Moon Bone Engraved in Heart

Her lips moved slightly.

"How did you do it?" Her voice was soft, as if asking herself.

Yun Jingheng thought for a moment.

"Four formations weren't enough, so I added one. The energy of the five formations wasn't unified, so I used a piece of Silvery White Metal to synchronize them."

"The core provides the energy, that metal controls the rhythm, and the formations operate according to the rhythm."

He paused, "That's all."

Cai Yue'er fell silent.

That's all.

He made it sound as if he were building with blocks.

But this wasn't building blocks; it was forcing five things with completely different frequencies to twist together, making them breathe, beat, and step in unison.

If any one of them lagged even half a beat, the entire system would collapse.

But the system before her hadn't collapsed; it was operating, very steadily, rising and falling like a heartbeat.

She stared at the Moon Palace for a long time.

"Can I hold it?" Her voice was a little dry.

Yun Jingheng handed the Moon Palace over.

Cai Yue'er took it, and the moment her fingers touched the palace walls, she felt it – very stable, very gentle, like a tide ebbing and flowing in her palm.

Her pupils contracted slightly.

This wasn't rank 5; it was rank 6.

A rank 34 Soul Elder, using rank 4 formations, had created a rank 6 soul tool.

Her mind raced for a long time, but it couldn't keep up.

"Why?" she asked, her voice a little distant, "Why can it operate?"

Yun Jingheng thought for a moment.

"Because of that metal. It adjusts itself, corrects itself, and brings everything back into balance. The energy of the five formations circulates within it, and when it comes out, it's synchronized."

He looked at Cai Yue'er, "Don't you know?"

Cai Yue'er didn't answer.

She knew Lunar Divine Metal was Heavenly Forged Metal, knew it could develop sentience, knew it was extremely precious.

But she didn't know it could be used like this.

Using Heavenly Forged Metal as a controller to synchronize five low-level formations, producing the effect of a high-level soul tool.

No one had ever thought of this, nor had anyone ever done it.

Because no one would use Heavenly Forged Metal as a table leg.

But Yun Jingheng had used it, and it was very stable.

Feng Wuyu rubbed the back of his head and ambled over, craning his neck to look at the Moon Palace.

He didn't understand soul tools, but he understood metal.

He saw that piece of Lunar Divine Metal, embedded next to the core, the size of a fingernail, emitting a faint light. His mouth twitched.

"My Lunar Divine Metal..." he muttered softly.

Cai Yue'er ignored him.

She turned the Moon Palace over and over, examining it from every angle, every pattern, every light strip.

After looking for a long time, she handed it back to Yun Jingheng.

"Take good care of it," she said, her voice returning to calm, but her hands were still trembling.

Yun Jingheng took it and put it into his Storage Soul Tool.

Cai Yue'er watched him put it away, then turned and left.

After two steps, she stopped again and looked back at Yun Jingheng.

"What's the maximum range?"

Yun Jingheng thought for a moment.

"Theoretically, if the soul power is sufficient, it could reach a hundred meters. Right now, I can only sustain ten meters."

Cai Yue'er nodded and turned to leave.

Her boots made crisp clicking sounds on the floor.

When she reached the end of the corridor, her steps faltered, and she looked back.

Yun Jingheng was still standing at the doorway, and Feng Wuyu was leaning in, about to say something.

She withdrew her gaze and, as she descended the stairs, her hands were still trembling.

It wasn't because she felt sorry for the core, but because she couldn't figure it out.

Why could that thing be made? And why could it function after being made?

A Level 4 formation creating a Level 6 Soul Tool was like building a palace with broken tiles; it stood there, unyielding to wind or rain.

She thought about it the entire way, but couldn't understand.

Feng Wuyu leaned in front of Yun Jingheng, opening his mouth to speak.

"Little Jingheng, your--"

"Get out of the way, get out of the way!" a voice boomed from the other end of the corridor.

Before Feng Wuyu could react, a figure had already shoved past him, pushing him aside.

Feng Wuyu slammed into the wall again, this time hitting his forehead. "Crazy old man! You--"

Zhuoshi ignored him.

He stood before Yun Jingheng, bending over, a mysterious smile on his face, like a weasel that had stolen a chicken.

"Jingheng, come with me, I have a surprise for you." He reached out to pull Yun Jingheng.

Feng Wuyu rushed over, clutching his forehead.

"What are you doing?! I wasn't finished! I'm going to take him--"

"Take him later, we'll talk about it then."

Zhuoshi scooped up Yun Jingheng, tucked him under his arm, and turned to run.

