The Mentor Truly Dares to Speak His Mind

"Please cooperate, Lady Bi Ji."

Chen Fu pulled Ma Xiaotao along and led Bi Ji to a clearing in the forest.

"Mm, I've heard the general process. Rest assured." A gentle, ethereal voice came from the woman.

Chen Fu glanced back, curious himself. Although his optimal estimate had been Bi Ji as a super Soul Beast, he hadn't expected Di Tian's execution to be so astonishingly swift.

"I've optimized and improved the Soul Ring Engraving soul tool. Don't worry, I've streamlined a lot of the process."

He reached out and tossed a Spatial Soul Tool into the clearing. As spatial ripples shimmered, orderly layers of regular metal blocks extended from the void.

With the rumbling clash of metal, an octagonal metal disk nearly sixteen meters in diameter assembled itself in seconds and settled onto the ground.

Its surface was densely covered with fine, faint blue flowing-light inscriptions, exquisitely crafted and brimming with a sense of orderly beauty.

"Xiaotao, sit cross-legged at the Li Position. Lady Bi Ji, please sit at the center, at the Yin-Yang point."

Chen Fu directed the two to their respective positions and began slowly activating this new Soul Ring Engraving soul tool, inspired by the Bagua. He called this new series the [Awakening Soul Array Diagram] series.

While refining the Soul-Leaving and Soul-Summoning Matrix technology, he had added a dual-system logic of inner and outer Bagua diagrams, allowing the [Awakening Soul Array Diagram] to achieve differentiated Soul Power conversion through specific combinations of the inner and outer three lines. A total of sixty-four trigram forms sufficed to handle the Soul Power differences between Soul Masters and Soul Beasts.

As Ma Xiaotao and Bi Ji took their seats, the Awakening Soul Array Diagram began to rotate. First, at Ma Xiaotao's position, the inner and outer rings of the array turned, aligning two Li trigrams representing fire at her spot. Then the entire Awakening Soul Array Diagram began to glow with crimson Soul Power fluctuations.

At the center, Bi Ji felt a gentle suction from beneath her seat. Her own Soul Power involuntarily began flowing toward the soul tool under her.

Having been psychologically prepared, Bi Ji didn't panic. Instead, she followed the soul tool's guidance and cooperated with the output.

The flames evolved from Ma Xiaotao's Soul Power and those from Bi Ji's Soul Power spiraled counterclockwise together under the pull of the Bagua diagram.

As time passed, the two flames spun faster and faster, drawing closer and closer. The initially weak Phoenix flame, through the reversal of extremes, was gradually nourished and strengthened, until it fully merged with Bi Ji's Soul Power.

"Do you understand this soul tool?"

"Sir always prefers to show us the results directly. Coincidentally, this is the first demonstration."

Golden Scale answered Di Tian's question, her mind quietly recalling a similar question she had once asked.

"Sir, when you make soul tools, don't you need to discuss and verify with others?"

Not long after her first exposure to soul tools, Golden Scale had posed that question.

"I'd like to, but there's no one to discuss with right now..."

"But why are all your results successful?"

"The failures are all hidden here."

Chen Fu had pointed to his head and replied with a smile.

"In short, we just need to watch," Golden Scale concluded to Di Tian.

Di Tian remained silent, quietly watching as the two flames—one Yin, one Yang—within the Bagua array spun at high speed for about ten minutes, eventually condensing into a single, perfectly unified, selfless crimson orb.

"...His mastery over souls has deepened."

The crimson fusion orb contained immense Soul Power. In Di Tian's perception, there was also a faint, unreal presence within it—like Bi Ji, yet not.

It was a false soul... Using Ma Xiaotao and Bi Ji's Spiritual Power to resonate at high frequency, under the special environment of the [Awakening Soul Array Diagram], it had imitated a trace of each other's soul essence. Bi Ji's soul hadn't even needed to leave her body.

