The top floor, Director Du's office.
"Have a seat. Don't be nervous. Zheng Li, you all performed very well. I'm impressed that you managed to win the championship with your current lineup."
"You're too kind, Director Du," Zheng Li said with a modest smile.
"Too much modesty isn't a good thing." Du Weilun shook his head gently, then turned to Ling Nan. "Ling Nan, I won't hide it from you. At first, the academy wasn't planning to count you among the prospective core disciples. Your earlier performances were impressive, but not enough. These last two matches certainly made the teachers sit up and take notice. That self-created soul skill was very good."
"It's best to make good use of the academy's offer for your Second Soul Ring and get a decent Soul Skill. Then..."
Du Weilun didn't finish, but Zheng Li and the others understood.
With a decent second Soul Skill, Ling Nan's promotion to a core disciple was all but guaranteed.
Ling Nan looked a little nervous. He nodded and thanked Du Weilun.
"Here are your rewards." Du Weilun didn't say anything more. He took a brown pouch decorated with dark patterns from his Soul Guidance Ring. "You can decide among yourselves how to divide what's inside."
Zheng Li took it and opened it in front of Ling Nan and Cui Yajie. As expected, there was a Spirit Bone inside.
The Spirit Bone was about the length of a palm and glowed faintly gold. Its appearance made the Soul Power in Du Weilun's office grow viscous, and all three of them felt a warm aura.
Zheng Li: ???
His expression turned a little strange.
This Spirit Bone... didn't seem to be the one he remembered.
"A Spirit Bone?!" Before Zheng Li could think any further, Ling Nan and Cui Yajie exclaimed in shock.
"That's right, a Spirit Bone. I'm sure you know how precious they are. Don't let the question of how to divide it damage your friendship. Let me tell you about this one..."
After explaining the Spirit Bone's qualities, Du Weilun urged them to absorb it soon and sent them on their way.
Just before they left, Du Weilun suddenly sent Zheng Li a telepathic message. "Zheng Li, your Heart Martial Soul is rather special. Don't rush to attach a Soul Ring to it..."
Zheng Li was taken aback, but nodded without showing it. Then he left Du Weilun's office.
Chapter Thirty-Six: Weeping Light Phantom Fox
Was he worried Zheng Li would get too impatient?
Outside Du Weilun's office, Zheng Li shook his head slightly.
He didn't dare imagine having Soul Rings that were practically all hundred-thousand-year level, like Huo Gua. But at the very least, he wanted all of his to be ten-thousand-year level.
This wasn't the time to be thinking about that...
The three of them walked along without speaking. Ling Nan and Cui Yajie were still stunned by their Spirit Bone reward.
Besides, this wasn't some ordinary item.
Actually, Zheng Li didn't remember Du Weilun ever saying that the Kongming Demon Leopard Left Leg Bone had been carefully chosen by him for Huo Yuhao and the others. It suited both the Power Attack System and the control system.
It could increase a Soul Master's speed and grant a Soul Skill performed with the left leg that suited its user.
In that case, the Kongming Demon Leopard Left Leg Bone would have suited the three of them as well.
But the Spirit Bone Du Weilun had given them was different.
Had Du Weilun chosen another one because a different team had won?
The Spirit Bone in Zheng Li's hands was called the Weeping Light Phantom Fox Left Arm Bone.
Its properties were much like those of the Kongming Demon Leopard Left Leg Bone, and it was just as suitable for all three of them.
The Weeping Light Phantom Fox had both light and mental attributes. It was a relatively rare Spirit Beast, and the Left Arm Bone in his hands had come from one that was over ten thousand years old.
Just hearing that was enough to tell it was a fantastic item.
After hearing Du Weilun explain the Weeping Light Phantom Fox's traits, Zheng Li's first thought was that they were unusual.
After the Weeping Light Phantom Fox shed tears, its attribute-based attacks would grow much stronger.
Shedding tears didn't mean it was sad.
For a Soul Master, that was easy enough. They only had to stimulate their tear ducts.
This trait had also been passed down to the Left Arm Bone.
In other words, absorbing the Weeping Light Phantom Fox Left Arm Bone would grant the same trait.
Take note: the boost to attribute-based attacks wasn't limited to light or mental attributes. It worked with any attribute.
As for the Soul Skill it carried, Du Weilun didn't know what it was. He'd only said that it was best absorbed by someone with a light or mental attribute Martial Soul.
Of course, Du Weilun had also mentioned that the Weeping Light Phantom Fox was quite agile and possessed agility-type skills of its own, so Ling Nan could absorb it too.
Although Du Weilun hadn't said so outright, the three of them knew that the chance of gaining an agility-type Soul Skill wasn't very high.
"Light and mental..."
"Trying to tempt me?"
Zheng Li muttered to himself. He felt the academy had done it on purpose.
Still... was this Left Arm Bone as appealing as the Blade of Life? Not a chance. No matter what, he was determined to get those Gold Soul Coins.
Mm. He was curious.
"What do you think we should do with this Weeping Light Phantom Fox Left Arm Bone? I'll make this clear up front: I don't want it."
After a pause, Zheng Li continued, "I won't hide it from you. I need a lot of Gold Soul Coins. Whichever of you decides to take it, I want Gold Soul Coins worth one-third of the Spirit Bone's total value!"
His words left Ling Nan and Cui Yajie stunned.
"Huh?! A Li, did you get hit on the head or something? It's a Spirit Bone! They're priceless. Just this one could boost your strength by a huge amount."
