Chapter Ten: The Perfect First Spirit Ring! An Unexpected Surprise! A Golden Lion Mastiff External Spirit Bone?

The Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff was knocked to the ground by a strike of Lu Yu’s elbow. Just as it prepared to rise and counterattack, it found that Lu Yu had already retreated more than ten meters. Before it could give chase, it felt an intense threat looming from above. Looking up, it saw a massive palm crashing down!

"BOOM!!!"

The earth shuddered, and the trees in the forest swayed violently. Over ten meters away, Lu Yu stood atop a tree, his face pale. He had poured eighty percent of his mental energy into that "Giant Spirit Palm Talisman," reinforcing it with every ounce of Qi in his body. He was effectively at his limit; if the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff survived this, he would have no choice but to retreat.

As the dust settled, the ground where the massive palm had landed was shattered, leaving a crater nearly a meter deep and covering a radius of six or seven meters. In the center of the imprint lay the bloodied carcass of the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff. Lu Yu remained tense, staring fixedly at the beast. It was only when a dark yellow ring of light slowly rose from the body that he finally let out a sigh of relief.

Success!

Lu Yu did not rush to absorb the soul ring. Instead, he sat cross-legged to recover his strength. An hour later, he opened his eyes. He knew that if a soul ring were not absorbed within two hours, it would dissipate; that was exactly why he had prioritized his recovery. Although he hadn't been injured in the fight, the depletion of his physical stamina, Qi, and mental energy had been severe. However, thanks to the "Triple Inverse Life" technique and the mental cultivation of the "Heavenly Seal Scripture," his recovery rate was exceptionally fast. By now, he was back at his peak, with seventy percent of his mental energy restored.

Jumping down from the tree, Lu Yu approached the carcass and squinted at the dark yellow soul ring. Dark yellow! It was worthy of a soul beast with a superior bloodline! He wondered what special properties this ring might hold. Putting aside his thoughts, he sat down and used his Qi to beckon the ring. It drifted toward him, expanding until it encircled his entire body.

Half an hour later, Lu Yu opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them. He had succeeded!

"I'm glad my mental energy is strong. I never expected that a soul ring from a mere century-level beast would carry a soul shock!" Lu Yu felt fortunate to have been cautious, choosing to recover before attempting the absorption. Had anyone else tried, a soul master below the rank of Soul Sect would likely have been unable to withstand that level of mental impact.

Lu Yu slowly rose and clenched his fist, feeling the soul power flowing within him, and a smile spread across his face. Seventeen levels! By absorbing his first soul ring, he had broken through his bottleneck and converted all his internal Qi into soul power, catapulting him directly to the seventeenth level. Of course, the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff played its part; the ring alone provided a boost of nearly two levels, and his continuous cultivation of "Triple Inverse Life" had created a surge of accumulated Qi that now erupted into growth.

"The bottleneck of the Triple Inverse Life has been broken! The Golden Light Curse has also progressed! Before I obtain my second soul ring, I will bring the first stage of the Triple Inverse Life to perfection, reach the minor success stage of the Golden Light Curse, and master the basics of the Lightning Method! By then, the limit for my second soul ring will be at least two thousand years!"

Lu Yu was extremely satisfied with this trip to the Soul Hunting Forest. However, his gaze suddenly sharpened.

"Did I see that wrong?" he muttered. He had caught a glimpse of a flash of light from the Lion Mastiff’s right front paw, though it had vanished in an instant. He stepped forward and, lacking a sharp weapon, simply hammered his fist down, smashing the flesh of the paw into a pulp. The bones within, however, were incredibly hard, causing his arm to go numb.

"Hiss..." Lu Yu gasped in pain, but his eyes lit up with excitement. A soul bone! It was actually a soul bone! And what’s more... looking at the crystal-clear, black-gold palm bone, his mouth curled into a grin. An external soul bone! What a windfall!

Without hesitation, Lu Yu took the bone, held it in his right hand, and sat down to guide it with his soul power. Half an hour later, he opened his eyes and shook his right hand, muttering, "What a domineering external soul bone." During the fusion, he had felt as if the bones in his hand were being crushed inch by inch—the pain was immense, followed by waves of intense itching. Fortunately, it did not last long.

He extended his right hand and slowly made a fist. A black-gold radiance flickered, and a black claw-gauntlet, outlined with dark golden patterns, encased his right hand.

"BANG!"

He punched a thick tree nearby. He used no soul power, no Golden Light Curse, just raw physical strength. Yet, the tree instantly exploded into a spray of wood shards. Strength! Pure, physical strength amplification! Under the gauntlet, the strength of his right hand had tripled! Most importantly, this wasn't just an auxiliary skill of the external soul bone; it was merely its basic passive amplification.

"Let me test the soul bone skill." Lu Yu clenched his fist, the gauntlet trembled, and a ring of golden light condensed around his hand. Within the ring, black runes danced, radiating an ancient and overbearing aura.

"Domineering Domain?" A flicker of surprise crossed his face, but he immediately noticed something odd. The ring was far too small, covering only his hand. How could a domain be so small?

With a thought, Lu Yu threw a punch. The golden ring vibrated, and the black runes flashed. As his fist moved, the air distorted, and a phantom of a lion's head with a ghostly face roared outward!

"BOOM!!!"

The phantom slammed into the ground nearby, causing an explosion of dust and debris. When the smoke cleared, a massive crater had been blown into the earth, with cracks spreading in every direction! The power of this strike was not inferior to the Giant Spirit Palm Talisman!

"This is..." Lu Yu’s eyes brightened as he understood the effect of the external soul bone. It was indeed a domain, but it was solidified into the soul bone itself. The domain only manifested when he used his soul bone skill, channeling its power into his attack to unleash devastating force. Although he hadn't obtained a full-fledged domain, he was more than content. One had to remember, this was merely a century-level external soul bone! Yet, whether it was the triple strength boost or the powerful bone skill, it was in no way inferior to a ten-thousand-year-level soul bone!

Most importantly, a soul master could only fuse six soul bones—head, torso, and limbs. An external soul bone, however, did not occupy any of these slots. Even though it was a right palm bone, it would not hinder him from fusing a right arm bone in the future.

"Let me try the skill from my first soul ring..." Lu Yu calmed his emotions, relaxed his hand, and the gauntlet dissipated. He then focused his mind, and his martial soul, the Fantian Seal, materialized. Looking at the seal before him, Lu Yu couldn't help but be stunned...