"Congratulations. You're now a true soul master." Lin Yang smiled and offered his congratulations.
"Haha." Zhao Bufan clapped Lin Yang on the shoulder, sounding much closer than before.
"It's all thanks to you blocking the wolf, Brother Lin."
"Don't worry. We're brothers now. I'll definitely help you find the most suitable soul ring."
The sudden surge of familiarity—so different from before—made Lin Yang raise an eyebrow, though inwardly he felt nothing.
Just then, the impatient Zhao Zhuo pushed himself upright. The burns on his arm were still ugly to see.
He turned to Zhao Bufan, his voice brooking no refusal.
"Bufan, since you've got your soul ring, it's time you handed me that hunting token you promised."
Without a word, Zhao Bufan pulled the token from his chest and tossed it to Zhao Zhuo, a falsely considerate look on his face.
"Uncle, your injuries are serious. You should hurry out and get treatment. You don't have to worry about the rest."
A glint flashed deep in Lin Yang's eyes as he watched out of the corner of his eye.
Since absorbing the soul ring, his dorm-mate's attitude had spun a full one-eighty. It was as if he'd become a completely different person.
He'd readily handed over the hunting token—and seemed eager to send Zhao Zhuo away.
And all because he'd just become a soul master?
Or was it because…
Lin Yang's gaze drifted, seemingly idly, to the Blazing Azure Wolf's corpse.
With a thought, he opened his Transparent World.
The scene before his eyes shifted dramatically.
The wolf's body turned translucent. Fur, muscle, blood, and bone presented themselves layer by layer.
In its foreleg, a palm-sized piece of bone radiated a faint pulse.
Under the Transparent World, that tiny pulse shone like a candle in the dark—glaring and bright.
"So that's how it is." Lin Yang understood at once.
"A soul bone really did drop."
He was even a little surprised. Maybe Zhao Bufan was the real protagonist here.
His very first soul-beast hunt had yielded a rare soul bone.
It might only be a hundred-year soul bone, but a soul bone was a soul bone—its value was beyond measure.
No wonder Zhao Bufan was so eager to get rid of Zhao Zhuo.
Wealth stirred the heart. How much more so for something like a soul bone?
Weighing the token in his hand, Zhao Zhuo snorted coldly.
"That's more like it."
But instead of leaving as Zhao Bufan had hoped, he walked straight toward the Blazing Azure Wolf's corpse.
Zhao Bufan's pupils contracted. He stepped sideways without thinking, blocking the way, his voice taut.
"Uncle, what are you doing?"
Lin Yang sighed inwardly. Still too young.
Was there any clearer way to tell someone that something was off with the body?
Especially when that someone was an old hand in the soul master world.
Sure enough, Zhao Zhuo narrowed his eyes, suspicion gleaming.
"Bufan, I did risk my life for this beast. I should be allowed to sell the corpse for a little coin, shouldn't I?"
"I…" Zhao Bufan's eyes flickered with panic. He forced himself to sound calm.
"Uncle, this is the first soul beast I've ever killed. I want to keep it as a memento."
"That so?"
A faint, mocking smile curled Zhao Zhuo's lips. A sharp light glinted in his eyes.
"Then I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. I'm taking this corpse today… Move."
His shout was harsh and loud.
Zhao Bufan's face went ashen. Gritting his teeth, he held his ground in front of the wolf.
"Uncle, don't force me."
"Haha."
Watching his nephew's overreaction, Zhao Zhuo was now certain.
His face flushed with excitement, his voice trembling.
"Is there… a soul bone in that corpse?"
The two light words "soul bone" detonated in Zhao Bufan's ears like thunder.
He had never imagined that, despite all his efforts to conceal the soul bone's presence, Zhao Zhuo would call it out so easily.
Regret pricked at him, only to be drowned out a moment later by raw fear.
The secret was out. Under no circumstances could he hand over that soul bone.
He knew full well that even if he did, Zhao Zhuo would never allow anyone else to live with that knowledge.
Soul bones were priceless. If word got out, a mere two-ring soul master like Zhao Zhuo wouldn't be able to keep it.
Only by killing witnesses could he sleep soundly.
"Spirit, possess!"
Zhao Zhuo dropped the act and roared, gray light flooding his body again.
His first and second soul rings flared at once as he lunged at Zhao Bufan with full strength.
In his eyes, only Zhao Bufan—a newly advanced one-ring soul master—posed any threat.
"Lin Yang! Help me kill him!"
At the same time, Zhao Bufan also roared, activating his Spirit. His eyes went bloodshot.
"As long as we kill Zhao Zhuo, we'll split the soul bone fifty-fifty!"
"Idiots will always be idiots."
Zhao Zhuo sneered, his attacks undiminished.
"A newly advanced one-ring soul master and a boy with no ring—just you two, and you think you can stop me?"
"Be good and leave your lives and the soul bone behind!"
Because of a single hundred-year soul bone, the two men, bound by blood as uncle and nephew, turned on each other with murderous intent.
Greed destroys.
In front of a soul bone, what difference was there between man and monster?
As the bystander, Lin Yang saw most clearly of all.
No matter which one survived, he would be the most obvious "witness" in need of silencing.
Even if he didn't care much for a mere hundred-year soul bone.
"Forget it. I'll gamble this once."
Lin Yang muttered under his breath. With a soft ring, Hizama appeared in his hand.
On the other side, Zhao Bufan had only just absorbed his soul ring. His soul power was barely level eleven, and he had almost no battle experience.
He was no match for the seasoned Zhao Zhuo.
In their very first clash, a huge force crashed into him, numbing his arms and hurling him backward.
Pfft—
A mouthful of blood burst from his lips.
He dared not hesitate, though. The yellow hundred-year ring at his feet flared brilliantly.
"First Soul Skill: Blazing Impact!"
A fireball slightly smaller than the wolf's earlier projectile roared forth like a cannon shot, screaming straight toward Zhao Zhuo.
"Petty tricks."
Zhao Zhuo scoffed. His speed spiked again, and he rolled aside in a clumsy-looking but effective dodge.
The fireball struck the ground where he'd stood, gouging out a charred pit.
Then his legs bunched. The earth cracked under the force as he sprang forward, ghost-like, appearing before Zhao Bufan in an eye-blink.
His right hand rose, claws now like a reaper's sickle, wind whistling around them as they slashed for Zhao Bufan's neck.
If that blow landed, his neck would be snapped clean in two.
"It's over—"
Despair flooded Zhao Bufan's eyes.
He could only watch as the shadow of death loomed larger and larger.
"Haha!" Zhao Zhuo laughed hideously, his twisted face like that of a demon.
In the instant his claws were about to touch Zhao Bufan's neck—
A crimson arc of flame flashed past, cutting in from the side without warning.
Zhao Zhuo's expression froze. The world spun wildly around him.
At the edge of his spinning vision, he caught a glimpse of his own headless body pitching forward.
What… was that?
With that final thought, his consciousness fell into eternal darkness.
Bang.
His head hit the dirt and rolled a few times.
His staring eyes still held a trace of disbelief.
Before the utterly stunned Zhao Bufan, Lin Yang slowly sheathed his blade, the air still carrying a faint scent of flame.
"Sun Breathing: First Form – Dance."