"That will be all for now. I still have some matters to attend to. Jiujiu, I'll leave our distinguished guests from Shrek Academy in your care."
After saying that, Emperor Xu Jiawei of the Star Luo Empire gave Xu Zihuang a meaningful, encouraging look before turning to leave.
Building a friendly relationship with Shrek Academy was not something that could be accomplished overnight—it required careful balance at every step.
That was precisely why Xu Jiawei hadn't directly gifted the soul bone to Xu Zihuang earlier, but chose instead to express goodwill afterward.
The right leg bone from the fifty-thousand-year Thunder Prison Vine was undoubtedly a priceless treasure. Giving away something of that level for no reason at all would have appeared far too deliberate.
Everyone watched silently as the emperor's figure disappeared down the corridor.
He left a deep impression—majestic yet composed, a man who seemed to have everything firmly under his control, naturally inspiring confidence in those who saw him.
Princess Jiujiu drew a thin, golden booklet from her soul guidance device and offered Wang Yan a graceful smile.
"Teacher Wang, I heard from Auctioneer Qing Ya earlier that one of your academy's students has broken through to the sixtieth level and needs a suitable soul ring to advance.
"This booklet contains the complete list of all ten-thousand-year soul beasts available in our Starlight Auction House that can serve as soul rings. Their cultivation ranges from ten thousand to thirty thousand years.
"I invite Teacher Wang to personally select whichever soul beast is most suitable in both attribute and age.
"In light of your academy's earlier purchase, the chosen ten-thousand-year soul beast will be provided free of charge."
Although the Starlight Auction House operated under the Star Luo Imperial Family, even they found it difficult to keep soul beasts beyond fifty thousand years in captivity.
Generally speaking, a fifty-thousand-year soul beast was equivalent to a Soul Douluo-level human expert—extremely difficult to restrain and always at risk of self-destruction.
The list Princess Jiujiu provided was already the finest selection of ten-thousand-year soul beasts within the Starlight Auction House—there was absolutely no reservation.
"On behalf of Shrek Academy, I thank Your Highness for your generosity," Wang Yan said calmly, accepting the list from her hands.
Her earlier words were phrased so elegantly that he couldn't find a reason to refuse.
Under normal circumstances, a ten-thousand-year soul beast would cost anywhere between 100,000 and 300,000 gold soul coins, depending on species and rarity.
Compared to thousand-year soul beasts, the price increase was indeed dramatic—but that was because once a soul beast reached ten thousand years, the probability of it dropping a soul bone upon death increased significantly.
At all institutions that specialized in custom soul ring hunts, the same rule applied: purchasing a soul beast meant that everything on the beast—its materials, its body, and even any dropped soul bones—belonged to the buyer.
Such a transaction easily amounted to a massive sum, but after Ning Tian's earlier bid of fifty-five million gold soul coins for the soul bone, Wang Yan found it much easier to stay composed.
Instead of flipping through the booklet immediately, Wang Yan turned to the Shrek Academy group.
"Yueheng, take the others back to the Star Emperor Hotel to rest for tonight. Apart from Tianhuang and Gongyang Mo, Ning Tian and Xiaotao, you two stay here."
"Yes, Teacher Wang."
Everyone understood immediately.
During critical moments like fusing with a soul bone or absorbing a soul ring, it was always safer to have trusted companions nearby.
Dai Yueheng led Beibei, Xu Sanshi, and the others away. Before leaving, he received the Dominating Tiger Soul Refining Blade, the eighth-level melee soul tool he had bid on.
As for the full set of six-level Fixed-Mount Soul Cannons that Wang Yan had acquired, he handed those to He Caitou.
No one among them understood fixed-mount soul cannons better than He Caitou, who had studied soul tools extensively. It was most appropriate for him to safeguard them.
He Caitou carefully accepted the set, his dark face flushed with excitement.
Wang Yan gave him a few serious reminders. The combined power of the six-level Fixed-Mount Soul Cannons was comparable to an eighth-level long-range soul tool—strong enough to threaten even a Soul Douluo's life. Extreme caution was essential.
After the teams split up, Wang Yan finally opened the golden booklet and beckoned to Gongyang Mo.
"Gongyang Mo, what do you think of this Scaled Armor Beast with twenty thousand years of cultivation? None of your first five soul skills strengthen your defense, and the Scaled Armor Beast is renowned for its toughness. The age fits you perfectly."
"I'll choose that one, Teacher Wang," Gongyang Mo replied softly, his peach blossom eyes gleaming with excitement.
Wang Yan's analysis was always precise—his recommendation took into account every aspect of Gongyang Mo's Martial Soul and strengths, leading to the optimal choice.
In fact, the Scaled Armor Beast had already been one of the soul beasts Gongyang Mo had considered for his sixth soul ring.
Wang Yan handed the list back to Princess Jiujiu.
"Your Highness, we'll take the twenty-thousand-year Scaled Armor Beast."
"Please follow me."
Princess Jiujiu's smile remained poised as she took the lead, her steps light and elegant.
But before leaving, her gaze swept meaningfully over the group from Shrek Academy.
Tomorrow's Top Sixteen to Top Eight Elimination Match would make them opponents.
