Two Soul Bones

"Um, Your Highness, aren't you taking these two away?"

Li Xun pointed at the two men wailing on the ground and spoke softly to Prince Xue Xing.

What they had said at the end had clearly been an attempt to smear him and the sect.

How could Li Xun let such a chance to strike back slip by?

"Someone will naturally take them to the Infirmary later."

Prince Xue Xing paused, his expression turning somewhat ugly.

"Just a couple of country bumpkins. Why would we need to handle such matters ourselves?"

Xue Beng shot Li Xun a glare, his face full of contempt.

They were imperial royalty, always accompanied by guards. They did not need to give orders for such trivial matters; someone would naturally take care of them.

"But... weren't you here because of these two?"

Li Xun looked innocently at Prince Xue Xing and spoke timidly.

"Fourth Prince, Your Highness, I'll take Ge Rong and the other one to the Infirmary. There's no need to trouble the two of you."

Just as Li Xun and Prince Xue Xing's group were at an impasse, the Buzz Cut Teacher hurriedly spoke up.

"I thank you on behalf of the elders of those two."

Prince Xue Xing turned back and cupped his hands toward the Buzz Cut Teacher.

"No... no, it's what I should do." The Buzz Cut Teacher waved his hands repeatedly.

"Bootlicker!"

Watching Prince Xue Xing and Xue Beng leave, Li Xun looked at the teacher.

He cursed inwardly.

As though sensing Li Xun's gaze, the Buzz Cut Teacher hurriedly forced out a smile.

"Student Li Xun, I failed to understand the situation earlier, which led me to speak inappropriately.

"As a teacher, I truly should not have done that. I apologize to you."

Li Xun was somewhat speechless.

He had initially thought this teacher was Prince Xue Xing's lackey, but who would have thought he was merely a fence-sitter who played both sides.

What happened in the Heavenly Subtle Grade Classroom spread very quickly.

Even the three members of the Teaching Committee were alarmed.

Meng Shenji personally went to Li Xun's dormitory to offer his condolences over the matter.

Only after seeing that Li Xun and Ning Rongrong did not appear to have suffered any losses did he breathe a sigh of relief.

He also stated that—

Because the teacher had failed in his supervision, he had already been dismissed pending investigation, and Li Xun and Ning Rongrong could attend classes without worry.

The students discussed the matter fervently as well.

Some said Li Xun had done the right thing, while others said he had been too heavy-handed.

Though everyone had their own opinions, they shared an unspoken understanding.

Within the academy, they would try their best not to get involved with either Li Xun's group or Ge Rong's group.

These two groups—

One belonged to one of the continent's top sects, while the other consisted of imperial royalty and top nobles who held their families' prosperity and decline in their hands.

Blindly attaching themselves to either side could easily lead to their families' ruin.

Li Xun did not have many thoughts about the situation that had arisen in the academy.

He merely silently remembered Prince Xue Xing and Xue Beng.

And he trained even harder.

Even Ning Rongrong was influenced by Li Xun and began to grow more diligent.

In the days that followed—

The two remained holed up in their dormitory, only easing up on their training slightly when Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo arrived.

"Xiao Xun, I've heard all about what happened. You two have suffered."

Ning Fengzhi patted Li Xun on the shoulder and spoke softly.

"I'm fine, Teacher. Rongrong is the one who suffered a bit."

Li Xun glanced at Ning Rongrong, who had thrown herself into Sword Douluo's arms.

"That girl Rongrong has been spoiled in the sect. It's good for her to experience a few setbacks outside.

"So she won't suffer a major loss in the future. As for you, you handled this matter very well." Ning Fengzhi sighed softly.

When he had sent Li Xun and Ning Rongrong to Heavenly Dou Academy, he had not expected such a thing to happen.

Fortunately, Li Xun was clever and reacted swiftly the moment he noticed something was amiss.

Otherwise—

Not only would Ning Rongrong have suffered a grievance, but the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would also have faced some negative repercussions.

