"Alright, everyone, return to the teaching building under your respective homeroom teachers according to the latest class assignments. Lin Yuan, you three come with me to collect your reward," Du Wilun announced.
After he finished speaking, Lin Yuan and the other two followed Du Wilun to the teachers' office area behind the upper-year teaching building. Du Wilun's office was on the top floor. There were no overly lavish decorations inside, but four bookcases stood in the room, each packed with books.
Du Wilun smiled faintly and pointed at the sofa. "Have a seat. Huo Yu Hao, don't feel burdened. You saw it yourself—aside from you, each of the top three teams also had students who failed to become core disciples. Your performance was very good, but your individual ability still needs improvement. When you absorb your second Soul Ring, you may submit an application to the academy and exchange this competition's reward for a high-quality Soul Ring. If you perform exceptionally in the assessment for advancing to the second year, the academy will consider promoting you to an official core disciple."
Huo Yu Hao nodded and respectfully said to Du Wilun, "Director Du, I will definitely work hard. Thank you for your concern."
Du Wilun was very satisfied with Huo Yu Hao's attitude. After nodding, the enormous ruby ring on his right hand suddenly flashed, and a leather pouch appeared in his hand. "Since you defeated three freshman teams led by Soul Elders in succession and won the final championship, I applied to the academy for an exception and secured this reward for you. Although there is only one reward and the three of you will have to discuss who receives it, this is already the most precious prize awarded in nearly three hundred years of Freshman Assessments. Open it and take a look." As he spoke, he handed the pouch to Lin Yuan.
Lin Yuan took it and immediately untied the cord around its opening. A cluster of yellow light suddenly shot out from the pouch and slowly floated in the air before the three of them. It was a palm-sized bone, its surface wreathed in a faint yellow glow. The dense fluctuations of Soul Power made the air throughout the office seem to turn viscous.
"Th-this is... a Soul Bone?" Wang Dong said, her face full of shock.
Du Wilun smiled faintly. "Your reward is a Soul Bone. But you all understand how precious Soul Bones are, which is why there is only one. Discuss how to distribute it after you return. Let me briefly introduce this Soul Bone to you."
"I selected this specifically for you. Both Assault System and Control System soul masters can use it. It is a left leg bone called the Void Light Demonic Leopard Left Leg Bone. After fusing with it, a soul master's speed will improve, and they will gain an offensive skill activated through the left leg..."
After putting away the Soul Bone, Du Wilun escorted the three to the door. Lin Yuan and the others bid him farewell before leaving the office building.
The moment they stepped outside, all three stopped in unspoken agreement. Lin Yuan, Wang Dong, and Huo Yu Hao exchanged glances. Lin Yuan spoke first. "Give it to Yu Hao."
Wang Dong immediately nodded. "I agree." As she spoke, both their gazes turned toward Huo Yu Hao, while Lin Yuan held the leather pouch out before him.
"Yu Hao, don't rush to refuse. The reason I don't want this Soul Bone is because my Martial Soul is an Elemental Dragon. I don't have much need for a speed-type Soul Bone, and my control over space can already make up for my lack of speed. This Soul Bone would offer me limited benefits," Lin Yuan explained slowly.
Wang Dong hurriedly added, her pink-blue eyes filled with sincerity, "Same for me. My Light Goddess Butterfly already excels at speed and flight, so the speed increase from the Void Light Demonic Leopard Left Leg Bone isn't something I urgently need. But you're different. Your Martial Soul is the Spiritual Eye and leans toward spiritual control. Your speed and defense are both weaknesses. With this Soul Bone, you can make up for your speed disadvantage, and its offensive skill will give you another means of protecting yourself. It will help the team the most."
Huo Yu Hao stared at the pouch held out before him. His fingers trembled slightly, and his eyes were full of emotion. He understood the value of a Soul Bone better than anyone. It was a Supreme Treasure capable of allowing a soul master to break through their own limits. How could he calmly accept the concessions of his two companions? He repeatedly waved his hands. "No, it's too valuable! I barely contributed anything during the match. Brother Lin Yuan and you were the ones doing all the work. The Soul Bone should go to you two."
Seeing this, Lin Yuan directly stuffed the pouch into Huo Yu Hao's arms, his tone leaving no room for argument. "A team's victory was never one person's achievement. Your Spiritual Detection was the key to our easy victories. Without you predicting our opponents' movements in advance, how could we have fought so smoothly? Besides, your strength is relatively weaker right now. You need this Soul Bone more to improve yourself. We're teammates. There's no need to draw such clear lines."
Wang Dong also stepped forward and patted Huo Yu Hao's shoulder. For once, she did not argue with Lin Yuan and instead supported him. "Lin Yuan's right. If you feel bad about it, just help us scout out enemies a few more times in the future. Hurry and take it. If you keep refusing, you'll be treating us like outsiders."
Huo Yu Hao tightly gripped the warm pouch in his arms, feeling the dense Soul Power fluctuations from the Soul Bone within. His nose stung, and his eyes reddened slightly. Looking at the two companions who sincerely had his best interests at heart, he nodded heavily. "Thank you! I'll make good use of this Soul Bone and play a greater role in the team from now on. I won't let your kindness go to waste! As for not becoming a core disciple, I've thought it through as well. The academy was fair not to approve me. I need to work even harder to prove myself."
