Douluo ║ Vermilion Ice Harmony

Soul Bones

Du Weilun said, “Children, seeing as how you were able to defeat three Soul Elders, and have become the champions of the freshmen assessment, I’ve requested that the Academy make an exception and give you another prize. However, there’s only a single prize—which means that you’ll have to choose who to give it to. At the same time, this is the most valuable prize that the Academy has given out in the past three hundred years. Take a look.” After he’d finished speaking, he handed the leather bag to Xue Rui.

Xue Rui reached out her hand and received the leather bag. She subconsciously untied the string holding it closed.

Wang Dong was still feeling somewhat downcast due to Huo Yuhao’s inability to become a core disciple. As a result of this, his excitement towards the reward had dulled greatly.

A ball of yellow light was instantly released from the leather bag without any warning. Under the astonished gazes of the three, it slowly rose into the air.

It was a small yet exquisite bone that seemed to be about the size of one’s palm. It radiated a pale yellow light, which caused the heartbeats of Huo Yuhao’s trio to palpate the instant they saw it.

“This, this is… a soul bone?” Wang Dong asked, an astonished look on his face. Even though Du Weilun had hinted that their prize was extremely valuable, they’d never even thought that it’d be a soul bone. This was a soul bone! This was something that was a hundred times more valuable than a soul ring to a soul master!

If a soul master managed to obtain a soul bone, their strength would immediately go up a level, which would allow them to have an enormous advantage against other soul masters of the same rank. However, a soul master could only have six soul bones at most: The head bone, the torso bone, and the four limb bones. Of the six possible soul bones one could have, the most valuable one was the torso bone. However, it was also the rarest among the six. The head bone was the second most valuable, while the four limb bones were slightly less precious.

Even though that was the case, a soul bone would always be the most precious item at a country’s auction when it was present, regardless of which country the auction was held in. Furthermore, there wasn’t a market where one could simply buy a soul bone. One would need a hundred thousand gold soul coins, at the very minimum, in order to stand a chance at buying one in an auction. More often than not, one would need to barter to obtain a soul bone.

No matter how rich Shrek Academy was, they still didn’t have that many soul-bones stored away. Only the most outstanding students, or students who’d performed extraordinarily meritorious deeds, would have a chance at obtaining a soul bone as a reward. When the Academy handed out a reward such as this, it signified that they thought that the benefits and influence they’d gain in the future outweighed the cost of the soul bone.

Du Weilun smiled. “Didn’t expect that, eh? Correct, your prize is a soul bone. However, you all should know just how valuable soul bones are. Because of this, there’s only a single one despite there being three of you. As such, you’ll have to decide who to give it to after you get back. However, don’t let this soul bone affect your friendship. Even though soul bones are hard to find, good companions are even rarer than soul bones. Now then, I’ll give you guys a quick rundown of this soul bone.”

“This soul bone is something that I chose especially for you guys, as both assault-type and control-type soul masters can use it. It’s a left leg bone known as the ‘Soft Bone Rabbit’s Left Leg Bone’. After fusing with it, a soul master will experience an increase in speed, as well as obtain an offensive skill or if your luck is good, you might get a very good defense skill, that can be activated using their left leg."

With shocked expressions on the trio's faces, they managed to get out of the office after respectfully bidding farewell to Du Weilun.

The instant they stepped out of the building, they all simultaneously stopped walking. Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xue Rui all glanced towards one other, after which Huo Yuhao said, “Let’s give it to Xue Rui.”

Wang Dong nodded. “I agree.”

Although Xue Rui really wanted that soul bone, after hearing their choice she couldn’t help but be moved. "This-"

Wang Dong said, "It's okay. We all know you did a great job in the finals. And without you, our overall chances would be much lower. We might have been seriously injured too. So don't dwell on it!"

Xue Rui smiled and nodded, "Thank you!"

"Wait.” A familiar voice, yet made them shudder, suddenly rang out. They turned to see Zhou Yi slowly approaching them.

“Teacher Zhou.” The trio couldn’t help but feel astonished. Wasn’t Teacher Zhou supposed to have taken the students of Class 1 back to the school buildings with Teacher Wang? Why had she suddenly appeared here?

Zhou Yi looked deeply towards Huo Yuhao, then revealed a rarely-seen look of gratification and satisfaction. “Yuhao, I came to see you. You are worthy to be a disciple of mine. Oh, right. Since you guys were able to become the champions of the freshman tournament, I have a present for you as well.” After she finished speaking, the storage-type soul tool on her hand, which was in the form of a silver bracelet, flashed. A leather bag appeared in her hands, and she passed it to Huo Yuhao.

The leather bag was virtually identical to the one that Director Du Weilun had given them, which instantly flabbergasted the trio.

“It can’t be?” The three said in unison.

Zhou Yi was stunned as well. “What can’t be?”

Xue Rui speechlessly took out the leather bag containing the Soft Bone Rabbit's Left Leg Bone that she’d just put away.

Zhou Yi was instantly astonished. “This is…? Is this the prize the school gave you?”

The trio simultaneously nodded.

Zhou Yi said, "I’m only giving you another soul bone because you deserve it. Do you still remember that match you guys had with Ning Tian, Wu Feng, and Nanmen Yun’er? During that match, I made a bet with their teacher; that’s how I won this soul bone."

Huo Yuhao received the leather bag that Zhou Yi gave him, then turned to Wang Dong. However, Wang Dong immediately faced away from him. “Don’t look at me, I don’t want it. Don’t you think that it’s a little bit too ordinary for me?”

Zhou Yi laughed, "Alright you guys, go back to class. And Xue Rui, you follow me." At last, Huo Yuhao put away the soul bone and followed Wang Dong to class. While Xue Rui followed Zhou Yi to her office, knowing a good lecture was waiting for her.

"Chirp! Chirp!"

Xue Rui looked at the little red bird that suddenly landed on her shoulder for the first time instead of her head. She asked in a low voice while following behind Zhou Yi, "Why are you here?"

"Chirp!"

"Oh, I forgot I don’t understand bird language."