External Soul Bone

Han Li slid down from the tree trunk.

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

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear gave him no chance to catch his breath, roaring as it charged toward him.

With a flick of his right hand, the Heavenly Bottle appeared.

A crystal-clear drop of green liquid fell.

The instant the drop seeped into his wounds, his torn flesh began healing rapidly, and the blood stopped flowing.

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

Han Li charged forward again.

Claw against flesh, blood spilled with every strike.

Once, twice, three times...

Ten times, twenty times.

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

But his attacks remained decisive.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, however, began to tire.

Its dark golden fur was covered in claw marks, blood streaming down its body.

Its breathing became rapid and heavy.

Its strength had also weakened somewhat.

In its eyes...

Confusion appeared for the first time.

It did not understand why this insignificant insect before it had suffered so many injuries yet refused to fall.

Finally, when the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's reactions slowed, Han Li struck through its heart.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's body stiffened at once.

The light in its eyes rapidly faded.

Its claws drooped weakly, and its massive body began to sway.

Then, its enormous body crashed to the ground.

"Boom—"

The ground shook violently.

Fallen leaves and dust flew into the air from the impact.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's corpse began dissolving into specks of dark golden light.

Those were the rules of the Spirit Ascension Platform.

The Soul Beasts here were not real living creatures, but virtual beings formed from energy.

After being killed...

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

Waiting to be condensed again next time.

But where it had disappeared...

Something appeared on the ground.

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

It was the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear Right Palm Bone, an External Soul Bone.

A flash of delight crossed Han Li's eyes.

The instant he picked it up, a warm sensation spread from his palm. The Soul Bone seemed to possess a life of its own, trembling faintly in Han Li's hand.

Dark golden light radiated from the Soul Bone, casting a faint golden sheen over Han Li's palm.

Then...

Han Li sat down cross-legged and began absorbing the Soul Bone.

He pressed the Soul Bone against his right palm, closed his eyes, and guided his Soul Power to establish a connection with it.

As though answering his call, the Soul Bone slowly merged into his palm.

The sensation was strange.

It was like a stream of warm water seeping in through his palm and spreading through his entire right hand.

The Soul Bone was merging with him.

At that moment, Han Li could clearly feel the energy contained within the Soul Bone fusing with his body.

This fusion was not merely an addition of strength, but a fundamental transformation.

The bones in his right hand became tougher.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's power was gradually becoming part of his body.

Soon, the Soul Bone had been fully absorbed.

The dark golden light slowly faded from Han Li's right hand, sinking beneath his skin and disappearing.

From the outside, his right hand looked no different than before.

But Han Li knew...

This hand was completely different now.

Han Li opened his eyes, delight flashing within them.

At the same time, a thought stirred in his heart.

Golden light surged from his right hand.

The Golden Dragon Claw formed instantly.

But unlike before...

Beneath the golden light, a faint layer of dark golden radiance flowed.

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

Then, he poured his surging vitality into his right palm.

His vitality flooded from within his body toward his right hand like a tide.

The dark golden radiance on the Golden Dragon Claw grew denser and brighter...

Finally, Han Li swung the Golden Dragon Claw.

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

The five streaks shot from the Golden Dragon Claw's fingertips, fanning out ahead of him.

Each was several meters long. The dark golden blades of light were incomparably sharp, carrying shrill whistles as they tore through the air.

Wherever the light passed, ripples visible to the naked eye were ripped through the air.

A large tree several meters ahead...

Was struck by all five streaks of dark golden light at once.

With a deafening crash, the tree, thick enough for one person to wrap their arms around, instantly shattered from the middle of its trunk.

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

The union of shattering and tearing.

Han Li looked at the shattered tree, even more satisfied.

The power of this Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's External Soul Bone was even stronger than he had expected.

Then, Han Li withdrew the Golden Dragon Claw.

He glanced around, and after confirming that there were no other Soul Beasts nearby, he left the area.

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

He opened his eyes.

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

The white lights were somewhat glaring...

He instinctively narrowed his eyes.

Han Li then sat up from the device, shook his slightly numb arms, and rolled his neck.

The staff member beside him was staring at him in shock.

His mouth hung open, his expression shifting from shock to disbelief, then from disbelief back to shock, cycling through it several times.

Through the monitoring on the Soul Guidance Screen...

He had watched Han Li forcibly kill the guardian of their Eastsea City Primary Spirit Ascension Platform—

That thousand-year Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear.

That was a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear!

A Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, hailed as one of the strongest beings in the Soul Beast world!

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

Countless Soul Masters who entered the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform had been defeated before it.

Yet now, a boy who looked only nine years old had forcibly worn the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear to death.

He had even faced it head-on, trading injuries for injuries...

And worn it to death!

Wasn't this too absurd?

The staff member swallowed hard.

His gaze shifted from the Soul Guidance Screen to Han Li, then back from Han Li to the Soul Guidance Screen. Only after checking several times did he finally accept the truth.

Still, he said nothing.

He only needed to submit a report.

After all, this was not something a low-level 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 truth.

As for how those above handled it, how they classified it, and how they treated the boy, that was their concern.

After confirming that there was nothing wrong with 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.