This was a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Bone, and a supreme Secret Art Spirit Bone at that.
Su Ming wasn't just talking nonsense; this Spirit Bone might truly retain the properties of a Secret Art Spirit Bone. He could use a supreme light or sacred attribute Spirit Bone to neutralize its evil attributes.
If he fused with this Spirit Bone, it would be equivalent to him having an additional hundred-thousand-year Spirit Bone in the torso position. An ordinary spirit master could only fuse one torso bone, but he could fuse two!
Su Ming's heart ached.
"Just because my Martial Soul is too excellent, must I miss out on such a supreme hundred-thousand-year Spirit Bone?"
Du Busi looked at his disciple, feeling rather speechless.
"Actually, your Martial Soul isn't much different from an Evil Spirit Master's; it's just that the drawback is so great it has become an advantage."
Su Ming fell silent.
No, Teacher, how can you say that?
Your disciple will be sad.
"Alright, alright. Your teacher will research this further to see if we can clear the baleful aura for you. I'll also keep an eye out for a light or sacred attribute Spirit Bone as you mentioned. But now is not the time for you to absorb a Spirit Bone."
Du Busi waved his hand.
It was only after Su Ming's reminder that he realized the value of this Spirit Bone. So, although he knew Mu En had tricked him, he still didn't go back immediately to return or exchange it.
Besides, his implicit gains from this trip were not small. Through the great battle, he understood Mu En's condition. This fight had almost exhausted Mu En's remaining lifespan; he would probably pass away within a year.
"Even with the prototype of a Spirit Core, your spirit power is still evolving towards a higher quality. You will definitely condense a second Spirit Core before the fiftieth level. Wait until you are about to condense the second Spirit Core before fusing these two Spirit Bones."
Su Ming understood Du Busi's meaning.
He planned for Su Ming to fuse this Spirit Bone when condensing the second Spirit Core, to help him break through the bottleneck.
Fusing it now would only hasten the point at which he condensed the second Spirit Core, without providing any substantial help for the condensation process itself.
Conversely, by the time he naturally grew to the point of needing to condense a second Spirit Core, the boost provided by this supreme Secret Art Spirit Bone would aid him in the condensation.
Because the first Spirit Core existed, Su Ming didn't have to worry about the spirit power boost from the Secret Art Spirit Bone causing his spirit power to solidify instantly. He could use this boosted power to greatly accelerate the condensation speed of the second Spirit Core.
Not considering the scenario of complementary Yin-Yang dual Spirit Cores, the difficulty of condensing his second Spirit Core would be greatly reduced.
For same-position resonance, the biggest hurdle for the second Spirit Core was spending a great deal of time nurturing the second spirit power vortex, and finally having it compete with the first Spirit Core for the central role in spirit power circulation. With the Secret Art Spirit Bone, and potentially even a second Spirit Bone, the difficulty Su Ming faced in overcoming these two stages would be significantly reduced.
"Lei Zhen, Eight-Arms, you two should return to Gengxin City. With Spirit Metal spreading, public opinion has started to ferment recently. The Blacksmith Association won't be peaceful."
"Understood!" x2
After Elder Lei Zhen and the Eight-Arms Elder departed, Du Busi looked towards the twin sisters, Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo.
His eyes flickered as he glanced at the two Super Douluo elders.
"Elders, take Xiao Ming, Susu, and Luoluo back to the sect. I will go to Sky Dou City to help Susu and Luoluo settle the compensation."
"Teacher, are you going alone?"
Su Ming still wanted to go watch the show.
"You return to Snow Demon Mountain, pack up properly, and prepare to go home. Your grandfather has been urging you to return."
"Ah?"
Su Ming knew Du Busi had gone to the Sun Moon Empire earlier to receive new Body Sect disciples there, but Du Busi really hadn't mentioned before that Su Can wanted him back.
"You're already eleven. Your grandfather plans to send you to the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy for further study, and then enter Mingde Hall. That's the gathering place for high-level Soul Engineers in the Sun Moon Empire, and the overall atmosphere is quite good. Your teacher also thinks you should get involved with Mingde Hall. This time, we obtained Shrek's promise of future unconditional support. If you can also act as a liaison within Mingde Hall, the Blacksmith Association's legitimate rights and interests in the Sun Moon Empire can be guaranteed. Once the Association has legal status, the sect can also openly establish a branch there."
Listening to Du Busi's long speech, Su Ming felt pressure.
"It's actually not that difficult. The next Spirit Master Grand Competition is in a year. After you enroll, your grandfather will mobilize the Su Family's connections. Combined with your talent, getting into the team for this competition shouldn't be hard. What you need to do is play a key role in the competition, leading the Sun Moon Royal Team to win its first championship."
"Is that enough?"
"Of course not. During the competition, you must also reasonably gain a voice within the Sun Moon Royal Team. Then, the Association will contact your team after you have influence and cooperate with the Sun Moon Empire to establish the Association within its borders."
After explaining his plan, Du Busi looked at Su Ming.
Su Ming did not object.
He thought this plan was excellent.
It presented little difficulty for him.
After giving his instructions, Du Busi set off alone for Sky Dou City.
Su Ming silently mourned for the Sky Dou City City Lord.
He wondered if the two million Gold Spirit Coins would ever make it into the other party's account.
Shrek Academy.
Sea God Pavilion.
Mu En was curled up in a recliner, the imposing aura he had during the great battle gone.
Now, he was just a dying old man.
"Elder Mu."
"Teacher."
The Pavilion Elders all looked at Mu En with concern.
Everyone could see that after this clash with the Body Sect, where Mu En had fought with all his strength, he was finished.
"This conflict ends here for now. The Body Sect has been temporarily dealt with. The Golden Ancient Tree's trump card was revealed this time. I won't hide it from you all: every Sea God Pavilion Leader, after death, integrates their power into the Golden Ancient Tree. This is our academy's ultimate safeguard. I will do the same in a year."
"One year?"
Yan Shaozhe and the other Pavilion Elders' expressions changed drastically.
"After Xuan Zi returns, let him guard the academy. With his strength and the Golden Ancient Tree's foundation, the academy grounds will at least be safe. Shaozhe, you all must also strive to cultivate harder."
Yan Shaozhe nodded.
Elder Lin, Elder Song, and Elder Zhuang, the three most senior Pavilion Elders, looked grave.
They were the most senior in辈分 (bèi fèn - generation/seniority) and age. Their levels were basically capped, so facing Mu En's impending death and Shrek losing its greatest guardian made them feel even more powerless.
"The main purpose of this meeting is to inform you of my situation. You can begin your respective preparations now. If you have any other matters to discuss, let's do it together today."
Lin Huiqun took a deep breath and said, "Elder Mu, I actually had something to report."
She took out the piece of Spirit Metal she had obtained at the auction in Star Luo City.
"This piece of Spirit Metal is what I obtained at the Star Light Auction. A total of nine pieces of Spirit Metal of the same grade appeared at the auction, all brimming with spirit."
Mu En took the Spirit Metal in his hand, carefully sensing its unique properties.
"Did the auction house say who auctioned them?"
"They were consigned on the day of the auction. Star Luo doesn't know much about the seller's true identity, but one thing is certain: the other party is a Soul Engineer!"
Hearing that the person auctioning such Spirit Metal was a Soul Engineer, Mu En's face darkened.
...
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(End of Chapter)