Three Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones, Liu Erlong Returns from Hunting, Spirit Douluo
The Cultivation Room in the Back Mountain of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
The candlelight flickered gently.
A dark shadow silently pressed against the edge of the stone door.
"Young Master."
Dugu Bo's voice was hoarse and low, as if it were seeping from a crack in the ground.
Lin Qingmo sat cross-legged on the futon, not even lifting his eyelids.
"You're back?"
"Yes, I have helped Liu Erlong successfully Soul Hunting."
Lin Qingmo paused, rested his fingers on his knee, and slowly a smile curved his lips.
"It's much faster than expected. Let Teacher Er Long come in."
Dugu Bo bowed, took three steps back, and his figure disappeared into the shadows.
"With the Old Poison Freak personally taking charge, the efficiency is many times faster than her figuring it out on her own in the original story."
A moment later, the stone door was pushed open with a loud bang.
A gust of wind rushed in, causing the candle flames to tip over to one side.
Liu Erlong strode in.
Her outfit still bore the marks of her Soul Hunting days.
The cuffs were torn in three places, and the bloodstains on the hem had dried to a dark brown, like blooming rust flowers.
A corner of the armor on his left shoulder was torn, revealing the lining underneath, which had been scorched by Soul Power.
But her mature and radiant face showed no signs of fatigue.
With raised eyebrows and upturned lips, he looked like a sword that had just been tempered in a furnace.
The Soul Power emanating from his body was like the slow, slumbering breath of a mother dragon.
Heavy, scorching hot, with an overwhelming, wild pressure.
Level 83.
The real Soul Douluo.
"Teacher Er Long."
Lin Qingmo stood up, gestured with his right hand as if to invite her, and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
Liu Erlong stood still, his back straight, and solemnly bowed.
This level of etiquette was three times more thorough than when she met any nobleman when she was the dean of the Blue Tyrant Academy.
Lin Qingmo looked her up and down, then suddenly chuckled softly.
"Teacher Er Long, you used to call me A-Qing directly."
Liu Erlong's shoulders trembled almost imperceptibly.
"..."
Lin Qingmo knew that Dugu Bo was there, and Liu Erlong seemed a little reserved.
Lin Qingmo turned his head and gestured with his chin toward the figure that had never left the shadows by the door.
"Old Poison Freak, you should go and rest now."
"Yes."
As Dugu Bo retreated, his emerald green eyes lingered on Liu Erlong for a moment.
That was a meaningful glance.
It's as if to say: What you owe the Young Master is more than just a Spirit Ring.
The stone gate closed.
Only two people remained in the Cultivation Room.
Lin Qingmo sat down again, lifting his robe, and took out a tea set from his Soul Tool.
He lifted the teapot and poured water, his movements unhurried and deliberate, the aroma of tea spreading Sisi in the scorching air.
One of the cups was pushed in front of Liu Erlong.
"Teacher Er Long, how was your Soul Hunting this time?"
Liu Erlong pursed his lips, picked up the teacup, rubbed his fingertips along the rough cup twice, but didn't drink.
Her gaze fell on the tea, as if she were looking at something very distant.
"The beast that His Majesty Dugu Bo helped me hunt was an 80,000-year-old Fire Dragon Beast."
Eighty thousand years.
Lin Qingmo raised an eyebrow.
With Dugu Bo's strength, hunting down an 80,000-year-old Soul Beast is possible, but "hunting" and "killing" are two different things.
The Old Poison Freak has probably revealed most of his trump cards.
"Now I have broken through to Level 83 and become a true Soul Douluo."
Liu Erlong put down his teacup and took a deep breath.
She took out an item from her Storage Soul Tool; it was a Soul Bone that was entirely crimson red.
Its shape resembles that of a human Torso Bone, but its surface is covered with a layer of fine scale patterns, and it gleams with a dark reddish-brown color like lava under candlelight.
Each scale seemed alive, its shape slightly expanding and contracting with the natural fluctuations of Soul Power.
A Berserk dragon's might erupted from the Soul Bone.
The temperature in the Cultivation Room suddenly rose, and visible white steam rose from the surface of the tea on the table.
The 80,000-Year Fire Dragon Beast Torso Bone.
"This was obtained when I hunted that Fire Dragon Beast."
Liu Erlong presented the Soul Bone with both hands, raising her arms to eyebrow level. "A-Qing, please accept it."
Lin Qingmo did not reach out.
He sat upright on the futon, holding a teacup in one hand, calmly gazing at her.
"Teacher Er Long, why don't you absorb it yourself?"
A bitter smile appeared on Liu Erlong's lips.
"A-Qing, you must be joking."
She paused, lowering her voice slightly, as if stating a self-evident fact.
"I am already extremely grateful to have His Dugu Bo help me hunt for an 80,000-year-old Spirit Ring."
"If it were me, let alone an 80,000-year-old Soul Beast, I might not be able to easily defeat even a 50,000-year-old soul beast on my own."
"This Soul Bone is a byproduct of the Soul Hunting; logically and morally, it should belong to you. How could I possibly be entitled to it..."
So you're planning to give it to me?
"This is what you deserve A-Qing."
"Deserved?"
Lin Qingmo suddenly smiled.
The laughter was louder than before, carrying a puzzling quality.
"Teacher Er Long, do you think I look like someone who lacks Soul Bone?"
Liu Erlong was stunned.
Several images flashed through my mind.
Lin Qingmo took out every single piece of food from Zhu Zhuqing and the others without a second thought, and without even mentioning any conditions.
Like giving out candy during Chinese New Year.
"But..."
"There's no 'but' about it."
Lin Qingmo flipped his wrist and stuffed the Soul Bone back into her palm.
Palm to palm, the warmth of the Soul Bone and the slight coolness of Lin Qingmo's fingertips were transmitted simultaneously.
Then he took out two more items from his Soul Tool.
A piece of Left Arm Bone.
A Right Arm Bone.
Both Soul Bone were intact. Although their Soul Power fluctuations were weaker than those of the 80,000-year-old ones, each of them shone with a pure luster.
The 40,000-year level were the last two Soul Bone he had left.
"You've combined these two pieces too, haven't you?"
Lin Qingmo pushed both Soul Bone in front of Liu Erlong.
Three Soul Bone.
One piece is 80,000 years old, two pieces are 40,000 years old.
"???"
Liu Erlong was completely stunned.
Her fingers tightened unconsciously, and the three Soul Bone in her palm emitted completely different temperatures and pulses, like three hearts beating at the same time.
Her breathing became somewhat unsteady.
"A-Qing, what's wrong with you...?"
Her voice trembled, not from excitement, but from a deeper emotion that she herself couldn't quite explain.
She looked up, trying to find the answer in Lin Qingmo's face.
But the young man remained calm and composed, even taking the time to pick up his teacup again and blow on it to cool it down.
I really can't see through him.
"Teacher Er Long."
Lin Qingmo a sip of tea, speaking casually as if chatting with a neighbor.
"You've been spending quite a bit of time in the Chat Group."
Liu Erlong's heart skipped a beat.
"So, Teacher Er Long, you must know what I said in the Chat Group, and those topics naturally included Yu Xiaogang."
Lin Qingmo took another sip of tea to moisten his throat.
"After learning all this, you didn't stay at the Blue Tyrant Academy to continue being your dean, nor did you seek refuge with Flender. Instead, you packed your bags and came to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy all by yourself."
"It seems they've completely lost faith in Yu Xiaogang, haven't they?"
silence.
Liu Erlong's face visibly lost its color.
She lowered her head, her hands gripping the hem of her clothes tightly, her knuckles protruding as if they were about to pierce her skin.