As time passed, more than two full hours went by before Tang San's expression finally began to calm down. A purple soul ring gradually formed on the Blue Silver Grass.
When Tang San opened his eyes again, everyone around let out a sigh of relief.
However, before anyone could speak to him, Tang San suddenly showed an expression of intense pain. His soul power lost control completely, and the skin on his right palm was torn open. A jade-green sickle emerged between his five fingers.
This sickle was about a foot long and looked similar to the forelegs of the Hurricane Mantis. It was especially covered in serrated edges, appearing extremely sharp.
Tang San's entire right hand seemed to lose control, swinging wildly in the air, as if he was about to go berserk.
Yang Xiong quickly spoke, "Everyone, don't go near Tang San. Let him handle this himself."
Zhao Wuji looked puzzled. "Yang Xiong, what is that? It looks kind of like the foreleg of the Hurricane Mantis."
Yang Xiong observed carefully, then couldn't help but sigh, "Tang San's luck is unbelievable. That should be an external soul bone, specifically, the external soul bone of the Hurricane Mantis's foreleg."
Ning Rongrong quickly asked, "Xiao Xiongzi, I've heard of external soul bones too, but since it's the foreleg of the Hurricane Mantis, shouldn't it have appeared on his leg?"
Yang Xiong explained, a bit speechless, "Insect-type soul beasts, although all their limbs are called legs, their forelimbs actually correspond to human arms. Just like snake-type soul beasts don't have arms but can still produce limb-type soul bones. But this Hurricane Mantis external soul bone will likely be hard to control at first. According to the records of the soul master world, such a soul bone has never appeared before."
At this point, Tang San was drenched in sweat, and his soul power was in chaos. Zhao Wuji quickly said, "Tang San, calm your mind. Treat that sickle as part of your body, as your own bone. Try to control it slowly with your soul power."
Tang San's willpower was indeed strong. With Zhao Wuji's guidance, he gradually calmed his mind. His soul power also stabilized, and the mantis leg external soul bone slowly retracted back into his palm.
Finally, Tang San took a deep breath and said, "Thank you, Teacher Zhao. And thank you, everyone, for your concern. I'm fine now."
Although everyone was curious, they didn't press further. Meanwhile, Yang Xiong was internally shocked.
External soul bones were extremely rare, far rarer than ordinary soul bones. Even in the entire Douluo First Academy, only three had ever been seen. Even in later generations, they remained exceedingly rare.
What made them so valuable was their ability to grow. They were considered treasures in the soul master world.
Yang Xiong couldn't believe it. He had already intercepted the Eight Spider Lances soul bone, yet Tang San still had such a fortunate encounter. Absorbing the Hurricane Mantis had granted him the soul bone from its foreleg.
In terms of pure attack power, the Hurricane Mantis relied on its sharp forelegs to kill enemies. These legs were what made it one of the deadliest hunters in the forest.
Though the devouring properties of the Hurricane Mantis weren't as strong as the Eight Spider Lances, for someone like Tang San, who was an assassin in his previous life, the Hurricane Mantis forelegs were even more fitting. Their sharpness made them perfect for surprise attacks. The only downside was that mantis-type soul beasts were not poisonous.
Yang Xiong kept staring at the soul bone on Tang San's hand. It looked familiar, like he'd seen something like it before.
Just as everyone was wondering about it, Zhao Wuji suddenly shouted, "Who's sneaking around there?!"
Before Zhao Wuji could take action, a pink figure stepped out from the forest. It was Xiao Wu.
"Teacher Zhao, it's me, Xiao Wu."
Tang San was instantly overjoyed. He rushed over and hugged her tightly. "Xiao Wu, I'm so glad you're alright. I thought you wouldn't come back."
Xiao Wu was also visibly emotional. "Brother, I thought I'd never see you again."
Tang San quickly asked, "Xiao Wu, which expert saved you? Did you see what he looked like?"
Xiao Wu looked confused. "Brother San, are you feeling dizzy? What expert? No one saved me."
Everyone turned to Yang Xiong and Lin Gong with confused expressions.
Lin Gong finally spoke. "Young lady, earlier I was asked by Yang Xiong to go rescue you. But when I got close to the Titan Giant Ape and you, a massive killing aura suddenly appeared, and a voice from the sky told me to leave. He said not to interfere and that he would handle it. So I came back early. Wasn't it that person who saved you?"
"If I remember correctly, he once appeared at Shrek and even fought with Zhao Wuji."
