While it was certainly regrettable to have accidentally killed a soul beast and wasted resources, the pleasant surprise of obtaining a Soul Bone couldn't help but bring a smile to one's lips.
This perfectly captured Xiao Changfeng's current mood.
The 60,000 Year Evil Demon Orca Right Leg Bone was of exceptional quality, flawless and complete. Its texture was as fine and smooth as a diamond, entirely transparent, with what appeared to be dark red liquid constantly flowing within.
It exuded a refreshing, ethereal glow, invigorating one's spirit—a sign of incredibly pure Water Element Soul Power. At the same time, it absorbed Heaven and Earth Origin Power. The portion from the leg bone to the foot didn't resemble a human foot, but rather the tail of an orca.
With his extraordinary perception as a Super Douluo, Xiao Changfeng was certain that this Soul Bone emanated a fierce, awe-inspiring kingly aura. This implied that among the Evil Demon Orca's parents, there must have been a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beast, indicating a pure and powerful bloodline.
Among the six major Soul Bones of the human body, the right leg bone might be the least important, but for a Soul Bone of this caliber, its specific location was no longer significant. It was already a top-tier item among the Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones.
Realizing the value of this Soul Bone, Xiao Changfeng's lips curled into a slight smile. He brought the Soul Bone before Xu Tianxi and introduced it with a grin:
"Tianxi, this Soul Bone is of superior quality, and the racial talent of the Evil Demon Orca clan is extremely powerful. Their Soul Skills are either powerful control abilities or fierce attacks, all of them top-notch choices."
"I'm certain that fusing with this Soul Bone will elevate your physical constitution to another level. It will greatly benefit your Ultimate Water essence and also provide a certain increase in your Soul Power, perfectly matching your talent. Would you like to try fusing with it?"
Xu Tianxi stared at the Soul Bone for a while, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily.
Coming into close contact with the Soul Bone, he finally understood why countless Soul Masters were so obsessed with Soul Bones. Just by being near it, Xu Tianxi felt his Soul Power circulate faster within his body, and his heartbeat became unusually strong and clear.
The Evil Demon Orca clan was truly gifted. The benefits of absorbing this Soul Bone were evident. If he absorbed it, he would no longer fear Soul Ancestor-level genius Soul Masters, and might even be able to contend with a Soul King.
But!
The age was still a bit low. Without a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, it wasn't suitable!
Reason triumphed over his emotional self. Xu Tianxi forcefully averted his gaze and shook his head, saying, "Senior Martial Uncle, I don't think there's a need to rush right now."
"Perhaps in the future, there will be a more suitable Soul Bone. Let's keep this treasure for a bit longer."
"Oh? It seems your ambition is quite high, young man, to look down on even such a supreme treasure?"
With Xiao Changfeng's experience, he instantly grasped Xu Tianxi's general thoughts.
This young martial nephew's desire for a Soul Bone was no less than any other Soul Master's, yet he refused it at this moment.
There was only one reason: he believed he could obtain something better in the future!
Xu Tianxi gave a sheepish smile, then straightened his expression and pointed at the Soul Bone, speaking sincerely with a strong, clear voice.
"It's not that my ambition is high, Senior Martial Uncle, it's that you and Grandmaster are too capable. With you two making a move, a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beast would surely be an easy catch."
"If I didn't have elders like you, towering like colossal mountains, standing before me, how would Tianxi dare to harbor such wild fantasies? I would have joyfully absorbed this supreme treasure long ago."
In a word, it's not that I'm greedy, it's that you, the big shot, are too capable. I have faith in your strength. Grandmaster is a repeat offender when it comes to poaching Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beasts; he's very experienced at it.
Xiao Changfeng couldn't help but beam with delight upon hearing this, his proud lips curling up again.
This child truly knew how to speak; he was endearing, and his judgment was excellent.
To think, for a dignified Level 96 Super Douluo like himself, a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beast encountering him was no different from meeting the King of Hell. Escaping was impossible.
