack of Flame Demon Lions?"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

"If those two could handle it, I'll eat my staff!"

Xu Xiaoyu waved his hand, refusing to believe it. Even with his cultivation as a Soul Grandmaster, he would find it difficult to face that pack of Flame Demon Lions, let alone two Great Soul Masters.

"Brother, my martial soul can sense it. There is a dense fire-attribute presence here. Even though soul beasts turn into energy when they die, this fluctuation of soul power won't disappear for a while."

Xu Xiaoyan's beautiful eyes flashed with a sharp glint as she analyzed the situation methodically.

"This... are you saying that those two just now were lying to me? And I even thanked them—how preposterous!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Xiaoyu's face flushed red as the realization dawned on him.

"Let's go, brother, we should go take a look too."

Xu Xiaoyan pointed her slender hand in the direction Jiang Xiu had left and said softly.

"That won't do, Xiaoyan. That is where the guardian spirit resides, and there is a terrifying Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear there."

Xu Xiaoyu said with a grave expression.

"It's fine. Brother, haven't you noticed that night is falling? We have enough strength to protect ourselves."

Xu Xiaoyan looked at the approaching nightfall and said with a meaningful tone.

The Spirit Ascension Platform was a semi-virtual world constructed based on the habitats of Soul Beasts, featuring the same day and night cycles as the outside world.

"Alright then, but if things go wrong, we must retreat immediately."

Xu Xiaoyu hesitated for a moment, but after thinking of his sister's absolute-effect soul skill, he finally agreed.

The two then followed the sound toward the depths of the forest. Likewise, many other soul masters within the Spirit Ascension Platform heard the giant bear's roar and rushed toward it.

"Unlucky, unlucky, unlucky! How did we run into this guy!"

Xie Xie held his Light Dragon Dagger, two yellow soul rings hovering beneath his feet, as he stood on guard against the giant bear in front of him.

This giant bear had a very unique appearance; its towering figure exceeded three meters, and its entire body was covered in dark golden fur that resembled steel needles. Its eyes were devoid of any emotion, filled only with coldness and cruelty.

Furthermore, its arms were exceptionally massive and thick. Both foreclaws were dark golden blades over a meter long. As it spread its sturdy arms, the claws seemed to slice through the air just by moving with its body.

"It's no good, we are no match for it. Look for a chance to retreat! We can't waste this precious spirit ascension opportunity."

Tang Wulin's expression was equally grim, and his clothes were riddled with holes, making him look quite disheveled.

Clearly, they had already clashed with the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, yet the beast had only suffered minor damage to a few patches of fur.

"Agreed, Gu Yue, let's retreat."

Xie Xie concurred wholeheartedly, as the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear had nearly killed him with a single swipe just moments ago. Suffering severe damage within the Spirit Ascension Platform would cause trauma to one's spiritual sea even after exiting.

There was no need for them to waste time on an enemy they could not defeat.

"Fine."

Gu Yue, who was hovering in mid-air, shifted her eyes and nodded slightly. The three of them then seized an opportunity to flee into the distance, but the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear had already been enraged by them and was pursuing them relentlessly.

As a Soul Beast capable of contending with dragons, the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear was a versatile warrior, and its speed was by no means weak.

With the aid of wind elemental magic, Gu Yue had already shielded Tang Wulin and Xie Xie behind her.

Just as the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear was about to catch up to the trio, two figures suddenly appeared not far from them.

"Jiang Xiu, run! Behind us is a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear! Quickly, avoid its edge!"

Gu Yue's pretty face changed slightly when she saw who they were, and she immediately called out a warning.

"Avoid its edge?!"

Looking at the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear behind the trio, Jiang Xiu stopped in his tracks, the corners of his mouth curling upward. The towering Shadow Monarch slowly rose up from behind him, its scarlet eyes flickering with a cold light.