Huo Yuhao was still very young. After the brief shock and tension passed, his emotions quickly turned into excitement. After traveling for so many days, he had finally reached his destination. Just thinking about the possibility of obtaining a soul ring and truly becoming a Soul Master made his blood boil. For this day, though he was only eleven years old, he had already trained bitterly for more than five years.
In his excitement, Huo Yuhao subconsciously quickened his pace, growing increasingly impatient.
Just as he was moving forward, a strange sensation suddenly appeared in his mind. He felt a slight sting in his eyes and instinctively circulated his soul power into his Lingmu.
A faint airflow swirled around his eyes, and Huo Yuhao seemed to see a black shadow flash past on the left side of the road ahead.
As an extremely rare spiritual-type mutated martial soul, Lingmu possessed powerful early-warning abilities. A sense of danger instantly sharpened Huo Yuhao's reactions. His body lunged left as he swiftly drew the White Tiger Dagger from behind his waist with his right hand.
A black figure flashed past the spot where he had been standing and slammed into the ground nearby. At such close range, Huo Yuhao immediately saw what it was.
It was a baboon about a meter tall, covered in brownish-yellow fur. Its eyes were dark brown, its arms exceptionally long, and its claws sharp and vicious. Its fangs jutted out from its lips, and a savage light gleamed in its eyes. Missing its first strike, it let out a low roar at Huo Yuhao. With a powerful push of its hind legs, it pounced at him again.
Although Huo Yuhao's Lingmu had yet to attach a soul ring, its basic functions were already quite effective. With soul power infused, the baboon's movements appeared much slower in his eyes. Already sprawled on the ground, Huo Yuhao quickly rolled left, sprang to his feet, retreated several steps, and raised the White Tiger Dagger before his chest.
His heartbeat thundered in his ears, and his breathing became rapid. This was the first time in his life he had ever faced an enemy—no, a soul beast—attacking him. His palm was slick with sweat around the White Tiger Dagger, and he felt utterly at a loss for how to respond.
After missing twice in a row, the baboon seemed enraged. It reared up, pounding its chest with both fists, then roared and suddenly opened its mouth toward Huo Yuhao. A ball of white light shot out, flying straight at him.
No matter how inexperienced Huo Yuhao was, he could tell by now that he was facing a soul beast. This place was still some distance from the Star Dou Great Forest, and he had made no preparations at all. As the white light came flying toward him, he knew that with his current cultivation, being hit would likely spell utter disaster.
Huo Yuhao's mind went completely blank. In his Lingmu, the white light didn't seem especially fast, but in reality, it reached him in the blink of an eye.
At the same time it fired the white light, the baboon itself lunged forward at full speed, ferocity blazing in its eyes.
As the white light reached him, Huo Yuhao—too tense to think—simply followed his body's instinct and raised the White Tiger Dagger in his right hand. The white light slammed directly into it.
At that moment, something strange happened.
As the white light struck the White Tiger Dagger, the baboon was already upon him. Its long arms stretched out, claws flashing as both hands grabbed Huo Yuhao's shoulders.
At this point, it seemed Huo Yuhao's fate was sealed. Was he truly about to perish beneath this soul beast's claws?
The baboon seized his shoulders, its powerful body flipping through the air with the momentum, about to viciously hurl Huo Yuhao away.
At the same instant it threw him, a streak of white light flashed beneath the baboon. Its body stiffened slightly. Huo Yuhao, who should have been smashed into the ground, was instead flung flying. The baboon itself rolled on the ground a few times—then stopped moving.
"Bang—!"
Huo Yuhao's body slammed into a nearby tree trunk. His vision went black, and the intense pain robbed him of the ability to breathe.
At this moment, Huo Yuhao looked utterly miserable. Long bloody gashes marked both shoulders, and his clothes were almost torn to shreds.
Yet it was amid this intense pain that he regained consciousness. His gaze instinctively shifted to the motionless baboon on the ground.
A faint white glow appeared on the baboon's body. Gradually, the white light condensed above it into a white ring of light. The ring was indistinct, its glow flickering in and out, yet it left Huo Yuhao staring in a daze.
A soul ring. This is a soul ring?
Huo Yuhao trembled with excitement, and even the pain from his wounds seemed to lessen.
In the Duke's Manor, he had only learned the most basic meditation techniques, but he had heard countless discussions about soul beasts and soul rings. Almost every guard in the manor talked about these things regularly. Yet this was the first time he had ever seen one with his own eyes.
