[Ding! Would you like to open the reward now?]
Ah Yin: "Yes!"
[Ding! Congratulations to Blue Silver Emperor Ah Yin for gaining 20,000 years of cultivation, and for an increase in Blue Silver Emperor's life attribute!]
Ah Yin immediately felt a complete improvement in all aspects of her power. She now had 40,000 years of cultivation, but it was still sealed. She had no idea when it would be unsealed.
Having successfully contracted Ah Yin as his spirit soul, Su Ming was content. He decided to explore some of the functions of his spirit soul later, as time was pressing now.
Suddenly, a thought flashed in Su Ming's mind. He looked at one of the Blue Silver Grass plants in the cave, his eyes gleaming mischievously. Xiao Wu noticed and knew he was up to something devious.
Su Ming said to Xiao Wu, "Xiao Wu, give me one of the disguise talismans I gave you. I'm out of them."
Xiao Wu, curious about what Su Ming was planning, handed him one of the talismans.
Su Ming applied the talisman to the Blue Silver Grass plant, and instantly, the plant's leaves took on blue-golden streaks, mimicking the appearance and aura of the Blue Silver Emperor, Ah Yin.
This talisman would last for a year. When Tang Hao returned and found his beloved Ah Yin had seemingly transformed into a regular Blue Silver Grass, Su Ming wondered what he would think. Heh, heh, heh!
"Just to be safe, we should disguise the situation. If Tang Hao suddenly realizes his Ah Yin is missing, we're in trouble."
Ah Yin: …
Xiao Wu silently admired Su Ming's cautiousness.
Since Su Ming possessed a disguise ability, he could alter the aura of his fourth spirit ring, so there was no need to worry about Tang Hao discovering anything suspicious.
Next, Su Ming led Xiao Wu to the spot where Tang Hao had hidden the Blue Silver Emperor's right leg bone.
Ah Yin, now part of Su Ming's spirit, was alarmed as she realized what Su Ming intended to do.
In a serious tone, Su Ming told Xiao Wu, "Xiao Wu, take this transfer talisman. This place holds Ah Yin's hundred-thousand-year soul bone, left after her sacrifice. It carries Tang Hao's imprint, which can't be hidden. Once we touch it, Tang Hao will notice. So, when I say 'go,' use the talisman immediately!"
The transfer talisman was more advanced than the space talisman. While the space talisman allowed for teleportation over a limited distance, the transfer talisman worked like a return scroll, allowing the user to teleport to a previously visited location, and it could carry others along.
Su Ming had only one transfer talisman, but it was perfect for this situation. A hundred-thousand-year soul bone and securing Ah Yin as his spirit soul? Totally worth it!
Xiao Wu nodded solemnly.
Over the years, Su Ming's diary entries had earned him numerous odd rewards, including a variety of functional talismans. However, he hadn't yet received any method for making them himself. If he ever did, it would be revolutionary!
Su Ming took out two concealment talismans, applying them to himself and Xiao Wu. These would hide their presence for five minutes—a lower-level talisman among those Su Ming possessed.
Then, Su Ming located the box containing the soul bone and opened it, confirming it held the hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor's right leg bone.
He then produced an identical soul bone, with the same appearance and aura, stunning both Xiao Wu and Ah Yin. They couldn't believe Su Ming had a copy of the soul bone!
If he had an exact duplicate, why bother taking the original?
But there was no time to ask questions now.
After swapping the bones, Su Ming replaced the box and urgently told Xiao Wu, "Now, Xiao Wu! Use the transfer talisman!"
"Okay!"
Xiao Wu infused the talisman with her spirit power, setting the destination to a secluded spot near Nuoding Academy.
The moment Su Ming touched the box holding Ah Yin's soul bone, Tang Hao's soul power imprint was triggered. Far away in Nuoding City, Tang Hao furrowed his brow as he sensed the disappearance of his imprint in the back mountains of Holy Soul Village—someone had touched his hidden treasure!
Fearing his soul bone had been stolen, Tang Hao unleashed his full power, rushing toward Holy Soul Village.
