[After finishing the notes, Yu Xiaogang turned his attention to the pile of Spirit Bones before him.]
"Father, may I take some of these ten-year and hundred-year Spirit Bones?"
Yu Xiaogang looked toward Yu Yuanzhen expectantly.
Yu Yuanzhen raised an eyebrow.
"You want to study them?"
Yu Xiaogang nodded without hesitation.
"Yes."
"I've always been curious about Spirit Bones."
To him, Spirit Bones were one of the greatest mysteries in the Spirit Master world.
A Spirit Beast possessed countless bones, yet when one died, it could only leave behind a single Spirit Bone—and even that happened with an incredibly low probability.
Furthermore, except for External Spirit Bones, every Spirit Bone belonged to one of only six fixed body parts.
The phenomenon itself made little sense.
Even stranger...
Plant-type Spirit Beasts could also produce Spirit Bones.
Yu Xiaogang found that especially difficult to understand.
How could a flower or a plant possibly grow bones?
It simply defied logic.
Unfortunately, he had never possessed enough Spirit Bones to properly study them.
Now, however, an entire pile lay before him.
More importantly, most of them were low-grade ten-year and hundred-year Spirit Bones.
Just like Spirit Rings, Spirit Bones became permanently fused to a Spirit Master once absorbed.
They could never be replaced.
For that reason, ambitious Spirit Masters rarely accepted anything below a thousand-year Spirit Bone.
Hundred-year Spirit Bones were generally used only by Spirit Masters from ordinary backgrounds or when the bone possessed an exceptionally useful ability.
As for ten-year Spirit Bones...
Only the poorest commoner Spirit Masters would ever consider absorbing them.
To a top sect like the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, these low-grade Spirit Bones were practically worthless.
No elder would willingly absorb them.
Doing so would permanently eliminate the possibility of obtaining a far stronger thousand-year or even ten-thousand-year Spirit Bone in the future.
To Yu Xiaogang, however...
These low-grade Spirit Bones were perfect research materials.
---
Yu Yuanzhen thought silently for a moment before speaking.
"You may take all the ten-year Spirit Bones you want."
"As for the hundred-year ones..."
"Anything below five hundred years is acceptable."
"But anything above five hundred years stays."
Yu Xiaogang's eyes immediately brightened.
He knew his father understood his passion for research.
Over the years, Yu Xiaogang had repeatedly proven the value of his discoveries.
The best example was Whale Glue.
Who would have imagined that something once regarded merely as an aphrodisiac could actually help Spirit Masters withstand higher-level Spirit Rings?
Since his son's research had already benefited the Sect countless times, Yu Yuanzhen naturally trusted him.
After all...
Even if every ten-year Spirit Bone was destroyed during research, it wouldn't be much of a loss.
But if Yu Xiaogang truly discovered the secrets behind Spirit Bones...
The entire Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect would benefit.
Receiving his father's permission, Yu Xiaogang wasted no time.
With a wave of his hand, every ten-year Spirit Bone disappeared into his storage soul tool.
Yu Yuanzhen's eyelids twitched.
Then...
Yu Xiaogang reached for the hundred-year Spirit Bones.
Those under two hundred years...
Gone.
Those under three hundred years...
Gone.
Those under four hundred years...
Also gone.
Finally, just as Yu Xiaogang reached toward the remaining four-hundred-year Spirit Bones—
"Enough!"
"Stop right there!"
Yu Yuanzhen finally couldn't endure it any longer.
He stared speechlessly at his son.
"I said you could take some..."
"I didn't say you could empty the entire collection!"
"You already took every ten-year Spirit Bone."
"Now you're planning to take every hundred-year Spirit Bone below the limit I gave you?"
"What kind of behavior is that?"
Yu Yuanzhen glared fiercely.
"If I hadn't imposed a restriction..."
"You would've taken every Spirit Bone below the thousand-year level, wouldn't you?"
Yu Xiaogang silently looked away.
Actually...
I was planning to borrow a few thousand-year Spirit Bones too.
Of course...
He wisely kept that thought to himself.
Unfortunately, no one understood a son better than his own father.
The moment Yu Yuanzhen saw the way Yu Xiaogang glanced toward the thousand-year Spirit Bones, he instantly guessed exactly what his son had been thinking.
His face darkened.
This brat...
If I hadn't stopped him, he really would've taken the thousand-year ones too!
For the first time...
Yu Yuanzhen became genuinely worried about the future finances of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect.
If Yu Xiaogang became Sect Master one day...
The Sect treasury might suffer losses every single year.
Without giving his son another chance, Yu Yuanzhen immediately waved his sleeve.
Whoosh!
Every remaining Spirit Bone instantly disappeared into his own storage soul tool.
Yu Xiaogang looked at the empty ground with obvious disappointment.
Originally, he had hoped to collect one sample from every category—
Ten-year.
Hundred-year.
Thousand-year.
And even ten-thousand-year Spirit Bones.
Only by comparing them directly could he truly uncover the secrets hidden within Spirit Bones.
Sadly...
Judging by his father's reaction, asking for thousand-year Spirit Bones was already impossible.
As for ten-thousand-year Spirit Bones...
There wasn't even any point dreaming about them.
Forget it.
I'll start with the ten-year and hundred-year Spirit Bones.
Once I achieve some meaningful results...
Father might be willing to lend me higher-grade specimens.
Thinking this, Yu Xiaogang looked at the dozens of Spirit Bones inside his storage soul tool.
A satisfied smile slowly appeared on his face.
With these materials...
He could finally begin uncovering the mysteries of Spirit Bones.
---
Black World – Shrek Academy
"Damn it!"
"Damn it!"
"Damn it!"
Yu Xiaogang nearly exploded with jealousy as he watched the parallel-world version of himself happily carrying away dozens of Spirit Bones for research.
His mentality completely collapsed.
As a researcher, no one understood better than he did how important research materials were.
Back when he had studied at Spirit Hall, it was only because he had access to enormous amounts of information that he had successfully compiled the Theory of the Maximum Spirit Ring Age Limit.
Likewise...
It was through countless records of Blue Silver Grass awakenings that he had deduced Tang San possessed Twin Martial Souls.
That theory had shocked Tang San and ultimately allowed him to accept such an extraordinary disciple.
Naturally...
Yu Xiaogang had always been fascinated by Spirit Bones as well.
How were they formed?
Why could they strengthen Spirit Masters?
Why did they grant abilities similar to Spirit Rings?
Countless questions had lingered in his mind for years.
Yet...
He had never even obtained a single Spirit Bone for research.
He had always believed that if he could study just one Spirit Bone...
He might finally break through his Rank 30 bottleneck.
That regret had haunted him for years.
But now...
What was he seeing?
Not only had his parallel-world counterpart obtained an entire pile of Spirit Bones...
His father had actually agreed to let him take dozens of them for research.
Research!
That meant destruction.
Consumption.
Failure.
Those Spirit Bones might never return.
Yet Yu Yuanzhen had still agreed without hesitation.
Heavens!
How could anyone make such a decision without even convening the Sect's elders?
Yu Xiaogang's face twisted with envy.
"Impossible!"
"Absolutely impossible!"
"It has to be because of the parallel world!"
"It must have changed Father's personality!"
His fists clenched tightly.
Why...
Why did his parallel self receive endless trust and support?
Why did his own father always dismiss his research with disdain?
The only explanation...
Was that everything was different in the parallel world.
It had to be.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)