External Soul Bone: Thunderclap Wings

Bibi Dong gripped her scepter tightly. Without realizing it, fine beads of sweat had appeared in her palm, yet she remained completely unaware of them.

It had been a long time—far too long since she had felt this kind of worry.

When it suddenly surfaced now, she was actually at a loss.

Suddenly, Lu Leng's furrowed brow relaxed, and his expression eased.

"Success." Bibi Dong and Chrysanthemum Douluo both let out a sigh of relief.

"Ah—"

But just as the outcome seemed decided, Lu Leng's relaxed brow suddenly tightened again, twisting into a deep knot as an even more miserable scream burst from his mouth.

Bibi Dong jumped in fright, unsure what had happened. Just as she was about to step forward, Lu Leng's body rose from the ground and floated in midair. He bent forward into an arch, while two fist-sized bulges appeared on his back.

"What's going on?" Chrysanthemum Douluo was stunned by his bizarre appearance and had no idea what was happening.

Yet the well-informed Bibi Dong suddenly calmed down instead, and a blazing light appeared in her eyes.

"Watch the surroundings and protect him!" Bibi Dong gave the order. Though Chrysanthemum Douluo did not understand why, he immediately obeyed.

At the same time, Lu Leng's agony continued. The two bulges on his back grew larger and larger, their shapes gradually sharpening, as though something was about to burst out of his body!

Bibi Dong watched intently. Suddenly, flesh and blood tore apart, and two sharp bone spikes broke through Lu Leng's back.

"Ah—"

Lu Leng let out another scream, so heartrendingly painful that it struck hard at both their hearts.

The bone spikes did not stop after emerging. Instead, they continued to grow, forming a pair of enormous bony wings in less than a minute.

The bony wings were dripping with blood and covered in scraps of flesh.

Lu Leng was enclosed within them. Then, flesh began to grow over the wings, restoring itself at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Once the bony wings were completely wrapped in flesh, black feathers began to emerge one by one. The feathers were deep black, and once fully grown, they carried faint streams of purple light.

Only then did Lu Leng finally open his eyes.

As he opened them, a streak of purple lightning seemed to flash through his gaze. His eyes were sharp as blades, and paired with his cold, arrogant expression, he carried some of the aura of the Thunderclap Extinction Swallow from before.

"How do you feel?" Bibi Dong asked.

"Refreshed!" Lu Leng answered, then examined the enormous pair of black feathered wings behind him.

"What are these?"

"This is an External Soul Bone!" The surprise in Bibi Dong's beautiful eyes deepened. "I told you how powerful External Soul Bones are. They are something every Soul Master dreams of obtaining, second only to a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring. I never expected your luck to be so good, getting one so quickly."

At this point, Chrysanthemum Douluo also stepped closer. His eyes were filled with envy as he stared at the wings. "Not only is it an External Soul Bone, it is also a rare wing-type Soul Bone. You actually obtained something with a one-in-ten-thousand chance. Now you truly have a means of preserving your life. With these wings, even if you cannot defeat someone, they will not be able to catch you."

Flight had always been the ability Soul Masters of Douluo Continent desired most.

Lu Leng had already suspected as much, but he had not dared to be sure. Only after hearing Bibi Dong's words did his heart stir.

An External Soul Bone, with a one-in-ten-thousand chance!

I actually ran into one!

But on second thought, it was perfectly normal. Tang San had gotten a Soul Bone from a thousand-year Soul Beast, while he himself had only gotten one from a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast. He was already pretty unlucky by comparison.

Soul Rings granted Soul Masters Soul Skills. Although they also enhanced a Soul Master's personal attributes to some extent, their main function lay in those Soul Skills.

Soul Bones, on the other hand, could not only provide Soul Skills but also enormously strengthen the Soul Master themself. Moreover, Soul Bones could grow, evolving as their owner's strength increased! They were truly the thing Soul Masters dreamed of most. "Feel it out. What has this External Soul Bone brought you?"

At those words, Lu Leng beat his wings and soared through the air.

The sight made Bibi Dong and Chrysanthemum Douluo feel another wave of envy.

A moment later, Lu Leng landed and, with a thought, retracted his wings.

"How is it?" Bibi Dong asked.

"It feels great. My overall attributes have improved quite a bit, and the most obvious change is my speed. Even without using the External Soul Bone, my speed surpasses that of ordinary Soul Masters. At the very least, a Soul King would not be able to catch me!"

"The other thing is that I gained another Soul Skill, Thunderous Might! Through the wings, I can draw upon the lightning in the sky and unleash a powerful thunderbolt against an enemy. Its power is affected by the environment, and it becomes even stronger in thunderstorms!"

After hearing Lu Leng's words, Bibi Dong looked astonished. "Being able to manipulate the power of lightning is an extremely rare Soul Skill. You must know that lightning is one of nature's most powerful energies, not something ordinary people can control."

Lu Leng understood.

"What do you plan to call this External Soul Bone?" Bibi Dong asked again.

"I'll call it the Thunderclap Wings!"

Bibi Dong nodded. Lu Leng was fairly good at naming things. "What is your Second Soul Skill?"

"Swallow Return Flash!" At the mention of it, a sharp gleam appeared in Lu Leng's eyes. It was clear that he was very satisfied with this Soul Skill. "It is an unexpected attack composed of two stages. The first stage uses thunderclap-like speed to rush at the enemy and deliver a fatal blow. If the enemy evades it, the second stage arrives instantly, launching a silent attack from behind at even greater speed!"

"It is like the move the Thunderclap Extinction Swallow used just now—feinting east and attacking west, catching the enemy off guard, and killing with a single blow!"

Lu Leng could not help glancing at Chrysanthemum Douluo. Even a Titled Douluo had been fooled by it, which showed just how effective this attack was! "Not bad." Bibi Dong nodded as well. This Soul Skill was extremely suited for sneak attacks and had great killing potential against enemies encountering it for the first time. However, powerful opponents would find it easy to counter the second time around.

But with Lu Leng's current speed, if he used the Second Soul Skill together with the Thunderclap Wings, even an ordinary Soul Douluo would likely be unable to react in time.

Time passed quickly. Another two months went by, and autumn was about to arrive. By then, Lu Leng's Soul Power had reached level twenty-three.

These past few days, Bibi Dong had important matters to handle and rarely came to the training grounds. Once autumn arrived, Lu Leng would enter Spirit Academy to study.

After all, Bibi Dong's energy was limited. She could teach Lu Leng combat knowledge, but she could not cover every aspect. Many matters of common knowledge still needed to be taught by the academy.

Over the past two months, Lu Leng had become proficient with the Thunderclap Wings and could use them with ease.

The only downside was that they ruined too many clothes. Every time the wings emerged, they destroyed another set.

"Huh, what are those three up to?" With nothing to do, Lu Leng sat atop a roof and unexpectedly spotted Hu Liena and the other two heading out of Spirit City.

I have nothing better to do anyway. I'll go out with them for a walk. I'm practically going stir-crazy in Spirit Hall. Bibi Dong kept a close eye on Lu Leng and almost never allowed him to step beyond Spirit Hall's gates.