Target: Star Dou! That Stalker's Back?

The morning sun slanted across the main road from Suotuo City to the Star Dou Forest, catching the eyes of countless passersby.

A luxurious carriage pulled by four pure-blooded Dragon Scale Horses traveled at a steady, unhurried pace, its body carved from agarwood and shimmering with iridescent light.

Surrounding the carriage, Su Yun was dressed in white as snow, riding a pure white Unicorn, his folding fan swaying gently to reveal the elegance of a Holy Son.

Beside him, three girls of vastly different temperaments, yet equally breathtaking beauty, surrounded him like stars circling the moon.

Xiao Wu, in a pink combat outfit, sat on the back of the Unicorn, pressed tightly against Su Yun, her rabbit ears flicking in the wind.

Zhu Zhuqing rode a sturdy black horse, her tight leather suit outlining curves that made one's blood boil, cold and sharp as ink.

Ning Rongrong occasionally lifted the carriage curtain to peek out, gazing around with curiosity.

Wherever this "most beautiful team on the continent" passed, whether it was merchant caravans or soul-hunting groups, everyone turned to look, sighing inwardly:

Which divine young master's family is out for an excursion?

However, about a hundred meters behind this harmonious scene, a highly incongruous figure followed with an uneven, stumbling gait.

Tang San carried a tattered bundle, the straw sandals on his feet worn thin enough to expose his toes.

Lacking the money to rent a horse or stay at an inn, he had spent the previous night in a ruined temple by the road, gnawing on a hard, dry bun.

At this moment, his face was covered in dust, his eye sockets sunken, and his eyes held a sickly obsession born of extreme exhaustion.

Xiao Wu, just wait. I will definitely become strong enough to show you.

As Tang San wiped away his sweat, he pulled a cold, rock-hard pancake from his bag.

Su Yun is only relying on his good background. Once we reach a place as perilous as the Star Dou Forest, a pampered young master like him will eventually show his true colors. That will be the moment for my Tang Sect Hidden Weapon to show its true power!

He firmly believed that once Su Yun was trapped in danger and helpless, he would step forward, and Xiao Wu would surely have a change of heart, realizing who the man she could truly rely on was.

Up ahead.

Su Yun sensed the presence of the stalker behind him, a playful smile curling his lips.

He leisurely pulled the black Diary from his system space, his consciousness stirring as he put pen to paper on a brand-new page.

[Year X, Month X, Day X, Sunny. Target: Star Dou Forest.]

[Today's achievement: Outing with three beauties. Mood index: perfect.]

[Come to think of it, this kid Tang San is quite the talent. Despite being so poor he can only chew on dry rations, he's still managed to tail us for dozens of miles like a piece of dog-skin plaster. Does he actually think he can pick up scraps in the forest, or wait for me to be eaten by a soul beast so he can play the 'hero saving the beauty'?]

[Little San, you are still too naive. This time in the Star Dou, not only will I help Rongrong and Zhuqing find suitable Soul Rings, but I'll also conveniently claim that grand gift that was supposed to be yours—the External Soul Bone: Eight Spider Lances.]

[Actually, I'm quite looking forward to seeing the look on his face when he witnesses his own top-tier destiny being snatched away by me. That sense of despair—'it was clearly mine, yet it flew into someone else's arms'—must be even more bitter than that cold pancake in his hand, right?]

[Oh, right, almost forgot. Some people still think Hidden Weapons are invincible. Once we arrive, I'll make him understand that in the face of absolute attribute suppression and a God-level Martial Soul, those embroidery needles of his don't even count as a scratch.]

The handwriting on the diary shimmered brilliantly.

Almost the moment Su Yun closed the book, the copies held by Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing simultaneously glowed with a faint golden light.

Ning Rongrong was currently leaning against the carriage window, glancing down at the diary, her previously lazy eyes instantly widening into perfect circles.

"External Soul Bone?"

Ning Rongrong couldn't help but gasp aloud. She turned her head, her beautiful eyes fixed intently on Su Yun, filled with a thirst for knowledge.

"Su Yun, you just... ahem, what exactly is that External Soul Bone you mentioned? Is it very precious?"

Zhu Zhuqing also slowed her horse and leaned in closer.

As a noble of the Star Luo Empire, she had heard her elders mention the term, but it was something that existed only in legends.

Su Yun stopped his folding fan, looking at the curious expressions of the two girls, the urge to play the instructor rising within him again.

He deliberately raised his voice so that the stalker behind them could hear the gist of it.

"External Soul Bone, huh..."

Su Yun chuckled, his tone relaxed.

"It is the second-ranked existence on the list of every soul master's dreams, second only to a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring, and a hundred times rarer than even high-level conventional soul bones."

"It's that powerful?!"

Ning Rongrong gasped.

"Of course. The most heaven-defying aspect of an External Soul Bone is that it doesn't occupy a standard soul bone slot, and it can evolve alongside the soul master's strength."

Su Yun looked toward the direction of the Star Dou Forest, his gaze deepening.

"You could say that possessing an External Soul Bone is equivalent to holding an admission ticket to godhood."

Zhu Zhuqing's heart began to beat faster, and she asked in a low voice:

"Then how can we obtain one?"

Su Yun looked back toward the dust-filled road behind them with a pointed glance, smiling brilliantly:

"This thing depends on fate, and even more on one's face. Those with good luck can find one just by walking down the road; those with bad luck, even if the opportunity is laid out right in front of them, will have it snatched away by someone stronger."

"Some people are just destined to never have a connection with such treasures in this life. After all, being 'pure and unsullied' won't get you a Soul Bone."

As soon as these words were spoken, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing caught the teasing tone and couldn't help but cover their mouths to stifle their laughter.

They, of course, knew exactly who Su Yun was referring to.

Meanwhile, Tang San, who was following behind, couldn't hear the full conversation, but he vaguely caught the keywords: External Soul Bone, Godhood Admission Ticket, and "some people have no chance."

His heart skipped a beat, and an intense sense of anxiety instantly swept through his entire body.

What is he talking about? External Soul Bone? Could it be that he has already discovered that such a treasure exists in the Star Dou Forest?

Tang San's hand, gripping a steamed bun, trembled slightly.

Impossible! Such things are rare and cannot be sought by force. On what grounds does he, Su Yun, dare to assert that I have no chance?

Suddenly, Tang San felt a chill run down his spine.

That feeling was as if a pair of malicious eyes in the darkness had already seen through his most secret and precious future, and were now holding a scalpel, preparing to make a precise incision.

What is this feeling of unease about!?

Tang San stopped in his tracks and looked around in terror, but apart from the sound of the wind, there was nothing.

He looked at Su Yun's high-spirited back in front of him, and listened to the cheerful laughter of the three women; an unprecedented sense of crisis made him feel almost unable to breathe.

"Su Yun! What kind of secrets are you hiding!"

Tang San gritted his teeth, ignoring the blisters on his feet, and chased after them again like a madman.

As for Su Yun, he was currently leisurely enjoying the grapes Xiao Wu was feeding him, calculating in his heart:

Tang San, oh Tang San, keep up. This grand heist of opportunities wouldn't be nearly as exciting without you, the victim!