Experiment

Experiment

Master Ratio returned to the laboratory. On the way, he had no choice but to change into a cloak and wear a conical hat, concealing himself completely. Otherwise, given his current fame, he would probably bring the entire street to a standstill!

Even so, quite a few probing gazes still followed him.

Master Ratio gave them no time to react and hurried toward Pope Mountain.

Halfway there.

Amid the crowd, a hand suddenly pressed down on Master Ratio's shoulder.

"Found you. Come with me."

A man's deep voice rang out. Then, the large hand on Master Ratio's shoulder tightened, dragging him swiftly toward the outskirts of the city.

Master Ratio did not struggle and allowed himself to be led away.

A moment later, they appeared in a forest outside Spirit City.

Master Ratio got a clear look at the man. He wore a large cloak that concealed his entire body, making both his face and identity impossible to discern.

The man lifted his hood, revealing a rugged face.

"Master Ratio, forgive my rudeness. If I hadn't done this, I wouldn't have been able to meet you. Let me introduce myself. My name is Tang Xiao, Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect."

Tang Xiao grinned broadly, making no attempt to conceal his identity.

Master Ratio looked at him calmly and gave a slight nod.

Since he had followed the other man out here, there was naturally some purpose behind it.

Seeing that Master Ratio was not flustered, Tang Xiao continued, "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. I, Tang, hate evil as my enemy and have always had principles. I would never harm an innocent person."

"I invited you here this time because I want you to be straightforward."

"Since you have theories that can benefit the Soul Master Realm, don't keep them hidden away. Wouldn't it be better to be forthright?"

Tang Xiao spoke bluntly.

He did not believe Qian Daoliu's assurances. In his eyes, everyone in Spirit Hall was a petty scoundrel.

Naturally, their words could not be trusted. The theories proposed by Master Ratio were far too important and precious. Would Spirit Hall really refrain from keeping them for themselves? Who would believe that?

Master Ratio did not answer. Instead, he studied Tang Xiao. The man was currently a level 96 Titled Douluo with nine soul rings.

"Master Ratio, as the saying goes, a wise man submits to circumstances. My time is limited, so do not waste it. Cooperate with me. Once you tell me everything, I will publicly release all these theories and safely return you. I will not break my word."

"But if you refuse to cooperate, then I'm afraid you'll have to suffer a little."

Tang Xiao clenched his fists, producing a series of cracking sounds.

Tang Xiao was about to say more when Master Ratio suddenly pressed a finger to his chest.

It was only a finger, not especially thick or strong, yet the instant it touched him, Tang Xiao's expression stiffened.

At that moment, all the soul power within his body seemed to vanish!

His Titled Douluo-level strength suffered an immense plunge, leaving him like a puppet on strings.

"Mmgh..."

Tang Xiao struggled to open his mouth and demand an explanation, but his muscles had gone rigid. His entire body no longer seemed to belong to him, as though his soul had been confined within this prison of flesh.

As he stared at Master Ratio, a thread of fear rose within him.

The rumors were all bullshit. Master Ratio was no helpless weakling incapable of restraining even a chicken.

Though he possessed no soul power, his absolute strength far surpassed that of a Titled Douluo.

Tang Xiao was now completely controlled, incapable of even the slightest resistance.

Master Ratio struck Tang Xiao's chest again. Bang...!

The next second, rings of soul rings suddenly rose beneath Tang Xiao's feet, one after another—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black. Nine in all, radiating a heavy, oppressive pressure!

"!!!" Tang Xiao's eyes filled with shock.

Under Master Ratio's control, even his body and martial soul seemed to no longer belong to him!

This feeling of being toyed with made panic rise uncontrollably within him.

Tang Xiao had fought and killed for many years, but this was the first time he had encountered such utter powerlessness. He could only watch helplessly as events unfolded, unable even to resist or question what was happening!

Master Ratio grasped the first yellow soul ring and gave it a light squeeze.

A beastly roar suddenly sounded from the yellow soul ring. The phantom of a Great Ape appeared within it, roaring at Master Ratio.

Seeing this, Master Ratio gave a slight nod. "As expected, soul rings obtained by killing Soul Beasts contain the souls of those Soul Beasts."

Master Ratio took out a book and recorded the information.

He then squeezed the other eight soul rings in turn. For a moment, tiger roars and Dragon's Roar echoed through the forest as the residual souls of the Soul Beasts within every ring emerged, each one a collection of resentment and fury.

They were filled with rage. Remaining within a soul master's soul rings, they could naturally never be a source of assistance.

Since he had previously possessed no soul power, Master Ratio had not conducted much research in this area.

Now that he saw it, the soul master cultivation system truly was far too crude!

From the current situation alone, one conclusion could be drawn: while soul masters could advance to the next stage of cultivation by hunting Soul Beasts and absorbing soul rings, it also affected their future cultivation!

By hunting and absorbing nine soul rings, they might ultimately damage their Innate Soul Power talent!

Master Ratio began conducting various experiments to gather data.

Tang Xiao watched in utter confusion. He was merely a crude soul master and had no idea what Master Ratio was doing.

Yet he could vaguely sense that Master Ratio must have come upon some groundbreaking theoretical research again.

Such a powerful expert, such a brilliant scholar.

Could he really be a petty man colluding with Spirit Hall?

Tang Xiao could not help but feel uncertain as he began to doubt himself.

Shortly afterward, Master Ratio had gathered all the information. Although he had no additional data to verify it yet, he could still draw a preliminary conclusion:

For soul masters, hunting Soul Beasts to obtain soul rings was like drinking poison to quench thirst.

While plundering the lives of Soul Beasts, they were also overdrawing their own potential.

Once this argument was put forward, it could support Master Ratio's efforts to bring about peaceful coexistence between humans and Soul Beasts. Of course, it would also require more credible, verifiable experimental data.

He had to be rigorous in this regard. Master Ratio gave a slight nod. "I still need more experimental data."

The moment Master Ratio finished speaking.

A golden figure suddenly shot over from the distance.

It was Qian Daoliu. He landed behind Master Ratio, looked at Tang Xiao, who was frozen in place with neither his martial soul nor soul rings under his control, and shook his head slightly.

"Master Ratio, did he offend you?"

The moment Tang Xiao saw Qian Daoliu, his heart sank.

It's over. I've run into this butcher. There's no escaping disaster today!

He could only glare at Qian Daoliu with an unyielding, hate-filled gaze.

Master Ratio said, "No. I merely need some of his data. Grand Elder, I need one thousand soul masters. Preferably with varying soul power, different martial souls, and different soul rings. The samples should be as diverse as possible."

Qian Daoliu froze for a moment, his words choked back by Master Ratio.

"Alright..."

Master Ratio gave a slight nod. Blue flames appeared around him, and the next second, he suddenly vanished.

Watching him leave so abruptly, Qian Daoliu turned his gaze back to Tang Xiao and shook his head with a smile. "Why did you have to offend him when you were perfectly fine?"

"..."

Tang Xiao stared coldly at Qian Daoliu, utterly fearless.

"Don't worry. I won't kill you..."