**Chapter 88: Peachwood Soulbone Sword**
When Xiao Tao heard Gu Ziyi's words, her pink eyes suddenly widened in disbelief.
Her beautiful eyes were filled with astonishment.
"That's right. Every Soul Ring on my body is self-condensed. I don't need Soul Rings from any Soul Beasts!"
Seeing that Xiao Tao was on the verge of completely disappearing, Gu Ziyi didn't hesitate to explain his situation.
"…How is that possible?"
Only then did Xiao Tao realize she had misunderstood earlier about Gu Ziyi's soul abilities being unique. These abilities came from his self-condensed Soul Rings rather than hunting unique Soul Beasts.
Her hatred for him immediately lessened.
Although she didn't know how Gu Ziyi managed to do this, she realized he wasn't lying. At this point, there was no need for him to deceive her as she was about to vanish.
"…How did you do it? Can other Soul Masters use your method to self-condense their Soul Rings?"
Knowing she couldn't drag Gu Ziyi to death along with her, Xiao Tao gave up trying to convince him to accept her sacrifice. Instead, she asked about his self-condensed Soul Rings.
Being a Soul Beast herself, she was naturally very curious about this.
It would be great if all Soul Masters could use the method to self-condense their Soul Rings!
"Of course, any Soul Master can use my method!"
"I am a personal disciple of the Martial Soul Hall's Pope. This method will undoubtedly be promoted in the future by the Martial Soul Hall, and more Soul Masters will definitely adopt my method to obtain their Soul Rings."
Gu Ziyi knew what Xiao Tao wanted to know, so he simply stated the obvious.
She was going to die anyway, so it didn't matter if he said something that might please her. Perhaps if she were happy, she would leave two better soul abilities in her Soulbone in the end!
Besides, Gu Ziyi didn't want any more unexpected incidents, so he chose to say what she would like to hear.
"Really?"
Xiao Tao was skeptical when she heard this.
"Of course! Why would I refuse your sacrifice otherwise? It's because, in my opinion, your Soul Beast's Soul Ring isn't as good as the Soul Ring I can condense myself. Self-condensed Soul Rings have far more advantages than ordinary Soul Rings. My Soul Rings can be continually improved in quality through cultivation, while the quality of Soul Rings hunted from Soul Beasts remains completely stagnant."
Gu Ziyi continued.
"This... This is truly wonderful…"
Upon hearing Gu Ziyi belittling the Soul Rings of Soul Beasts, Xiao Tao not only wasn't angry but also smiled with excitement.
In her view, if human Soul Masters' self-condensed Soul Rings replaced those hunted from Soul Beasts in the future, there wouldn't be as many Soul Beasts going extinct as there currently were.
This was wonderful news for Soul Beasts!
Hearing this, Xiao Tao felt she could die without regrets.
At this moment, her body below the neck had already turned into petals and was scattering.
Whoooosh~
In the end, Xiao Tao's figure completely turned into petals, dispersing in the wind and swirling around Gu Ziyi's body.
She didn't leave her soul in the Soulbone but prepared to vanish entirely along with the energy of the Soul Ring that he didn't want to absorb.
She didn't want to cause trouble for Gu Ziyi when absorbing the Soulbone in the future.
Now, she hoped he would live well and eventually spread his method for condensing Soul Rings to all Soul Masters in the Douluo Continent.
Ding~
When Xiao Tao's body completely disappeared, a crimson Soulbone fell to the ground.
"I'll leave my two favorite soul abilities behind. I hope you can make good use of the Soulbone I leave for you. Now, I'm truly being honest with you."
At this moment, Xiao Tao's voice sounded again in Gu Ziyi's ears.
But this time, her voice came from the energy and petals surrounding him.
"Don't worry; who wouldn't like a hundred-thousand-year Soulbone?"
Gu Ziyi reached out to catch the falling Soulbone, discovering it was a Soulbone for the right arm, entirely crimson, like a small shield equipped on his arm.
"This is good…"
Xiao Tao's voice sounded again. Then, the energy and petals surrounding Gu Ziyi grew weaker and seemed to dissipate entirely.
"Can the energy you sacrificed be transferred to this Soulbone?"
Sensing that her sacrificial energy was about to disappear, Gu Ziyi looked at the Soulbone in his hand and suddenly asked.
"Ah…"
The energy and petals swirling around Gu Ziyi's body seemed momentarily startled.
"I... I don't know…"
Xiao Tao admitted she didn't know, as no Soul Beast had ever tried such a thing.
"Then try. It's better than disappearing completely, isn't it?"
Gu Ziyi encouraged her directly.
If it worked, the Soulbone would become even more valuable.
Absorbing it might become more challenging, but since Gu Ziyi wasn't planning to absorb it anyway, a stronger Soulbone was better.
"Okay, I'll try…"
Xiao Tao became intrigued. Although she couldn't transfer her sacrificial Soul Ring to another person, transferring it back to her own Soulbone should be possible, right?