Hmm, considering Xu Tianxi won't absorb a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring until he reaches his Seventh Ring at the earliest, and Ultimate Martial Soul cultivation is slow, perhaps by then, I'll already be a Level Ninety-Seven Super Douluo. At that point, killing Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beasts will be as easy as butchering chickens and dogs. Even Ferocious Beasts would dare to stir.
"Good! In that case, Senior Martial Uncle will await the day you can absorb a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring! I will definitely equip both of your Martial Souls with enough Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings!"
Having made up his mind, Xiao Changfeng put away the Soul Bone and patted Xu Tianxi firmly on the shoulder, his face filled with anticipation.
"Twin Martial Souls have always been synonymous with peerless genius. If I can help you acquire a full set of six Soul Bones, all over a Hundred Thousand Years, how powerful would that be? Even Senior Martial Uncle can barely imagine it, hahahaha..."
Xu Tianxi remained silent, simply smiling in response. He cupped his hands in a respectful bow, then sat cross-legged in mid-air, perceiving the internal and external world with his Spiritual Power and cultivating through Meditation.
Xiao Changfeng's words were like warm currents flowing into his chest. He felt as relaxed and comfortable as if soaking in a hot spring in winter.
Anything said now would seem overly sentimental. The priority was to prepare for how he would repay this kindness in the future.
Although the Tang God King wasn't exactly a good person, he did bestow many benefits upon the Original Seven Devils. If not for Tang San, only Oscar among the Original Seven Devils would likely have cultivated to the Titled Douluo realm. The others would have either been hampered by Martial Soul flaws or eliminated prematurely, and becoming a god would have been impossible.
Among the six devils' godhoods, Oscar and Ning Rongrong were approached by the God of Food and the Nine Colors Goddess respectively. Xiao Wu was the Asura Sword Sheath, specifically responsible for sheathing the sword.
The fact that Dai Zhu Ma and the other two were able to become gods probably had something to do with Tang San, otherwise the God of Destruction wouldn't have been displeased with Tang San because of it.
The Tang God King certainly had the goal of cultivating a foundational force, but actions speak louder than intentions. The benefits were indeed given, just not to everyone. His own cousin and his brother's wife had no utilitarian value, so he didn't lend them a hand.
If he truly wanted to help, arranging a Level 3 God or even a divine official could grant them eternal life, allowing them to stay with Ma Hongjun forever. No other God King would possibly disrespect Tang San, the newly appointed enforcer.
Dual Godhood already allowed bringing more people to the God Realm. Could a new Asura God not even bring a relative? Were they implying the Asura God Sword was ineffective?
Bai He, Tang San's grand-uncle, who was so poor his entire clan was practically broke, yet sent his treasured, years-old peerless ginseng king to Tang San, helped Tang San win over his old brother Yang Wudi, and even inadvertently helped Xiao Wu recover, felt utterly frustrated!
This genuine act of help had truly gone to waste!
Here, one also sympathized with the Dugu family and the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile School, who were similarly unlucky due to their lack of utilitarian value.
But no matter what, he couldn't curse the Tang God King for being a bad person while doing something even worse than the Tang God King. That would be too demeaning. Could he, a dignified transmigrator, lose face like that?
In the future, if he were to repay Xiao Changfeng, he would at least need to find a top-grade Soul Bone. He would also pre-order a certain Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
If Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire Phoenix could be purified into Ultimate Fire after consuming Chi Jiao, then Xiao Changfeng's Ice Crystal Phoenix could naturally cultivate into Ultimate Ice.
As for godhood...
"The Titan Snow Demon King is said to have the bloodline of the Ice God. I wonder if the Ice God is in the God Realm. But even if not, it would have to be Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Godhood. Anyway, it's boring for him to stay alone in the God Realm, burying himself in volcanoes all day. He might as well give up his godhood and wander the universe..."
His thoughts wandered far and wide, Xu Tianxi began to scheme for godhood.
In his future plans, condensing Faith and creating his own godhood was a necessary path. However, the Faith of the Douluo Star's sentient beings was limited. It took the Sea God a thousand years to forge this path. It would be difficult enough for him to succeed alone; helping Xiao Changfeng was beyond his ability.
