"What is this?"
Wang Nan asked as he examined the milky-white bead that lay quietly in the brocade box.
"This is a pearl. More accurately, it's a mermaid's tear. Just like on the continent, the ocean is also home to various Spirit Beasts. Because Spirit Masters' strength is greatly reduced in the sea, the number of Spirit Beasts there is even greater than on land."
"And beneath the Ice Sea in the far north, lives a type of mermaid-like Spirit Beast. When they are extremely sad, they shed tears that condense into pearls, which contain their pure mental energy. This pearl was obtained by a Spirit Master who ventured deep into that region."
"I've heard that there's a royal family among mermaids, and the pearls formed from their tears are golden, with effects far surpassing these ordinary pearls. It's a pity I've only heard about it and haven't seen one with my own eyes."
Wang Nan picked up the pearl, and immediately, a gentle, water-like sensation emanated from his palm. The lake water in his Sea of Consciousness rippled, greedily absorbing the mental force it radiated.
"Thank you, Elder Lin," Wang Nan said, placing the pearl back into the box and putting it away.
"It's just a small trinket. The main event is next," Lin Huiqun said, waving her hand. Behind her, another woman stepped forward, holding a tray with both hands. Inside was the Scarlet-Faced White Ape's right arm Spirit Bone.
"This Spirit Bone comes from a ten-thousand-year Scarlet-Faced White Ape. Generally speaking, a Spirit Bone from a ten-thousand-year Spirit Beast would cost around two million gold coins, but the ability it provides is only suitable for Tool Spirit Masters, so its value is significantly discounted."
"Additionally, Jubao Pavilion offers discounts to Shrek Academy's Disciples. I can sell it to you for nine hundred thousand gold coins. Your current credit limit is sufficient, so it's up to you whether to accept it."
Spirit Bones are different from spirit rings. Except for hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beasts, the chance of other Spirit Beasts producing a Spirit Bone is less than one in a thousand. Therefore, Spirit Bones have always been extremely rare, and some Spirit Masters, even at the Titled Douluo level, may not be able to collect all six Spirit Bones.
Given this opportunity, Wang Nan would undoubtedly buy this Spirit Bone. As for the nine hundred thousand gold coin debt, that was the least of his worries. The value that an Advanced Spirit Master could bring was immeasurable; once his strength grew, gold coins would just be a string of numbers to him.
"Alright, then I've decided to use my credit limit to purchase it."
"Good."
As her voice fell, the woman handed the tray to Wang Nan. Besides the Spirit Bone, there was also a black card on the tray.
"Previously, your assessment was a purple rating. Now your rating has increased. Besides this Spirit Bone, you will enjoy the same treatment as Inner Courtyard Disciples at Jubao Pavilion from now on. Come visit often when you have time."
Seeing Wang Nan nod, Lin Huiqun smiled, "Alright, I know your mind is entirely on this Spirit Bone right now, so I won't keep you. Go back to the Academy quickly."
Wang Nan stood up to bid farewell. When he arrived outside Jubao Pavilion, the customer service representative who had brought him earlier came to greet him again.
"Esteemed guest, would you like a ride back?"
Wang Nan nodded and accepted.
…
That evening, Wang Nan sat cross-legged on his bed, taking out the Spirit Bone from his spirit tool and examining it carefully in his hand.
It was strange to say, but although this Spirit Bone came from a Spirit Beast, it looked just like a human's, with a structure and proportions extremely similar to a human's right arm bone. At this moment, the Spirit Bone was emitting a faint, ethereal glow, and its fingers were curled as if grasping something.
Wang Nan no longer hesitated. He adjusted his state and then activated his spirit power. Under the influence of his spirit power, the Scarlet-Faced White Ape's right arm Spirit Bone transformed into a black liquid and merged into Wang Nan's right arm.
Spirit Masters absorbing Spirit Bones have no age limit; even a one-ring Spirit Master can absorb a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Bone. Therefore, Wang Nan chose to absorb the Spirit Bone now to avoid any complications.
"Chirp chirp—"
As the Spirit Bone entered his body, a cool and gentle sensation spread through Wang Nan's right arm, like being enveloped in the morning mist. Immediately after, a few faint bird chirps sounded in his ears.
At first, Wang Nan thought it was birds flying outside the dormitory, but soon, the chirping grew more numerous and louder, until the surroundings were filled with clear bird calls.
"Wang Nan" shook his head and stretched his arm, feeling much lighter. The surrounding flock of birds was startled by his movement and flapped their wings, flying away in a "whoosh."
"Wang Nan" chuckled, pushed off with his feet, and leaped forward. His tail constantly swayed to maintain balance, then he landed softly on the ground on all fours.
He took two steps forward. There seemed to be a nut dropped by a squirrel on the ground. He picked it up and saw that the kernel inside had been hollowed out, so he threw the shell aside.
"Boring, boring."
"Wang Nan" muttered a few times, then reached out and picked a few wild fruits, putting them into his mouth.
"Ptui, ptui, wild fruits are astringent and hard to swallow. Not good, not good."
He walked a few more steps and saw several wild rabbits hiding in the grass. He stroked his chin again, picked up a stone from the ground, and threw it. The rabbits scattered in fright.
"Hehe, wild rabbits are tough and a waste of teeth. Let's go, let's go."
After a few more steps, his vision suddenly widened. He had reached the mountaintop, and looking out, a continuous mountain range stretched before his eyes.
"Wang Nan," dressed in white, stood out prominently on the green mountaintop. An ape-eating eagle in the sky immediately locked onto him and flapped its wings, flying towards him.
"Wang Nan" showed no fear. He raised his right hand, and a smooth, straight branch appeared out of thin air in his hand. No, to be precise, it didn't appear out of thin air; it had always been held in his hand. However, this branch had accompanied him for ten thousand years and had long become a part of his body.
With a gentle flick, it could pick up nuts from the ground. With a forward thrust, and then a retraction, a wild fruit would be placed on it. It was clearly a bare branch, yet it was used as flexibly as a right hand, making people overlook its own existence.
Wang Nan suddenly realized that he wasn't truly in this mountain forest at this moment, but rather, through the opportunity of Fusion with the Spirit Bone, he was witnessing some personal experiences of the Scarlet-Faced White Ape.
As the Spirit Bone further merged, the Coiling Dragon Staff was released and fell into his right hand. Spirit power continuously poured in, and the Coiling Dragon Staff grew longer and heavier. Then, a massive surge of spirit power surged from the Coiling Dragon Staff back into Wang Nan's body, cleansing his body repeatedly.
Wang Nan originally thought "as easy as moving an arm" was just a figure of speech, used to describe the skills provided by the Spirit Bone, but he didn't expect it to be literal.
This Spirit Bone allowed the body and weapon to initially merge, which enhanced the Spirit Master's control over the weapon. However, the previous owner of this Spirit Bone was not a Tool Spirit Master, so they didn't know it could bring even greater changes to a Tool Spirit Master.