"Is it really dead?"
The soul beast before him had been split in two, no longer moving.
Fang Ling's eyes showed a trace of scrutiny.
Weakness Detection was fully active, but there were no longer any soul power fluctuations coming from the one-eyed giant-horned antelope.
Its blood had stopped flowing and was beginning to dry up.
Fang Ling poked it with his scythe a few times. Only when a purple soul ring emerged did he finally relax.
He didn't intend to linger here.
Just as he was about to leave, something felt off.
"But it's already dead. What could be wrong?"
"Could it be… a soul bone?"
The mere possibility made Fang Ling's heart skip a beat.
Instinctively, he used his curse blade to pry open the one-eyed giant-horned antelope, slicing it cleanly in two where it had gotten stuck.
Ignoring the gushing blood, Fang Ling took out the exquisite dagger he had obtained from the old beggar in Nuoding City and carefully dissected the body.
There was no crystal-clear energy core forming, and neither the single horn nor the eye on its head emitted any special glow.
But that wasn't the focus.
Fang Ling's gaze locked on the antelope's right front hoof.
That flowing soul power, the shining hue, and the smooth texture in his hand, it couldn't be mistaken.
This was a soul bone. A treasure second only to a hundred-thousand-year soul ring, an external soul bone that could evolve with the user!
The right leg bone of the one-eyed giant-horned antelope!
If the right hoof had one, what about the left?
Fang Ling looked at the left hoof. It was just a normal hoof, nothing special.
Only the right front hoof...
Though it wasn't from the creature's powerful horn, even this much was already a massive surprise.
This was the first thousand-year soul beast Fang Ling had killed while still only at the Grand Soul Master rank!
And it directly dropped an external soul bone.
Heaven helps those who help themselves. He truly was the chosen one.
Filled with joy, Fang Ling quickly stored away the soul bone and left.
With so much blood around, it was easy to attract other soul beasts.
He needed to find a good place to absorb the soul bone.
So for now, run first, talk later!
At night, Fang Ling hid among the canopy of a massive tree.
The branches here were dense, with no birds, spiders, or snakes in sight, an ideal place to absorb a soul bone.
He took out the dusky black right front hoof of the one-eyed giant-horned antelope and examined it under the moonlight.
Dull and unremarkable in appearance.
But the soul power swirling within it clearly told Fang Ling it was indeed an external soul bone.
"A right leg bone, huh…"
Fang Ling looked slightly entranced and flexed his right foot.
His prosthetic left leg moved slightly with it.
Then he paused, lips twitching.
Only the right leg, huh? A little ironic, was fate mocking his limp?
He chuckled at himself but still felt incredibly lucky.
Good thing it was the right foot. If it had been the left, he would've had to save it for later.
After all, that's the part he was missing, from halfway down his left leg.
Fang Ling didn't immediately begin the absorption. First, he checked the anti-snake and insect powders he'd spread around the area.
Only once everything was secured did he sit cross-legged at the center of the tree.
He took a deep breath. Sensing that he was in peak condition, he pressed the soul bone to his right foot and began channeling soul power into it.
As soul power flowed into the bone, the black glow surged.
In the blink of an eye, it melted like liquid and was absorbed.
A thin black aura enveloped his foot, gradually spreading to cover his body.
It was only a thousand-year soul bone, so the soul power fluctuations weren't strong and the glow was faint.
The dense canopy above perfectly blocked the light.
Within the black glow, Fang Ling first felt a warm surge of soul power enter his right foot.
It was like stepping into warm water, his ankle and entire foot wrapped in the energy.
At first, it was gentle, then it grew more intense.
The warmth turned to a boil.
The soul power surged explosively into every part of Fang Ling's right foot, burning hot.
It was a fierce, almost scalding heat he had never felt before.
A fiery stream surged from his foot outward, and he could feel his body being strengthened. Beads of sweat began to form all over him.
His soul power raced through his meridians, trying desperately to assist in the soul bone fusion.
His entire right foot had turned dusky black, and something inside seemed ready to burst forth.
The searing pain felt like it was roasting over flames.
His body began to tremble slightly. The black light around his right foot grew stronger, within it hid a stubborn, unwilling will.
But this was just a thousand-year external soul bone, not something like a Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear. How could it be this hard to absorb?
Fang Ling refused to believe it.
He clenched his teeth and endured.
Just when he thought his bones were going to shatter, the soul bone's power finally started to merge.
That stubborn will still resisted, but Fang Ling fought back with all he had.
His own will transformed into a scythe, clashing with the resistance, determined to sever it!
It didn't take long.
"Hiss... haah…"
His long, ragged breaths were muffled by the thick canopy above.
The stubborn will was finally subdued. The soul bone was absorbed!
Fang Ling loosened his grip on his weapon. His hands were drenched in sweat, and his right foot now felt slightly larger.
The surrounding muscles were tighter, and the meridians tougher.
The pain from the fusion was nothing. Right now, he felt like his right foot contained boundless power. His chest swelled with excitement.
He couldn't wait to summon the soul bone and unleash a kick.
Before he could even try, a sharp pain struck like needles, he let out a low growl.
A thick layer of dusky black keratin suddenly formed over his sole and toes.
It passively pulsed with intense soul power.
His expensive one-gold-soul-coin shoes were the first casualty, swelling slightly before bursting apart under the force.
He almost couldn't stop himself from kicking.
But in the end, he held back. He didn't kick or stomp.
Instead, Fang Ling decisively cut off the flow of soul power.
It was deep into the night in the dangerous Star Dou Forest, understandable to want to test the new soul bone, but better to stay cautious.
With the soul bone absorption complete, he didn't rest immediately. He began organizing his thoughts.
His eyes focused on the interface before him, where a few important changes had occurred.
First was the soul power level, which had increased after absorbing the soul ring:
20 (0%) → 21 (15%)
Gaining a level and some progress after absorbing the 700-year Bloodspike Dragonfly ring was normal in the soul master world.
The number of points needed to level up had also increased with his rank, now requiring four points.
Naturally, all available points were invested in his martial soul. Killing a thousand-year soul beast had granted him four points.
Now, his martial soul only needed four more.
As for the next two soul beasts, there was no rush.
The real focus was on the soul bone and new specialization.
First, the soul bone:
Soul Bone: 1763-year-old One-Eyed Giant-Horned Antelope Right Leg Bone (+)
There was a plus sign, but it was grayed out, no points to invest.
Then, his specializations.
After absorbing the soul bone, a new specialization had been added!
If you want to read 40 advanced chapters and 3 new chapters daily, please subscribe to my : patreon.com/Moorowkeel