If he wanted to bring about the ascension of others to godhood by achieving it himself first, then he would have to seize it. Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Godhood was a guaranteed minimum, and while he didn't quite understand why the Phoenix Godhood was merely a Level 2 God, there was nothing he could do about it for now. He could research it further once he reached the God Realm.
In short, Xu Tianxi, having cultivated until now, didn't possess any great abilities. He was just good at overwhelming his enemies with firepower and convincing people with reason!
Physical reason!
Time flowed by like water, imperceptibly, until night fell. The moon, which Xu Tianxi had been eagerly anticipating, suddenly appeared, its moonlight like a silken ribbon.
And it was a full moon.
Sensing the target's appearance, the crescent moon mark on Xu Tianxi's brow immediately glowed with excited light. He eagerly activated his suction, collecting the Moonlight Radiance.
Unlike the slow, gradual absorption of the past, Xu Tianxi's speed was much faster now. A moon-white vortex, formed by the fusion of Soul Power and Spiritual Power, emerged from his brow and actively devoured the moonlight.
The moonlight in the several square meters around Xu Tianxi was quickly absorbed. Strands of moonlight converged into visible rays of light, surging towards Xu Tianxi's brow.
With Illusory Moon Mystic Eyes activated, the moon halo behind Xu Tianxi's head, initially only the size of an egg, grew at an astonishing rate. Countless shimmering spiritual power threads outlined a moon wheel within half an hour.
Blue and black light flickered alternately within the moon wheel, emitting sounds like thunder and rain.
Xiao Changfeng's eyes showed a hint of surprise, and his heart was startled.
To facilitate Xu Tianxi's cultivation, he had specially built a high platform and purchased equipment for him, creating an optimal simulated cultivation environment. However, Xu Tianxi's current speed was more than three times faster than on the high platform.
"Tianxi's spiritual power has already surpassed many Soul Kings, directly approaching the Soul Emperor level. It seems absorbing that Soul Ring truly brought infinite benefits, even doubling the speed of absorbing Moonlight. It's probably inherited even the Deep Sea Silver Demon Whale's devouring talent of swallowing water like a long whale..."
Not long after, an old but vigorous figure approached Xiao Changfeng, his eyes shining brightly as he respectfully bowed to the latter.
Xiao Changfeng turned his gaze to Yue Lao, smiled, and took out the 30,000 Year Evil Demon Orca Head Bone. "It worked out well. You should absorb this too."
Yue Lao was greatly astonished, his hands flailing into afterimages as he spoke incoherently, "Ice Phoenix Crown, how could this old servant be worthy of absorbing such a Soul Bone? You absolutely, absolutely must not waste such a treasure on this old servant! Even if, even if Young Master doesn't need it, it can, it can..."
Upon seeing the Soul Bone, his first thought was Xu Tianxi, but then he quickly reconsidered, realizing that Ice Phoenix Crown must have already considered it, and Young Master likely wouldn't need it.
In his urgency, he thought of having the Soul Bone crafted into a top-tier Soul Guided Device to be passed down through generations, but then his mind went blank, and he couldn't articulate it.
He couldn't possibly create something like that!
Xiao Changfeng looked at the old man, who was endearingly straightforward, and was secretly pleased. He raised a hand to stop Yue Lao from continuing, his eyes, deep as a pool, calm.
"Giving you this Soul Bone wasn't my idea; it was Tianxi's."
The complex emotions on Yue Lao's face immediately froze, and tears welled up in his sunken eyes.
Looking gratefully at Xu Tianxi, who was meditating with the focus of an ancient monk in samadhi, Yue Lao couldn't help but sob softly.
"This old servant thanks Young Master, and thanks Ice Phoenix Crown!"
"Mm."
Xiao Changfeng nodded lightly, a smile playing on his lips. He looked at Xu Tianxi with an incredibly gentle gaze and said,
"The situation on the continent will soon change. I have a premonition that Tianxi will be the one to influence the continent, and we will witness all of it, ushering in a better future. To have such a junior, my heart is greatly comforted."
PS: Out with the old and in with the new. I wish all my esteemed readers a Happy New Year and all the best; may blessings come in pairs today, and misfortunes pass by last night!