Tang San discovered that activating the mutations behind him didn't consume much of his Soul Power — it was as if the vertebrae themselves already contained a certain amount of energy.
As eight bulges rose along his back, the purple glow emanating from Tang San's body grew increasingly prominent.
Suddenly, with a violent shudder through his body, the eight bulges finally broke through the skin. Eight thick, pillar-shaped extensions rapidly protruded outward from his back.
If any of Tang San's companions from Shrek Academy had been present, they would have noticed that this time the spider legs were growing much faster than before.
In just the span of a few blinks, the thick spider legs had already extended to a length of one and a half meters. Then, they abruptly unfurled — from each one-and-a-half-meter leg, an additional one and a half meters sprang outward through the end joints, revealing the sharpest tips.
Tang San couldn't help but let out a low growl as all eight spider legs on his back spread out to either side of his body. A ghostly purple luminescence shimmered along their length, like eight enormous arms shielding him in the center.
Faint wisps of purple mist could be seen hovering over the legs, the purple light flowing through them as though they were crafted from transparent amethyst.
"Good," the Great Master praised. "Xiao San, control your spider legs and stab a tree. Put your full force into it."
Although Tang San was still quite unskilled with his spider legs in the air, stabbing a single tree was well within his ability. He shifted slightly to the side, and the spider leg on his left shot out.
With a muffled *thud*, Tang San was stunned to discover that the spider leg had pierced through the tree — a trunk thick enough to require a person wrapping both arms around it — as though encountering no resistance whatsoever, passing clean through to the other side.
An even more astonishing sight followed. As the spider leg pierced through, both Tang San and the Great Master clearly saw a layer of purple silently spreading from the leg, racing through the entire tree at an alarming speed.
Not only did the trunk rapidly turn purple, but within moments, even the branches and leaves had taken on the same hue.
Leaf after leaf drifted down from above. Before they even touched the ground, they had already dissolved midair into wisps of purple powder that vanished into nothingness. The great tree itself melted away like snow in spring, silently crumbling into fine purple dust. Even the shrubs surrounding the tree that came into contact with this purple powder were similarly consumed by the purple and disappeared. Within a radius of several meters, everything had become a domain of silent purple desolation.
A faint pulse of energy flowed through the spider leg and into Tang San's body. Though the amount was small, it was unmistakable.
The last time this had happened was when Ma Hongjun had touched the spider leg and been poisoned — Tang San had felt something similar then, though it had been far more subtle and he hadn't paid it much attention. This time, however, the sensation was extremely clear. It was as though the spider leg had absorbed the energy contained within the tree and was now transmitting it into his body.
The purple powder that had fallen to the ground gradually turned colorless, and within moments had blended into the soil, completely invisible. The great tree that had stood there moments ago was as though it had never existed at all. The spider leg Tang San had thrust out still held its previous posture, yet where the tree had been, there was nothing.
"This... what on earth is...?" Tang San stared blankly at his spider leg. Although he had guessed that its offensive power would be considerable, he had never imagined the toxicity it carried would be this terrifying.
The Great Master slowly walked to Tang San's side, carefully sidestepping the spider legs. "It seems my judgment was correct after all. Xiao San, the greatest gain from this experience of yours isn't your third Soul Ring, nor even your third Soul Skill — the Spider Web Binding. It's these eight spider legs. Or rather, it's this External Attached Soul Bone."
"External Attached Soul Bone?" Tang San looked at the Great Master.
The Great Master nodded. "All these years, I've been teaching you how to identify Soul Beasts and Soul Rings, as well as methods for cultivating your Martial Soul and its various applications. I've never really told you much about Soul Bones. That's mainly because I never imagined you'd encounter one this early. It seems now is the time to explain the mysteries of Soul Bones to you. To begin with, we must first discuss what a Soul Bone is."
At the Great Master's prompting, Tang San used his Soul Power to retract the eight spider legs back into his body. Just as before, the process consumed a considerable amount of Soul Power — the complete opposite of the zero cost when releasing them.
The Great Master spoke solemnly: "A Soul Bone is an exceedingly special thing — or perhaps it is more accurate to say that it is the most coveted item in a Soul Master's dreams. Similar to Soul Rings in that Soul Bones also originate from Soul Beasts, but they are vastly different in other ways. First, the probability of a Soul Bone appearing is merely one in a thousand, or even lower. Generally speaking, only a Soul Beast of immense strength that has undergone certain special circumstances at the moment of death has any chance of producing a Soul Bone after death. It is not like every Soul Beast producing a Soul Ring. For this reason, Soul Bones are exceedingly rare and tremendously precious."
