Douluo Continent: The Eternal Order of the Azure Sky.

……

I wonder if that rune has been discovered?

Immersed in a medicinal bath made from a variety of rare herbs, Kong Tianxu thought to himself, completely relaxed. Although the Myriad Beginnings Returning to Origin Domain continuously purifies the medicinal power in the water, under his deliberate control, some of its effects are still retained.

Moreover, as he had told Cain before, the minor injury had already basically healed, and the medicinal bath was only to completely eliminate the possibility of any lingering hidden injuries.

This once again demonstrates the powerful enhancement that the Body Spirit provides to the physical body. If an ordinary Soul Master were to withstand the final impact of the Elemental Creed, a broken arm would be the least of their worries. And as his understanding of the Body Spirit deepens in the future, he will be able to control every blood vessel, muscle, and even bone at will.

Chapter 26 Ten Thousand Years, The Silver Dragon's Head as a Divine Punishment

As for the mark on Ma Xiaotao's dantian, it was a backup plan he made casually. When the distance is close enough, he can seal the opponent's soul power at any time, and if necessary, it is not impossible to cause the opponent to suffer a qi deviation or even die instantly.

With his control over the elements, he doesn't need to worry about being detected. As long as he doesn't actively trigger it, it really is just the ultimate ice sealing the evil fire, and even Mu En wouldn't be able to detect anything.

The other party can even benefit from it, allowing them to focus on cultivation and combat without being eroded or disturbed by the evil fire before breaking through to the seventh ring.

Hopefully, this backup plan won't need to be used. Kong Tianxu pondered this in his heart, his Saintly Essence quietly circulating.

He no longer needs to maintain a state of complete meditation; with his fourth soul ring and the Myriad Origins Domain working simultaneously, he can begin cultivating anytime, anywhere. Of course, the effects will be considerably less.

After quickly tidying himself up, he returned to his bedroom, only to find Kong Deming already waiting for him. Upon seeing him, Kong Deming immediately waved.

"Xu'er, close the door. Grandpa has something for you."

"Okay, Grandpa."

Kong Tianxu closed the door tightly. He channeled his soul power into the room, and the isolation soul-guided device that enveloped the entire room automatically activated, blocking all auras inside.

"Grandpa, what is it?"

Walking quickly to the opposite side of Kong Deming, Kong Tianxu asked with great interest.

Kong Deming smiled mysteriously, and with a flash of silver light, a necklace suddenly appeared.

Without the need for soul power to activate it, the necklace floated in the air on its own, its silver light flowing, and its surface, with its intricate patterns, even shimmered with a seven-colored luster.

This is……

Star sapphire? And diamond gold! Kong Tianxu was somewhat surprised, but at first glance he recognized two extremely rare materials.

Starsapphire is a magical gemstone containing immense energy, making it the best medium for crafting spatial soul tools. Diamonds and refined gold are even more extraordinary, and are primarily used only in the creation of level nine soul tools.

However, before he could examine it closely, a call somewhat similar to the one he had heard in the Starry Sky Forest came, forcing him to focus his attention on the pendant.

It was a silver skull, no bigger than an adult's fingertip, with a brilliant aura flowing within it. The breathing silver aura seemed alive, flickering with the intermittent appearance of seven-colored light. When the two resonated together, the silver skull instantly became transparent, as clear and translucent as silver crystal.

Just as Kong Tianxu was engrossed in watching, Kong Deming's voice rang out at the right moment.

"This is a peak level nine soul tool. You should recognize most of the materials used in its creation, but there's one thing with a significant history that you might not be able to recognize. More than three thousand years ago, a major event occurred in the empire. Do you remember?"

More than three thousand years ago, silver? Kong Tianxu, being incredibly clever, had a sudden flash of inspiration and blurted out:

"Soul Guidance in its early stages, besiege and kill the Silver Dragon!"

By the end, his voice was filled with surprise:

"Then this pendant is..."

Kong Deming nodded approvingly and said with a smile:

"It was the soul bone of that 100,000-year-old silver dragon. Back when the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy was first established, the empire's strongest warriors gathered at Jingyang Mountain Range to witness the ceremony and elect the dean. They happened to encounter this silver dragon, which was undergoing its first tribulation. When it was at its weakest, they all attacked it. But as a top-tier super soul beast, the silver dragon's power in its final counterattack was extremely terrifying. The empire paid the price of several level-nine soul masters' lives to successfully hunt it down."

"But the one who delivered the final blow was a young level eight Soul Master, who was our Kong family's ancestor."

"During the battle, our ancestor successfully absorbed the silver dragon's 100,000-year spirit ring, becoming the youngest Title Douluo in the history of the empire at that time. He was also elected as the first dean of the Sun Moon Royal Spirit Guidance Academy, and the prototype of Mingde Hall was also created under his leadership. With the help of the 100,000-year spirit ring, our ancestor's cultivation after breaking through to Title Douluo went very smoothly, all the way to level 95, becoming the empire's first Super Douluo. At that time, everyone hoped that our ancestor could become the empire's first Limit Douluo, or even a level 10 spirit master."

