Su Ming's Anticipation

The Second Array's effect was not particularly heaven-defying.

Its effect was quite obvious: it restrained the target's Soul Power.

However, its repeatedly nested structure was clearly meant to strengthen that restraining ability, and it also incorporated many structures related to Soul Power.

Taking Su Ming's situation into account, Su Can quickly realized what this array was for and understood its significance even more clearly.

This was an array customized for his own needs!

This could only be accomplished with an extremely profound understanding of the Core Array. It meant he had already grasped the essence of its fundamental principles!

How was that possible?

Su Can studied the Array Blueprint again and again before finally discovering several incongruous points, which he pointed out to Su Ming.

"With this, the breakthrough will truly be secure."

After Su Can finished explaining the functions of the two arrays, Du Busi could not help but feel reassured.

Of the two arrays, the first would allow Su Ming to be affected as little as possible by the Soul Rings' absorption process while condensing his Soul Core. The second would increase Su Ming's chances of successfully condensing a Soul Core by thirty percent.

Unfortunately, the arrays used were too rudimentary and could only affect low-level Soul Masters. The first array was fine and could be used on other disciples, but only Su Ming could use the latter. After all, he was the only one who could condense a Soul Core before becoming a Soul Ancestor.

"Since the arrays are fine, it's time to set out."

"By the way, Sect Master Du, I found three children with Body Martial Souls. Once we finish Hunt Soul, you can take them away."

Three?

Du Busi's eyes lit up.

"How old are they?"

"One is not yet seven, and the other two are eight," Su Can said.

Du Busi's smile broadened.

"It seems there are still many undiscovered kin across the continent. Our sect truly should not have abandoned the Sun Moon Empire."

Su Ming fell into thought at those words.

So this was actually the key to how joining the Body Sect could influence the future.

Even without his ideas, Su Can's status as an Eighth-Level Soul Engineer would make it easy for him to search for children with Body Martial Souls within the empire. This could quickly overturn the Body Sect's old ways of thinking.

The most fundamental reason for the Body Sect's decline in the Original Work had been the loss of its inheritance, and the greatest trigger for that loss had actually been Du Busi's death.

If he had not blown himself up alongside the Sun Moon Empire, the Body Sect would not have lost its inheritance.

The Sun Moon Empire's unification was an inevitable trend. With unification destined to happen in the future, the Body Sect had fought desperately against its path to unification. The fact that the Body Sect still existed when the Sun Moon Federation was established showed that the Sun Moon Royal Family had already been remarkably lenient.

"A thirteen-hundred-year limit seems just right," Su Can said. "The Third Soul Ring I prepared for Xiao Ming was a Star Tree that was over twelve hundred years old."

"A Star Tree?"

Su Ming was delighted.

This was a very rare Soul Beast, and its quality was exceptionally high.

Any Soul Beast involving the star attribute was no ordinary creature. The Star Tree cultivated by drawing in the Power of Stars and was a truly top-tier Soul Beast.

Du Busi was rather surprised.

Su Can smiled. "Our Su Family—or rather, all Soul Engineer families within the Sun Moon Empire—record information on suitable Soul Beasts. When a Soul Master in the family needs one, they can go hunt it down. That wastes less time on Hunt Soul and naturally leaves more time to research Soul Tools."

Researching Soul Tools alone kept the Soul Engineers of the Sun Moon Empire so busy that they could not even spare time to cultivate Soul Power. They could only rely on pills to keep up with their progress, much less spend time on Hunt Soul.

It could only be said that Soul Engineers had gone to great lengths to free up more time for researching Soul Tools.

"Then we'll go with this Star Tree," Du Busi said.

The three of them did not delay and set out that very night.

As a plant-type Soul Beast, the Star Tree possessed very low intelligence. It was even less intelligent than a hundred-year Soul Beast of the same quality, making it more suitable to become a Soul Spirit.

Along the way, Su Ming was extremely excited.

