In the end, the Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear and Elder Gong reached an agreement. Beast and man shook "hands," and the Terrorclaw Bear crawled out of the grassy nest. The three little ones inside could finally see daylight again, turning their innocent gazes toward Elder Gong.
"Roar-"
The Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear nudged Mu Changqing's calf with its head and let out a low rumble.
"Changqing, press your hand against its head."
At Elder Gong's words, Mu Changqing quickly reached out and pressed his hand against the Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear's furry head.
In an instant, the phantom of his Martial Soul, the Golden Dragon King, automatically appeared behind him, its dragon head raised, while his purple Soul Ring with golden patterns circled in front of him.
The Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear poured all its power into the space between its brows. The gathered power formed a purple thousand-year Soul Ring around its head as it sacrificed itself to Mu Changqing.
Mu Changqing immediately steadied his mind and circulated his Soul Power, guiding the thousand-year Soul Ring into his body. By then, the Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear had died completely, its entire body collapsing onto the dirt.
The power of this thousand-year Soul Ring surged like a flood through Mu Changqing's limbs and bones. He felt faint signs that the Golden Dragon King's third seal was beginning to break.
Mu Changqing activated his Martial Soul possession, transforming both arms into Golden Dragon Claws. His absorption of the second thousand-year Soul Ring was complete, and a mass of power flashed out of it.
Behind Mu Changqing, this mass of power slowly manifested as an avatar of a Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear, with the Tyrannosaurus avatar appearing alongside it.
Mu Changqing withdrew his Martial Soul, and the Golden Dragon King's oppressive presence dispersed in the air. He stretched his body, feeling that his strength had increased considerably again.
As his strength rose, hunger quietly arrived.
"Changqing, absorb this External Soul Bone!"
Zhang Lexuan handed Mu Changqing the Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear External Soul Bone in her palm. She was holding two little bears in her arms, while Elder Gong cradled another. The three little bears were very cute.
Without further hesitation, Mu Changqing took the Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear External Soul Bone from Zhang Lexuan. It was a dark-gold bear claw bone.
If Mu Changqing remembered correctly, Huo Yuhao and Tang Wulin both seemed to have Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear External Soul Bones. With this Soul Bone added to his Golden Dragon Claw, his ability to break through an enemy's defenses would rise another level.
Mu Changqing circulated his Soul Power, merging it into his Golden Dragon Claw. During the fusion, intense pain sent sweat pouring from his forehead onto his clothes like rain.
The Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear External Soul Bone completely fused with his Golden Dragon Claw. The Golden Dragon Claw on his right hand had become tougher and sharper.
Mu Changqing raised his left dragon claw for comparison. The difference was not particularly great, but the Golden Dragon Claw on his right hand was noticeably larger.
"Changqing, how are your second Soul Skill and Soul Bone skill?"
Elder Gong pinched the cheeks of the baby Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear in his arms as he questioned Mu Changqing.
"The Soul Skill the Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear gave me is called Dragon Blood Boiling. It mainly provides stat boosts!"
"By burning my dragon blood, I can increase allies' attack speed by 60% and movement speed by 70% within a twenty-meter radius."
"The more excited I get in battle, the more exaggerated the boosts become!"
As Mu Changqing spoke, he activated his Soul Skill. The thousand-year Soul Ring flashed over his right arm, and the Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear avatar stood behind him.
Golden-red blood Qi radiated from Mu Changqing as the blood inside him began to boil. Both Zhang Lexuan and Elder Gong could feel their attributes rising across the board.
"That's a pretty good Soul Skill! You can buff your teammates in group battles!"
"Though I feel like you could stand in the middle and thrash both sides yourself!"
Elder Gong chuckled, teasing Mu Changqing.
"This External Soul Bone has completely fused with my Golden Dragon Claw. The Soul Skill it gave me is called Golden Dragon Terrorclaw!"
"It increases both attack range and power by 20%."
As he spoke, Mu Changqing turned toward a nearby wall. He gathered a mass of power on his Golden Dragon Claw and struck it outward. It transformed into five dark-gold dragon claws that completely pulverized the wall.
The Golden Terrorclaw possessed tremendous piercing and tearing power.
"Changqing! I feel like this Soul Bone skill of yours achieves the same result through a different approach as Bei Bei's Radiant Dragon Claw!"
"But yours packs more of a punch. Now that's pure strength!"
Zhang Lexuan strode over to the pulverized wall on her long legs, sensing the ultimate power that had yet to disperse from the air.
The three dark-gold bear cubs gazed at the Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear avatar behind Mu Changqing and rumbled softly, as though calling for their mother.
"Changqing, you'll raise these three little ones from now on. That was part of my agreement with their mother!"
"All right!"
Mu Changqing gently took the three little ones from Zhang Lexuan and Elder Gong's arms. Once in his arms, the three Darkgold Terrorclaw Bears behaved themselves remarkably well.
Mu Changqing thought of Da Huang back home. Da Huang was a female bear, too, so he would let her look after the cubs.
"You and Zhang Lexuan should meet up with Dean Yan first. I'll head back later."
"All right!"
Zhang Lexuan held Mu Changqing's thick arm and headed out of the cave, their figures disappearing from within it.
Elder Gong dragged the two bears' bodies over, dug a pit, and buried them.
"Changqing, where did you get those three bears?"
Ma Xiaotao had finished absorbing her Soul Ring long ago and had been sitting nearby, listening to Yan Shaozhe's instruction. Noticing movement in the bushes some distance away, she ran over and happened to meet Mu Changqing.
Ma Xiaotao's eyes sparkled as she looked at the Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear cubs. Girls really had no resistance to cute things.
Mu Changqing stuffed two of the dark-gold bear cubs into her arms. He was a little tired after holding them for so long. The moment the two cubs entered Ma Xiaotao's arms, they began to squirm.
"Let's return to the academy!"
Yan Shaozhe did not say much or ask where Elder Gong had gone or where the Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear cubs had come from.
They had been out hunting Soul Beasts for several days, and Mu Changqing was beginning to miss Na'er. The four quickened their pace and left the Mixed Zone of the Star Dou Great Forest.
When the four reached the outskirts, Elder Gong had already been waiting there for some time. The five returned to Shrek Academy, where Zhang Lexuan went back to the Soul Tool Department, while Yan Shaozhe had matters to attend to.
Elder Gong received word that two ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts had started fighting in the beast arena and immediately hurried back.
Ma Xiaotao and Mu Changqing walked side by side, returning to their residence together. Da Huang was sprawled in the courtyard, sleeping lazily, and immediately became alert at the sound.
Seeing Mu Changqing, Da Huang eagerly trotted over. Mu Changqing set the three little ones on the ground and told them that from now on, they would be Huang Er, Huang San, and Huang Si.
Mu Changqing stroked Da Huang's head and told her to take good care of the three little ones. Da Huang nodded blankly, while Ma Xiaotao summoned her Martial Soul and flew away.
Having gone several days without bathing, Mu Changqing was filthy and stank all over. He immediately went to bathe, then stepped out the front gate and headed to Elder Zhuang's apartment.
He had not seen Na'er for several days, and it truly felt like three autumns had passed.
"Brother! Brother! You're finally back!"
"Na'er missed you so much!"
A cute, soft, and weak cry came from Elder Zhuang's courtyard.