"Well said." A familiar voice suddenly rang out. Zhou Yi slowly approached the three of them and gave Huo Yu Hao a deep look. A rare expression of gratification and satisfaction appeared on her face. "Yu Hao, I came specifically to find you, but I didn't expect you to figure it out on your own. Your teacher is very pleased. As expected of my disciple. You took first place among the freshmen, so I have a reward for you as well." As she spoke, the silver bracelet-like storage Soul Tool on her wrist flashed, and another leather pouch appeared in her hand. She handed it to Huo Yu Hao.
What left Huo Yu Hao and Wang Dong dumbfounded was that this pouch was exactly identical to the one Director Du Wilun had just given them. Only Lin Yuan wore an understanding expression.
"Do you remember the battle against Ning Tian, Wu Feng, and Nanmen Yun'er? I made a bet with their homeroom teacher back then and won this Soul Bone. Its quality is rather poor among Soul Bones, but it has fusion properties. If you can find two more Soul Bones with similar attributes, you can fuse them through it. To someone who needs it, it is priceless. However, the possibility of gathering three Soul Bones with similar attributes is far too small, so I suggest you fuse it directly. This is a left arm bone called the Secret Technique Soul Left Arm Bone. In a sense, it cannot truly be considered a Soul Bone, because it was not dropped by a single soul beast."
"The method of obtaining this Secret Technique Soul Bone is unusual and cruel. Choose any kind of soul beast, slaughter one hundred of them within half an hour, then use a secret method to activate their Soul Rings. Only then is there a ten percent chance of obtaining one. This is considered a relatively simple way to acquire a Soul Bone, but because the success rate is low and the method is excessively cruel, few soul masters would do it. If fused directly, it can grant a soul master a five percent increase in Soul Power. Don't underestimate such a small increase—it is permanent. Once your cultivation reaches a sufficiently high level, its effects will become obvious."
At those words, Lin Yuan frowned slightly. As the Dragon God, he instinctively rejected this method of condensing Soul Bones through the slaughter of soul beasts of the same kind. Soul beasts were part of Douluo Continent's ecosystem, and they were also the subjects of him, the sovereign of soul beasts. Such a cruel method made a trace of coldness flash through his purple eyes.
What was more, he had lived in the Star Dou Great Forest for five full years. Having spent day and night alongside countless soul beasts, he had long regarded them as his own kind. This wanton slaughter of weak soul beasts for power touched the bottom line in his heart.
With that thought, Lin Yuan bid Zhou Yi farewell and headed toward the classroom. His pace unconsciously quickened, his silver-white hair ribbon cutting a cold arc through the air behind him. He needed to find an empty corner and calm the turbulent emotions stirred up by the Secret Technique Soul Bone. As he passed the shore of Sea God Lake, the morning mist had yet to disperse. Fine ripples spread across the lake's surface, yet they could not reflect his solemn expression.
"Using the lives of a hundred beasts to refine a bone... and they still have the nerve to call it a secret technique," Lin Yuan muttered in a low voice, a cold glint flashing through his purple eyes. In the Star Dou Great Forest, Sister Bi Ji had once said that even weak soul beasts were lives, and wanton slaughter would only invite nature's backlash. Yet human soul masters could devise such cruel methods for the sake of power. His favorable impression of Shrek Academy faded a little further.
Just as he was lost in thought, light footsteps sounded behind him. Wang Dong caught up while carrying the textbooks she had just received, morning dew clinging to her pink-blue short hair. "Lin Yuan, why are you walking so fast? We haven't even discussed how to divide the Soul Bone Teacher Zhou gave us!"
Lin Yuan stopped and turned around, suppressing the chill in his eyes as he pointed in Huo Yu Hao's direction. "Give it to Yu Hao as well. The Secret Technique Soul Bone can increase Soul Power, and it can also assist his spiritual power cultivation. It will be more useful to him than to either of us."
Wang Dong paused before nodding. "That works. You and I really don't need it anyway. But now that I think about it, that method is terrifying. Killing a hundred soul beasts just to get one bone—no wonder Teacher Zhou said its quality was poor."
"It isn't poor quality. It is soaked in blood," Lin Yuan said in a low voice. "A Soul Bone is the condensed power left behind after a soul beast dies. It should be treated with reverence, not deliberately refined through such methods."
Wang Dong did not respond. She also found it cruel, but she understood the law of the jungle in the world of soul masters.
After a while, the two walked back to the teaching building side by side. Among the four freshman classes, Class One was undoubtedly the strongest, but it did not have the most students. The Assault System and Control System together had only a little over sixty students, while the largest class was the mixed Class Four.
The moment Lin Yuan entered, he immediately drew the attention of every student, especially the female students, whose gazes locked onto him like spotlights. Several bold girls in the front row quietly took out badges embroidered with dragon patterns and played with them, unable to hide their excitement, while people in the back row whispered among themselves.
Seeing this, Wang Dong instinctively squeezed a little closer to Lin Yuan, her brows slightly furrowed, but she said nothing. After spending so much time together, she had long grown used to Lin Yuan being the center of attention wherever he went. Her mouth complained, but in her heart, she had already accepted the duty of protecting this troublesome class monitor.
Although the classes had been reassigned, Lin Yuan and Wang Dong's seats had not changed. Xiao Xiao had finally gotten her wish and sat to Lin Yuan's left. At the same time, Lin Yuan noticed Dai Hua Bin, Zhu Lu, and Cui Ya Jie seated farther back, separated from them by two rows. The moment he entered, Dai Hua Bin gave him a cold look.
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