Musu Town, Martial Soul Branch Hall!
A blue flower floated out, its pale blue pollen turning into mist. The petals at the base resembled a lotus platform, and the blue mist rose along the petals, making it look like a lotus flower burning with blue flames.
Even from its appearance, one could tell this flower was extraordinary; it was incredibly pure, and the blue flames looked so noble.
However, the most striking feature was the four halos surrounding it, yellow and purple.
At this moment, the uppermost purple halo lit up.
The blue mist poured down, landing on Ma Ming's body and merging into it. The two holes in his abdomen closed at a visible speed.
In no time, all of Ma Ming's wounds were healed, and there were no visible signs of injury on his body.
However, Ma Ming remained unconscious and did not wake up.
"Hall Master, how is he now!"
Lan Shuizhi did not answer Ma Ping's question. She stretched out her hand, and the blue lotus flower floated into her hand, slowly merging into her body.
This was her Martial Soul.
Lan
Shuizhi, the Hall Master of the Martial Soul Branch Hall in Musu Town, is a level 40+ weapon spirit support-type Battle Soul Master.
She should be of the same generation as Ma Ping, but her appearance belies her age; time has left no trace on her face, and her beauty, like her martial soul, is elegant and noble.
"Master Lan, is my father alright?"
Ma Hongjun asked again, pleadingly.
Lan Shuizhi's expression softened slightly upon seeing Ma Hongjun. Her voice was clear and melodious, seemingly capable of striking the heart. She calmly said, "He's not in mortal danger, but he may have difficulty standing up again!"
Ma Hongjun anxiously asked, "Master, what do you mean? Why can't he stand up?"
Lan Shuizhi remained calm. She had saved countless people, many more seriously injured than Ma Ming, so she was accustomed to the various emotions of their families and understood their worries and sorrows.
"His injuries are too severe. Almost all of his internal organs were dislocated, his ribs are basically shattered, and his spine is broken into eight pieces. Three of his internal organs were pierced. It was only because you brought him here in time that I was able to stabilize his injuries, heal his wounds, and save his life.
However, my Blue Flame Lotus only has one healing effect; it can only heal his flesh wounds, not his bone injuries. Too many bones in his chest and abdomen are broken; he will be bedridden for the rest of his life." Lan Shuizhi
's words were like a bolt from the blue, sending a chill down Ma Hongjun's spine.
"Is there really no other way?"
Ma Ping asked, unwilling to give up, sounding helpless.
"It's not that there's no way, but it's very difficult, not something an ordinary person can do, and it also depends on luck!"
Lan Shuizhi said with a troubled look in her eyes.
"What other way is there, Master Lan? Please enlighten me. No matter how difficult it is, I will not give up," Ma Hongjun said hysterically.
"The best treatment for a Soul Master's bone injuries is, of course, a Soul Bone. Your father's chest and abdominal bones are almost completely broken; only the Soul Bone in his torso can replace them, allowing him to stand up again."
Upon hearing this, everyone present sighed. For them, Soul Bones were something unattainable. With most of their cultivation levels and savings, obtaining a Soul Bone was simply impossible; they could only dream of it.
A Soul Bone is an extremely special item, or rather, it's the item a Soul Master most desperately wants. Similar to Soul Rings, Soul Bones also originate from Soul Beasts.
However, they are vastly different. First, the probability of a Soul Bone appearing is only one in a thousand, or even lower. Generally, only extremely powerful Soul Beasts that have undergone special circumstances at the time of their death have a chance to produce a Soul Bone. Unlike Soul Rings, which appear with every Soul Beast, Soul Bones are extremely rare and precious.
Another difference between Soul Bones and Soul Rings is that, unlike Soul Rings, it doesn't require the killer to use the Soul Beast. Soul Bones can be sold after being obtained.
However, any soul bone, even the most ordinary one, is incredibly expensive. And there's no market for them.
Ma Ping was already in despair; soul bones were simply unaffordable, even if he sold the entire Ma Family Village.
