Absorbing the Head Soul Bone.

"Phew..." Qian Daoliu let out a long breath, tamping down the excitement stirring in his heart. He turned to Murong Huai.

"All right, Huai'er. This Red Barbarian Cannon is of immeasurable value to Spirit Hall. You've made a great contribution."

At that, Murong Huai scratched his head. "Teacher, as the Holy Son of Spirit Hall, it's only right that I contribute to the organization."

"Ah, there's no need to be modest. You deserve the credit." Qian Daoliu waved a hand, then continued:

"You're still young, so I won't give you too much authority just yet. How about this: pick two Soul Douluo from Spirit Hall to serve as your personal guards."

"I'll do as you say, Teacher." Murong Huai nodded.

Qian Daoliu then turned to the master craftsmen and instructed them:

"Pass down my order. The five of you will lead all the remaining craftsmen in the Engineering Department and devote yourselves to building these Red Barbarian Cannons. Don't worry about the quantity. Make as many as you can before the army sets out. But there's one thing: we need plenty of cannonballs, and their quality must be absolutely guaranteed."

"We will obey, Your Holiness." The men hurriedly cupped their hands in response.

The blueprints Murong Huai had given them earlier also mentioned an assembly-line method. Making identical parts with molds would greatly speed up production.

Afterward, the group returned to Pope Palace. Qian Daoliu looked at Murong Huai and spoke slowly:

"Huai'er, you've worked hard over the past month. Take some time to rest. Oh, and I examined your constitution. It's even stronger than a Soul Ancestor's, so go absorb that Spirit Bone as well."

"Yes, Teacher."

After speaking, Qian Daoliu looked at Guangling. "Guangling, give Huai'er a list of the Soul Douluo under Pope Palace, so he can choose two guards. Xiongshi, you can return as well. Rest up and prepare for the great battle."

"Yes, Your Holiness." Guangling and Xiongshi cupped their hands in response.

Murong Mansion.

"Phew... With the Red Barbarian Cannons, Spirit Hall's campaigns should go a little more smoothly." Murong Huai rubbed his head.

Knock, knock, knock!

Just then, several knocks sounded at the door. "Holy Son, His Holiness has sent over a list."

"Come in."

After receiving Murong Huai's reply, Tu Zhen pushed open the door and entered. He gently set the list on the table, then turned and left.

Murong Huai opened the list. It recorded the names of the Soul Douluo under Pope Palace.

"Zi Wu, Martial Soul: Purple Smoke Blade, eighty-ninth-level Soul Douluo.

Qingzhou, Martial Soul: Ghost Vine, eighty-eighth-level Soul Douluo.

Demon Bear, Martial Soul: Blood Demon Berserk Bear, eighty-second-level Soul Douluo.

Ghost Leopard, Martial Soul: Black-Striped Ghost Leopard, eighty-first-level Soul Douluo.

..."

There were more than a hundred Soul Douluo under Pope Palace alone, not counting those under Worship Hall and Elder Hall. Although their numbers were considerable, very few could break through to become Titled Douluo. It was already quite good if one or two out of a hundred managed it.

In the original story, it was explicitly stated that the Spirit Hall Empire had sixty to seventy thousand Soul Masters. Spirit Hall hadn't yet brought the great sects under its sway, and it already had over a hundred Soul Douluo. The two great empires had fewer than a hundred between them, while most of the rest belonged to the great sects.

Murong Huai also spotted several familiar names on the list: Demon Bear, Ghost Leopard, Ling Yuan, and others. They would all become Titled Douluo elders of Spirit Hall in the future.

"Oh? These two are on the list too. Then I'll choose you." Murong Huai spotted two names and grew interested.

"Yue Guan, Martial Soul: Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, eighty-third-level Soul Douluo.

Gui Mei, Martial Soul: Ghostly Phantom, eighty-third-level Soul Douluo."

