Inside the room, six soul bones lay in a row on the desk before Lou Xu, each radiating magnificent light.
Nearby, a trace of distress flashed through Xiao Wu's eyes at the sight.
She closed her eyes to meditate and cultivate, looking no longer.
Xiong Jun, who was reclining on the sofa eating meat, also felt his gaze turn cold at the sight. Of those six soul bones, three had come from his own kind.
The Clear Sky Sect, was it? Bear Lord would remember this!
These had been removed from Tang Hao's body.
As the current inheritor of the Great Sumeru Hammer technique, he needed a complete set of soul bones to freely wield the terrifying soul power unleashed by detonating multiple soul rings.
The six soul bones were a thirty-thousand-year Titan Giant Ape Left Arm Bone, a fifty-thousand-year Diamond Rhinoceros King mental soul bone, a sixty-thousand-year Black Phoenix Bird right leg bone, two seventy-thousand-year right arm and left leg bones passed down by the Clear Sky Sect, and an eighty-thousand-year Fire Salamander King torso bone.
His Star-Iron Furnace Anvil martial soul hovered in the air, and primal fire emerged, illuminating the indecision in Lou Xu's eyes.
His life energy had been depleted completely. These soul bones should replenish a large portion of it.
But soul bones over ten thousand years old were difficult to find to begin with. An ordinary person would be fortunate to obtain even one in an entire lifetime.
Rather than absorb them just like that, Lou Xu wanted to give them to the old man and the others to absorb and increase their soul power.
Lou Xu had also considered using immortal herbs to cleanse their marrow and transform their bodies, improving their aptitude for cultivation.
But the immortal herbs were far away in Sunset Forest, near the Heaven Dou Empire's capital. Ever since creating runic forging, Lou Xu had been unable to spare the time to go there. Now that the old man and the others lay gravely injured, he had even less chance of leaving.
After pondering for a long time, Lou Xu put away all six soul bones taken from Tang Hao.
Instead, he took out the Thousand-Year Soul Bone Dai Changkong had rewarded him with back then.
The primal fire swept over it, drawing the soul bone onto the anvil's surface. A hazy purple essence gradually flowed into the anvil.
In the blink of an eye, the soul power fluctuations from the bone vanished entirely. It became an unremarkable bone, then shattered into fine powder that dispersed in the air without a trace.
Compared with absorbing only soul beast corpses, soul bones contained far more life energy, in both quality and quantity.
His soul power rose by another substantial amount, leaving him just one step from another breakthrough.
Tank Engine also gained two stacks, and Lou Xu felt his physical strength increase a little more.
Even though this was not his first time using the Star-Iron Furnace Anvil's domineering ability, he still could not help marveling at it.
Fortunately, no one apart from the Silver Dragon King and the others had seen this ability, and he had never slaughtered humans indiscriminately. Otherwise, he would long since have landed on the Angel Legion's list for judgment as a heretic.
Spirit Hall's Angel Legion searched the entire continent for fallen soul masters. Lou Xu had even witnessed them enforcing the law in Gengxin City a couple of years earlier.
The evil soul master arrested then had been executed in the enormous square outside the Blacksmith Association's entrance in the city center.
"Ding-dong!"
Just then, a knock sounded at the door, followed by a servant's voice through the sound-transmitting device built into the doorway.
"Young master, the head of the Xu Family has arrived."
"Please show her in."
Lou Xu waved a hand and put away the soul bones on the desk. Turning to the now-awake Xiao Wu, he gestured for her to stay calm, then rose, opened the door, and stepped outside.
Xiong Jun also got up, grabbed a towel from the table to wipe his hands, and followed.
The head of the Xu Family was a Titled Douluo. The pet rabbit had better stay hidden for now.
Two slender figures ascended to the fifth floor under the servant's guidance.
The taller woman wore purple court attire. Her face was lovely and her bearing graceful, her visible features tranquil as water. With her hands folded over her lower abdomen, she walked with steady, dignified steps.
Half a step behind her was a girl in a golden court dress.
Long golden hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall. Her exceptionally beautiful eyes matched her hair, their gaze clear to the bottom, without the slightest impurity. Her long lashes curved gently upward, and her lively blinking made those eyes seem capable of speech.
"This junior, Lou Xu, greets Your Eminence."
"There is no need for such courtesy, Earl Lou. I came at His Majesty's invitation. Where are the patients?"
Her pale golden eyes first turned toward Xiong Jun, and she nodded lightly in greeting before finally settling on Lou Xu, whose soul power aura had yet to dissipate.
