Soul Tool & Promise

"I apologize to you for my arrogance and my friends' arrogance."

"But Xiaoping really needs that Soul Beast."

"Brother Sun..." Zhang Ping raised her head, her eyes moist and her voice trembling slightly.

"Xiaoping, don't say anything yet!" Sun Chuantao raised a hand to cut her off. "This was my idea, so I have to take responsibility to the end."

Zhou You watched the scene expressionlessly. The way they were acting made him look like some archvillain. He really wanted to turn around and leave...

But Sun Chuantao didn't give him the chance, quickly turning back to him.

"You're right. I wasn't sincere. From the start, I approached you with ulterior motives, but I hope... no, I beg you to give me another chance."

With that, Sun Chuantao looked as though it pained him, but he still pulled a round object from inside his clothes.

Zhou You looked closely and saw that it was only the size of a ping-pong ball and golden all over. It looked like a Ferrero Rocher made of gold—or perhaps a golden core?

But the most striking thing was the conspicuous iris-like structure on the golden sphere, which made it look like an eyeball.

Zhou You had to admit he was curious, but he didn't rush to speak. He knew the other man would explain on his own.

Sure enough, Sun Chuantao didn't keep him in suspense. "This is a Soul Tool I came across by chance. It's called the 'Eye of Truth.'"

[Soul Tools] were another major specialty of the Douluo World.

But unlike in "Peerless Tang Sect," where they could be found everywhere, Soul Tools in Douluo I were mostly relics from ancient times and were extremely rare.

What was more, no one in this era could figure out how Soul Tools worked, let alone make them.

"Apparently, the Eye of Truth lets you see a thousand li into the distance, and also examine the tiniest details, seeing things invisible to the naked eye. There are even rumors that it can see into people's hearts!"

Hearing Sun Chuantao pitch it so enthusiastically, Zhou You said in amusement, "Apparently? Rumors?"

Sun Chuantao gave an awkward laugh. He had nearly forgotten again that the person before him wasn't someone he could fool as he pleased, so he hurriedly added:

"That's what the person who sold it to me said, but..."

Zhou You knew the important part was coming.

Sun Chuantao looked even more embarrassed. "But this thing has to be implanted directly into an eye socket to use its full functions, so..."

Zhou You understood. To use this "Eye of Truth," he would have to gouge out one of his own perfectly good eyeballs?

What is it, a Sharingan? Plug and play?

His expression turned peculiar. He looked down at the Eye of Truth, then back at Sun Chuantao, his gaze growing increasingly strange.

Fortunately, Sun Chuantao immediately explained, "But I've tried it. You can actually use it without implanting it; the effects just aren't as miraculous as that person claimed. But as long as you wear it on your body, your mind becomes very clear."

"It can soothe the impatience in your heart and put you in a state of absolute focus. You should know that in battle, people in that state can often bring out their full strength more easily."

"Because of that, I can always gain the upper hand quickly when I fight Yan."

That doesn't seem like anything to brag about, Zhou You thought. Doesn't beating that kid just require having hands?

Besides, if Zhou You's senses were right, this guy was a Soul Grandmaster, a whole realm above Yan.

With that advantage, you still need a Soul Tool to gain the upper hand? Shouldn't you look for the reason in yourself first?

Sun Chuantao didn't know what he was thinking, or he might have lost his composure. Somewhat reluctantly, he pushed the Eye of Truth toward Zhou You.

"I hope to exchange this for your help, just this once."

Zhou You thought for a moment, then reached out and picked up the golden sphere between his fingers. A chill passed through its metal surface to his fingertips.

Since it was a Soul Tool, it naturally required Soul Power to activate. He roused the Martial Soul within him and diverted some Soul Power that had yet to be refined into the golden sphere. The next moment, his Consciousness Spirit suddenly became active.

Zhou You sensed it carefully and found that nearly sixty percent of the Soul Power he had fed into the sphere had been retained, while the rest had been converted into another kind of energy and fed back to him.

His eyes widened. He could clearly sense that the energy was Mental Power!

This was a Soul Tool that could convert Soul Power into Mental Power!

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhou You closed his fingers around the Eye of Truth, giving no one else a chance to talk Sun Chuantao out of it.

"I agree to help." He thought for a moment, then added, "If we encounter a Sonic Bird, I'll do everything I can to make sure you can hunt it. If you can't, I'll return this Soul Tool to you."

With that promise, the pain in Sun Chuantao's heart eased considerably. Still, he was curious how Zhou You intended to make it happen. Even Zhou You couldn't make a Soul Saint obey his every command, could he?

But Zhou You clearly had no intention of explaining.

"The Soul Hunting Operation will probably take place in the next few days. Get ready. Farewell!" With that, he immediately turned and left.

His swift, decisive manner left the others unable to react for a moment.

A moment later, Sun Chuantao's expression changed, and he said to his companions, "Did I just... sell it too cheap?"

Too cheap? You practically gave it away!

Xu Yu rolled his eyes and moved his hand away from Li Kai's mouth, then wiped the saliva on his palm onto him in disgust.

"You bastard Xu! I'll fucking kill you!" Li Kai let out a howl and pounced on Xu Yu, and the scene immediately turned heated.

Sun Chuantao could only put aside the faint regret in his heart and hurry over to stop them. Zhang Ping helped too.

Whatever chaos the Four-Person Group was in, Zhou You had already reached Xie Yue and Hu Liena's dormitory.

That was right, the siblings currently lived together—not in the same room, but in a luxurious dormitory with two bedrooms and a living room, better than the one Zhou You and Yan shared.

Given Hu Liena's ability, she wasn't suited to sharing a place with others until she could fully control her "Charm." But Xie Yue was her own brother, and the two of them were still young, so there was no need for them to live separately yet.

Having lost their parents, the siblings also needed each other's presence to sustain the fragile sense of security in their hearts.

When Zhou You arrived, he happened to see Xie Yue holding his two Moon Blades and practicing moves in the open space in front of the dormitory.

Xie Yue saw him arrive too and immediately stopped moving. Only his chest was still rising and falling slightly; it looked like he had been practicing for a while.

"What are you here for?" Xie Yue tried to make his voice sound calmer.

"I'm here to see your sister," Zhou You said bluntly.

He didn't like dragging things out. Once he agreed to something, he would do it to the best of his ability.

A Soul Beast like the Sonic Bird was extremely difficult to catch, but that was because Soul Masters generally liked to do things head-on. In particular, when they were in a position of power, they were even more inclined to use direct force to achieve their goals.

Sun Chuantao thought that having a Soul Saint along would make success on this trip a sure thing, but he was actually being a little too optimistic.

A Soul Saint could indeed fly, but that was all. As for speed, unless they had a Soul Skill specifically designed to enhance it, they were only average.

A hundred-year Sonic Bird could already accelerate past the speed of sound in an instant. Although it was hard for one to maintain that speed for long, a few seconds were enough for it to escape to a distance where even a Soul Saint would be left in the dust.

Besides, Sonic Birds were so small. If one were to dart straight into a dense forest and hide, could a Soul Saint really chop down every tree in the entire forest?

So, aside from relying on sheer speed, was there a cleverer way to catch a bird that was small, fast, and exceedingly timid?

There was, brother. There was.