Other Soul Masters might have needed to expend effort suppressing and purging these ominous powers, but Tang Mo did not.
The Martial Soul he was using at that moment was called the Fish Intestine Sword. Legend had it that during the Spring and Autumn period, the master swordsmith Ou Yezi had used tin from Chijin Mountain and copper from Ruoye Creek, tempered them with rainwater, then washed away their impurities with lightning strikes. Drawing on the essence of heaven and earth, he had forged five swords, named Zhanlu, Chunjun, Shengxie, Fish Intestine, and Jueque.
At the time, the renowned sword appraiser Xue Zhu had judged this sword to defy the natural order, destined specifically to slay sovereigns and fathers. Later, Helü had indeed hidden the Fish Intestine Sword inside a fish's belly and assassinated King Liao of Wu at close range.
Thus, this sword was also known as the Sword of Absolute Courage. So long as its wielder harbored no fear, courage alone could truly unleash its power.
At that moment, Tang Mo had not a trace of fear in his heart, and the Fish Intestine Sword's might therefore climbed to its peak.
The instant the resentment and unwillingness of those who had died beneath the Fish Intestine Sword, along with the sword's killing aura, touched the Evil Spirit Orca's origin power, they transformed into an unstoppable blade that sliced the Soul Ring's power into pieces.
Before the Fish Intestine Sword, the twenty-thousand-year Evil Spirit Orca's origin power was like someone showing off axe skills at a master carpenter's door. It had not the slightest power to resist.
After all, Evil Spirit Orcas fought in groups. Counting carefully, the number of Sea Soul Beasts directly killed by this twenty-thousand-year Evil Spirit Orca might not even have amounted to half the people who had died beneath the Fish Intestine Sword.
Unable to gather at a single point, the Soul Ring's power could only be absorbed by Tang Mo bit by bit.
Before long, the black Soul Ring detached from the sword's hilt and drifted beneath Tang Mo, rotating slowly.
The Fish Intestine Sword's first Soul Skill was called Evil Spirit Orca Slash. It was an ability much like the Soul Power battle-axe an Evil Spirit Orca cleaved out with its tail; both consumed Soul Power to unleash ranged slashes.
Once he finished absorbing the Soul Ring, Tang Mo's own Soul Power also broke through to level 30. He felt that his Soul Power went far beyond level 30, but because he had yet to obtain another Soul Ring, that Soul Power did not register.
As he stood up, the black-and-red light flickering on the twenty-thousand-year Evil Spirit Orca caught his attention. Holding the Fish Intestine Sword, he stabbed into the flashing spot on its body and flicked upward, prying out a complete left leg bone.
Soul Bones were considered rare because some people might kill Soul Beasts their entire lives without ever getting one to drop. Even if a Soul Bone did drop, they might not obtain a complete one.
Taking the leg bone in his hand as an example, a complete Soul Bone should include the bones of both the lower leg and the thigh.
A slightly inferior, incomplete leg bone would contain only the thigh bone or the lower leg bones.
An incomplete leg bone classified as defective would contain only part of the thigh bone or lower leg bones.
After being refined and absorbed, a complete Soul Bone would not only give a Soul Master an additional skill, but might also increase their Soul Power.
An incomplete Soul Bone, however, was very likely to negatively affect a Soul Master once refined and absorbed, and the Soul Skill it carried might also have considerable side effects.
Yet even though incomplete Soul Bones could have considerable side effects, demand still exceeded supply. There was only a tiny chance of seeing one at an auction.
Meanwhile, Gu Rong, who had hoisted Ning Rongrong back onto his shoulder, could not help looking rather odd upon hearing that Tang Mo had actually taught her two abilities worthy of being a sect's supreme, sect-protecting arts.
Object Control and Object Transformation were nothing much to Tang Mo, but on the Douluo Continent, they were enough to become the foundation of a Soul Master faction.
After all, these were abilities that allowed even a support-system Soul Master to fight a Battle Soul Master head-on. Every faction centered on support-system Soul Masters, including the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, dreamed of obtaining such abilities.