When Dou Yi Su Ming converted a Soul Spirit, all three Su Mings had been excited and closely watched the outcome of that conversion. Dou Er Su Ming, in particular, had checked the result immediately and attempted Thousand Forgings.

Of course, the result had been unsatisfactory. He had not succeeded and could not achieve Thousand Forgings with Spirit.

This time, Dou Er Su Ming was converting a Soul Spirit ahead of time, and all three Su Mings were watching closely, especially Dou San Su Ming.

Dou Yi Su Ming could not alter the Timeline, but Dou Er Su Ming could!

Once Dou Er Su Ming successfully converted a Soul Spirit, it would mean he had become the founder of Soul Spirits and would directly alter much of the future.

In truth, the so-called changes to history would not have much impact. After all, only three Su Mings truly existed, and they existed only at these three points in time. Whatever happened in between would merely mean that Dou San's history gained or lost a few entries.

Changes in history were secondary.

What Su Ming looked forward to most was the significance—the title!

"If I become the founder of Soul Spirits, then I'll be able to get a share of the Faith belonging to Soul Spirits!"

Even if Dou Er Su Ming was the one who changed everything, Dou San Su Ming should still be able to benefit from that Faith... right?

Inside a Soul Beast forest in the western Sun Moon Empire.

"The Star Tree is up ahead."

Looking into the distance, Su Ming spotted the ten-meter-tall tree. Starlight flowed through its trunk, making it seem transparent and revealing the flowing radiance within. The starlight ran down from its crown and into its roots.

Stars flickered among its branches, drawing down the Power of Stars from the sky.

A hazy mist of starlight surrounded the Star Tree, shrouding it.

"Twelve hundred years." Du Busi confirmed the Star Tree's age and acted without another word.

His Main Body expanded, instantly transforming into a ten-meter-tall giant as large as the Star Tree itself. He kicked the trunk directly, snapping it in half.

The Star Tree fell to the ground, and the starlight flowing within it swiftly dimmed.

Seeing this, Su Ming hurried forward and began inscribing a Soul Tool Magic Array.

Du Busi had moved too quickly. Su Ming had barely been able to react, much less the Star Tree.

"Xiao Ming, hurry!"

Du Busi was even urging Su Ming to deliver the finishing blow.

Su Ming could only sigh helplessly and speed up the array's setup.

When the array took shape, he turned to see that the Star Tree had not yet completely died. He breathed a sigh of relief, activated the array, and stepped forward to finish it off.

The Star Tree's soul did not disperse after its death. Instead, it was restrained by the array and forcibly contracted with Su Ming.

This was the power of the future Soul Spirit Contract.

Even a Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast could not escape once it was killed. Its soul would inevitably be converted into a Soul Spirit and thrown into the Spirit Soul Tower. After remaining in the Spirit Soul Tower for ten years, a hundred years, or even a thousand years, it would completely recognize reality. If it wanted to go outside and take a look, it would choose a suitable Soul Master and become that person's Soul Spirit.

As for thousand-year Soul Beasts, they could even be directly contracted with Soul Masters and turned into Soul Spirits after being killed. Their intelligence was already insufficient, and they had nowhere near enough strength to break free from the contract's restraints.

The array's effect exceeded Su Can's expectations.

Seeing the phantom of a Star Tree containing the Power of Stars suddenly appear in midair, he was utterly shocked.

Then, before he could react, the phantom directly formed a contract with Su Ming before merging into his body.

"Oh no, he must have been too rushed just now. Xiao Ming made a mistake while inscribing the array!" Su Can cried anxiously.

Du Busi frowned as well.

If he had known, he would have held back a little.

This Star Tree had been too fragile. One kick had snapped it in half.

What kept the two of them relatively calm was Su Ming's condition. His expression had not changed at all, and he looked no different from someone normally absorbing a Soul Ring.

After the purple Soul Ring merged into his body, it quickly helped him break through the barrier, allowing his Soul Power to reach level twenty. A faint purple halo emerged around his body alongside the yellow halo of his First Soul Ring.