Hearing the commotion from below, Lan Yu looked down. Purple miasma filled the valley, and explosive bursts of air rang out from time to time.
In less than the time it took for a stick of incense to burn, the Titan Giant Ape returned from the valley with a Purple Scale Qi Flood Dragon in its grasp. Its entire body was covered in dark purple scales, their edges traced with golden patterns. It was broader than the other serpent Soul Beasts.
He tossed the half-dead Purple Scale Qi Flood Dragon in front of Lan Yu.
"Fourteen hundred years. Just right for my First Soul Ring!"
Lan Yu rubbed his chin, pulled out the Godly Zhuge Crossbow, and was about to step forward to finish it off when the Titan Giant Ape suddenly called out to him. "Human, are you going to absorb your First Soul Ring?"
"That's right. Is there a problem?" Lan Yu asked.
"As far as I know, a Soul Master's limit for their Third Soul Ring is barely around a thousand years, right?"
"If you absorb it directly, you'll only explode and die."
The Purple Scale Qi Flood Dragon on the ground seemed to understand. It flicked its tongue and twisted its body, its pupils showing a hint of pleading.
"Thanks for the warning." Lan Yu smiled faintly, raised his hand, and fired a crossbow bolt.
"But I'm not like ordinary Soul Masters!"
The bolt struck the flood dragon in a vital spot!
A purple Soul Ring slowly rose from its body.
Lan Yu sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, beginning to absorb the Soul Ring.
"Ah."
The Titan Giant Ape sighed and slowly straightened up. "Sister Xiao Wu, if he dies, come back to the Lake of Life with me!"
Xiao Wu shook her head, her voice full of certainty. "He'll definitely succeed!"
About half an hour later.
Soul Power surged around Lan Yu. Having finished absorbing the Soul Ring, he slowly stood up as a purple Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet.
"Lan Yu!" Xiao Wu, who had been guarding him, lit up and hurried over.
"How is that possible?!"
The Titan Giant Ape's beastly eyes widened. For the first time, its hard-to-read face showed shock.
He hadn't believed a word of the bold claims Xiao Wu had told him about Lan Yu. Words were cheap; seeing was believing.
But Lan Yu had absorbed a Soul Ring as his First Soul Ring that was equivalent to other people's Third Soul Ring—and the Titan Giant Ape had witnessed it with his own eyes.
Had Soul Masters really progressed this far? Was heaven truly bent on destroying the Soul Beast Clan?
For the first time, Er Ming, the Titan Giant Ape, felt fear.
"How is it?"
Xiao Wu lowered her head and studied the purple Soul Ring circling Lan Yu, curiosity filling her eyes.
"Not bad. I feel..." Lan Yu raised an eyebrow, but before he could finish, a sharp, drilling pain suddenly struck his left forearm.
"Hiss—"
He looked down and saw a crack split open in the skin from his wrist to his elbow.
Bone spikes, each as slender as a spider's leg and gleaming purple-gold, burst from his flesh. They wound around one another along his forearm, encasing it completely in an instant.
A blood blister swelled at his elbow. Then the flesh split, and a long bone spike extended diagonally toward his shoulder. Several golden lines spread from its tip, winding two or three times beneath his arm like securing straps.
"This is... an External Soul Bone!" Lan Yu's breathing quickened. His gaze burned as he stared at his left forearm.
But the next second, he realized something was wrong—his palm was empty.
It seemed the Soul Bone's power hadn't been fully released yet. He focused his mind and poured all his Soul Power into his left arm. A rich purple-gold glow immediately shone from his palm.
Scales appeared in overlapping layers, and a dragon claw covered in fine scales took shape. Its talons were razor-sharp, gleaming with a cold light.
He stared at the External Soul Bone, made up of three parts: the bone armor on his forearm, the bone spikes at his elbow and shoulder, and the dragon claw in his palm.
A storm surged in Lan Yu's heart.
I'm getting protagonist treatment too! Lan Yu swung his arm. He felt no discomfort or strangeness, as if it had always been part of him.
With another thought, the bone spikes and dragon claw retracted into his body, leaving his skin smooth as before.
"Lan Yu, what is that...?"
Xiao Wu hurried closer, a trace of worry in her eyes.
