Dai Weisi? Zhu Zhuyun?
Lin Ya's gaze snapped to the two figures approaching him. Recognition flashed in his eyes. He finally knew who they were.
Dai Weisi, the eldest prince of the Star Luo Empire and Dai Mubai's elder brother. Zhu Zhuyun, Dai Weisi's fiancée and Zhu Zhuqing's elder sister.
Lin Ya's eyes locked almost instinctively on Dai Weisi. This Star Luo prince had left a deep impression on him.
Setting aside the Shrek Seven Monsters, the gulf between the young soul masters of the continent's three major powers—the Heaven Dou Empire, the Star Luo Empire, and Spirit Hall—was plain to see in three representatives of the same age.
Feng Xiaotian of the Heaven Dou Empire, Dai Weisi of the Star Luo Empire, and Qian Renxue of Spirit Hall.
At twenty-four, Feng Xiaotian was a level 44 Soul Ancestor and Dai Weisi a level 49 Soul Ancestor. As for Qian Renxue, who concealed her strength, she reached level 78 Soul Saint five years later. Working backward, she must already have been at least a level 61 Soul Emperor!
Every time Lin Ya thought about it, he couldn't help grumbling to himself.
Come on, Feng Xiaotian! Fine, you couldn't match a god-tier genius like Qian Renxue. But you couldn't even keep up with Dai Weisi?
The thought left Lin Ya speechless.
Feng Xiaotian had the mutated Gale Two-Headed Wolf Martial Soul! Innate Full Soul Power!
Dai Weisi had the White Tiger Martial Soul, and his Innate Soul Power was probably only level eight.
Yet at the same age, Dai Weisi was five levels ahead of him! What had Feng Xiaotian been doing for over twenty years?
If his talent had been poor and his cultivation slow, Lin Ya would have had nothing to say. But in the five years after the Soul Master Tournament, Feng Xiaotian went from level 44 to level 61! That was about as fast as the Shrek Seven Monsters after they ate Immortal Herbs!
With talent like that, how was he only level 44 at twenty-four?
If he had put in a little effort and reached level 51 by twenty-four, he probably would have won over someone like Huo Wu, who admired strength, long ago! Instead, he had neither career nor love and ended up as a stepping stone for Tang San.
By then, Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun had stepped forward to pay their respects to Prince Xue Xing:
"Dai Weisi, thirteen years old. White Tiger Martial Soul, level 25 Soul Grandmaster. Greetings, Prince Xue Xing."
"Zhu Zhuyun, eleven years old. Hell Spirit Cat Martial Soul, level 21 Soul Grandmaster. Greetings, Prince Xue Xing."
After introducing themselves, the two straightened their backs, ready for Prince Xue Xing to look at them with envy.
Everyone knew the Heaven Dou Imperial Family was hopeless at cultivation. Surely Soul Grandmasters around twelve years old were enough to make them look up in awe.
Lin Ya, however, stared at the smug pair in disbelief.
What are you two so proud of?
An average level of 23 at twelve? The Shrek Seven Monsters could crush you even without Immortal Herbs!
Shui Yue'er of Heaven Dou was level 36 at fifteen. She must have been at least level 29 when she was twelve!
And look at Spirit Hall's Hu Liena. She was level 51 at nineteen, so she was probably level 31 at twelve! She was a genius you two couldn't hope to match.
Lin Ya even felt that Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing could trounce these two at twenty without eating Immortal Herbs. He had no idea what they were so proud of.
Ah, ignorance must be bliss.
Prince Xue Xing's expression was much the same as Lin Ya's.
Yes, the Heaven Dou Imperial Family couldn't compare with the Star Luo Imperial Family before. But what about now?
Prince Xue Xing glanced at Lin Ya, who had reached level 22 before turning nine. As far as he was concerned, the others were all nobodies.
The Starcrown Duke was surprised by Prince Xue Xing's disdain.
After all these years, he's still just as arrogant.
