"An embryo?!"
Zhu Ziyang was stunned by the word. His gaze filled with curiosity as he examined the white stream of energy floating in Electrolux's hand.
Bound by Electrolux's power, the previously shapeless energy began to condense, slowly revealing a vague, translucent outline of a tiny infant within the misty glow.
Such a surreal sight left Ziyang speechless.
"That's right—it's an embryo," Electrolux confirmed, a strange light flickering in his eyes. "If I'm correct, this is none other than the legendary form-changing process of a soul beast."
"You mean…?"
Ziyang immediately understood, a look of astonishment blooming on his face.
"This is the embryonic form of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast undergoing transformation into a human?!"
"Exactly!"
Electrolux nodded.
"There's no other explanation for why such a powerful embryonic soul would exist in the core ring of the Extreme North. It's too strong to be anything else."
"That makes sense,"
Ziyang agreed after a brief moment of thought.
"But… which hundred-thousand-year beast does this embryo belong to? And more importantly—what should we do with it?"
"According to the theory of soul beast transformation, the embryo hasn't formed flesh or blood yet, so technically, it's still a soul beast," Electrolux explained.
"And that means the conventional path would be to kill it and absorb its soul ring and bone."
"Or—" Ziyang added, recalling something from the Silver Moon Ice Wolf's memories, "—we could have a soul master absorb the embryo directly, and it might evolve into a second martial soul."
"Hahaha, those options might apply to others—but not to you, Ziyang,"
Electrolux laughed, his face filled with a mixture of pride and mystery.
"You, my disciple, have a third option."
"You've thought of another solution?"
Ziyang looked at his teacher expectantly, eager to hear what kind of miracle this otherworldly mentor might propose next.
"That's right," Electrolux said, his voice filled with ancient weight.
"In my world, there exists a form of contract—one that allows humans to command magical beasts. These beings, called magical beasts, are much like this world's soul beasts. Typically, they are natural enemies of humans."
"However, there once emerged a mighty figure who developed a revolutionary concept—one that allowed man and beast to coexist through a binding pact. This contract is called the Equal Companion Contract."
"Under its bond, a magical beast would become the servant of a human master, their strength increasing alongside the human's. The human, in turn, could summon and command the beast freely."
"In this relationship of symbiosis, the human's death meant the beast's death. But if the human survived, the beast would resurrect endlessly—losing all its memories and power with each death, but essentially attaining a form of immortality."
"A contract like that exists?!"
Ziyang was amazed.
"What a vast and mysterious world... So your 'third path' is this Equal Companion Contract?"
"Exactly,"
Electrolux smiled.
"I've taken that contract and modified it to fit the laws of Douluo Continent. I haven't tested it yet—but I'm confident it will become an entirely new system parallel to soul rings!"
Ziyang's eyes sparkled. He knew Electrolux well: this man never spoke lightly. If he claimed it would work, then the likelihood of success was incredibly high.
"Teacher, I'm ready. Let's try it."
Ziyang's voice was filled with eagerness. Even if it meant being the first test subject, he trusted Electrolux completely.
"Hahaha, your trust moves me deeply,"
Electrolux said with rare emotion.
"I had originally planned to use that little dragon as the prototype—but this embryo has presented a better and safer opportunity. Ziyang, what we're about to do is forge a new law within this world. If we succeed, we'll create a revolution. If we fail, the world will punish us—Purple Heaven Divine Lightning will be the least of our worries."
"I understand,"
Ziyang replied solemnly.
"I was ready to sacrifice this fragment of my soul to shield you," Electrolux admitted quietly, "but now that we have the embryo… I won't need to. If the contract fails, its collapse will transfer the backlash to the soul beast instead of you."
"Don't be too pessimistic, Teacher,"
Ziyang smiled.
"I believe we'll succeed!"
"Haha… perhaps I've grown cautious with age," Electrolux said with a sigh, then grinned.
"But seeing your confidence, how could I back down? Creating a new system requires a great deal of spiritual energy, and this source-less water lake is the perfect catalyst. Ziyang, I'll first explain the modified Equal Contract, and once you've prepared the area, we'll begin the ritual."
"Understood,"
Ziyang nodded firmly.
"I've named it the Soul Spirit Contract,"
Electrolux began.
"'Soul Spirits' are the spirits of soul rings—this is the core of the system I've devised. Through the Soul Spirit Contract, a soul master who has hit a bottleneck no longer needs to hunt soul beasts. Instead, they can form a bond with one, gain its soul ring, and preserve the beast's intelligence and will, allowing it to exist as a spiritual entity capable of fighting alongside the master."
"Soul Spirits…"
Ziyang murmured the term, his face slowly lighting up with awe and understanding.
"In my vision, a Soul Spirit is formed by fusing the soul remnant and life force of a soul beast within a ring. It retains its former combat instincts and can evolve alongside its master,"
Electrolux explained.
"Depending on its past cultivation, it may grant one or multiple soul rings. As the spirit grows stronger, the ring's age will increase as well—thus improving the power of the soul skills it provides."
"If that really works…"
Ziyang's thoughts raced.
"Then this would drastically reduce the number of soul beasts slain, and ease the growing conflict between soul masters and soul beasts. Teacher, you… you'd be the savior of Douluo Continent!"
In recent decades, the soul master world had been torn between breeding and symbiosis—methods born from one truth: the soul beast population was collapsing. Especially low-level beasts, whose dwindling numbers threatened the entire soul master system.
The wisest soul masters already foresaw a bleak future. If this continued, they feared a day would come when soul beasts—and therefore soul masters—would become extinct. Without soul rings, cultivation would halt. Without cultivation, the profession itself would vanish.
To many, that future seemed distant. But to visionaries like Zhu Ziyang, the crisis was real.
That said, even Ziyang had never thought of a solution—until now.
"Hahaha, I'm not trying to save the world,"
Electrolux chuckled,
"I just want to leave something behind for you. Of course, if you choose to share this system with the world, I won't object. But don't expect the conflict between soul masters and beasts to disappear. The true cause lies in the laws of this world."
"…I see,"
Ziyang nodded thoughtfully.
He turned and commanded the Hell Knight and Lich King to sweep the island clean and gather the snow lotuses. Then he walked over to the ruins of the ice house, hoping to find some clue about the identity of the soul beast embryo.