Chapter 521 - 521: Another Anomaly? The Child of Stars!

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--- Chapter 521 ---

"The first spirit bone is a right arm bone, likely coming from a lightning-attributed jellyfish-type Spirit Beast," Xing Lan mumbled, examining the two spirit bones encased within the cracked black rock.

"The second is a left leg bone belonging to an Evil Spirit Orca, a species famously known as one of the true sovereigns of the ocean."

"Xiao Yuan, your grandfather mentioned that one of your Spirit Souls is a Great Evil Orca, a lucky Evil Spirit Devil Whale that underwent bloodline atavism. Because of that, this left leg bone is extraordinarily suitable for you."

"However... I don't recommend absorbing it right now."

"We can't be entirely certain if residual resentments within a 100,000-year spirit bone are cleared or not, which could cause serious backfires during the absorption process."

"If your Grandpa Han were here, he could easily suppress and purge the beast's remaining resentment. Unfortunately, he's back in Heaven Dou City, and traveling here would take at least half a day."

"Aunt Lan, please hold onto the spirit bones for now," Han Yuan replied calmly. "I'll inform Grandpa about this later."

"This... Are you really going to hold off on absorbing it, Xiao Yuan?" Mu Xi nudged Han Yuan's shoulder, looking at him with wide eyes.

"This is legendary loot!"

"A 100,000-year Spirit Bone could give your cultivation a massive jump and grant you two powerful spirit skills!"

"No, I won't be absorbing any spirit bones for the time being," Han Yuan shook his head gently. "Though honestly, I'm more surprised that Aunt Lan wasn't tempted to claim them first."

Xing Lan rolled her eyes at him playfully. "Who do you take me for? Even though a 100,000-year Spirit Bone is the ultimate temptation for any Spirit Master, I still understand the bigger picture."

"Besides, do you think I'd rob my own godson of his fortuitous encounter like an ungrateful vulture?"

"Over the past few years, Mu Xi isn't the only one who benefited from your presence, Xiao Yuan."

"Auntie has received her fair share of help too, and my slow, stagnant cultivation has finally started moving again."

"Furthermore... I've already had those respective limb slots," She added with a soft giggle, gesturing toward her right arm and left leg.

"Teacher, you already have Spirit Bones?!" Mu Xi blinked in surprise.

Xing Lan snorted lightly. "Of course! How else do you think I maintained my position as the Dean of Tianxing Academy? Our lineage still possesses a bit of inheritance!"

"Anyway, I'll keep both spirit bones safe in my ring. As for the Whale Glue, I think you two can begin utilizing it under my direct supervision. Judging by the quantity, this should last a month or two."

"A month or two should be more than enough for you, Mu Xi."

"Xiao Yuan, on the other hand... his unique physique is already downright monstrous. With the addition of this 100,000-year Whale Glue, his raw physical strength might genuinely rival a Spirit Saint by the time he finishes it."

"It will only last a month or two?" Han Yuan hadn't expected such a dense block of Whale Glue to deplete so quickly.

Xing Lan sighed helplessly. "What did you expect? Resources as good as Whale Glue have always been monopolized by the major factions."

"With the steady decline of Spirit Beast populations, let alone a thousand-year piece, even a hundred-year block of Whale Glue costs a fortune on the market."

"On top of that, hunting whale-type Spirit Beasts is no simple task—they either travel in massive groups or are guarded by stronger, older deep-sea leviathans."

"What a bleak world... I mean, for the Spirit Beasts," Mu Xi lamented, a look of genuine pity touching her face.

"There's very little that can be done about it right now... As long as Soul Masters remain entirely dependent on spirit rings, spirit bones, and spirit skills, this cycle of consumption will never truly end," Han Yuan observed quietly.

"Even modern Spirit Souls have long strayed from the unified vision that the Ice Spirit Douluo and the Star Dou Forest established ten thousand years ago."

"True peace... peace can never exist when neither side truly understands the other."

"Their suffering isn't seen as ours."

"And neither is their hatred or their kindness."

"Alright, let's not get too deep into philosophical spirals just yet!" Xing Lan gently cut Han Yuan off before his thoughts wandered any further into heavy territory. The boy was far too mature for his own good.

"Let's head back to the villa first. It's almost time for dinner."

"Ah, that's right! Mom said she was going to cook a feast for us tonight!" Mu Xi recalled happily, remembering her mother's earlier promise.

"Mhm, alright." Han Yuan offered a quiet nod.

He knew his internal thoughts had leaned a bit too grim, but he couldn't help it. This world's fundamental laws had been flawed for a very long time.

Upon returning to the villa, Mu Xi enthusiastically told the short story of how Han Yuan casually picked up two 100,000-year-old spirit bones and a block of Whale Glue on a beach walk.

Mu Chen and Yuan Bao'er were left completely speechless.

Looking at the silver-haired boy sitting in their living room, Mu Xi's parents saw him less like a talented junior and more like the elusive, legendary son of luck.

At the same time, they became even more fiercely determined to support their daughter's closeness with him.

With this level of luck, if Mu Xi didn't take complete advantage of being his childhood friend and older sister now, how would she ever compete when he inevitably charmed half the continent in the future?

So, go, get him, Mu Xi!

"Even so... 100,000-year Spirit Bone, two of them, too..." Mu Chen exhaled a long, heavy breath, feeling a sudden wave of helplessness regarding his own strength. "If word of this ever leaked out, I wouldn't even dare claim I could protect you all."

He looked toward Xing Lan admiringly. "Thankfully, Her Excellency Nebula Douluo is accompanying you."

"It's no trouble at all," Xing Lan replied with a reassuring smile. "Protecting them is my responsibility."

As prestigious and influential as Mu Chen was as Eastsea City's sole Saint Craftsman, a blacksmith was still a blacksmith.

His cultivation merely sat at the Spirit Douluo Realm, just a shy step away from the Title Douluo Realm, yet still vulnerable against the true top-tier powerhouses of the current era.

Twenty thousand years ago, the Spirit Douluo Experts were respected, but now? They are merely the lower end of true powerhouses!

"Alright, let's put business aside and enjoy dinner first," Yuan Bao'er said gently, noticing her husband's weary expression and patting his hand comfortingly.

The dinner proceeded without a problem. Yuan Bao'er cooked a seafood feast, allowing Han Yuan to test a motherly cooking for the first time in this life.

Although Mu Ye is a master chef, as expected, he still can't replicate the cooking made with mother's love.

'Did you dare to say that to my face, boy?!' said Mu Ye if he were here.

.

.

Far away from the joyful atmosphere of the villa, in Glorybound City.

A small, golden-haired girl stood silently atop a high-rise building beside a mature-looking woman clad in loose black robes.

"Di Tianyu..." The girl spoke softly. "I've sensed yet another shift in the luck currents of the Spirit Beast Race."

"Lord, could it be the presence of the Silver Dragon King?" The black-robed woman asked with a solemn, respectful expression.

"No... the Silver Dragon King's aura... I already detected it in this very city a year ago. I don't know how she broke her seal in the Divine Realm, but we cannot rule out the possibility that she ultimately fell against those Gods," The golden-haired girl shook her head.

"Perhaps it was merely a bait."

"Yet even if it was a bait, we still need to search for her."

"However... I am no longer certain."

"Because... an existence even more detrimental than the Silver Dragon King has arrived in this world."

She turned her gaze toward the distant horizon, her golden dragon eyes piercing through thousands of miles directly toward the bustling expanse of Eastsea City.

"The Child of Stars!"