Chapter 009: Exoskeletal Dragon Ears

Gu Sheng walked briskly through the canyon, surrounded by corpses lying in various postures on the ground. As he made his way, he encountered many peculiar and bizarre positions of the fallen, which amused him. Unbeknownst to him, the number of corpses around him gradually decreased. Suian remained enveloped in a deathly silence beneath a shroud of black and gray, yet he could occasionally see the ground. Gu Sheng felt a surge of joy in his heart and quickened his pace. Unbeknownst to him, the number of corpses around him gradually decreased. Suian remained enveloped in a deathly silence beneath a shroud of black and gray, yet he could occasionally see the ground. Gu Sheng felt a surge of joy in his heart and quickened his pace

He hurried for a while and indeed escaped the dead zone; here was already a patch of clean soil. Although this soil was still shrouded in a dark gray hue, it inevitably dampened one's spirits. Gu Sheng saw something standing in the distance ahead and hurried over. When he arrived breathless before this object, he couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed; it turned out to be just three trees. In fact, they could hardly be called trees anymore; they were merely three ancient wooden stumps standing there, forming a triangular shape.

Generally speaking, mid-grade spirit beasts are already rare, and if beast cultivators can find a mid-grade fifth-tier spirit beast, they can begin their cultivation. High-grade spirit beasts are even more elusive and are quite rare in the entire realm of cultivation. This dragon-eared marten, classified by its level, should be a high-grade seventh-tier spirit beast, belonging to the upper echelon among high-grade spirit beasts, making it truly a rare find. However, unexpectedly, before it had grown and possessed any power, it was shot dead by Zhu Wuzhao with a single arrow

Gu Sheng was astonished; he quickly stood up. As soon as he stood up, he found himself outside the three trees, and could see nothing at all. After pondering for a moment, Gu Sheng stepped between the three trees, and the situation changed dramatically. To his surprise, on the originally empty ground, there was actually a suit of armor!

In fact, he does not know that the danger of the bottomless abyss does not lie at the valley's bottom, but rather within the thick layer of black clouds above the canyon. Those black clouds are the most fearsome entities in the world; no one who has entered them has ever returned alive. Even a Great Luo Golden Immortal would only find a one-way trip here. The Bone Saint, having not fallen from above but having been relocated from elsewhere, did not pass through that layer of black clouds, and thus faced no danger. The arrangements of heaven are predetermined in the dark: the bottomless abyss is incredibly perilous; if one falls to the bottom, then there is no danger to speak of. The Bone Saint, having not fallen from above but having been relocated from elsewhere, did not pass through that layer of black clouds, and thus faced no danger. The arrangements of heaven are predetermined in the dark: the bottomless abyss is incredibly perilous; if one falls to the bottom, then there is no danger to speak of.

Gu Sheng lowered his head and saw two characters written on the ground: "External Bone." This was the name of the armor. Gu Sheng smiled and reached out to take the armor down from the rack: "It seems we are indeed fated. I used to be a bone, and you are actually called External Bone. It appears your master must really like you, thinking of you as another skeleton outside his body! External Bone, hmm, very well, you shall follow me from now on. Although I am not much at the moment, once I regain my strength, you will not be embarrassed to follow me." It appears your master must really like you, thinking of you as another skeleton outside his body! External Bone, hmm, very well, you shall follow me from now on. Although I am not much at the moment, once I regain my strength, you will not be embarrassed to follow me.

Gu Sheng's emotions suddenly plummeted. He lowered his head to look at the ground, unsure of what to do. He touched the tree trunk; it was hard, and even when he pressed his fingers against it, he could not leave a mark. Gu Sheng simply lay down, his head resting perfectly between the three wooden stakes. At that moment, he saw a strange sight: something was encircled between the three wooden stakes.

This was already the third time Gu Sheng had fallen from a great height in a day, breaking countless branches and books, startling a large flock of birds. Despite this, Gu Sheng's descent did not diminish; after smashing through a thick tree trunk, he finally landed on the ground. However, this time, Gu Sheng quickly got back up—he felt an additional layer of protection within his body, an exoskeleton that had already concealed itself inside him. With its protection, Gu Sheng was unharmed after falling from such a height.

The tree stump did not know which year or month it had been buried; its bark was already in a state of decay, with only a few pieces remaining. The inner trunk was exposed, and it was quite smooth, suggesting that there had not been much rain in this area, allowing the trunk to dry well and thus remain well-preserved. Gu Sheng approached the tree stump and sat down, leaning against the trunk. He had already seen that not far behind the three stumps was the cliff, and he might never be able to leave this place.

Gu Sheng walked over, realizing that this was a simple illusion; it was invisible from the outside, but once inside, it became apparent. He wondered who would play such a joke. Gu Sheng approached the armor, which was hung on a T-shaped rack. The armor, like everything else here, was covered in a layer of black-gray, showing no signs of smoothness. This was clearly different from the treasures of the corpses; it was placed here alone. What could be the intention behind this?

He also did not know what level this armor was. Under the shroud of such dark clouds, everything here became a shade of gray and black, indistinguishable. Gu Sheng donned the armor, reached his hand from his left chest to his right rib, and shouted, "Hey!" At that moment, he felt as if he had transformed back into the formidable Lord of Leigu City, the foremost figure in the realm of magic and the art of the book.

