Douluo: Emerald Poison Emperor

After absorbing the soul ring, Chen Ming slowly stood up. Before he could speak, he instinctively sensed something on the scorpion's corpse in front of him that seemed connected to him.

He walked to the back of the scorpion, reached out to touch its stiff tail, and instinctively infused it with his soul power.

As his soul power flowed in, the scorpion tail, which had already died, suddenly regained vitality. It began absorbing Chen Ming's soul power and bizarrely started drawing flesh and blood from the dead Emerald Scorpion.

In just a few breaths, the Emerald Scorpion's hard exoskeleton shriveled as its flesh and blood were drained. The once-massive scorpion tail seemed satisfied, gradually shrinking before detaching from the scorpion's body and transforming into a slender, emerald-green scorpion tail as if delicately carved from jade.

"An external soul bone!"

Chen Shijie exclaimed, finally recognizing what it was. His heart felt more at ease, as this was something he could comprehend amidst all the history-defying occurrences surrounding his grandson.

Though soul bones were exceedingly rare and he had only read about them in books, compared to the shocking events that had recently transpired, this discovery felt almost ordinary.

Soul bones were treasures of the soul master world, and their emergence always sparked bloodshed. If outsiders learned about this, it would undoubtedly bring immense trouble. However, since everyone present was from the Chen family, Chen Shijie wasn't worried about exposure.

As he was about to urge Chen Ming to absorb the soul bone immediately, Chen Tianyun stepped forward and gently nudged Chen Ming's arm.

"Xiao Ming, there's no need to say anything else for now—just absorb the soul bone first." Without waiting for Chen Ming's response, Chen Tianyun tugged at Chen Shijie's sleeve, and the two moved aside.

"Father, let's step back a bit and give Xiao Ming space to absorb the soul bone."

"You little rascal, you don't even trust your father?" Chen Shijie scolded, his beard twitching in irritation as he knocked his unfilial son on the head. Nonetheless, he obediently stepped back a few paces and then called out to Chen Ming from a distance.

"Xiao Ming, while your second uncle is right, remember this well: whenever you're out in the world, you must be cautious—no, extremely cautious in everything you do."

"The process of absorbing a soul ring is the most vulnerable and dangerous time for a soul master. Never expose yourself to outsiders lightly. If you come across any treasure, be prepared to act first, even if you don't use it immediately. And under no circumstances should you let it be known to others.

"The external soul bones are legendary treasures, second only to hundred-thousand-year soul bones. They can evolve with a soul master's cultivation, potentially reaching a hundred-thousand-year level. Though they can't be passed down, they are still priceless.

"Always be extraordinarily careful when dealing with matters like this!"

Absorbing a soul bone had no prerequisites. Even a level-one soul master could absorb a hundred-thousand-year soul bone. Since Chen Ming could already absorb thousand-year soul rings beyond his level, there was no doubt he could handle this external soul bone. Thus, Chen Shijie wasn't worried about the absorption process itself. Instead, he used this opportunity to repeatedly remind Chen Ming to exercise extreme caution in his actions.

Chen Ming held the external soul bone in his hand and deliberated for a moment. After some thought, he decided to absorb it.

First, external soul bones were extraordinarily rare and nearly mythical. Even among hundreds of ordinary soul bones, there might not be a single external one. According to the Douluo series, the odds of an external soul bone appearing were only one in a thousand. If he didn't absorb it now, who knew when he'd come across another?

Second, this particular external soul bone was perfectly suited to him. It shared the same origin as his martial soul, making future evolution straightforward. Its abilities would undoubtedly complement him, potentially even further evolving his martial soul. Even if he were to acquire Tang San's Eight Spider Lances, they might not benefit him as much as this soul bone.

Third, the value of such an item was higher in the early stages. This thousand-year external soul bone could significantly enhance his physical attributes, hastening his growth and improving his survivability and ability to absorb soul rings. Its capacity for future evolution made it a no-lose investment.

The only downside was that the Emerald Scorpion couldn't fly, leaving some mobility limitations.

Of course, as a transmigrator, Chen Ming already knew how to address this issue.

"Grandfather, Second Uncle, I understand. From now on, I will be extremely cautious in everything I do."

After nodding and acknowledging their advice, Chen Ming sat down cross-legged and began absorbing the thousand-year external soul bone.