His movements were as swift as the wind, his robes flying.

"Zhuoshi! Put him down!" Feng Wuyu chased after him.

Cai Yue'er had just reached the staircase when she heard the commotion and turned to see Zhuoshi, Yun Jingheng tucked under his arm, rushing from the other end of the corridor, with Feng Wuyu chasing behind, cursing.

She looked at the two of them and took a deep breath.

"Stop!" she shouted, and then strode out to chase after them.

"Don't cause trouble here!"

The teachers and students of the Outer Court witnessed a bizarre scene.

Zhuoshi was sprinting ahead with Yun Jingheng in his arms, his expression as serious as if he were on a secret mission.

Feng Wuyu was chasing behind, shouting "Stop!" as he ran, his robes askew.

Cai Yue'er was running at the very back, shouting "You two, stop!"

Three Super Douluo, each faster than the last.

The students of the Outer Court stood by the roadside, watching the three figures flash past, the wind they stirred ruffling their hair.

"Is that Elder Zhuoshi?"

"Is that Elder Feng behind him?"

"Why is he carrying him?"

"I don't know."

"And who's behind him?"

"Elder Cai."

The three ran past the training grounds, past the Outer Court gate, past the stone paths, past the stone bridge.

Feng Wuyu chased all the way, but couldn't catch up.

Cai Yue'er chased all the way, then gave up.

Zhuoshi, still carrying Yun Jingheng, rushed into his territory, an inconspicuous small building in a corner of the Outer Court. He closed the door, shutting Feng Wuyu and Cai Yue'er outside.

Feng Wuyu banged on the door.

"Old man Red Worm! Open the door!"

Zhuoshi closed the door of the small building, locked it, then closed the windows and drew the curtains.

He then put Yun Jingheng down, rubbed his hands together, his smile growing even more mysterious.

"Come, come, sit." He pushed Yun Jingheng into a chair, then turned and rummaged through a cabinet, pulling out a box.

The box was small, made of wood, its surface polished smooth, its edges reinforced with silver metal.

He held the box in his hands as if it were a fragile artifact. Taking a deep breath, he approached Yun Jingheng and opened it.

Inside the box lay a Soul Bone, silver-white all over, with a faint luster flowing across its surface, like solidified moonlight.

Fine patterns were etched onto the bone, not carved by hand, but naturally formed, like the patterns on the moon, or the ripples of the tide.

It glowed faintly within the box, soft and gentle, like breathing.

Yun Jingheng stared at the Soul Bone, momentarily stunned.

A Soul Bone?

This Soul Bone gave him the same feeling as the Silvery White Metal in his hand, and the same feeling as the moon in his spiritual sea.

He was responding to it, and it was responding to him.

Zhuo Shi looked at his expression, and the corners of his mouth curved.

"A sixty-six-thousand-year-old Jade Rabbit's torso bone, a Silver Moon Jade Rabbit, an ancient soul beast, a legendary messenger of the moon."

"This Soul Bone should be a good match for your martial soul." He paused.

"I bought it specifically for you, and your dad has already checked it. There are absolutely no problems."

Yun Jingheng looked at the Soul Bone, then at Zhuo Shi, "Grandpa Zhuo, this is too valuable—"

"What's valuable about it?"

Zhuo Shi shoved the box into his hand. "Things are meant to be used, not kept."

"You weren't even heartbroken when you used Heavenly Forged Metal as the controller for your little palace, so why should I be heartbroken?"

He looked at Yun Jingheng and suddenly smiled.

"Alright, put it away quickly."

Yun Jingheng obediently put the box into his Storage Soul Tool. "Thank you, Grandpa Zhuo."

"Hahaha, it's nothing~" Zhuo Shi's eyes crinkled as he laughed, and he ruffled Yun Jingheng's hair.

It felt good, no wonder that old fellow Feng Wuyu always wanted to take him as a disciple.

"By the way... what is Heavenly Forged Metal?"

Zhuo Shi's hand stopped.

He looked down at Yun Jingheng, and Yun Jingheng looked back at him, his expression very serious, not like he was joking.

"You don't know?" Zhuo Shi's voice was a little distant.

Yun Jingheng blinked. "Should I know?"

Zhuo Shi's mouth opened and closed, then closed and opened again.

He remembered Feng Wuyu chasing him across half the outer courtyard this morning, shouting, "Put him down, I have something to say to him!"

And this kid didn't even know what Heavenly Forged Metal was.

He took it, used it, embedded it in the Moon Palace as a controller, and made a Rank 6 Soul Tool, and he didn't know what it was.

