Chapter 137: External Soul Bone
"That hurts!"
Dai Yao furrowed his brow, his face twisted in pain.
The soul power continued to condense, repeatedly crashing against the limits of his body. Even though he had consumed elixirs and absorbed soul rings beyond his level multiple times, his body was still struggling to hold up.
Feeling the swelling of his meridians, he gradually came to a realization: the channels inside his body had reached their limit.
Gritting his teeth, he steeled himself. With the pressure from Sword Douluo's 55th-level soul power, the condensed soul energy surged like a tidal wave, rushing through his meridians.
It crashed against the unyielding barrier, and Dai Yao felt as though he heard a thunderous boom as the bottleneck suddenly shattered.
A comfortable, tingling sensation spread throughout his body, and his soul power surged, far stronger than when he was at level 39.
"If it weren't for my soul power being in a liquid state, I would have broken through the 40th-level barrier a long time ago. Because of its unique form, breaking through the bottleneck has been much harder," Dai Yao thought as the tingling sensation spread through his body, a smile gradually forming at the corners of his lips.
Just as he broke through the 40th-level barrier, he felt as if two areas in his body were shattered.
The newly formed soul power rushed toward these two areas, and in the blink of an eye, most of the soul power within him dissipated.
Suddenly, Dai Yao's back bulged out. With a tearing sound, his clothing was shredded, and eight pairs of snowy white wings slowly unfolded, stretching with a unique rhythm in the air.
But Dai Yao's changes were far from over.
A cold gleam flashed on his left hand, and three sharp claws, like daggers, shot out from between his fingers. They emitted a chilling aura under the sunlight.
"This... is this?!"
Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and Bone Douluo all exclaimed in unison.
Their eyes widened, unable to look away from Dai Yao's transformation.
"Could it be... external soul bones?" Ning Fengzhi said in disbelief.
It wasn't that they hadn't seen external soul bones before—being top-tier soul masters, they were certainly familiar with them. But what was happening to Dai Yao was beyond belief.
The eight pairs of wings on his back and the sharp claws extending from his left hand clearly weren't part of any human skeleton, nor did they resemble any of the six major soul bones found in humans.
A legendary name surfaced in their minds.
Dai Yao flashed a relieved smile as the joy of breaking through the bottleneck mixed with the full fusion of the external soul bones, both feelings flooding his heart.
"Thank you, Sword Douluo, for making this possible."
He quickly stood up, not having the time to fully appreciate the changes in his body, and bowed to Sword Douluo.
"Making it possible? What do you mean?"
Sword Douluo blinked, a hint of confusion in his deep voice.
"These are my two external soul bones. They had never been fully absorbed before, which is why I've never dared to reveal them in public. Today, under your pressure, they've finally been completely absorbed."
Dai Yao explained.
"What? Two external soul bones?"
Ning Fengzhi's earlier guess was confirmed. Even someone as composed as him couldn't help but exclaim in astonishment.
External soul bones were far more precious than ordinary soul bones. After absorption, they didn't occupy the six major soul bone positions of the human body, and they could evolve as the soul master's power grew.
They were treasures that every soul master dreamed of obtaining.
To possess one external soul bone was already a rare stroke of luck, but two? How could Dai Yao possess two?
Ning Fengzhi couldn't help but scrutinize Dai Yao, as though he were looking at a freak of nature. He patted Dai Yao's shoulder and remarked with deep emotion:
"Dai Yao, you truly have extraordinary luck. Most people don't even have a single soul bone, yet you not only possess one external soul bone, but two. Even I can't help but feel a little envious."
Dai Yao smiled slightly. The two external soul bones—the Dark Gold Fearsome Bear Claw Bone, which he had obtained by chance after absorbing three soul rings beyond his level, and the White Tiger Eight-Winged Soul Bone, which he had snatched from Tang San—had both played a crucial role in his advancement.
A flash of thought passed through his mind, and he answered with a smile:
"Just luck."
Ning Fengzhi smiled with satisfaction upon hearing Dai Yao's humble reply, but then he shook his head and asked:
"Dai Yao, you are truly modest. But do you really trust us, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan so much? Aren't you worried we might harm you?"
"Aren't you planning to join the Spirit Hall? Why not seek help from them to merge with your soul bones?"
Dai Yao answered calmly:
"Uncle Ning, compared to the complex personnel in the Spirit Hall, I still feel the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan is more reliable."
"If they found out about my external soul bones, I'd probably already be a corpse outside of Heaven Dou Imperial City."
Ning Fengzhi nodded in agreement:
"That's right. You've made the right choice. Although the Spirit Hall is the most powerful soul master organization on the continent, it's full of internal conflicts. For every person who is close to you, there are also enemies."
"Compared to a future genius, external soul bones are likely considered more valuable."
Sword Douluo, with a hint of a smile on his sharp, elder face, spoke up with admiration:
"Kid, since you think the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan is better, why not join us?"
Hearing Sword Douluo's question, Dai Yao couldn't deny the temptation. However, the power of the Spirit Hall was too great. In the near future, during the Spirit Hall's soul hunting plan, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's years of accumulation would likely be destroyed.
They would only be left with a few family elites struggling to survive.
Moreover, while Dai Yao didn't fully trust the Spirit Hall, he didn't hold any personal hatred against them. After all, he planned to use the Spirit Hall's influence to exact his revenge on the Luo Empire.
He took a deep breath and said, "Sorry, Your Majesty, I have a blood feud to avenge. I must take revenge on the Star Luo Empire, and this is something the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan can't offer, unlike the Spirit Hall."
Both Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo felt regret. With Dai Yao's talent, he was destined to become a Title Douluo.
With a Divine White Tiger spirit, a 6,000-year soul ring, and two external soul bones, such innate talent, supported by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, could even rival Super Douluos.
At that point, with three Title Douluos from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, they could surpass the Haotian Clan and become the number one sect in the world.
Had Dai Yao known their thoughts, he would likely have laughed.
Not to mention that the Haotian Clan had been secluded for many years, with five Title Douluos and even Tang Hao and Tang San in the future.
The Spirit Hall already had seven or eight Title Douluos in the open, not to mention the seven Super Douluos in the offerings hall.
Together, the seven major sects couldn't even compare to the Spirit Hall.
After Dai Yao's rejection, Ning Fengzhi still maintained his refined demeanor, smiling gently as he said:
"Though you won't be joining our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, no matter what happens, you will always be our friend."
Upon hearing this, Dai Yao couldn't help but feel a little moved by Ning Fengzhi's grace.
"Thank you, Uncle Ning. I will forever remember your kindness. Although I can't join the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, the way you treat me makes me feel like this place is another home."
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had treated him with such sincerity, and in his heart, he swore to himself that in the future soul hunting plan, he would save the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
(End of Chapter)
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