Due to the shared origin of his martial soul and the fact that he had absorbed the scorpion's soul ring, Chen Ming encountered no resistance in the process. In just a few moments, he successfully absorbed the external soul bone.

Perhaps due to the high degree of compatibility, even after absorbing the external soul bone, Chen Ming's scorpion tail still looked the same as before. The only noticeable changes were that the texture appeared more lifelike, and the patterns became more intricate.

If he didn't examine it closely, even Chen Ming himself would struggle to identify any differences based on appearance alone.

However, the enhancements brought by the soul bone weren't diminished by its lack of a striking appearance. On the contrary, the boosts provided by the external soul bone were very apparent.

A scorpion's tail typically includes its excretory system, meaning that losing it would cause the scorpion to die from internal waste buildup. Fortunately, the martial soul system of the Douluo Continent wasn't that extreme. Chen Ming's tail extended from his coccyx, serving as an external extension of his spine. It was exceptionally sensitive and precise in control, rivaling the dexterity of his ten fingers.

After absorbing the soul bone, Chen Ming could feel significant reinforcement in his entire skeletal structure, centered around his spine. His bones, muscles, and meridians all received substantial enhancements. Although his martial soul didn't evolve further, its fundamental nature improved, offering the potential for future evolution by stimulating the growth of the external soul bone.

This external soul bone enhanced the strength and power of his tail while slightly increasing its toxicity. Most notably, the soul bone came with a soul skill called Poison Emperor Possession. When activated, it amplified all of Chen Ming's attributes by 50% and doubled the potency of his poison.

As for passive abilities, none had manifested yet, likely requiring further growth on Chen Ming's part.

As an augmentative soul skill, Poison Emperor Possession was already impressive. It not only addressed the lack of supportive abilities in Chen Ming's arsenal, which was previously focused entirely on offense, but it would also grow stronger as he became more powerful.

The main downside was the skill's enormous energy consumption. With Chen Ming's current soul power at level 22, nearly 23, he could sustain the skill for only half an hour.

Moreover, his other two soul skills were also highly demanding. In an actual battle, fully utilizing all his abilities would likely allow him to fight at full power for only a few minutes.

After Chen Ming finished absorbing the external soul bone, Chen Shijie and Chen Tianyun approached and began discussing the situation. Chen Ming gave them a brief overview of his second soul skill and the abilities granted by the external soul bone.

Upon learning that Chen Ming's martial soul had been fully enhanced and transformed, Chen Tianyun and Chen Shijie embraced each other, shedding tears of joy.

However, their celebration didn't last long before Chen Tianyun raised a critical issue.

"The external soul bone's benefits are significant, yet its changes to your appearance are minimal. If we didn't know you absorbed it, even experts like us wouldn't notice. As long as you don't reveal it intentionally, there won't be a problem. But your second soul ring... it's far too conspicuous."

"While there have been rare cases of absorbing thousand-year soul rings as a second ring in the past, they occur only once every few centuries. It's even rarer than innate full soul power. As far as I know, there hasn't been a single instance in the last hundred years. If this gets exposed, you'll either be recruited or targeted for elimination by those jealous of your talent."

"The atmosphere in Douluo Continent is something…" Chen Ming muttered, his tone filled with sarcasm.

"It's the way things are," Chen Tianyun replied. "If you don't eliminate other families' geniuses, they'll eliminate yours. If your family lacks geniuses, it'll eventually be wiped out by others. So everyone keeps a close eye on each other's talents, waiting for an opportunity to strike."

"We might have some status in Biluocheng, but outside the city, there are plenty of people stronger than us. My old bones could maybe hold out against a Soul Sage with weak martial and soul ring configurations, but a true expert could kill me with a few blows."

"That said, we specialize in poison, and ambushes are where we excel. Your poison is about 70% as strong as mine, slightly stronger than your second uncle's. With a surprise attack, while you might not kill a Soul Sage, you could take down a Soul Emperor."

"Instead of having you hide your talents for decades, it's better to secure a connection and get you into Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. With its three Soul Douluo-level overseers and the backing of the Heaven Dou royal family, it's far safer than staying at home."

"Once you're affiliated with the academy, you'll have a strong background as you traverse the continent."