Mu En watched with a warm smile as Ye Qing completed the apprenticeship ceremony, then stepped forward to help him up.
On the Douluo Continent, under the influence of our grand patriarch of the way of seeking death, the powerful all cared more or less about observing certain courtesies, such as this apprenticeship ceremony.
If you don't pay your respects, how am I supposed to know whether you sincerely want to become my disciple? How can I feel at ease teaching you everything I know?
Even old Mu En was not above such conventions. He still attached great importance to ceremonial etiquette, though he did not pull any ridiculous stunt like insisting that Ye Qing kowtow to become his disciple.
Nor had Ye Qing heard him mention anything about being his final disciple, so he was simply being accepted as an ordinary disciple.
Thus, Ye Qing's apprenticeship ceremony consisted only of offering tea and bowing, without any grand gestures of obeisance. Mu En did not mind. As long as the proper respect was shown, its exact form did not matter.
Ye Feng, on the other hand, looked rather dissatisfied.
As for why he was dissatisfied...
Those who knew, knew.
But with Mu En right in front of him, Ye Feng could hardly say anything to Ye Qing, so he had to let it go.
Once Ye Qing's apprenticeship ceremony was over, Mu En was clearly in a wonderful mood. Broadly speaking, he had watched Ye Qing grow up. Having witnessed him defy the heavens and change his fate, then become a top-tier genius, Mu En felt deeply gratified.
And in his happiness, he became generous.
With a light wave of his hand, a warm, brilliant golden glow appeared before Ye Qing. Enveloped within it was an exceptionally complete right arm bone, its entire form seemingly carved from crystal, without the slightest flaw.
"Hehe, since you've become my disciple, naturally I ought to give you a welcoming gift." Smiling warmly, Mu En pushed the Soul Bone toward Ye Qing.
Ye Qing blinked and took the Right Arm Soul Bone floating in the air.
The moment the Soul Bone touched his hands, it radiated a warm, familiar sensation. Ye Qing even felt an impatient urge to merge it into his right arm.
This was a Soul Master's instinctive longing for a Soul Bone.
"Little Ye, this Soul Bone is called Light-Breaking Demon. I obtained it in my youth, and it came from an extremely rare elemental Soul Beast," Mu En explained patiently. "The Soul Skill it grants is bound to be an exceptionally powerful offensive skill. I imagine it will suit your Martial Soul very well."
Yes, this was the very Light-Breaking Demon Soul Bone that Mu En had given Wang Dong to absorb in the original story. Had Mu En not already possessed a full set of Soul Bones when he obtained it, he probably would have absorbed it himself.
The quality of a Soul Bone that even Mu En would be willing to absorb needed no explanation. Although the original story never explicitly stated its age, it was actually a supreme-quality Soul Bone with an age of seventy thousand years.
If this Light-Breaking Soul Bone had not possessed both sufficient age and quality, why would a Limit Douluo like Mu En even consider absorbing it?
Ordinary Soul Bones could never catch Mu En's eye!
Besides, Huo Yuhao, who had absorbed a Soul Bone at the same time, had received an Ice Jade Scorpion Soul Bone with ultimate ice. How could Mu En not bring out something of comparable quality?
Unfortunately, Wang Dong clearly would not have the good fortune to receive this Soul Bone now. Mu En had already given it to Ye Qing as a welcoming gift.
Mu En only explained the Soul Bone's various details, without telling Ye Qing how precious it was. Whether a six-year-old child who had just awakened his Martial Soul could even understand such things was another question altogether.
Ye Qing would understand this Soul Bone's value in the future.
Well, that was what Mu En thought.
In reality, Ye Qing understood perfectly well just how damn incredible this Soul Bone was.
Despite all the ferocious beasts, Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings, and Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones that seemed to pop up constantly in the Douluo II era, even Yan Shaozhe's ninth Soul Ring had not reached the hundred-thousand-year level. The Soul Bones he possessed were most likely all Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones, too.
If even the dean of Shrek Academy could only manage such a configuration, there was no need to mention other Titled Douluos.
Was giving a supreme-quality seventy-thousand-year Soul Bone as a welcoming gift not enough to demonstrate Mu En's generosity?
Taking him as my master was certainly no loss!
But this Right Arm Soul Bone...
Holding this precious treasure, Ye Qing could not decide whether to absorb it. If he did, the dark gold terrorclaw bear right palm bone would be out of his reach. Its age was a secondary concern.
Judge Soul Rings by age and Soul Bones by quality-on the Douluo Continent, that rule was practically scripture.
If he really compared them, an ordinary Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone might not suit Ye Qing better than this Light-Breaking Demon. Perhaps this Light-Breaking Soul Bone could even raise the level of his light attribute.
Soul Bones from elemental Soul Beasts greatly enhanced their corresponding elements. Ye Qing's light attribute was already close to the ultimate level. After absorbing this Light-Breaking Demon, he might well ascend to the heavens in a single step and gain another ultimate attribute.
"However, you can't absorb it yet," Mu En added.
"Although absorbing Soul Bones doesn't impose age limits on Soul Masters the way absorbing Soul Rings does, this Light-Breaking Soul Bone has never been absorbed by a Soul Master before. The Soul Power contained within it is immense, far beyond what you can handle right now."
Oh. Never mind, then.
Ye Qing rolled his eyes and tossed it backhanded to that old geezer Ye Feng.
You could've said that sooner! I got excited for nothing.
Mu En watched his disciple's instantly changing expression with some amusement. After producing a pile of books from who knew where and handing them to him, he left at a leisurely pace.
The Martial Soul Awakening ceremony ended there.
Bei Bei had originally wanted to talk to Ye Qing about what came after Martial Soul Awakening, but upon seeing the books in his hands, he quietly left with Zhang Lexuan. He had read those books too. They all covered subjects such as Martial Soul cultivation and meditation methods. Having just awakened his Martial Soul, Ye Qing would inevitably need to spend a great deal of time studying Martial Soul knowledge.
He would wait until Ye Qing was familiar with his Martial Soul before coming to play with him.
After everyone left, Ye Feng began teaching Ye Qing the knowledge contained in those books. Although Mu En had supplied them, their contents were no secret within Shrek Academy. Anyone who belonged to Shrek could learn what was written in them.
Ye Feng was a Sea God Pavilion Senior Elder, and Ye Qing was a Senior Elder's own grandson. The purity of that Celestial Dragon bloodline needed no explanation. He could begin learning directly, without undergoing any so-called "aptitude assessment."
As a Senior Elder, Ye Feng was more than qualified to teach Ye Qing these subjects. What Mu En would teach was more advanced Soul Master knowledge, such as Self-Created Soul Skills, Soul Core condensation, and how to forge his own path.
Naturally, he would not spend his time on such minor matters.
"My dear grandson, Martial Souls are powers we humans are born with. Everyone can awaken their Martial Soul at six years old. Some people fail to awaken theirs at six, but later, various upheavals provoke their awakening."
"This is what our Martial Souls are."
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