External Spirit Bone

Han Li slid down from the tree trunk.

A trace of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear did not give him a chance to catch his breath, roaring as it charged over.

Han Li flipped his right hand, and the Heavenly Bottle appeared.

A crystal-clear green droplet fell.

The moment the droplet seeped into his wound, the torn muscles began to heal rapidly, and blood stopped flowing out.

In just two breaths, the wounds on his body vanished without a trace, not even leaving a scar behind.

Han Li charged forward once again.

Claw met flesh, drawing blood every time.

Once, twice, three times...

Ten times, twenty times.

Han Li did not know how many times he had been injured, nor how many times he had been healed by the Heavenly Bottle.

But his strikes remained decisive throughout.

However, the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear began to grow weary.

Its dark golden fur was covered in claw marks, and fresh blood flowed down its body.

Its breathing became rapid and heavy.

Its strength was also weaker than before.

In those eyes of its...

Confusion appeared for the first time.

It did not understand why this ant before it, having been injured so many times, still had not fallen.

Finally, taking advantage of the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's slowed reaction, Han Li pierced through its heart with a single strike.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's body stiffened instantly.

The light in its eyes dimmed rapidly.

Its claws hung down powerlessly, and its massive body began to sway.

Then, that enormous frame collapsed with a crash.

"Boom—"

The ground trembled violently.

Fallen leaves and dust were sent flying into the air.

The corpse of the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear began to dissipate into specks of dark golden light.

Such were the rules of the Spirit Ascension Platform.

The spirit beasts here were not real living beings, but virtual existences composed of energy.

After being killed...

They would turn into energy and return to the Spirit Ascension Platform.

Waiting to be condensed once again.

But where it had vanished...

An object appeared on the ground.

It was a dark golden item shaped like a bear's paw, emitting a faint dark golden glow throughout.

That was the External Spirit Bone of the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's right paw.

A flash of joy crossed Han Li's eyes.

The moment he picked it up, a warm sensation traveled from his palm; the spirit bone seemed to have a life of its own, trembling slightly in Han Li's hand.

Dark golden light radiated from the spirit bone, dyeing Han Li's palm with a faint golden hue.

Immediately...

Han Li sat cross-legged and began to absorb the spirit bone.

He pressed the spirit bone against his right palm, closed his eyes, and guided his spirit power to establish a connection with the bone.

As if sensing his summons, the spirit bone began to slowly merge into his palm.

The sensation was strange.

It felt like a warm current of water seeping in from his palm, spreading throughout his entire right hand.

The spirit bone was merging.

At this moment, Han Li could clearly feel the energy contained within the spirit bone fusing with his own body.

This fusion was not merely an accumulation of power, but a fundamental transformation.

The bones in his right hand became increasingly resilient.

The power of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear was gradually becoming a part of his body.

Soon, the absorption of the spirit bone was complete.

The dark golden radiance slowly faded from Han Li's right hand, sinking beneath his skin until it vanished from sight.

Outwardly, his right hand looked no different than before.

But Han Li knew...

This hand was already completely different.

At this moment, Han Li opened his eyes, a flash of joy crossing them.

Simultaneously, a thought stirred in his mind.

Golden light surged violently from his right hand.

The Golden Dragon Claw formed in an instant.

But unlike before...

Beneath that golden radiance, a layer of dark golden light shimmered faintly.

It was the power of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear Right Palm Bone, perfectly fused with the Golden Dragon Claw.

He then channeled his surging blood energy into his right palm.

The blood energy rushed from his body toward his right palm like a tidal wave.

The dark golden halo on the Golden Dragon Claw grew thicker and brighter...

Finally, Han Li swung the Golden Dragon Claw with a fierce motion.

Instantly, five streaks of dark golden light slashed through the air.

Those five beams shot out from the tips of the Golden Dragon Claw, spreading forward in a fan shape.

Each one was several meters long; the dark golden light blades were peerlessly sharp, carrying a shrill whistle that tore through the air.

Wherever the light passed, the air was ripped into visible ripples.

A large tree several meters ahead...

Was struck simultaneously by the five dark golden beams.

With a loud crash, the tree, which was thick enough for a person to wrap their arms around, was instantly pulverized from the center of its trunk.

This was the power of the Golden Dragon Claw combined with the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear Right Palm Bone—

A fusion of pulverization and tearing.

Looking at the shattered tree, Han Li was even more satisfied.

The power of this External Spirit Bone from the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear was even greater than he had anticipated.

Afterward, Han Li retracted the Golden Dragon Claw.

He glanced around his surroundings, and after confirming there were no other spirit beasts nearby, he left the area.

At the exit of the Spirit Ascension Platform, the moment his consciousness returned, Han Li felt the weight of his body.

He opened his eyes.

Before him was the ceiling of the room in the Spirit Pagoda.

The white light was somewhat blinding...

He instinctively squinted.

At this moment, Han Li sat up from the device, shook his slightly numb arms, and stretched his neck.

A staff member nearby was staring at him in shock.

His mouth was agape, his expression cycling repeatedly from shock to disbelief, and back to shock again.

From the monitoring on the Soul Guidance Screen...

He had watched Han Li single-handedly kill the guardian of their East Sea City Primary Spirit Ascension Platform—

That thousand-year Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear.

That was a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear!

Hailed as one of the strongest beings in the spirit beast world, the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear!

A thousand-year-level Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear was synonymous with invincibility in the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform.

Countless spirit masters who entered the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform had returned in defeat before it.

And now, a boy who looked only nine years old had worn the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear to death through sheer force.

He had even gone head-to-head, trading injury for injury...

And simply worn it down to death!

This was just too absurd, wasn't it?

The staff member swallowed hard.

He shifted his gaze from the Soul Guidance Screen to Han Li, then back to the screen again, confirming the result several times over before finally accepting the reality of the situation.

However, he didn't say a word.

He would just report it as required.

After all, this wasn't something a lowly grassroots staff member like him could handle.

A nine-year-old boy killing a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear would inevitably draw the attention of the higher-ups.

His duty was simply to report the facts.

As for how they would handle it, how they would categorize it, or how they would treat this boy—that was a matter for those above him.

At this moment, having confirmed that there was nothing unusual about his body, Han Li headed toward the door.

As he passed the control console, he glanced at the still-dazed staff member, said nothing, and walked straight out of the room.