Tang San Should Be Clinging to Me Now

Ye Lin was stunned beyond words.

He recognized that Spirit Bone.

An External Soul Bone: the Eight Spider Lances.

In his previous life, he had obtained it from a Man Faced Demon Spider in the Star Dou Forest. It had been Tang San's opportunity.

How had it ended up here?

His gaze left the Spirit Bone and settled on Yu Xiaogang's calm face. His lips moved twice before he spoke.

"Teacher, where did you get this External Soul Bone?"

Yu Xiaogang leaned back in his chair.

"The External Soul Bone, Eight Spider Lances."

"I got it from a two-thousand-two-hundred-year-old Man Faced Demon Spider."

"I was searching for a Spirit Ring with the Peerless Dragon and Snake family when we found it."

"It was a coincidence, really. The Man Faced Demon Spider was too old for our needs, but Luo Sanpao happened to get hungry, and that was how we discovered it."

"Go on and absorb it. With two External Soul Bones and a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone, you should be able to push the age of your fourth Spirit Ring even higher."

Ye Lin stood holding the box for a moment, then bowed deeply.

"Teacher, I can never repay you for giving me a second chance at life."

Yu Xiaogang waved a hand, the corner of his mouth lifting.

"You're my disciple. Of course I'll take good care of you."

"Absorb it now, before anything can go wrong. I'll keep watch."

He rose, went to the door, and listened for any movement outside. Then he returned and pulled the curtains more tightly shut.

Ye Lin hesitated no longer.

He sat cross-legged on the bed, opened the box, and took out the purple Spirit Bone with eight legs.

The spider legs curled slightly, giving off a deep, dark sheen in his palm.

He closed his eyes and slowly drew out his Soul Power, wrapping it around the Spirit Bone.

A cool sensation spread from deep within his spine.

It felt as though something were moving down his backbone.

When it reached one vertebra, it stopped and began pushing outward.

It did not hurt, but it felt deeply strange.

It was as though something were growing from his bones, parting skin and muscle bit by bit before emerging from his back.

Two hours passed in silence.

On Ye Lin's back, purple light spread outward from his spine, growing brighter and more solid.

At last, eight points lit up at once.

Eight long spider legs extended from either side of his spine.

Each was over two meters long and deep purple, with a fine layer of down across its surface and a slightly curved tip.

They emerged from his back and unfurled behind him.

Yu Xiaogang stood beside the bed, watching the eight legs spread. He could not suppress his grin.

Once Ye Lin opened his eyes, Yu Xiaogang took out the silver metal block and handed it over. "Here. Try it."

Ye Lin turned and directed one spider leg to make a light slash across the block.

A cut opened silently in the metal, its edges clean and smooth. It looked much like a mark left by the Dark Gold Dreadclaw.

On closer inspection, though, the cut was a little narrower and shallower. The spider leg was not quite as sharp.

A faint hiss rose from the block as the poison carried by the spider leg corroded a small dark patch into its surface.

Yu Xiaogang leaned in for a look and nodded.

"It isn't as sharp as the Dark Gold Dreadclaw, but it carries poison. That makes it even more treacherous in a fight."

"How does it feel?"

Ye Lin shifted his back. The eight spider legs swayed with his thoughts, some moving left, some right, some lifting and others pressing down. They were like eight long arms that did not quite obey him.

He frowned as he tested them. "A little awkward. I suddenly have eight extra legs, and my brain can barely keep up. Controlling them all at once takes effort."

Yu Xiaogang laughed. "Practice, and you'll get used to them. Think of them as eight more arms. They can help you attack or defend from several directions, and they'll be useful for all sorts of things."

"Once you master them, they'll be worth even more than the Dark Gold Dreadclaw."

"Feel around again. What other abilities does this Spirit Bone have?"

Ye Lin closed his eyes and sank his Spiritual Power into the Spirit Bone.

A moment later, he opened them.

"This Spirit Bone has two main kinds of abilities: absorption and release."

"For absorption, it can absorb a target's Soul Power and life force, and it can devour toxins."

"For release, it can secrete poison. I can feel that it still holds the Man Faced Demon Spider's venom. It's potent."

"Absorbing this Spirit Bone has improved my physical abilities across the board, too."

Yu Xiaogang listened and nodded, looking even more pleased than before.

"Good. Absorption and release make an excellent match for your Soul-Transformed Strength."

"You can absorb Soul Power and turn it into strength, release poison to suppress an opponent, then use the Dark Gold Dreadclaw to break through their defenses. With those three External Soul Bone abilities and your three enhancement skills, you have far more options in close combat than most Soul Masters at your level."

He patted Ye Lin on the shoulder. "All right. Go back and get some rest."

"That trip to the Star Dou Forest exhausted you. The Titan Giant Ape took Xiao Wu, and you got her back. You absorbed the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear's Spirit Ring and endured the shock to your soul. Now you've absorbed the Eight Spider Lances as well. Get a good night's sleep. You don't have to get up early tomorrow."

Ye Lin slowly retracted the eight spider legs into his spine. His back became smooth again, leaving only faint purple markings, like eight fine lines fading beneath the skin on either side of his spine.

He stood and bowed to Yu Xiaogang once more. "Thank you, Teacher."

Then he opened the door and stepped into the cool morning air.

He returned to his dormitory, pushed open the door, collapsed onto the bed, and closed his eyes.

Almost as soon as his head touched the pillow, he fell asleep.

When Ye Lin opened his eyes, sunlight was already squeezing through a gap in the curtains.

He lay still and took stock of his body.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw External Soul Bone. The Eight Spider Lances External Soul Bone.

It hardly felt real.

I was supposed to cling to Tang San for support.

But now his Spirit Bones are sitting in my body.

So which one of us is supposed to be the powerhouse here?

He dressed and stepped outside. The courtyard was quiet.

Ye Lin headed straight for the edge of the training ground.

He rolled his shoulders, jogged two slow laps to loosen up, then stopped. Planting his feet apart and lowering into a horse stance, he began circulating his blood and Soul Power.

He drew Soul Power from his dantian and guided it through his meridians along the path of the Mysterious Heaven Skill, adjusting the rhythm of his blood flow with his breathing.

A thin white mist rose from Ye Lin's body.

It gradually gathered in one place, finally condensing above his palm.

Just as Ye Lin was about to make it solid—

Pop!

All the mist dispersed at once.

"Damn. Still no good?"

"Creating a Self-Created Soul Skill is way too hard."