"Just a torso soul bone?" Ma Hongjun asked, his tone slightly relaxed yet firm.
Soul bones were indeed hard to find; sometimes even with strength, finding a suitable one wasn't guaranteed—it depended on luck. But if it was just a torso bone, without other requirements, Ma Hongjun felt it wouldn't be a problem. As
long as he grew stronger and earned more gold soul coins, he could definitely find a torso soul bone. Even with bad luck and a small chance, it was just a matter of killing more soul beasts; he'd find one eventually.
Ma Hongjun didn't care about anything else; he was willing to do anything to cure his father.
"Not only that, the torso soul bone is just the material; it also requires a powerful healing-type soul master to help it integrate with the soul bone. I can't do that either. In my knowledge, only one type of martial soul can do it."
"What martial soul?"
"You probably haven't heard of it. It's very peculiar, rarely known, and only has a great reputation among support-type martial souls. It can be said to be a miracle in the soul master world. Because no matter how many soul rings it has, it only has one soul skill: healing. And it's extremely rare, arguably the rarest martial soul in the Douluo Continent. At most, no more than two people in the entire soul master world possess this martial soul, because only when one dies can another be born."
After hearing Lan Shuizhi's conditions, Ma Hongjun had already guessed the martial soul.
"Nine-Heart Begonia!"
When Lan Shuizhi said it, sure enough, no one present knew it.
Even the erudite Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang only learned about this spirit from Ning Rongrong, so how could ordinary spirit masters like them possibly know?
Lan Shuizhi only knew that this spirit existed, but didn't know where the person who possessed it was, which was one of the reasons she said it would be very difficult to cure Ma Ming.
However, this wasn't a problem for Ma Hongjun; the difficulty was actually less than finding the torso spirit bone.
Because if nothing unexpected happened, in six years at the Soto City Grand Soul Arena, the Shrek Seven Devils would face the Royal Fighting Team, and in the Royal Fighting Team, there was a support-type spirit master named Ye Lingling, whose spirit was the Nine-Hearted Begonia.
"Thank you, Master Lan!"
Ma Hongjun already had a plan in mind; he had to put Ma Ming's matter aside for now, as there was no other way.
Then, under Ma Ping's guidance, and with the presence of Palace Master Lan Shuizhi and the crowd,
Ma Hongjun underwent spirit master certification.
A yellow hundred-year spirit ring proved his identity as a spirit master.
In the yellow crystal ball test, Ma Hongjun controlled his spirit power, not releasing it all, and the test result was level thirteen.
Ma Hongjun, six years old, with a Silver Spear as his weapon spirit, is a level 13 power-attack type battle spirit master.
Even with his strength concealed, this is still a shocking certification result.
Lan Shuizhi was absent from the last spirit awakening ceremony, only learning later from Ma Ping's report that he possessed innate full spirit power and a mutated spirit spirit. Therefore, she had always held an appreciative attitude towards Ma Hongjun. Now,
witnessing his potential firsthand, her elegant and noble face was no longer calm, but covered by surprise and joy.
Immediately, she once again, in her capacity as the branch hall master of the Spirit Hall, sincerely invited Ma Hongjun to join the Spirit Hall.
Ma Hongjun smiled helplessly and slowly shook his head.
In the end, he politely declined her invitation, saying he would decide when he was older.
Lan Shuizhi was disappointed, but there was nothing she could do but respect Ma Hongjun's decision. She also told Ma Hongjun that the doors of the Spirit Hall were always open to him and hoped that he would join the Spirit Hall soon, where he could receive comprehensive training as a spirit master.
With Ma Ping's help, Ma Hongjun hired a horse-drawn carriage and, carrying his unconscious father Ma Ming, slowly and steadily made his way to Ma Family Village.
Along the way, Ma Hongjun's eyes were bloodshot, and countless thoughts raced through his mind. He wondered how to face his mother, who was anxiously waiting at home, and how to tell her,
"The man she loved most might never stand up again!"