Sea God Island, Shrek Seven Monsters' activity room.
After learning about the girls' Soul Power levels, Jing Shaoyu was filled with relief and joy. He then inquired about their Battle Armor progress, as they were all seasoned Soul Kings by now—typically the stage where Two-Word Battle Armor should be crafted.
Unsurprisingly, they had all become One-Word Battle Armor Masters, each having inscribed their Battle Armor's first character. Na'er and Ye Xinglan's first character was "Eternal," while Wu Siduo and Mo Hentian's was "Constancy"—clearly influenced by Jing Shaoyu.
Jing Shaoyu's Two-Word Battle Armor was named "Eternal Constancy."
In contrast, Xu Xiaoyan's first character was much more straightforward: "Feather." According to her own plans, her Four-Word Battle Armor would eventually be called "Feather Words Eternal Constancy," linking it to Jing Shaoyu's Battle Armor while incorporating both their names, with a beautiful meaning—killing three birds with one stone.
As for Gu Yue, having advanced to Soul Emperor first, her Battle Armor had already upgraded from One-Word to Two-Word, named "Feather Moon."
Meanwhile, Lan Fozi, being a later addition, had her Battle Armor crafted independently without the team's involvement. Jing Shaoyu hadn't asked her about it, but the girl seemed to have some agenda toward him and voluntarily revealed her One-Word Battle Armor: "Emperor."
After discussing Battle Armor, Wu Siduo and Ye Xinglan brought up the topic of Soul Bones. The ones Jing Shaoyu had gifted them were confiscated by the academy upon their return, but in exchange, they each received a more suitable and higher-quality Soul Bone.
Jing Shaoyu paid special attention to which parts their new Soul Bones were. Upon learning one was a Left Leg Bone and the other a Right Arm Bone, he sighed in relief—fortunately, they didn't conflict with the Soul Bones he had brought back from the Dragon Valley.
Now it was time to distribute the Soul Bones.
However, considering the presence of an unwelcome third wheel, Jing Shaoyu decided to wait until he could be alone with the girls before giving them the Soul Bones he had prepared.
Lan Fozi suddenly felt an inexplicable wave of malice and scratched her head in confusion.
That night, Jing Shaoyu was very busy.
After moving to the Inner Academy, their dormitories had naturally been relocated there as well. As the new generation of the Shrek Seven Monsters, their accommodations weren't grouped with other Inner Academy students but were specially arranged near the Golden Tree, where the Sea God Pavilion Elders resided.
Jing Shaoyu and Na'er's wooden cabins remained unchanged, while six new cabins had been built nearby, each less than ten meters apart. When Jing Shaoyu entered his cabin, he found it spotlessly clean, with all his belongings from the Outer Academy dorm neatly arranged inside.
Most notably, his bed clearly showed signs of being slept in. Sitting on it, he could detect a mingled fragrance—proof that more than one person had used it. A helpless yet pleased smile tugged at his lips.
Then, he stepped out of his cabin and headed straight for the nearest one—Na'er's room.
Na'er seemed to know he would come, so she hadn't locked the door. Jing Shaoyu gently pushed it open and stepped inside. The room was pitch black—Na'er hadn't lit any lamps. Just as Shaoyu was about to speak, a fragrant breeze brushed past him, and a soft, delicate figure threw herself into his arms.
"Brother, Na'er missed you so much!" Her voice trembled with emotion, carrying a mix of longing, fear, excitement, and other complex feelings.
"Don't be afraid, I'm back," Shaoyu murmured soothingly, gently stroking her back.
In the darkness, Na'er's large silver eyes shone particularly bright. She rose on her tiptoes, tilting her head up as her sweet, soft lips sought his. Without hesitation, Shaoyu lowered his head to meet her.
Lost in the night, they indulged passionately, moving from behind the door to the bed, utterly absorbed in each other. Only when they were nearly breathless did they reluctantly part, a glistening thread still connecting them, making them both laugh softly.
"Brother," Na'er whispered.
"I'm here," Shaoyu answered tenderly.
"I missed you," she said, lifting her head again.
"I missed you too," he replied, bending down to capture her rosy lips once more.
They shared another lingering kiss.
