The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
The council hall.
Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo were discussing matters.
"Uncle Jian, Spirit Hall has been making more and more moves in secret lately, and its contact with the Lower Four Sects has been growing increasingly close..."
Sword Douluo sighed softly. Thinking of Spirit Hall's current Supreme Pontiff, he had naturally dealt with her before.
"Spirit Hall's current Supreme Pontiff is an ambitious person."
"Indeed. She will never be satisfied with Spirit Hall's current status and influence."
"Spirit Hall is already a sacred land for the continent's Soul Masters. Ordinary Soul Masters across the continent all follow its lead. Its influence is already no weaker than that of the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires. What more does she want? Could she be..."
Just as Sword Douluo finished speaking, his expression abruptly tightened. In an instant, a black shadow suddenly arrived, attacking him.
Summoning the Seven Kill Sword, Sword Douluo raised it to block and collided fiercely with the shadow.
The shadow staggered back more than a dozen steps, while Sword Douluo also retreated half a step.
As he retreated, Sword Douluo took the opportunity to flash in front of Ning Fengzhi. Pointing the Seven Kill Sword at an angle, he said solemnly:
"What scoundrel dares force their way into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect..."
From their exchange just now, Sword Douluo could sense that his opponent was not strong. He was merely curious how this person had slipped in without a sound and launched an attack on him.
There did not seem to be such a figure among the continent's Agility Attack System Battle Spirit Masters.
Without answering, the shadow sent Soul Power surging throughout his body. A black halo abruptly spread outward with him at its center.
"A domain?!"
Sensing that peculiar power, both Sword Douluo and Ning Fengzhi revealed surprise in their eyes.
Very few Soul Masters on the continent possessed domain skills. Even some Titled Douluo had never possessed such power, and neither of them had expected this attacker to have mastered a domain.
"No, it isn't a true domain. At most, it's only the embryonic form of one!"
Sword Douluo also possessed a domain, so he understood domains thoroughly. He could sense that his opponent's domain was still immature and could not be called a domain in the true sense.
With a fierce sweep of the Seven Wounds Sword, sharp Sword Qi instantly cleaved through the presence of that dark halo.
At the same time, a sharp presence struck back at the dark domain, enveloping the shadow within it.
Sword Douluo's domain skill.
Seven Kill Sword Domain!
With his sword domain unleashed, Sword Douluo bounded forward, sword in hand.
The Seven Kill Sword thrust straight out, its point bearing down on the shadow.
As Sword Douluo grew serious, the shadow's movements visibly faltered.
At the same time, a worried voice immediately rang out.
"Old Jian, stay your sword! That's Gu Yang!"
At those words, both Ning Fengzhi's and Sword Douluo's expressions changed drastically.
Sword Douluo hurriedly withdrew his sword, but he was a fraction too late. Part of its force still shot straight ahead.
Even the aftermath of a Titled Douluo's attack was not something a mere Soul Ancestor could withstand.
The Seven Kill Sword's force pierced through, instantly shattering the surrounding dark presence.
Sword Douluo and Ning Fengzhi looked closely. The intruder was indeed Gu Yang.
At that moment, Gu Yang was actually enduring Sword Douluo's sword force head-on as he retreated repeatedly. A layer of semi-humanoid bones had appeared over his body.
Sword Douluo and Ning Fengzhi were no strangers to it. It was Gu Yang's first Soul Skill, Bone Armor.
Sword Douluo had personally tested the skill back then, so he knew the defensive strength of that Bone Armor.
Even if Gu Yang's strength had improved, that Bone Armor would still have difficulty blocking this sword force of his.
Just as Sword Douluo was worrying incessantly over this, he discovered that the sword force had not broken through Gu Yang's defenses.
Only upon closer inspection did he discover that Gu Yang's first Soul Skill seemed somewhat different from before. It had gained a few vein-like lines, along with a skull and a long... tailbone?
Only after fully enduring Sword Douluo's sword force head-on did Gu Yang finally breathe a complete sigh of relief.
Bone Douluo also flashed into the hall at that moment.
"Uncle Gu, what is going on?" Ning Fengzhi pressed.
Bone Douluo sheepishly slapped his forehead. "This is my fault. I originally wanted Gu Yang to give you a little surprise. Who knew Old Jian would get serious right away?"
"Uncle Gu, this is simply..."
Had it been an ordinary person, Ning Fengzhi would already have started berating them. But it was Bone Douluo, and out of consideration for his status, Ning Fengzhi could only swallow the words on the tip of his tongue.
"A surprise? More like a fright!"
"What is there to be surprised about? Could it be Gu Yang's fourth Soul Skill?"
"Uncle Gu, what is Gu Yang's fourth Soul Skill?"
Bone Douluo stretched his mouth into a grin, immediately losing some of his confidence. "Gu Yang's Fourth Soul Ring came from a Dark Devil Tiger over forty thousand years old. He's already shown you two of its three skills. There was one he didn't get the chance to..."
"Wait!"
"Uncle Gu, what did you say? Three skills? What is going on?"
As Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo questioned him, Gu Yang took the initiative to introduce his three skills and recount the entire process of this trip to obtain his Fourth Soul Ring.
After hearing the entire account of Bone Douluo and Gu Yang's trip, Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo exchanged a glance, each seeing undisguised shock in the other's eyes.
A Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring... an External Soul Bone... a Soul Bone Fusion Skill...
These gains were just too...
Wasn't this cheating?
"Gu Yang, this trip of yours really was..." Ning Fengzhi did not even know how to describe or assess it.
All he could say was that, fortunately, Gu Yang belonged to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
"Soul Bones, External Soul Bones, Soul Bone Fusion Skills, Martial Soul Fusion Skills-the Soul Master World only has these few heaven-sent opportunities. Good grief, you've already collected three of them. All you're missing is a Martial Soul Fusion Skill!"
Even Sword Douluo, however steadfast his sword heart was, had to admit that he felt a little sour at that moment.
"A Martial Soul Fusion Skill?"
Gu Yang murmured softly. That was right. Soul Bones, External Soul Bones, and Soul Bone Fusion Skills were all personal opportunities, but Martial Soul Fusion Skills required cooperation with other Soul Masters.
Still, Martial Soul Fusion Skills were indeed powerful, capable of producing an effect where one plus one was greater than two.
In fact, later on, even Ning Rongrong and Oscar's dual Auxiliary System Martial Soul Fusion Skill could reverse life and death.
That was truly outrageous!
At that thought, Gu Yang idly asked the AI a question.
"AI, is there a possibility of me forming a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with someone else?"
The AI replied almost instantly, "Yes. Among the people nearby, the host's probability of forming a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with Bone Douluo Gu Rong is 100%, with 100% compatibility; the probability of forming a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with Sword Douluo Chen Xin is 0%; the probability of forming a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with Ning Fengzhi is 0%."
Huh? Holy shit, I really can? Why didn't you say so sooner!
"You never asked before."
In that case, if he never asked, was it possible he would never notice, even by the time he died?
But thinking about it, that made sense. Martial Soul Fusion Skills required mutual understanding between Soul Masters, as well as compatibility between their Martial Souls.
That was why Martial Soul Fusion Skills mostly appeared between two people with a close relationship.
He and Bone Douluo were grandfather and grandson, and both their Martial Souls were related to bones, so it seemed perfectly reasonable that they could form a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
At that thought, Gu Yang felt even more eager to give it a try. "Grandpa, why don't the two of us try and see whether we can form a Martial Soul Fusion Skill?"
Sword Douluo and Ning Fengzhi exchanged looks.
Damn, you two are really going to do it? Have some decency!