"Teacher, it was only what I should have done. But how will the aftermath of this matter be handled?" Li Xun looked up at Ning Fengzhi.

"You and Rongrong can simply study here without worry."

Ning Fengzhi chuckled and took two Soul Bones from his Soul Tool, holding them out before Li Xun. "These two Soul Bones are the royal family's compensation, provided by Marshal Ge Long and Prince Xue Xing."

Li Xun looked at Sword Douluo, who was teasing Ning Rongrong.

He understood at once.

It seemed Teacher and the other man had gone to see Emperor Xue Ye first.

"This is a ten-thousand-year Head Spirit Bone, with the Soul Skill Clear Thoughts. It helps Soul Masters weigh advantages and disadvantages during battle."

"This is a twenty-thousand-year Right Leg Bone, with the skill Swiftness. Xiao Xun, choose one, and Rongrong will have the other."

Smiling, Ning Fengzhi raised the Head Spirit Bone slightly. "However, I recommend that you choose the Head Spirit Bone. Though its age is somewhat lower, it is far more precious than the leg bone, and it suits you better."

Soul Bones were produced when Spirit Beasts were hunted, and their drop rate was exceedingly low.

Often, even after hunting dozens or hundreds of Spirit Beasts, one might not obtain a single piece.

Among them, External Soul Bones, torso bones, and Head Spirit Bones were the rarest.

Although this Head Spirit Bone was only ten thousand years old, it was far more precious than an ordinary ten-thousand-year Soul Bone.

This was Li Xun's first time seeing Soul Bones.

The two Soul Bones in Ning Fengzhi's hands were as gorgeous as gemstones. If one looked closely, one could even sense the dense Soul Power contained within them.

"Thank you for your kindness, Teacher, but I cannot accept these Soul Bones. Moreover, I suggest that Rongrong not absorb them either."

Li Xun withdrew his gaze from the Soul Bones and looked at Ning Fengzhi.

"Hm?"

Ning Fengzhi was startled for a moment. Then, after giving it some thought, he understood. "Xiao Xun, do you think these two Soul Bones are too low in age?"

"Yes, Teacher. Through my studies recently, I learned that a good Soul Bone can raise a Soul Master's level and physical constitution."

"And improvements in one's physical constitution are also related to the age limit of the Soul Rings a Soul Master can absorb."

Li Xun pointed at the Soul Bones in Ning Fengzhi's hands. "Teacher, the further a Soul Master advances, the harder it becomes to improve. With Rongrong's and my talent, if we rely solely on cultivation, it will be difficult for us to become the continent's absolute strongest."

"When that time comes, the value of a Soul Bone capable of raising our limits will become apparent."

The number of Soul Bones a person could absorb was limited. This was especially true for such an important part as the skull. It might be possible to find a way to replace Soul Bones in other locations, but certainly not one in the head.

Even for a leg bone, Li Xun felt that its age was somewhat too low.

"Xiao Xun, the sect has quite a few low-grade Soul Bones, but only a handful of high-level ones. And encountering a Soul Bone suited to oneself requires even more luck and opportunity."

"With the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's current wealth, we have only collected a few Soul Bones suitable for me."

"The same is even more true for your Sword Grandfather and Bone Grandfather."

Ning Fengzhi placed the Soul Bones on the table and sighed. "At their current level, absorbing ordinary Soul Bones would bring them almost no improvement."

"That is why they have kept those positions vacant, hoping that one day an opportunity will arise and they will encounter Soul Bones compatible with them."

Li Xun turned to look at Sword Douluo. He had once wondered why no one in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had ever displayed Soul Bones.

So they had simply been terribly unlucky and never found any suited to them.

Seeing Li Xun's reaction, Ning Fengzhi could not help but laugh softly.

He had used Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo as examples precisely to show Li Xun how scarce Soul Bones were, thereby dispelling his impractical notions.

If they could, who would not want to give the best things to their juniors?

"Teacher, how about this? Keep these two Soul Bones with you for now. If we truly find nothing in the end, it won't be too late to absorb them then."