"Whoa! A Millennium Earth Dragon Fruit, a Century Fire Core Date, a Millennium Thunder Spirit Vine... You could take all these things to an auction!"
Looking at the dazzling array of rare treasures on the table, Xie Xie felt as if his eyes were about to turn into Federation Coins.
"Hmph, what a bumpkin," Gu Yue scoffed, making no effort to hide her disdain.
"Who are you calling a bumpkin?!"
"Whoever answered, I guess."
The two of them had been at odds ever since they first met.
Xie Xie thought Gu Yue looked downright ugly. Sure, she was Qian Jue's senior sister, but it was obvious she was lusting after him.
It was like a toad dreaming of eating swan meat.
Gu Yue, meanwhile, thought Xie Xie had a filthy mouth and was getting in the way of her sweet moments with her junior brother.
Caught between them, Tang Wulin didn't dare say a word. He could only wait for Qian Jue to make a decision.
Besides, there was no point in trying to reason with them. He couldn't talk either of them around.
"All right, all right. Stop arguing," Qian Jue said softly, cutting off their squabble.
Xie Xie and Gu Yue were like Soul Guidance robots receiving a command. They fell silent at once.
Was he really that good at giving orders?
Qian Jue scratched his head, but decided not to dwell on it.
He first turned to Tang Wulin, picked up two spirit fruits from the table, and held them out to him. "These are a Century Ice Crystal Fruit and a Red Flame Fruit. They can improve your physical constitution."
Unhurriedly, Qian Jue then picked up a bottle of blood from a century-old dragon Soul Beast.
"The moment I saw you, I sensed the True Dragon Bloodline inside you, Wulin."
"Your Dragon Clan bloodline should gradually awaken under my influence. But the price may be that your body will be battered by the bloodline's power, so you need to build up your physical strength as soon as possible."
Gu Yue bit her lower lip. As expected, her junior brother could sense the Golden Dragon King Bloodline inside Tang Wulin! It had even begun to draw him in.
A trace of killing intent flashed through her eyes.
Should she make her move and devour Tang Wulin before it was too late?
That way, she could take another step toward becoming the second-generation Dragon God and have her junior brother all to herself.
But Gu Yue quickly tossed the thought aside.
No, no. If she really did that, she might scare her junior brother.
If he found out she was such a cruel... a cruel dragon, and looked at her with disgust...
"Uh? Senior sister, why did you suddenly lie down on the floor?"
Gu Yue wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes, got to her feet, and plopped down beside Qian Jue.
"Please don't hate me, okay?"
At the sight of her pitiful expression, three black lines appeared on Qian Jue's face.
What scene had that silly dragon imagined this time?
Looking at the three spirit items on the table before him, Tang Wulin was deeply moved.
Ever since he came to the academy, only a handful of people had treated him well. He couldn't believe Qian Jue cared so much about him after they'd only met twice.
Besides, the mysterious old man in his mind had told him that he needed these spirit items to grow stronger.
Could Qian Jue really be in tune with him?
Sure enough, that heartfelt urge to befriend Qian Jue when they first met had been right.
"I can't do that. My mom and dad told me not to take things from people so casually. These were obtained by Lord Qiangu to help you recover. I can't accept them." Tang Wulin waved his hands and refused.
Qian Jue smiled faintly. Tang Wulin was still so good and uncorrupted at this point.
If his own father were here, seeing a table full of rare treasures like this, wouldn't he just kill them and take everything? They'd only just met, after all. They weren't close.
With him here this time, and with Cai Yue'er, that old hag, holding a grudge, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie would probably have a hard time getting into Shrek.
"Take them. If you don't, does that mean you don't consider me your brother?"
Qian Jue puffed out his cheeks and stared straight at Tang Wulin.
At the sight of that expression, Tang Wulin felt his heart skip a beat. That extra subconscious urge seemed to rise up again, urging him to accept the gift.
"All right, I'll take them for now."
Qian Jue nodded in satisfaction.
If you don't raise the purity of your Golden Dragon King Bloodline soon, how can I speed up my Soul Power cultivation?
Next was Xie Xie.
Of the three of them, who had the least Dragon attribute?
Don't look around. It was you!
Although Xie Xie would successfully undergo a Martial Soul Mutation in the future, evolving into the Space-Time Dragon and becoming the Dragon God's shadow guard,
Back when he was the ruler of the Dragon Clan, he had paid special attention to this clan and recruited them into his guard in advance. Naturally, he knew how valuable this Martial Soul was.
But right now, Xie Xie was just a guy who fought with daggers. He only had a little more Dragon attribute than the White Tiger Dagger.
"Xie Xie, your Martial Soul has a low Dragon attribute. You know the Dragon Rising Pillar's boost works better the higher your Dragon attribute is."
Qian Jue picked out a hand bone, white as jade, from among the spirit items. It looked like a right arm bone, with a trace of dried blood still clinging to it.
Xie Xie's throat bobbed. He stared at the bone in disbelief, his voice trembling. "B-boss, you're not joking, are you... That's a Soul Bone! A priceless Soul Bone you can't even buy!"
With Soul Beasts nearly extinct, every Soul Bone was an immensely precious treasure. Some families even had Soul Bones passed down through the generations.
When the owner died, the bone would be extracted and passed down to the next gifted heir.
Tang Wulin's spirit items might be hard to come by under ordinary circumstances, but there was a good chance you could find them at an auction.
But Soul Bones were another matter entirely. You wouldn't find one at an ordinary small auction house.
Gu Yue nearly ground her back teeth to dust.
Envy, jealousy, and a hint of resentment filled her bright, clear eyes.
She wanted her junior brother to dote on her like that, too.
Unfortunately, she was the Silver Dragon King herself. Soul Bones were useless to her, and she couldn't use Soul Spirits either. Her Soul Rings formed on their own.
"It's just a twenty-thousand-year-old Dark Demon Dragon Left Arm Bone. Is it worth more than the friendship between us?"
"Once you're stronger, you'll be better able to protect me, won't you?"
The words struck Xie Xie's heart like a heavy hammer.
He felt his Martial Soul resonating, and a nameless grief welled up inside him.
For some reason, a scene flashed before his eyes:
In the vastness of space, Qian Jue had his chest pierced by two unknown powerhouses. Blood scattered among the stars, while Xie Xie was trapped deep in enemy territory, watching helplessly as Qian Jue's life faded away.
It was a heartbreaking sight.
Could this be a glimpse of the future?
"Why are you crying? You don't have to get this worked up."
Qian Jue took out a handkerchief and wiped Xie Xie's tears away, then held out the Soul Bone.
"Brother Xie Xie, do you dare take on the duty of protecting me?"
"Of course I do!"
Xie Xie shouted, snatched the Soul Bone, and turned to stride out.
"I'm going home to ask the elders of my clan to protect me while I absorb it. Boss, just wait for my good news."
Seeing the look on Xie Xie's face as he left, Gu Yue's expression softened for once.
As long as someone treated Qian Jue well, they weren't her enemy.
Of course, that rule only applied to men.