The Bone Saint is well aware of the bottomless abyss; he has never heard of anyone coming out alive. He does not hold out much hope, but as long as there is a glimmer of opportunity, he will not give up. After all, he has survived so many ordeals, and he hopes that this time he can also pass through safely. "Bottomless abyss, you must have a bottom after all..." The Bone Saint mused, puzzled: Wasn't it said that the bottomless abyss is extremely perilous, and that no one has ever left alive? Why then is there no danger at all within this canyon?

He was indeed not mistaken. Zhu Wuzhao had finally caught up with the "wild rabbit" and was filled with immense anger. He drew his bow to the fullest and shot an arrow, piercing through the poor young creature. Just as he was feeling triumphant and preparing to feast on his "prey," an elder disciple spotted him and recognized that the wild rabbit was actually a young dragon-eared marten. Instantly, the entire Wuwei Sword Sect was in an uproar, with everyone discussing the matter.

Spirit beasts are also categorized by rank, generally divided into three grades: upper, middle, and lower. The distinctions among these grades are not always clear-cut, and they also depend on the individual’s cultivation level. It is known that a lower-grade spirit beast may not necessarily be inferior to a middle-grade spirit beast in combat. The grade merely delineates the inherent differences in their conditions. Upper-grade spirit beasts find it easiest to cultivate and provide the greatest assistance to their masters. Each grade is further divided into nine tiers, from low to high, to provide a detailed classification of spirit beast levels. Moreover, some ancient divine beasts, such as the Azure Dragon and the White Tiger, do not fall within this classification of strength; their powers are unfathomable and cannot be categorized in such a rigid manner.

With his commanding shout, the armor suddenly emitted a bright light. Under such a dark cloud, it was unexpected that a magical artifact could shine. Gu Sheng was greatly surprised as the light radiated outward, intertwining with the dark clouds. There were several loud bangs, and the dark clouds rolled ominously, accompanied by the rumbling of thunder. A rain of blood unexpectedly fell in the canyon! As the blood rain descended, the brilliance on the armor swiftly vanished. With the disappearance of the light, Gu Sheng, who had just been standing between the three trees, also vanished without a trace.

Upon hearing such news, Gu Sheng could imagine the regret in Zhu Wuzhao's heart. He immediately went to find Zhu Wuzhao, but after searching the entire Wuwei Sword Sect, he could not find a trace of Zhu Wuzhao. It was strange; where had this fellow gone?

In the realm of cultivation, there exists a specialized sect dedicated to the training of spirit beasts, known as "Beast Cultivators." They do not refine magical artifacts; however, each time they cultivate, they do so in conjunction with their spirit beasts. The spirit beasts serve as their magical artifacts, and when humans and beasts work in perfect harmony, their combined power is immensely formidable, rivaling even high-grade magical artifacts.

Gu Sheng looked around and realized it was already daytime. The environment of "landing" felt somewhat familiar to him, and after a while, he suddenly understood: he was at the edge of the cliff where he had fallen yesterday. Sure enough, as he stepped a little further out, he saw the deep chasm! Gu Sheng quickly pulled his foot back; once bitten by a snake, one is afraid of ropes for ten years, so it was better to stay away from here. He hurriedly ran towards Yan Yu Peak. Gu Sheng quickly pulled his foot back; once bitten by a snake, one is afraid of ropes for ten years, so it was better to stay away from here. He hurriedly ran towards Yan Yu Peak.

He removed his armor, mumbling to himself, and then unfastened the steel buckles on the armor, preparing to put it on. He donned the breastplate, fastening the steel buckles at the back; picked up the two arm guards and placed them on his arms; put on gloves, secured the battle skirt, and connected the hooks on the skirt to the steel rings beneath the breastplate; strapped the greaves to his calves, slipped on the battle boots; draped the battle robe over himself, and finally donned the helmet, fastening the neck guard. The entire set of armor was fully equipped on Gu Sheng.

Generally, ordinary cultivated beasts are not considered spirit beasts. Spirit beasts are a special category of beasts, often regarded as the "most gifted" among them. They possess unique abilities and are highly sensitive to the spiritual energy of the five elements, allowing them to automatically absorb this energy. This enhances both their own cultivation and that of their masters, making beast cultivators quite formidable, as they are typically very powerful. However, a good spirit beast is even harder to find, which is why beast cultivators are quite rare in the entire realm of cultivation.

The area atop Misty Rain Peak was bustling with activity, the noise making Gu Sheng, who had just returned and was still unclear about the situation, feel somewhat uneasy: "Could it be that they are causing a ruckus because of me?" His concerns were soon alleviated, as he noticed that his senior and junior disciples did not treat him with any special regard, merely greeting him casually: "Gu Sheng, did you hear? That fool Zhu Wuzhao actually shot a young dragon-eared marten with a single arrow. Don't you think that's a pity..."

"What!" Gu Sheng was greatly astonished: "Has he lost his mind? This guy has always been incredibly shrewd; how could he do something like this?" "You have no idea, he thought it was a wild rabbit and chased it for quite a while, then without hesitation, shot it dead with an arrow..." Gu Sheng's expression became exceedingly strange: Could it be that the prey he and Zhu Wuzhao desperately chased yesterday was actually a rare high-grade spirit beast, the young of the Dragon-Eared Mongoose?