Xiao Wu's face instantly turned pale. She hadn't expected that someone had been watching her in secret. That meant everything she did was being observed, and the secret of her being a hundred-thousand-year soul beast could have been discovered.
Zhao Wuji didn't seem to notice Xiao Wu's change in expression. He nodded. "That's true. I did fight someone on your first day at Shrek. He should be a Title Douluo and probably a senior related to Tang San."
Tang San noticed something off with Xiao Wu and asked quickly, "Xiao Wu, what's wrong? Were you injured by the Titan Giant Ape? Don't worry, I'll definitely get revenge for you."
Xiao Wu swallowed nervously. "Brother San, I'm fine. It's just that the Star Dou Great Forest is a bit terrifying. I'm still feeling shaken. No one rescued me."
"I actually don't know what happened. The Titan Giant Ape was carrying me into the forest when we suddenly heard a sound like a bull's roar from the distance. The ape looked very nervous, threw me aside, and ran off."
Everyone looked at each other, confused. Both sides didn't seem to be lying. Could it be that mysterious expert scared off the Titan Giant Ape?
Xiao Wu continued, "Before it left, the Titan Giant Ape let out a roar that knocked me unconscious. Many surrounding soul beasts were also knocked out, and some even coughed up blood and died. When I woke up, I was lucky enough to find that my soul power had reached level 30."
"And even luckier, I found a thousand-year soul beast among the unconscious ones that was perfect for me. So I absorbed it as my third soul ring."
Zhao Wuji swallowed. "So, Xiao Wu, you're now a Soul Elder? Who's older between you and Tang San?"
Xiao Wu replied, "I'm a few months younger than Tang San."
Zhao Wuji was overjoyed. "Good! Very good! From now on, Xiao Wu, you're the youngest Soul Elder in the history of Shrek Academy!"
He then recounted everything that had happened, including Yang Xiong's rescue attempt and Tang San's soul ring absorption.
Xiao Wu's expression turned uncertain as she listened, and a flicker of fear showed in her eyes. She even began to tremble slightly.
Tang San quickly comforted her. "Xiao Wu, I'm now a Soul Elder too. I'll definitely protect you from now on and won't let anyone hurt you again."
Xiao Wu nodded. "Brother San, I believe you."
After their conversation, the group prepared to leave the Star Dou Great Forest.
At this moment, Tang San seemed to remember something. He took out several hidden weapons from his body and handed them to Xiao Wu. "These are hidden weapons I made. They'll protect you in the future."
Everyone was surprised to see him take out the Zhuge Divine Crossbow. They had witnessed Tang San use it to kill the Hurricane Mantis, and its power had been astonishing.
Tang San held the crossbow up and aimed at a large tree. With a click, sixteen bolts shot out and embedded themselves in the trunk.
Everyone gasped in amazement. Ordinary bows and arrows couldn't compare to this. Releasing sixteen bolts at once, there was almost no way to guard against it. Its power even surpassed some soul skills.
Oscar and Ning Rongrong were particularly excited. Ning Rongrong asked seriously, "Tang San, did you make this weapon yourself?"
Tang San nodded. "Yes. I carefully researched and created it. If used unexpectedly, it can even hurt a Soul Sect. And anyone below that level who gets hit directly probably won't survive."
Ning Rongrong said, "Tang San, I'm a support-type soul master. I have no attack or defense ability. Can I buy one from you? Name your price."
Tang San didn't hesitate. "We're classmates. I'll give you one."
Oscar and Ma Hongjun immediately came over. "Tang San, aren't we classmates too? And brothers?"
Tang San laughed. "Don't worry. I'll prepare a set for everyone."
Zhao Wuji, however, turned serious. "Tang San, none of your classmates are poor. I can see your weapons are difficult and expensive to make. You should set a fair price. It's not right for only you to contribute."
Tang San smiled. "Teacher Zhao, it's not a big deal. If everyone's interested, I'll try to arm all of you. That way, we'll be safer during future missions."
He then walked up to Yang Xiong. "Thank you for rescuing Xiao Wu, even at great risk."
Yang Xiong smiled. "Classmates should help each other. Besides, I do have a few ways to protect myself."
After some final discussions, the group set off to leave the Star Dou Great Forest.
Yang Xiong walked at the back of the group. Lin Gong looked at him and asked curiously, "Yang Xiong, that hidden weapon looks really powerful. Didn't you think it would be useful to you, or even to our sect?"
Yang Xiong laughed. "That's something for a young lady like Rongrong to handle. I still prefer to train my body through hard work."
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