External Soul Bone

"Is that a Soul Bone?!"

Zhu Zhuyun stared in astonishment as Jiang Li pulled a palm-sized golden Soul Bone from the Golden Dreadclaw Bear.

As the legitimate daughter of the Zhu family of the Star Luo Empire and the chosen future Crown Princess of the Star Luo Empire, someone of her status had naturally seen Soul Bones before.

But this was the first time she had personally watched someone dig a Soul Bone out of a Soul Beast's body.

The shock was no less than going to a seafood buffet with a friend and watching them find a pearl worth hundreds of thousands inside their seafood.

Moreover, judging from the Soul Bone's unusual size, it could not be a torso bone, nor could it be an arm or leg bone.

That meant this Soul Bone most likely belonged to the head, the most important part aside from the torso bone.

Or could it be an External Soul Bone, second only to the Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Bone that Soul Masters dreamed of?!!

But that was only a fleeting thought. Pushing aside her fantasies, Zhu Zhuyun asked curiously, "Is that a head bone?"

"No." Jiang Li shook his head. "This is an External Soul Bone!"

"Huh?" Zhu Zhuyun was instantly dumbfounded. She had not expected such an answer from Jiang Li.

Her gaze immediately turned blazing hot as she stared at the External Soul Bone in Jiang Li's hand.

"Want it?"

Sensing Zhu Zhuyun's burning gaze, Jiang Li tossed the Soul Bone in his hand and asked with a teasing smile.

Zhu Zhuyun's heart stirred. This was an External Soul Bone, the thing Soul Masters desired most aside from Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Bones!

The reason External Soul Bones were considered inferior to Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Bones was not because they were weak, but because Soul Masters were weak.

Once an External Soul Bone fused with a Soul Master, it became like a bone naturally grown from that Soul Master's body. Even after death, no one else could take it and fuse with it again.

Moreover, it could continue growing alongside the Soul Master it fused with. External Soul Bones were undeniably powerful.

The reason they could not compare to Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Bones was precisely because their growth depended heavily on the Soul Master.

After all, if a Soul Master obtained a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Bone, they could immediately wield the power it possessed.

Although External Soul Bones were bound to their owners and could not be stolen, for one to grow into something comparable to a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Bone, the Soul Master who fused with it would at least need to become a powerhouse at the level of a Title Douluo.

And even reaching the Title Douluo level did not guarantee that it would grow strong enough to rival a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Bone.

It was like a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Bone being an unparalleled divine weapon with its edge fully revealed, allowing its wielder to dominate the martial world at once.

An External Soul Bone, on the other hand, was a rare material for forging such a divine weapon, one that still needed its owner to slowly shape it.

Even so, that did nothing to diminish the value of an External Soul Bone.

Is he really just giving this External Soul Bone to me?

Zhu Zhuyun looked at Jiang Li with disbelief.

"I want it."

Still, she could not resist the temptation of the External Soul Bone. When Jiang Li asked whether she wanted it, she immediately nodded in accordance with her heart.

If she obtained this External Soul Bone, even if it could not grow to rival a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Bone in the future, reaching the level of fifty thousand years should not be difficult, right?

"If you want it, then..." Jiang Li waved the Soul Bone before Zhu Zhuyun. Then, just as she reached out to take it, he pulled it back. "I'm not giving it to you."

Seeing the External Soul Bone that was practically hers fly away, Zhu Zhuyun immediately grew anxious. She widened her eyes and glared at Jiang Li. "You're playing with me?"

"Yep." Jiang Li put his hands on his hips and replied righteously, "What? Not happy about it?"

"You!" Zhu Zhuyun glared furiously at Jiang Li.

Pfft!

Suddenly, Zhu Zhuqing could not hold back her laughter.

When she saw that both of them had turned their attention toward her laughter, Zhu Zhuqing immediately stopped. She lowered her head shyly and covered her face with a hand.

Zhu Zhuyun suddenly understood. No wonder Jiang Li's tone and movements had seemed so strange.

Wasn't that exactly what she had said when she teased her silly little sister Zhu Zhuqing after kissing Jiang Li earlier?

"What a petty man." Zhu Zhuyun shot Jiang Li a resentful look, then turned to Zhu Zhuqing. "Zhuqing, your man is standing up for you and venting your anger. You must be happy now, right?"

"What do you mean, my man..."

