Send Zhu Zhuqing the Eight Spider Lances

Dai Mubai was sitting with his eyes closed, deep in thought, when a sudden idea struck him. He remembered that he still had an External Soul Bone—the Eight Spider Lances.

He gently touched his storage ring with his right hand, and the dusky purple External Soul Bone appeared in his palm.

"I almost forgot about you."

Dai Mubai lightly brushed his fingertips over the cold surface of the bone, recalling the enhancements this Soul Bone could provide.

When Tang San obtained the Eight Spider Lances, they immediately increased all his attributes by fifty percent and his movement speed by one hundred percent. They also came with an innate devouring ability, allowing them to absorb poison, absorb any kind of energy, and devour an opponent's Soul Power to replenish their wielder.

Moreover, the eight spider lances possessed astonishing penetrating power and carried a potent neurotoxin. They were formidable offensive weapons.

"What a treasure..."

Dai Mubai muttered to himself, but a trace of regret flashed through his eyes.

His White Tiger Martial Soul leaned toward the metal element and followed a masculine, domineering path. He excelled at head-on clashes, overwhelming his opponents with explosive force.

The Eight Spider Lances, however, leaned toward darkness and poison. Their path was sinister and unpredictable, focused on ambushes and attrition.

There was an obvious conflict between the two.

More importantly, he already possessed the External Soul Bone, Darkgold Terrorclaw.

It was not impossible for one person to fuse with two External Soul Bones. However, if their attributes conflicted, they could instead produce severe backlash, making the process extremely dangerous.

Dai Mubai held the Eight Spider Lances in his palm as an elegant figure surfaced in his mind.

Zhu Zhuqing.

The first consideration was speed. The Eight Spider Lances' one-hundred-percent increase to movement speed was a core enhancement for an agility-attack Soul Master. Zhu Zhuqing already pursued ultimate speed and concealment. This hundred-percent boost would be enough to elevate her to an entirely new level.

Next came the Eight Spider Lances' climbing and hundred-meter jumping abilities. They could greatly expand Zhu Zhuqing's three-dimensional maneuvering space, making up for her limitation of only being able to move rapidly along the ground.

Then there was devouring and sustained combat. As an assassin-type agility-attack Soul Master, Zhu Zhuqing's greatest weakness was her endurance in prolonged battles. Once she became entangled with an opponent, she could easily run out of strength. The Eight Spider Lances' devouring ability, however, would allow her to draw in her opponent's Soul Power and vitality through the spider lances after every assassination, rapidly restoring herself and achieving the effect of "nourishing battle with battle."

Finally, they provided penetrating attacks and poisonous supplementary damage. Zhu Zhuqing's attacks focused on striking with certainty, but when facing an opponent with extremely strong defenses, her cat claws often struggled to inflict fatal wounds. The sharpness and potent poison of the Eight Spider Lances happened to make up for that shortcoming.

After considering everything, the Eight Spider Lances would bring Zhu Zhuqing a far greater improvement than they would bring him.

Zhu Zhuqing and he were bound together by fate. The stronger she became, the more support he would gain.

However, he could not give them to her at the academy.

Dai Mubai did not know whether Tang Hao was still lurking near the academy. If Tang Hao discovered them, he and Zhu Zhuqing might very well be killed and robbed!

"Tomorrow, I'll invite her to Suotuo City."

Having made up his mind, Dai Mubai returned the Eight Spider Lances to his storage ring. He leaned against the edge of the tub and slowly closed his eyes.

He calmed his mind, circulated his Soul Power, and began meditating while taking a medicinal bath.

The next morning, on the training field of Shrek Academy.

Dai Mubai clapped his hands and called everyone over.

"I have something to announce."

"I plan to take a few months off and spend some time training outside."

As soon as he said this, everyone froze.

"Boss Dai, why are you suddenly leaving?" Ma Hongjun was the first to cry out.

Dai Mubai shook his head and smiled. "I'm already at level forty-six. The academy's current training intensity can't put much pressure on me, and the improvement it offers me is very limited. I can't stay trapped in my comfort zone forever."

Zhao Wuji stood to the side and nodded. "Mubai makes sense. With your current strength, you could already apply for graduation. There really isn't much more the academy can do for you. You need to go out and gain more insight."

"Don't worry." Dai Mubai patted Ma Hongjun and Oscar on the shoulders, then looked toward Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing. "Continue cultivating according to the plan. I'll be back in a few months."

In the dean's office, Dai Mubai found Flender.

After hearing his plans, Flender ultimately agreed. "Very well. Go, and be careful."

That evening, while no one was paying attention, Dai Mubai quietly found Zhu Zhuqing. "Zhu Qing, I'm leaving tomorrow. You've been in Suotuo City for so long, but I still haven't taken you around properly. Come walk around the city with me tonight?"

Zhu Zhuqing did not ask any questions. She merely nodded lightly. "All right."

The two left Shrek Academy quietly without alerting anyone and walked hand in hand toward Suotuo City.

Suotuo City's night market was exceptionally lively.

All kinds of stalls lined the streets, while the shops selling snacks, accessories, and other goods glimmered with lamplight.

Dai Mubai held Zhu Zhuqing's hand as they strolled through the bustling night market for a long while. An unprecedented sense of relaxation welled up inside him.

Before they knew it, they had arrived in front of the Rose Hotel.

The Rose Hotel's sign flickered with an ambiguous pink glow in the night, casting a hazy radiance.

Zhu Zhuqing looked at the sign, then at Dai Mubai. Her fair, delicate face immediately flushed crimson.

She lowered her head and asked softly, "You... why did you bring me here..."

Dai Mubai leaned close to her ear and lowered his voice. "Zhu Qing, I have something very important to give you. Come with me."

Zhu Zhuqing's entire body trembled. Her heart pounded like a drum as all kinds of scenes flashed through her mind, and her face reddened so deeply it seemed ready to bleed.

Even so, she still gave a soft "Mm," allowing Dai Mubai to lead her inside by the hand.

In the top-floor suite, the door closed behind them.

A faint incense fragrance permeated the room, and the soft carpet muffled their footsteps completely.

Zhu Zhuqing's heart was racing. She nervously twisted her hands together and did not dare raise her head.

Dai Mubai locked the door from the inside. When he turned around, he saw that the little cat who was usually as cold as frost now had a flushed face, lowered lashes, and breathtaking beauty.

Unable to resist, Dai Mubai reached out and lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. With a teasing smile, he said, "Zhu Qing, did you get the wrong idea?"

Zhu Zhuqing was instantly both embarrassed and annoyed. She turned her face away. "Who... who got the wrong idea..."

Dai Mubai smiled, rubbed the top of her head, and led her by the hand to sit down on the sofa.

"I really do have something to give you. It wouldn't have been convenient at the academy. I'll show you something first."

Dai Mubai's expression turned solemn as he extended his right hand.

Five dark-gold claws burst through the bones of his right-hand fingers. Each one was half a foot long, gleaming with a chilling sharpness.

Zhu Zhuqing's pupils contracted. "What is this?"

"An External Soul Bone—the Darkgold Terrorclaw." Dai Mubai explained, "It came from the Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear that provided my third Soul Ring. An External Soul Bone is worth as much as a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone because it can grow, continuously evolving alongside its Soul Master's strength."

An External Soul Bone comparable to a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone? Zhu Zhuqing's beautiful eyes were filled with shock.

Dai Mubai retracted the claws, then immediately took a palm-sized, dark-purple bone from his storage ring.

"Zhu Qing, this is what I wanted to give you!"