Superb Element

Rayne almost cried out, but managed to hold it back with great difficulty.

On the surface, he remained calm, but inside, his emotions churned like a stormy sea. He could hardly believe his eyes. He had actually seen three elements in the soul of a Gold-Eating Ant!

"Calm down! Calm down!"

I absolutely can't let anyone discover this.

Rayne turned his gaze away. The few customers were all making their own selections, and no one was paying attention to him. The wizard who seemed to be a highly skilled Soul Appraiser was especially far away, so Rayne secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He pretended that nothing had happened and took two steps forward to get a little closer, carefully observing the Gold-Eating Ant.

The Gold-Eating Ant looked very ordinary. At first glance, it was no different from the other ants. But upon closer inspection, one would notice that its color was darker and deeper, its body and joints sharply defined. It was slightly smaller than an ordinary ant, seemingly more compact and sturdy.

For some reason, it remained completely motionless inside the glass jar, showing little vitality. It looked like a work of art cast from steel.

Within the Soul Eye, the Gold-Eating Ant's elements surfaced once more, and this time, they were crystal clear.

"Holy crap, it really has three elements!"

Rayne was utterly astonished. After carefully sensing them, he quickly learned what the three elements were, and all of them were ones he had seen in the Book of Thousand Souls not long ago.

The first was the Strength Element, which could greatly increase physical strength. This was the Gold-Eating Ant's basic element, and Rayne had just seen it in another Gold-Eating Ant.

However, he discovered that this Gold-Eating Ant's Strength Element was much more powerful than the previous one's.

Strength was a Physique Element, and it could be strengthened. Each time it was strengthened, one's physical strength would increase tremendously, even multiplying several times over.

This Gold-Eating Ant's Strength Element had clearly been strengthened.

It very likely devoured the souls of its own kind, which was why its Strength Element was strengthened.

Rayne had a guess, but he did not pay much attention to the Strength Element, because the second element had completely stunned him.

"Body of Steel!"

If there had been no one else around, Rayne would certainly have shouted aloud to vent his shock and astonishment.

Body of Steel was a Superb Element of the physique type!

Master Taimandola, the author of the Book of Thousand Souls, had divided the several thousand elements he knew into four tiers according to their strength and rarity.

The most common and widespread elements were called Common Elements, such as Strength, Stone Skin, and Fire Breath. Next came some less common elements with greater power, known as Rare Elements. The core abilities of many Transcendent professions were based on Rare Elements.

Above those were the even rarer and more powerful Superb Elements. Obtaining just one could have a decisive impact on a Transcendent profession and grant an unimaginable increase in strength.

Finally, there were Legendary Elements. Every Legendary Element was renowned throughout the world. Only a handful of Legendary Elements were known, and the Book of Thousand Souls listed only a dozen or so.

Common, Rare, Superb, and Legendary.

The rarer an element was among these four tiers, the more powerful it generally was, but this was not absolute.

After being strengthened or upgraded, a Common Element could also reach the power of a Rare Element. If it was strengthened enough times, it could become even more powerful than an element of a higher tier.

For example, if the Strength Element could be strengthened repeatedly, it could rival a Superb Element or even reach the power of a Legendary Element. It was simply very difficult to accomplish.

In short, an element's tier represented its rarity and power.

Body of Steel was one of these elements. It was a Superb Element, surpassed only by Legendary Elements, and one of the most famous among all Superb Elements!

Rayne had just read the Book of Thousand Souls, so he remembered the description of Body of Steel very clearly.

It could grant a Transcendent a sturdy body. Their skin, muscles, bones, and even hair would become indestructible. Their entire body would have almost no weaknesses, and ordinary weapons would struggle to break through their defenses. They would be like true iron men cast entirely from steel!

Someone whose entire body was like steel would naturally possess tremendous strength as well. This might be why the Gold-Eating Ant's Strength Element had been strengthened.

There were only a few known sources of the Body of Steel Element, and all of them were terrifying monsters. The most famous were the Bronze Giant and the Steel Dragon.

