As he spoke, he took a quick step forward to the Fatty's side, and without any regard for the fact that the Fatty's palm was already festering, he reached out and grasped it directly. At that moment, Tang San's palm instantly turned the color of jade.
A wondrous sight appeared — the deadly poison, which even Oscar's Little Sausage had been unable to neutralize, began retreating rapidly back along its original path the moment Tang San's palm clasped the Fatty's hand. Wisps of dark purple-black liquid flowed continuously into Tang San's palm and vanished without a trace.
In just a few breaths, the Fatty's arm had returned to normal, and the wounds on his palm had begun bleeding fresh, red blood. The pained expression on his face disappeared along with it.
"What on earth just happened?" The same question arose in every mind except Tang San's.
Seeing that the Fatty was fine, Tang San let out a breath of relief. He knew everyone had a great many questions, but he was in no hurry to explain. After releasing the Fatty's hand, he strode quickly over to the dead Human-Faced Demon Spider and pressed his hand against its body.
The spider's corpse had already turned completely gray, utterly devoid of life. Tang San merely circulated a trace of Soul Power, and a rapid succession of crisp cracking sounds erupted. The corpse of the Human-Faced Demon Spider crumbled into pieces.
"I think I understand now." Combining what he had sensed during his earlier meditation, Tang San had finally pieced together more or less what had happened.
"From now on, nobody touch the spider legs on my back — they're laced with the Human-Faced Demon Spider's deadly poison. When I was absorbing the Soul Ring earlier, I don't know why, but I ended up drawing all of the spider's toxins into my body as well. Why that happened, I'll probably only be able to figure out once I see the Great Master. I don't know the cause, but at least I've got a rough picture of my current condition. I've gained the Human-Faced Demon Spider's third Soul Ability — its signature spider web. And my Blue Silver Grass seems to have undergone some kind of mutation after the Human-Faced Demon Spider's Soul Ring was added. As for just how much it's changed, I'll have to go back and test it gradually. My overall attributes have all improved significantly, especially strength and speed. My Soul Power has also increased a great deal — it feels like it might be more than just level thirty-one."
Zhao Wuji asked, "So what's the deal with those spider legs on your back?"
Tang San smiled ruefully. "Just like with absorbing all the spider's toxins, I have no idea why this happened either. Those spider legs don't seem to be connected to the Soul Ring I absorbed. I can control their movements, but it feels a bit awkward."
Dai Mubai said, "Can you make them retract? You can't just walk around like that forever. People would think you're a monster."
Tang San replied helplessly, "Aren't we all monsters already? I'll give it a try."
As he spoke, he gathered his Soul Power and channeled it down his spine, issuing a command for the eight spider legs to withdraw.
A wondrous sight unfolded. The three-meter-long spider legs, fully extended, began to slowly fold. The two bent sections pressed together, and then, bit by bit, they merged back into Tang San's body.
Tang San felt a faint itching sensation in his back, but nothing truly uncomfortable. During the process, all three of his Soul Rings blazed to life. Tang San could clearly feel his Soul Power being consumed at a rapid rate. Obviously, retracting these spider legs required Soul Power to fuel the process.
When Tang San had consumed a full third of his Soul Power, all eight spider legs had finally disappeared completely into his back. Tang San could clearly sense that those eight legs had not vanished from within him — instead, they had transformed into eight streams of strange energy, originating from his spine and conforming to his eight ribs.
"As long as you can put them away, that's good enough." Zhao Wuji nodded at Tang San. "Those spider legs are quite impressive. If they really work just like the legs of a Human-Faced Demon Spider, then Xiao San, you're even stronger than before. Eight three-meter-long spider legs you can control freely — that's essentially equivalent to eight spears, all laced with deadly poison. If the toxicity matches the Human-Faced Demon Spider's, that would mean both neurotoxin and corrosive poison. The fact that even Little Ao's Little Sausage couldn't neutralize it tells you just how potent that venom is."
Tang San had been deep in thought the entire time. The process of obtaining this Human-Faced Demon Spider Soul Ring had been extraordinarily painful, but now that the absorption was complete, what he had gained far surpassed what an ordinary Soul Master would receive from absorbing a Soul Ring. His physical attributes had improved dramatically, and he had even acquired the skill he had wanted most. But whether to feel happy or worried about those eight spider legs on his back, Tang San truly couldn't decide. After all, he had no idea what consequences this might bring in the future.
At that moment, Tang San missed his teacher even more. If the Great Master were here, perhaps all these questions would have found their answers.
"All right, enough thinking for now. We can discuss everything once we get back." Zhao Wuji looked at the children before him with a broad smile, his mood visibly relaxed. "I know we ran into quite a few troubles this time and went through several close calls, but in the end, we made it through. Oscar, Tang San, and Xiao Wu successfully obtained their Soul Rings and advanced to the Soul Venerable rank. That's a very solid haul. It's time we headed back. To Shrek Academy — let's move out!"
The group cheered in unison. After repeatedly staring death in the face, everything had finally been resolved, and they could finally go home. The seven students looked at one another, an unspoken bond silently spreading among them. After this expedition to the Star Dou Great Forest, whether they had obtained a Soul Ring or not, every one of them shared only one thought — to return to the academy and collapse comfortably into their own beds for a good night's sleep.