A Hefty Gift

"Don't get too excited yet. I have something else for you." Bibi Dong smiled as she took out a cold jade box from her Soul Tool and held it out before Bibi Xu. "Open it. Consider it a gift for your Second Spirit Ring."

"What is it? You're being so mysterious." Bibi Xu took the jade box curiously and lifted the lid.

A gentle green glow washed over him. Inside the box lay a dark green Soul Bone shaped like a spider-leg lance, giving off faint fluctuations of Soul Power.

Its aura was highly compatible with his Spider Empress Martial Soul. The moment he opened the box, he felt the martial soul within his dantian tremble lightly, as though it had encountered a great tonic, humming with delight.

"An External Soul Bone!" Bibi Xu cried out. He abruptly looked up at Bibi Dong. "Mom, this was dropped by that Hybrid Demon Spider?"

"Yes." Bibi Dong nodded. "We got lucky. It's a Three-Thousand-Five-Hundred-Year External Soul Bone. Its age isn't particularly high, but the greatest advantage of an External Soul Bone is that it can evolve and grow alongside you. In the future, it may not be any worse than a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone."

Bibi Xu held the jade box, both startled and delighted.

An External Soul Bone!

When he had read the original novel in his previous life, Tang San had relied on his External Soul Bone, the Eight Spider Lances, to escape death time and again and kill enemies above his level.

This thing was practically a Soul Master's ultimate cheat—maxed-out growth potential, impossible to buy no matter how much money one had.

He could not help grumbling inwardly, As expected of the number one investment product on Douluo Continent, the Man Faced Demon Spider. Even a hybrid can drop an External Soul Bone. What an incredible drop rate. Heaven really is helping me!

"Thank you, Mom!" Bibi Xu hugged the jade box to his chest, his eyes curving into crescents as he smiled.

This was an unexpected windfall. Obtaining a Three-Thousand-Five-Hundred-Year Soul Ring had already been an enormous gain, and now he had also received an External Soul Bone. This trip to Demon Spider Canyon had truly yielded a full harvest.

"Don't thank me just yet." Seeing how happy he was, Bibi Dong's smile deepened. "There's something else I need to tell you. Last night, while you were absorbing the Soul Ring, I went to take a look in the neighboring Death Grand Canyon and found something good."

"What kind of good thing?" Bibi Xu looked up.

"A Hundred-Thousand-Year Death Spider Emperor." Bibi Dong spoke calmly, yet the news she delivered was earth-shattering.

"It shares the same origin as our martial souls, making it the most perfectly compatible Soul Beast. I've already marked the location of its nest. Once I break through to Super Douluo and am completely confident, I'll go cripple it and keep it captive. When you break through to Titled Douluo, it can serve as your Ninth Spirit Ring."

She said it casually, as though a Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring were merely a small gift she had prepared on a whim.

But Bibi Xu was stunned.

A Hundred-Thousand-Year Death Spider Emperor!

Of course he knew what that meant. In the original novel, Bibi Dong's Ninth Spirit Ring had come from a Hundred-Thousand-Year Death Spider Emperor. That ring had perfected her Death Spider Emperor Martial Soul and laid the firmest foundation for her later inheritance of the Rakshasa Godhood.

A Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring! One of the top resources on all Douluo Continent, so rare they could be counted on one's fingers. It would certainly come with a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone and grant two Soul Skills, the ultimate dream of every Soul Master.

His mother actually... wanted to save it for him?

Bibi Xu's heart jolted, and warmth instantly spread through his entire body.

He knew how desperately Bibi Dong wanted to become stronger, how badly she needed top-tier Soul Rings to support her path of revenge, to stand against the Elder Council, and to take control of Spirit Hall.

Yet when she had discovered a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, the first person she thought of was not herself, but her son, who was only six years old and still unimaginably far from becoming a Titled Douluo.

This maternal love was too heavy.

His fingers tightened slightly around the jade box. He looked up at Bibi Dong, his eyes incomparably serious. "Mom, I don't want it."

Now it was Bibi Dong's turn to be stunned.

"What did you say?" She frowned slightly, thinking she had misheard.