"Another distinction between Soul Bones and Soul Rings is that a Soul Bone doesn't require the killer of the Soul Beast to be the one who absorbs it, as Soul Rings do. A Soul Bone, once obtained, can even be sold. Do you remember? I once told you that you should try to accumulate as much money as possible. The purpose was so that in the future, you could purchase the Soul Bone you need at certain special places. Any Soul Bone, no matter how ordinary, commands an astronomical price. And even at that price, supply is virtually nonexistent."
Tang San asked, "Then how exactly is a Soul Bone used? Do you mean that the eight spider legs on my back are eight Soul Bones?"
Hearing Tang San's question, the Great Master couldn't help but laugh. "You're not greedy at all — eight Soul Bones? Obtaining even one Soul Bone is extraordinarily lucky. Moreover, yours is an External Attached Soul Bone. Its value is nearly comparable to a top-tier Soul Bone. Your External Attached Soul Bone is a vertebra. Of course, it includes eight ribs along with it. Its function is to absorb all of the toxicity from the Human-Faced Demon Spider you killed, replicate its eight spider legs, and then combine them with your own abilities to produce these eight spider legs you see now."
"The Human-Faced Demon Spider's Soul Ring, combined with your Martial Soul, has enhanced your body's attributes to some degree, and the toxicity of your Blue Silver Grass has also increased considerably. However, that is ultimately not the Human-Faced Demon Spider's own poison. Your eight spider legs are different — they not only possess the Human-Faced Demon Spider's toxicity, but have even undergone a certain mutation. You just witnessed that extraordinary corrosive effect. If it were to pierce a human body, what do you think would happen?"
The Great Master's eyes gleamed with excitement as he continued: "Xiao San, let me ask you — how many Soul Rings can a Soul Master possess at most?"
Tang San answered, "Nine. Nine is the absolute limit, making one a Titled Douluo."
The Great Master nodded. "Then when everyone has nine Soul Rings of roughly equal age, how do you determine who is stronger?"
Tang San thought for a moment. "It would depend on what their respective Martial Souls are, whether one counters the other, and their comparative combat experience. Only by combining all of these factors can you determine who holds the advantage."
The Great Master nodded. "You're quite right — you've remembered everything I've taught you well. Then let me tell you this: when everything else between two opponents is equal, if one of them possesses a Soul Bone, then everything you just said becomes irrelevant. Because the Soul Master with a Soul Bone will hold an absolute advantage."
"A Soul Bone has that much of an impact?" Tang San looked at the Great Master in surprise.
The Great Master nodded again. "Soul Rings grant Soul Skills. While they do enhance a Soul Master's attributes somewhat, their primary function is in the skills they carry. A Soul Bone is precisely the opposite. It may not come with a skill, but the enhancement it provides to the Soul Master's own body is enormous. More importantly, a Soul Bone possesses a growth potential even more valuable than that of a Soul Ring. You know that Soul Skills grow in power as Soul Power increases. But you should also know that the age of the Soul Ring limits its growth potential. Even a Titled Douluo above level ninety finds that the skill granted by his first Soul Ring cannot amplify to a truly formidable level — that is precisely the reason. A Soul Bone, however, is different. It is not limited by the age of the Soul Beast that produced it. It evolves purely in tandem with the Soul Master's own strength. In other words, the earlier you obtain a Soul Bone, the longer it has to evolve."
Tang San said, "There are so many bones in the human body. If one could absorb that many different types of Soul Bones, wouldn't the possibilities be limitless...?"
The Great Master shook his head. "Although the human body contains many bones, they are divided into only a few major categories. Therefore, generally speaking, the types of Soul Bones one can absorb are limited to just a few — limbs, head, and torso. In other words, the maximum number of Soul Bones a person can absorb is six. Just as a Soul Master can absorb nine Soul Rings at most. The quality of a Soul Bone and its effect on a Soul Master depend primarily on how early it is absorbed and how compatible its properties are with one's own."
Tang San suddenly understood. "Then my Soul Bone from the Human-Faced Demon Spider is undoubtedly compatible with me, and it belongs to the torso category. Correct?"
"Your first statement is quite right. The best way to obtain a Soul Bone suited to you is to acquire one from the same type of Soul Beast as one of your existing Soul Rings. However, your Soul Bone does not belong to the torso category. That is precisely why I call it an External Attached Soul Bone."
Curious, Tang San asked, "Then what exactly is an External Attached Soul Bone?"