Is it dead? Huo Yuhao thought blankly. Only when a soul beast dies does it release a soul ring. But… how did it die?
At that moment, the power of Lingmu manifested. Memories surged through his mind like a tide.
The instant the baboon's white light struck the White Tiger Dagger, the dagger had suddenly shone brilliantly, absorbing all the white light into itself. That was the crucial moment that changed the entire battle.
By instinct, the baboon believed that after its innate soul skill hit this weak human, Huo Yuhao would lose all combat ability, then be smashed into the ground, at least half-dead. But it never imagined that its innate soul skill would be unconsciously neutralized by Huo Yuhao's White Tiger Dagger. And when it grabbed Huo Yuhao and flipped to throw him, Huo Yuhao—again guided by pure instinct—swung his arms, and the White Tiger Dagger in his right hand naturally swept upward.
Normally, the White Tiger Dagger wasn't long enough to reach the airborne baboon. Yet in that instant, a blade aura a chi long suddenly erupted from it, slashing across the baboon's body. It seemed to have transformed the absorbed white light into sharp killing power. Though Huo Yuhao's mind had been blank and he couldn't remember where it struck, he was certain that the blade aura had cut into the baboon.
I… actually won?
As Huo Yuhao stared at the white soul ring, the excitement in his heart gradually faded.
Soul rings were essential for a Soul Master's advancement. But not all soul rings were suitable for absorption. Only those highly compatible with one's martial soul could be absorbed more effectively.
Better soul rings granted stronger skills, and the strength of a soul ring was determined by the cultivation years of the soul beast.
White soul rings represented ten-year soul beasts. Any soul beast with cultivation between ten and one hundred years would produce a white soul ring upon death. Clearly, the baboon Huo Yuhao had killed by sheer luck was a ten-year soul beast, and its ten-year soul ring was right before him. Unfortunately, it was not something he could absorb.
Though Huo Yuhao had no experience hunting soul beasts and couldn't tell what attribute the baboon possessed, he was certain it wasn't a spiritual-type soul beast. Its soul ring was unsuitable for him.
Huo Yuhao wanted to check on the baboon, but when he tried to stand, his whole body went limp. The extreme tension had drained all his strength, and coupled with the pain in his shoulders, he let out a muffled groan, nearly fainting again.
He was only eleven years old, after all. After this sudden ordeal, even his resolve wavered slightly. Spiritual-type soul beasts were extremely rare. This was only the first soul beast he had encountered—and just a ten-year one—and it had nearly killed him. What if he met a hundred-year soul beast? He wouldn't stand a chance at all. Luck couldn't always be on his side, and the miraculous moment displayed by the White Tiger Dagger earlier clearly couldn't make up for his weakness.
What should I do?
Huo Yuhao struggled to sit up, leaning against the tree he had crashed into, gasping for breath.
I can't die. I must succeed. I still have to seek justice for Mother—I can't give up now.
He clenched his teeth, reinforcing his faith over and over, yet the brief clash with the baboon kept replaying in his mind, cruelly reminding him what true overestimation of oneself meant.
Just as Huo Yuhao was drowning in confusion and helplessness, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind without any warning.
"Finally, I've encountered a spiritual-type human. Too bad your bro doesn't cry, or I'd be in tears right now!"
Huo Yuhao was startled. He had no idea why a voice had suddenly appeared in his head. At that moment, the ground beneath him began to tremble without warning. Two meters ahead, cracks spread across the earth, growing wider and wider until they formed a fissure. A faint golden-white glow shimmered from within.
Th-this… what is this? Another soul beast?
Huo Yuhao instinctively tightened his grip on the White Tiger Dagger, staring nervously at the expanding fissure. If his body weren't so weak, he might have already turned and run.
Threads of icy cold seeped out from the crack, and the surrounding temperature dropped noticeably. The fissure grew larger and larger, soon exceeding five meters in diameter. At last, the golden-white light revealed its true form.
It was a round, plump head, looking soft and fleshy, more than a meter across. It wriggled as it slowly emerged, its body stretching over seven meters long.
As it appeared, Huo Yuhao's breath turned into icy mist, and the cold made him shiver repeatedly.
This was definitely a soul beast—and it looked like a silkworm. Only, compared to a normal silkworm, it was countless times larger.
