As she spoke, Soul Power surged within her body. Three Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, and purple—rose abruptly from her feet, slowly rotating around her body.
That striking purple third Soul Ring was undoubtedly the best evidence of her breakthrough to Soul Elder!
Seeing everyone's astonished gazes, Xiao Wu smiled and explained the origin of her third Soul Ring:
"When I was captured by the Titan Giant Ape, I was both scared and anxious. Perhaps the external stimulus was too intense, but my Soul Power suddenly broke through the bottleneck, and I instantly reached the thirtieth rank."
She patted her hair, her tone relaxing slightly: "Later, while making my escape in the chaos, I noticed many Soul Beasts lying unconscious by the roadside, knocked out by the Titan Giant Ape's frantic charge."
"It must have been running too fast to notice the smaller creatures along the way."
"I spotted a fainted Lightning Rabbit among them. Its age was around a thousand years, and its attributes were quite compatible with mine, so I took the opportunity to hunt it and absorb its Soul Ring."
Xiao Wu added with a playful wink, "You could say misfortune turned into blessing."
"That actually worked?"
Ma Hongjun stared at Xiao Wu with an expression of someone witnessing a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse.
Zhao Wuji watched her cheerful demeanor, and the last trace of doubt in his heart vanished, leaving only the thought that this girl's luck was truly remarkable:
"It's good that you found a suitable Soul Ring. The Lightning Rabbit's speed attribute complements your Soft Skills well, just right to make up for your weakness in speed."
"Mhm, mhm!"
Xiao Wu nodded vigorously, inwardly relieved—thankfully, she had prepared her story in advance.
There was no way she could tell them that her third Soul Ring had been condensed deep within the Star Dou Great Forest under the Titan Giant Ape's "escort."
Tang San looked at the purple Soul Ring on Xiao Wu, a flicker of joy in his eyes.
Regardless of the process, her safe breakthrough and acquisition of a suitable Soul Ring were the best outcomes.
With Xiao Wu safely returned, Zhao Wuji decided they would stay at the inn for the night and return to the academy tomorrow.
As night fell, the inn was enveloped in silence. Exhausted from the day's hustle and dangers, everyone had long since fallen into a deep sleep.
At that moment, a shadowy figure silently pushed open the door, and Su Yu left the inn alone.
He found a secluded woodland at the edge of the town, where moonlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled patterns on the ground.
Su Yu retrieved the External Spirit Bone of the Human-faced Demon Spider from his Soul Guiding Device, its dark purple glow shimmering faintly in the night.
To be honest, given his current strength, the direct enhancement from this Soul Bone wasn't particularly significant for him.
But the thought that it could eventually merge with a God Set in the future, transforming into wings capable of bearing divine power, made it worth absorbing.
"In that case, I'll absorb it."
Su Yu murmured to himself, pressing the External Spirit Bone against his spine.
Upon contact, a sharp, piercing pain spread along his vertebrae, carrying the fierce and malicious aura unique to the Human-faced Demon Spider.
Yet, this pain was trivial to him—with his strength at the Soul Douluo level, absorbing this External Spirit Bone was as effortless as drinking water.
As his Soul Power circulated, the Soul Bone began to melt like ice, gradually merging into his spine. The pain dissipated, replaced by a cool energy flowing throughout his body.
Su Yu could clearly feel that his Soul Power, which had originally been stagnant at the eighty-second rank, had loosened slightly, achieving a minor breakthrough.
"Hmm? An unexpected gain." Su Yu raised an eyebrow, then focused his mind.
"Swish!"
Eight spider legs gleaming with cold light abruptly extended from his back, several feet long, their tips sharp as blades and covered in fine purple-black scales.
Having studied the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's Distraction Control Method, Su Yu now manipulated these Eight Spider Lances with such dexterity they seemed naturally part of his body.
With a thought, the Eight Spider Lances flexed and retracted mid-air, occasionally slicing through the wind like sharp blades, producing sharp whistling sounds.
"Not bad."
Su Yu nodded in satisfaction, retracting the Eight Spider Lances back into his body. His spine returned to normal as if the Soul Bone had been an illusion.
Soon it was early morning the next day. In the hotel lobby, everyone was packing their belongings, preparing to return directly to Shrek Academy.
After yesterday's trials, they were all somewhat exhausted and eager to return to familiar grounds to rest.
Just then, Tang San suddenly stood up, the fluctuations of Soul Power around him noticeably stronger than the day before, his face unable to conceal his joy:
"I... I've broken through to the thirtieth rank!"
Everyone was stunned, then expressions of surprise spread across their faces.
"Xiao San, you broke through too?" Dai Mubai exclaimed in delighted shock, "It's only been one night - that's incredibly fast!"
Zhao Wuji was also somewhat surprised. He stepped forward to check Tang San's Soul Power and nodded:
"It really is the thirtieth rank. It seems the stimulation from yesterday in the Star Dou Great Forest, combined with your own accumulation, helped you break through this bottleneck."
With this development, their plan to return to the academy naturally had to be postponed.
Obtaining a Soul Ring was the top priority after a Soul Master's breakthrough, especially the third Soul Ring, which was crucial for future development.
"No choice, we'll have to make another trip to the Star Dou Great Forest," Zhao Wuji said helplessly. "Fortunately, we didn't travel too far yesterday. The Soul Beasts in the outer regions should still be sufficient."
No one objected. After packing their things, they set out once again toward the Star Dou Great Forest.
Along the way, Tang San seemed somewhat distracted, his eyes searching through the forest, clearly still thinking about the Human-faced Demon Spider.
He felt that the Human-faced Demon Spider's Soul Ring was particularly compatible with his Martial Soul, and he still felt some regret about not obtaining it yesterday.
However, after searching the forest's periphery for a long time, the group couldn't find any trace of another Human-faced Demon Spider.
These Soul Beasts weren't common to begin with - the one from yesterday had taken the Dragon Duke days of tracking to find. Encountering another one wouldn't be easy.
"Forget it, Xiao San. While the Human-faced Demon Spider is good, there's no need to be too fixated on it," Zhao Wuji said, having noticed his thoughts. "What suits you best is what's truly best. Forcing the search might make you miss the right opportunity."
Tang San understood this reasoning and could only suppress his obsession, nodding: "I understand, Teacher Zhao."
After searching for about another hour, Zhao Wuji suddenly stopped by a cave and pointed inside:
"There's a Cave Demon Spider here, approximately twelve hundred years old. Its toxicity and explosive power are both quite good - it would make a suitable third Soul Ring for you."
Everyone gathered to look and saw a completely black demon spider crouching deep within the cave.
Slightly smaller than yesterday's Human-faced Demon Spider, it had eight thick, powerful legs and was watching the cave entrance warily.
"Cave Demon Spider?"
A flicker of hesitation passed through Tang San's eyes, but it was soon replaced by determination.
"Alright, this one it is."
Zhao Wuji directly eliminated the Cave Demon Spider and had Tang San step forward to absorb the Soul Ring. Half an hour later, the Soul Ring had completely integrated into Tang San's body.
Tang San slowly opened his eyes, Soul Power flowing around him as three Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, and purple—circled his body!
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