They, too, had been drawn by the fight between the two soul beasts. But they had arrived late and had only seen Xue Xing stop Lin Ya from absorbing the soul bone. They had no idea what had happened before that.
It didn't matter. A soul bone was a valuable prize. Now that they had found one, they couldn't let it slip away.
With that in mind, the Starcrown Duke said, "Prince Xue Xing, the Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear is highly compatible with the White Tiger Martial Soul. Since you don't want its soul bone anyway, why not sell it to us?"
What? The Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear Right Arm Bone is only two thousand years old? It isn't good enough for our Star Luo prince?
Don't be ridiculous. He's lucky to have a soul bone at all. It's not as if they grow on trees!
Prince Xue Xing sneered. "Xiao Ya, would you sell it?"
"I know one thing: in Heaven Dou, even a hundred-year soul bone belongs to us."
"Hahaha! Well said!" Xue Xing clapped Lin Ya on the shoulder.
That's my nephew. He took the words right out of my mouth.
As long as the soul bone belongs to a Heaven Dou soul master, it doesn't matter who uses it.
But give it to Star Luo, and one day it might be used to kill someone in the Heaven Dou Imperial Family.
We can't hand our enemy a weapon.
Xue Xing looked at the Starcrown Duke and said smugly, "You heard him. Heaven Dou doesn't need your money. We're not selling the soul bone."
The Starcrown Duke was a level 85 Soul Douluo, stronger than Zhi Lin, who was only level 80.
But I have a whole group of Soul Saints and Soul Emperors behind me. If we fight, there's no telling who'll win.
"Fine! Very fine!" the Starcrown Duke said through gritted teeth.
Prince Xue Xing is begging for a beating!
But when he saw the expectant look in Dai Weisi's eyes, the Starcrown Duke steeled himself and said, "If you won't sell it, how about a wager?"
"What kind of wager?"
"Only the strong deserve a soul bone. Let the two children fight. The winner takes the soul bone. How about it?" The Starcrown Duke pointed to Dai Weisi.
He had a trick up his sleeve. He had actually come to help Zhu Zhuyun obtain a soul ring; Dai Weisi was merely accompanying her.
But Dai Weisi was a genuine level 25 Soul Grandmaster!
There was only one child on the other side, and they had clearly come to help him hunt for a soul ring. He was so young that, at best, he had only just obtained his second ring. Level 21 would be his limit.
Level 25 against level 21. The advantage is mine!
Prince Xue Xing wasn't stupid. He knew exactly what the Starcrown Duke was after. But it didn't matter. The man had no idea how monstrous... how outstanding his nephew was.
"Wait! You're trying to get something for nothing. If you win, you get the soul bone. What do we get if we win?"
"You get... five hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins?"
How much was a soul bone worth?
In the era of Douluo II,
a thousand-year soul bone started at one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins at auction.
Wang Dong'er had said that even an ordinary Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone cost three million Gold Soul Coins.
And a top-tier soul bone like the Golden Brilliance Left Arm Bone had fetched an astronomical nine and a half million!
Those were prices from the era of Douluo II, though. Soul bones were scarce on the market now, and even an ordinary thousand-year soul bone cost two hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins. The Starcrown Duke's offer of five hundred thousand was actually generous.
However...
"I'm not interested in money," Lin Ya said calmly.
Five hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins was a lot, but he wasn't short of money.
"Huh? Five hundred thousand doesn't interest you? Do you have any idea how much that is, kid? Five hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins! You couldn't fit them all in one carriage!" The Starcrown Duke stared at Lin Ya in disbelief.
On Douluo Continent, a meal cost just a few Copper Soul Coins, and a work-study student at Nuoding Academy earned one Silver Soul Coin a month. Five hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins! How many people could earn that much in a lifetime?
Lin Ya still shook his head firmly. "I told you, I'm not interested in money. But if you have any interesting treasures or rare ores, I might agree."
Before you continue