When Ye Wen took out the soul bone from the storage-type soul-guiding tool, his disdain grew even stronger.
In the original timeline, there was very little description of this soul bone. It was simply mentioned as a left leg bone that could enhance physical attributes and provide an offensive soul skill—nothing more.
From Ye Wen's perspective, this soul bone didn't even reach the ten-thousand-year level. Its final owner in the original story had been Xiao Xiao, who received it through her teammates' goodwill because she was female.
Xiao Xiao also possessed twin spirits, though Shrek Academy was still unaware of this. But to pair her with such a subpar soul bone—one not even close to the ten-thousand-year mark—wasn't that rather insulting?
As for Huo Yuhao, if he hadn't been taken as a disciple by Zhou Yi's husband, Fan Yu, in the original timeline, would Zhou Yi have gifted him the blood-soaked secret technique soul bone she won in a bet?
Oh, right—in this world, Zhou Yi and Huo Yu'er didn't share such a close relationship, so Huo Yu'er likely never received that bloody secret technique soul bone.
Tang Wulin merely glanced at the soul bone with an indifferent gaze. Given his family background, what rare treasures hadn't he seen? A soul bone below the ten-thousand-year level wasn't even worth a second glance.
As for Xiao Xiao, her eyes lit up slightly, but she remained silent, knowing full well that their team's victory was due to whose strength.
However, an unexpected scene unfolded before everyone's eyes—Ye Wen placed the soul bone back on Director Du's desk.
At this moment, Ye Wen inwardly scoffed at Shrek Academy's foolish move. If they were going to play such idiotic games, then they couldn't blame him for driving a wedge between Shrek and this world's chosen child.
Director Du was the first to voice his confusion.
"Huo Yuer, what is the meaning of this?"
Ye Wen already had his response prepared and spoke without hesitation.
"Director Du, accepting this soul bone would leave us undeserving and unable to handle its burden.
We know this item is a blood river treasure. Should news of it leak out, our combined strength wouldn't be enough to protect it. Therefore, I humbly request that this soul bone be exchanged for other cultivation resources—even gold soul coins would suffice."
Director Du was no fool and immediately understood Ye Wen's implication. However, as the proud director of Shrek's outer court over the past thousand years, he couldn't let this slight go unchallenged.
"Huo Yu'er, are you suggesting that our Shrek Academy would leak the reward's existence, leading to your persecution?"
Ye Wen calmly shook his head.
In the original timeline, news of this soul bone did indeed leak—but not because of Shrek. Instead, it was Huo Yuhao, blinded by hatred, who exposed it himself.
Even so, if Xiao Xiao, after fusing with the soul bone, were to reveal her possession of it before becoming strong enough, she would undoubtedly become a target for malicious attacks.
After all, the Douluo Continent of today was not the same as it was ten thousand years ago. This era's Douluo Continent was spiraling into unprecedented chaos.
"Director Du, as the saying goes, 'A thief can only steal for a thousand days, but one cannot guard against thieves for a thousand days.' As long as this soul bone remains with us, it will eventually be exposed. If our strength isn't sufficient, once it's revealed, we'll face endless pursuit and assassination."
Director Du tried to interject, but Ye Wen cut him off again.
"Moreover, Director Du, this soul bone doesn't even reach the ten-thousand-year level. With our three talents, we deserve better soul bones in the future. Why not exchange this subpar soul bone for resources we can actually use in our cultivation?
If that's truly impossible, we can accept it—but let me make one thing clear, Director Du. Once we take this soul bone, we'll auction it off, and the proceeds will be split equally among us three."
Director Du carefully considered Ye Wen's words and found them reasonable. If any of the three—Huo Yuer, Tang Wu Lin, or Xiao Xiao—fused with this soul bone, using it in the future would inevitably expose them. Even with Soul Sage-level strength, they might not be able to protect it. The treasures of the Blood River were not to be trifled with.
At this moment, Director Du began to regret impulsively approving this reward.
Tang Wulin, though surprised by Huo Yuer's sudden eloquence compared to her usual carefree demeanor, didn't dwell on it too much.
On the other hand, Xiao Xiao looked at Huo Yuer with shining eyes, amazed that her best friend dared to speak to the prestigious Director Du in such a manner—it was incredibly impressive!
Meanwhile, within Huo Yu'er's consciousness, she reflected on her master's earlier words.
Upon further thought, if she accidentally exposed this soul bone in the future without her master's protection…
The mere thought sent shivers down her spine.
She even began to suspect Shrek Academy's ulterior motives. After spending so much time at Shrek, Huo Yuer had noticed how few commoner students there were.
Cases of noble-born students bullying commoners weren't uncommon—Jiang Nannan had told her plenty of such stories.
The reason Jiang Nannan and Huo Yu'er hadn't faced such bullying was because either they were exceptionally talented or overwhelmingly strong. Otherwise, their fate would have been just as tragic.
Seeing Director Du hesitate for so long, Ye Wen cursed inwardly about indecisiveness and reached out to take the soul bone back.
At this moment, Director Du finally made up his mind and stopped Ye Wen's hand.
"Huo Yu'er, you're absolutely right. This was my oversight as your teacher."
With that, Director Du retrieved the soul bone and placed it back into his storage ring. He then rummaged through the bookshelf and pulled out ten gold soul coin cards, handing them to Huo Yuer.
"Here are ten gold soul coin cards, each worth 10,000 gold soul coins. You three decide how to divide them. I have matters to attend to, so I won't keep you any longer."
Ye Wen calmly accepted the cards and left with Tang Wulin and Xiao Xiao.
Within Huo Yu'er's consciousness, she had never seen so much money before. Even her thriving grilled fish shop hadn't accumulated such a large sum in such a short time.
However, Ye Wen's next words ignited her fury.
"What are you so happy about? That soul bone, if auctioned, would fetch far more than 100,000 gold soul coins. Your team just took a loss."
"What!? Ah—@%**≠>"
Huo Yu'er was a genius with a good personality, but unfortunately, she was also a complete money lover—a result of her childhood trauma. As she cursed louder and dirtier, Ye Wen simply blocked her out.
In the end, Ye Wen allocated 40,000 gold soul coins to Huo Yu'er and divided the remaining 60,000 equally between Tang Wulin and Xiao Xiao. Neither of them objected, as Huo Yuer had clearly contributed the most during the battle. Their roles, while notable, were ultimately supportive.
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