Buzz—
Then, the energy and petals swirling around Gu Ziyi's body suddenly shifted direction, converging into the Soulbone in his hand.
Without much resistance, Xiao Tao's sacrificial energy was easily integrated into the Soulbone she left behind.
Instantly, the Soulbone in Gu Ziyi's hand flew out, hovering in midair and becoming the center of a new energy storm.
The sacrificial energy and petals from Xiao Tao began to flow continuously into the Soulbone.
"It's actually possible!" Gu Ziyi's eyes lit up at the sight.
Phew~
However, as more and more energy poured in, the entire Soulbone suddenly began to burn. The Soulbone flared brighter and brighter, finally resembling molten iron, as if it might dissolve at any moment.
"No, if this continues, the Soulbone I left behind will also be destroyed…"
At this moment, Xiao Tao's voice sounded again.
Most of the energy surrounding the Soulbone was still intact!
"Is this the limit of energy you can inject?"
Gu Ziyi felt a twinge of regret upon hearing this. He shook his hands and pulled out a jade bottle from his Soul Guide.
"Let's see if this Extremely Cold Spring can help with the process…"
After speaking, Gu Ziyi tried pouring a drop of the Extremely Cold Spring onto the Soulbone.
The moment the drop landed on the Soulbone, it rapidly burned and evaporated. However, the flames on the Soulbone visibly weakened a little.
"Great! This can help…"
Xiao Tao's cheerful voice echoed.
"Alright, continue! I'll help stabilize the Soulbone while you keep injecting the energy."
Gu Ziyi nodded.
"…Understood!"
When Xiao Tao finished responding, the petals and energy surrounding the Soulbone resumed their injection process.
Gu Ziyi continued to drop the Extremely Cold Spring onto the Soulbone to prevent it from burning and being destroyed by the overload of energy.
"Xiao Tao, can you condense the Soulbone into the shape of a long sword?"
Seeing the Soulbone glowing like molten iron, seemingly malleable, a new idea struck Gu Ziyi. He quickly shared it with her.
"…I think I can!"
Although she didn't know why Gu Ziyi wanted her to mold the Soulbone into a long sword, Xiao Tao agreed nonetheless.
Unknowingly, she didn't realize she should harbor deep hatred for him but instead became quite obedient to his words.
Gu Ziyi watched as the Soulbone before him stretched and slowly deformed under some supernatural influence until it finally settled into the shape of a long sword.
As the long sword was fully formed, Xiao Tao's sacrificial energy was completely infused into it. The field of energy that had previously surrounded Gu Ziyi vanished without a trace.
Seeing the sword fully formed, Gu Ziyi took two cautious steps back. He didn't immediately reach out to grab the sword.
Today's events had taught him a lesson.
He couldn't guarantee that the Soulbone-turned-sword wouldn't pose a threat to him.
Ding~
After the long sword was formed, it began to succumb to gravity and fell to the ground. The tip of the sword embedded itself in the ground, leaving only the hilt visible.
["Hmm~ It's so dark in here!"]
["What are you doing? Why aren't you pulling me out?"]
["Ugh, you're really on guard against me…"]
Xiao Tao's voice suddenly echoed in Gu Ziyi's consciousness.
Hearing her voice, Gu Ziyi realized that, beyond hearing her words, he could actually feel the emotions she was transmitting.
At this moment, Xiao Tao was clearly hurt and angry with him.
But she no longer harbored any ill intentions toward him.
"Of course, I'm cautious. How could I not be, after you tried to kill me before?"
Gu Ziyi responded calmly, unfazed.
After saying this, he stepped forward and pulled the sword from the ground.
Although uncertain about the situation, he found that he could sense Xiao Tao's emotions. This newfound connection gave him the confidence to retrieve the sword.
The other party genuinely bore him no ill will anymore.
Ting~
Examining the long sword in his hand, the blade was entirely crimson, resembling wood in texture, and lacked sharpness. The more Gu Ziyi looked at it, the more he admired its appearance.
["It's just… it was you who captured me first!"]
["Do you know what's happening to me now? Why does it feel like I'm not dead even after sacrificing myself?"]
["And why do I feel like I'm connected to you now? No one else can use this Soulbone except you!"]
Xiao Tao huffed indignantly at first but then asked Gu Ziyi curiously about her current state.
She couldn't understand what was happening.
Logically, she should have died after sacrificing herself. Even if her soul lingered in the Soulbone, it should remain dormant, waiting for someone to absorb the Soulbone and activate the Soul Shock.
Yet, she felt as though she was intimately connected to Gu Ziyi.
"Please, explain your current situation carefully first!"
Gu Ziyi didn't immediately answer. Instead, he asked Xiao Tao to describe her state in detail.
He felt the same way she did. The sword-shaped Soulbone in his hand seemed to be tied to his very soul!
It was precisely because of this connection that he dared to step forward and claim the sword.
...
(End of Chapter)
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