When he saw the bead, You Jie's mouth fell open in shock.
It was no ordinary object. It was the Dragon Core of an unknown giant dragon—the very thing that had given Mu En one of the opportunities to break through to Limit Douluo, while also tormenting him with murderous energy until he could only live in this world as a hunched old man.
In the original story, this Dragon Core somehow ended up in Long Xiaoyao's hands. Then Long Xiaoyao somehow had Huo Yuhao absorb it by making him take his own life and ascend to heaven. In the end, it played the most crucial role when Huo Yuhao tried to form his Yin-Yang Complementary Soul Core.
Mm. That last step also cost Mu En his soul.
All in all, this thing was incredibly useful, but its method of use seemed a little questionable.
And now, this treasure, which should have gone to Bei Bei, was about to be handed directly to him by Mu En...
You Jie instinctively raised both hands in a French military salute and asked nervously,
"Grand Ancestor, you're not going to hang me up and beat me until my soul power and spiritual power are completely exhausted and I can't fight back, are you?"
Zhang Lexuan couldn't help laughing at the sight, but Mu En's expression froze.
The next moment, Mu En appeared behind You Jie and rapped him on the head.
"You Jie, why is your imagination so vivid? And where did you hear about such an extreme method of absorption?
"Although the method you just described is indeed very effective, it's only for emergencies. The point is to absorb all the power and essence in the Dragon Core in the shortest possible time.
"You don't need to be in such a hurry. I'm here to hold the fort for the academy, so you won't have to shoulder much pressure for at least twenty years. And with that carving knife as well, you can carry the Dragon Core around and absorb it slowly. By then, even the Body Sect will be green with envy over your physique."
Mu En's words put You Jie at ease. As long as he didn't end up with several gaping holes in him like Prisoner Huo in the original story, that was fine.
Speaking of which, since Long Xiaoyao, the number-one simp on Douluo Continent, could still keep in touch with Mu En, how would he feel when he learned that Mu En had not only recovered his health but was also brimming with power?
You Jie took the Dragon Core and the Blade of Life from Mu En and put them in a specially made Storage Soul Tool. He didn't plan to stay in the little house any longer, so he took Zhang Lexuan by the hand and headed out of the Sea God Pavilion to feast at the inner courtyard cafeteria.
Just as the two of them walked out of the Sea God Pavilion hand in hand, Zhang Lexuan suddenly asked,
"By the way, You Jie, have you given any thought to your fourth Soul Ring?"
You Jie was taken aback. Given the traits of his Martial Soul, his first three Soul Rings had already covered Monster Cards, Spell Cards, and Trap Cards, so the next Soul Ring didn't seem all that important.
But although You Jie had only ever played cards on handheld consoles and in Duel Links, he knew that even the most soulless decks ran a few versatile Hand Traps—like that Ash Blossom that could directly negate Utopic Future Dragon's effect.
Still, You Jie didn't know much about Hand Traps and couldn't even remember their attributes off the top of his head. So, trying hard to recall, he answered,
"I haven't really decided yet. But if possible, I'd prefer a Soul Beast with the DARK Attribute. Wind and light attributes could work too. After that, maybe a dragon Soul Beast or a plant Soul Beast..."
"Uh, You Jie, I know your Martial Soul has a rather unusual development path, but if you mix things up this much when adding Soul Rings, won't that cause problems?"
You Jie's answer was so hard to follow that Zhang Lexuan began to worry his Deep Meditation had left him a little dazed. She reached out to feel his forehead, looking at him anxiously.
You Jie realized that his answer seemed to have given Zhang Lexuan the wrong idea. He flashed her a bright, energetic smile, his voice growing louder as he spoke,
"Don't worry, Sister Lexuan.
"One day, I'll show you how this world will, because of me...
"Resound with Heaven and Earth!"
"Gua! Let me go, let me go! I don't want to see Heaven and Earth Resonance again!"
On the second floor of the Sea God Pavilion, a room with a Cold Ice Jade Bed was where Ma Xiaotao had been staying.
But Ma Xiaotao had only just woken up. The moment she heard You Jie's voice, she shrank into a ball in terror and hid in the corner of the room, like a little chick trembling with fear.
Yan Shaozhe hurried over when he heard the commotion. When he saw Ma Xiaotao huddled and shivering in the corner, the delighted expression on his face immediately turned into a whole pile of question marks. He rushed to her side and tried to help her up.
But Ma Xiaotao seemed terrified. She smacked Yan Shaozhe's hand away, then kept hiding in the corner, muttering something under her breath.
It was only when Mu En arrived and bathed Ma Xiaotao in pure light-attribute power that her condition began to improve.
Back on the bed, Ma Xiaotao looked at Mu En and Yan Shaozhe, embarrassed.
She had been far too out of control just now. At least no one else had seen her.
Otherwise, her title as the Flame Maniac would probably have been utterly ruined.
"Xiaotao, what happened to you? Why did you hide in the corner as soon as you woke up? And why were you so resistant to me?"
"Teacher, here's what happened. I just had a dream. In it, I met all sorts of powerful people, and they could ride all kinds of dragons. Those dragons were all incredibly strong.
"Even the dragons ridden by children who looked only six or seven could slap me to death with ease.
"Especially one blond man in white. The giant dragon he rode had both powerful darkness and fire. When it appeared, I was so scared I couldn't even summon my Martial Soul. I could only kneel helplessly on the ground and watch its breath swallow me up, and then..."
Perhaps because Ma Xiaotao's dream had been so frightening, she didn't even realize that she was speaking in a way completely different from her usual feigned sweetness and arrogant bluster.
But neither Mu En nor Yan Shaozhe paid any attention to that. The dream Ma Xiaotao described was far too detailed—so detailed that it seemed as if it had really happened.
"'Heaven'—the red star shines bright; 'Earth'—the scars of battle are engraved below. 'Resound,' the stirrings of the soul; 'Awaken,' the urge to destroy.
"When all four elements converge, the new star will reach its zenith...
"Elder Mu, could those words Xiaotao dreamed about be hiding something crucial? Something like...the key to completely purging her Evil Fire?"
Yan Shaozhe mulled over the words that had frightened Ma Xiaotao, his imagination quickly running wild as he pieced together an outrageous theory.
Mu En didn't answer Yan Shaozhe right away, because his thoughts were on the great-grandson he favored even more.
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