Several days passed…
Tian Mucheng sat on the bed and opened the box the old man had left him. Inside was a soul bone, and not just any soul bone, but an external one—the left hand bone of a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear.
When he first opened the box, he was both surprised and delighted to find it was an external soul bone. He had originally planned to absorb it after he became stronger, but now that it had a more suitable master, it was natural for his clone to absorb it.
He held the soul bone in his hand, looked at Jin Tianming who was cultivating, and asked, "Do you want to absorb this external soul bone, Tianming?"
There was one more thing to note: whether he absorbed the soul bone himself or his clone absorbed it, both would interact through the Dragon Soul. Simply put, using the Dragon Soul as a medium, the two could freely use each other's soul bones.
Upon hearing this, Jin Tianming stopped cultivating, stood up, and sat down beside Tian Mucheng. His gaze fell on the soul bone, and after a moment's thought, he said, "This soul bone happens to be of the metal element attribute, which suits me. Moreover, the soul bone's abilities will be fed back to you. I'll absorb it."
Seeing that Jin Tianming was willing to absorb it, Tian Mucheng didn't object.
After all, they were both his clones, so there was nothing to worry about. He handed the soul bone to Jin Tianming.
Jin Tianming took the soul bone, sat cross-legged, and began absorbing this external soul bone.
Tian Mucheng closed the box, sat on the bed, and watched Jin Tianming absorbing the soul bone, falling into deep thought. Who exactly killed the old man? Was it because of this soul bone, or some other reason? Perhaps only when he became stronger could he find the answer.
"Level ten."
Jin Tianming's voice interrupted Tian Mucheng's thoughts. Tian Mucheng came back to his senses and asked, "What time is it now?"
"I've been absorbing for about half an hour," Jin Tianming replied, glancing at the sun outside the window.
"I see." Tian Mucheng nodded. "Do you want to hunt soul beasts today, or in a few days?"
"Let's go and come back sooner. I'll also see if absorbing the soul ring will have any effect on your body." Jin Tianming expressed his thoughts. He had split off from his original martial soul, "Dragon Soul," and was eager to see if absorbing the soul ring would have any feedback or change on his original body.
"Let's go!" Tian Mucheng nodded in agreement. He was also curious about what changes would occur to his body after his gold elemental clone absorbed the soul ring.
Without further ado, the two immediately set off.
"Main body, your body is really weak!" Jin Tianming looked at Tian Mucheng, who was lagging far behind, and said with some disdain. How could his main body be so weak?
How was he going to find a girlfriend?
Tian Mucheng felt helpless upon hearing this. His body was indeed like that; to change it, he had to seize the power of destiny, otherwise he would always be this weak.
Although Jin Tianming complained, he still stood there waiting for him. After a few minutes, Tian Mucheng finally caught up. He supported Jin Tianming's shoulders, panting, and said, "This body is just like this, there's nothing I can do."
Hearing this, Jin Tianming squatted down and said, "Get on, I'll carry you."
Tian Mucheng didn't say much and simply sat down. And so, Jin Tianming carried Tian Mucheng on his back and began their journey.
At the outer edge of the Star Dou Great Forest, Jin Tianming carried Tian Mucheng.
Fortunately, Tian Mucheng's residence wasn't far from the Star Dou Great Forest, greatly shortening the travel time.
Jin Tianming gently put Tian Mucheng down, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "We don't seem to know the timeline of this era."
"That's right!" Tian Mucheng only remembered the timeline issue after Jin Tianming's reminder.
He had been too busy lately and had completely forgotten about such an important matter.
"After we finish hunting the soul beasts this time, let's go to Shrek City to confirm," Jin Tianming comforted him.
Tian Mucheng nodded, agreeing with Jin Tianming's suggestion. "Then let's hurry up and get going!"
The two immediately entered the Star Dou Great Forest. This time, Tian Mucheng walked in front because he had a soul ring and was stronger than Jin Tianming's clone.
