Douro Continent

Chapter 151 The Arrival of the External Soul Bone Master (Part 1)

Dai Mubai asked in confusion, "You mean, what you just shot was a crossbow bolt? But where did your crossbow bolt go?"

Tang San smiled slightly and pointed to another large tree behind him. "There it is." As he spoke, he walked to the tree. The second tree was still ten meters away from the first one. When everyone arrived at the tree, they saw the traces of crossbow bolts fired by Zhuge Divine Crossbow.

Sixteen crossbow bolts, arranged in two neat rows, were completely embedded in the tree trunk.

Zhao Wuji looked at the tree in front of him, then at the one in front of him. "Xiao San, did your crossbow bolt pierce through the previous tree and then go into this one?"

Tang San nodded and said, "The Zhuge Crossbow is very powerful, specifically designed to break through soul power defenses. If your defenses aren't extremely strong, you'll be killed instantly."

Upon hearing Tang San's explanation, everyone gasped in shock. With such formidable penetrating power, everyone present, except for Zhao Wuji, knew they couldn't withstand it.

Dai Mubai muttered to himself, "This thing is too domineering. Even if I use the White Tiger Vajra Transformation, I'm afraid I'll still be seriously injured."

Tang San raised his hand and struck the tree trunk, using the Xuan Tian Gong combined with the Dragon-Capturing Force to gradually shake the crossbow bolt out of the tree.

The bolts of the Zhuge Divine Crossbow are not easy to make. The ones that were previously shot into the human-faced demon spider are obviously unusable, but he can't bear to part with these in front of him.

While patting the tree trunk, Tang San said to Dai Mubai, "The Zhuge Crossbow is a nightmare for ordinary warriors. Moreover, its greatest feature is not its own power, but the concealment and surprise unique to hidden weapons. As long as it is properly set up, it does not require any soul power to fire. Even ordinary people can use it easily. According to my calculations, if a soul master below level 40 is hit head-on, the chance of survival is very small. It has a very strong restraining effect on non-defensive soul masters."

"Tang San, did you figure all this out?" Ning Rongrong asked.

Tang San paused for a moment, then smiled wryly, "I guess so." He couldn't very well tell everyone that this was a technique he brought from another world.

Ning Rongrong tentatively asked, "Tang San, could you sell me this? You can name your price. You know I'm a support-type Soul Master, I don't have much self-defense ability. When everyone's fighting desperately, besides using some support Soul Skills, I can only watch. If I had this, I could have some offensive capabilities."

Tang San chuckled and said, "Why sell it? I'll just give you one later. However, the materials needed to make this are very expensive. You'll have to pay for the materials yourself."

At this moment, Tang San had already knocked the crossbow bolt out of the tree, and only then could everyone see what the Zhuge Divine Crossbow bolt looked like.

The arrow was eight inches long, without fletching. The last four inches were cylindrical, while the first four inches were conical. The very first three inches had twelve tiny blood grooves, and the tip was extremely sharp, gleaming with a faint, cold light. It showed no signs of wear after piercing the tree trunk.

Tang San flicked the side of the Zhuge Divine Crossbow, opening the arrow slot and pressing the sixteen crossbow bolts back into the case one by one.

Oscar had already sidled up to him, a fawning smile on his face. "Hey, aren't we good brothers?"

Tang San smiled slightly at him. How could he not understand Oscar's meaning? "Of course, don't worry, I'll give each of you a set of Zhuge Crossbows. Just like Rongrong, you'll pay for the materials yourself, and I'll be responsible for manufacturing them. However, these things are very troublesome to manufacture, and I can only make one a month. Don't worry. Also, don't use them lightly unless absolutely necessary. Crossbow bolts are not easy to make either, and once fired, they are difficult to retrieve. After all, I'm only one person, and I certainly can't supply all of you. Besides, the Zhuge Crossbow itself is extremely powerful, with too much destructive force, and can easily cause fatal injuries."

"Mistress, this won't do," Zhao Wuji suddenly said.

Tang San was taken aback. "Why, Teacher Zhao?"

A sly smile crept across Zhao Wuji's face as he glanced at the other students and said, "These guys aren't short of money. Your Zhuge Divine Crossbow wasn't easy to make, so you can't let them get it for free. Anyway, some of them don't care about money, so just estimate a price and sell it to them."

Dai Mubai nodded and said, "I agree with Teacher Zhao. Xiao San, if you were to sell these Zhuge Crossbows, how much would you charge per one?"

Tang San smiled and shook his head, "We're all on the same side, let's not talk about money."

