External Soul Bone!

Unfortunately, Wood Release's regenerative power far exceeded expectations. Before the Golden-Eyed Tiger could escape through the gap...

Fresh greenery rustled out of the broken ends. Tender vine shoots grew wildly at a speed visible to the naked eye, twining together and closing the gap in the blink of an eye.

The next second, denser, tougher wooden vines darted out like nimble snakes, coiling up around the Golden-Eyed Tiger's limbs and torso.

"Roar!"

The Golden-Eyed Tiger roared, fury and defiance churning in its amber eyes as it savagely sank its sharp fangs into the wood binding its body.

Su Yu stood a short distance away, his hands rapidly forming hand seals as the pale green Soul Power swirling around his fingertips flowed into the wooden vines.

In an instant, countless inch-long spikes suddenly rose from the surfaces of the vines binding the Golden-Eyed Tiger tightly, piercing its flesh.

The spikes seemed to become connecting conduits, allowing the wooden vines to forcibly drain the Soul Power from the Golden-Eyed Tiger's body.

The Golden-Eyed Tiger could clearly feel its strength rapidly draining away, and its struggles gradually weakened.

The wooden vines grew an even richer green as they absorbed the Soul Power, their surfaces even taking on a lustrous sheen as they locked the Golden-Eyed Tiger firmly in place, unable to move.

"Cutting Technique!"

With a low shout, Su Yu shot a wooden spike from between his seal-forming hands, aiming straight for the Golden-Eyed Tiger's lower abdomen.

Though already bound by the wooden vines, the Golden-Eyed Tiger still instinctively twisted its body, trying to dodge.

But the wooden spike was too fast. With a wet squelch, it plunged deep into its flesh.

The next second, a bizarre sight unfolded-

Countless slender branches suddenly burst from the wound where the wooden spike had pierced it.

Like wildly growing roots, they rampaged through the Golden-Eyed Tiger's body, spreading outward.

The branches then burst through its back, limbs, and other parts of its body, their tips dripping with blood as they forcibly riddled the ferocious beast's body with bloody holes.

The Golden-Eyed Tiger let out a piercing howl, its massive body convulsing violently as the light rapidly faded from its eyes.

Before long, a purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring floated up from the Golden-Eyed Tiger's corpse.

The purple Soul Ring hovered above the Golden-Eyed Tiger's corpse, its faint glow illuminating the surrounding vegetation as it slowly rotated, carrying the oppressive aura unique to a Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

Hu Liena's eyes widened, her red lips slightly parted and remaining that way for a long time.

She had never imagined that a Thousand-Year Soul Beast could be dispatched so swiftly and cleanly.

"This... that was way too fast..."

She murmured softly, the lingering shock still audible in her voice.

So Brother Su Yu had just been playing along with her all these days? She had barely helped at all, and the Thousand-Year Soul Beast was already dealt with?

"Brother Su Yu! You've been playing around with me all these days! You can already kill a Thousand-Year Soul Beast by yourself!"

As she spoke, her cheeks puffed out slightly, but there was no real anger in her eyes. Instead, they held some frustration at being "underestimated," along with a barely perceptible trace of relief.

Without Brother Su Yu, they might have failed this trial!

Su Yu stepped forward and patted Hu Liena's head. "All right. Without that technique just now, I couldn't have beaten this Thousand-Year Soul Beast either."

"I'm not very proficient with that technique. I didn't expect to pull it off in the heat of the moment!"

"All right, let's go take a look at this Golden-Eyed Tiger!"

Su Yu and Hu Liena walked toward the Golden-Eyed Tiger's corpse. Su Yu was still selecting usable parts when Hu Liena's voice caught his attention.

"Brother Su Yu! What's this?"

Su Yu walked over and crouched beside Hu Liena, looking in the direction she pointed.

The third, vertical eye on the Golden-Eyed Tiger's forehead was giving off a faint purple glow.

Even in death, the light had not faded. Instead, it exuded a strange pull.

"This is..."

Su Yu's brows furrowed slightly. He reached out to touch it, but Hu Liena gently caught his hand.

"Be careful, Brother Su Yu. Its light is so strange."

There was a hint of wariness in Hu Liena's voice, her fingers unconsciously tightening around Su Yu's sleeve.

Su Yu steadied himself, drew a short knife from his waist, and carefully parted the fur on the Golden-Eyed Tiger's forehead.

The third eye was larger than an ordinary beast's eye, its pupil vertical. Purple light slowly swirled within it, as though it contained some kind of energy.

He gently tapped the vertical eye with the back of his knife, but its glow did not diminish in the slightest.

Hu Liena leaned a little closer, the tip of her nose almost touching the Golden-Eyed Tiger's cold fur. Her tone carried a measure of worry nurtured by novels:

"Brother Su Yu, do you think... it might refuse to die like this and really turn into an undead monster?"

"I read in a storybook last time that some particularly vicious Soul Beasts can turn into even stronger monsters if their resentment lingers after death..."

Su Yu curled a finger and rapped her forehead, neither too lightly nor too hard, producing a soft thunk.

"Ow-"

Hu Liena covered her forehead and stepped back half a pace, glaring at him plaintively. There was no real anger in her eyes, though; instead, she looked a little petulant:

"Brother Su Yu! You knocked on my head again!"

"That's to make you read fewer of those ridiculous storybooks." Su Yu withdrew his hand, though a faint smile lingered at the corners of his mouth.

"As if corpses turn into monsters that often! If you dare stay up late reading those made-up stories again, next time it won't just be a knock on your forehead!"

"I'll burn that copy of Soul Beast Secrets you've hidden under your pillow tomorrow."

"No, no, no!"

Hu Liena immediately grabbed his sleeve and shook it, her voice as sweet as if it had been steeped in honey.

"I'll stop reading it, okay? I promise I'll go to bed early, get up early every day, and double my cultivation!"

"You're the best, Brother Su Yu. Just let me keep it~"

She tilted her head up to look at him, her eyelashes fluttering, looking just like a little beast begging for food.

Her tugging wore down Su Yu's temper, and he sighed helplessly:

"Just this once. If I catch you secretly reading under the covers again, I won't let you off."

Hu Liena's eyes immediately curved into smiling crescents. She released his sleeve and bounced back to the tiger's corpse.

She carefully poked the faintly glowing fur and muttered:

"Then what exactly is this? Surely it can't really be some kind of treasure?"

Watching her, Su Yu felt a little helpless too. He crouched down and said:

"I told you to read more Soul Beast encyclopedias, but you keep reading those storybooks. This should be an External Soul Bone!"

"An External Soul Bone?"

"I told you to read more books, but you insisted on feeding pigs instead. You don't even know what an External Soul Bone is. If Teacher were here, she would definitely punish you!"

"Oh, Brother Su Yu! My dear brother, just tell me! What is an External Soul Bone?"

Unable to fend off her pestering, Su Yu lightly brushed a fingertip over the tip of her nose, a helpless smile in his eyes:

"An External Soul Bone is the most unusual kind of Soul Bone. Let me quiz you: how many body locations are there for Soul Bones?"

"Hey! I know this one!" She immediately straightened her back and counted on her fingers.

"The head, the four limbs, and the torso. Six locations in total!"

After speaking, she proudly tipped up her chin, like a little fox that had answered a question correctly.

Looking into her sparkling eyes, Su Yu could not help laughing:

"At least you didn't read those books for nothing."