The sword was three feet long, made entirely of jade-green material, its blade covered in golden lightning patterns.
The instant the sword appeared, the arcs of electricity clinging to the Thunder Tiger's fur automatically shrank back. The Evil-Warding Divine Thunder within the blade was of such a high grade that it could not be compared to the lightning produced by Soul Beasts.
Its proudly touted "lightning rod" had turned to charcoal the moment it touched the Evil-Warding Divine Thunder, leaving behind a completely hairless tiger.
Han Yu pointed the tip of the sword at the Thunder Tiger's eye and plunged it in hard.
The Thunder Tiger's body shuddered violently, then completely lost its vitality.
A moment later, a pale purple Soul Ring slowly rose from the Thunder Tiger's corpse.
Han Yu sat down cross-legged beside it.
The Soul Power concentration around him rose until it was faintly visible.
He could feel the Spirit Gathering Array beneath his feet taking effect. Soul Power was gathering around him in an endless stream. With only a slight pull, he could easily absorb it into his body.
Han Yu closed his eyes and deftly drew the Soul Ring toward him.
The instant the Soul Ring descended over his head, Soul Power several times more violent than what he had experienced with the Spirit-Attracting Butterfly surged into his body, rampaging through his meridians.
It struck every part of him with reckless abandon, as if it had inherited the Thunder Tiger's will and wanted to drag Han Yu down with it.
Han Yu struggled to keep up, doing his utmost to direct the Evil-Warding Divine Thunder within him wherever it was needed. His head spun, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
Just then, a bell rang through his mind, and the dizziness vanished instantly. The Soul Calming Array he had set up without even thinking had taken effect. He immediately seized the opportunity, circulating the Soul Power in his body to resist the places the Evil-Warding Divine Thunder could not reach.
Chen Xin and Gu Rong had stayed by Han Yu's side the whole time, watching his every move closely.
When Han Yu's body began to sway just now, their hearts had leaped into their throats. They had nearly intervened and interrupted his Soul Ring absorption.
Fortunately, after a strange sound rang out, Han Yu returned to normal.
A trace of confusion appeared on Chen Xin's face as his gaze fell to the ground beneath Han Yu.
He had always thought that Han Yu's Twin Martial Souls were led by the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords. But after seeing the powerful arrays that repeatedly appeared from his Second Martial Soul, he realized he had been wrong—and badly wrong.
Could a Martial Soul that was extremely powerful have an ordinary counterpart, when the two were so highly compatible?
One second ticked by after another.
Han Yu had already endured the most difficult part of absorbing the Soul Ring.
Now, all he had to do was wait for his Soul Power to stabilize.
But just then, an unexpected change occurred!
Han Yu abruptly raised his head and clutched it with both hands. An unbearable pain struck him, making it impossible to keep the Soul Power in his body stable. The Soul Ring, which had nearly settled, began another round of assault.
It hurt so much!
That was the only thought in his mind. It felt as if his head were about to explode.
Han Yu bit down hard on his lip, his face deathly pale. Blood slid down his neck as he endured the pain with all his might. His body trembled uncontrollably, and sweat drenched him from head to toe.
At that moment, a fierce determination welled up inside him. He refused even to blink as sweat ran from his forehead into his eyes. With astonishing willpower, he bore the pain head-on, fighting like a man ready to die.
He was so close to successfully absorbing the Soul Ring. There was no way he would give up now.
Gu Rong's eyes were filled with worry. He was about to intervene and stop the process, to keep Han Yu from suffering a serious injury that might damage his foundations.
No one knew how long Han Yu could hold out. In this moment of danger, Gu Rong had to act. Even if they had been master and disciple for only a day, he couldn't stand by and let his student die before his eyes.
"Old Bone, wait." Chen Xin's expression changed as he reached out to stop Gu Rong.
"What are we waiting for? Han Yu is in too much danger right now." Gu Rong furrowed his brows, utterly perplexed, his voice urgent.
"You're always so impatient. Look at that Thunder Tiger's head."
Gu Rong followed Chen Xin's pointing finger. A hole had split open in the Thunder Tiger's head, and inside was a hollow the size of a fist.
"That's a Soul Bone." Gu Rong's voice was full of disbelief.
A Soul Bone was a priceless treasure produced when a Soul Beast died. Once absorbed by a Soul Master, it could greatly improve their physical constitution and grant them a Soul Bone Skill. If the same Soul Master absorbed both the Soul Bone and the Soul Ring, the power of the Skill granted by the Soul Ring and the Soul Bone Skill would increase further still.
As the saying went, rarity made a thing precious. The heaven-defying effects of Soul Bones meant they were incredibly rare. For a Soul Bone to form, a Soul Beast had to die harboring profound resentment, and the older the Soul Beast, the greater the chance of producing one. These two conditions combined meant that only some lucky Soul Masters ever obtained a Soul Bone.
"Something's not right. Why would absorbing a Head Soul Bone cause such a strong reaction?" Gu Rong's face clouded with worry once more as he looked at Han Yu.
"This is my first time seeing anything like it too, but it shouldn't be harmful." Chen Xin shook his head and watched Han Yu struggle on. "I can tell he doesn't want to give up. Trust him."
"Ah—!"
Han Yu abruptly opened his eyes, their gaze sharp and bright.
Several golden arcs of electricity flashed rapidly across his eyes. He saw a few falling leaves drift down at a strangely slow pace, as if everything around him had slowed.
He turned his head to look at the three people nearby.
Gu Rong and Chen Xin appeared to move slowly in his eyes, but they turned to look at him at once, meeting his gaze.
Ning Rongrong, at the back, hadn't even noticed him looking at her. Her eyes remained red-rimmed, her expression full of regret and worry.
Han Yu's mind wavered, and dizziness surged into the back of his head.
He hurriedly braced a hand against the ground and forced his heavy eyelids open, restoring the flow of time in his field of vision to normal.
"You little brat, you really are lucky. You managed to snatch your life back from the jaws of death." Gu Rong scolded him, but a gentle stream of Soul Power flowed from his hand to help regulate Han Yu's body.
Fortunately, the Evil-Warding Divine Thunder had protected Han Yu's meridians, and his body was unharmed. He was only mentally drained.
After Gu Rong examined him carefully and found no hidden problems, he finally let out a breath of relief. His tone still carried a hint of anger. "Don't push yourself like that next time. Can't you be a little more cautious?"
Han Yu answered with an utterly innocent look.
He wondered if he hadn't been cautious enough already. If that Soul Bone hadn't barged in and complicated things, he would have absorbed the Soul Ring successfully long ago without the slightest danger.
But when he thought of the incredible vision he had just gained, Han Yu felt much better. The risk had been worth it.
Chen Xin stepped forward and lightly tapped Han Yu's forehead with a finger.
Han Yu immediately felt much more at ease, and most of the heaviness in his head lifted.
Seeing the eager look in Han Yu's eyes, Chen Xin smiled and said, "I'll teach you how to use sword intent when we get back."
Han Yu nodded.
Chen Xin smiled and nodded in satisfaction, looking at Han Yu with approval.
His disciple had brought him far too many surprises today, along with strange and wondrous things he had never seen in half a lifetime.