"Snort!"
Kong Deming snorted coldly. "Having lived this long, what haven't I seen?"
Therefore, he was not "bought off" by Xian Lin'er's kind words or the small benefits she offered during her interactions with the students, and his judgment was not affected.
"No harm was done?" Kong Deming retorted in an unfriendly tone, "That's because I intervened and stopped him, otherwise my precious grandson would have been falsely accused of being Evil Soul Master by that Xuan Zi!"
Xian Lin'er remained silent, inwardly complaining that Xuan Zi's actions were too outrageous, always acting on a whim, and now it was difficult to even clean up his messes.
Kong Deming then added, "Since you asked me to name my conditions, then I will."
"My request isn't high, just four Soul Bone!"
"Two of them are over 50,000 years old, and two are over 100,000 years old."
"As long as you bring the Soul Bone, we'll exchange the person for the goods!"
Upon hearing Kong Deming's conditions, Xian Lin'er said without hesitation, "That's impossible!"
Her ultimate goal in coming here was indeed to redeem Xuan Zi, but that did not mean she would accept all of the other party's conditions.
Besides, the results are all negotiated.
Once the negotiations truly begin, she needs to appear tougher; perhaps this will help her secure a better outcome.
Xian Lin'er hadn't expected that Kong Deming would be even more forceful than her.
After the words "This is impossible" came out of Xian Lin'er's mouth, Kong Deming actually stood up.
"These are my terms. If you don't agree, you can leave now!"
Seeing Kong Deming's apparent intention to leave, a hint of panic flashed in Xian Lin'er's eyes.
Whether Kong Deming was genuinely leaving or just putting on an act, she could no longer remain calm.
Xian Lin'er took a deep breath and said, "Your Majesty Silver Moon, it's not that I disagree with this condition, but the academy simply cannot produce two 100,000-year-old Soul Bone in the short term."
"How about this: two 50,000-year-old Soul Bone, plus one 70,000-year-old and one 80,000-year-old Soul Bone?"
Even if Soul Bone that is 100,000 years old is only 10,000 years older than a soul bone that is 90,000 years old, the two are still worlds apart.
In her haste, Xian Lin'er gave this reply, considering the price of these four Soul Bone to be quite high.
At the same time, she also understood that the moment Kong Deming stood up, the initiative in this negotiation had already been firmly in the hands of the other party.
Kong Deming remained unmoved by the conditions offered by Xian Lin'er, and even let out a cold laugh.
"My conditions will not change. If Shrek cannot produce the ransom, then there's no point in mentioning it."
"I think the Soul Bone on Xuan Zi's body are quite good, some of them are even 100,000 years old."
"If you do something wrong, you always have to be punished!"
Xian Lin'er's heart trembled upon hearing this. She finally understood where Kong Deming's conditions for the four Soul Bone came from; they were calculated from Xuan Zi.
Soul Bone are different from Soul Ring; Soul Bone can also remain after Soul Master dies.
Killing someone to extract their bones is not uncommon in the battles between Soul Master.
Xian Lin'er intended to use threats, hoping that saying Xuan Zi was dead would force Shrek Academy to go to war with the Shrek and Sun Moon Sect.
However, she knew the situation at the academy. Mu En was nearing his end, and if they lost Xuan Zi, a Level 98 Super Douluo, Shrek Academy would be left without any high-level combatants.
At that point, let alone causing trouble for the Sun Moon Academy, the academy itself will likely face considerable problems.
Over the years, the teachers and students of the academy have become so arrogant and domineering that everyone has made a few enemies.
I'm afraid that if the academy is attacked by all sides, they will be the first to suffer.
Xian Lin'er clenched her fists tightly, and even with her Titled Douluo cultivation, her whole body was trembling slightly involuntarily.
She was not deliberately insulted during her visit, nor was her Life in danger.
But this feeling of powerlessness was even harder for her to accept at this moment.