She had known Dai Yueheng since childhood and had initially thought he would be the greatest threat among Shrek's representatives.
But now she knew she had been mistaken.
At the very least, she could sense that Ma Xiaotao's cultivation surpassed Dai Yueheng's, and Gongyang Mo was about to advance to the Soul Emperor realm as well. That meant Shrek Academy now had three Soul Emperors on their team.
Add to that Chen Zifeng, the powerful assault-type weapon Soul King, and the already terrifying Yu Tianhuang, and even her confidence began to feel the weight of pressure.
Following Wang Yan's instructions, Ma Xiaotao accompanied Gongyang Mo to absorb his new soul ring, while Wang Yan himself remained in Room Seven with Ning Tian.
At this moment, Auctioneer Qing Ya and the two golden-dressed attendants had already left the room.
Only Wang Yan, Ning Tian, Xu Zihuang, and the four Imperial Offering Douluo of the Star Luo Empire remained.
All four of the Star Luo Offerings possessed soul power between the ninety-first and ninety-second levels. Though Heavenly Fiend Douluo Huang Jinshu's rank was also ninety-two, his Martial Soul—the Heavenly Fiend Lone Star—allowed him, with the aid of stellar power, to fight on par with a ninety-fifth-level Super Douluo.
In the world of Soul Masters, strength was everything, and among the four Offerings, his status was clearly the highest.
Heavenly Fiend Douluo's face bore an oddly rigid expression, the result of his childhood experiences, yet he treated Xu Zihuang with noticeable friendliness. For someone so withdrawn, it was rare that he even spoke—yet now he offered a few reminders in succession.
"Are you ready? We can isolate the aura of the soul bone, but the violent lightning energy within must be suppressed by your own Martial Soul."
Xu Zihuang exchanged glances with Wang Yan and Ning Tian, then nodded firmly to Heavenly Fiend Douluo.
Without another word, Huang Jinshu and the other three Offerings expanded the soul-power barrier formed by their combined energy, enveloping Xu Zihuang and the deep-purple right leg bone taken from the fifty-thousand-year Thunder Prison Vine.
The small, translucent right leg bone floated quietly in midair, its surface smooth and rounded like a polished gem. Its deep-violet light was restrained, yet one glance was enough to feel the ferocity hidden within.
Ordinarily, a soul bone's attribute energy would leak outward slightly.
For instance, when Wu Ming had acquired a soul bone from the forty-five-thousand-year Earth King in the Star Dou Forest, the leaking fire-attribute energy had made the surrounding air scalding hot—hot enough to burn one's lungs.
An ice-attribute soul bone would chill the air, while a plant-type one would radiate life energy.
But this Thunder Prison Vine right leg bone emitted no such aura. Its energy was completely contained.
Golden bamboo-like lines shimmered faintly on its surface, and within, the purple-golden lightning flowed like liquid—alive, pulsing like plasma.
Soul bones, too, had rankings. Among bones of the same position, the stronger and more complete the energy fluctuation, the higher the quality.
Yet in rare cases, like this one, the energy was so perfectly restrained that only faint soul power ripples could be felt. This trait was found only in the very best soul bones—or in those of hundred-thousand-year level.
Such perfection meant the soul bone was flawless.
Xu Zihuang took a deep breath, calming his heart completely. Then he raised his right hand and touched the deep-violet leg bone.
The instant his fingertips made contact, the purple-golden plasma within flared with dazzling light—but only for a moment.
Dark-violet lightning flickered in his palm, then quickly subsided as the bone's energy grew gentle again.
All four Offerings raised their brows, and Heavenly Fiend Douluo's pupils contracted sharply.
"What an astonishing Martial Soul quality—it actually suppresses the Thunder Prison Vine so effortlessly."
Wang Yan and Ning Tian both exhaled in relief.
Xu Zihuang clenched the soul bone in his right hand and pressed it against his right leg.
A low hum filled the room—like the rumble of distant thunder. His leg trembled slightly, and the translucent purple bone dissolved, transforming into streams of deep-violet and golden energy that spread around his leg.
There was no resistance whatsoever. The violent lightning and soul power that entered his body instantly became calm.
Immersed in this strange sensation, Xu Zihuang felt his own soul power resonating in harmony with the soul bone.
There was no obvious increase in total power, but his energy became purer—more refined.
With his current level of spiritual power, he could already observe his internal state clearly. His meridians glowed with a layer of faint purple-gold light as his soul power circulated.
A series of sharp cracking sounds echoed from within his body. A wave of indescribable clarity spread from his right leg through every part of him as his soul power surged.
His meridians grew tougher, broader—his entire being felt strengthened in a way he had never experienced before.
Even when he had fused the External Soul Bone, the Radiant Dragon Claw, he hadn't felt such direct transformation—back then, his mind had been disturbed by the residual consciousness within the bone.
Heavenly Fiend Douluo glanced at Xu Zihuang with faint astonishment before he and the other three Offerings withdrew their soul power.
This soul bone was even more compatible with Yu Tianhuang than they had expected. There was no risk of it attracting heavenly thunder.
Still, following Emperor Xu Jiawei's personal instructions, they would remain on guard and protect him until the fusion was fully complete.
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