Bonus Chapter. Enjoy!
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Seeing the flush of embarrassment and annoyance on Princess Xu Jiujiu's face, Huo Yuhao knew she had misunderstood.
However, a mischievous smile rose in his heart, and he didn't explain. He even felt that "teasing" this Star Luo Princess in such a way was quite interesting.
Gongyang Mo understood Huo Yuhao's meaning and immediately lifted his right leg, placing it on the table in front of him.
The table was made of solid wood, heavy and sturdy. As his leg rested on it, it made a soft sound. He leaned down, rolled up his pant leg, and revealed the metal structure underneath.
The metal leg was as silvery-white as snow, with smooth lines and precise gears and bolts at the joints. Its surface was covered with complex soul tool arrays. It shimmered with a faint light under the lamps, looking like an exquisite piece of art.
Princess Xu Jiujiu glanced at it with a blush, but then she froze again. A flash of surprise passed through her bright eyes.
She then turned her head to look, her gaze becoming serious as the embarrassment in her eyes gradually transformed into focus.
Finally, Princess Xu Jiujiu even stood up and walked over to Gongyang Mo's side. She leaned down and even reached out to carefully stroke his "leg."
A strange expression appeared on Gongyang Mo's face. As a man being stroked by a woman like this, even if it was just a prosthetic leg, he still felt somewhat uneasy.
Huo Yuhao said with a smile from the side, "Princess Jiujiu, what do you think of my new creation?"
Although Gongyang Mo's movements hadn't been large just now, Princess Xu Jiujiu truly hadn't noticed before that his right leg was actually artificial.
The metal leg merged perfectly with his body. With the pant leg hanging down and covering the seam, there was no visible flaw at all.
A deep sense of shock welled up in her heart.
She stood up and sat back in her original place, her voice carrying a hint of solemnity. "This is also a Spirit Tool? After equipping it, one is no different from a normal person?"
Huo Yuhao nodded. "That's right. Senior Gongyang's right leg is also a Class 7 melee spirit tool. After equipping it, not only can he move freely, but it also enhances his combat strength."
Hearing this, Princess Xu Jiujiu's heart skipped a beat. This was yet another Spirit Tool she had never seen before, and it could actually allow a disabled person to return to normal.
The Star Luo Empire borders Sun Moon, and with constant friction every year, the casualties are naturally significant. If those who lost limbs on the battlefield could be equipped with such Spirit Tools, it wouldn't just enhance their combat strength, but also boost morale!
In an instant, Princess Xu Jiujiu, as the Empire's Eldest Princess, thought of all these things.
When she looked at Huo Yuhao again, her gaze was much more fervent.
Princess Xu Jiujiu took a deep breath, suppressed the excitement in her heart, and asked, "Can such Spirit Tools be mass-produced?"
Huo Yuhao shook his head. "Because they need to be connected to the human body, these 'prosthetic' Spirit Tools must be customized according to each individual's specific situation."
Hearing this, Princess Xu Jiujiu's expression darkened, and a flash of disappointment passed through her bright eyes.
She couldn't understand. Since they couldn't be mass-produced, why did Huo Yuhao bring it out?
However, Huo Yuhao's next words caused joy to surface on her face once again. "If Princess Jiujiu requires a large quantity, I can arrange for people to handle the customization."
Princess Xu Jiujiu's eyes flashed at his words. She wondered in her heart if there were others who could manufacture such Spirit Tools?
In the current World, naturally only Huo Yuhao alone possessed such technology. But in the future, it would naturally be impossible for him to be the only one.
Showing Gongyang Mo's prosthetic to Princess Xu Jiujiu was also something he had only thought of recently.
As for the personnel for the future, he already had an idea in mind.
Recruiting those Genius Spirit Masters from the Shrek Academy Inner Court was naturally not easy, but Soul Engineers were a different story.
Shrek Academy's Soul Tool Department was already not taken seriously, and those Soul Engineers held a marginal status within the academy. Since he possessed even more powerful soul tool technology, recruiting these people should be much easier.
Princess Xu Jiujiu looked excited, her bright eyes shimmering with the light of anticipation.
She wanted to finalize the relevant matters with Huo Yuhao immediately, but then she heard Huo Yuhao say, "These are all minor matters and are not the purpose of my visit to Princess Jiujiu this time."
Princess Xu Jiujiu's gaze narrowed. She thought, if even these are considered minor matters, then what is the truly important matter?
On the other side, Gongyang Mo pulled his right leg back, also looking at Huo Yuhao curiously. As a companion, he was also not yet clear on Huo Yuhao's true purpose for coming here.
