"Then, Teacher, how should I fuse them? Which ones would be best?"
Zhu Zhuqing tilted her head up slightly to look at Gu Chensha, her cool eyes filled with complete trust.
"Although some of these Soul Bones are compatible with the Hell Spirit Cat and can improve agility, speed, and attack power..."
"But I want to make arrangements based on my Second Martial Soul, and I can't find anything that seems particularly suitable."
How could Gu Chensha fail to understand what she meant?
He couldn't help reaching out to gently stroke her hair.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't shy away. Instead, she lowered her head slightly, as docile as a little cat.
Gu Chensha's heart stirred.
This girl trusted and relied on him without reservation.
She had placed her future, her fate, everything, in his hands.
He really hadn't been wrong about her.
"You're right. There are far too few things here that are compatible with the Primordial Demon Spider Emperor Martial Soul."
Gu Chensha withdrew his hand, his tone carrying undisguised disdain.
"But I never planned to have you fuse with this junk."
He gave a cold laugh, then turned to look at Wangcai, who was luxuriating in the hot spring, and called out loudly,
"Wangcai, bring that thing over."
A Soul Tool?
A string of question marks appeared in Zhu Zhuqing's mind.
She knew that Soul Tools were special devices inscribed with Core Arrays.
And Soul Tool technology had long since been lost. Most of the ones that remained were simple support items, while offensive ones were exceedingly rare.
But judging by her teacher's expression, this item was clearly no ordinary thing.
Could it be...
The real gift he'd mentioned wasn't the mountain of Soul Bones at all, but this Soul Tool?
As she wondered, Wangcai came running out of the hot spring, its tail dripping wet. It shook its black fur, splattering water everywhere.
It had clearly been prepared in advance. Before Gu Chensha could urge it again, it came trotting over with a palm-sized sandalwood box in its mouth and set it neatly in front of Zhu Zhuqing.
Then it gave the box a gentle nudge with its nose and wagged its tail as if seeking praise.
Zhu Zhuqing looked at Gu Chensha, unable to contain her anticipation. Her eyes sparkled.
"Go ahead and open it. It was meant for you."
Only after receiving his permission did she carefully lift the lid.
The moment she saw what was inside, the coolness in her eyes gave way to a dazzling gleam.
A necklace lay quietly in the box.
Its fine golden chain was etched with delicate patterns on every link, and its surface glowed with a warm sheen in the sunlight.
The pendant was a pale gold crystal about the size of her thumb, shaped like a perfect teardrop.
A cluster of flowing starlight seemed frozen inside the crystal. As it shifted in the light, it refracted into warm gold hues of varying depths, glittering in countless tiny flecks.
The necklace was so exquisitely made that it hardly seemed like a Soul Tool at all. It looked more like a work of art crafted with peerless skill.
In all her life, she had never seen anything so beautiful.
Zhu Zhuqing's cheeks flushed faintly, and her heartbeat inexplicably quickened.
"Teacher... is this really for me?"
"Of course. Try it on."
Zhu Zhuqing gave a soft "Mm" and reached out to lift the necklace from the box.
Its cool, smooth touch rested in her palm.
Her cheeks flushed faintly, and her heartbeat inexplicably quickened.
Her teacher had given her a necklace—not a weapon, not armor, but a necklace...
She couldn't say what it meant. She only felt something soft inside her had been gently touched, stirring a warmth she couldn't quite put into words.
She silently thought to herself:
I'll treasure it for the rest of my life.
She lowered her head slightly and brought the necklace around her neck, turning her back to Gu Chensha as she tried to fasten the clasp.
But her fingers wouldn't cooperate. She tried several times and still couldn't get it fastened.
Her ears grew redder and redder, and even the skin at the back of her neck turned a delicate pink.
"Teacher, help me put it on."
She murmured, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
Seeing her flushed little face, Gu Chensha stepped forward and gently took the clasp from her.
His fingertips accidentally brushed the skin at the back of her neck.
Zhu Zhuqing's body trembled slightly, and she bowed her head even lower.
"There."
Gu Chensha drew his hand back and looked at the necklace resting against her fair collarbones. The pale gold crystal touched her skin, making it look even more luminous.
"Try channeling your Soul Power into it."
"Mm!"
Zhu Zhuqing nodded vigorously and hurriedly fed a trace of Soul Power into the pendant.
The next moment, shock appeared in her eyes once more.
A pale gold shield spread out from the pendant, enclosing her whole body.
The shield was like flowing golden glass, its edges shimmering with tiny flecks of starlight. It felt warm to the touch, yet was exceptionally sturdy.
She tried adjusting it with her thoughts, and the shield expanded and contracted at her will.
It could range from a thin film hugging her body to three meters, then five, until it spread to a radius of ten meters without the slightest loss of strength.
Gu Chensha glanced at Wangcai, who was eagerly pawing at the ground nearby, and instructed it,
"Wangcai, charge into it."
Wangcai abruptly stopped, pointed at itself with a forepaw, and tilted its head in disbelief, as if to ask,
"Me? You really want me to charge into it?"
"Quit dawdling. Hurry up."
Wangcai gave a mournful howl, as if trying to bargain.
"Promise me you won't beat me up if I accidentally hurt her."
It backed up several steps, shook its oversized head, and braced itself for the charge.
"Qing'er, are you ready?"
"Mm! I'm ready!"
Zhu Zhuqing clenched her fists, her eyes full of anticipation.
Wangcai charged forward.
To be safe, it first tentatively stretched out a paw and gently tapped the shield.
With a soft thud, the shield didn't budge. Its paw, on the other hand, bounced back.
Wangcai wasn't satisfied.
It refused to believe it. It shoved its oversized head against the shield, then whipped its barbed tail at it with all its might.
The shield remained as steady as a rock. It didn't even ripple.
Wangcai panicked. It backed up more than ten meters, charged forward at full speed, and slammed its head into the shield.
"Bang!"
After a loud crash, Wangcai was sent flying backward and landed flat on its back.
It staggered to its feet, shook its head, and stared blankly at the pale gold shield.
It couldn't understand how it hadn't managed to break through a film so thin.
Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help bursting into laughter.
Gu Chensha said coolly from the side, "All right, go play somewhere else."
Wangcai gave a dejected growl, drooped its ears, and slunk back to the hot spring, where it lay down.
It crouched on a rock, growing more and more dejected as it pondered:
Could I be a fake Dark Demon Evil God Tiger?
Gu Chensha looked away and began to explain.
"I got this Soul Tool from a Soul Master many years ago."
"It comes with a skill that releases the shield you just saw. Its effect is somewhat similar to 'Invincible Golden Body.'"
"Invincible Golden Body?"
Zhu Zhuqing looked at him curiously.
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