Chapter 65: Mantis Leg External Spirit Bone
As time passed, it was not until two hours later that Tang San's expression gradually calmed down, and a purple soul ring began to form on his Blue Silver Grass.
When Tang San opened his eyes again, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.
However, before anyone could communicate with Tang San, his face suddenly twisted in excruciating pain. His soul power was completely out of control, and the skin on the palm of his right hand split open, revealing a large green sickle between his five fingers.
The sickle was about a foot long and looked very similar to the front legs of the Hurricane Mantis, especially with the jagged teeth along its edge, making it appear incredibly sharp.
Tang San's entire right arm was out of control, flailing through the air as though he were going insane.
Yang Xiong quickly shouted, "Everyone, don't get close to Tang San. Let him handle this on his own."
Zhao Wuji looked puzzled, "Yang Xiong, what is this? It looks like the front leg of the Hurricane Mantis."
Yang Xiong carefully observed Tang San before speaking with a hint of admiration, "Tang San is so lucky. This should be an external spirit bone, the external spirit bone from the front leg of the Hurricane Mantis."
Ning Rongrong immediately asked, "Little Xiong, I've heard of external spirit bones, but if it's the front leg of the Hurricane Mantis, shouldn't it be attached to the leg?"
Yang Xiong sighed, "Although insect-type soul beasts have all their limbs referred to as legs, normally their front pincers are analogous to human arms. Just like snake-type soul beasts, which don't have arms but still possess limb-like external spirit bones. However, the external spirit bone from the Hurricane Mantis's front leg might be difficult to control initially. It seems there's no record in the soul master world of such a soul bone."
At this point, Tang San was sweating profusely, and his soul power was extremely chaotic. Zhao Wuji quickly spoke to Tang San, "Tang San, you need to calm your mind. Treat the sickle in your hand as part of your body, as if it's your own bone, and try to control it slowly with your soul power."
Tang San, whose will was quite strong, gradually calmed down after Zhao Wuji's advice. His soul power slowly stabilized, and the sickle-like external spirit bone was gradually retracted into his palm.
Eventually, Tang San gasped for air and spoke, "Thank you, Teacher Zhao, and thank you, everyone. I'm fine now."
Although everyone was curious, no one pressed further. At this moment, Yang Xiong's heart was filled with shock.
The probability of an external spirit bone appearing was incredibly low, even lower than the chances of a normal soul bone. It was known that only three external spirit bones appeared in all of Douluo Academy, and even in the later generations, they remained an extremely rare existence.
What was even more extraordinary was that external spirit bones had growth potential, making them an ultimate treasure in the world of soul masters.
Yang Xiong hadn't expected that, after snatching the Eight-Spider Soul Bone, Tang San would have such good luck. Absorbing the Hurricane Mantis's soul ring actually resulted in him obtaining the external spirit bone from the front leg of the Hurricane Mantis.
Simply from an offensive standpoint, the Hurricane Mantis relied on its sharp front legs to kill enemies, making it one of the most fearsome killers in the forest.
Although the Hurricane Mantis's front legs weren't as potent as the Eight-Spider Soul Bone in terms of devouring attributes, they were more suitable for Tang San, given his past as an assassin. Their sharp characteristics were perfect for stealthy strikes, though unfortunately, mantis-type soul beasts had no poison.
What struck Yang Xiong the most was that the external spirit bone from the Hurricane Mantis's front leg looked oddly familiar, as if he had seen something like it before.
...
Just as everyone was in confusion, Zhao Wuji suddenly shouted, "Who's hiding?"
Before Zhao Wuji could take action, a pink figure walked out from the woods— it was Xiao Wu.
"Teacher Zhao, it's me, I'm Xiao Wu."
Tang San was overjoyed and quickly ran over to hug Xiao Wu. "Xiao Wu, you're alright, that's great! I thought you might not make it back."
Xiao Wu also looked extremely excited. "Brother, I thought I'd never see you again."
Tang San immediately asked, "Xiao Wu, which senior expert saved you? Did you see what he looked like?"
Xiao Wu looked puzzled. "Brother San, are you feeling dizzy? How could a senior expert have saved me?"
Everyone looked at Yang Xiong and Lin Gong with confusion.
Lin Gong then spoke up. "Little girl, I was entrusted by Yang Xiong to rescue you. But just as I was getting close to the Titan Giant Ape and you, a huge killing intent suddenly appeared. Even a voice from the air told me to leave the area. This little girl told me not to worry about her, and that she would be fine, so I came back early. Didn't this person save you?"
"If I remember correctly, this person should have appeared once at Shrek, and even fought with Zhao Wuji."
Xiao Wu's face turned pale upon hearing this. She hadn't realized that someone powerful had been observing her in secret, meaning her every move had been under surveillance. She even feared that her secret of being a 100,000-year-old transformed soul beast had been discovered.
