"Battle Skill! Wrath of Asura!"
Just before the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear raised its right arm, Jiang Xiu drove his Dark Straight Blade along the inside of its left arm. The blood flames on the blade burned away its dark gold fur, layer by layer.
The blade sank deep into the joint of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's left arm, then slashed viciously into it. Its sturdy defenses were instantly breached, and before the blood could even spill, the flames burned it away.
The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear felt two completely different sensations burst through its left arm—scorching heat and biting cold—like being caught between ice and fire.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
Jiang Xiu said nothing, simply pressing on with all his strength. Under the force of the battle skill, spiderweb-like cracks rapidly spread across the bear's hard bones.
"Crack!"
The next moment, a crisp sound rang out. A thick arm flew into the air, blood dripping from it and soaking into the black earth, where it bloomed like plum blossoms.
But it wasn't over. As the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear staggered backward in pain, the Shadow Monarch behind Jiang Xiu also brought its blade down. Blood flames surged in a chain, and the strike was even more powerful than Jiang Xiu's.
At last, a trace of fear flickered in the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's eyes. As it retreated, its right arm instinctively rose to block.
"Rumble!"
A succession of explosions rang out, and clouds of smoke billowed upward. The surrounding Soul Masters stared intently into the haze.
"Thud, thud, thud!"
As the smoke gradually cleared, two figures slowly emerged.
The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear had lost all the fearsome bearing it had shown before. Its left arm was gone, blood pouring from the stump, while its right arm hung limply at its side. Blood flames still burned across its front, and a wound deep enough to expose bone ran across its body.
Yet, thanks to its powerful vitality, the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear was still alive. It turned unsteadily and fled toward the forest behind it.
"I never said you could leave."
A calm voice rang out. Jiang Xiu appeared behind the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear like a phantom. He slightly curled his left hand, which was covered in dark Soul Power, then reached forward and plunged it into the bear's back. As he clenched his fist, the massive beast's body instantly stiffened.
The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's enormous body gave one final shudder. The ferocious, bloodthirsty light in its eyes slowly faded, and it collapsed to the ground.
"He's practically Superman."
Xie Xie swallowed and murmured.
He'd gone toe-to-toe with the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear and killed it without suffering a scratch. He was outrageously strong.
Maybe he was even stronger than those monsters from Shrek Academy...
"Boss, only two and a half minutes have passed. Your battle skill has gotten even stronger—you're close to grasping Blade Intent, aren't you?"
Na'er leaped over to Jiang Xiu's side, her voice bright with delight.
"It's all right. I'm gradually finding my own path."
The corner of Jiang Xiu's mouth lifted. He put away his blade and chuckled.
The battle skill he'd just used was one he'd gradually developed based on the Body Sect's battle skills. With his master's medicinal baths helping him weave his blood and Soul Power together, he could unleash an attack at one hundred and fifty percent of his strength.
It required him to expend both blood and Soul Power, but it made a good trump card for catching an opponent off guard. He was still working to refine it.
As for the Blade Intent Na'er had mentioned, it was both a kind of personal will and an understanding of one's weapon. Take Yun Ming's Spear Intent, for example. Once he'd reached that level, he could achieve unity between man and spear. Not only would his combat power double, he could also resist outside interference and remain true to himself.
But Jiang Xiu was still missing one final spark before he could grasp Blade Intent.
"Hey! What's that?"
Tang Wulin suddenly noticed that something about the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear was terribly strange. After it died, its body didn't dissolve into energy like other Soul Beasts. Instead, dark gold lights began to flicker across it, and it showed signs of crumbling apart.
In the span of a single breath, the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's entire body turned translucent, then vanished into thin air. But where it had disappeared, a piece of bone remained.
The bone resembled a miniature Dark Gold Terrorclaw. Dark gold patterns covered its surface, and the whole thing was as crystal-clear as glass, faintly glowing with a dark golden light.
"This... this looks like a Soul Bone—and one of the rarest kinds, an External Soul Bone."
Xie Xie said in shock.
In this era, with Soul Beasts on the verge of extinction, a Soul Bone was practically a family heirloom, something that could only be found by chance. And now one had appeared right before them.
Besides, an External Soul Bone could grow in age as its Soul Master grew stronger. There had once been a Soul Master who obtained a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Soul Bone and, after cultivating to the Titled Douluo level, could truly slash across a thousand meters and cleave through space.
Information traveled fast in this day and age, and there were people among the surrounding Soul Masters who knew their stuff. Greed flashed in their eyes.
"How about letting me have that Soul Bone? I'll pay for it. My father is Zhang from the East Sea..."
"Why buy it? Isn't a free grab even better?"
"You killed the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear and still want its Soul Bone? You can't have every good thing for yourself."
The surrounding Soul Masters began closing in, talking among themselves. Those who had managed to enter during the Spirit Ascension Platform's rampage period mostly came from powerful forces. The Soul Bone before them stirred every heart.
"Looks like you've run into trouble."
Gu Yue landed beside Jiang Xiu. Her red lips curled slightly as she looked at the surrounding Soul Masters, without a trace of fear in her eyes.
"A pack of fools begging to be killed. What's there to fear? I'll take them all down with one strike."
Na'er held the Silver Dragon Spear upright, puffed out her chest, and raised her head proudly. Great King Na'er declared she could take on ten!
"They want it? They'd better take a good look at what they're capable of."
Jiang Xiu raised a hand, beckoning the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's right claw bone into it. He spoke calmly.
"What a bunch of idiots. Don't they know what they're capable of? If they can take it, I'll eat it. Come on, sis, let's go."
Looking at the crowd moving toward them, Xu Xiaoyu scoffed in disdain and started to lead Xu Xiaoyan away.
"Brother, why don't we help them? We could make a good impression."
Xu Xiaoyan didn't follow. Instead, she spoke softly.
"Well... that works. Those two certainly seem capable, but I wonder which powerful family they're from. I don't remember seeing anyone like them in the East Sea."
Xu Xiaoyu considered it for a moment and nodded, though he still seemed puzzled.
But just as the situation reached a boiling point, a loud voice rang out.
"The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear is the Guardian of the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform. The Soul Bone it left behind belongs to the Spirit Pagoda. Leave at once, or your Spirit Ascension this time will be terminated."
At this, the crowd's expressions changed. They hesitated for a moment, then sighed in resignation. After giving the Soul Bone in Jiang Xiu's hand one last reluctant look, they dispersed.
They coveted the Soul Bone, but they weren't foolish enough to oppose the Spirit Pagoda. If they did, their own forces would cast them out before the Spirit Pagoda even had to act.
The Spirit Pagoda's prestige was beyond question.
"Young Jiang Xiu, you may keep that Soul Bone. Consider it your reward for killing the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear."
A voice rang in Jiang Xiu's ear. It was Vice Pagoda Master Liu, the same man as before.
"Then thank you, Vice Pagoda Master Liu."
A glint flashed in Jiang Xiu's eyes, and he nodded slightly.
Meanwhile, in the monitoring room outside.
Leng Yaozhu, dressed in red, sat opposite Vice Pagoda Master Liu.
After doing all this, Vice Pagoda Master Liu turned to Leng Yaozhu with a kindly expression and asked cautiously,
"Tower Master Leng, are you satisfied?"
"Mm. You did well."
Leng Yaozhu nodded slightly. Her gaze seemed to see right through Vice Pagoda Master Liu as she waited for him to speak.
"Um... Tower Master Leng, about my grandson getting promoted to a staff position at the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters..."
Vice Pagoda Master Liu asked tentatively.
"Hm? What staff position? You mean a deacon?"
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