Yu Xiaogang’s Misery

Just as Yu Xiaogang was about to show off—oops, I mean, explain his theories—someone else spoke up before him.

"Soul bones are divided into six types: left leg bone, right leg bone, left arm bone, right arm bone, skull, and torso bone. The strongest is the torso bone, followed by the skull, then the left and right arm bones, and lastly, the leg bones."

"But external spirit bones are a special existence beyond these six types. If the chances of ordinary soul bones dropping from a spirit beast are one in a thousand, the chances of an external spirit bone appearing are less than one in ten thousand. And to absorb an external spirit bone, one must first absorb the spirit ring of the spirit beast that drops it. Unlike the other six types of soul bones, once an external spirit bone fuses with its owner, it becomes inseparable. External spirit bones are the second most coveted item for spirit masters, second only to the nearly impossible-to-obtain 100,000-year spirit ring."

"Zuzong's external spirit bone came from the legs of a thousand-year-old spider-type spirit beast."

The one speaking was Zhu Zhuqing. When she finished, she realized everyone was staring at her in disbelief.

Blushing slightly from the attention, Zhu Zhuqing asked tentatively, "Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Ning Rongrong exclaimed, "Zhuqing, you're amazing! You know so much. I've only ever heard my father talk about the six main soul bones. I've never even heard of external soul bones."

"Xiaogang, you're so knowledgeable. Is Zhuqing right?" Flender asked, turning to Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang's stiff face turned slightly green with embarrassment as he nodded, then asked Zhu Zhuqing, "Zhuqing, where did you learn all this?"

"Zuzong told me," Zhu Zhuqing answered calmly.

Yu Xiaogang's expression became even more complex, turning from green to white. He thought to himself, "No wonder Zuzong refused to be my disciple. He must've known some of this already. Otherwise, how could he have cultivated his 'Mutant Blue Silver Grass' spirit so effectively? Does he already have a teacher?"

"But what does this external spirit bone have to do with the poison in Tang San's body?" Meng Yiran asked, though she disliked the Heaven Dou Battle Team for injuring Tang San so badly. Right now, her boyfriend's safety was the priority.

Zhu Zhuqing replied, "Zuzong's external spirit bone is called the Eight Spider Lances. Aside from releasing venom, the Eight Spider Lances can also absorb poison. Zuzong plans to extract the poison from Tang San's body."

With Zhu Zhuqing's explanation, the others finally understood.

Meanwhile, Zuzong had already pierced Tang San's body with the Eight Spider Lances, absorbing the toxins. Of course, Zuzong didn't miss the opportunity to also absorb some of Tang San's spirit power.

A moment later, Zuzong retracted the Eight Spider Lances. Glancing at his torn clothes, he thought, "The Eight Spider Lances are great, but they sure ruin a lot of clothes."

After changing into his usual black outfit, Tang San awoke.

When Yu Xiaogang explained what had happened while Tang San was unconscious, and that Shrek had still lost, Tang San's expression darkened. He began to doubt himself.

Zuzong didn't care about Tang San's feelings. Heaven Dou's victory made him happy: he got to beat up Tang San and won tens of thousands of gold coins from betting. He had Meng Yiran place the bet with him, and with Dugu Bo's reputation, no one dared to refuse to pay up.

While Zuzong and Zhao Wuji were both celebrating their wins, Flender was miserable, having lost all his savings.

"Hey, Zhao, about tomorrow's meal budget for the students... what do you think?" Flender looked at Zhao Wuji with a pleading face.

Zhao Wuji glanced at him. "No money, and I'm not giving up my winnings either," he grumbled, knowing he'd only won a few thousand gold coins, which were precious to him.

But then Zhao Wuji's eyes lit up as if he'd had an idea. He leaned over and whispered to Flender, "I saw Zuzong place a massive bet too. He must've won tens of thousands of gold coins!"

Flender's heart skipped a beat, his mind repeating, "Tens of thousands... tens of thousands..."

Their conversation didn't escape Zuzong's ears.

Seeing Flender's pained expression, Zuzong realised that Flender wasn't upset about the students getting injured—he was upset about losing money. While Zuzong didn't want to financially support Shrek Academy, he didn't want Zhu Zhuqing to suffer due to poor meals either.

With that thought, Zuzong nonchalantly walked past Flender, slipping him another gold card worth ten thousand coins. He whispered, "Headmaster Flender, it seems you've had a rough time, but please don't use Zhuqing's meal budget for gambling."

Flender was stunned as he watched Zuzong walk away, feeling a bit ashamed. But no matter how he felt, he still accepted the money.

"Ah, how money can humble even heroes," Flender muttered to himself.

"Alright, since the fight is over and we've all gotten to know each other better, how about dinner tonight? My treat after we settle the spirit fight points," Qin Ming announced happily, especially since his team had all earned their Gold Spirit Fighter titles.

Everyone, both from Heaven Dou and Shrek, cheered in response.

"Hooray! Long live Teacher Qin (Senior Qin Ming)!"

"Qin Ming, we won't hold back," Flender and Zhao Wuji agreed enthusiastically.

Only Dugu Yan had a mischievous smile as she glanced at Zuzong, giving him a bad feeling.

Sure enough, Dugu Yan raised her hand and said with a smirk, "Actually, Teacher Qin, the one who should be treating us isn't you—it's someone else."

"Oh? Who might that be?" Qin Ming asked, intrigued.

Dugu Yan announced loudly, "It's Zuzong! He bet on Heaven Dou to win and made tens of thousands of gold coins today!"

All eyes turned to Zuzong.

Some were envious, some were shocked, and some were delighted—particularly Xiao Wu and Zhuqing, who, though they didn't understand the value of money, both considered Zuzong the future pillar of their family. His fortune was a good thing for them.

With all eyes on him, Zuzong's mouth twitched. He knew he was about to be fleeced. Sighing, he reluctantly said, "Fine, let's go find a place to drink."

Wait, drinking? A grin spread across Zuzong's face. He realized he could stir up some trouble—like making Yu Xiaogang drinking that special water.

With that thought, Zuzong no longer minded spending the money. After all, Yu Xiaogang had yelled at him during the fight, and Zuzong wasn't one to hold grudges. He preferred to settle them quickly.

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