Zichuan held the items, feeling their weight in his arms—not from their mass, but from their value.
Whether it was the Mystic Water Pill or the Soul Raising Pill, either one would make low-level soul masters fight tooth and nail for it outside. A bottle contained ten pills; how could it be worth merely ten thousand gold?
As for the millennium Whale Rubber... that was likely priceless and impossible to buy with money at all.
Du Busi had simply handed all this to him? To a disciple who had only just taken him as a master and had not even served him a cup of tea?
"Teacher, this..." Zichuan raised his head, the right amount of hesitation and unease appearing on his face.
"This is far too valuable. This disciple has yet to render any service; how can I accept such a generous gift? Does the sect... not require disciples to first complete tasks and make contributions before exchanging them for resources?"
That was his genuine thought. In all those novels he had read in his previous life, which sect did not first make empty promises, then work its disciples like beasts of burden, making them save up contribution points to gradually exchange for resources?
A person like Du Busi, who threw a pile of top-tier resources at someone the moment they met, was not unheard of—but he generally existed only in the fantasies of a "protagonist template."
Upon hearing this, Du Busi froze for a moment. Then, as though he had heard something utterly ridiculous, he threw back his head and burst into laughter, the sound making the jade bottles in Zichuan's arms clink.
"Contributions? Tasks? Exchange?" Once he had laughed enough, he lowered his head. His rough face was filled with undisguised disdain and pride.
"That's the sort of trick those hypocritical sects and academies play! Contribution points, task assessments—they just want the horse to run without feeding it!"
"I am Du Busi! The Body Sect Master! I have only one principle..."
He raised a finger as thick as a carrot, nearly poking Zichuan in the nose, his tone utterly resolute:
"When it comes to our own disciples, we treat them as well as we possibly can! Give them whatever we have! If a sect does not first lay bare its heart to its disciples, what right does it have to demand that they sell their lives for it?"
"Look at Shrek Academy. Heh, its reputation is huge, and so are its rules. Core disciples, inner court, outer court—they divide people into ranks, hoard resources, and call it 'competition' and 'tempering.' Bullshit! In the end, aren't they simply reluctant to spend? Afraid their investment will go to waste?"
Du Busi spat and continued.
"My Body Sect does not play those empty games! As long as you possess a Body Martial Soul, once you enter the sect, you are family! Especially a promising seedling like you—the sect's future! If we do not pile the best resources onto you, then who should we pile them onto?"
"As for repayment?" He patted Zichuan's shoulder, still with frightening force, yet his eyes were exceptionally serious.
"Once you grow strong, you will naturally become the sect's greatest pillar! Once you stand at the peak, the name Body Sect will naturally resound across the continent because of you! That is the best repayment!"
"Remember this, kid." His smile faded, and his tone grew heavier.
"The path of cultivating a Body Martial Soul is already a hundred times harder than that of ordinary martial souls! Every person's martial soul is unique, and everyone must explore their own path.
"What the sect can do is provide you with the best conditions, pull you back when you stray, and help you up when you fall. Only by sticking together and supporting one another can we go farther in this damned world!"
"So take these things and use them! Once you run out, ask me for more! Don't be polite with me. Being polite means looking down on me, Du Busi, and looking down on the Body Sect!"
Holding the jade bottles and Whale-Shark Meat, Zichuan stared blankly at the green-haired man before him, whose hair stood like needles, whose features were rugged, and whose voice rumbled like thunder.
He suddenly understood why, despite not having many members in the original story, the Body Sect had always stood firm and even made Shrek wary.
It was not merely because they were powerful, but because of this almost obsessive protectiveness and this unreserved trust and devotion toward their own people.
To a transmigrator who had lived two lives and deeply understood the coldness of human nature, such an atmosphere held a fatal allure.
The final trace of unease in his heart, born from his cheats being too overpowered, quietly vanished.
Zichuan took a deep breath, carefully put away the items in his arms, then stepped back and gave Du Busi a respectful, solemn bow.
This time, compared to his earlier ceremony of taking a master, it carried a few more degrees of sincerity.
"This disciple, Zichuan, thanks Teacher for this generous gift! In this life, I will never disappoint the sect or Teacher's expectations!"
Seeing the gravity settle in Zichuan's eyes, Du Busi grinned so broadly that his eyes vanished.
"Good! That's more like it! Why act so wishy-washy? Let's go!"
He grabbed Zichuan again. This time, he directly released his Soul Power. A gentle dark-green current lifted them both, transforming into a streak of light as they sped toward the southwest, where the Star Dou Great Forest lay.
The wind howled past his ears while mountains and rivers rushed backward beneath his feet. Du Busi deliberately slowed down so Zichuan could adapt to the sensation of flying high in the air.
As Zichuan looked down at the vast, boundless dark-green ocean drawing ever closer—the Star Dou Great Forest—an entirely different scene filled his mind.
"Old Zi, Old Zi!" he called inwardly.
"Hm?" The God of Destruction's lazy voice sounded. He seemed to have grown accustomed to the name "Old Zi," perhaps even rather pleased by it.
"Kid, what is it now? We're about to enter the forest. Excited?"
"Teacher wants to hunt my first Soul Ring and asked what type of soul beast I want." Zichuan asked directly, "You've seen and experienced so much. Could you give me some advice? What would be good for the Heart of Destruction's first Soul Ring?"
"First Soul Ring?" The God of Destruction seemed to ponder for a moment, then clicked his tongue regretfully.
"What a pity. The timing is wrong. I recall that in a few years, a lucky little bug from the Far North will secretly slip out and wander around. A million-year spiritual attribute—though it is a little weak—would be passable as a starting Soul Ring and Spirit Bone. Its abundant spiritual power, in particular, could lay a decent foundation for you."
A million years? The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm!
Zichuan's heart skipped a beat. Sure enough, the "appetizer" the God of Destruction had his eye on was it!
"What a pity, what a pity," the God of Destruction continued regretfully.
"That brat is probably being kept as a living power bank by those Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts right now. Otherwise, we could have snatched it first... wouldn't that have been wonderful?"
His tone was full of regret, as though a duck that had reached his mouth had temporarily flown away. Yet he quickly became righteous and confident again:
"But it doesn't matter. If it's yours, it will be yours sooner or later! Can something I, the God of Destruction, have set my sights on possibly escape? In a few years, once it slips out, we'll go snatch it! Mine! It's all mine!"
The corners of Zichuan's lips curved upward. Good. That was very "Old Zi"—protective and domineering.
"What about now?" Zichuan pressed. "I need a Soul Ring to use first."
"For now..." The God of Destruction pondered for a moment. "There are several passable options in the Star Dou Great Forest. To match the Heart of Destruction's attributes of ruin and ending... do you know the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear?"
The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear?
Of course Zichuan knew it. It was one of the top predators of the Star Dou Great Forest, possessing both offense and defense. Its pair of Dark Gold Terrorclaws were especially indestructible and carried terrifying destructive power, capable even of tearing apart space.
The "destruction" and "ruin" traits in its attributes truly matched the Heart of Destruction exceptionally well.
"That one." The God of Destruction made the decision.
"Those big bears have violent tempers and tyrannical strength. The destructive power contained in their Soul Rings can greatly enhance your attack power in Destruction Form. As a first Soul Ring, it has plenty of punch!"
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