Bluffing and Bluffing Again

"What? An external soul bone?"

Everyone in the Emperor Team, including Qin Ming, showed expressions of surprise.

Zong nodded and said seriously, "Yes! My third spirit ring comes from a thousand-year-old spider-type spirit beast. After fusing with the spirit ring, eight spider legs grew from the spine on my back. Later, I found out that this was an external soul bone, and I named it 'Eight Spider Lances.'"

Qin Ming suddenly understood. He had already guessed that the room had been caused by spider legs, knowing that spirit beasts wouldn't appear in Suotuo City. He had even prepared for the news of Zong's death. Never did he expect that reality would give him such a surprise—not only was Zong alive, but he also had an external soul bone.

"Teacher Qin Ming, aren't Soul Bones usually categorized as left leg, right leg, left arm, right arm, skull, and torso? What is an external soul bone?" asked Dugu Yan.

Qin Ming replied seriously, "Since Yan has asked, let me explain a bit about Soul Bones."

"Soul Bones are incredibly special items. In fact, they are the most coveted treasures for any spirit master. Like spirit rings, Soul Bones also come from spirit beasts, but they are very different. First of all, the chance of a spirit bone appearing is one in a thousand, or even lower. Generally, only exceptionally powerful spirit beasts that encounter certain special circumstances upon death may leave behind a spirit bone. It's not like spirit rings, where every spirit beast will provide one. As a result, Soul Bones are extremely rare and precious."

"Another difference between Soul Bones and spirit rings is that Soul Bones can be sold, unlike spirit rings, which can only be used by the one who kills the spirit beast. Any spirit bone, even the most ordinary one, is worth an astronomical price—and they're hard to come by even if you have the money."

"External Soul Bones are a magical existence. They are a special type of spirit bone, apart from the six regular ones Yan mentioned. If the chance of a regular spirit bone appearing is one in a thousand, the chance of an external soul bone appearing is less than one in ten thousand. Moreover, in order to absorb an external soul bone, you must first absorb the spirit ring of the spirit beast that drops it. External Soul Bones are second only to the almost mythical hundred-thousand-year spirit rings on the list of a spirit master's dreams."

The most mischievous of the group, the Bell Bird Spirit Master Yu Feng, showed an envious look and said, "Teacher Qin Ming, doesn't this mean Zong has hit the jackpot?"

Qin Ming nodded. "Theoretically, yes. But I only know about these things from the academy's library. I've never seen an actual external soul bone myself, not even one. Zong being able to get an external soul bone is indeed a stroke of luck."

At this point, Qin Ming felt a deep sense of relief and said to Zong, "For you to recognize that this is an external soul bone shows not only your diligence in training but also your hard work in studying spirit beast knowledge."

Zong gave an awkward smile, thinking, "You guys just had to find out!"

At this moment, Xiao Wu's face was flushed, even her neck had turned pink. She buried her head in Zong's chest, thinking, "Oh no, I just embarrassed myself."

Despite her shyness, Xiao Wu was mostly filled with joy because she had felt Zong's tenderness for the first time.

In a shy voice, Xiao Wu said, "Zong, why didn't you tell me you had an external soul bone?"

As she spoke, she hugged him tighter.

Zong patted her head, smiling affectionately. "I didn't tell you before because the external soul bone hadn't fully fused with me. It wouldn't have been good for you to know then. Now that it's fully fused, and I'm completely bonded with the Eight Spider Lances, there's no harm in telling you."

Qin Ming smiled as well and added, "Zong did the right thing. Only after the external soul bone is fully fused with him can it no longer be taken away by others. This way, not only has he protected himself, but also you."

"But how did your room end up like that? And where have you been all this time?"

It was Ye Lingling who spoke. She was the most observant of the group. Though she didn't talk much, she always hit the mark.

As soon as she finished, Dugu Yan and the others all turned to the culprit of this misunderstanding—Zong.

"Yeah, if you were okay, why didn't you let us know? You made Xiao Wu so worried."

"Hmph! It's bad enough that you're a flirt, but now you're pulling a disappearing act too? Scumbag."

"Zong, I'm curious too. Where did you go?"

"Uh..." Zong couldn't help rolling his eyes at Ye Lingling. "My dear Miss Ye, I finally came up with a lie to get out of this, and now you've gone and spoiled it! Do I have to tell them that I stole Tang San's external soul bone, and after fusing with it, I lost control and caused all this?"

With this thought, Zong's eyes darted around. He brushed his hair back and started spinning a tale, "Ahem, ever since I got the Eight Spider Lances, I've been trying to fully fuse with it, but I kept failing. It wasn't until this morning when I tried again that I lost control, and the Eight Spider Lances went berserk, causing the mess. But the good news is that after the rampage, it stabilized, and I was able to successfully fuse with it. In my excitement, I ran outside Suotuo City to test its power."

Everyone nodded. "Ah, that makes sense."

Qin Ming then addressed the group, "Alright, since Zong is fine now, you should all go back and train. Don't forget we have a group battle tonight. And as for Zong's external soul bone, please keep it a secret. Even though it's fully fused with him and can't be taken, it's better to keep a low profile."

"Understood, Teacher Qin Ming," they all replied in unison.

Qin Ming turned to Zong and Xiao Wu. "Zong, today is our first team battle in Suotuo City. You and Xiao Wu will observe and participate in the pair battle. In a few days, I'll arrange for both of you to join the team."

"Got it, Teacher," Zong and Xiao Wu responded together.

After everyone left, only Zong, Xiao Wu, and Ye Lingling remained at the Rose Hotel. Zong had no intention of continuing training today.

Smiling, Zong said, "Xiao Wu, Lingling, you two have the day off!"

Xiao Wu immediately hugged Zong tighter, worried that he was going to disappear again. "Are you leaving me again? I don't care—you have to take me with you."

Zong patted her head, smiling. "I'm not going anywhere. I just want to find a place to get used to my Eight Spider Lances. I'll be back before dinner. It's not convenient to bring you, and I'd be worried about leaving Lingling here alone since she's a support-type spirit master."

Xiao Wu nodded, feeling a little down. But thinking about Lingling's safety, she chose to stay behind. Still, she had one condition.

"I want to go shopping with Lingling today!"

Zong's mouth twitched, and he broke out in a cold sweat. It looked like the few hundred gold soul coins he gave her recently had already been spent.

With that, Zong pulled out two bags of gold soul coins from his storage and handed them to Xiao Wu.

"These should be enough for your shopping spree."

"Yay! I love you, Zong!" Xiao Wu jumped up, clinging to him like a sloth, before grabbing Ye Lingling and rushing out to shop.

Watching her leave, Zong rolled his eyes and muttered, "That's one heavy 'love' indeed!"

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