Ten Thousand Years, Fourth Ring, Tears of the Empty City, Eight Spider Lances

(A gorilla in a certain game)

"Sister Xiao Wu, you..." Da Ming's low voice resonated, tinged with confusion.

His gaze fell upon Xiao Wu, keenly detecting the condensation and peculiarity of her Soul Power, especially when she manifested her soul rings to show off—a configuration that defied convention: yellow, purple, purple.

This sent ripples of surprise through the experienced Sky Azure Bull Python.

A thousand-year second ring?

How on earth was this accomplished?

Xiao Wu understood their questions, but she merely smiled and shook her head, offering no explanation.

She cast her gaze toward Zhao Linchuan as if seeking permission, and Zhao Linchuan nodded slightly in response.

Receiving tacit approval, Xiao Wu turned and walked to a smooth boulder on the shore of the Lake of Life, sat cross-legged, and faced the shimmering water, slowly closing her eyes.

Three soul rings—yellow, purple, and purple—pulsed rhythmically around her body.

Immediately after, she adjusted her breathing and began to channel her essence to condense her fourth soul ring.

Time slipped away, and after about an hour, the aura surrounding Xiao Wu reached its peak before slowly settling down.

A phantom of a black soul ring began to take shape around her, transitioning from faint to dense, from ethereal to solid.

"Hoo—" A moment later, Xiao Wu let out a long breath and slowly opened her eyes. A flash of pink brilliance streaked through them, and her entire temperament seemed to undergo a subtle transformation.

She beamed, blooming like a flower in spring, and looked toward Zhao Linchuan with excitement.

"Young Master, I succeeded!"

"Congratulations..." Zhao Linchuan nodded with a smile, his eyes filled with approval.

Time passed, and in another part of the Star Dou Great Forest, far from the core area in the outer mixed zone.

The "good luck" of Tang San and his group did not seem to last long.

After successfully cornering and killing the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent, Tang San had also reached level thirty due to his clash with Meng Yiran.

Because the scene from the original work where Tang Hao secretly "guided" Zhao Wuji and invoked the "Grandmaster's" name to intimidate the Dragon Duke did not occur, Zhao Wuji now found himself facing the combined pressure of the Dragon Duke Meng Shu, a Soul Douluo, and the Snake Matriarch Chao Tianxiang, a Soul Emperor, leaving him completely unable to put up a fight.

Helpless and desperate to save his life—and to secure the soul ring of the Man Faced Demon Spider—Tang San had no choice but to agree to Meng Shu's conditions under Zhao Wuji's bitter gaze.

He would join their family and serve them in the future.

Only then did Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang turn their anger into joy, their expressions toward Tang San becoming significantly more cordial.

The two sides "turned enemies into friends," and the Dragon Duke and Snake Matriarch even took the initiative to stand guard, waiting for him to absorb the soul ring.

Not far away, in the shade of a towering tree's canopy, the figures of Zhao Linchuan and his companions quietly emerged.

At that same moment, the familiar chime of the system rang softly in his mind—

[Key plot node 'External Soul Bone: Eight Spider Lances' detected. In the original fate line, this object is an indispensable aid to the Shrek Seven Devils, accompanying Tang San throughout his growth and eventually evolving into the Sea God's Eight Wings. It is a vital component of his combat power and destiny.]

[Triggering Choice Task:]

[Choice One: Opportunity lies before you; is there any reason not to seize it? To refuse what Heaven grants is to invite disaster. (Act to seize the Eight Spider Lances)]

[Rewards: Growth-type Leg Bone *1, Divine Artifact—Cassia Shadow Light Dance (from Honor Continent · Ailin), Character Summoning Card—First Batulu (Gūwalgiya Oboi), System Points *200,000.]

[Choice Two: Equivalent exchange; I am a person of fairness and justice. (Use an 'equivalent' item to trade for it)]

[Rewards: Growth-type Leg Bone *1, Tears of the Empty City (Mysterious Gem) *1, Character Summoning Card—First Batulu (Kid, today in this great hall, the heroes gather), System Points *200,000.]

[Tears of the Empty City: After equipping, increases the wearer's stamina, strength, mental power, total Soul Power, and recovery speed by 150%. (Note: The old kingdom holds only regret; the old king's tears leave no trace.)]

Zhao Linchuan's eyes swept quickly over the rewards for the two options.

Setting aside the Batulu and the other Batulu, as for the Cassia Shadow Light Dance—an elven bow? From Ailin?

Some rather unpleasant memories surfaced in his mind—in his past life, he had a friend who, following a horrific accident, was left in a state where only his brain could move.

Yet even then, relying on sheer willpower and residual nerve signals, he had piloted the hero "Ailin" to dominate the game, nearly reaching the top of the leaderboards.

Had it not been for his friend who liked to play Kai, who happened to be matched against him in the final game of the season, he might have actually become the number one player...

This bow... it felt a bit strange to hold.

And the "Tears of the Empty City"... seeing the name and the note, Zhao Linchuan sighed silently, a trace of nostalgia and lamentation washing over him.

'The old kingdom holds only regret; the old king's tears leave no trace...'

Let this be a small memorial to those days, long since blurred but occasionally rippling in his memory.

He thought silently: 'System, I choose two.'

[...Rewards will be issued automatically afterward.]

Time slipped by quietly. The Soul Power fluctuations around Tang San gradually stabilized. Fine beads of blood no longer seeped from his skin, his tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and his previously rapid breathing became steady and deep.

A pale blue light, like flowing water, emanated naturally from his body. Although faint, it clearly signaled one fact—the third soul ring, with a limit as high as two thousand years, was about to be successfully absorbed!

Dragon Duke Meng Shu and Snake Matriarch Chao Tianxiang exchanged a glance, both wearing satisfied smiles.

A young man capable of successfully absorbing a two-thousand-year spirit ring at the thirtieth rank possessed top-tier talent, perseverance, and temperament; his future potential was immense, making him an excellent addition to their family.

Beside them, the gaze Meng Yiran directed toward Tang San had shifted from her initial defiance to a look of impressed admiration.

Zhao Wuji, Dai Mubai, and the others also breathed a sigh of relief, their tightly wound nerves relaxing slightly.

As long as Tang San succeeded, this trip to the Star Dou Great Forest, despite its rocky start, would at least yield a decent harvest.

However, just as everyone assumed the situation was settled and waited for Tang San to complete his final integration—

An accident occurred!

Tang San, sitting cross-legged, suddenly shuddered violently!

Immediately afterward, his upper body was yanked backward by an invisible force, arching sharply as his spine emitted a teeth-gritting "clack-clack" sound!

"Little San!" "Tang San!" Zhao Wuji, Dai Mubai, and the others cried out in alarm.

Before they could step forward to inspect him or react in any way—

Puff! Puff! Puff!

A series of scalp-tingling, muffled sounds, like sharp blades piercing through leather, echoed out!

Eight hideous spider legs, dark purple throughout and with edges as sharp as knives, erupted from Tang San's back like bamboo shoots after a spring rain!