On the outskirts of the Frozen Forest, a cold wind swept through the trees,carrying a chilling edge.
Haote looked at the boy beside him, his eyes filled with admiration.
"Little Mirror, I've never seen such a genius as you. At your cultivation speed, you'll probably surpass me soon. You might not, but you definitely can become one of the continent's top Title Douluo!"
He patted Dongfang Jing's shoulder, grinned, revealing his snow-white teeth: "Since you call me 'Big Brother,' I'll have to rely on you from now on! The stronger you become, the stronger my backing will be, right?"
Hearing these heartfelt words,whether true or false,
Dongfang Jing felt the other's sincerity.
His eyes flickered slightly, he pursed his lips, and after a moment of silence, he solemnly nodded: "Don't worry, Big Brother, I will definitely become a Title Douluo!"
After a slight pause, he pushed the soul beast materials in his hand forward: "However, you should still accept these."
Since he had already said this much,
Hao Te saw that he insisted, so he didn't refuse anymore and accepted them with a smile: "Alright, then I won't be polite!"
He put the materials into his soul tool,and then leaned closer and asked in a low voice: "By the way, Little Mirror, did you really absorb that soul bone? How come I've never heard of eyeball-type soul bones? Show it to me?"
Hao Te looked curious, but Dongfang Jing was even more confused.
After all, he hadn't read the original work, and the books sold on the market didn't record any specific information about soul bones.
Ordinary soul masters only knew of the existence of such treasures through word of mouth.
Dongfang Jing gently touched his eyeball through his eyelids.
Well, he couldn't feel anything.
But he could clearly feel a strange and hidden energy hidden deep in his eyes.
With a slight thought, he raised his right hand.
A mirror appeared in his palm,and he attempted to activate it with his soul power.
After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes.
His originally deep purple pupils now showed a strange change.
The outermost layer of his pupil was covered by an extremely thin, almost transparent crystalline lens.
It wasn't a single, solid piece,but rather composed of countless tiny, irregularly shaped polygonal fragments.
The patterns were like cracks in ice, almost imperceptible without close inspection.
"My goodness!"
Hao Te leaned closer, his eyes wide.
"Does it have any special abilities?"
Dongfang Jing focused intently, trying to control it, fine beads of sweat gradually forming on his forehead.
"What? Is it hard to control?"
He nodded slightly, his voice a little dry. "It's a bit difficult."
Hao Te stroked the rough stubble on his chin, thoughtfully. "Perhaps it's because you've just fused with it; you need some time to adapt. Don't rush, you'll gradually become more proficient, and one day you'll master it."
Dongfang Jing didn't speak, continuing to channel his soul power.
Gradually, the purple in his eyes lightened slightly, forming a cold, silvery-gray.
And those tiny polygonal fragments began to rotate extremely slowly, each in a clockwise direction.
The speed was slow, but if you stared closely, you could perceive their silent movement.
It resembled a constantly flowing vortex composed of countless tiny mirrors.
The longer one stared, the more disoriented and mesmerizing it became.
"Uh,"
Dongfang Jing suddenly groaned, instinctively covering his eyes.
Haote quickly dissuaded him, "That's enough, don't be stubborn. You'll understand the abilities of your soul bone later."
After a short while, Dongfang Jing lowered his hand and said in a low voice, "I feel this isn't an offensive or destructive soul bone; it's more of a support type."
"Hmm," Haote agreed, "After all, it came from a Mirror Shadow Beast. While the Mirror Shadow Beast is strong, its attack methods are quite limited. It's reasonable that the soul bone isn't offensive."
Dongfang Jing rubbed his temples, but his brows remained furrowed. "Soul bones generally have six parts: head, torso, left and right arms, left and right legs. What about these eyeballs?"
Seeing the boy still confused, Haote patted his shoulders heavily and laughed loudly, "Don't be impatient. How old are you? You have a long road ahead! Once you enter an advanced soul master academy and study systematically, you might be able to find information about this soul bone."
"Academy?"
Dongfang Jing looked up. "Brother Haote, could you tell me more about it?"
"Sure, I've rested enough."
Haote glanced at the sky. "Let's talk as we walk. Speaking of academies, we have to mention the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament."
The Icefield Hound Tavern in Shuilan City swayed gently in the breeze.
Inside, the tavern was bustling with noise, and the aroma of ale filled the air.
"Brother, it's on me!
Thank you so much this time." Dongfang Jing filled Haote's glass.
Haote waved his hand, laughing heartily, "We're all brothers, no need for formalities! If you need anything, just call me Haote!"
Dongfang Jing smiled and then asked, "What are your plans for the future, brother?" Haote downed his beer in one gulp, paused for a moment, his expression turning serious, "To be honest, brother, after learning that there are geniuses like you in the world, I feel a little resentful."
He gripped his glass tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white, "So I've decided to take some time to reflect, and then go to the far north to gain some experience."
"The far north?"
The young man frowned, "The one known as the forbidden zone for humans?"
"Yes, if you follow the Frozen Forest north to its end, you'll reach the far north."
Seeing that Dongfang Jing seemed about to persuade him further, Haote raised his hand to interrupt, his gaze firm: "Brother, don't try to persuade me further. My mind is made up. There's no shortcut to becoming stronger." He refilled his cup, his tone becoming more serious: "Take you, Dongfang Jing. Although I don't know why your soul ring age is so outrageous, and I won't ask, everyone has their secrets. But I believe you must have suffered a lot to achieve your current strength. Am I wrong?"
Dongfang Jing shook his head slightly, speechless.
Haote's words were absolutely right. Although he had gained an opportunity , he had never slacked off in the slightest. The effort he had put in was no less than anyone else's.
Thinking of this, he poured himself a cup of tea and solemnly raised it to Haote: "Brother, I offer this tea in place of wine, wishing you success and a safe return!"
"Great! Cheers!"
After parting with Haote,Dongfang Jing walked alone on the road back to the Seven Treasures Inn.
As the sun set, its afterglow cast a long shadow over him.
This journey through the Frozen Forest had been incredibly significant for him.
He had witnessed the ugliness of humanity and experienced the coldness and warmth of human relationships.
There were greedy individuals who would kill their own companions for a soul bone. There were also those like Hao Te who remained true to their principles.
This made Dongfang Jing ponder deeply are humans inherently evil or inherently good?
Wang Kun of the apothecary in Lingfeng City, outwardly friendly but harboring malicious intentions, was evil.
Those soul masters who had just killed without hesitation for a soul bone were even more blatantly evil.
In this world, the strong prey on the weak, and profit reigns supreme.
"Evil" seems to be a more universal and direct driving force.
Just as soul beasts hunt for survival and humans plunder for desire, their essence is no different.Protecting his sister and constantly improving his strength wasn't he also fighting against this omnipresent "evil"?
But his adoptive parents, both low-level Soul Masters, raised him with kindness and love, giving him a kinship he had never dared to hope for. Was that "evil"?
His younger sister, Dongfang Yao, relied on, trusted, and protected him like a little sun, pure and untainted. Was that "evil"?
His older brother, Hao Te, far surpassed him in strength, yet kept his promises, never greedy or robbed, and even repeatedly protected him. Was that also "evil"?
Dongfang Jing gazed at the slowly setting sun, his shattered mirror-like eyes silently shifting.
He couldn't arrive at a black-and-white answer.
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