External Soul Bone, Two Years

Dai Mubai did not hesitate. He sat cross-legged and guided the Soul Ring into his body.

In an instant, violent energy surged into his meridians.

Dai Mubai grunted as every bone in his body was torn apart, crushed, and reassembled by a brutal force.

He clenched his teeth, suppressing that violent power with his will as he guided his Soul Power through it again and again, refining it.

Two hours later, he finished absorbing the Soul Ring.

Feeling the surging power within him, Dai Mubai was just about to stand when a tearing pain suddenly erupted from his right hand.

The skin at the tips of his five fingers split open, and five dark-golden claws burst from his flesh. Each one was half a foot long and radiated a terrifying sharpness.

The External Soul Bone of the Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear—the Darkgolden Terrorclaw!

"Hahaha! It's finally my turn!"

Dai Mubai's heart pounded wildly. He forcibly suppressed his excitement, and with a thought, immediately retracted the five claws into his body without a sound, as if nothing had happened.

Zhao Wuji was meditating beneath a large tree and did not notice the bizarre scene.

It was not that he distrusted Zhao Wuji. It was simply that, before this trump card was fully fused, it was best not to tell anyone.

Dai Mubai slowly rose to his feet.

Hearing the movement, Zhao Wuji opened his eyes and asked, "Mubai, what's your Soul Power level now? How is your third soul skill?"

Dai Mubai gathered his thoughts and smiled faintly. "Level thirty-two. My third soul skill is 'White Tiger Darkgold Transformation.' For half an hour, it increases my attack, defense, and strength by two hundred percent, and my armor penetration by twenty percent."

"That high?" Zhao Wuji's eyes widened in disbelief.

Dai Mubai nodded and smiled without saying anything.

His true trump card, the External Soul Bone "Darkgolden Terrorclaw," could provide an additional fifty percent increase, along with another fifteen percent increase to armor penetration.

Moreover, External Soul Bones could grow.

When the time came, White Tiger Darkgold Transformation and Darkgolden Terrorclaw would stack together, bringing the total increase to his attack, defense, and strength to a terrifying level.

That was his true reliance.

Zhao Wuji inspected the corpse of the Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear. Unfortunately, it had not produced any other Soul Bones.

He also collected the edible parts of the Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear to take back to the academy.

Such a huge bear would be enough to give the teachers and students of Shrek Academy a feast for half a month.

"All right, this place isn't safe to linger in. We're returning to the academy immediately!" Zhao Wuji waved his hand.

Two years passed in the blink of an eye.

On the training grounds of Shrek Academy, two figures darted and shifted as the wind of their fists howled.

"Third soul skill, White Tiger Darkgold Transformation!"

"Second soul skill, Great Strength Vajra Palm!"

Bear paw and tiger claw collided. A deafening boom rang out as waves of air surged, kicking up the surrounding dust into a circular shock wave.

Dai Mubai's arm went numb, and the terrifying force sent him sliding backward four or five steps before he managed to steady himself.

Opposite him, Zhao Wuji also swayed slightly, taking a step back with each foot.

Zhao Wuji's eyes were filled with astonishment as he laughed heartily. "Not bad, Mubai! Right now, if I don't use my Martial Soul Avatar, your strength can actually go toe-to-toe with mine!"

Dai Mubai withdrew from his Martial Soul Possession and smiled as he cupped his hands. "That's all thanks to Teacher Zhao's gravity training these past few years!"

"Enough with the polite nonsense! Everyone has seen how hard you've worked. I've met plenty of monsters with extraordinary talent, but when it comes to fighting with everything they've got, no one can match you, boy!"

Zhao Wuji raised his hand and patted Dai Mubai's sturdy shoulder.

Ma Hongjun and Oscar, who had been watching from the side, also came over.

"That was incredible! So exciting! Boss Dai, your combat strength is way too outrageous!" Ma Hongjun exclaimed.

"Exactly! From now on, I'll be relying on Boss Dai to protect me!" Oscar also grinned mischievously.

Dai Mubai raised his right palm. "You two are itching for a beating, aren't you? Come on. I'll spar with both of you next."

