The Star Dou Forest, the core circle—a place of immense danger.
The Lake of Life lay as calm as a massive emerald, its surroundings teeming with vibrant, life-filled vegetation. Yet, for nearly all powerful creatures, this place remained a forbidden zone, utterly unreachable.
Atop the crown of the largest tree, a magnificent soul beast, its body seemingly crafted from translucent crystal, stirred from its deep slumber and opened its eyes.
"Hmm, that familiar scent... is it grilled fish?"
The three-eyed golden beast, freshly awakened, leaped up and dashed away from the perilous area. Close behind followed the ever-vigilant Red King.
"Ah, this little ancestor is heading out again. I'd better keep a close eye on her."
…
Before the icy sculpture of the Silverbrave Beast, Huo Yuhao turned to Zhang Lexuan and Han Ruoruo with a serious expression. "Senior sister, I'm certain."
Zhang Lexuan and Han Ruoruo exchanged puzzled glances.
Though Zhang Lexuan knew Huo Yuhao's physical prowess was exceptional—comparable to, if not surpassing, that of Soul Emperor-level students in the inner courtyard, even outmatching Wu Ming—she couldn't shake her unease as Huo Yuhao prepared to absorb a nearly 50,000-year-old soul ring.
'A soul ring of nearly 50,000 years... Could it really be absorbed by a Soul Ancestor?'
Zhang Lexuan doubted she could have done it herself, even at her peak as a level 60 Soul Emperor when she obtained her sixth soul ring. And here was Huo Yuhao, only at level 40.
Even when she had absorbed her hundred-thousand-year soul ring, it had been a stroke of luck, achieved under the protection of a powerful guardian. After that ordeal, it had taken her half a year to fully recover.
Han Ruoruo, too, was concerned.
Huo Yuhao's ability to absorb a 30,000-year soul ring had already exceeded her expectations. But now, the situation was even more dire.
Though the Silverbrave Beast was still the same species, its age had reached a staggering 45,000 years! Absorbing its soul ring would be an immense risk.
Under their watchful gazes, Huo Yuhao offered a calm smile. "You've heard of the second awakening of the body martial soul, right?"
"Second Awakening? Yuhao, have you completed the second awakening of your martial soul?"
"That's right. My Spirit Eye martial soul has undergone its second innate awakening."
In the inner courtyard of Shrek Academy, the concept of the second awakening of the body martial soul was a key topic in martial soul theory. Both Zhang Lexuan and Han Ruoruo were familiar with it.
Han Ruoruo, quick-witted and knowledgeable, had suspected this possibility before. Still, hearing it confirmed by Huo Yuhao left her genuinely surprised.
"What level of second awakening is it?" she asked.
"It should be the silver-level second awakening," Huo Yuhao replied.
Zhang Lexuan spoke cautiously, "Yuhao, don't push yourself too hard when absorbing soul rings. Are you absolutely sure about this?"
Huo Yuhao nodded. "Of course. I wouldn't gamble with my life. If you don't believe me, Senior Sister Lexuan, you can check my physical condition. As for my mental strength, there's no issue there."
Hearing this, Zhang Lexuan extended her jade-like hand, pressing it against Huo Yuhao's body and channeling her soul power to probe his meridians.
After a moment, she withdrew her hand, her expression one of amazement. "Alright, Yuhao, I underestimated you. With a physique this strong, absorbing this soul ring shouldn't be a problem."
Han Ruoruo couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration.
'As expected of a student the academy has invested so much in, even considering him as a potential heir to the Sea God Pavilion master. His physical strength is truly remarkable.'
Huo Yuhao chuckled lightly. "Without such a foundation, how could I have so easily defeated Soul Zhou Yi?"
With that, Huo Yuhao officially slew the Silverbrave Beast, and a black soul ring began to condense above its body. Without hesitation, Huo Yuhao sat down cross-legged, activated his soul power, and began drawing the black soul ring toward himself.
Zhang Lexuan and Han Ruoruo stood guard, their vigilance unwavering.
This was, after all, the core area of the Star Dou Forest. The sooner Huo Yuhao absorbed the soul ring and they could leave, the better.
As for whether he would obtain the desired soul skill, Huo Yuhao was confident. After all, it was a matter of destiny.
The Silverbrave Beast was a soul beast with both spiritual and agility attributes, possessing incredibly powerful spiritual-based soul skills.
When a soul master kills a soul beast to absorb its soul ring, they are most likely to inherit the beast's strongest innate talent, followed by its other abilities.
For Huo Yuhao, the soul skill that suited him best was clear. Moreover, with his formidable mental strength, he had a degree of control over the absorption process, not entirely reliant on chance.
He could guide the most potent energy within the soul ring to merge with him, a task well within his capabilities.
As Huo Yuhao began absorbing the 45,000-year soul ring, the residual spiritual energy of the Silverbrave Beast surged into his spiritual sea.
