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After leaving the principal's office, Xiao Xiao, Lian Yue, and Yuwen Tuo met up with Cao Jinxuan, who had been waiting outside, and together they headed to Yuwen Tuo's dormitory.
His room was a special single-occupancy space, which conveniently served as a secret base for their group.
Cao Jinxuan had completely abandoned Zhou Siran's team, and now whenever he had free time, he would rush to Yuwen Tuo's side.
It seemed that the allure of learning Time Law far outweighed the bonds of friendship.
Once inside the room, Xiao Xiao couldn't wait to open the package and see what was inside. Unlike Yuwen Tuo, who already knew what the prize was, the other three had no idea what the champion's reward would be.
When she untied the rope sealing the package, a sudden burst of yellow light shot out from the sack. A golden object slowly rose into the air, hovering steadily in the middle of the room.
It was a small bone fragment, only about the length of a palm, glowing with a faint yellow radiance.
"This… this is a Soul Bone?!" Xiao Xiao exclaimed in shock. Though they had anticipated that the prize for this year's championship would be extremely valuable, they never imagined it would be a Soul Bone—a treasure far more precious than a Spirit Ring to any Spirit Master!
Spirit Rings were something every soul beast left behind upon death, but the chance of obtaining a Soul Bone was one in ten thousand. The higher the rank of the soul beast, the greater the likelihood of producing a Soul Bone, but only soul beasts over 100,000 years old were guaranteed to produce at least one.
Any Spirit Master who possessed a Soul Bone would immediately see a significant boost in strength, giving them a tremendous advantage over their peers. Excluding External Soul Bones, each Spirit Master could possess up to six Soul Bones—corresponding to the head, torso, and four limbs. Among these, the most valuable was the Torso Soul Bone, followed by the Head Soul Bone. Limb Soul Bones were relatively less precious.
The one floating before them was a left leg bone.
Though its position wasn't top-tier, any Soul Bone was inherently rare and valuable.
Even a hundred-year-old Soul Bone would spark fierce competition, let alone this one, which clearly wasn't of such a low grade.
Lian Yue rummaged through the packaging and discovered a note beneath the sack that had contained the Soul Bone. It provided a description of the item:
"Left Leg Bone of the Voidlight Panther, with a cultivation age of 10,000 years. Upon fusion, it enhances the Spirit Master's speed and grants an attack skill activated through the left leg. Suitable for Power Attack, Agility Attack, and Control System Spirit Masters." Lian Yue read aloud. "Heavens above, this is an invaluable 10,000-year Soul Bone!"
She had assumed that if the reward included a Soul Bone, it would cap at the thousand-year level. Never did she expect it to surpass 10,000 years! Though it just barely crossed the threshold, the difference between a thousand-year and a ten-thousand-year Soul Bone was astronomical.
Any Soul Bone reaching the ten-thousand-year mark could be considered a high-grade Soul Bone.
Xiao Xiao picked up the glowing bone and handed it to Yuwen Tuo. "Tuo Tuo, here!"
She wanted him to absorb the Soul Bone, and Lian Yue didn't object. After all, Yuwen Tuo had carried eighty percent of the team's output during the tournament. As the team leader, core member, and MVP of the rookie competition, who else deserved this Soul Bone more than him?
"Well then, thank you both for your generosity," Yuwen Tuo said with a smile as he accepted the Soul Bone. However, instead of absorbing it, he took Xiao Xiao's hand and placed the bone back into her palm.
"Tuo Tuo, you?" Xiao Xiao gasped in surprise. Was Yuwen Tuo really giving the Soul Bone to her?
"Xiao Xiao, I've already received your and Lian Yue's support. Didn't I just accept the Soul Bone? Now, I'm simply gifting it to you—it's my own decision," Yuwen Tuo explained with a chuckle. "Besides, haven't you become my master's disciple? Consider this a gift from me on behalf of my master. You're not allowed to refuse!"
