Su Ming recalled that in later years, a girl named Xiao Xiao could have absorbed a 2,000-year Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's right paw bone. However, the ferocity of the bear proved too overwhelming, and she ultimately couldn't handle it, allowing Huo Yuhao to take it instead.
As expected, Ghost Douluo soon finished absorbing the Darkshadow Basilisk's soul bone, while Zhu Zhuqing took slightly longer due to the intense resentment lingering in the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's right paw bone. Fortunately, with Su Ming's assistance, Zhu Zhuqing successfully absorbed the bone after an hour, raising her soul power to level 52 and gaining the bear's innate soul skill—Dark Gold Dreadclaw!
Zhu Zhuqing was thrilled; this soul bone skill, combined with her fifth soul skill and her defense-piercing abilities, meant she could likely even challenge a Soul Sage.
This expedition had proven immensely fruitful.
By now, it was already midday, and Su Ming hadn't yet gathered any updates on the tournament through his wood clone. Just then, a mental message arrived from the "old monster."
"Hey, little monster, when are you getting back? We already know who your next opponent is. Though I doubt it'll be an issue, I figured I'd let you know—it's the Star Luo Royal Team!"
"This team is connected to your little girlfriend, right? Will she be able to compete?"
Through the wood clone, Su Ming responded, "Old monster, all went smoothly. We'll be back in Spirit City by evening, and we'll definitely make it in time for tomorrow's match."
Su Ming hadn't expected to face the Star Luo Royal Team so soon, but this was perfect—it would give him a chance to finally gauge Zhu Zhuyun's true intentions toward Zhu Zhuqing. Was she acting out of hidden motives, or was her behavior truly as it seemed?
"What's the matter?" Zhu Zhuqing noticed Su Ming standing still for a while.
He opened his eyes and said, "We need to hurry back. The old monster informed me that our opponent tomorrow is the Star Luo Royal Team—you'll be facing your sister."
"This time, it seems you two will finally have a reckoning," Su Ming added, watching Zhu Zhuqing.
Zhu Zhuqing was momentarily stunned; she hadn't anticipated facing the Star Luo Royal Team so soon. However, upon reflection, it made sense. The finals consisted of 33 teams, with matches every other day and one team randomly advancing each round.
In past tournaments, there was one match per day, but this year, Spirit Hall had changed the rules, claiming the extra time would allow victorious teams more recovery time.
It was already midday on the third day of the finals, meaning this was likely the round of 17. The day after tomorrow would be the round of nine, so their timing was just right. She wondered if Thunder Academy had advanced as well.
"Su Ming, how did the matches for Tianshui, Blazing Fire, and Thunder Academy turn out?" Zhu Zhuqing asked, curious.
Shaking his head, Su Ming replied, "I didn't ask about that. We'll get an update from the old monster when we return."
By early evening, guided by Ghost Douluo, they arrived in Spirit City just before dinner.
To save time, they had only snacked on dry rations stored in their soul containers throughout the day, so they were famished. Hearing they'd soon arrive, Dugu Bo had the hotel prepare a large meal, ensuring Su Ming, Zhu Zhuqing, and the others could eat while catching up.
"Old monster, we're back! Where's the food? We're starving," Su Ming called out as he arrived at the hotel and located Dugu Bo through his wood clone.
"Haha! I had it prepared ages ago. You two seem to have had a successful trip, returning in just two days. You didn't just pick any random soul ring, did you?" Dugu Bo teased.
Su Ming dismissed the joke with a wave as he grabbed a drumstick and took a few bites. "Do I look like that type? I'd rather go without than settle for a mismatched soul ring. If we didn't find the right one, I'd wait until after the tournament."
Meanwhile, Xiao Wu pulled Zhu Zhuqing to the table and whispered, "Zhuqing, how's your fifth soul ring?"
Nearby, Ning Rongrong, Dugu Yan, and the others watched with curious eyes.
Seeing their eagerness, Zhu Zhuqing explained, smiling, "My fifth soul ring is from a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear. According to Su Ming, these beasts can even threaten Titled Douluos once they reach the 10,000-year mark."
As Zhu Zhuqing recounted the encounters they'd had in the Death Valley, the others were astonished. This type of soul beast was unheard of.
Xiao Wu, meanwhile, pondered quietly. The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear was a soul beast she vaguely recalled hearing about in her childhood from Da Ming and Er Ming. When she last visited, Da Ming had speculated that her mother's death might be connected to the Bear King of the core region.
That Bear King was actually the leader of the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bears.
She hadn't realized just how powerful the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear was. Based on Su Ming's words, Da Ming and Er Ming were no match for it, even at the same level. To avenge her mother, she might need to ascend to godhood.
It was estimated that the Bear King of the Star Dou Forest had cultivated for over 300,000 years—a strength that even a level 99 Ultimate Douluo would find challenging.
When the others learned Zhu Zhuqing had obtained an external soul bone, everyone, including Dugu Bo and Xiao Wu, looked on with envy.
Among Su Ming's companions, Zhu Zhuqing seemed to be progressing fastest, being the first to gain a soul bone—an external one, at that!
Only Su Ming's trusted friends were present—Dugu Bo, Xiao Wu, and a few others—so Zhu Zhuqing spoke openly.
As for the Heaven Dou Royal Academy members, Dugu Bo hadn't informed them of their return. He knew the stakes well; these friends were Su Ming's people, while the Heaven Dou group was loyal to the academy.
Yu Feng: Gee, I guess love really is fickle.
"Ahem, alright, enough staring. Zhuqing was just lucky. Besides, don't forget that the tournament's champions get three soul bones as rewards. When we win, you'll get first pick if there's one that suits you," Su Ming said.
