External Soul Bone

Dawn did not last long; in the blink of an eye, it had passed. To those deeply asleep, it was no more than an instant.

The first rays of sunlight brought a hint of chill. The crisp morning marked the beginning of everything. Farmers had already gone into the fields, accompanied by the sounds of iron plows turning the earth and the steady patter of footsteps.

Those footsteps belonged to Fu Hua, who had risen early for morning training. She first ran around the entire small village, then gradually picked up her pace, sprinting out of the village, past Devil's Path, and all the way to Suotuo City's gates.

She went back and forth like this. She had risen at five in the morning, and now, with the sun just beginning to peek over the horizon, two full hours had passed. She dragged weights behind her, while heavy sandbags were tied to her arms and ankles.

Yet two hours of training had not left her tired in the slightest.

"Still not enough. These are already the heaviest weights I could find."

As she ran, Fu Hua's breathing remained even, without the slightest fluctuation. Not a single drop of sweat appeared on her brow. Since absorbing that Soul Ring, Fu Hua's body had become even more monstrous.

With physical defense alone, she could withstand attacks from anyone below the Soul Ancestor rank. As expected of Ashbo, the Honkai Twin Beast—unless its gauntlets were destroyed, its defense was so absurd it drove people to despair.

In this world, it could be called the pinnacle of defense. Coupled with its corrosive Honkai Energy, it was simply wishful thinking for Soul Masters to hunt it.

Shaking her head and casting aside her stray thoughts, Fu Hua continued running toward Shrek Academy.

The journey was not far. For Fu Hua, who had long since become familiar with the entire route, a round trip did not even take a quarter of an hour. Just as she was about to enter Shrek Academy, a commotion caught her attention.

On a hillside not far from Shrek Academy, two figures appeared to be discussing something. One of them was Tang San, but eight spider legs extended from his back, reflecting a cold gleam beneath the morning light.

Faint streams of light flashed past, carrying a deadly threat.

Poisonous—and highly toxic at that.

Fu Hua's eyes narrowed. The distance of one kilometer vanished in an instant, as though the scene were unfolding right before her. A light breeze brushed past her ears, carrying the two men's conversation.

"Good, Little San. Now control those spider legs and stab one of the large trees with all your strength."

At the middle-aged man's command, Tang San let out a low roar. One of the spider legs behind him shot toward a large tree nearby.

It met no resistance whatsoever. As though the tree before it were merely a sheet of thin paper, the leg pierced through with ease. But it was not over yet. A deep, ghostly radiance emerged from the already violet spider leg.

Very quickly, purple spread across the entire tree from the point where the spider leg had touched it. Leaves drifted down, only to turn into powder in midair before they reached the ground. In the blink of an eye, the entire tree vanished.

A faintly sweet fragrance seemed to linger in the air.

It was a lethal poison.

Tang San was stunned.

"Th-this is..."

The middle-aged man walked to Tang San's side, delight on his face.

"It seems I was right. Your greatest gain from this trip to the Star Dou Great Forest was not the Soul Skill from your third Soul Ring, but these spider legs—or rather, an External Soul Bone."

"An External Soul Bone?"

"All these years, I have taught you how to identify Soul Beasts and Soul Rings, as well as methods for cultivating and applying martial souls. But I have never told you much about Soul Bones. That was mainly because I never imagined you would encounter one so early. It seems that now is the time to tell you about the mysteries of Soul Bones. To explain that, we must first discuss what a Soul Bone is."

From his tone, it seemed to be a teacher instructing his student.

Fu Hua understood. That middle-aged man was Tang San's teacher, Master.

After all, she had never seen this middle-aged man within Shrek Academy. Eliminating all other possibilities, only one explanation remained.

Master had perhaps arrived at Shrek Academy while they were traveling to the Star Dou Great Forest.

Immediately afterward, Fu Hua saw Tang San retract his spider legs and listen intently to Master's instruction.

Fu Hua silently eavesdropped as well. Her Crystal Wings also seemed capable of being explained as an External Soul Bone.

"A Soul Bone is an extremely special thing. Or rather, it is the item Soul Masters dream of obtaining most. It is somewhat similar to a Soul Ring in that Soul Bones also come from Soul Beasts, but there are enormous differences between them.

"First, the chance of a Soul Bone appearing is only one in a thousand, perhaps even lower.