Under their watchful eyes, with a thought from Huo Yuhao, a ripple of Spirit Power emanated from above his head.
Princess Xu Jiujiu looked up, and a massive butterfly seemed to appear out of thin air. The butterfly had a wingspan of over three meters and was deep blue all over, with what looked like countless tiny eyes on its wings.
As the giant butterfly flapped its wings, silver light seemed to radiate from its body. The light was fine and shimmering, like falling stars, dreamlike and ethereal.
Princess Xu Jiujiu's heart suddenly leaped, and her entire body tensed up instantly.
Because she felt a threat from this butterfly, she judged it to be a ten-thousand-year Spirit Beast.
Seeing Princess Xu Jiujiu's expression, Huo Yuhao smiled and said, "Princess Jiujiu, there's no need to be nervous. It is not a Spirit Beast, and it won't harm you."
As he spoke, the giant butterfly above his head gradually shrank in size. Finally, it became the size of a palm and landed lightly in Huo Yuhao's hand.
Both Princess Xu Jiujiu and Gongyang Mo were dumbfounded, their eyes filled with shock. They couldn't understand what was going on.
Could it be that Huo Yuhao had tamed this ten-thousand-year Spirit Beast?
No, Huo Yuhao said it wasn't a Spirit Beast.
If it wasn't a Spirit Beast, then what could it be?
Both of them were now completely bewildered, their minds filled with question marks.
Seeing their expressions of mingled shock and confusion, Huo Yuhao didn't offer much explanation.
Instead, he slowly raised his hand and spread his palm open before Princess Xu Jiujiu, allowing her to clearly see the shimmering Rebirth Butterfly in his hand.
"It was once indeed a ten-thousand-year Spirit Beast," Huo Yuhao's voice was calm. "But now, it is my Spirit Soul."
Princess Xu Jiujiu's gaze was fixed firmly on the Rebirth Butterfly. She was silent for a moment before looking up and asking softly, "What is a Spirit Soul?"
If Huo Yuhao wanted to use the power of the Star Dou Imperial Family to establish the Spirit Pagoda, he had to let them see just how powerful the Spirit Soul system was.
He tilted his palm slightly and pointed at the Rebirth Butterfly. "This is a Spirit Soul, a completely new form of existence that can replace spirit rings."
'Replace spirit rings?' Gongyang Mo repeated subconsciously, his brows furrowed as if he had heard some absurd words that defied common sense.
However, he didn't interrupt and continued to listen intently along with Princess Xu Jiujiu.
Huo Yuhao nodded, his gaze sweeping over the two of them as he spoke slowly, "In the traditional spirit ring system, if a Spirit Master wants to obtain a spirit ring, they must venture deep into Spirit Beast forests and personally hunt Spirit Beasts."
"Setting aside the dangers of the process, the Spirit Abilities obtained from Spirit Beasts often carry a great deal of uncertainty."
"But Spirit Souls are different. By signing a soul contract with a Spirit Beast, a single Spirit Soul can grant a Spirit Master multiple spirit rings."
"Multiple spirit rings?" Princess Xu Jiujiu's pupils shrank suddenly.
"Not only that." The corners of Huo Yuhao's mouth curled up slightly. "The Spirit Abilities provided by a Spirit Soul are not random; instead, multiple options are given, allowing the Spirit Master to choose the one that best suits their own path."
As his voice fell, six spirit rings slowly rose from beneath his feet—two purple and six black.
"My fifth spirit ring and sixth spirit ring," Huo Yuhao's voice rang out amidst the light and shadows of the spirit rings, "both come from this ten-thousand-year Rebirth Butterfly, from the same Spirit Soul."
Princess Xu Jiujiu's gaze shifted back and forth between those two black spirit rings and the Rebirth Butterfly in Huo Yuhao's palm.
Gongyang Mo was even more frozen in place, his lips twitching slightly, yet unable to make a sound.
The dumbfounded expressions on their faces seemed to be frozen.
Huo Yuhao watched their reactions quietly, not at all surprised.
The spirit ring system had been passed down on this continent for tens of thousands of years, long ago deeply etched into the depths of every Spirit Master's cognition, as unshakable as an iron law. Hunting Spirit Beasts, absorbing spirit rings, and obtaining Spirit Abilities—this was almost the only path forward for a Spirit Master.
And now, he had suddenly carved out a brand new and seemingly brighter path alongside this road that had remained unchanged for Ten Thousand Years.
This impact was no less than throwing a massive boulder into a calm lake.
Anyone hearing such information for the first time would likely have this kind of reaction.
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A/N:
5 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
2 Reviews = 1 Extra Chapter
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.