"Elder Lin!"
Ma Xiaotao spoke up on Huo Yuhao's behalf,
"This Taichi, every teacher who's learned it sings its praises. A lot of people in Sea God's Pavilion want it, right?"
"If you buy it outright like this, and the other Elders find out, they'll definitely cause trouble for little Yuhao."
"How about sending word back first? We could hold a small auction instead."
"Including that Muscle Transformation Manual too. I doubt many in the Inner Court even recognize its worth—why not auction them together?"
Huo Yuhao gave Ma Xiaotao a grateful glance. As expected of you, Sister Xiaotao!
Lin Huiqun's expression immediately darkened.
She tapped Ma Xiaotao on the forehead, her face full of heartache.
"You little brat, always siding with outsiders. Have you forgotten how much I doted on you before?"
"Of course not." Ma Xiaotao grinned. "But little Yuhao taught me the Muscle Transformation Manual. It let me cultivate at full strength. Next year's Soul Master Tournament, I might even be Shrek's first seven-ring Soul Sage in ten thousand years at my age. That's a kindness like being reborn."
Lin Huiqun was helpless.
"I understand. I'll set it up."
"Remember to tell everyone to bring plenty of resources~" Ma Xiaotao reminded with a playful tone. "A little gold soul coin is fine, but we'll never have too many soul bones or herbs, yeah~"
Lin Huiqun shot her a glare, then nodded lightly toward Huo Yuhao.
"As a gift for our first meeting, you can pick anything today—up to three items for free. The rest, thirty percent off."
Without giving Huo Yuhao a chance to refuse, she soared off into the sky.
The waiting maid stepped forward, ready to explain things.
But Ma Xiaotao cut her off.
"No need to assess credit limits. While Elder Lin isn't here, follow me and rush straight into the Inner Court's showcase!"
"If you see something you like, grab it! We're all members of the Holy Flame Sect, just put it on my tab—we'll settle later!"
"Charge!"
With Ma Xiaotao leading the way, they stormed past the filler displays on the first floor and headed straight for the Inner Court section on the second floor.
Here, every booth was protected by a crystal dome, with all sorts of treasures displayed inside.
Everyone's eyes scattered, quickly locking onto items that caught their interest.
Huo Yuhao didn't feel anything in particular. He followed Wang Dong toward the central showcase.
Inside rested a golden-red left arm soul bone.
A plaque in front of the case listed the details:
---
Golden Radiance Left Arm Bone!
Origin: 14,000-year-old Golden Earth Dragon King.
Suitable for assault-type soul masters with light attribute.
Price: 9,500,000 gold soul coins!
Wide-eyed, Huo Yuhao blurted out, "Holy crap!"
How many zeros is that…?
Wang Dong, however, sighed regretfully.
"What's wrong, not enough money?" Huo Yuhao asked with concern. "I can buy it first, and later you can—"
"No, the money's fine." Wang Dong shook his head. "It's the age. After absorbing the torso bone of the Holy Radiance Dragon Horse, anything under fifty thousand years feels beneath me… Even if this one comes from the Golden Earth Dragon King and isn't weaker in theory, it's still not fifty thousand."
"I see…"
"Brother Lan, you can increase the age of a soul bone, right? Maybe tweak the appearance too?" Huo Yuhao asked hopefully.
"No problem," Zhuge Lan replied. "But you only have around fifty thousand fortune points left. How many years do you want to raise it to?"
Huo Yuhao fell silent.
Of course, he wanted to raise it to fifty thousand.
But while the fortune points was his, it also belonged to every being inside his spiritual world.
Spending that much just for someone else…
Inside his spiritual sea, Tianmeng Iceworm and Electrolux were already arguing.
"That girl clearly likes Yuhao too. Just spend a little," Electrolux said generously.
"No way!" Tianmeng retorted. "The road to godhood is full of hardships, and you want to split resources with others? What if we fall short because of this?"
"A solitary path is far too harsh. The godhood trial can be walked with companions," Electrolux countered. "The original Shrek Seven Monsters all became gods together, didn't they?"
"But Zhuge already said, several of them had behind-the-scenes help!" Tianmeng pressed. "Wouldn't spending this thirty thousand-plus fortune points on Yuhao himself be better? I'm about to take him to the Extreme North for new opportunities. We need to keep reserves, just in case."
…
The two argued heatedly, neither yielding.
So they dragged Huo Yuhao into the discussion.
After learning the situation, Yuhao didn't dare pick a side. He turned to Zhuge Lan for help.
Zhuge Lan glanced at the quarreling two, then at his own 1.03 million-point fortune vault.
After a moment's thought, he offered a compromise:
"Let Wang Dong absorb it first. Later, if you come across something better, I can replace it in one click. The fee depends on the age difference, but it'll definitely cost less than thirty thousand."
Electrolux and Tianmeng fell quiet.
"That's a good idea," Tianmeng admitted.
Thirty-six thousand versus thirty thousand max—they could do the math.
"If there's extra fortune value later, we can still increase the age," Electrolux added.
Tianmeng: "..."
Forget it. Can't win against him. At least we're not spending it right now.
Consensus reached.
Huo Yuhao carefully phrased his words and relayed the "replaceable soul bone" concept to Wang Dong using "Demigod Brother Lan" as the source.
Wang Dong's eyes went wide with disbelief.
Soul bones can be replaced? Never heard of such a thing!
But when he met Huo Yuhao's firm gaze, he believed it.
Without hesitation, he summoned the maid, pulled out his gold card, and prepared to buy the soul bone.
Unexpectedly,
Another gold card slapped down on the maid's tray first.
The two looked up.
A tall man stood there, his flowing golden hair making Huo Yuhao frown instinctively.
This man stirred up unpleasant memories…
"I'll buy this soul bone, and gift it to you, Huo Yuhao." The blond man smiled warmly. "Allow me to introduce myself—Dai Yaoheng."
Yuhao's suppressed emotions erupted instantly!
The Duchess had two biological sons.
The younger, Dai Huabin, was considered talented—already a three-ring Soul Elder at age thirteen.
Yet even he lived in the shadow of his elder brother.
This very man, Dai Yaoheng!
Wang Dong didn't know the backstory, but he stood firmly by Huo Yuhao's side.
"No need. We can afford it ourselves."
"Yuhao," Dai Yaoheng said earnestly, "I've been cultivating at the Academy for a long time. I truly knew nothing of what went on in the Duke's Mansion. Otherwise, I would never have let—"
"Get lost!" Huo Yuhao growled through clenched teeth. "As a beneficiary of it all, your silence is consent! Stop pretending!"
The commotion drew many eyes.
Seeing who Huo Yuhao was clashing with, his companions hurried over.
Ma Xiaotao immediately exploded,
"Dai Yaoheng!"
"Trying to stand up for your useless little brother?"
"If I don't roast you into a bald white tiger today, I'll take your surname instead!"
Xu Sanshi and Beibei also stood protectively in front of Huo Yuhao, their eyes hostile.
Dai Yaoheng glanced around, spotting Ning Tian—the current little sect master of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
A headache struck instantly.
Those ants he once dismissed as beneath notice… when had they gained such formidable backings?
Even the least conspicuous Lan sisters possessed a martial soul fusion skill, something his father, Duke Dai Hao, desperately wanted to win over.
He cursed Dai Huabin's stupidity in his heart.
Why couldn't he just let Mother handle it?
Why stir up trouble trying to prove himself?
Now, all Dai Yaoheng could do was attempt to make amends.
"Yuhao…"
___
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