NOVEL WEB Chapter 56: Something is Wrong
After scanning the surroundings carefully to ensure safety, it lowered its body and began to lick at the honeycomb on the ground. Initially, it remained somewhat vigilant, its eyes occasionally darting around, with its back and limbs kept tense, ready to react swiftly and flee at the first sign of danger.
But under the temptation of the delicious honey, its vigilance was soon forgotten.
In the end, it lay directly on the ground, ravenously devouring the honeycomb.
All of this was observed in precise detail by Su Luoheng and his master, Ran Yuming, from the shadows.
This was the perfect moment to strike!
"Teacher, leave it to me!" Su Luoheng, concealed in the shadows, had eyes gleaming with eagerness. His slender right hand was already gripping the sword hilt tightly.
"Go ahead, don't hold back. I'll cover you," Ran Yuming nodded slightly, signaling that the time had come.
With his teacher's approval, Su Luoheng no longer hesitated. He leapt out of the shadows, channeling his soul power into his sword, and instantly slashed out a fierce sword strike!
It was a thunderous blow from the moment he made his move.
By the time the Golden-red Bear sensed the approaching danger, the sharp sword aura was already right before its eyes.
Still in the posture of eating, the bear seemed somewhat confused. But at the moment it sensed imminent danger, its body instinctively reacted, dodging the fatal blow.
Though it avoided death, a chunk of flesh was still sliced off from its left shoulder.
Instantly, bright red blood gushed out.
"ROAR—"
The golden-red bear let out a painful howl, its massive body twisting and trembling violently.
Its furious gaze turned towards the direction of the attack. Upon seeing that the attacker was a mere human, its rage quickly transformed into astonishment and confusion. It had never imagined that such a small and frail soul master would dare to provoke, let alone injure, its body!
Being challenged by someone so weak only made it angrier!
At that moment, the golden-red bear was utterly enraged. It stood up with a jolt, letting out a roar toward the sky, its eyes blazing with fury as it fixed its deadly gaze on Su Luoheng. It would not be satisfied until it crushed this intruder into pieces!
"ROAR—"
The bear's furious roar shook the air.
It then lumbered forward, its thick and heavy legs pounding the ground as it charged toward Su Luoheng with murderous intent. Its massive body shook the earth, raising clouds of dust as it charged, the momentum overwhelming.
However, Su Luoheng was unfazed. Beneath his calm expression, a cold glint flashed in his eyes. Every move the bear made had been within his expectations.
"Boom!"
The bear's sharp, clawed paw cut through the air, as though ripping it apart, creating a dark red ripple.
"Whoosh!"
At that critical moment, Su Luoheng's lithe figure darted around like a ghost, vanishing right before the bear's eyes.
The bear struck nothing but empty air, and in its rage, it pounded its chest in frustration.
Taking advantage of this brief opening, Su Luoheng pressed the attack, his sword sweeping across and slashing through the bear's thick fur. Against a Grade-3 Soul Tool, even the bear's thick hide was as fragile as paper.
"Slash!"
Blood sprayed everywhere, and the golden-red bear howled in pain.
Su Luoheng raised his sword again, sending another burst of blood flying.
"Arghh…"
The bear let out another anguished wail.
"Boom—"
Su Luoheng pursued relentlessly.
By this point, the golden-red bear had lost all its imposing presence. It had no strength left to resist Su Luoheng's attacks.
It wasn't long before a final, pained cry marked the fall of the bear. With a thunderous crash, its massive body collapsed to the ground.
Blood gushed out, soaking the earth in a deep crimson.
At this moment, the golden-red bear was barely clinging to life, with no ability left to fight back.
"Phew! Finally done!"
Su Luoheng exhaled a breath of relief, a smile appearing on his face.
After nearly a month of effort, they had finally hunted down the right soul beast. The journey had not been easy…
But now, the second soul ring was within his reach!
Hearing the soft rustling of footsteps behind him, Su Luoheng turned around with a sense of awareness. Ran Yuming was walking toward him, a gentle and kindly smile on his face.
"Teacher."
"Well done. Finish off this soul beast." Ran Yuming nodded in approval. He had thought he might need to step in, but it seemed there was no need after all.
"Yes."
Su Luoheng nodded in response.
After a brief adjustment, the sword came down.
With a soft "pfft," the blade pierced through the neck, causing blood to spurt out, and with it, the last breath of the golden-red bear was drawn.
Immediately after, a deep yellow light began to condense above the bear's corpse.
Just as the soul ring was about to form, the glowing circle suddenly halted. At the same time, a final burst of light shot out from the bear's body, merging into the ring.
This unexpected surge disrupted the balance of the forming soul ring, causing it to tremble violently.
As Su Luoheng stood there in confusion, unsure of what was happening, the deep yellow ring abruptly stopped shaking. Suddenly, a hint of purple light appeared and swiftly spread throughout the entire soul ring. Within moments, the ring solidified and continued to form.
In no time at all, the soul ring had fully condensed.
But the previously deep yellow hundred-year soul ring was gone, replaced by a faintly purple thousand-year soul ring!
"..."
"A... a thousand years?"
Su Luoheng stood there dumbfounded, his clear eyes filled with nothing but bewilderment.
He had no idea what had just happened. The soul ring, which had been moments away from becoming a hundred-year ring, had suddenly transformed into a thousand-year ring. What was going on? Where was his second soul ring? This was unheard of!
Even Ran Yuming, watching from the side, furrowed his brows. He had never seen a soul ring change color before.
"..."
His gaze shifted toward the fallen body of the golden-red bear.
The fur of a golden-red bear changes color as its strength increases. At the thousand-year level, its dark red fur turns crimson, and at the ten-thousand-year level, it becomes golden.
While the exact age of this bear was unclear, its fur was still dark red, meaning it was definitely under a thousand years old. By all logic, it should have produced a hundred-year soul ring...
Thinking about this, Ran Yuming frowned deeply, unable to find an explanation.
"What exactly happened..."
Ran Yuming muttered under his breath as he carefully examined the bear's body.
Just then, his gaze froze, as if he had discovered something.
"Hmm?"
He crouched down, pulled out a strand of fur from the bear's neck, and rubbed it between his fingers to remove the blood. He then observed it closely.
Though faint, the fur was indeed red.
But why…
With his brows still furrowed, Ran Yuming stood up. As his eyes casually swept over the remnants of the honeycomb on the ground, he suddenly stopped, his mind struck by a flash of inspiration. A possible explanation surfaced in his thoughts.