"You don't want it? Ah Xu, do you know what a Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring means? Across the entire continent, even among Titled Douluo, those who possess a Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring can be counted on one hand. This is a Death Spider Emperor, perfectly compatible with our martial souls. If we let it go, we may never encounter a second one in this lifetime."

Thinking that he did not understand the value of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring, she patiently explained, "With this Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring, the starting point of your Ninth Spirit Ring will surpass others by countless times. In the future, your chances of reaching Limit Douluo, or even touching godhood, will be much greater. Such an opportunity can only be encountered by chance."

"I know it's precious." Bibi Xu nodded, his tone resolute. "But, Mom, it suits you better."

"Me?" Bibi Dong froze, clearly not expecting him to say that.

"Yes." Bibi Xu looked into her eyes and spoke each word distinctly.

"Mom, you're at the critical stage of breaking through to Titled Douluo. Those old fossils in the Elder Council have never accepted you, the Worship Hall keeps restraining you at every turn, and on the Pope's side... you have your own difficulties as well."

"With this Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring, your Ninth Spirit Ring will be a perfect match, and your strength will soar by a huge margin. Then, whether it's dissent from within or pressure from outside, you'll be able to suppress it all easily and take complete control of Spirit Hall."

"I'm still young. I have more than ten years, perhaps even decades, before I become a Titled Douluo. In all that time, I can find a suitable Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast myself. But you're different, Mom. This is when you need strength the most." He paused, and his voice softened, though his resolve remained unquestionable.

"And only if you become stronger can I grow up without worries. With you standing in front of me, I won't have to fear any danger. So this Hundred-Thousand-Year Death Spider Emperor should be kept for you."

He spoke with complete sincerity, without the slightest hint of politeness or pretense.

In his heart, Bibi Dong's safety and strength mattered more than any Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring. In the original novel, Bibi Dong's Ninth Spirit Ring had come from a Hundred-Thousand-Year Death Spider Emperor, which meant this had originally been her opportunity.

He could not take away his mother's opportunity for his own selfish desires. What he wanted was for Bibi Dong to be well, for her to stand at the very pinnacle, no longer swept along by hatred and no longer forced onto Rakshasa's evil path.

It was only a Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring. With his Three-Life Martial Soul, would he have to fear being unable to find something even better in the future?

Bibi Dong stood where she was, staring blankly at the boy before her.

Morning light fell over his childish little face, yet his gaze was incomparably firm. Everything he said was clear and logical, every word spoken with her in mind.

No Soul Master could remain unmoved before a Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring, yet when faced with such a heaven-sent opportunity, her Ah Xu's first thought had been of her, his mother.

It felt as though something had struck her heart fiercely, leaving it aching and warm.

Bibi Dong's eyes reddened at once.

She had lived for over twenty years and endured humiliation and betrayal. The people around her either feared her, used her, or plotted against her.

She had thought there was no one left in this world who truly cared for her. Not until she had found Bibi Xu.

This child had grown from a tiny bundle in swaddling clothes into the six-year-old before her, little by little melting the ice in her heart. He cared about her, understood her, and always wanted to leave the best things for her.

"Silly child..." Bibi Dong's voice caught slightly. She turned her face away and quickly wiped the corner of her eye. When she turned back, she had resumed her usual composure, though the tenderness in her eyes was so deep it could not be dissolved.

"Mom will find her own Soul Rings. You're my son—won't everything Mom has be yours someday?"

"That's different." Bibi Xu shook his head. "Right now is when you need strength the most, Mom. I'm not in a hurry. When I grow up, I'll hunt Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts myself. When that time comes, I won't just get better ones for myself—I'll get better ones for you too."

He said it with a completely serious expression, as though he were not boasting at all.

Seeing his certainty, Bibi Dong could not help laughing. As she laughed, her eyes grew warm again.

"Alright, alright." She reached out and gently drew Bibi Xu into her arms, her voice so tender it seemed as though it could drip with water. "Mom's good son. Truly Mom's good son."

The small body in her arms carried the warmth of youth, the warmest light in her cold life.

How fortunate she was to have a son like this.