Ling Nan hurriedly tried to talk him out of it, his heart growing anxious.
He hadn't planned to take it from the start, though of course he was tempted.
He understood Du Weilun's point, too. If he absorbed it, there was little chance he'd get a Soul Skill he liked.
So he'd given up on it and planned to help Zheng Li get it.
Who could have guessed Zheng Li would say something like that?
He knew Zheng Li needed Gold Soul Coins, of course.
Zheng Li: "..."
Who got hit on the head?
He was just about to say something when Cui Yajie spoke first. "That's right, Zheng Li. I agree with Ling Nan. Besides, you contributed the most in the matches, so it makes sense for you to take it. This Spirit Bone suits you, too. I never planned to compete for it."
Cui Yajie spoke with complete frankness, and she meant every word.
She knew what Zheng Li meant to her. Wouldn't it be better if he grew stronger?
Zheng Li: ??
"..." Zheng Li understood what they meant and was very touched, but he said, "I'm serious. Even if you forced me to take it, I'd sell it!"
If Du Weilun knew what he'd said, he would definitely have wanted to hit someone!
Ling Nan stared at Zheng Li's resolute expression, speechless. He couldn't help reaching over to feel Zheng Li's forehead. "A Li, are you sure you haven't really got something wrong with your head?"
"Get lost!" A few dark lines appeared on Zheng Li's forehead. "If neither of you wants it, then I'll sell it and split the Gold Soul Coins three ways. One share each."
"Don't," Cui Yajie said, stopping him.
"Are you sure? If you need those Gold Soul Coins, I could ask my father. It's not as if he couldn't come up with them."
Ling Nan didn't say how many Gold Soul Coins he meant, but Zheng Li knew it was a hundred thousand.
"No. It wouldn't be easy for you to get that much, either. It's not as if I'll never get another Spirit Bone." Zheng Li shook his head, his expression calm.
In Ling Nan's eyes, though, his words took on a different meaning.
He thought, As expected of a young master from a hidden sect—or family—out traveling the world. He doesn't even care about such a rare Spirit Bone.
He probably has an even better one waiting for him.
That explains it...
"I understand, A Li." Ling Nan sighed. "Yajie, don't say anything more. The Weeping Light Phantom Fox Left Arm Bone suits you better than it suits me. Do you want it? If so, like A Li, I'll just ask for Gold Soul Coins worth one-third of its total value."
Cui Yajie didn't understand why Ling Nan had suddenly come around to Zheng Li's way of thinking. But Zheng Li seemed genuinely determined, so she couldn't help hesitating over who should take the Spirit Bone...
Zheng Li was a little confused beside them. Ling Nan, what had you figured out this time?
They kept walking, and Ling Nan waited for Cui Yajie's answer.
If Cui Yajie didn't want it, he would take it.
With this Spirit Bone, he was sure his father would be willing to pay the Gold Soul Coins.
After hesitating for a long while, Cui Yajie finally spoke, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "I want it, but my family probably can't afford two-thirds of the Spirit Bone's total value..."
Zheng Li and Ling Nan: "..."
"That's not a problem. You can pay us in installments, but I need two hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins for the first payment," Zheng Li said after a moment of silence.
Thinking it over, he realized he really had overlooked that issue.
Although many Shrek students came from wealthy or influential families, coming up with that many Gold Soul Coins all at once would still be difficult.
He didn't know the total value of the Weeping Light Phantom Fox Left Arm Bone, but it was definitely worth more than three million Gold Soul Coins.
"Then I won't tell my father. I can't hide the special reward forever, but I can come up with an excuse. I'll pay in installments like A Li. Ten thousand Gold Soul Coins for my first payment should be enough."
If he told his father, he'd definitely get beaten black and blue. His father would say, You little rascal! You're giving up a Spirit Bone? Do you think your old man can't afford two-thirds of its total value?
Just thinking about it made Ling Nan shiver.
His father only had two Spirit Bones, and neither was anything special.
"Thank you..." Cui Yajie's face was full of embarrassment, and her voice was barely audible.
She was even more charming like this.
Her family could afford the initial three hundred thousand, and might even be able to come up with more.
"Hold on. Let's ask Teacher Shen Lan to help appraise the Spirit Bone's total value. Then, Yajie, you should absorb it right away. It's not safe to keep something like this on you." Zheng Li glanced at the pouch.
"Okay." x2
Shen Lan cared a great deal about them, too. When she learned their reward was a Spirit Bone, she'd been astonished for quite a while.
Naturally, she also agreed to help them.
The appraisal results came in that afternoon.
Five million, one hundred thousand!
When Cui Yajie heard the figure, her face went pale. Two-thirds came to three million, four hundred thousand!
She'd expected it to be expensive, but she still wanted to curse.
Damn! Even if she sold herself, she wouldn't get that much!
Her family... might go bankrupt.
Mom, Dad, I'm sorry...
Cui Yajie looked toward home.
At the same time, in a lavish mansion in the heart of a thriving city near the Dou Ling Empire's capital, a handsome middle-aged man and a beautiful woman in her thirties shivered.
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Heading South
Time flew by.
Eight months passed.
After the Freshman Assessment, the students were naturally reassigned to new classes. Zheng Li, who was in the Power Attack System, and Cui Yajie, who was in the Spirit Control System, were both placed in Class One.
As for Ling Nan...
Zheng Li remembered the first time he walked into his new Class One classroom and sat down.
"Finally, I'm away from that annoying Gluttonous Cat..."
Before you continue