"Generally speaking, only exceptionally powerful Soul Beasts that experience certain special circumstances at the moment of death may leave behind a Soul Bone afterward. Unlike Soul Rings, which every Soul Beast possesses, Soul Bones are extraordinarily rare—and extraordinarily precious."

"Another difference between Soul Bones and Soul Rings is that, unlike Soul Rings, they do not require the person who killed the Soul Beast to use them. Soul Bones can even be sold after they are obtained. Do you remember? I once told you to save up as much money as possible. The purpose was so that you could purchase the Soul Bones you needed in certain special places in the future. Any Soul Bone, even the most ordinary kind, is worth an astronomical sum—and even then, they are unavailable on the market."

"Then how are Soul Bones used? Do you mean the eight spider legs on my back are eight Soul Bones?"

Master suddenly laughed.

"You are quite greedy, aren't you? Eight Soul Bones? Obtaining even one Soul Bone is already incredibly fortunate, let alone an External Soul Bone. Its value can nearly rival that of a top-tier Soul Bone. Your External Soul Bone is a spinal bone, naturally accompanied by eight ribs as well. Its function is to store all the venomous properties of the Man Faced Demon Spider you killed. After replicating its eight spider legs, it combined them with your own abilities and evolved into these eight spider legs."

"The Man Faced Demon Spider's Soul Ring combined with your martial soul, improving various aspects of your physical attributes. It also increased the toxicity of your Blue Silver Grass considerably. But that was not the Man Faced Demon Spider's own venom. Your eight spider legs are different. Not only do they possess the Man Faced Demon Spider's poison, they have even undergone a certain mutation. You saw their terrifying corrosive effect just now. What do you think would happen if that struck a human body?"

Tang San's expression changed.

"Little San, tell me: at most, how many Soul Rings can a Soul Master obtain?"

"Nine. Nine is the limit."

"Then when both sides have nine Soul Rings, and their ages are roughly similar, how do you determine who is stronger?"

"You need to look at each side's martial soul, whether one counters the other, and compare their actual combat experience. Only after considering all of that can you judge who is stronger," Tang San said slowly.

Master nodded.

"You are right. You remember what I taught you very clearly. Then I can tell you now that, when everything else is equal between two sides, if one person possesses a Soul Bone, there is no need to calculate any of the things you just mentioned. That is because the Soul Master with the Soul Bone will hold an absolute advantage."

"Ah? Soul Bones are that useful?"

Tang San was startled. This was indeed the first time he had heard of it.

"A Soul Ring grants a Soul Skill. While it also enhances a Soul Master's own attributes to some extent, its primary function ultimately lies in the Soul Skill it provides, whereas Soul Bones are the exact opposite.

"Perhaps Soul Bones do not come with skills, but the enhancement they provide to the Soul Master is immense. More importantly, the potential for growth possessed by Soul Bones is even more valuable than that of Soul Rings.

"You know that the skills granted by Soul Rings grow stronger as Soul Power increases. But you should also know that the Soul Ring's age limits that growth. Even for a Titled Douluo above rank ninety, the skill from his first Soul Ring would never grow to a sufficiently powerful level—that is the reason.

"But Soul Bones are different. They are not limited by the age of the Soul Beast that produced them. They evolve only as the Soul Master himself grows stronger. In other words, the earlier one obtains a Soul Bone, the longer it has to evolve."

"The human body has so many bones. If one could absorb that many different kinds of Soul Bones, wouldn't that allow for endless transformations..." Tang San said.

Master shook his head.

"Though the human body has many bones, they are divided into only several major parts. Therefore, generally speaking, there are only a few kinds of Soul Bones that can be absorbed: the four limbs, the head, and the torso.

"In other words, an ordinary person can absorb six Soul Bones, just as a Soul Master can absorb nine Soul Rings. The quality of a Soul Bone and its effect on a Soul Master mainly depend on how early it is absorbed and whether its attributes are compatible with one's own."

Tang San suddenly understood.

"Then this Soul Bone of mine, which came from a Man Faced Demon Spider, is undoubtedly compatible with me. It belongs to the torso type of Soul Bone, right?"

"The first part is correct. The best way to obtain a Soul Bone suited to oneself is for that Soul Bone and one of one's Soul Rings to come from the same type of Soul Beast. But your Soul Bone does not belong to the torso type. That is why I called it an External Soul Bone."