"By the way, what age of soul beast do you want to absorb?" Tian Mucheng asked. He still didn't know what kind of soul ring Jin Tianming planned to absorb.
Jin Tianming thought for a moment and replied, "At least an 800-year-old or higher gold elemental or power-type soul beast."
"As for the main body, if you can't manage that, I can choose a lower-level soul ring."
Jin Tianming remembered that Tian Mucheng's soul power was only level twelve. Although he had leveled up due to his own actions, it was still too weak in his eyes.
After all, he could return to his main body if he died, but if his main body died, he would truly be finished.
Upon hearing Jin Tianming's words, Tian Mucheng walked directly behind him and said, "Let me see the strength of your external soul bone."
Jin Tianming: "..."
He was speechless at Tian Mucheng's behavior, but still stepped forward. As an avatar, protecting the main body was also a responsibility.
The two entered the forest one after the other.
The Star Dou Great Forest was the largest gathering place for soul beasts on the Douluo Continent, with a wide variety of soul beasts.
They quickly arrived at the place where Tian Mucheng had hunted the Golden Armored Ape, wanting to see if there were any other Golden Armored Apes here.
Although this kind of soul beast was of average strength, its gold element attribute was quite good.
"It seems there are no other Golden Armored Apes." Jin Tianming observed the surroundings and turned to Tian Mucheng, saying, "Should we continue to go deeper?"
"Continue." Tian Mucheng nodded without hesitation, "My body isn't that weak."
Obtaining the soul ring was the most important thing for Jin Tianming at the moment. As for what feedback he would get, he could only know after absorbing the soul ring.
He couldn't let his physical condition delay Jin Tianming's and his own development.
Body: "..."
Jin Tianming nodded and immediately summoned his external soul bone to clear the way. Tian Mucheng cautiously observed their surroundings.
The two had walked for a long time. Along the way, Jin Tianming killed several soul beasts that were over ten years old. He didn't even glance at these white soul rings; to him, only eight- or nine-hundred-year-old soul rings were worth absorbing.
"It's here!"
Jin Tianming's heart sank. Sensing the dangerous aura ahead, he immediately shielded Tian Mucheng behind him, his eyes sharply fixed on the distance.
A giant gorilla appeared before them.
"This soul beast has metal element within it." Jin Tianming's perception of metal element was extremely keen.
The aura emanating from this gorilla allowed him to detect its presence.
Tian Mucheng was startled. He hadn't expected their luck to be so good. He had previously encountered a metal element ape, and this time Jin Tianming had encountered a metal element gorilla.
This gorilla's strength should be considerable, at least stronger than his first soul ring beast.
"Can you handle this alone?" Tian Mucheng asked worriedly. If Jin Tianming couldn't manage alone, he could summon the external soul bone of the Terrorclaw Bear to assist in the battle.
"Main body, protect yourself. I'm enough on my own."
Jin Tianming possessed a powerful physique and was confident he wouldn't lose to the soul beast before him. He put away his soul bone, clenched his fist, and faced the giant gorilla.
The enormous, thick-haired gorilla, which had been standing quietly, suddenly seemed to sense Jin Tianming's hostility.
Its large, bell-like eyes widened, flashing with fury.
Then, the gorilla let out a deafening roar, as if it would shatter the entire forest.
It pounded its chest with its thick arms, producing a dull thud like the booming of war drums. With its movements, branches and leaves around it were shaken off and flew through the air. Then, the gorilla pushed off the ground with its feet, its massive body leaping high into the air, like a small mountain, and pounced on Jin Tianming.
It swung its massive, rock-like fist, accompanied by a whistling wind, and slammed it down on Jin Tianming with overwhelming force. Facing the soul beast's attack, Jin Tianming remained calm.
He clenched his fist, and a layer of golden scales gradually covered it. Then, he unleashed a powerful punch.
(End of Chapter)