With a wave of his hand, Chen Fu guided the crimson orb into the reserved socket at the exact center of the Bagua diagram. He then signaled Bi Ji to leave, and told Ma Xiaotao to sit cross-legged at the Yin-Yang intersection to prepare for her breakthrough.

It seems there's still room for improvement in application. The internal structure and layout should also be optimized further, to avoid the hassle of moving back and forth. Chen Fu silently noted.

[Task Bar Updated]

"Lady Bi Ji, any discomfort?"

Chen Fu offered his greetings at the right moment.

"None. Within acceptable range." She first silently assessed her own condition, finding that she had indeed lost nearly a tenth of her Soul Power. Then she shook her head at Chen Fu, indicating no harm.

Afterward, Bi Ji turned her gaze to Ma Xiaotao at the array's focal point. The girl now bore a deep red soul ring above her head, exuding a heavy, oppressive aura.

Eighteen years old, seventy-second-level Soul Saint, and having once again benefited from the soul ring upgrade—her configuration was purple, purple, purple, black, black, red, red. Super Ma Xiaotao, indeed!

"Mm, excellent. Good work."

Chen Fu smiled in praise, pushing away the excited girl who tried to throw herself into his arms.

"Good soul skills?"

"Two amazing auxiliary soul skills!"

"Oh?"

Compared to the seventh soul ring only granting a single Martial Soul True Body enhancement skill, this pseudo-sacrifice had additionally preserved a soul skill from the sacrificed Soul Beast?

The girl nodded firmly, holding Chen Fu's arm, her orange-red eyes sparkling with brilliance.

"That's good, then."

Chen Fu turned to face Di Tian, clad in the Black Dragon Mysterious Robe, and the undisguised gazes from deep within the forest.

"Lord Di Tian, did Chen Fu disappoint you?"

"Exceeded expectations."

The iteration speed of this human's soul tools nearly left Di Tian unable to comprehend.

"Then, for the follow-up experiments, are you still willing to continue?"

Di Tian first quietly watched Chen Fu for a moment, then asked an unrelated question:

"In your eyes, what are soul beasts?"

A bit surprised, but after a moment's deliberation, Chen Fu replied:

"What soul beasts are depends on what you want to become."

"They can be demons that devour livers and suck marrow, immortals of morning dew and evening glow, or beings who indulge in pleasure and freedom to the fullest."

"These are all for you to define. Others cannot, and have no right, to define you."

The black-robed man pretended to ponder for a moment, as if carefully mulling something over. Chen Fu judged it was pretense because, in his Spiritual Perception, a strand of faint golden divine thought had appeared, enveloping Di Tian's head, starkly out of place in the black-and-white spiritual environment.

"I want to know your view."

Di Tian the mouthpiece came online. Of course, this was also Di Tian's own inner thought. This human gave him a sense of threat that was almost tangible. Even if ten Peerless Douluo suddenly appeared in the human world, he wouldn't feel this way.

No matter how many Peerless Douluo, the soul beasts might only need to doze off for a moment before these powerhouses were swept into the trash heap of history. But facing Chen Fu, Di Tian was almost certain—if he dared to doze off, this guy could turn the world into something he wouldn't recognize.

Moreover, some information Golden Scale had given Di Tian revealed that, as long as this human was willing, he could already quickly organize a batch of Low-level Soul Masters to kill a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

Though the cost might be a bit high? But what does it matter if you trade a few Low-level Soul Masters for a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast? What kind of high cost is that?

"Facing the Black Dragon Ancestor's question about soul beasts, Instructor Chen Fu gave an answer that, to this day, still makes those beast fellows bristle. Though they try desperately to deny it, there's no denying that for a very long time, we reaped the benefits of their beast clan, to the point that later laws have always tilted in their favor."

"'Materials'—that was Instructor Chen Fu's answer. I have to say, the instructor really is straightforward."

—Those Years, Those Beasts, Those Things

Thanks to Black Pupil 276 and Dou You Hen Gao Hen Gao, two good brothers, for the monthly tickets, and thanks to other good brothers for the recommendation tickets (σ′▽‵)′▽‵)σ