Shrek was once the top academy on the continent, a lofty and unapproachable institution. It had never before been so harassed and forced to be subservient to others.
Now, for the sake of the academy's survival, it has no choice but to be "manipulated."
This kind of sense of disparity is unbearable for anyone.
Seeing Xian Lin'er's furrowed brows, Kong Deming did not leave immediately, but waited for her reply.
The deathly silence in the meeting room seemed to last for a very long time.
The conditions proposed by Kong Deming were like a mountain weighing on Xian Lin'er's heart, and also on the fate of the entire Shrek Academy.
Xian Lin'er clenched her fists tightly, her palms bearing deep marks from her fingernails.
In the end, all the struggles, all the humiliation, all the resentment, all turned into a barely audible sigh from his lips.
"Your Majesty Silver Moon's conditions..." Xian Lin'er raised her eyes, all emotion suppressed, leaving only an almost icy resolve. "I can agree to them!"
"Oh?"
Kong Deming was slightly surprised that Xian Lin'er agreed so readily, and sat down again.
"Didn't Dean Xian say before that Shrek Academy didn't have Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone?"
Xian Lin'er took a deep breath. "The academy does not have two Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone, but the academy will do everything possible to exchange for Soul Bone and complete the transaction."
When Xian Lin'er said those words, her heart was bleeding; the price she paid was undeniably heavy.
Even with the Shrek Academy's profound foundation, this is absolutely a devastating loss.
Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone is an extremely rare treasure, almost a strategic resource.
After Titled Douluo fuses, their combat power increases significantly, so once they appear, they are usually quickly swapped and fused by someone else; they wouldn't just sit in a vault collecting dust.
Therefore, Xian Lin'er's previous statement was not entirely a bargaining tactic. As far as she knew, Shrek Academy's collection at that moment should only contain one 100,000-year-old Soul Bone.
Having agreed to this request, Xian Lin'er could already imagine that after returning to the academy, she would likely face the disapproving looks of the academy's elders, since she had agreed to these conditions on behalf of the academy!
However, this was a last resort. Xuan Zi had to be saved; the value of a Level 98 Super Douluo could not be measured simply by his Soul Bone!
Xian Lin'er suppressed her turbulent emotions. "I can agree to the conditions, but I need to see Xuan Zi."
Xian Lin'er's request to see Xuan Zi first was reasonable. After all, having given up four Soul Bone, she should at least be sure of Xuan Zi's safety first. Therefore, Kong Deming naturally did not refuse.
He remained calm, casually flicking his sleeves towards the empty space of the conference room.
A soft silver light appeared out of thin air, rippling outwards like water.
Just as the silver light dissipated, a figure staggered and suddenly appeared before everyone.
This person was none other than Xuan Zi!
However, the Taotie Douluo in Xuan Zi and Xian Lin'er's memories at this moment, who was unkempt but had a majestic aura, was completely different from the person they remembered!
His clothes were still intact, without any obvious signs of damage, but he exuded an indescribable sense of dishevelment and dejection.
His already somewhat disheveled beard and hair were now tangled together like withered grass, appearing gray and dull.
Her usually rosy cheeks were now a sallow yellow, and her eyes were sunken.
His once bright and piercing eyes were now bloodshot, frighteningly red.
His eyes were unfocused and vacant, as if he had just experienced some kind of extreme torment and had not yet recovered.
His back was no longer straight; it was slightly hunched, and he even swayed a little as he stood there.
The terrifying aura that once belonged to a Level 98 Super Douluo had vanished, leaving only a feeling of Weakening and numbness as if his energy and spirit had been drained.
"I didn't torture him; he brought this on himself."
Kong Deming spoke calmly. Since they had asked for four Soul Bone, he naturally had to explain, lest the Shrek members think that he had manipulated them.
Although he resented Xuan Zi for attacking Kong Xuan, Kong Deming disdained to use such underhanded methods against him.