As soon as Ma Hongjun heard that, he hurriedly waved his hands and retreated. "No, no, no! Spare me! I took one of your palms this morning, and my bones are about to fall apart!"

"All right, all right. Training ends here for today. Go do whatever you're supposed to do." Zhao Wuji waved his massive hand.

As soon as he finished speaking, he was already walking toward the teaching building.

Dai Mubai and the other two also stopped fooling around and walked side by side toward the cafeteria.

Two years had passed, and Dai Mubai was now fifteen years old. He stood one meter eighty-five tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His already handsome features now carried several more traces of manliness.

Two months earlier, he had successfully broken through the bottleneck of level forty.

Flender and Zhao Wuji had personally taken him deep into the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for his fourth Soul Ring.

Dai Mubai ultimately chose a nine-thousand-year Vajra Tiger.

The Vajra Tiger was already a top-tier tiger-type Soul Beast. The original Dai Mubai's third Soul Ring had also come from a Vajra Tiger of around twelve hundred years.

Only by joining forces had Flender and Zhao Wuji managed to grievously injure this fierce tiger, whose combat strength rivaled that of a Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast, until it was on the verge of death. Dai Mubai personally ended its life.

After absorbing that deep-purple Soul Ring, Dai Mubai's Soul Power rose directly to the peak of level forty-two.

His fourth soul skill was White Tiger Vajra Break.

This soul skill brought the Vajra Tiger's strength and its metal attribute to their extreme.

When activated, it compressed all his Soul Power into his right fist, causing his attack power to surge threefold. It then unleashed a powerful linear charge that dealt enormous single-target damage, enough to effectively pierce through defensive soul skills or armor belonging to an opponent one major rank higher than himself.

Now, two months later, Dai Mubai's Soul Power had steadily risen to level forty-three, six levels higher than the original's level thirty-seven at this point in time.

Ma Hongjun and Oscar had likewise undergone astonishing transformations over these two years.

Ma Hongjun was now at the peak of level twenty-nine, only one step away from level thirty—nearly four levels higher than the original's level twenty-six at this point.

The chubby little fatty who had once been round all over had now grown taller and leaner. His shoulders were broad, most of the childishness had faded from his face, and in its place was a fierce, courageous air.

At the Soto Great Soul Arena, his title of "Evil Fire Phoenix" had gradually gained a measure of intimidating power.

As for visiting the pleasure quarter once or twice a month, it no longer had much effect on Ma Hongjun.

Oscar's improvement was also considerable. He was now level thirty-three, nearly four levels higher than the original's level twenty-nine at this point.

His third Soul Ring came from a sixteen-hundred-year Lightning Falcon, and his soul skill was "Swift Flight Sausage." Its flight speed and duration were greatly increased compared with the original "Flying Mushroom Sausage."

Dai Mubai had not deliberately pursued a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring for his fourth Soul Ring.

First, he felt that increasing the Soul Ring's age by one or two thousand years would only slightly improve his foundation. In the future, once he obtained the Icefire Yin Yang Well and received the aid of Immortal Herbs, that bit of foundation would be insignificant.

Besides, once the divine examination road opened, the age of a Soul Ring would be nothing more than a numbers game.

At present, its only use was to show off. It would also invite plenty of trouble for no reason, and might even bring death upon him.

Second, his mental strength was not yet able to withstand the soul impact accompanying a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.

The only method he knew of for increasing his mental strength was taking "Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew." But he did not have the Immortal Herb Compendium yet. Even if he were thrown into the Icefire Yin Yang Well, he would not know how to take it!

It was impossible to trap himself at level forty and waste time there just for a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.

Third, even if he had the Immortal Herb Compendium, would a Soul Elder like him venturing into the core region of Sunset Forest in search of the Icefire Yin Yang Well not simply be delivering food to the Soul Beasts?

As for Dugu Bo—an imperial prince of the Star Luo Empire approaching a royal consecrated member of the Heaven Dou Empire—would that not be an old man tired of living and looking for death?

Dare he gamble on Dugu Bo's temperament? Dai Mubai would never joke around with his own life. It was better to be cautious.

Thus, Dai Mubai had no choice but to abandon the idea of a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring for his fourth Soul Ring and choose a nine-thousand-year Soul Beast instead.