Zhuo Shi took a deep breath, and another deep breath.

He suddenly felt like laughing, and also felt a little sorry for Feng Wuyu.

"Heavenly Forged Metal," Zhuo Shi said slowly, "is Heavenly Forged Metal. That piece Feng Wuyu has, he begged for many years to get it. He kept it in a hidden compartment, not even daring to touch it too often."

He paused. "The Silvery White Metal you took last night is Heavenly Forged Metal."

Yun Jingheng's expression changed.

"No wonder it could synchronize the energy of five formations. Heavenly Forged Metal, so that's what it is."

He looked down at his Storage Soul Tool, as if recalling the appearance of that metal.

"Should I return it then?"

"No need to return it." Zhuo Shi said, "If he wanted it, he would have stopped you yesterday. He didn't stop you, which means it's yours."

Yun Jingheng nodded and said nothing more.

There was a knock on the door, and Feng Wuyu's voice squeezed through the crack, tinged with a hint of gritted teeth.

"Old man Red Worm! Open the door! Don't think you're safe hiding inside! I still have something to say to him!"

Zhuo Shi rolled his eyes and lowered his voice.

"Hear that? He's here. He's not here for the Heavenly Forged Metal, he's here to take you as a disciple."

Yun Jingheng was stunned. "Take me as a disciple?"

"To teach forging."

Zhuo Shi pouted. "He saw you rummaging in the forging room all night and thought you were interested in forging. He was waiting at the door early this morning, wanting to talk to you about taking you as a disciple. But Cai Yue'er pushed him aside, and I intercepted him."

He looked down at Yun Jingheng and suddenly lowered his voice. "Do you want to learn forging?"

Yun Jingheng thought for a moment. "I was a bit curious, but I have other things to do now."

Zhuo Shi nodded and didn't press further.

He stood up, brushed off his clothes, walked to the door, and opened it.

Feng Wuyu was raising his fist to knock again when the door suddenly opened, and his fist almost hit Zhuo Shi in the face.

Zhuo Shi dodged his head, looked at him expressionlessly, "He doesn't want to learn forging. At least not now."

Feng Wuyu's fist hung in mid-air, his expression shifting from anger to surprise, and from surprise to disappointment.

"He said so?"

Zhuo Shi stepped aside, and Feng Wuyu saw Yun Jingheng stand up from his chair, walk to the door, and look at him.

"Grandpa Feng."

Feng Wuyu opened his mouth, "You don't want to learn forging?"

Yun Jingheng shook his head. "I'm quite curious, but not now."

Feng Wuyu looked at him for a long time.

The kid stood at the door, speaking very earnestly, not like he was just being polite.

He suddenly smiled, a very light smile.

"Alright, I'll wait."

He turned and left.

After a few steps, he stopped again and looked back at Yun Jingheng.

"That piece of Lunar Divine Metal—you're using it quite well."

Yun Jingheng stood at the door, watching Feng Wuyu's retreating figure disappear at the end of the corridor.

He lowered his head and glanced at his Storage Soul Tool, falling silent for a moment.

Zhuo Shi leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. "What, feeling guilty?"

Yun Jingheng shook his head. "It's not guilt. It's just that... Grandpa Feng is quite generous."

Zhuo Shi snorted. "He's generous? He's just fond of you. Try taking something from someone else, and he'd break your legs."

He reached out and ruffled Yun Jingheng's hair. "Alright, don't overthink it. It's better for the item to be useful in your hands than gathering dust with him."

Yun Jingheng nodded, took the Moon Palace out of his Storage Soul Tool, and held it in his palm.

It hovered, five ribbons of light circling it steadily. "Grandpa Zhuo, this Soul Bone?"

Zhuo Shi was taken aback. "I found this Soul Bone myself. It has nothing to do with anyone else."

He paused. "Your father knows about this too."

Yun Jingheng looked at the Moon Palace in his hand, then at Zhuo Shi.

"Then I owe Grandpa Feng a piece of Lunar Divine Metal, and I owe you a Soul Bone."

Zhuo Shi looked at him and suddenly smiled. "Owe what? We watched you grow up. Giving you something to keep is just that."

He paused. "If you feel bad about it, just make more good things for us to see in the future."

Yun Jingheng thought for a moment and nodded. "Okay."

Zhuo Shi ruffled his hair again. "Alright, go back. Your mother is waiting for you to eat."

Yun Jingheng put the Moon Palace away and walked out.

Zhuo Shi was still standing at the door, watching him.