The seventy-thousand-year Azure-Scaled Giant Python was cleanly sliced into nine pieces by the ice swords spat out by the nine Ice Snakes. Its pieces crashed heavily onto the surface of the marsh, frozen solid by Ultimate Ice.
The wounds were smooth as mirrors.
Before the blood could even seep out, the frigid air had frozen it into bloody frost.
"What domineering ice element!"
Qian Renxue's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly.
She had seen clearly how the Azure-Scaled Giant Python's green scales, which were as tough as divine iron, had been as flimsy as paper in the face of the nine Ice Snakes' attacks.
Such terrifying cutting and corrosive power was far beyond the destructive force of ice element that an ordinary Soul Grandmaster could wield!
"Xian'er, the power of your second Soul Skill is far beyond what I expected." She Long was immensely pleased.
Not only were they astonished; even She Xian himself had been startled by Xiao Bai's move.
He thought, Xiao Bai, isn't that spell of yours a little too powerful?
Xiao Bai replied in her soft, sweet voice, a hint of bashfulness in it. "Condensing water into ice, then gathering ice into swords—that is the spell this servant is best at."
"Pathetic." Queen Medusa's proud, icy voice came crashing down, her undisguised disdain plain to hear.
"It's only a seven-hundred-year-old mongrel-blooded fool of a snake. What's there to be proud of in chopping it to pieces?"
"If this queen had made a move, I wouldn't have left so much as a scrap."
Xiao Bai let out a plaintive little hum. "Big sister's being mean to this servant again..."
Hearing the two Martial Souls inside him bickering as usual, She Xian's mouth twitched slightly, and he hurriedly withdrew his thoughts.
At that moment, a seventy-thousand-year Soul Ring floated above the enormous remains of the Azure-Scaled Giant Python.
Yet no one present gave it more than a glance.
Because not a single one of them needed to absorb it.
What drew their attention more than this utterly useless Soul Ring was the thing hidden inside the giant snake's corpse.
"Quick! See if it dropped!"
Elder Ci Xue let out a strange cry and darted over to the remains, rummaging through them.
She Long and Dugu Bo were just as eager.
The three Titled Douluo, renowned across the continent, crouched beside the frozen snake corpse without a shred of dignity, rummaging frantically like three salvagers hunting for treasure in a rubbish heap.
Qian Renxue turned to the young man beside her. "Xian'er, did your talent really activate?"
"Don't worry, Teacher."
"My White Snake Bearing Ganoderma talent is on cooldown now."
"I won't be able to use it again for the next full year."
She Xian was certain Xiao Bai's talent had taken effect.
But he was also nervous, unable to tell whether it had really produced a Soul Bone.
Just then, She Long burst into thunderous laughter!
"Hahaha! It's here! It really is!"
She Long's weathered face was flushed crimson, and he held up an object radiating a green glow in both hands.
It was a bone, translucent from end to end, as if carved from green jade!
"A Torso Bone? It's actually a Torso Bone!" Ci Xue was so jealous his eyes nearly turned red.
That was a seventy-thousand-year Torso Bone!
Dugu Bo stood frozen in place, his mind roaring.
It had really dropped!
A seventy-thousand-year Azure-Scaled Giant Python Torso Bone!
If word of this got out, it would ignite a scramble among every top power on the continent.
"What kind of monster is this young master?"
Dugu Bo looked at She Xian as if he were an anomaly beyond the bounds of the continent's Soul Master theories.
"Xian'er! Here! Take it!"
She Long flashed over to She Xian, his hands trembling as he held out the priceless Torso Bone. "Fuse with it while it's fresh!"
"With this seventy-thousand-year Torso Bone protecting you, your physical strength will multiply several times over!"
Everyone's gaze instantly converged on She Xian.
The Soul Bone was hugely tempting to Ci Xue and Dugu Bo, but neither of them had any improper thoughts—and neither dared to.
Yet,
Faced with this priceless treasure, something a Titled Douluo would fight to the death for, She Xian merely raised an eyebrow.
Then, to everyone's astonishment, he took a step back with an expression of utter distaste.