Fortunately, Shaoyu hadn't forgotten his purpose. After their second passionate embrace, he sat up with Na'er in his arms and turned on the light.
"Na'er, I have something for you," he said.
"What is it?" she asked.
"A Soul Bone," Shaoyu replied with a smile. With a wave of his hand, a jet-black Soul Bone materialized, accompanied by the faint roar of a dragon. A subtle aura of dark energy dispersed through the wooden room. This was the Soul Bone he had chosen for Na'er, though he knew it wouldn't be of much use to her. Still, he wanted to give it to her.
"Brother, I..." Na'er hesitated as she looked at the spine-shaped Soul Bone in his hand, her delicate face uncertain. She didn't know how to tell him, so her words trailed off.
Seeing her hesitation, Shaoyu immediately took her slender hand and pressed the Soul Bone into her palm, declaring firmly, "There's nothing to hesitate about. This is my gift to you—you must accept it!"
Hearing his words, Na'er's face brightened with a radiant smile. She nodded and said, "Mm! I understand, Brother!"
"That's more like it, haha!" Shaoyu laughed heartily. "This Soul Bone is the Torso bone of a Golden-Eyed Black Dragon. There are only three such skeletons in the entire Dragon Graveyard."
"Giggle, that's not surprising," Na'er explained with a sweet smile. "The Golden-Eyed Black Dragon is the Dragon King of the Dark Dragon Clan. The first-generation Dark Dragon King had very few descendants, and only half of them inherited the dark attribute. So they're extremely rare."
"Does that mean the first-generation Dark Dragon King and the first-generation Light Dragon King were really mates?" Shaoyu asked in surprise.
"Yes," Na'er replied.
The dragon hierarchy is strict, especially among True Dragons. While lower-ranked True Dragons might have a path to ascend to higher ranks, it's nearly impossible for higher-ranked True Dragons to become royal True Dragons, as only the descendants of Dragon Kings can hold that status.
Take the Dark Dragon Clan as an example. Only the children of the Dark Dragon King possess the golden eyes that symbolize royalty, such as Di Tian, who is the youngest son of the first-generation Dark Dragon King. As the current Dark Dragon King, if he were to have offspring, his children would be Golden-Eyed Black Dragons, but their children would not.
Only the children of a Dragon King are True Dragons of the royal bloodline!
So, the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon Torso Bone that Jing Shaoyu retrieved must belong to Di Tian's elder brother or sister? Considering the relationship between the Dark Dragon King and the Light Dragon King, does that mean there's another sibling of Di Tian inside the Sky Phoenix Ring? Even more, could the Holy Demon Dragon King Torso Bone within his body belong to Di Tian's parents?
Damn, if Di Tian ever found out, who knows what kind of expression he'd make.
"Na'er, you should absorb this Soul Bone. I'll stand guard for you," Shaoyu said, shaking his head to clear his thoughts.
Hearing this, Na'er's expression shifted slightly before she burst into laughter. "Oh, come on! I'm not a kid anymore—I don't need a babysitter! You must still have others to find, right? Go on, don't waste time here!"
As she spoke, she actually started pushing Shaoyu toward the door.
Shaoyu had no choice but to humor her, walking along as he sighed, "Alright, alright, I'll go, okay?"
Once he stepped outside, Na'er immediately shut the door behind him. Shaoyu shrugged helplessly before heading toward the nearest room. Behind the door, Na'er felt his presence fade into the distance, tears streaming down her face. One hand covered her mouth while the other clenched the Soul Bone tightly, her beautiful eyes filled with sorrow.
A faint green light flickered weakly over her chest.
The closest room to Na'er's cabin was Xu Xiaoyan's. Just as Shaoyu reached the door and raised his hand to knock, it swung open on its own. Xiaoyan reached out, grabbed his wrist, and yanked him inside.
Her room was shrouded in darkness, the curtains drawn tightly, with only a dim bedside lamp casting a faint glow. The air was thick with a sweet, cloying fragrance.
"Xiaoyan, what are you up to? So mysterious," Shaoyu said, stumbling slightly as he steadied himself, unable to make out much in the dim light.
"Giggle~ Shaoyu-gege, tell me—do I look pretty like this?"