BOSS Tang Hao?

Xie Xie smiled at Ning Rongrong's stunned expression.

"The soul beasts in the Spirit Ascension Platform can all drop Soul Bones."

"It's just that the odds aren't high. It depends on luck."

"I didn't expect us to be this lucky. We ran into a three-thousand-year soul beast and got one so quickly."

Ning Rongrong lowered her head to glance at the lustrous white bone in Tang Wulin's hand, then looked at where the Lizard Horned Beast had vanished. She swallowed.

"Th... this is too incredible..."

She thought to herself.

"It's already amazing enough that a virtual space can increase the age of Soul Rings, but it can even drop Soul Bones?"

"What kind of place is this Spirit Ascension Platform?"

Tang Wulin turned the Soul Bone over in his hands, examining it from every angle, then raised his head.

Ning Rongrong took a deep breath and spoke.

"This Lizard Horned Beast had tremendous strength and defense. This Soul Bone should suit you quite well too."

"Tang Wulin, you should absorb it."

Zhu Zhuqing stood nearby. Though she said nothing, she nodded as well.

The expressions on both their faces were serious. They were not merely being polite; they truly meant it.

Ning Rongrong knew in her heart that without Tang Wulin and Xie Xie, she and Zhu Zhuqing would never have made it this far.

Forget fighting a three-thousand-year soul beast—even those hundred-year Tusk Pigs from before would have been difficult enough for the two of them to handle.

"We've raised the ages of our Soul Rings so much because of them."

Ning Rongrong thought to herself.

"If we shamelessly take a share of the Soul Bone too..."

She shook her head.

"That would be far too shameless."

Hearing Ning Rongrong's words, Xie Xie smiled and waved a hand.

"This soul beast's Soul Bone isn't worthy of our boss."

He glanced at Tang Wulin.

"Right, Boss?"

Tang Wulin smiled as well and nodded.

"Yeah, I have better plans for Soul Bones."

"I don't need this one for now."

Ning Rongrong froze.

"Better... plans for Soul Bones?"

She repeated those words in her mind, her head buzzing.

"Soul Bones were already rare drops, and finding one that suited you was even harder."

"How many people went their entire lives without ever seeing a single Soul Bone?"

"But Tang Wulin..."

"He just said he didn't want it."

"That's way too extravagant..."

Looking at Tang Wulin's honest-looking face, Ning Rongrong suddenly felt that he was covered in mysteries.

A Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, three thousand-year Soul Rings, the Golden Dragon Claw, and now he was saying that he had better arrangements for Soul Bones.

"Just who is he?"

Ning Rongrong muttered inwardly, but she did not ask aloud.

Tang Wulin looked at the Soul Bone in his hand, then at Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing.

"This Soul Bone isn't really suitable for any of the three of you either."

He thought for a moment.

"How about this? We'll exchange it for Contribution Points."

"We can exchange it directly before leaving the Spirit Ascension Platform."

"Afterward, the four of us can split the points equally."

Ning Rongrong hurriedly shook her head.

"No, no, no!"

Her tone was resolute.

"Thanks to you, we were able to increase the ages of our Soul Rings by so much."

"We've already accepted so much from you. We can't accept anything else."

She paused, her voice growing softer.

"Otherwise... I'm afraid we won't be able to repay you."

Zhu Zhuqing spoke as well. Her voice was quiet, but firm.

"I don't want any either."

Tang Wulin looked at Ning Rongrong, then at Zhu Zhuqing.

Both of them looked serious. They did not seem to be merely refusing out of politeness.

He exchanged a look with Xie Xie.

Xie Xie shrugged and spread his hands.

"Fine, then we won't split it."

Tang Wulin nodded and put away the Soul Bone.

"Then how about this?"

He looked at Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, his tone sincere.

"If you ever need help in the future, come find me."

Ning Rongrong's eyes immediately lit up.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Tang Wulin nodded.

Ning Rongrong nodded repeatedly, unable to suppress the smile at the corners of her lips. She had successfully latched onto a powerful backer.

"Good, good, good! It's a deal!"

Zhu Zhuqing nodded slightly as well.

Xie Xie stood nearby, watching the scene with a twitch at the corner of his mouth.

"Great, he's taken in two more followers."

"Boss's charisma really is tyrannical."

Tang Wulin looked around again and only spoke after confirming that there were no other soul beasts nearby.

"That's about enough. Everyone's Soul Rings have increased quite a bit."

"If we keep going, our bodies won't be able to take it."

"Let's get ready to withdraw."

Ning Rongrong nodded. She truly did feel as though her body was swelling slightly.

Both her First Soul Ring and Second Soul Ring were nearing a thousand years. If she forcibly absorbed more, something might really go wrong.

"Alright, then let's leav—"

Before she could finish speaking,

a voice suddenly rang out above the Spirit Ascension Platform.

It was not loud, but everyone heard it clearly.

It was Wu Zhangkong's voice.

"Everyone, pay attention."

Ning Rongrong froze for a moment and raised her head toward the sky.

Wu Zhangkong's voice continued.

"Next, you will face an opponent."

"If you defeat him, the entire class will receive ten thousand Contribution Points."

"The team that defeats him will receive an additional ten thousand Contribution Points."

Ning Rongrong's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Ten thousand Contribution Points?!"

She cried out inwardly.

"Ten thousand for the whole class, and another ten thousand for the team... that makes twenty thousand?"

Though she still did not know the exact value of Contribution Points, judging by Wu Zhangkong's usual style, ten thousand Contribution Points were definitely no small sum.

"This reward... is way too generous, isn't it?"

Tang Wulin's brow furrowed slightly, but soon relaxed again.

Xie Xie's eyes lit up.

"Twenty thousand Contribution Points... how many good things could that buy?"

Although Zhu Zhuqing said nothing, her fingers curled slightly into a fist.

Wu Zhangkong's voice vanished, and silence returned to the Spirit Ascension Platform.

Then, the air ahead began to distort.

It was as if something were walking out from the void.

Ning Rongrong's breathing immediately quickened.

She stared at that patch of distorted air, her heart pounding fiercely.

A figure slowly emerged.

It was a middle-aged man.

His hair was a mess, as though it had not been washed in days.

His face was covered in stubble, and he looked completely unkempt.

He wore tattered old clothes with several patches sewn onto them.

He looked disheveled all over, no different from a beggar on the street.

Yet those black eyes seemed to be... filled with despair?

What had this man gone through to leave him so weathered by hardship?

Still... though this guy looked like nothing more than a scruffy middle-aged uncle, Wu Zhangkong had set him up as a boss for them to fight, so he had to be quite strong.

She wondered whether this middle-aged man was stronger or weaker than the Lizard Horned Beast.

At that moment, the man seemed to come back to his senses. His face was filled with fury. He had clearly been locked in the Confinement Room, so how had he suddenly ended up here?

And... his strength had actually been suppressed. He could only use the strength of three Soul Rings!

The middle-aged man's eyes were bloodshot, and he panted like a bull. That was right—this man was Tang Hao, who had been locked in the Confinement Room.