One was a giant, and the other was a true dragon. Both were Legendary-tier monsters, far beyond the reach of ordinary Transcendents.

This Superb Element was the element all Iron Guards dreamed of obtaining.

Of course, other Transcendents wanted it as well. Regardless of their profession, possessing Body of Steel was equivalent to gaining half a life more. It would be incredibly difficult for enemies to kill them.

A Transcendent with Body of Steel could stand motionless before ordinary people and let them hack and stab with knives and swords. They might not even be able to scrape off a piece of skin.

Moreover, Body of Steel could be strengthened again.

Rayne immediately thought of many things. What would it look like if Body of Steel were strengthened to its limit?

If a wizard had Body of Steel, would they no longer have any weakness in close combat?

A faint idea flashed through his mind.

But that was not all. This Gold-Eating Ant had a third element. After Rayne saw it clearly, he let out another gasp of astonishment.

The third element was called Metal Touch, a Rare Element of the ability type.

Ability Elements were already uncommon, and this one was even Rare Tier. Rayne was almost numb with shock. What exactly is going on with this Gold-Eating Ant? What happened to it?

He was not unfamiliar with Metal Touch, because he had seen it at another shop not long ago.

It was the Demon Soul of a Rust Wraith, contained within a Soul Stone and displayed at the exorbitant price of three hundred Gold Shields, attracting many people to come and observe it.

Rust Wraiths were a type of essence spirit. Their souls contained three elements: Heartrust Shriek, Light Body Technique, and Metal Touch.

The reason Rayne had paid such close attention to the Rust Wraith was that it was the key to becoming a Mechanic.

After a successful soul transformation, fusing with a Rust Wraith would allow one to change professions into a Mechanic. The most important core element for a Mechanic was precisely Metal Touch.

Metal Touch granted Mechanics a special sense. As long as they touched any metal object with their hands, they could immediately understand the metal's properties and structure, seeing it as clearly as the lines on their palms.

With Metal Touch, when creating equipment primarily made of metal, Mechanics could bring out the material's greatest potential and forge the strongest weapons!

After being strengthened, Metal Touch could grant Mechanics even more abilities. They would no longer be limited to touch; they could identify information about metal through its smell, sound, and shape.

This ability had many uses. It could greatly assist with prospecting for ores, locating internal damage in metal equipment, and casting metal-related spells.

In short, Metal Touch was like an affinity for metal, the first core element of every Mechanic.

After examining all three elements, Rayne almost lost control of himself. Even his breathing became heavier, and he nearly thought he was hallucinating.

He had actually seen three elements in the soul of a weak Gold-Eating Ant, and none of them were ordinary.

Strengthened Strength, Metal Touch, and Body of Steel!

One was a Common Element, one was a Rare Element, and one was a Superb Element.

Any one of these three elements was extremely rare, yet they had gathered within the same soul—and in such a weak soul, no less.

Rayne checked repeatedly. Even though this Gold-Eating Ant possessed three elements, its soul was still far inferior to that of an ordinary Demon Soul. Moreover, the three elements were extremely faint. If it were contained in a Soul Stone, many Soul Appraisers might overlook them entirely.

But no matter what, the three elements were absolutely real. There was no mistake.

"This is a miracle!"

Rayne secretly marveled, then grew somewhat nervous. I can't let anyone else get ahead of me this time.

Fortunately, the Gold-Eating Ant looked very inconspicuous and seemed devoid of vitality, so no one had yet noticed anything unusual about it.

He stood in front of the glass jar containing the Gold-Eating Ant to prevent anyone from taking it. At the same time, he observed the other Gold-Eating Ants and considered how he could take this one away.

I definitely can't kill it here.

If people discover the true value of this Gold-Eating Ant, forget whether I can keep the Demon Soul. I may not even be able to leave the market alive.

Rayne could not accurately judge the value of the Demon Soul, but even a child could figure out what kind of commotion a Demon Soul containing a Superb Element would cause.

Even though the Gold-Eating Ant itself was very weak, it could probably be sold for at least ten thousand Gold Shields!