Kong Tianxu listened quietly. Of course, he knew the enormous role of a 100,000-year spirit ring. The improvement of a spirit master's physical qualities by a 100,000-year spirit ring was unparalleled by any medicine or energy. It was enough to allow the human body to withstand the level of spirit power of a Super Douluo and to adjust their talents to that level.

But that's all.

"However, after breaking through level 95, the ancestor encountered a bottleneck. Improving his soul power became extremely difficult and even impossible. His research on soul tools also stalled due to material limitations. Therefore, unwilling to stop here, he placed his hopes on this silver dragon soul bone. At that time, the ancestor believed that he was already a Super Douluo, and with the silver dragon aura brought by the 100,000-year silver dragon soul ring, absorbing this soul bone would not be a problem."

At this point, Kong Deming's voice became low and somber.

"He forgot that the biggest difference between a soul bone and a soul ring is that a soul bone places more emphasis on its inherent quality. This exceptionally fine head soul bone produced by the Silver Dragon can be said to contain the most essential power of this super soul beast's bloodline. If the Silver Dragon hadn't been extremely weak after its tribulation, the Empire might not have been able to keep it. In the end, the ancestor failed to absorb it and perished due to the backlash from the soul bone. Later, many powerful individuals also attempted to absorb it, but without exception, they all failed and died."

"Until a thousand years ago, the emperor at that time summoned ten level nine soul masters to forge this soul tool by mixing silver dragon scales and several rare metals without affecting the soul bone itself. The name of this soul bone is the Silver Dragon Bone of Heavenly Punishment, and this soul tool is called the Peace of Heavenly Punishment."

Kong Deming waved his left hand lightly, and the Heavenly Punishment Necklace transformed into a silver stream of light and appeared before Kong Tianxu. With a "click," it automatically put on Kong Tianxu's neck.

The silver halo reappeared, and Kong Tianxu suddenly felt a cool current rush to his brain, making his thoughts much clearer.

Is this how you nurture the soul?

Seeing Kong Tianxu's shocked expression, Kong Deming couldn't help but smile smugly. His only grandson had ridiculously high standards, and there weren't many treasures that could make him show such an expression.

He stood up, patted Kong Tianxu on the shoulder, and walked towards the door. Before leaving, he added a few words of advice:

"Xu'er, with your talent, you will surely be able to successfully absorb this soul bone in the future, but you must tell your grandfather before you try. Moreover, you have already felt the effects of the Heavenly Punishment Peace, which nourishes the soul and enhances spiritual power. You will understand its significance in the future. His Majesty found some people he shouldn't have in order to ascend to the throne. This is his compensation."

Chapter 27 The Innocent Princess

Following behind, Kong Tianxu felt a warmth in his heart. Nourishing the soul—Grandpa made it sound so easy, but how could Kong Tianxu not know the importance of spiritual power in the later stages of a Soul Master's cultivation? This Soul Tool would also be of great use to Kong Deming himself!

"Get some rest early. Replacing sleep with meditation all the time isn't necessarily a good thing. Sometimes, it's essential to relax."

After saying that, Kong Deming opened the door and drifted away.

Kong Tianxu didn't say much, only bowed deeply. He knew the best way to repay him was to continuously become stronger. Of course, he also didn't forget his promise to Cain.

He turned and went back into the room, sinking into meditation once more. This time, however, the door was ajar.

In the middle of the night, a figure slipped in.

Amidst the soft rustling sounds, a familiar, delicate fragrance quietly approached, causing Kong Tianxu's heart to stir slightly. Without even opening his eyes, he knew who it was.

With a single reach, a warm, soft body was already in his arms.

Huh, something feels off?

He opened his eyes and was stunned.

"Tianxu, how much longer are you going to keep staring at me?"

Kong Tianxu was stunned for a long time before he gradually came to his senses.

"Yin'er, where did you get these clothes?"

No wonder he was so surprised. Although he often jokingly called her his personal maid, it was just a joke. But now Cain's outfit really did have some merit.

The girl was dressed in a maid outfit that shouldn't exist in this world. The black and white dress outlined her slender waist and full breasts in a breathtaking curve. Underneath the pleated skirt, long, white stockings woven from millennia-old snow silk covered her long, straight legs, and the pink blush on her knees made one's heart skip a beat.

Looking at Cain's appearance, Kong Tianxu found it hard to reconcile her with the dashing female captain of the Mingyu Sect from the original story. This girl usually dressed in a neat and androgynous style, so why was she being so bold today?

"Didn't you tell me, Tianxu, that a maid should act like a maid?" Cain avoided his direct gaze with her azure eyes and said in a deliberately casual tone, but the blush that quietly crept onto her cheeks betrayed her true feelings.

