External Soul Bone

"Roar—"

The phantom Ice Dragon behind Lin Ye suddenly swelled.

Its jaws opened wide!

A torrent of ice-blue Dragon Breath poured out.

The breath carried overwhelming draconic might and bitter cold; the air froze inch by inch in its wake.

The Ice-Spike Dragon took the full brunt of it.

A layer of ice crystals formed over its scales in an instant.

This was Ice Dragon Breath, an innate ability Lin Ye had possessed since awakening his Martial Soul.

Except...

Outsiders liked to call Ice Dragon Breath a Self-Created Soul Skill.

Lin Ye could not be bothered to explain anymore.

"Roar—"

The Ice-Spike Dragon threw back its head and roared.

The next instant.

Its four thick claws shattered the ice beneath them as it charged straight into the Ice Dragon Breath.

Though the Ice-Spike Dragon had cultivated for thirty thousand years, the pressure of the powerful Ice Dragon King Bloodline slowed it noticeably.

Lin Ye seized the chance to leap back, narrowly avoiding its claws.

Just then.

Shui Bing'er attacked from the side.

She hoped to help Lin Ye kill the Ice-Spike Dragon, repaying him for helping her obtain her Fourth Soul Ring.

"First Soul Skill—Ice Seal!"

Shui Bing'er formed a block of solid ice around the Ice-Spike Dragon's head, but it shattered the very next second.

She frowned slightly.

The Ice-Spike Dragon was too strong.

Her ice restraint had almost no effect on this thirty-thousand-year Soul Beast.

Even so...

Her Soul Skill made the Ice-Spike Dragon hesitate for a split second.

Lin Ye seized that lightning-fast opening and drove the Ice Soul Dragon-Slaying Sword into its back. Using his momentum, he scraped dozens of dragon scales from its body.

"Roar—"

The Ice-Spike Dragon thrashed in pain, sweeping its thick tail toward Lin Ye.

At the last possible moment.

A dazzling ice-blue light flared beneath Lin Ye's feet.

As the ring of light spread, it hurled him dozens of meters away to safety.

That ring was Shui Bing'er's Third Soul Skill—Repelling Ice Ring.

"Well, well..."

"What a perfect match!"

Shui Yue'er could not help exclaiming at the sight.

The two worked together so seamlessly in battle that not even a stitch showed.

Their understanding of each other even surpassed the one she shared with Shui Bing'er when using their Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

No wonder the family had spared no effort to arrange this marriage.

"Fourth Soul Skill—Ice Phoenix Heart-Piercing Strike!"

Icy Soul Power burst from Shui Bing'er's palm, and the phantom Ice Phoenix behind her grew more solid.

She tapped a fingertip forward.

With a cry to the heavens, the Ice Phoenix became a dazzling streak of ice-blue light and dove at the Ice-Spike Dragon.

"Everyone."

"Attack together!"

At the Soul Emperor's order, the group rushed in to pile on.

Well...

He could see it clearly.

Lin Ye and Shui Bing'er complemented each other in battle, but they would struggle to kill the Ice-Spike Dragon alone.

Besides...

Even if those two could kill it, the rest of them had to get a kick in.

Otherwise, they would look useless.

Everyone surged forward.

Within minutes, the Ice-Spike Dragon, which had been baring its fangs and brandishing its claws moments ago, was down to its last breath.

"Everyone... thanks!"

After a few polite words, Lin Ye killed the Ice-Spike Dragon with a palm strike.

Then.

He sat down to absorb its Soul Ring.

Shui Bing'er came over and asked, "Are you sure you'll be all right?"

This was a thirty-thousand-year Soul Ring!

The accepted wisdom on Douluo Continent held that a Soul Master's fifth Soul Ring could not exceed twelve thousand years, or they risked bursting apart.

Lin Ye had absorbed Soul Rings beyond his level before, but this one exceeded the limit by eighteen thousand years.

Lin Ye smiled teasingly. "Worried about me?"

"I just don't want the Shui Family's three Ice-Type Herbs to go down the drain."

Shui Bing'er's expression remained calm.

Seeing that Lin Ye had not stopped absorbing the Soul Ring, she could only walk aside and stand there quietly.

"Bing'er."

"Lin Ye won't..."

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey—"

"Of course he won't!"

"You can't become a little widow right after getting married."

"..."

Shui Bing'er was already nervous, and Shui Yue'er's words only made her more agitated.

She wanted to smack Shui Yue'er again!

And Shui Yue'er was not alone.

Everyone else present also thought Lin Ye could not absorb a thirty-thousand-year Soul Ring so far beyond his level.

In fact...

They thought his body was like a balloon swelling without end, liable to burst at any moment.

Time passed, minute by minute.

The explosion everyone feared never came.

Lin Ye successfully absorbed the Ice-Spike Dragon's thirty-thousand-year Soul Ring, bringing his Soul Power to level fifty-one.

Now.

Five Soul Rings—yellow, purple, purple, black, and black—rose and fell around him.

Lin Ye's face lit up with excitement.

He realized that since marrying Shui Bing'er, his fortunes had taken a turn.

In just a few days...

He had awakened the Ice Dragon King Bloodline, broken through to Soul King, and now gained a thirty-thousand-year Soul Ring from a true dragon.

"A Soul Bone?!"

"There's a Soul Bone!"

A Shui Family member cutting up the Ice-Spike Dragon's carcass cried out in excitement.

That shout made Lin Ye realize his good luck was far from over.

After all.

A Soul Ring and Soul Bone from the same Soul Beast had closely matched attributes. Together, they could strengthen a Soul Master even more and might even resonate with each other.

Lin Ye was determined to claim the Soul Bone the Ice-Spike Dragon had yielded.

But at the same time...

Greed crept into the eyes of the other Shui Family members as they looked at the Ice-Spike Dragon.

It was a Soul Bone!

A treasure one could only encounter by chance on Douluo Continent.

A top-tier cultivation resource every Soul Master wanted.

The appearance of that Soul Bone made the air in the Frozen Forest feel colder still.

Then.

Shui Bing'er suddenly stepped forward.

"The Shui Family's ancestral rule: a Soul Bone obtained from a hunted beast belongs to whoever absorbs its Soul Ring."

"Lin Ye!"

"That Soul Bone is yours."

"Put it away, quickly!"

"..."

Lin Ye did not know whether the Shui Family truly had such a rule or Shui Bing'er had made it up on the spot.

But... he was no fool.

She was clearly helping him.

He understood, and he was grateful.

Before the others' greed could grow, he dashed to the Ice-Spike Dragon's carcass and pried the Soul Bone out without a word.

Wait... holy shit!

Lin Ye sucked in a sharp breath.

What he held was an External Soul Bone.

The family member cutting the beast's flesh must have been too excited to notice that this bone was not one of the six standard Soul Bones.

This...

He had even more reason to keep quiet.

An External Soul Bone would continue evolving as its Soul Master grew stronger. Its value far surpassed that of an ordinary Soul Bone.

Night.

Lin Ye was cultivating with his eyes closed.

Shui Bing'er suddenly slipped into the tent, her face flushed with embarrassment.

He was stunned!

For the past few days, Shui Bing'er had shared a tent with Shui Yue'er.

Had she changed her mind?

"Yue'er's tent... broke... I..."

Shui Bing'er stammered for a long while.

She meant that she wanted to share his tent for the night.

Lin Ye did not refuse.

He made room for her on half the bed.

Consider it thanks for Shui Bing'er's help in getting him the Soul Bone that day.