External Soul Bone

The golden Holy Sword brought things to a close. The Man Faced Demon Spider, already gravely wounded by the Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul, had its life snuffed out completely after taking a hit from Angel's Holy Sword.

A Soul Ring floated up, just like before, only this time its color was even deeper than the Death Demon Spider's.

"A two-thousand-year Soul Ring? Guess I'll give it a try."

After taking a deep breath and making sure there was no danger nearby, Luo Chen drew in and began absorbing his second Soul Ring.

Nothing went wrong during the process, but unlike the first time, the pain he felt this time was far worse.

It was as if something were tearing through his flesh and skin, a pain so intense it seared itself into his memory.

The process also took much longer than the first time.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly in the end. By the time Luo Chen finished absorbing it, the next day had already arrived.

As the second purple Soul Ring settled around the Death Spider Emperor, Luo Chen slowly opened his deep-purple eyes.

He slowly got to his feet, feeling aches and pains all over.

But looking at the Soul Ring beneath him, Luo Chen felt it had all been worth it.

Just as he was getting ready to test out his second Soul Skill, however, he suddenly noticed something very strange.

"Whoa, where are my clothes?"

At some point, his shirt had disappeared. Only scraps of clothing lay scattered on the ground around him.

Only then did Luo Chen realize that something seemed different about his body.

He had only just finished absorbing the Soul Ring, and all he could feel was pain. He hadn't noticed that his shadow seemed bigger than usual, with something extra sticking out of it.

Luo Chen seemed to realize what had happened and hurriedly turned to look behind him.

Eight things, just like the spider legs that appeared during Martial Soul Possession, stood motionless behind him. A large patch of blood stained the place where they had grown out.

"Eight Spider Lances!"

No wonder the absorption process had been so agonizing. This thing had been the culprit all along.

Luo Chen clenched both fists, his heart racing. He looked at the Man Faced Demon Spider's corpse, now cold beneath his feet, and couldn't help feeling a surge of excitement.

The Eight Spider Lances!

Could this really be the same Man Faced Demon Spider that would attack Tang San in the future?

He had actually snatched away this enormous cheat!

Unable to hide his delight, Luo Chen began trying to control his External Soul Bone.

Perhaps because his Martial Soul was the Death Spider Emperor to begin with, even though he had only just finished absorbing his Soul Ring, moving the Eight Spider Lances felt as easy and natural as moving his own hands and feet.

"What a pleasant surprise. I can't believe I managed to snatch this thing."

After retracting the Eight Spider Lances into his body, Luo Chen felt the strange sensation within him, his delight still not fading.

This trip had truly been worth it!

He took several deep breaths and spent a while calming himself down before finally settling.

There was still something else just as important that he had yet to do.

Raising a hand, Luo Chen swept it forward.

"Second Soul Skill, Death Pierce!"

As the second Soul Ring suddenly lit up, ten black venomous spikes appeared behind Luo Chen. With a flick of his palm, they shot toward the space in front of him.

The spikes brimmed with deadly aura and poison. Anything they touched began to rapidly lose its life force.

It was a very straightforward attack skill, and Luo Chen was quite satisfied with it.

It was a great long-range attack, making up for some of his own and his Martial Soul's shortcomings.

What's more, the deadly aura clinging to the spikes was incredibly potent, every bit as strong as the Death Spider Emperor's own. If a Soul Grandmaster of the same level got hit, they'd either die or be crippled.

Luo Chen withdrew his Martial Soul and looked down at his hands. Suddenly, he realized that perhaps he really wasn't suited to sparring. What he was better at seemed to be life-or-death fights—the kind where one of you had to die.

After all, his Martial Soul was all deadly aura and poison. Even if a hit didn't kill you, it would leave you crippled. Unless a Soul Master of the same level specialized in poison, they'd almost certainly get hit.

"Tsk. I was hoping to make some money through Soul Fighting. Looks like I'll have to think about that another time."

Luo Chen shook his head regretfully and turned to leave.

He might consider life-or-death fights, but that was something for later.

Now that he had added two Soul Rings, it was time to head back.

And the gains from this trip had far exceeded Luo Chen's expectations.

Not only had he acquired two thousand-year Soul Rings and two Soul Skills that suited him perfectly, his Soul Power had also reached level 27. Most importantly, he had obtained the cheat that was an External Soul Bone. He had come away with a full haul.

After several days of traveling, Luo Chen caught a carriage back to Nuoding City at an inn nearby. He finally arrived in Nuoding City a week later.

It wasn't that he had to come back here. He simply didn't know where else to go, and a certain Grandmaster still owed him money.

He'd had plenty of time to scrape together the money by now, right?

Luo Chen strolled through the streets of Nuoding City. After spending so long alone in the deserted Star Dou Great Forest, he had to admit that he'd missed this place.

He didn't go looking for Yu Xiaogang right away. Instead, he spent the day having fun around Nuoding City.

As he passed a blacksmith's shop in the city, he even spotted a small figure hammering away at the forge.

Tang San.

Tang San didn't notice him, though, and Luo Chen couldn't be bothered to go up and talk to the kid. When he'd read the original story, he'd found that hypocrite incredibly irritating. He had no interest in making connections with him.

The only things in Nuoding City that interested him now were getting back the Gold Soul Coins he was owed and that Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit.

He had to admit, Tang San and his father had really done a number on her in the original story.

Even when she sacrificed herself in the end, she had no idea she'd been manipulated.

Luo Chen could only say that fate played strange tricks.

But he didn't want to get involved just yet. Tang Hao was surely watching over her, and if he went and interfered with their plans now, he'd probably get hammered by Tang Hao.

He'd better wait until he was stronger before dealing with that.

Luo Chen wandered around until evening before arriving at Nuoding Academy in a brand-new set of clothes.

"We meet again, gentlemen."

"I'm here to see the Martial Soul Theory Grandmaster. Would you mind letting me through?"

Luo Chen approached the two gate guards and smiled at them. The pair were so frightened that they hurriedly bowed and welcomed him inside.

After confirming that Yu Xiaogang was at the academy, Luo Chen still worried he might not find his way. So he pulled one of the guards over and had him lead the way.

The guard naturally didn't dare refuse. He hurriedly and respectfully led Luo Chen onward, displaying his habit of bullying the weak and fawning on the strong to the fullest.

Soon, the guard brought him to a white teaching building deep inside the academy.

"Sir, Grandmaster is inside."

"Would you..."