His shoulder-length black hair was tied behind his head, his gaze mature and resolute, his back straight. His movements were unhurried and composed, unlike those of a boy.
She had not seen him clearly at the palace that day. Seeing him today, she felt this trip had indeed been worthwhile.
"This way, Family Head Xu."
Lou Xu extended a hand and led mother and daughter to the ward.
Over the past few days, the association's healing soul masters had used their soul skills to treat them daily, but the results were limited. The master and his four disciples remained unconscious.
Xu Xingxuan stepped forward and briefly examined their injuries.
She raised her slender hand. An azure Star Crown appeared above her head, and nine soul rings-two yellow, two purple, and five black-overlapped behind her.
"Eighth soul skill, Wish of the Stars!"
A black soul ring shone, and a dazzling river of stars suddenly lit up. Specks of starlight spiraled and danced, becoming five stellar torrents that poured into the bodies of the master and his four disciples.
Immense soul power filled the room, and a rich aura of life spread all around. After a few breaths, Lou Xu felt much of his exhaustion from the past few days ease.
As expected of a top-tier martial soul that combined offense and support, its healing soul skill could probably rival the Nine Heart Begonia, renowned as the continent's greatest healing martial soul.
Every last speck of starlight merged into their bodies. As the soul skill's effect ended, color returned to Lou Gao's and the others' pale faces, and their weak breathing gradually steadied.
The old man's broken arms had also returned to their proper positions, with intact skin visible through the gaps in his bandages.
He looked ready to be discharged.
Although their physical injuries had healed, their minds were still exhausted. They would not awaken for a while yet.
Lou Xu led everyone out of the room and into the old man's repaired office.
"Thank you for your help, Your Eminence. I owe you a debt. If you ever need anything, please just say the word!"
Lou Xu brewed tea and poured a cup for mother and daughter.
Xiong Jun was not accustomed to plain tea. He sat to one side with a jug of strong liquor, pouring and drinking by himself.
"No need to wait for the future. There is indeed something I need your help with, Earl Lou."
She lifted the teacup to her lips, parted them slightly, and took a gentle sip. Her cool, composed face betrayed neither pleasure nor displeasure.
"My only daughter has level-nine innate soul power. Though her talent is good, she is restless and playful. She only broke through to level seventeen the day before yesterday."
Lou Xu glanced at the girl beside her.
Meeting Lou Xu's slightly appraising gaze, Xu Youyou stuck out her tongue and gave him a sweet, somewhat embarrassed smile.
"On our way into the city just now, we saw the notice your association had posted. Since Divine Craftsman Lou intends to teach runic casting, might my daughter become his disciple, learn some skills, and temper her disposition along the way?"
Her delicate hand set down the teacup with a soft clink. Xu Xingxuan's gaze swept over Xiong Jun, who was engrossed in drinking nearby. When her calm eyes returned to Lou Xu, a hint of respect arose in them despite herself.
The cross stood right there in the square. Even if the Blacksmith Association monopolized runic casting from now on, who would dare object?
Yet this heir had openly declared that he would share it.
Such boldness, such resolve-even after overseeing the empire's largest auction house, the Star Crown Auction House, and meeting countless people, she had never seen their like.
Lou Xu was slightly taken aback.
The Star Crown Xu Family had a thousand-year legacy and had always remained secluded. They did not seem like the sort to harbor covetous intentions and gorge themselves shamelessly.
Have the Star Crown Douluo's daughter study under the old man?
He was not afraid of teaching an apprentice only to starve the master, but...
Lou Xu glanced at Xu Youyou.
Her lovely face had exquisite features, untouched by even a speck of dust. Her skin was fair and tender, as though the slightest breath or touch might break it. Her hands were delicate and smooth, her fingers slender and pale as young scallions, and her nails were painted a pretty bean-red.
Simply sitting there, she seemed to draw starlight down from across the sky, like an exquisite porcelain doll.
He spoke with some hesitation.
"Since Your Eminence has asked, I will naturally tell Grandfather as soon as he wakes. But he and my senior brothers are engrossed in researching runic casting, so I fear he may not have time to teach.
"Besides, learning a craft means swallowing bitterness before tasting sweetness. Your daughter is a delicate young lady. Spending all day among furnaces and metal with a group of rough men would inevitably mean hardship."
It was not that the association had no female smiths, but most specialized in intricate skills such as carving and appraisal. The few proficient in forging were also soul masters with beast martial souls.
Looking at Xu Youyou's thin arms and legs, Lou Xu even doubted whether she could swing a forging hammer.
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