This Soul Bone originally belonged to Xiao Xiao in the original storyline anyway, so Yuwen Tuo harbored no greed for it. Moreover, even though a ten-thousand-year Soul Bone might be highly coveted by others, Yuwen Tuo held it in little regard. Unless it was an External Soul Bone, he wouldn't consider absorbing anything below fifty thousand years—he didn't want to waste one of his precious Soul Bone slots.
After all, he knew the locations of many soul beasts and ferocious creatures over 100,000 years old. Better opportunities would surely arise in the future.
Xiao Xiao accepted the Soul Bone with gratitude, her cheeks flushed as she looked at Yuwen Tuo. "Thank you, Tuo Tuo. I'll work even harder in the future and make sure I don't shame you or Master!"
Cao Jinxuan watched enviously and hesitantly spoke up. "Um… Master…"
Yuwen Tuo shot him a sidelong glance. "Don't call me Master casually—I haven't officially accepted you as a disciple yet. If you want a gift like this, start training properly!"
"Yes, Master! Your disciple will definitely work hard!" Cao Jinxuan replied, fully aware that persistence and shamelessness were key to earning favor.
Stubbornly refusing to change despite being scolded, his audacity left Yuwen Tuo sighing in resignation.
Under the protection of the three, Xiao Xiao began absorbing the Soul Bone.
One major advantage of Soul Bones over Spirit Rings was that there were no restrictions based on cultivation levels. Even though Xiao Xiao was only a two-ring Spirit Master, she could safely absorb a ten-thousand-year Soul Bone.
Her spirit level would likely increase by at least two ranks, and her physical attributes would improve significantly.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, Zhou Yi called Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong to her office to comfort the disheartened Huo Yuhao.
She also produced a Soul Bone—the very one she had won from her bet with Mu Jin against Yuwen Tuo.
It was called the Secret Method Soul Bone, obtained through a cruel and unusual method. By slaughtering one hundred soul beasts within half an hour and using a forbidden technique to manipulate their Spirit Rings, there was a ten percent chance of obtaining a Secret Method Soul Bone. While this was a relatively easier way to acquire a Soul Bone, its success rate was low, and the process was so brutal that few Spirit Masters resorted to it.
Yet, ironically, Shrek Academy, which prided itself on justice, had done exactly that.
The quality of this Soul Bone was mediocre, with only one fixed effect: increasing Spirit Power by five percent.
In the later stages of cultivation, this could still be valuable. For instance, a five percent increase in Spirit Power for a 99-level Spirit Master was an astronomical figure for most practitioners.
Mu Jin had assumed that since Zhou Yi had used Yuwen Tuo's help to win this Soul Bone, it would eventually end up in his hands. She never expected that Zhou Yi would immediately give it to Huo Yuhao instead.
To her, Yuwen Tuo was nothing more than a tool.
Zhou Yi truly doted on Huo Yuhao. Not only did she give him the Soul Bone, but she also introduced him to her husband, Fan Yu. Due to the unique nature of his Spirit, Huo Yuhao showed extraordinary talent in Spirit Tools, quickly earning Fan Yu's favor. He declared that if the Spirit Department wouldn't grant Huo Yuhao the status of core disciple, then the Spirit Tool Department would.
This greatly boosted Huo Yuhao's confidence. Such was the destiny of the continent's chosen one—even with Yuwen Tuo's interference causing his strength to lag far behind his original timeline, he would still encounter opportunities uniquely suited to him.
In truth, Yuwen Tuo's six years at Shrek Academy paralleled Huo Yuhao's decade in the Duke's residence—they both endured immense hardships. One suffered physical beatings, while the other had his cultivation crippled.
But the day Huo Yuhao broke through to Rank 10 and left the Duke's residence, his destined fortune awakened, drawing the attention of Tang San in the God Realm, who proclaimed the rise of a new star. From that moment, everything in his life began to change.
And for the other… his awakening day seemed to draw near as well. All that remained was for him to step beyond the gates of Shrek City.