Chrysanthemum Douluo stared in shock at the distant dark gold giant bear, seemingly doubting his own eyes. After all, the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear, an exceptionally powerful species of Soul Beast, was incredibly rare.
In the records of Spirit Hall, none had been discovered for decades.
Chrysanthemum Douluo had never seen a living specimen before, having only read about them in the internal archives of Spirit Hall.
The Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear was one of the pinnacle races in the world of Soul Beasts.
Their strength, defense, and speed were all outstanding, leaving them with virtually no weaknesses. Their dark gold fur granted them immense defensive capabilities, but their most terrifying trait was their pair of dark gold giant claws.
Their attack power was catastrophic; even with only a few hundred years of cultivation, they could easily tear through the defenses of most thousand-year Soul Beasts. At equivalent cultivation levels, they were a match for even powerful pure-blooded True Dragons.
They existed at the very top of the food chain among all Soul Beasts.
'Such violent soul power fluctuations, such a massive physique... Rumors say that when a Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear reaches ten thousand years of cultivation, its body length reaches about 7 meters. Once it reaches one hundred thousand years, it nears 30 meters.
The bear before me must have at least eighty thousand years of cultivation—it might even be a ninety thousand-year beast. It would be difficult to defeat it with my strength alone,' Chrysanthemum Douluo thought to himself.
He glanced at the dragon formed by the Unrivaled Dragon Serpent.
"I have no idea how they managed to provoke such a beast. This is just the deep part of the Outer Region, barely touching the Mixed Zone. How could such a terrifying Soul Beast appear here?"
Suddenly, Chrysanthemum Douluo noticed Meng Yiran held within the dragon's claws.
The young girl was looking at him—a newly arrived Titled Douluo—with a face full of terror. 'They brought a young girl along. It looks like they were searching for a soul ring for her.'
'Wait! Searching for a soul ring? Could it be...?'
A thought suddenly struck Chrysanthemum Douluo.
He stared intently at the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear. Although he felt the probability was infinitesimally small, what if it were true?
Chrysanthemum Douluo released his spiritual sense to perceive every trace of life in the vicinity. As a nine-ring Titled Douluo with soul power reaching Rank 95—a Super Douluo—his mental strength was formidable even if he wasn't a spiritual-system Soul Master.
Sure enough, Chrysanthemum Douluo broke into a delighted smile.
He sensed a faint aura hidden in the forest about three hundred meters behind the giant bear, equivalent only to an ordinary ten-year Soul Beast. Normally, he would have ignored it. But now, this ten-year aura was glaringly obvious.
A battle at the Titled Douluo level had just erupted here; between the bear and the Serpent Dragon Joint Assault, most ten thousand-year Soul Beasts would be fleeing for their lives.
Currently, every beast within a thousand-meter radius was running toward the periphery to avoid the aftershocks. Yet, just a few hundred meters from the center of the battle, a creature with the aura of a ten-year beast was lingering without any sign of leaving.
It was suspicious in the extreme.
He glanced at the dragon next to him. By now, the dragon had stood back up, forming a silent united front with Chrysanthemum Douluo against the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear.
"Dragon Duke, Serpent Woman, it seems you discovered quite an excellent target this time. Unfortunately, even if this seat hadn't arrived, you likely would have returned empty-handed," Chrysanthemum Douluo said flamboyantly, gesturing with an orchid finger.
The dragon's eyes flickered.
A moment later, a vigorous, aged voice came from within: "If Chrysanthemum Douluo is interested, feel free to take it. This old man will not interfere."
With an appreciative look, Chrysanthemum Douluo nodded.
"Good. It seems Spirit Hall will owe you two a favor this time."
With that, he turned his gaze back to the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear.
His nine soul rings lit up simultaneously as his soul power erupted.
Amidst a surge of golden light and a trailing flame of soul power, Chrysanthemum Douluo took off with a boom. He soared to a height of about two hundred meters before leveling off, streaking toward the direction he had sensed.
"ROAR!"
The Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear let out a violent bellow, its voice filled with even more fury than before.
Without hesitation, it turned and ran back, its body radiating dark gold light. It used all four limbs to charge, crashing through everything in its path. Together with Chrysanthemum Douluo, they left two streaks of golden light—one in the sky and one on the ground.
'What incredible speed,' Chrysanthemum Douluo noted, looking at the golden blur below. He rapidly circulated his soul power, stimulating the source of his martial soul.
The next instant—Puff!—intense golden light erupted, enveloping Chrysanthemum Douluo until his figure vanished, leaving only a true beam of golden light flying forward at even greater speed.
"ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!"
The furious bellows of the bear echoed from behind.
Suddenly, he felt the weak aura ahead grow slightly stronger as it began to flee at high speed. Chrysanthemum Douluo's lips curled into a smirk.
"Heh, little fellow, you run quite fast."
A distance of just a few hundred meters was covered in the blink of an eye for Chrysanthemum Douluo. Soon, he clearly saw the Soul Beast he had been eyeing: it was indeed a small dark gold bear.
Of course, calling it "small" was only in comparison to the gargantuan beast from before. This cub was still in its juvenile stage for a Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear, yet its body length was already nearly three meters, with a cultivation of roughly four hundred years.
The bloodline of the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear clan was incredibly powerful. They were born with one hundred years of soul power cultivation and reached ten thousand years upon reaching adulthood.
In the early stages, their cultivation grew rapidly from cub to youth; only upon reaching the youth stage did it slow down, and it would slow again after reaching the ten thousand-year adult stage.
The cub before him was over two meters tall with a cultivation just over four hundred years.
Although its cultivation was slightly lower than the Savage Sabertooth Tiger from earlier, if the two were to fight, the bear would undoubtedly win—even if the tiger had more experience and higher rank.
Of course, the victory wouldn't be easy, as the Savage Sabertooth Tiger was also an extraordinary beast. However, for the current Ling Xiao, no Soul Beast was more suitable for a first soul ring than this young Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear.
Seeing the distance between him and the cub closing, Chrysanthemum Douluo revealed his form within the golden light. He beckoned with his right hand, and a magnificent flower manifested. It was golden-purple, and as it bloomed, it rotated slightly.
A powerful surge of soul power radiated outward.
Though it was a flower, its blooming carried the crisp ring of clashing swords—it possessed none of a flower's fragility, radiating instead a metallic, indestructible aura. This was the martial soul Chrysanthemum Douluo relied on to make his name: the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.
An anomaly among plant-system martial souls, it was born with an indestructible "Vajra Strength Body" and was suited for cultivation as a Power-Attack System.