Chu Qing finished absorbing the ninety-thousand-year-old Man Faced Demon Spider Emperor's external finger bone. Sensing the Soul Bone's Soul Skill, Man Faced Demon Puppet, he found it incomparably powerful, worthy of being called a divine skill. He could hardly contain the delight on his face.
"Try it."
Xue Zhan felt a considerable sense of pride.
This Soul Bone had gathered dust in the Xue Family for centuries. It could be said to be far more useful than an ordinary Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.
Now a fine horse had found a fine saddle.
Chu Qing nodded and channeled his power, activating the Soul Bone's Soul Skill.
Ten translucent strands of spider silk, formed from Soul Power and spiritual power, emerged from his fingertips. They stretched forward and intertwined before him, taking the shape of an enormous Man Faced Demon Spider Emperor. Its carapace was an eerie dark gold from end to end.
The markings on its lower abdomen intertwined to form its distinctive, malevolent human face, like that of a devil.
Though its eight blood-red eyes had been created by a Soul Skill, they were no less ferocious than before, striking fear into the mind.
Three purple Soul Rings also rose from its body.
Meanwhile, Chu Qing's real body vanished from where he stood, concealing itself.
Lan Zhan explained the Soul Bone's origins:
"This Soul Bone came from a Man Faced Spider Emperor that was preparing to break through to one hundred thousand years six hundred years ago. It was only a hair's breadth from advancing, and our people were nearly wiped out."
"You could almost treat it as a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone."
Chu Qing's voice came from the air behind the Man Faced Demon Puppet, filled with wonder.
"No wonder it's so powerful."
He continued channeling his power. The sinister human face on the Man Faced Spider Emperor's lower abdomen gave off an eerie dark golden light, as though it were a vengeful spirit roaring to break free. The spider's body changed shape, its entire form mutating into a humanoid figure with twisted limbs.
It grew increasingly human in shape, except that its four limbs were twisted and braced against the ground, giving off an eerie, terrifying presence.
The sinister human face also began to soften, growing more and more like Xue Shiqi's.
Finally, it stood upright, taking on Xue Shiqi's exact appearance. The terrifying presence around it also began to recede.
This was the Soul Skill ability of the Man Faced Spider Emperor's external finger bone: it could create a disguised Man Faced Demon Puppet as a false body while the real body remained hidden. The Man Faced Demon Puppet had the same Soul Power Level as the real body, but its Soul Rings would always have only one Soul Skill, Spider God Possession.
Chu Qing controlled the disguised Xue Shiqi, making him move. With a swish, nine blood-red Soul Rings rose beneath his feet. Of course, even if he conjured eighteen Soul Rings, he would still have only one Soul Skill, Spider God Possession.
Xue Zhan watched with delight and said:
"Take the time to understand it. This Soul Skill will be wonderfully useful to you."
Xue Shiqi bowed.
"Granduncle, I'll make good use of this Soul Bone."
This Soul Bone was exceptionally powerful, excellent for both fighting and escaping. Unfortunately, though his Soul Power was adequate, his spiritual power could not keep up with the consumption for now.
Thinking this, he asked through Xue Shiqi:
"Granduncle, could I try absorbing a Soul Beast with the Mental Attribute for my next Soul Ring?"
Xue Zhan looked somewhat troubled and said:
"Your Martial Soul isn't of the mental type, so it isn't very suitable. You'd very likely waste a Soul Skill that way. You could certainly try absorbing a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring for your fourth Soul Skill, so that would be a terrible waste."
"There's no need to rush, especially when so little research has been done on the mental type right now."
"For now, the best thing would be to have them find people to test which medicines can increase spiritual power without side effects."
Chu Qing revealed his real body and said:
"Granduncle, I understand."
He thought to himself that there were too many things to do at once. It was time to put the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well on the agenda too, though getting in was a problem.
He also thought of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. Unfortunately, he was not of the mental type; otherwise, how wonderful it would be to devour its vast Spiritual Origin. But the other party had even burst a Titled Douluo apart. Even if he could trick it into coming over with the prospect of becoming a god, he would not dare let it enter his body, and how to devour it was another problem.
His thoughts were in a bit of a muddle, and he only came back to himself when Xue Zhan patted him on the head.
"What are you thinking about?"
Xue Zhan asked with some concern.
"Why don't you just focus on cultivating first? You're busy cultivating while trying to run the Soul Fighting Society well. It's a bit too much for you to handle."
"Those things can wait until later."
Chu Qing shook his head.
"It's all right, Granduncle. Get some rest early. I'll cultivate a little longer and then go to sleep too."
It was not that he could not wait until later. The problem was that he knew there were not many years of peace left. He wanted to develop as soon as possible while the Dou Ling Empire was still alive and he had the Dou Ling emperor's support.
The Soul Fighting Society was, of course, not just for selling cards. That could only be considered a source of income for an organization.
As for the Spirit Rhinoceros Sect, it was not that he had never considered using it as a foundation for development. But the sect was founded on Spirit Rhinoceros Soul Masters, and with the conservative views within the sect, its ceiling was fixed.
Xue Zhan nodded and reminded him:
"Even if you meditate to cultivate, sleep is still necessary."
"Don't worry, Granduncle. I know my own limits."
He spent a little longer getting used to and playing with his Man Faced Demon Puppet, then began meditating to cultivate.
The next day, he walked out of the Soul Fighting Society and was still looking around when Ning Changqiu and the other two approached from behind and called out:
"Are you looking for us, young friend?"
Chu Qing saluted them and followed them into an elegant courtyard residence. The two sides sat down to talk, and Ning Changqiu got straight to the point:
"I'm interested in your Soul Fighting Cards. Could you let us handle the distribution outlets within the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's territory?"
Chu Qing was surprised. How did they even know that he and the others intended to establish distribution outlets in various places in the future? They had only discussed that among themselves.
Ning Changqiu saw the surprise in his eyes and explained:
"Rest assured, our Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect means no harm."
"Even if you're unwilling to join our families through marriage, we're still willing to invest in you."
"Starting now, all you have to do is nod, and you'll be an offering elder of our Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect."
Chu Qing did not hesitate for long and held out his hand.
"Then it's a deal. Your distribution outlets can only buy cards from us; they can't make or print their own."
"As for the position of offering elder, I'm not strong enough yet. My abilities don't merit the position, and besides, I'm the young sect master of the Spirit Rhinoceros Sect."
"But rest assured, Sect Master Ning. Since you're investing in my future, I won't let you down in the future."
"If you don't mind, I'd also like to invite you to be the honorary vice president of our Soul Fighting Society."
Ning Changqiu shook his hand happily.
"A pleasure doing business with you."
He then took a box encrusted with gemstones from his ring and said:
"Young friend, I'm sure you've heard the story of Ning Rongrong, the ancestor of our Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, becoming a god ten thousand years ago."
Chu Qing nodded, looking at the treasure box before him in puzzlement.
"What's this?"
"You're right. This was left by our ancestor Ning Rongrong before she departed, so that our Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect could turn the tables if it faced a crisis one day, and to lend a hand if a descendant showed the potential to become a god."
As he spoke, he opened the treasure box. A Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda glowing with precious light immediately appeared, filling the room with dazzling nine-colored radiance.