There were so many Transcendents around, while he was just an ordinary person. He was like a child carrying gold through a crowded marketplace. Once exposed, he would be courting death.

He might not even be able to take the Demon Soul out of the shop. The shopkeeper would be the first to refuse.

Rayne glanced at the shopkeeper and thought that he should first let the other party earn some money, lest he arouse suspicion. Pretending he had finished observing, he carefully selected three Gold-Eating Ants, picked them up, and handed them to the shopkeeper, saying expectantly, "These three. Help me extract their Demon Souls."

Before the Gold-Eating Ants were killed, he paid three Gold Shields first.

The shopkeeper happily accepted the money, then used an iron hammer to smash the ants to death one by one. As expected, not one of them contained an element.

Rayne had known the result long ago, but he still put on a disappointed expression.

The onlookers all wore somewhat gleeful expressions, while the shopkeeper was even happier. Grinning from ear to ear, he released the Gold-Eating Ant Demon Souls from the Soul Stones, restoring them to their original white crystal form.

After a Soul Stone released the Demon Soul inside, it could be reused.

Rayne pretended to be very unwilling to give up. After that, he selected several more Gold-Eating Ants one after another, but still found nothing.

Seeing his expression, the shopkeeper thought, This young man is clearly hooked. But he said nothing, secretly rejoicing. Gambling with Demon Souls made its money from people like this.

After giving away another ten Gold Shields, Rayne felt that it was about enough. He let out an extremely reluctant snort and shouted, "Boss, I've bought so many, but I haven't seen a single element. Don't tell me your ants have already been picked through?"

"I don't even know whether they have any elements. How am I supposed to pick them?"

The shopkeeper immediately grew somewhat displeased. He had plenty of experience dealing with people who had lost money but refused to accept it. He said righteously, "Your luck was bad. Don't talk nonsense. That gentleman just drew an element, and you saw it with your own eyes."

The other customers were drawn over. Someone nodded and said, "That's right, young man. You have to accept your loss."

A few people who were probably shills also criticized Rayne, saying that he could not afford to lose.

Rayne's face turned pale, then flushed red, as if he deeply regretted spending so much money. He touched his wallet, hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Who says I can't afford to play? I have plenty of money. Give me five more!"

As he spoke, he angrily took out five Gold Shields and threw them to the shopkeeper, then selected five Gold-Eating Ants in one breath.

This time, the Gold-Eating Ant with the three elements was among them.

The shopkeeper did not care in the slightest about Rayne's attitude. After putting away the Gold Shields, he began killing the ants and extracting their Demon Souls.

The iron hammer struck the anvil with a series of clangs. One Gold-Eating Ant after another was killed, but the first three Demon Souls contained no elements. Rayne's expression grew more and more desperate.

Just as the shopkeeper raised his iron hammer to kill the fourth Gold-Eating Ant, Rayne finally could not hold back. He shouted, "Boss, I'm done playing! Give me my money back!"

The shopkeeper looked extremely displeased. He lowered the hammer and pointed at Rayne. "Things bought in our shop cannot be returned. Young man, if you have no money, don't play at gambling with Demon Souls."

The surrounding customers all looked as though they were watching a show. They had seen this sort of thing many times in the Magic Soul Market.

"I don't care. I'm done playing anyway." Rayne was somewhat frantic as he insisted, "These two ants are still alive. Give me back my Gold Shields."

"Returning your money is impossible. You've already bought these two Gold-Eating Ants. They're your property now, so whether you kill them is up to you." The shopkeeper was naturally unwilling to spit out the meat he had already swallowed. He gave a meaningful glance, and the shop's workers, along with those few shills, gathered around and glared at Rayne with unfriendly expressions.

Rayne took a frightened step backward, but inside, he almost laughed with delight.

His face flushed bright red with anxiety. In the end, he still did not dare ask for his money back again and stubbornly said, "Then I won't kill them. Give me the ants. I'll take them home and try it myself."

The shopkeeper shrugged indifferently and let Rayne pick up the two glass jars and leave.