Its entire body was jade-white, crystalline and translucent. Though it had burrowed up from the soil, its smooth skin was spotless. Light shimmered beneath its surface, and atop its head were a pair of tiny golden, gleaming eyes. Most peculiar of all, starting half a meter from its head, golden rings encircled its body at intervals—ten golden rings in total from head to tail.
Seeing its massive body, despair filled Huo Yuhao's eyes. Such a huge form, with the ability to alter temperature—this had to be at least a hundred-year soul beast. It was over. Everything was over.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. Your bro won't hurt you."
The voice sounded again in his mind. The giant silkworm nodded at him, lowering its enormous head until it stopped a meter away. A faint, refreshing fragrance even drifted from its body.
Huo Yuhao asked in shock, "You… you're talking to me?"
The giant silkworm nodded again. The voice still echoed in his mind."Of course it's your bro. What, dazzled by my beautiful, graceful body?"
Sensing no hostility from it, the taut string in Huo Yuhao's heart loosened a little.
"What do you want to do?"
The silkworm said, "Let me introduce myself. I am the embodiment of heroism and chivalry, a being of wisdom and beauty combined, the king among soul beasts, a peerless powerhouse who cultivated for a million years and created the longest lifespan record in Douluo Continent—Tianmeng Ice Silkworm. Mm, you can call me Brother Tianmeng!"
Huo Yuhao's eyes went completely blank."A… a million-year soul beast?"That was ten thousand times off from his judgment! And did such a thing really exist? The strongest soul beasts on Douluo Continent were supposed to be only hundred-thousand-year ones!
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm said smugly, "Surprised? Excited? You're the first human ever to see this great being's true body."
Huo Yuhao said blankly, "Then… what are you going to do?"
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's tone suddenly turned solemn."I'm going to become your soul ring—the first intelligent soul ring in the history of Douluo Continent."
"Huh?"Huo Yuhao stared at Tianmeng Ice Silkworm in utter shock, his mind completely unable to process what he'd just heard.
Everything had come far too suddenly. He longed for a soul ring, yes—but all he had ever hoped for was a simple ten-year soul ring. He had never dared to wish for more. And now, a massive, talking silkworm had burst out of the ground, claiming to be a great million-year soul beast and saying it was willing to become his soul ring. Huo Yuhao had no idea what was happening, nor whether Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's words were true.
But true or not, this enormous silkworm was not something he could oppose.
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm cautiously glanced toward the direction of the Star Dou Great Forest, then looked back at Huo Yuhao."I'm starting now. Don't worry, I'll be gentle. It won't hurt too much."
"You—"Before Huo Yuhao could protest, an extreme cold instantly robbed him of consciousness. He vaguely saw a white blur rush toward him, and the next moment, all ability to think vanished.
The ten golden rings on Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's body began to pulse as if alive. The white blur Huo Yuhao saw was actually Tianmeng Ice Silkworm pressing its head against his forehead.
The ten golden rings quickly enveloped Huo Yuhao's slender body, while Tianmeng Ice Silkworm itself transformed into streams of white radiance that poured continuously into him.
"Too weak, too weak. This is just pitiful. Poor me! How many seals do I have to place on myself to let this frail body bear it? Being a wisdom soul ring is really not easy…"
As Tianmeng Ice Silkworm merged into Huo Yuhao, an invisible spiritual fluctuation spread outward from it. That terrifying spiritual power instantly covered every corner within a hundred-li radius.
Beibei and Tang Ya, who were rushing to catch up to Huo Yuhao, were swept by this spiritual wave and fell into brief stupor. The mental shock wasn't particularly destructive, but it could cause all living beings to lose their ability to think for a short time.
At that moment, much of the southern region of the Star Dou Great Forest fell into terrifying silence.
At the same time, the previously clear sky suddenly darkened. A thunderous boom resounded from the heavens, and in that instant, the sun's light was completely swallowed by darkness. An overwhelming pressure descended from above, making it hard to breathe.
As the thunder roared, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's massive body shook violently. Its small golden eyes rolled upward, staring at the sky in shock and confusion—this oppressive force had nothing to do with it and lay beyond its understanding.
A stream of gray energy fell from the sky as if drawn by a powerful force, instantly entering the back of Huo Yuhao's head.
"What dares to snatch my person from me?"Tianmeng Ice Silkworm roared in fury, unleashing its immense spiritual power in an attempt to expel the gray energy.
A blurry figure appeared behind Huo Yuhao, and an ancient voice filled with indescribable authority rang out: