Your External Soul Bone? No, That's My Toothpick

"Found him."

The golden light in Qian Mo's eyes slowly faded, and a teasing curve lifted at the corner of the mouth.

Through the God's Perspective of [Omniscience Omnipotence], he clearly saw the sorry scene on the outskirts of the Soul Hunting Forest.

Tang San, who claimed to be "Pure and Chaste," was now like a mouse driven into a corner, repeatedly darting around the edge of a massive spider web.

"Where?" Qian Renxue leaned closer, her golden hair brushing against Qian Mo's neck and making it itch.

"The Soul Hunting Forest, northeast corner." Qian Mo pointed into the air. "About three hundred li from here."

"So far?" Qian Renxue frowned. "If we take a horse carriage, the day lilies will be cold by then."

"Who said we were taking a horse carriage?"

Qian Mo chuckled softly. The Auspicious Beast Qilin Skull at his brow grew slightly hot.

An immensely profound ripple instantly enveloped the three of them.

That was Auspicious Qi.

Under the laws of auspiciousness, if I wished to go somewhere, even the ends of the earth were within reach.

"Hold on tight."

Qian Mo snapped his fingers.

"Auspicious Beast Skill—Auspicious Descent!"

The surrounding space did not tear apart. Instead, it strangely folded over itself like origami.

The next second.

The lush scenery of the Star Dou Great Forest's Core Area vanished instantly.

In its place were the relatively sparse vegetation of the Soul Hunting Forest and the faint fetid smell permeating the air.

The three of them floated directly a hundred meters above the ground, standing atop a Golden Auspicious Cloud condensed from Auspicious Qi.

Invisible, and their aura completely concealed.

"We're... already here?" Zhu Zhuqing glanced down, her cat pupil shrinking slightly.

Could a Spirit Master really achieve something like this?

Even Titled Douluo had to fly when traveling. Who could simply "appear" somewhere like this?

"Shh. Watch the show." Qian Mo raised a finger and pointed below.

The Ground Battlefield.

Was brutal.

Only those two words could describe it.

Tang San was covered in blood. His blue school uniform had been torn into cloth strips, exposing wounds deep enough to reveal bone.

The Hidden Weapon Pouch he had been proud of was already empty.

Willow Leaf Knives, Bone Piercing Nails, and even several expensive Dragon Whisker Needles were embedded all over the ground.

And before him.

A Man Faced Demon Spider with a body size exceeding three meters brandished eight spear-like long legs, emitting a piercing shriek that set teeth on edge.

The Demon Spider was clearly injured as well. Two of its compound eyes had been blinded, and purple poison blood covered the ground.

Yet this only provoked its savagery.

"Xiao San! Don't panic!"

In the safe zone at the edge of the battlefield, Yu Xiaogang stood with his hands behind his back, though they were trembling, and continued his commentary from the sidelines.

"This is a two-thousand-year Man Faced Demon Spider! It has white markings on its abdomen, which means its defense is weakest three inches beneath its belly!"

"Use the Godly Zhuge Crossbow! That's your last chance!"

Tang San clenched his teeth, a trace of ruthlessness flashing through his eyes.

"Purple Demon Eye!"

He forcibly overdrew his mental power and locked onto the nearly imperceptible white spot on the demon spider's abdomen.

His wrist turned.

The Black Box-like Godly Zhuge Crossbow gave a crisp sound as its mechanism tightened.

"Die!!"

Tang San roared, his finger about to pull the trigger.

This was Tang San's highlight moment in the original work.

A desperate counter kill, Level-Up Absorption, the acquisition of the External Soul Bone Eight Spider Lances, and from then on, a Hacked Life.

However.

Today, the script had changed.

Above the Clouds.

Qian Mo looked down at the Demon Spider preparing to risk its life, his expression indifferent.

"Little Spider."

He called out silently in his heart.

He did not use Soul Power. He merely released a trace of pressure belonging to the Auspicious Angel.

And precisely projected that pressure onto the Man Faced Demon Spider's head alone.

On the ground.

The Man Faced Demon Spider, which had been about to skewer Tang San into a sieve with its spear-like legs, suddenly froze.

Its remaining compound eyes instantly widened to their limits.

It sensed it.

High above its head.

There was a... God.

The trembling that arose from the depths of its bloodline instantly extinguished all its killing intent.

It could even sense that the "God" was staring at something precious within its body.

If it did not hand it over, it would not merely die—its soul would be erased as well.

Soul beasts' instincts were often sharper than humans'.

Thus.

At the critical instant before Tang San pulled the trigger.

The Man Faced Demon Spider made a move that no one could understand.

It suddenly withdrew the long leg aimed at Tang San.

Then, it turned around.

Its rear faced Tang San, while its head faced the empty sky.

"Puh—!"

It opened its hideous mouthparts. It did not spit poison, nor did it spit a spider web.

Instead, in extreme agony, as though vomiting its heart's blood, it spat out a purple-black ball of light.

That was its Origin Essence.

It was also the embryonic form of the not-yet-formed External Soul Bone—the Eight Spider Lances.

The instant the light ball left its body, the Man Faced Demon Spider's aura withered to its lowest point, as though its marrow had been drained dry.

It lay sprawled on the ground and let out a mournful cry toward the sky.

As if saying, "Big Boss, I've paid the protection fee. Can you leave me a complete corpse?"

Tang San froze.

Yu Xiaogang was dumbfounded.

He even forgot to release the trigger that he had already pulled halfway down.

"Th-this... what kind of tactic is that?" Tang San asked blankly. "Is it... spitting out an Inner Core?"

Above the Clouds.

Qian Mo looked at the purple light drifting upward and curled his lip in disgust.

He raised a hand and beckoned.

The light ball passed through the clouds and landed in his palm.

The System Prompt sounded at just the right moment:

[Detected Inferior External Soul Bone "Eight Spider Lances".]

[Evaluation: A low-end product full of impurities, Evil Qi, and Spider Saliva.]

[Purify?]

"Purify." Qian Mo did not hesitate.

What a joke.

It had just been spat out of a spider's mouth. If he did not wash it ten times over, he would not dare touch it.

Meanwhile.

Tang San on the ground finally reacted.

He had no idea why the Demon Spider had suddenly mutilated itself, but this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

"To hell with it! Kill it!"

Bang bang bang bang!

The Godly Zhuge Crossbow thundered.

Sixteen Iron Arrows tore through the air and viciously drilled into the Man Faced Demon Spider's completely defenseless abdomen.

Pfft pfft pfft!

Green blood flowers burst forth.

The Man Faced Demon Spider, already weak beyond measure after offering up its essence, did not even let out a cry before it was shot into a sieve.

Boom.

Its enormous body crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

A Purple Soul Ring slowly rose.

"Success!"

Tang San was ecstatic. Ignoring the pain of his injuries, he scrambled toward the corpse.

Yu Xiaogang also ran over excitedly, his stiff face flushed red.

"Quick! Xiao San! Don't rush to absorb the Soul Ring yet!"

Yu Xiaogang's voice trembled. "According to my theory, a Mutated Man Faced Demon Spider in a state of extreme fury and near death has a very high chance of producing an External Soul Bone!"

"An External Soul Bone?!" Tang San's breathing instantly grew heavy.

That was a supreme treasure second only to a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring!

"Search quickly! It should be around the spinal area on its back!" Yu Xiaogang ordered.

Tang San took out a sharp dagger.

At that moment, he was like a crazed butcher.

He cut open the carapace.

Nothing.

He severed the spine.

Nothing.

He dug out all the internal organs and searched through them.

Still nothing.

Other than foul-smelling bodily fluids and chunks of flesh, the spider was clean as though it had already been looted.

Ten minutes later.

Tang San sat blankly in a pool of blood, clutching a handful of spider intestines, his eyes empty.

"Teacher..."

Tang San raised his head and looked at Yu Xiaogang, who was equally stunned, his voice carrying a crying tone.

"Where are the bones?"

"That makes no sense..."

Yu Xiaogang grabbed his hair and rummaged through the pile of minced flesh. He even reached his hand into the Demon Spider's stomach.

"My theory cannot be wrong... a mutated Demon Spider, a level-up kill, a near-death eruption... all three conditions were met!"

"Why isn't there one?"

Yu Xiaogang sank into deep self-doubt.

Could it be... this spider was disabled? Born calcium-deficient?

Or was it... that my theory was really just a theory?

Watching the teacher and student's miserable expressions as they questioned their entire lives.

Qian Mo, above the clouds, was in an exceptionally good mood.

The light ball in his hand had already been purified.

The eight savage spider legs, once covered in bristles and barbs, had now completely changed.

The impurities had been removed, and the Evil Qi had been neutralized by sacred attributes.

They had become eight Crystal Clear long needles, as though forged from Amethyst.

Each was roughly half a chi long, with incomparably sharp tips and faint flowing light rippling over them.

"This thing..."

Qian Renxue leaned closer, looking at the object in Qian Mo's hand with disgust.

"It was those disgusting Spider Legs just now. How did it suddenly become so pretty?"

"This is called turning decay into magic."

Qian Mo played with the eight "Amethyst Needles" in his hand and casually took an exquisite food box from his Storage Ring.

Before they left, Qian Renxue had insisted on stuffing it with her "Love Pastries."

It was said that she had baked the "Holy Cookies" with Angel Holy Fire.

Qian Mo took one out.

It was as hard as granite.

Without using Soul Power, it would probably chip someone's teeth.

"Perfect for testing its hardness."

Qian Mo picked up an Amethyst Needle and lightly poked the stone... no, the cookie.

It went in without any resistance.

Not even a crumb fell off.

The Eight Spider Lances' defense-ignoring piercing property had been perfectly preserved.

"Not bad."

Qian Mo nodded in satisfaction, speared a piece of cookie, and put it into his mouth. Of course, he secretly shattered it with Soul Power before swallowing.

"Moderate hardness, smooth feel, and it even has a bit of automatic sterilization."

"I can use it as a fruit fork or toothpick from now on."

Zhu Zhuqing watched from the side, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly.

She glanced at Tang San, who was still desperately searching through the pool of blood below, then at the heaven-defying opportunity that had originally belonged to him in Qian Mo's hand.

An External Soul Bone!

That was something Spirit Masters across the world would fight desperately for!

Yet in this man's hands... it had become cutlery?

"What? You want one too?"

Qian Mo noticed Zhu Zhuqing's gaze and casually handed her a needle and a pastry.

"Here, try your Sister Xue'er's cooking. Remember to use this skewer, or you won't be able to bite through it."

Zhu Zhuqing: "..."

Qian Renxue: "..."

"Xiao Mo! Who are you saying makes things too hard to bite?!" Qian Renxue bristled and reached for Qian Mo's ear.

"Let's go, let's go! Time to head home!"

Qian Mo laughed heartily, controlling the auspicious cloud as he swept away with the two stunning girls above Tang San and his teacher.

All that remained on the ground was—

A gust of cold wind.

Tang San shivered. Looking at the chunks of flesh scattered everywhere, he finally could not hold back his tears.

"Teacher... I feel like I've lost something very important..."

"My heart feels so empty."

Yu Xiaogang sighed and patted his disciple's blood-soaked shoulder.

"Don't think about it, Xiao San."

"This is fate."

"Maybe... that spider really didn't grow any bones."

Several days later.

Spirit City, Papal Palace.

When Qian Mo and the other two returned laden with gains, the terrifying aura around them, not yet fully restrained, nearly made the palace-guarding knights at the gate kneel.

Bibi Dong stood atop the great hall.

She looked at Qian Mo's level 45 Spirit Power Fluctuation, at Zhu Zhuqing's enchanting aura that seemed as though she had been reborn, and even Qian Renxue had advanced by a level from "leeching experience" over the past few days.

His Holiness the Pope remained silent for a long time.

Too fast.

This rate of growth could no longer be described as that of a genius.

This was monstrous.

If they were allowed to grow this wildly, an unstable foundation would be the least of their problems. It might even draw the God Realm's attention too early.

"Mo'er, Zhuqing."

Bibi Dong's voice echoed through the hall, carrying unquestionable authority.

"What you gained this time far exceeded my expectations."

"However, when power grows too quickly, one's state of mind will inevitably become impetuous."

She paused, then heavily struck the floor with her scepter.

"I've decided."

"Starting tomorrow, the Hell Special Training plan will begin."

"For the next three years, the two of you will enter Spirit Hall's Secret Realm—Death Canyon—for closed-door cultivation."

"Unless your Soul Power reaches level 60, or..."

Bibi Dong glanced at Qian Mo, a profound look flashing through her eyes.

"Or unless you can join forces and last for A Stick of Incense under my hands."

"Otherwise, you are not permitted to leave seclusion."

Qian Mo froze for a moment.

Three years?

Closed-door cultivation?

Did that mean... for the next three years, it would be just him and Zhu Zhuqing?

A lone man and woman.

Deep in the mountains and forests.

Facing all kinds of danger, too...

Qian Mo subconsciously turned to look at Zhu Zhuqing.

By coincidence, Zhu Zhuqing was looking at him as well.

Their eyes met.

The little kitten's face instantly turned bright red. She quickly lowered her head and stared at her toes.

Yet her cat ears trembled faintly, as though... she was not opposed to it?

"Yes, Your Holiness the Pope."

Qian Mo's lips curled up slightly as he bowed to accept the order.

It seemed these three years would not be boring.