"Then what is an External Soul Bone?" Tang San asked curiously.

"External Soul Bones are a miraculous existence, a special category apart from the six major types of Soul Bones.

"If ordinary Soul Bones have a one-in-a-thousand chance of appearing from a Soul Beast, then the chance of an External Soul Bone appearing is not even one in ten thousand. Moreover, the prerequisite for absorbing an External Soul Bone is that one must first absorb the Soul Ring of the Soul Beast that dropped it.

"The torso-type Soul Bones we speak of generally refer to the sternum, but the Soul Bone you absorbed is a spinal bone. Based on my earlier observations, I can be certain that it is an External Soul Bone.

"Child, do you know that among Soul Masters, there is a ranking of the most precious things called the Soul Master's Dream List? On it, External Soul Bones have always ranked second, surpassed only by the first-ranked, nearly impossible-to-exist Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring."

"A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring? Then, Teacher, do you think Fu Hua... Oh! She's one of my classmates. Her combat strength is extraordinary, and she seems to have an External Soul Bone as well. It is also highly likely that she absorbed the Soul Ring of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast," Tang San slowly explained.

Master nodded.

"I have already heard Zhao Wuji mention this, but without seeing it myself, I cannot draw a conclusion. Her circumstances are unusual, and obtaining Soul Rings is exceptionally difficult. I will make a judgment after classes begin."

"Exceptionally difficult? Right, Teacher—are those kinds of Soul Beasts really Soul Beasts?" Tang San asked in confusion.

No matter how he looked at them, they seemed different from Soul Beasts. That sort of exoskeleton made them seem like an entirely different kind of creature.

"I understand your doubts. To be honest, I am also perplexed by that kind of Soul Beast. I have only ever seen one once, but the immense power it displayed on that occasion remains unforgettable. Furthermore, those Soul Beasts are extremely hostile toward both humans and Soul Beasts, so whenever one appears in the Star Dou Great Forest, it throws everything into turmoil."

"They appeared before as well? Then is there no way to deal with them?"

Master nodded with a grave expression.

"It is not that there is no way. It is that only one person can defeat it."

A kilometer away, as Fu Hua listened to the conversation between Master and Tang San, her expression could not help turning grave as well.

"I never expected Honkai Beasts to have appeared before. Fortunately, they only appeared one at a time and disappeared quickly. Otherwise, this continent..."

No matter what, Fu Hua could not simply ignore it. The Honkai Beast that had appeared before was likely Ashbo. She would eliminate it now and prevent future trouble.

Yet Fu Hua still could not rest at ease. She made up her mind to find a day to venture into the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest and thoroughly inspect the place. Only then could she be reassured.

At that moment, Master spoke again.

"There are also rumors that this kind of Soul Beast is one that has approached the realm of gods. By absorbing nine identical Soul Rings, it can break through into the realm of gods."

"There are even rumors like that?" Tang San was completely stunned.

What were gods? They were existences above Titled Douluo. To reach the realm of gods simply by absorbing nine identical Soul Rings—it sounded absurd no matter how one thought about it.

But Master shook his head.

"This claim may not be wrong."

"Teacher?"

"That kind of Soul Beast seems to come in different body sizes. Their strength and age cannot be judged by their size at all. Some small Soul Beasts possess incredibly powerful attacks, even stronger than Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. The only thing you must remember is this: small does not necessarily mean weak, but large definitely means strong."

"I understand, Teacher." Tang San nodded solemnly.

"No matter what, if you encounter this kind of Soul Beast in the future, you must flee. The farther away, the better."

"I understand."

As Fu Hua walked back to the dormitory, Master's words kept echoing in her mind. Every sentence made sense, yet she still felt that something was off.

He... seemed to know far too much.

Honkai Beasts should only have appeared after she arrived. Why did Master... seem as though he had known about them long ago? And every point he made was accurate.

"Could it be..."

Fu Hua stopped before the dormitory door.

If it was as she suspected, then her arrival on this continent was by no means accidental.

"No matter what, I can only wait for time to give me the answer."

She reached out and pushed open the dormitory door, only to swiftly pull her hand back and close it again.

By the movement of her lips, it seemed Fu Hua had said three words.

Sorry.

PS: Mm, I changed my avatar. Lord Fu Hua looks so cool.