Gui Mei and Yue Guan were Qian Xunji and Bibi Dong's right-hand men in the original story, both Super Douluo whose strength ranked among the more formidable elders. They also had the Martial Soul Fusion Skill—Two-Pole Static Domain.

Unfortunately, one was ambushed and killed by Tang San with the Sea God Trident, while the other died in despair... Truly tragic.

"Haha, in that case, senior brother, I'll beat you to it. Since I've run into them, their fates are going to change."

Murong Huai suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, right. Yue Guan seems to be well-versed in Immortal Herbs, and his Martial Soul is the Immortal Grade Herb Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. I can also make plans for the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well later."

After marking the two names, Murong Huai had Tu Zhen return the list to Pope Palace.

Then Murong Huai took out the Head Soul Bone Qian Daoliu had given him: the Soul Bone of a nine-thousand-year Heaven-Deriving Unicorn Emperor. It could be considered second only to a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.

The Heaven-Deriving Unicorn was an exceptionally powerful Soul Beast with immense spiritual power. It could wield Heaven-Deriving energy to inflict special damage on its enemies, allowing it to evade most attacks from Soul Beasts and Soul Masters.

If it could break through to the hundred-thousand-year level, it would probably be no weaker than a Titan Giant Ape. At any rate, it was far stronger than some old rabbit.

Thinking of this, Murong Huai still couldn't make sense of it. How had two ordinary Soft Bone Rabbits, the sort found everywhere, cultivated for a hundred thousand years? Weren't those things just a dish on the dinner table?

Murong Huai sat cross-legged on the bed, pressed the skull to the spot between his brows, and began absorbing it. Golden light flowed across his forehead.

Absorbing a Spirit Bone wasn't as difficult as absorbing a Spirit Ring. It was basically safe; all he had to do was convert his Soul Power and fuse with it.

About half an hour later, Murong Huai slowly opened his eyes. Golden light flowed through his pupils, and suddenly the scene before him became crystal clear: the fine cracks in the tabletop, the dust drifting down beside the door.

Outside the window, he could make out the patterns on the ancient tree's leaves in the courtyard and the path of a cicada's beating wings. He could hear the faint tremor of the wind chimes and the servants' footsteps... Everything was perfectly clear.

Murong Huai looked around, then closed his eyes again. When he opened them, their color had returned to normal.

"Phew... No wonder it's a nine-thousand-year Head Soul Bone. It's boosted my spiritual power so much—it's definitely at the Soul Saint level. If my Sea of Consciousness hadn't reached its limit, it could've grown even stronger. Still, it'll continue to improve as my cultivation rises."

The Head Soul Bone had also given Murong Huai a Soul Bone Skill, a spiritual-type Soul Skill called Heaven-Deriving Tampering.

Its effects were quite unusual. It could briefly rewrite the logic of reality within a certain area, tampering with the enemy's logic through a paradox. The causal chain of the enemy's next Soul Skill—excluding Soul Bone Skills—would be twisted.

It ignored level restrictions. The higher the enemy's Soul Power, the more of his own Soul Power it consumed, but the cost could never exceed fifty percent.

For example, if an enemy unleashed a fire-type Soul Skill, the flames might burn back toward the caster. Or a skill meant to heal an ally might instead weaken them; an acceleration effect might become deceleration.

It could even tamper with the "prerequisites" of an enemy's Soul Skill. For example, if an auxiliary-type Soul Master had to recite an incantation to use a Soul Skill, the words might be changed. To give an example, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's Soul Skills could be scrambled: the user might recite the incantation for an acceleration skill, only to unleash a strength boost instead. In short, even he wouldn't know which skill would come out...

Murong Huai couldn't help shaking his head.

"To think this skill appeared in a Heaven-Deriving Unicorn Emperor. The ways of beasts have truly grown corrupt. If I use it on Gui Mei and Yue Guan's Martial Soul Fusion Skill, could I make them end up freezing themselves in place?"