But Huo Yuhao's mental power was vast and resilient, further bolstered by his second sea of consciousness. His mental defenses were flawless.
With overwhelming force, Huo Yuhao's mental power tore through the Silverbrave Beast's spiritual energy and began assimilating the soul power within the ring.
The soul power of the 45,000-year soul ring surged like tidal waves, crashing against Huo Yuhao's body. Yet, his physique, strengthened by the Knife of Life Watch, remained unshaken.
Simultaneously, his powerful mental energy guided the soul ring's energy to fortify his bones, meridians, and muscles.
Time passed minute by minute, and Huo Yuhao's absorption proceeded smoothly.
Zhang Lexuan and Han Ruoruo observed him closely, relieved to see him in stable condition.
They could only marvel at his talent. Truly, there were geniuses capable of such feats.
'Genius? No, this is beyond genius—it's monstrous!'
Skydream, within Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea, sighed in relief. She had thought her assistance might be needed, but it seemed unnecessary.
The benefits of being in the core area were evident. After the Silverbrave Beast's death, no other soul beasts ventured near, allowing Huo Yuhao to absorb the soul ring undisturbed.
An hour later, Huo Yuhao opened his eyes. The absorption of the 45,000-year soul ring was complete, and his soul power had directly broken through to level 42.
This demonstrated the difficulty of advancing the soul power of an ultimate martial soul. However, in exchange, his soul power foundation was far deeper than that of ordinary soul masters.
Though Huo Yuhao's soul power was only at level 42, the total amount of soul power he possessed likely surpassed that of most Soul Kings and even some weaker Soul Emperors.
With his Spirit Eye martial soul now equipped with its fourth soul ring, Huo Yuhao had officially become a Soul Ancestor—albeit one whose strength was nothing short of extraordinary.
At that moment, a prompt appeared:
[Achievement Triggered!]
[Achieved Skydream's "Improve Soul Power" achievement. Reward: Heart-Grabbing Gu.]
[Heart-Grabbing Gu: A fifth-turn Gu worm. After use, it can absorb the target's mind, rendering them dazed and temporarily depriving them of sight and thought. When combined with other Gu worms, it can form a killer move.]
[Evaluation: Soul-Grabbing and Mind-Reading!]
Skydream's third task, long stalled, was finally complete. Fortunately, it only required Huo Yuhao to reach Soul Ancestor level. Any further delay would have taken much longer.
The Heart-Grabbing Gu, while a wisdom-based method, differed from the deduction techniques Huo Yuhao had been contemplating. Its primary value lay in combat, often paired with enslavement techniques to enhance their effectiveness.
It bore a striking resemblance to the tools of an evil soul master.
Additionally, the soul ring's enhancement had made Huo Yuhao's body more agile, his physique stronger, and his soul power more potent. It was a comprehensive upgrade.
This was the allure of higher-year soul rings. The older the soul ring, the more profound the enhancement it provided.
This was also the advantage of twin martial souls. With sufficient physical strength, an additional martial soul in the later stages allowed for the absorption of more and stronger soul rings, leading to even greater enhancements.
Huo Yuhao stretched his body, and a surge of violent soul power erupted. The soul ring, disguised by his second soul skill, revealed its true colours: yellow, purple, purple, and black.
In reality, Huo Yuhao's soul rings were the terrifying combination of four black rings.
Feeling the soul skill bestowed by the fourth soul ring, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but smile. He had obtained the Silverbrave Beast's Inscription Skill, just as he had hoped.
Moreover, whether due to the Silverbrave Beast's unique nature or the evolution of his Spirit Eye martial soul, this skill had undergone further optimization.
This Silverbrave Beast had used a soul skill without any physical contact, making it a mutant—perhaps even a Goldenbrave Beast with golden scales.
Thus, Huo Yuhao's fourth soul skill was even more advantageous than the original.
He named it Spiritual Engraving, a skill similar to Inscription but far more potent.
Firstly, Huo Yuhao could perfectly engrave any soul skill below the level of his soul ring's age or his own soul power.
Secondly, while the Silverbrave Beast could only replicate one soul skill at a time and had to release it before replicating another, Huo Yuhao had a permanent storage space for replicated skills.
These skills could be solidified for unlimited use or temporarily stored for later release.
If solidified, Huo Yuhao could use the skill without restriction, as if it were his own. Of course, if the skill itself had limitations.
The skills in the permanent storage space could be replaced, with a cooldown of one day.
However, if the storage space was occupied, Huo Yuhao couldn't replicate new skills until the existing one was discarded—a significant limitation.
He speculated that this limitation might not be resolved for another 100,000 years.
As for temporary storage, it functioned similarly to the Silverbrave Beast's ability. After replicating a skill, it could be stored temporarily, but only three replications could be made in a single day.
Truly, this skill was invincible!
Worthy of the title Spiritual Engraving!
…
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