"It's a Soul Bone."
Lan Yu's voice could hardly contain his joy.
Xiao Wu murmured to herself, "A thousand-year Soul Beast... Can Soul Bones really drop that easily?"
Who knew? Man Faced Demon Spiders could drop Eight Spider Lances, after all. Why couldn't his Purple Scale Qi Flood Dragon?
That's right, Eight Spider Lances!
Lan Yu's eyes lit up, but when he looked up and saw that dusk had fallen, he pushed the thought aside.
The Star Dou Great Forest was vast, and Man Faced Demon Spiders were hard to find.
He could only wait until the time was right and try his luck again. Even if the Eight Spider Lances didn't suit him, they'd be good for Xiao Wu or Tang Shan.
"Lan Yu, what's your Soul Bone called?"
"Purple Gold Qi Claw Bone!"
Xiao Wu pondered this, then looked at the darkening sky. "Let's go, Lan Yu. It's getting dark, and Xiao Shan and Auntie are waiting for us."
With that, Xiao Wu leaped into the Titan Giant Ape's palm.
"Okay."
Riding around on the Titan Giant Ape—their very own car—no clueless Soul Beast dared approach.
In less than half a stick of incense, they were back where they'd started.
Ah Yin was sitting by the campfire with Tang Shan. When she sensed the tremor of the ground, she hurried to her feet and looked toward the sound.
"Brother!"
Tang Shan spotted Lan Yu in the giant ape's palm, and her eyes immediately lit up. She took off running toward him.
Lan Yu smiled and opened his arms, ready for the girl to throw herself into his embrace. But Tang Shan came to a sudden stop right in front of him.
She fought down the excitement in her heart, then circled Lan Yu with wide, watery eyes. Her little hands kept gently feeling his arms and back, as if checking him for something.
"Xiao Shan, what are you...?"
"Brother, don't move. I'm checking to see if you're hurt." Tang Shan held his arm and spoke with utmost seriousness.
"You have to feel me up to check? Hey, where are you touching?"
By the time she'd finished checking him, Tang Shan's cheeks were bright red. She stood in front of Lan Yu and held out her little hand, her voice soft and sweet. "Hold me."
The fire was blazing pretty brightly. It had turned Xiao Shan's face all red.
With a sigh of admiration, Lan Yu smiled and drew her into his arms. The girl clung to him like an octopus. He gave her a little bounce and chuckled. "Xiao Shan feels a little heavier."
As he spoke, he raised his hand and gently patted the girl's bottom.
"Mmm... Hmph..."
"What was that sound?" Lan Yu turned to look, but from his angle, all he could see was the girl's fair nape.
"Why are you trembling? Are you cold?" Lan Yu asked, feeling the girl shiver in his arms.
Stupid brother... Tang Shan rested her chin on Lan Yu's shoulder and pressed hard into the soft flesh there.
Her whole face burned red, and her breathing grew quick and uneven. She could only press her pink lips tightly together, not daring to make another sound.
While Lan Yu stood there in a daze, Ah Yin walked up and gently brushed his cheek with her hand. A faintly amused smile played at her lips as she leaned down and spoke softly. "Xiao Yu, Mom was so worried about you. You know that, right?"
Feeling her touch on his face, Lan Yu stiffened at once and obediently nodded.
Ah Yin was delighted by how well-behaved he looked.
"Lan Yu, what's your First Soul Skill?" Xiao Wu, who hadn't said a word until now, asked curiously. She'd wanted to ask him all along.
Under the curious gazes of the others, Lan Yu entered Martial Soul Possession.
At that moment, the purple Soul Ring rose beneath his feet as well.
"First Soul Skill, Dragon Strike Claw!"
As soon as Lan Yu spoke, both his hands transformed into dragon claws. He swung them forward, sending two sharp blades of air whistling out. They cut a tree clean in half.
"This is my First Soul Skill, Dragon Strike Claw. When I use it, half-meter-long dragon claws form at my fingertips, covered in sharp blades. At close range, they can easily tear through the protective Soul Power of someone at the same level.
"I can also release blades of air to attack from mid-to-long range, within twenty meters."
"A thousand-year Soul Ring!"
"What a powerful Soul Skill!"