Zhao Wuji, however, seemed unaware of Xiao Wu's change in expression and nodded. "That's right. On the night you entered the academy, I did fight with someone. That person should be a Title Douluo, and he's likely Tang San's senior."
Tang San seemed to sense something was wrong with Xiao Wu, and immediately asked, "Xiao Wu, what's wrong? Did the Titan Giant Ape hurt you? Don't worry, I'll get revenge on the Titan Giant Ape for you."
Xiao Wu swallowed and then spoke, "Brother San, I'm fine. It's just that the Star Dou Great Forest feels terrifying. I'm still a little shaken. I wasn't saved by some senior expert."
"Actually, I'm not sure what happened. The Titan Giant Ape grabbed me and ran into the forest. Not far away, I heard a roar, like a cow, coming from one direction. The Titan Giant Ape looked very nervous. It tossed me aside and then ran away."
Everyone looked at each other, unsure of what to say. It seemed like neither side was lying. Could it be that the senior expert scared the Titan Giant Ape away?
Xiao Wu continued, "Before the Titan Giant Ape ran, it let out a loud roar, and I was knocked unconscious. Even many soul beasts around me were stunned, some even spat blood and died. When I woke up, I found out I was very lucky and had reached level 30 in soul power."
"Even more fortunately, I found a thousand-year-old soul beast among the stunned ones that was very suitable for me. I just practiced a bit and made it my third soul ring."
Zhao Wuji swallowed. "Xiao Wu, so you've already become a Soul Elder? Who's older between you and Tang San?"
Xiao Wu answered, "I'm a few months younger than Tang San."
Zhao Wuji was instantly overjoyed. "Good, very good. From now on, Xiao Wu, you'll be the youngest Soul Elder in Shrek Academy's history."
Zhao Wuji then recounted everything that had happened on the journey, including how Yang Xiong and the others went to rescue Xiao Wu and how Tang San absorbed the soul ring.
After listening, Xiao Wu's expression fluctuated, and a trace of fear seemed to appear in her eyes, causing her body to tremble slightly.
Tang San quickly comforted her, "Xiao Wu, I'm already a Soul Elder now. I'll protect you with all my strength from now on. No one will hurt you again."
Xiao Wu nodded. "Brother San, I believe you."
After some communication, the group prepared to leave the Star Dou Great Forest.
However, at this moment, Tang San seemed to have thought of something. He took out several hidden weapons and handed them to Xiao Wu. "Xiao Wu, these are the hidden weapons I made. They will definitely be able to protect you in the future."
Everyone was surprised when they saw Tang San take out the Zhuge Divine Crossbow. They had seen him use it to kill the Hurricane Mantis earlier, and its power far exceeded everyone's expectations.
Especially when Tang San held the Zhuge Divine Crossbow and aimed it at a giant tree, releasing sixteen crossbow bolts, each of which embedded itself deep into the trunk.
Everyone gasped in amazement. Ordinary bows and arrows wouldn't have this kind of power, especially with a rapid-fire shot of sixteen crossbow bolts. It was almost impossible to defend against, and in terms of power, it even surpassed their soul skills.
Oscar and Ning Rongrong were extremely surprised, with Ning Rongrong looking particularly serious. "Tang San, did you make this weapon?"
Tang San nodded. "I made it after careful research. If used unexpectedly, it can even harm Soul Emperors. Anyone below the Soul Emperor rank hit directly by it will find it hard to survive."
Ning Rongrong said, "Tang San, you know I'm a support-type soul master, with no offensive or self-defense ability. Could you sell me one of these? You can name your price."
Tang San didn't hesitate. "We're all classmates. I'll give you one as a gift later."
Oscar and Ma Hongjun looked at each other in disbelief. "Tang San, are we not classmates? Aren't we good brothers?"
Tang San laughed. "Don't worry, I'll prepare one for every classmate."
Zhao Wuji, however, looked a bit serious. "Tang San, you students aren't poor. I can see that these things you made are quite complex and expensive. You should assess the price and sell them to your classmates. Otherwise, you'll be at a disadvantage. Classmates can't expect just you to bear the cost."
Tang San smiled. "Teacher Zhao, it's not a big deal. If everyone's interested, I'll try my best to equip all of you. This way, when we go out in the future, we can reduce the danger."
Tang San then walked up to Yang Xiong. "Thank you so much for your help earlier, for rescuing Xiao Wu despite the danger."
Yang Xiong just smiled. "We should help each other as classmates. Besides, I do have some means of self-defense."
...
After their conversation, the group prepared to leave the Star Dou Great Forest.
Yang Xiong walked at the back of the group, and Lin Gong looked at him with some curiosity. "Yang Xiong, I noticed the power of those hidden weapons. Haven't you ever thought about how useful they could be for you? Or for our sect?"
Yang Xiong smiled. "These things should be handled by someone like Rongrong, the young lady. I prefer to focus on training and refining my own body."
(END CHAPTER)
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