Hearing Zhu Zhuyun's words, Zhu Zhuqing buried her head even lower and muttered in a voice so soft that only she could barely hear it.

"Ah~ I only just taught you this lesson. How did you forget it so quickly, my silly little sister?"

With that, Zhu Zhuyun stepped forward, wrapped her arms around Jiang Li's arm, and pressed herself against him. Then she said teasingly, "Since you don't want him, this little man is mine now?!"

Jiang Li felt an indescribably wonderful softness press against his arm.

"You woman, how can you do this?"

After saying that, Zhu Zhuqing hurriedly grabbed Jiang Li's other arm and pressed herself against it, as though afraid he would be stolen away.

Another exquisite sensation, no less wonderful than the one Zhu Zhuyun had brought him, squeezed against his arm.

Though she was slightly inferior to Zhu Zhuyun in size, Zhu Zhuqing had youth on her side and still had room to grow. The two women each had their own merits.

"Alright, stop messing around. Let me absorb this External Soul Bone first."

Although he enjoyed the marvelous experience the two women provided, Jiang Li had not forgotten the External Soul Bone he had just taken from the Golden Dreadclaw Bear.

Without any ceremony, Jiang Li directly decided who the External Soul Bone would belong to.

For one thing, people did not fear scarcity as much as unfairness. No matter which of them received the External Soul Bone, the other would be unhappy.

For another, Jiang Li himself was truly the most suitable person to absorb this External Soul Bone.

His third Soul Ring had come from a Soul Beast of the same origin as this External Soul Bone. If he absorbed it, the Soul Bone would achieve its greatest possible growth.

Zhu Zhuyun felt somewhat depressed about this, but she did not say anything.

Because if it had been her, let alone an External Soul Bone, even if she had obtained a ten-thousand-year Soul Bone, she would not have been willing to give something so precious to someone else.

Zhu Zhuqing had even less objection. Instead, she proactively told Jiang Li, "Hurry and absorb the Soul Bone. I'll stand guard for you."

As she spoke, she glared at Zhu Zhuyun beside her, as though saying that she was the bad woman who would cause trouble.

That's more like it.

Zhu Zhuyun nodded approvingly to herself and did not argue with her. If Zhu Zhuqing had remained like before, never competing or fighting for anything, Zhu Zhuyun would have found her boring.

Jiang Li could tell that Zhu Zhuyun was merely teasing her younger sister. Still, he did not stop the two women from competing with each other. Perhaps this was some special way for the sisters to communicate their feelings?

Jiang Li lowered his gaze to the External Soul Bone in his hand.

It was a right palm bone. The entire Soul Bone was golden in color and emitted a faint golden glow.

The Golden Dreadclaw Bear was a subspecies of the Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear, but it did not possess the Behemoth Bloodline. Nor was it as balanced in attack and defense as the Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear. Nearly all of its strength was concentrated in the golden dreadclaws on its hands.

In terms of attack power, it could even rival the Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear.

The power of this right palm bone from a Golden Dreadclaw Bear was therefore self-evident.

Jiang Li took a deep breath and gathered the Soul Power within his body, wrapping it around the External Soul Bone.

Then he absorbed it into his right hand, attempting to fuse the Soul Bone with the bones in his palm.

Ten minutes, half an hour, one hour, two hours...

It was not until four hours had passed, taking even longer than absorbing a Soul Ring, that Jiang Li finally fused the External Soul Bone completely into his body.

"Whew~"

Jiang Li gently exhaled a breath of stale air and looked at his right palm, which emitted a faint golden light.

He had also received information about this External Soul Bone.

Supreme Golden Right Dreadclaw!

Aside from enhancing his palm, it also came with a Soul Skill called Golden Supreme Claw.

However, he did not test the Soul Skill. He merely told Zhu Zhuyun and Zhu Zhuqing about it.

Then he led the two women back to the Star Dou Great Forest.

He had originally only intended to absorb his third Soul Ring, but he had unexpectedly obtained an External Soul Bone, wasting so much time. Qian Renxue and Xiao Wu, who were waiting outside, were probably getting anxious.

However, when Jiang Li left the Summoning Space with the two women, he discovered that there was no sign of Xiao Wu or any Soul Beasts outside.

Only Qian Renxue sat bored on the branch of a large tree not far away.

"Why are you the only one here? Where's Xiao Wu?"