Two Soul Bones

The final item on the assembly's agenda was class reassignment.

"The freshman assessment has concluded. The academy will now adjust its teaching assignments and class structure." Du Weilun opened another roster. "Class One will focus on assault and control types, with Mu Jin as homeroom teacher. Class Two will focus on defense and agility-attack types, with Zhou Yi as homeroom teacher..."

The announcement caused quite a stir in the crowd.

Although Gu Mingyuan had displayed extraordinary defense in the arena, his registered training path upon enrollment was "assault-type battle soul master, combining offense and defense with an emphasis on close-range attacks." Naturally, he was assigned to Class One.

Cao Jinxuan was a control type. Zhou Sichen was a summoning type, but he also counted as an assault type, so the three of them remained together.

Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, Dai Huabin, and the others all entered Class One as expected.

Things were going to get lively in that classroom.

After the assembly, Gu Mingyuan, Cao Jinxuan, and Zhou Sichen followed Du Weilun to the teaching director's office.

Du Weilun wasted no words. A large ruby on his right hand flashed, and a brown-patterned leather pouch appeared in his hand. He passed it to Gu Mingyuan.

"This is the champion team's confidential reward—a Hollow-Eyed Demon Leopard left leg bone." Du Weilun looked at the three of them.

"Fusing with it will increase a soul master's speed and grant an attack skill activated through the left leg."

"This reward belongs to the whole team. You can decide among yourselves who absorbs it."

Cao Jinxuan and Zhou Sichen exchanged a glance, then looked at Gu Mingyuan.

"Hang on to it for now, Gu," Zhou Sichen said. "We'll talk it over when we get back to the dorm."

Gu Mingyuan nodded and put the pouch into his storage device.

After leaving the office building, the three of them were called to Mu Jin's homeroom office.

Mu Jin shut the door. In excellent spirits, he pulled a pouch of the same material from beneath his desk and set it on top.

"This is the wager I won from Zhou Yi after you took the championship." Mu Jin tapped the desk, sounding pleased.

"Let me make this clear up front. This Secret Art Soul right arm bone has nothing to do with the academy's reward. I won it in a personal wager. Since you won the match, the prize belongs to your team."

He looked specifically at Gu Mingyuan and added, "You need to decide who gets this Soul Bone based on compatibility. You can't just claim it because you're the captain. Understood?"

"Understood. Thank you, Teacher Mu." Gu Mingyuan put away the second pouch as well.

The three thanked him and left the office.

They had barely stepped out of the building when Zhou Sichen could no longer contain the excitement he had been holding back.

"Holy crap, Gu! Two Soul Bones! Is this real?" he whispered.

Gu Mingyuan stopped and turned toward him with a faint smile. "What? You want one?"

Zhou Sichen froze, then waved both hands and gave a rueful smile. "Forget it, Gu. I know exactly how much I contributed. If you hadn't been up front taking the hits, that Martial Soul Fusion Skill would've flattened me. I'm not going to get greedy."

Beside him, Cao Jinxuan adjusted his glasses and nodded. "Old Zhou's right. Gu, teaching us the Purple Demon Eyes was already more than we expected. We'd feel guilty taking a Soul Bone."

Looking at his two teammates, Gu Mingyuan felt a flicker of emotion. They were refreshingly straightforward. They almost made him feel like he'd been handed the role of some noble, upstanding hero.

He smiled and turned his wrist, bringing out the brown-patterned pouch Du Weilun had given him.

"This Hollow-Eyed Demon Leopard left leg bone focuses on speed. It'll make up for a control type's weakness. Old Cao, it suits you. Take it."

Gu Mingyuan pressed the pouch straight into Cao Jinxuan's arms.

Caught off guard, Cao Jinxuan stood rooted to the spot with the pouch in his hands. He opened his mouth to refuse, but Gu Mingyuan gave him no chance. He slung an arm around each of his teammates' shoulders and hauled them along.

"Enough. Don't make a fuss. Come on, let's eat! My treat today!"

That night, in Dormitory 118.

Zhou Sichen had drunk plenty of ale that evening. Now he lay sprawled across his bed, snoring loud enough to shake the room.

Gu Mingyuan sat cross-legged at the desk and circulated his Soul Power, driving the last traces of alcohol from his body.

The Hollow-Eyed Demon Leopard left leg bone Du Weilun had given them was only a little over a thousand years old. It meant little to him, so giving it to Cao Jinxuan as a favor suited him perfectly. As for the Secret Art Soul right arm bone Mu Jin had won, it was useful, but not especially so. He had no plans to absorb it yet.

He lit a candle, spread out paper and pen, and began drafting the rosters the Holy Spirit Cult wanted.

The second list was for talented unaffiliated cultivators. Without hesitation, he again wrote down only Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong.

The third list was for those who had been eliminated. Gu Mingyuan added several well-connected freshmen who had been expelled at the start of the tournament. His pen paused, then he added "Huo Yuhao" on the final line.

Last came the first list: the most promising talents.

He copied down every official core disciple announced at the assembly that day, along with everyone granted provisional benefits. Once he finished, Gu Mingyuan paused, his gaze darkening slightly. At the very bottom of the page, he wrote one new name with particular emphasis:

Ma Xiaotao.

The next day, at the You Hour.

South City, Spring Return Apothecary.

Under the dim yellow light, the apothecary's door stood half-closed. Gu Mingyuan pushed his way in. The same gray-clad attendant was there. Neither of them wasted a word. The attendant hung up the closed sign and led him straight to the secret chamber three floors underground.

In the cold, gloomy chamber, the attendant deftly drew a short dagger and cut his fingertip. Blood dripped into a groove in the hideous statue.

A crimson light flared, and the cold female voice descended once more alongside a projection of spiritual power.

"I hope you make it back alive." The projection's voice was icy, its scrutiny almost routine.

Gu Mingyuan's expression remained unchanged. He drew the three rosters from inside his robe and handed them over.

The projection's spiritual power swept across the pages. It examined the third list, the one naming the eliminated students, first.

"All these people were rejected by Shrek?"

"Yes," Gu Mingyuan replied calmly. "They come from wealthy families, too. Now that they've been thrown out like worthless trash, I'd imagine they're nursing quite a grudge."

The projection nodded slightly and turned its attention to the other two lists. Then it sounded puzzled.

"What's the story with this Huo Yuhao? Why is he on all three lists?"

Gu Mingyuan had prepared for the question. "His Spiritual Detection is exceptional. But at this morning's awards ceremony, Shrek's leadership excluded him from the official core disciples because he has only one soul ring. They gave him provisional status and put him under observation instead. Right now, his sense of disappointment and humiliation is intense."