It wasn't long before Tang Hao reached the spot in the back mountains.
Retrieving the box, he opened it, relieved to find the hundred-thousand-year soul bone still inside. This soul bone was crucial for Tang San after his Blue Silver Emperor bloodline awakened. Losing it would have been catastrophic!
With the soul bone safe, Tang Hao unleashed his Title Douluo-level spiritual power, scanning the entire back mountain. He needed to know why his imprint had disappeared—someone must have been here, as his imprint wouldn't vanish on its own.
Yet after a thorough search, Tang Hao found no trace of suspicious activity. Could it have been a coincidence?
Had his imprint simply expired at this exact moment?
In any case, with the soul bone unharmed, Tang Hao dismissed the rest. If it had been stolen, he would have made the entire Holy Soul Village pay, digging three feet into the ground to find the culprit!
If Su Ming had known Tang Hao's thoughts, he would have breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, he had taken precautions.
As Tang Hao stood there, he figured he might as well visit Ah Yin. Since he was back and Tang San was about to graduate, moving to Shrek Academy would take him far from the village, making visits less convenient.
Arriving at the cave, Tang Hao found the Blue Silver Grass with the blue-golden stripes.
Approaching 'Ah Yin,' he began talking to her, saying goodbye and sharing many thoughts.
After some time, though, Tang Hao grew suspicious. Why wasn't 'Ah Yin' interacting with him as much today? In the past, she would wrap her leaves around his pinky finger, but now, she wasn't moving.
Moreover, her aura seemed much weaker—her cultivation felt like it had regressed to only a hundred years. What was going on?
Tang Hao carefully examined her. Yes, it was definitely Ah Yin's aura, and the blue-golden stripes on the leaves were unmistakable. Only the Blue Silver Emperor had that unique marking!
Shaking his head, Tang Hao dismissed the thought. Perhaps it was just a natural weakening due to the environment. When he had the chance, he would have the Grandmaster study the situation.
What Tang Hao didn't realize was that the 'Blue Silver Emperor' in front of him was just an ordinary Blue Silver Grass.
At this moment, Tang Hao was completely unaware that the "Blue Silver Emperor" in front of him was just an ordinary Blue Silver Grass! The real Blue Silver Emperor, Ah Yin, had already become Su Ming's spirit soul, and her original body had disappeared along with her. That's why this "Blue Silver Emperor" appeared so abnormal.
If Tang Hao could communicate with the Blue Silver Grass, the truth would have been revealed. Unfortunately, there was no such possibility.
One year later, when Tang Hao returns and finds his Ah Yin has turned into an ordinary Blue Silver Grass, what will he feel then?
On the other side, not long ago, Su Ming and Xiao Wu had already transferred to a secluded area within Nuoding Academy. This was a place where the two of them often trained together. Normally, no one else would come here, and it was essentially their personal space. No one in the academy would dare question it!
Xiao Wu was the public leader of the students at Nuoding Academy, while Su Ming was the hidden boss.
Once they arrived, both Su Ming and Xiao Wu relaxed immediately. Ah Yin also emerged from Su Ming's spirit ring and gazed at him.
Xiao Wu then voiced her earlier curiosity: "Su Ming-ge, what was that thing you swapped for the Blue Silver Emperor's right leg bone? It looked and felt so similar!"
Su Ming smiled and explained, "That was also a soul bone, but it was only a hundred-year-old Blue Silver Grass right leg bone. As for how I got it, I can't tell you. It's the only secret I can't share with you both."
Ah Yin and Xiao Wu exchanged a glance: Don't think we don't know! That thing definitely came from your system. There's no way a Blue Silver Grass could drop a hundred-year soul bone—it's practically impossible!
Su Ming continued, "Even though that Blue Silver Grass soul bone was only at the hundred-year level, I used a special process to make its aura and appearance identical to the ten-thousand-year soul bone that Ah Yin produced."
Ah Yin then spoke to Su Ming and Xiao Wu telepathically, "I'm not going to question where you got that from, but I do have a question: was this really necessary? Why bother leaving a fake behind? You could've just taken the original and left."
Su Ming smirked coldly and replied, "Ah Yin, trust me. If I hadn't left a fake, your so-called Tang Hao would have massacred the entire village. Don't believe me? I know him better than you do. You don't have to believe me now, but time will prove it."
Su Ming wasn't wrong. When Tang Hao initially realized his imprint was gone, he really had the thought of slaughtering the whole village. To him, the lives of the villagers weren't worth as much as the ten-thousand-year soul bone.
And what did it matter if they were just ordinary people who hadn't awakened their spirit power? Wiping them out wouldn't change anything!
Su Ming continued, "Do you really think your sacrifice was just a coincidence? Why did Tang Hao keep dragging you around even while you were pregnant? Anyone with common sense knows you should hide until after giving birth! As a member of the Clear Sky Clan, he definitely knew better. And at the time, his spirit power had conveniently just reached level ninety, meaning you could sacrifice yourself for him. Don't you think that's too coincidental?"
"If his spirit power had been at level eighty-seven or eighty-eight, you wouldn't have been able to sacrifice yourself, and both of you would've died. And it just so happened that you were discovered by the previous Pope of Spirit Hall, Qian Xunji. All these coincidences—haven't you ever thought that something wasn't right?"
Ah Yin trembled at Su Ming's words. Even though she had learned about these things from Su Ming's diary, hearing them from his mouth made it harder for her to accept!
She tried to argue, "But after I sacrificed myself, Hao became so broken… He drank every day. He wasn't like that before."
Ah Yin was trying to use this as a reason to convince herself.
Su Ming, sensing that Ah Yin still wasn't convinced, added fuel to the fire, smirking, "I don't know why he acted that way, but what if he was faking it? If he truly felt guilty, why did he leave you in such a damp and dark place? He should have taken you to the Blue Silver Emperor's ancestral land!"
Ah Yin was shocked. "How do you know about the Blue Silver Emperor's ancestral land?"
Of course, Ah Yin knew about it, but she had to feign ignorance.
Su Ming replied, "You're the emperor of a species. How could you not have an ancestral land? That would be ridiculous."
He delivered a final blow: "I've said everything I needed to. When you reach ten-thousand-year cultivation and can reform your body, I'll let you confront Tang Hao and find out the truth. Then you can decide whether to give up on him. As it stands, I think you're wasting your feelings."
Xiao Wu, who had been listening all along, spoke up: "Aunt Ah Yin, I think Su Ming-ge makes a lot of sense. You should really think about it. After all, I'm just like you—both of us are spirit beasts who transformed into humans. We're on the same side!"
Ah Yin gave Su Ming and Xiao Wu a complicated look before retreating into the spirit ring. She really needed time to process everything.
With Ah Yin gone, Su Ming turned to Xiao Wu and said, "Let's head back and rest for a bit. In a few days, we'll be heading to Shrek Academy. I can't wait to see if that place is really as great as the Grandmaster claims. I hope I won't be disappointed!"
Xiao Wu thought: Don't you already know exactly what Shrek Academy is like? Besides, if it's so amazing, why would it be in such a remote area?
However, she remembered that the Grandmaster had mentioned that the head of Shrek Academy was his brother and part of the Golden Iron Triangle, with a power level of seventy-eight. That was indeed quite impressive.
Most academy heads weren't nearly as strong.
As Su Ming and Xiao Wu made their way back to Dorm Seven, Su Ming casually started writing in his diary. He hadn't had a chance to write yet today, and after everything he had done, it felt good to relax a bit. He also hoped that the system would reward him with more transfer talismans—he had only received that one over the years, and honestly, it was the most functional and useful talisman he had ever gotten!
[Today, Xiao Wu and I returned from Holy Soul Village. In a few days, we'll set out for Shrek Academy. I'm really looking forward to meeting the little witch, Ning Rongrong, and the cat, Zhu Zhuqing!]
Ning Rongrong was equally excited, thinking: I've been waiting for this day for so long. If it weren't for the system's rules, I would've already run to Nuoding Academy to meet Su Ming!
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