Inside the tranquil yet vast spirit sea of Qian Renxue's consciousness, Qian Renxue appeared
Her golden hair flowing behind her in loose waves. She looked around and quickly spotted two familiar presences, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm lying belly-up, and the spectral, robed figure of Electrolux, standing quietly beside a spectral pillar of light.
"How are you, two," Qian Renxue remarked as she approached them, her tone light but laced with curiosity. "The whispers were intense this time. Even I had trouble resisting."
Tianmeng groaned d, rolling over. "Those whispers? Like sticky bugs crawling through my spirit! They kept saying weird things... which made me so irritated"
Electrolux remained silent for a moment before nodding slowly. "They were indeed more intense… and unbearable as before." He folded his hands behind his back.
Qian Renxue had her eyes narrowed, before it became normal. Fast enough , before anyone caught the slight change.
' Tianmeng is so worry free? Normally he will be crawling in fear after those whispers.'
Though she kept her suspicions in her heart, Qian Renxue offered a smile and said her goodbyes. "Rest for now. I have some things to handle outside."
Returning to her body, she blinked slowly, adjusting to the physical world once more. Her muscles were still sore from the dual strain of spiritual breakthrough and absorbing the external soul bone.
After resting for a half an hour, she stepped out of the cave, as Electrolux removed the isolation barrier.
However she was immediately greeted with a shocking sight.
Just a few meters away from the clearing of trees , the towering body of a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear lay slumped on the ground, lifeless. It was at least three times the size of the mother bear from earlier. But that wasn't the most disturbing part.
Its massive head was missing.
Just a few feet away, the grotesque remains of its skull lay in a pool of dark, steaming blood. The neck stump looked brutally torn, as though wrenched apart by something even stronger than it.
Qian Renxue paused, lips parting slightly in stunned silence.
Before she could fully process the scene, she sensed a familiar presence approaching.
"You're out." Qian Daoliu's deep, aged voice came from behind, gentle and calm.
He stepped next to her, eyes crinkling with warmth as he looked at her radiant, slightly tired face.
"Very good, Renxue. You've reached level 33."
Qian Renxue smiled softly, concealing her true advancement behind a veil of disguise.
'Level 33? Hehe... If only you knew, grandfather. My actual level is now 42.'
She had been using the third soul skill of her martial soul, a skill she had named Veil of Disguise, which allowed her to disguise her aura, soul power, and even appearance.
"Grandfather," she said with a subtle gleam in her eyes, "I want to show you something."
Lifting her hands, she activated the external soul bone she had absorbed.
From each of her delicate fingers, five dark golden blade-like claws extended, glinting ominously under the sun. Each claw shimmered with a dangerous sharpness, as though hungering for battle. Their passive form made them seem like natural extensions of her body, sleek, deadly, graceful.
Qian Daoliu's eyes widened slightly. Even with all his experience, he was impressed.
"You absorbed… external soul bones?" he said in astonishment.
She nodded, clenching her fists. The claws responded fluidly, retracting with a low metallic hum.
"They're sharp enough to slice through boulders," she explained.
Qian Daoliu chuckled, a trace of pride flickering in his eyes. But he quickly turned serious.
"Renxue," he warned gently, "never show these in public unless absolutely necessary. External soul bones are extremely rare. If word spreads, you'll become the target of countless fools, who would want to snatch it."
Ghost Douluo knelt slightly and spoke with firm conviction, "I swear on my soul, I will not reveal this to anyone."
Qian Daoliu nodded approvingly.
"Good. And remember, Renxue… external soul bones have the potential to grow as your cultivation advances. This one will evolve with you."
Qian Renxue absorbed his words and nodded solemnly.
With the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear bear corpse left behind as a food source for other soul beast, the three of them set out to return to the Soul Beast Hunting Town.
---
The group finally returned to the soul beast hunting town. The bustling streets were a stark contrast to the oppressive silence of the deep forest.
They checked into a tavern, gathered at the dinner table.
As the food was laid out, Qian Renxue casually picked at a chicken drumstick, between bites, she suddenly spoke:
"Grandfather, I don't want to go back. I want to travel a bit… see more of the world."
Qian Daoliu's chopsticks paused mid-air. His gaze locked onto hers, sharp and suspicious. "What are you planning, Renxue?"
Because it was the same tantrum ' I don't want to go back.'
Memories of Winter City immediately surfaced. That day, because of her manipulation , most of the upper echelons of the city would have been killed by Fifth Worshipper, if he had not intervened.
Qian Renxue rolled her eyes, chewing slowly. "I know what you're thinking, Grandfather. But I've been following all your teachings and plans for the last few months. Isn't it natural for a young soul master to want to see the world a bit? Especially after being confined to Spirit City for so long. Do you think that's unreasonable?"
Qian Daoliu leaned back in his seat, fingers tapping the table thoughtfully.
Indeed, she had been surprisingly disciplined lately, studying , training daily without complaint. But letting her wander freely again? The memory of that fight still lingered in his mind.
He gave a deep sigh and said, "Then I suppose these old bones of mine will have to accompany you."
Qian Renxue chomped into the drumstick with a smile, pretending not to care. "Whatever you want to do."
Across the table, Ghost Douluo very deliberately kept his head lowered, chewing silently, practically blending into the background. Being caught between these two was like standing between a volcano and a lightning storm. He didn't plan to say a word unless directly asked.
---
Author Notes: There are certain inconsistencies in the behaviour of certain characters, I believe the readers can understand and the same is understood by Qian Renxue.