Bro, Your Cover's Blown

Looking at the Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear before him, which was practically lying there dead, Yun Chen's lips twitched. He truly had no words to describe how he felt right now.

Yun Chen even began to suspect that this Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear was fake.

Why the hell was it so weak?

"Ahem, this Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear is still young, for one thing. And for another, I caught it off guard and severely wounded it in a single blow. Killing it head-on would naturally still be quite difficult, but knocking it out is much easier."

She Long's explanation was rather far-fetched, but what Yun Chen did not know was that the strike She Long had just unleashed was his strongest attack without using a soul skill.

Even then, things had nearly gone wrong. The Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear had almost used its Darkgold Dreadclaws. Otherwise, She Long would have made a fool of himself today.

Although this Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear was only four hundred years old, according to the original setting, a thousand-year Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear could fight a ten-thousand-year soul beast.

Even this four-hundred-year-old Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear should have been able to contend with soul beasts eight or nine thousand years old. There was no way a normal Soul Sage could have instantly killed a super soul beast of this caliber.

Yet Yun Chen merely looked at him calmly, as if saying, Go on, keep pretending. If you're a Soul Sage, I'll eat it.

Faced with Yun Chen's suspicious gaze, She Long felt somewhat uncomfortable as well and awkwardly changed the subject.

"Ahem, take out your dagger, aim for its eye socket, and stab straight in."

Only then did Yun Chen reluctantly let She Long off the hook and turn his attention to the unconscious Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear.

Yun Chen shifted his feet and slowly walked over to the Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear's head.

He bent down, drew the dagger at his waist, aimed at the Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear's vital eye socket, took a deep breath, then suddenly exerted force with his arm and thrust straight down.

Amid the sound of spurting blood, the unconscious Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear erupted in an unwilling roar. The tremendous soundwave nearly sent Yun Chen flying.

Fortunately, there was a "Soul Sage" expert present who could single-handedly defeat a hundred-year Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear. He used soul power to shield Yun Chen; otherwise, Yun Chen would have lost his life.

Still shaken, Yun Chen stood before the corpse. Then, above the Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear's body, a translucent yellow soul ring slowly floated into view.

The yellow was deep and pure, with what seemed like streams of dark golden light flowing within it. It looked extraordinarily exceptional.

Most notably, the soul ring seemed to contain powerful yet enticing energy fluctuations. Clearly, they belonged exclusively to the Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear.

"Sit cross-legged, focus on your dantian, guide the soul ring, and circulate your soul power."

She Long turned serious as well, standing nearby and beginning to guide Yun Chen in absorbing the soul ring.

Yun Chen immediately did as instructed. He sat cross-legged on the ground, held his breath, and concentrated. The Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff martial soul appeared behind him, like an ancient king—majestic and imposing as it looked down upon all living things.

Following the method She Long had taught him for circulating soul power, Yun Chen began to circulate it. The unique attraction emanating from his body drew the yellow soul ring over, until it drifted above his head and hovered silently.

The soul ring's power instantly flooded Yun Chen's body, and he felt as though countless streams of magma were flowing inside him.

"Ah!... Urgh! Ah!!"

The Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear's violent soul power crashed through Yun Chen's entire body in an utterly unreasonable manner, rampaging through his meridians.

Perhaps because of the Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear's rage, the soul ring's power was even more violent now—sharp and scorching.

She Long anxiously paced back and forth around Yun Chen, terror entering his eyes as he regretfully pounded a nearby tree trunk.

It's over. This is a Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear! And it's four hundred years old—enough to serve as the third soul ring for an ordinary soul master.

"What do we do?"

The intense pain made Yun Chen's body tremble uncontrollably. Fine beads of sweat had already formed on his forehead, and more terrifyingly, specks of blood had appeared across his body.

They were droplets of blood seeping from his pores.

Fuck, am I really going to die here today? I feel like my meridians are about to snap! Damn it, my whole body hurts!

"You must stay conscious! Try circulating your soul power to suppress it, then wear it down piece by piece!"

Yun Chen clenched his teeth tightly. His mouth was filled with the metallic stench of blood. The smell was foul and pungent.

Yun Chen circulated his soul power according to She Long's method. It had some effect at first, but after being counterattacked by Yun Chen, the Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear's lingering will became even more ferocious.

Damn you, Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear! This is my body, so get that through your damned head!

Sensing the Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear's resistance, Yun Chen grew even more furious. Like a madman, he mobilized every last bit of soul power within his body.

He frantically clashed with the Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear inside his own body. At the same time, an enraged roar echoed through Yun Chen's sea of consciousness. Perhaps frightened by Yun Chen's suicidal fighting style, or perhaps intimidated by that roar, the Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear's residual power slowed by several degrees.

That brief sluggishness was instantly seized by Yun Chen's soul power, which surrounded, divided, and devoured it.

Within his body, Yun Chen had not achieved an overwhelming victory, but he now held roughly a sixty-forty advantage over the Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear.

At last, Yun Chen's condition stabilized. Though he was still in extreme pain, blood was no longer seeping from his body. Of course, Yun Chen now looked more like a blood-soaked man.

What followed was a painful and prolonged tug-of-war, the ultimate test of Yun Chen's willpower.

Yun Chen felt as though time was passing as slowly as an entire century. It was even more agonizing than going to school had been. This was what it truly meant to feel every day like a year.

Finally, the violent torrent of energy within Yun Chen gradually calmed down.

It had now transformed into a vast, gentle, pure energy that slowly flowed through his meridians and merged with his soul power.

The yellow soul ring also slowly dissipated and fused into Yun Chen's body.

"It's finally over..."

When She Long uttered those words, he felt as though a huge burden had been lifted. His voice was hoarse now. While Yun Chen had been absorbing the soul ring, he had thought of many things—his deceased parents, Ci Xue, and countless others.

Now, at last, he no longer had to think.

Yun Chen's eyelashes trembled slightly, and his tightly shut eyes suddenly flew open.

Those dazzling golden pupils shone once more, looking down upon the world and all living beings.

With a thought, the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff appeared behind Yun Chen again and let out a fierce roar toward the sky.

Roar!

The jungle trembled, and every beast fled in panic.

The instant the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff fused with him, the filthy blood and sweat that had clung to Yun Chen's body were instantly vaporized by the violent power, vanishing without a trace.

A terrifying sense of strength surged through Yun Chen's limbs and bones. He lightly clenched his fists, feeling the abundant power within him.

As She Long looked at Yun Chen before him, his heart was filled with even greater emotion.

He had only just obtained his first soul ring, yet this kid already possessed such an imposing aura. What about the future? It was simply unimaginable.

"Uncle She, this soul ring suits me perfectly. Thank you."

She Long raised his left hand and waved it dismissively. With his right hand pressed over his heart, he spoke helplessly.

"Forget it. Absorbing one soul ring nearly scared me to death."

"Haha... There was nothing I could do about it. The Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear's soul ring was simply too high in quality."

Yun Chen chuckled. He understood as well that when his life had been in danger earlier, She Long must have been frantic. After all, if anything had happened to him, She Long would have borne the primary responsibility.