He waved his hand, making no effort to conceal his disgust. "Forget it, Grandpa. I don't want this Soul Bone. You should fuse with it instead."
"Huh?"
What did he say?
Ci Xue rubbed his ears, wondering if he'd misheard.
Dugu Bo's mouth hung open, his jaw nearly hitting the ground.
Even Qian Renxue was stunned for a moment, astonishment flashing through her noble, cool phoenix eyes.
This kid... had actually refused a seventy-thousand-year Torso Bone?
"Xian'er, did a snake's tail smack you in the head?"
She Long stamped his feet in a panic, his weathered face contorted. "This is a seventy-thousand-year Torso Bone!"
"How many Titled Douluo go their whole lives without ever seeing a single ordinary Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone, and you're turning your nose up at this top-grade one!"
Under everyone's doubtful stares, She Xian could only suffer in silence.
He couldn't very well say that, in the fanfiction he'd read in his previous life, every protagonist started out with Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones covering their entire body.
A mere seventy-thousand-year Torso Bone was, in his eyes, somewhat "beneath a protagonist's style," wasn't it?
If he said that out loud, they'd probably take him for a lunatic and beat him up.
She Xian coughed twice and immediately put on a humble expression.
"Ahem... Teacher, Grandpa, please hear me out."
"It's not that I'm trying to act aloof. It's that when this Soul Bone appeared just now, my White Snake Martial Soul and my second Martial Soul both sent me an extremely strong feeling of rejection!"
She Xian sighed and spun an outrageous tale. "They told me that the Azure-Scaled Giant Python's bloodline is too lowly to be worthy of my Twin Martial Souls."
"Forcefully fusing with a Soul Bone from such an inferior bloodline wouldn't just lower my future potential. It might even reduce the purity of my Martial Souls."
In the sea of consciousness, Queen Medusa sneered. "Hmph. The brat made that up, but I wholeheartedly agree with him."
"The bones of a mongrel-blooded wretched snake dare to be placed inside this queen's host?"
Xiao Bai chimed in softly, "That's right. My husband deserves better."
After hearing She Xian's explanation, Qian Renxue raised her willow-like brows, deep in thought.
His Martial Souls had rejected it of their own accord?
If anyone else had said this, it would have been utter nonsense.
But coming from She Xian...
Considering that his White Snake and Medusa Martial Souls could absorb Immortal Herbs to form Soul Rings, and seemed capable of acting independently, it suddenly seemed entirely reasonable.
Qian Renxue gave a slight nod, her doubts vanishing.
"If your Martial Souls reject it, then don't fuse with it."
"Xian'er deserves the finest Soul Bones in the world."
Dugu Bo's facial muscles twitched violently as he listened.
A seventy-thousand-year Torso Bone was an inferior bloodline?
The only Soul Bone he had was a head bone worth only sixty or seventy thousand years.
Did people from Spirit Hall always brag this boldly?
"Xian'er, since you won't use this Soul Bone, what do you intend to do with it?"
In Qian Renxue's eyes, this was something She Xian had obtained through his own talent, so what became of it was entirely up to him.
Even if he wanted to use it as a toy, no one could say a word against it.
She Xian reached out and took the green-glowing Torso Bone, then turned to She Long, who was frantic with impatience.
Without even blinking, he shoved the Soul Bone back into She Long's arms.
"Grandpa, I have no use for it, but you could use it."
She Long's eyes instantly reddened.
This was a seventy-thousand-year Torso Bone!
And his own grandson had given it to him without even the slightest hesitation.
"Good boy... You really are Grandpa's good grandson!"
She Long's voice choked with emotion. He pulled She Xian into his arms and ruffled the boy's hair vigorously, tears welling in his eyes.
Ci Xue's eyes turned completely red, and he pounded his thigh in jealousy.
"Old Snake, you've really got your ancestors' graves smoking!"
"How come I couldn't have a grandson this good?"
Dugu Bo was practically drooling with envy.
"All right." Qian Renxue cut short She Long's emotional display with a faint smile. "Elder She Long, fuse with it here."
"Once he's finished fusing with the Soul Bone, we'll set out for Heaven Dou City."
Before you continue