After saying that, he packed up his things and hurried off to the Spirit Hall Branch.
He had to report these strange events to Hall Master Ma Xiunuo as soon as possible.
Aolin City, a small courtyard in the south of the city.
Ye Feng finally looked up from the sea of books and rubbed his aching neck.
He had found the entries in the illustrated compendium for the three top-tier healing Soul Beasts with light attributes that Yu Xiaogang had mentioned while "painting a rosy picture" earlier.
The Holy Light Lily, the Radiant Sacred Beetle, and the Radiance Sprite.
The illustrations were lifelike, and the descriptions were incredibly detailed.
They were all excellent, just as he'd expected. Each possessed powerful healing and purifying abilities.
But... none of them seemed particularly suited to him.
Ye Feng thought it over, then quickly settled on what he needed from his Second Soul Ring.
Recovery!
Not healing injuries, but restoring Soul Power!
His Self-Created Soul Skills, "Light Blade" and "Baptism of Holy Light," were immensely powerful, but they were also bottomless pits that devoured Soul Power.
"Baptism of Holy Light" in particular. With his current Soul Power, using it once would drain more than half of it.
If he couldn't replenish his Soul Power in time on the battlefield, how would he be any different from a cannon that could only fire once?
So his second Soul Skill had to restore Soul Power quickly.
With a clear goal in mind, Ye Feng turned the pages again and began searching carefully.
Soon, two Soul Beasts caught his eye.
"Light-Bathed Spirit Fox."
Ye Feng touched the illustration of a little fox with snow-white fur and three golden tufts of light at the tip of its tail.
[Light-Bathed Spirit Fox] [Habitat: Outer reaches of the Star Dou Great Forest, Sunny Creek Valley] [Habits: Lives alongside shallow streams and favors smooth, light-polished pebbles. Glowing creek grass usually grows nearby.] [Appearance: About half a meter long, its body covered in short, milky-white fur. Three tufts of fluffy, pale-golden, softly glowing fur at the tip of its tail form its light-energy core. Golden markings adorn the tips of its ears, and its eyes are a clear, pale gold. When it runs, it scatters flecks of light around itself, while pale-golden patterns briefly appear where it steps.] [Temperament: Gentle but alert, and extremely skilled at evasion. When it senses danger, it releases a faintly glowing barrier to conceal itself. It will not attack unless defending its nest or young. If treated kindly, it will gently brush the other person with its tail tip, releasing a soft glow that heals minor injuries.]
At the end of the entry was a red annotation.
[Special Discovery: Some records claim that the Soul Skill of a Light-Bathed Spirit Fox with a high cultivation base has a chance of producing a "light-energy feedback" effect, converting absorbed sunlight into pure Soul Power to replenish a Soul Master's reserves.]
This one was promising!
Ye Feng's eyes lit up, and he continued reading.
Soon, he found another target that appealed to him even more.
A Plant-type Soul Beast.
"Light-Condensing Healing Flower."
[Light-Condensing Healing Flower] [Habitat: Shallow reaches of Sunset Forest, Light Mist Slope] [Habits: Grows only on gentle slopes shrouded year-round in a faint light mist. It takes root in soil rich in powdered light-attributed crystals.] [Appearance: It has no fixed plant shape. Dozens of slender, pale-green stems coil together into a fist-sized clump of grass. The stems are covered in fine, pale-gold patterns of light. At its center sits an unopened, milky-white flower bud, the core of its restorative power. When rooted, the clump extends tiny red-glowing tendrils in every direction to absorb light energy from the soil. When it moves, the tendrils retract and the whole clump floats half an inch above the ground, surrounded by a faint mist of light.] [Temperament: It has no instinct to attack and favors a laid-back, symbiotic existence. When it senses fluctuations in Soul Power, it stays still. If touched, it releases a faint glow that heals; if attacked with malice, it quickly roots itself in the soil and releases a mist of light to conceal itself.]
At the end of this page, there was another red annotation.
[Special: Plant-type Soul Beasts pose no risk of Soul Power going berserk. A Soul Master's chance of successfully fusing with their Soul Ring is 20% higher than with a beast-type Soul Ring. Their Soul Skills are mostly sustained recovery effects and are exceptionally stable.]
Hmm...
Ye Feng rubbed his chin and fell into thought.
Both were good choices.
The Light-Bathed Spirit Fox might have a higher ceiling, with a chance of granting him a burst skill that directly replenished Soul Power.
The Light-Condensing Healing Flower was the safer bet. Its Soul Skill would most likely be an "aura"-type skill that steadily restored Soul Power, and absorbing its Soul Ring would be incomparably safer.
At this stage, stability mattered more than anything.
The second one was the best fit for him.
Of course, the first was also a good backup.
"We'll see."
Ye Feng closed the book.
"Whichever one I come across, that'll be fate."
He stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open.
The cool moonlight streamed in. Before setting out for Holy Soul Village, he needed to memorize everything he'd learned about these Soul Beasts.
In Nuoding City, Yu Xiaogang hunched beneath a dim oil lamp. One hand covered the bag that throbbed with pain while the other scribbled furiously.
Bruises still lingered on his face, giving him a rather comical appearance.
Being beaten with a sack over his head in broad daylight and having his Soul Tool stolen was a lifelong humiliation he could never wash away.
But now he forced down his shame and venomous resentment, pouring all his energy into the manuscript beneath his hand.
These were the fruits of his life's work, the foundation of his fame.
The Ten Core Theories of Martial Souls!
The original manuscript stored in his Soul Tool had been stolen. He had to make another copy.
This precious knowledge was more important to him than his own life!
As long as his theories remained, he, Yu Xiaogang, would always be the revered "Grandmaster."
What if... what if he came across another naive girl like Bibi Dong?
A perfect disciple, supremely talented, utterly devoted to him, and treating his theories as divine truth.
If he could raise another Titled Douluo—not, even a Soul Douluo would do!
Everything he'd lost could be won back a hundredfold, a thousandfold!
At the thought, some of the resentment from his beating seemed to fade.
His breathing grew heavier, and his hand moved faster.
Now all he could think about was quickly rewriting and redrawing the illustrated compendium and theories!
In the blink of an eye, more than two months passed.
On an inconspicuous hill outside Holy Soul Village.
It was neither too close nor too far from the village, offering a clear view of the entire settlement without making it easy for anyone to spot him.
Ye Feng took an exquisitely crafted rocking chair from his Storage Bracelet and lounged in it, eyes half-closed as he enjoyed the warm sunlight.
He'd arrived near Holy Soul Village's neighbor, Bread Village, half a month early to scout the area and lie in wait for this day.
Everything was ready. All he had to do was wait for the protagonist to appear.
Before long, two figures—one tall, one short—came into view on the only dirt road leading out of the village.
An old man, leaning on a cane and walking with unsteady steps, led a small child who looked no older than six by the hand. They were slowly making their way along the road toward Nuoding City.
Ye Feng lifted his eyelids and gave them a casual glance.
There was no mistaking them.
The old man had to be Old Jack, the village chief of Holy Soul Village.
And the child beside him, though very far away, carried a composure beyond his years. He was definitely the cheat-happy Tang San.
Before you continue