Wings of Light

After absorbing the Bright Tiger King's soul ring, Zhu Rong's Soul Power Level also rose somewhat, reaching Level 14.

If his soul power had not been three times that of an ordinary soul master, then with the feedback from several uses of the power of "Redemption," along with the boost from the Bright Tiger King's soul ring, he might already have reached Level 17 or 18.

Just as Zhu Rong opened his eyes and tried to stand, a sudden change occurred!

"Ah..."

There was no warning whatsoever. Zhu Rong did not even have time to prepare.

Two bulges appeared at his shoulder blades, directly ripping through the clothes on his back.

"What is this?"

Tang Hao stood nearby, his heart tightening as he frowned.

Zhu Rong had absorbed the soul ring incredibly smoothly, which greatly pleased him.

But the absorption had already ended. Why was this happening now?

"Ah..."

Cold sweat poured from Zhu Rong as veins bulged on his forehead. The pain radiating from his shoulder blades made him cry out as he collapsed facedown on the ground.

"Hiss... Wh-what is going on? Is this the pain of absorbing a soul ring? But I obtained a soul skill, which means the absorption is already over!"

"No, this feeling... Th-this could it be an External Soul Bone?"

Zhu Rong was not a native of this world, so naturally he knew about External Soul Bones.

He had simply been in too much pain just now. The pain had overwhelmed his nerves, and he had failed to react immediately.

In the original story, after Tang San absorbed his third soul ring, his experience had been similar to Zhu Rong's current situation.

Tang San had gained the Man Faced Demon Spider's External Soul Bone. Then he...

Thinking that there was a ninety-nine percent chance this was an External Soul Bone, Zhu Rong felt as though the pain had lessened by several degrees.

After roughly two minutes, Zhu Rong, who had been lying prone on the ground, finally underwent a further change.

With a bang, the bulges at Zhu Rong's shoulder blades burst open.

A pair of pure white feathered wings emerged from within. At that moment, Zhu Rong looked remarkably like an angel who had failed at "Redemption" and fallen to the ground in tears.

The pure white wings were two meters long each. Spread open, they spanned four meters.

"Whew..."

Once the wings emerged, the agony vanished from Zhu Rong's face, and he gulped down breaths of air.

"An External Soul Bone?"

Looking at the wings on Zhu Rong's back, Tang Hao was utterly shocked as he muttered to himself.

They looked alike—far too alike! They were practically identical to the wings on the Bright Tiger King's back!

Bright Tiger King: ...

Although Tang Hao had never seen an External Soul Bone, he knew such soul bones existed.

Soul bones outside the six standard parts—the head, torso, and four limbs—were collectively known as External Soul Bones.

External Soul Bones came in countless strange forms. They could be the palms, feet, tails, or other parts of soul beasts.

Unlike the six standard soul bones, External Soul Bones possessed growth potential. The earlier a soul master fused with an External Soul Bone, the greater its potential for growth!

Of course, External Soul Bones were not something a soul master could obtain simply by wanting them, and the restrictions on fusing them were considerable as well.

When a soul master absorbed a soul ring, there was a one-in-ten-thousand chance of obtaining an External Soul Bone. It would passively fuse with the soul master during the absorption process.

Other than this method, there was no other way to obtain an External Soul Bone.

(PS: That was how it worked in Soul Land I.)

"I never expected this brat to be so lucky! But why do I keep feeling that something is off?"

Tang Hao was not idle either. He carefully observed Zhu Rong's current appearance, yet he could not shake the feeling of discomfort in his heart.

It was not jealousy. He wished for Zhu Rong to grow stronger as soon as possible; the more opportunities he received, the better.

But when Tang Hao saw Zhu Rong's appearance and sensed the aura emanating from him, he simply could not feel happy!

"The aura of an angel! So similar, far too similar!"

Zhu Rong had been fine before gaining wings. But now that he possessed the Bright Tiger King's wings, both his appearance and the aura he emitted were simply too similar to the Six-winged Angel!

Zhu Rong: ...

"Impossible! They merely resemble each other! This brat's martial soul is a tool martial soul. How could it possibly have anything to do with the Six-winged Angel?"

Tang Hao shook his head, tossing the "facts" out of his mind.

He could not let his "prejudice" against the Six-winged Angel turn into prejudice against the most outstanding junior of the sect!

"W-what happened to me?"

Zhu Rong also rose to his feet at this moment, but he could not quite control his balance and nearly fell to the ground.

The sudden appearance of a pair of wings on his back threw off his body's balance system, which was why Zhu Rong had trouble standing steadily.

"Holy shit!"

Before Tang Hao could reply, Zhu Rong's "face changed dramatically" as he "cried out in alarm."

These were not Kail's wings. Even before ranking up, Kail had possessed three pairs of wings—six wings in total.

The color was wrong as well. Judgment Heavenly God Kail's wings were gold and orange-red, as though blazing with raging flames.

Just as I expected, it's an External Soul Bone! Not bad, not bad! From now on, I can fly even without fully summoning my Martial Soul!

Zhu Rong rejoiced inwardly.

"What is this? Why did I grow wings?"

Of course, he still had to keep up appearances.

After setting aside his prejudice, Tang Hao no longer felt that strange sensation in his heart.

"This is an External Soul Bone, kid. I have to say, your luck is truly incredible!"

How could it not be?

He had just arrived at the Soul Hunting Forest and already encountered two "poachers" carrying Soul Bones.

Soul Bones x3

He casually killed a four-hundred-year-old Mandala Snake.

Soul Bones x1

And it was the rarest and most important kind—a Torso Soul Bone.

Obtaining his first soul ring was one thing when it came from a legendary divine beast, but he had also gained an External Soul Bone!

Thinking of this, Tang Hao felt sour inside. Why had he never had such luck back then?

If he had possessed such luck, would Ah Yin not have needed to...

"External Soul Bone? What is an External Soul Bone?"

Zhu Rong pretended to be clueless and asked.

After all, Tang Hao had not explained this before, so naturally, he could not have known.

"An External Soul Bone is..."

After a long while, Tang Hao finished explaining External Soul Bones and continued speaking to Zhu Rong.

"Give it a name. Once you've named it, put it away. Don't reveal it lightly. Others aren't like me—they might try to steal it from you..."

Zhu Rong: ...

Open your Soul Tool!

Yes, that dark green one!

Yes, that four-hundred-year-old Mandala Snake Torso Soul Bone!

And you say you won't steal from me!

"Since it came from the Bright Tiger King, I'll call it Wings of Light."

Zhu Rong ignored Tang Hao's final remark, curled his lips, and said.

Then, using his thoughts, he put away the Wings of Light. Tang Hao had mentioned this before, so he did not ask further.

The instant the Wings of Light were put away, Zhu Rong's aura dropped sharply—by roughly fifty percent!

Wings of Light:

Passive: When the wings are manifested, all attributes increase by 50%.

Soul Skill: Divine Descent

Divine Descent: When activated, all attributes increase by 50%. Light Attribute and Fire Attribute receive an additional 100% increase. Duration: five minutes.