Sword Douluo Chen Xin did indeed possess abilities similar to Object Control and Object Transformation, but he could not freely pass his abilities on to others.
To put it plainly, his abilities were based on his development of his own Martial Soul and his insights into the way of the sword. If he found a Soul Master with a sword-type Martial Soul and talent in swordsmanship to become his successor, he could naturally pass those abilities down.
But anyone else would most likely be unable to learn Sword Douluo Chen Xin's set of abilities.
Gu Rong, who had initially wanted a share of the benefits upon seeing Tang Mo find a Soul Bone, instantly abandoned that thought.
A twenty-thousand-year Soul Bone was certainly precious, but an ability capable of serving as the foundation of a Soul Master faction was worth even more than a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.
By rights, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect even needed to pay Tang Mo several Soul Bones as compensation for teaching Ning Rongrong Object Control and Object Transformation.
"Grandpa Bone." Ning Rongrong's eyes darted, and her Little Demoness nature seized the high ground. "You and Grandpa Sword have always taught me to repay kindness. Now that someone has done Rongrong a kindness, shouldn't you show your appreciation?"
"Of cour-" Halfway through speaking, Gu Rong realized that Ning Rongrong had nearly led him into a trap, and changed tack. "Those are separate matters. That brat is already trying to steal you away. He should first give our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect betrothal gifts, and then we'll prepare your dowry. As for those two Self-Created Soul Skills, consider them his tokens to you."
"Grandpa Bone doesn't keep his word! Hmph! Rongrong will never talk to you again." As she spoke, Ning Rongrong pretended to sulk.
Seeing this, Gu Rong could not help feeling a pang in his heart. Ning Rongrong had only met Tang Mo once, yet she was already on the verge of being stolen away. Oh, how his heart ached.
"Rongrong," Gu Rong coaxed gently, "the sect's finances have been a little tight lately, and we can't spare too many Gold Soul Coins at short notice. Giving too few wouldn't show our sincerity, either, so at most, we can only give that brat some gemstones and rare metals."
These words were naturally a lie. Thanks to the Treasure-Seeking Trait that came with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could pick up plenty of rare metals and precious gemstones every year. By entrusting Gengxin City to sell them on, or selling them to nobles, they brought in great heaps of Gold Soul Coins.
As the holy city of blacksmiths everywhere, Gengxin City's desire for rare metals had reached a truly outrageous degree.
Even Divine Craftsman Lou Gao had to auction off some of his works every year to afford certain rare metals.
As for gemstones, there was even less shortage of buyers. The reason the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect maintained friendly relations with the Heaven Dou Empire's imperial family was precisely to use the imperial family's channels to market its gemstones.
Thus, Gu Rong's excuse that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had no money was merely a way to fob Ning Rongrong off and make things difficult for Tang Mo.
No matter how many gemstones and rare metals Tang Mo took, without sales channels, he would have no way to turn them into cash within a short time. Things that could not be converted into cash were equivalent to a pile of junk, or flashy but impractical decorations.
But Gu Rong had never imagined that what Tang Mo lacked right now was precisely rare metals and gemstones.
The artifact-refining materials obtained from the Evil Spirit Orca were indeed excellent, but refining Magical Artifacts still required a few supplementary materials.
Tang Mo, who had attached the First Soul Ring to the Fish Intestine Sword, had only just stood up when he saw Ning Rongrong and Hu Liena appear at his sides, one on his left and one on his right.
Noticing Hu Liena's somewhat resentful gaze, Tang Mo discreetly looked away and focused his attention on Ning Rongrong.
He admitted that he had indeed forgotten Hu Liena inside the defensive circle formed by the Spirit Hall deacons from Vast Sea City, so he felt a little guilty facing her gaze.
"Big brother, Rongrong's here!" Ning Rongrong waved at Tang Mo, looking so sweet and well-behaved that there was no telling she was a Little Demoness through and through back in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
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