She took off her boots and sat down next to Kong Tianxu. "Alright, hurry up and start cultivating."

Kong Tianxu smiled slightly, composed himself, and shifted his gaze away from that shimmering white.

"Open your mouth"

"Ah~"

With their four palms pressed together, the blood-red light and silver light gradually merged within the rippling black aura, presenting a beautiful and enchanting color.

Their aura slowly and steadily increased within this mysterious light...

Kong Deming walked slowly towards the research lab, mentally strategizing the new approach to launching fixed-position soul tools embodied in Kong Tianxu's elemental creed design. As the empire's leader in the cutting-edge field of soul tools, he had extremely heavy research tasks, and thus had very little time to spend with Kong Tianxu, mostly remaining in the research lab.

As he pondered, a short, stout old man with white hair and beard approached quickly, frowning, clearly having something urgent to report.

"What's wrong, little boy?" He didn't stop walking.

The old man he called "Little Boy" replied respectfully, "Sir, news has come from the palace that His Majesty requests your presence at the palace tomorrow."

"Oh—" Kong Deming nodded slightly to indicate that he understood, then suddenly remembered something and chuckled softly: "Xu Guoyi is quite patient to have waited until now."

"Master, would His Majesty dare to harm you and the young master?"

The short, stout old man followed closely behind Kong Deming, always keeping a half-step distance, showing no trace of the imposing demeanor of the usual head steward of Yuehua Palace, Elder Tong.

"That's not quite it. He doesn't have that ability. It's just the same old tricks of restraint and appeasement. Reform, division, marriage alliances, rewards... what new tricks can the royal family come up with?" Kong Deming said indifferently.

Having witnessed the rise and fall of the imperial city for over a century, he had long since exhausted all such methods and could no longer stir the slightest ripple in his heart.

"Your Majesty is too ungrateful. You have already stepped down as the head of Mingde Hall for the second time, yet you still keep pressing him."

Old Tong grumbled in dissatisfaction. Of course, he didn't mention that the royal family had provided massive resource compensation, including a level nine fixed-equipment soul tool, or that the successor, Jing Hongchen, was also Kong Deming's disciple.

"Alright, let's not talk about that." Kong Deming waved his hand. "You've had a busy day, get some rest."

"This old servant isn't tired. Are you going to the research lab, sir? May I go and help you out?"

Kong Deming chuckled and said, "I knew you couldn't stay still. Come on over if you want."

Old Master Tong quickly agreed and, as he walked, reported to Kong Deming on some major and minor events in the empire and the manor, what new things had recently emerged in Mingdu, and how the new coachman was performing, etc.

The hazy moonlight bathed the long corridor, gradually elongating and blurring their shadows. Their last words, spoken before turning into the research lab, could be faintly heard.

"By the way, little boy, I remember there's a princess in the direct line of the royal family, who's about the same age as Xu'er?"

"Yes, sir, her name is—"

"Xu Tianzhen!"

"You brat, if you keep being so willful, I'll disown you as my daughter!"

Inside the magnificent imperial palace of the Sun and Moon Emperor, a middle-aged man wearing a purple-gold crown with nine dragons holding a pearl and a gorgeous bright yellow robe was furious and smashed the porcelain he loved most in front of him to pieces without any decorum.

Opposite the Emperor, who appeared to be around fifty years old, stood a young girl in palace attire with her arms crossed. She looked to be only eleven or twelve years old and had short, black hair that was extremely rare in the palace. She looked very neat, with large, bright, dark eyes, delicate features, and flawless skin. Her stubborn expression made her look even more youthful.

Despite being roared at by the usurper who had been called the Blood Emperor by some nobles for his ruthless methods since his ascension to the throne, the girl showed no fear and even defiantly puffed out her small, slightly rounded chest.

Strangely, although her eyes were clearly very serious, she still exuded a natural air of naivety, which made people unable to help but smile.

She is the youngest child and only daughter of the current Emperor Xu Guoyi. When she was born, she was named Princess Tianzhen by Xu Guoyi because of her liveliness and cuteness.

Seeing this, Xu Guoyi covered his face with his hands, shaking his head speechlessly. He rubbed his face vigorously a few times, finally calming himself down, and said in a gentle voice:

"Naive. What's wrong with our Sun Moon Royal Soul Guidance Academy? Your father, me, and countless ancestors of the royal family over the past thousands of years have studied there and cultivated countless talents, including many powerful individuals who eventually became level nine soul masters."

"As you know, our country and Shrek Academy have never had a good relationship. It's one thing for you to steal cosmetics, demolish my palace, and burn down the main hall, but how can you be so willful in this kind of thing? If word gets out, where will the face of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy be? How can your safety be guaranteed? You've been confined for so long, girl, your brain is so smart, how come you can't understand this?"