Everyone but Xiao Wu lit up at this prospect—who wouldn't want a soul bone?
Xiao Wu, still below level 70, couldn't absorb a soul bone yet, as she wasn't fully human in her current form.
Watching everyone enjoy themselves, Dugu Bo could hardly hide his smile.
As Su Ming finished snacking a bit, he finally asked, "Old monster, how did Thunder Academy, Blazing Fire Academy, and Tianshui Academy fare in their matches?"
Dugu Bo paused before replying, "Thunder Academy was lucky; they had a bye in the second round. Unfortunately, Blazing Fire Academy went up against the Spirit Hall team. Even with Huo Wu combining her fourth soul skill with support from two teammates, they still lost to Spirit Hall's fusion technique."
"Honestly, Spirit Hall's team is strong. Under normal circumstances, Blazing Fire Academy would have had a chance to win, but the Spirit Hall team's fusion skill is designed around illusions and can suppress an opponent's overall attributes. In the end, Blazing Fire Academy lost fairly."
Su Ming could only feel a bit of regret; he hadn't expected Blazing Fire Academy to face Spirit Hall so soon. Hu Liena and Xie Yue's fusion skill, which produced a red mist, was known to dull the five senses and suppress all attributes. Considering the difference in mental strength, Huo Wu's team would have had a hard time resisting.
And Thunder Academy was certainly lucky to have drawn a bye.
"In the first round, one of the bye teams was randomly drawn from the Heaven Dou, Star Luo, and Spirit Hall teams, with Spirit Hall receiving it," Dugu Bo added.
"Old monster, how strong is Spirit Hall's team?" Su Ming asked, curious.
Dugu Bo was silent for a moment before replying, "Among Spirit Hall's seven members, four are close to level 50, two are mid-level Soul Kings, and one is a high-level Soul Emperor."
"The two Soul Kings, Yan and Xie Yue, are at levels 55 and 56, respectively, and are quite formidable. But individually, they wouldn't match Yan Yan or Xiao Wu."
"The Soul Emperor is Hu Liena, a level 67 Soul Emperor, who's reportedly chosen by Bibi Dong as the future Holy Maiden. She's Xie Yue's sister, though her level is much higher. I suspect Bibi Dong may have given her some special assistance."
This puzzled Dugu Bo. Hu Liena and Xie Yue were siblings, yet their power gap was so vast. Did Bibi Dong somehow learn about Su Ming's group's strength and boost Hu Liena with soul bones to bring her to this level?
Bibi Dong: Who are you calling shameless!?
Even Su Ming was surprised by the Golden Generation's strength, which was far above what he remembered. Yan and Xie Yue's improvement made sense due to the butterfly effect from his presence, but they were still Soul Kings, which he could accept. However, Hu Liena being at level 67 felt excessive. It wouldn't be out of character for Bibi Dong to have given her several soul bones.
Given Bibi Dong's maternal view of Hu Liena, treating her like a second daughter, it wasn't impossible that she'd helped her advance.
Hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing looked over at Xiao Wu and the others, who nodded in agreement, confirming the information. Still, she relaxed, realizing Hu Liena was likely in her twenties and thus older. By the time she reached that age, she might be a Titled Douluo herself.
"What about Tianshui Academy? Which team did they face?" Su Ming asked.
He didn't care why Hu Liena's strength had increased so quickly; he knew she wasn't his match either way, whether it was in individual battles or fusion techniques.
Dugu Bo took a sip of wine before replying, "Tianshui Academy went up against the Godwind Academy. And those girls from Tianshui are quite strong. Feng Xiaotian, Godwind's captain, didn't stand a chance and was ultimately defeated by Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu's fusion technique."
"Only Feng Xiaotian could hold out briefly, while the rest were no match for Tianshui. Shui Bing'er's control was overwhelming. I wonder how you'd fare against them."
If things went as expected, after the Heaven Dou team faced the Star Luo team, the following round would be Heaven Dou versus Tianshui in the five-to-three round.
Su Ming shook his head, unconcerned. Tianshui Academy's fusion technique didn't threaten him much. For the others without resistance, it could be more challenging, but his enhancement could likely offset it.
However, Su Ming didn't realize that Tianshui Academy possessed not just a two-person fusion skill but also a three-person one, which was incredibly formidable.
After dinner, Su Ming returned to his room. He was tired from two days of soul beast hunting but planned to finish his journal entry before resting.
Journal Entry:
Sigh, today we finally returned from Death Valley, and the gains were fantastic. I have to say, Zhuqing has been incredibly lucky.
Both her fourth and fifth soul rings gave her soul bones, which is exceptionally rare. But that's likely due to her defeating stronger soul beasts and absorbing rings beyond her level.
This trip to Death Valley ended perfectly. I didn't expect to find a lone Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear there. It's the king of bear-type soul beasts.
If I recall correctly, Xiao Wu's mother was killed by the Bear King of this species, who currently resides in the Star Dou Forest's core Life Lake, absorbing the power of that big snake.
Zhuqing was fortunate. Not only did she gain a powerful fifth soul skill, but she also obtained the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's right paw bone—a rare external soul bone. It has two features: the soul bone skill itself and a secondary function to aid in creating soul tools.
In future eras, Huo Yuhao, the fated protagonist, used this bone's passive ability to aid his soul tool creations.
But I'm unsure if Zhuqing has any interest in making soul tools. If not, that ability won't be used.
Additionally, Zhuqing became Ghost Douluo's disciple in Death Valley. He proved himself a responsible teacher, whether by wounding the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear for her or letting her absorb the external soul bone. I truly admire him now.
Notes-Read advanced chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X, i have finished uploading the whole series in patreon, thanks for supporting me and special thanks to all the patrons for joining
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