Dai Mubai said, "We're on the same side, that's true. But we can't let you suffer a loss. Such a small box can fire such powerful crossbow bolts, which shows how complex the craftsmanship is. We can't let you put in all that effort for nothing. Besides, we'll need to replenish the bolts when we use this thing. Are we going to let you make them for free every time? Don't be so polite with us. How about this, consider this first Zhuge Divine Crossbow a gift from you. We'll only pay for the materials. If we need it again in the future, you have to sell it to us. What do you say?"

Oscar chuckled and said, "That's right, that's settled. Anyway, we all get pretty good monthly subsidies. This stuff can be a lifesaver in a pinch. It's okay if it's a bit pricey."

Tang San nodded and said, "Alright then. Since everyone is interested in mechanical hidden weapons, I'll try my best to help you arm yourselves in the future. After all, having more weapons means having more protection."

Everyone was clearly interested in hidden weapons, which was undoubtedly related to the effectiveness of Tang San's use of them. After all, on his first day at Shrek Academy, he had used hidden weapons to cause trouble for Zhao Wuji, who was over forty levels higher in soul power than him. Even Zhao Wuji himself was somewhat tempted, let alone the other students.

Finally, we left the Starry Sky Forest. Although the fresh air was gone once we were outside the forest, everyone felt a sense of relief, as if a layer of pressure had been lifted.

"Let's travel a little further and rest in the town," Zhao Wuji said with a smile.

Dai Mubai said, "If everyone is alright, let's hurry. Once we get to the town, I'll treat everyone to drinks. Teacher Zhao, please don't refuse this time. Without your help, I'm afraid none of us would have made it out of Xingdou alive."

Zhao Wuji smiled and said, "Little Bai, I know you're rich. But I have a very high alcohol tolerance."

Dai Mubai laughed heartily, "Teacher Zhao, haven't you heard the saying? A problem that can be solved with money isn't a problem."

This trip to the Star Dou Great Forest was truly fruitful. Not only did Oscar successfully reach the Soul Master realm, but Tang San and Xiao Wu also completed the fusion of their third soul rings. More importantly, it strengthened the tacit understanding and relationships among everyone. There were only seven of them in the entire Shrek Academy. Resolving their conflicts will greatly benefit everyone's future cultivation.

The group rested in the town for two full days. Their soul power and physical strength would naturally recover in less time. However, their constantly tense minds needed to relax.

Dai Mubai was incredibly generous, covering all their expenses for two days. They didn't cultivate; instead, they spent their days drinking and playing together, thoroughly enjoying themselves. Even the usually cold Zhu Zhuqing softened considerably. However, she absolutely refused to let Dai Mubai hold her hand again.

Dai Mubai didn't press her, after all, she was only a twelve-year-old girl. He wasn't in a hurry.

Two days later, the group set off again and, after a day of travel, successfully returned to Shrek Academy outside Soto City.

"Finally back! It feels so good to be home!" Oscar shouted exaggeratedly.

Zhao Wuji glared at him. "Keep your voice down. Can't you see it's already dark? Alright, you all go back to your dorms and rest. I'm going to see the dean and report on our trip."

Everyone was tired after a long day of travel, and they headed back to their respective dormitories.

"Tang San, wait a minute." Tang San was just about to return to the dormitory with Oscar when Ning Rongrong called him back.

Tang San was taken aback. "Rongrong, what's wrong?"

Ning Rongrong bit her lip slightly and said, "I'd like to talk to you alone, is that alright?"

Oscar, standing beside Tang San, stiffened slightly. "You two talk. I'm going back now." Ever since he tackled Ning Rongrong during the Titan Ape's attack, Oscar's previously dead heart had begun to stir again. After all, Ning Rongrong was sweet-looking; although only twelve years old, she was already a stunning beauty, a rare gem. These past few days, as he had been showering her with attention, Ning Rongrong hadn't rejected him anymore; on the contrary, she had become much closer to him.

But then Ning Rongrong suddenly said she wanted to talk to Tang San alone. Oscar felt a pang of sadness, but he couldn't say anything.

Xiao Wu looked at Ning Rongrong with some curiosity, "Rongrong, why are you seeing a mistress? Can't I even listen?"

Ning Rongrong hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Xiao Wu pouted, made a face at Ning Rongrong, and then ran towards the dormitory.

Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Zhu Zhuqing had already returned to their dormitories. At this moment, only Tang San and Ning Rongrong remained at the entrance of the academy.

(End of this chapter)