"Sister Xiaotao, you're in luck. It seems a soul bone has dropped," Huo Yuhao reminded her, finally breaking free from her grasp.
"Soul bone? Let me take a look."
Ma Xiaotao released Huo Yuhao and turned her attention to the corpse of the Man-Faced Demon Spider. Beneath the dark soul ring, there was indeed a strange fluctuation of soul power. Moments later, the three of them extracted a dark leg soul bone.
It was a small piece of bone, about the length of a hand. Its deep black hue seemed to absorb all the surrounding light, giving it an eerie, restrained glow. As the soul bone emerged, the dense soul power fluctuations made the air feel thick and heavy.
Wang Dong instinctively held his breath.
Even Ma Xiaotao, who was well-versed in such matters, couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. Her beautiful eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"It really is a soul bone!" the two women exclaimed in unison.
"Unfortunately, it's the right leg bone," Huo Yuhao said with a hint of regret. He had hoped it would be the Sea God Lances, but it wasn't meant to be.
Soul bones are incredibly rare and valuable, ranking among the most prized treasures on the Douluo Continent.
Aside from those used personally, soul bones are typically owned by the wealthy.
In any auction house across the continent, soul bones are always the most sought-after items.
A single soul bone can fetch a minimum of 100,000 gold soul coins, and in most cases, they are traded through barter rather than currency. Particularly, 100,000-year-old soul bones are considered priceless treasures, coveted by all titled Douluo.
Such treasures have never appeared in any auction house or merchant's inventory.
Even the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, which Huo Yuhao had visited before, rarely dared to display 10,000-year soul bones.
The only reason Jubao Pavilion could do so was due to its backing from Shrek Academy, which provided the confidence to protect such a treasure.
Given this, the quality of the soul bone produced by the 20,000-year-old Man-Faced Demon Spider was undoubtedly top-tier among 10,000-year soul bones, with a value of at least 10,000 gold coins.
Ma Xiaotao glanced at Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong. "Although we can't absorb the soul ring of this Man-Faced Demon Spider, the soul bone is a different story! Yuhao, do either of you want to fuse with it?"
Indeed, unlike soul rings, soul bones do not have restrictions based on who killed the soul beast. They can be fused by anyone.
Moreover, the greatest advantage of soul bones is that they grant different skills depending on the martial soul of the user, making them highly versatile.
Most soul masters use whatever soul bones they can obtain, often selling them for profit if they don't suit their needs.
Even powerful soul masters with abundant resources typically prioritize the age and bloodline quality of the soul bone, only considering compatibility as a secondary factor.
There's no rule stating that an attack-type soul master cannot fuse with a life-type soul bone. As Tang San and his son demonstrated, as long as the soul bone is of a high age, it's worth using.
Although the right leg bone of the Man-Faced Demon Spider is more suited for agility and control-type soul masters, that's only a relative consideration. Regardless of a soul master's martial soul, fusing with such a top-quality soul bone would significantly enhance their strength.
Soul bones greatly improve a soul master's physical fitness, and fusing one early can even allow the absorption of higher-age soul rings later.
Huo Yuhao shook his head in refusal. "Judging by its aura, it seems to have inherited the devouring property of the Man-Faced Demon Spider, so it's not suitable for me."
Wang Dong also waved his hands repeatedly. "I didn't contribute much in this battle, so I definitely can't take it. Besides, if Sister Xiaotao hadn't been here, I might have died at the hands of the Man-Faced Demon Spider. Both emotionally and logically, this soul bone belongs to Sister Xiaotao."
Ma Xiaotao raised her eyebrows, pretending to be angry. "What are you talking about? If it hadn't been for Yuhao's final move and the Man-Faced Demon Spider's counterattack, the outcome would have been uncertain."
"Moreover, I was the one who brought you, to the Star Dou Forest, and I must take you back safely. According to the rules of the soul master world, this soul bone is a shared trophy among the three of us. I've already absorbed soul bones for both legs, and the attributes of this one aren't suitable for me, so I'll leave it to you two to decide."
Huo Yuhao secretly thought to himself, 'Actually, this soul bone might unexpectedly suit you. As the saint of the Holy Spirit in the original work, perhaps this soul bone could allow the Black Flame Phoenix to awaken early?' Of course, Huo Yuhao couldn't let that happen again.
Even if Ma Xiaotao were to become a saint later, she would have to be with him. After all, the Holy Spirit Church was an unorthodox organisation.
Wang Dong still shook his head. "No, no. Besides, my martial soul attributes aren't suitable. Sister Xiaotao, you should keep it for yourself."
After some negotiation, Huo Yuhao finally accepted the right leg bone of the Man-Faced Demon Spider. 'If no one else needs it, I might as well keep it for myself. It's not like I can just hand it over to Shrek, right?'
Although it was an extremely precious 10,000-year soul bone, Huo Yuhao's ambitions were not limited to this. Even if it were an external soul bone with growth potential, he would rather keep it than waste it.
With his talent, what kind of soul bones wouldn't he be able to obtain in the future? Hundred-thousand-year soul beasts were guaranteed to drop soul bones, and there were quite a few known from the original plot alone.
If land wasn't enough, there were sea soul beasts in the ocean. And if all else failed, there was always the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eyes with its 100,000-year-old fairy grass.
As long as he kept his wits about him, there would always be more solutions than difficulties. He wasn't from the Tang Sect, so he wouldn't abide by their rules. When he was strong enough, he would simply take what he needed.
---
Meanwhile, several kilometers away, Zhang Lexuan was still on her way, riding on horseback.
As the first professional search-and-rescue team member to arrive at the Star Dou Forest, she had already scouted the mixed area.
She ruled out the possibility of entering the core area, as Huo Yuhao's current soul power level, even as a genius, would only allow him to absorb a 10,000-year soul ring at most.
A third ring of 10,000 years was already a high level of trust in him. There wasn't much more he could handle.
'Could it be that Huo Yuhao is deliberately hiding himself?' Zhang Lexuan thought the probability was very low.
Over the past month, as the eldest sister of the inner courtyard, she had taken care of Huo Yuhao's needs, from food and clothing to lodging and transportation.
The two had even exchanged combat experiences and soul master knowledge, building a good relationship. Zhang Lexuan believed that if Huo Yuhao sensed her presence, he would definitely come out to meet her.
"Xiaotao is worrying too much," Zhang Lexuan muttered, shaking her head.
'It's just a soul hunt. A towering tree can't grow in a greenhouse, and an eagle can't fly in a cage. As an inner court disciple, going out alone is a common occurrence. Since Yuhao left a letter, he must have made sufficient preparations. Maybe he just wants to investigate the area before deciding on the type of his third soul ring.'
As she pondered, Zhang Lexuan sensed a distress signal from an inner court disciple. 'Outer area? Is it Yuhao? Or someone else...' Her figure instantly vanished from the spot as she rushed toward the signal's origin.
No matter who was in danger, she couldn't ignore it!
…
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