Second Soul Skill: Spiritual Suggestion

Second Soul Skill: Spiritual Suggestion

Left with no choice, the Big-Headed Spirit Apes could only pick up whatever objects were within reach, infuse them with soul power and Spiritual Power, and hurl them at Huo Yuhao and the other four.

Huo Yuhao used hidden weapons to intercept the larger objects thrown by the Big-Headed Spirit Apes, disrupting their trajectories and knocking them off course. As for the smaller, less noticeable ones, he simply ignored them.

With the aid of the Level Three Soul Power Circuit—Refraction, the tiny attacks that struck Huo Yuhao were directly deflected away, failing to harm him in the slightest.

The three students lying unconscious on the ground were less fortunate. Although Huo Yuhao helped deflect the larger attacks, some of the smaller ones inevitably landed on them.

The attacks, imbued with soul power and Spiritual Power, left them battered and bruised, their heads spinning. In truth, though, their injuries were not serious—at most, they just looked worse than they were.

Meanwhile, the Big-Headed Spirit Apes' attacks became increasingly sparse. As Lie Yong charged through them, large numbers of Big-Headed Spirit Apes were burned into mummified corpses. By now, Lie Yong was already extremely close to where the mutated Three-Eyed Demonic Ape was hiding.

Thus, the scattered Big-Headed Spirit Apes no longer had the time to attack Huo Yuhao and the others. They turned around one after another, intending to entangle Lie Yong instead.

That fellow looks like it wants to run. Makes sense—the Big-Headed Spirit Apes aren't even its own kind, just its underlings. But I'm not letting meat that's already in my mouth fly away. Little Yuhao, watch your big brother!

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm spoke with utter confidence. As a dignified Million-Year Soul Beast, he might not have been able to defeat Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, but with his immense Spiritual Power, bullying these tiny hundred-year and Thousand-Year Soul Beasts was no problem at all.

Hehehehe, ever since I became your soul ring, Little Yuhao, I haven't seen you use any of the other skills I gave you. Let me demonstrate one for you—Spirit Interference!

Although Spirit Interference was an area-of-effect soul skill, it ultimately depended on who was using it. Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's Spiritual Power might not have been at the very pinnacle, but at his peak, his mastery of it had already approached the level of tangible substance.

Naturally, controlling the range of Spirit Interference to affect a single target was no difficult task for him.

The instant Spirit Interference struck, the Big-Headed Spirit Apes that had been desperately blocking Lie Yong suddenly seemed to awaken from a dream. Screeching, they tried to flee, while at the same time, the Three-Eyed Demonic Ape that had been hiding in the shadows revealed its whereabouts.

Lie Yong naturally would not miss such an opportunity. His Fourth Soul Ring and Fifth Soul Ring flashed in alternation, and a deafening roar erupted from his mouth. The nearby Big-Headed Spirit Apes were all knocked unconscious by the shockwave.

Then Lie Yong's body transformed into flames, his speed surging. With one in each hand, he directly seized the throats of the briefly stunned Three-Eyed Demonic Ape and another Big-Headed Spirit Ape with roughly eight hundred years of cultivation.

After the other Big-Headed Spirit Apes woke from their stupor, none of them spared a thought for their badly injured or unconscious companions. Like monkeys scattering from a fallen tree, they fled the area.

"This Big-Headed Spirit Ape's cultivation suits you quite well, and this Three-Eyed Demonic Ape is also very rare. Which one do you want as your soul ring?" Lie Yong asked as he walked toward Huo Yuhao with the two soul beasts in hand.

By now, the other three students had regained consciousness. Huo Yuhao was pulling out, one by one, the silver needles he had inserted into their bodies to seal their acupoints, restoring their ability to move.

"Still, I didn't expect the leader of this Big-Headed Spirit Ape pack to be a Three-Eyed Demonic Ape. And from the looks of it, it seems to be a mutated variety."

Compared to the Big-Headed Spirit Apes, which averaged around one and a half meters tall, the Three-Eyed Demonic Ape in Lie Yong's hand stood a full two meters tall. Its body was also far more muscular than that of an ordinary Three-Eyed Demonic Ape.

Aside from its black fur, which, like that of a normal Three-Eyed Demonic Ape, emitted a faint purple glow, it actually had a tightly shut eye on its forehead.

The so-called Three-Eyed Demonic Ape was merely a name given to it by humans. It had earned that name because it possessed a streak of golden fur on its forehead shaped like an eye.

This mutation clearly showed that it had at least altered the spiritual attribute that Three-Eyed Demonic Apes already excelled in. As for whether it had undergone any other mutations, that was impossible to say.

"Mutated soul beasts that survive are stronger than their original kin, but the soul skills they produce are also less stable. And this Three-Eyed Demonic Ape should be around a thousand years old. I can't determine the exact age."

"But with your current physique, I'm afraid it'll be difficult for you to endure it. If it truly won't work, choose this eight-hundred-year Big-Headed Spirit Ape as your soul ring instead. It's a bit inferior, but at least it's safe."

Hearing this, Huo Yuhao shook his head. "Teacher Lie, I'm willing to give it a try. My Martial Soul gave me a feeling that the soul skill produced by this Three-Eyed Demonic Ape may suit me very well."

Huo Yuhao casually made up an excuse. As for whether it suited him, he had no idea, nor did he care. As long as he could break through, wasn't that enough? Why demand a bicycle when he already had one? In any case, it could not be that bad.

With the Eye of Truth, Huo Yuhao could create the soul skills he needed by directly breaking down and assembling known soul skills. He could entirely skip the extensive trial and error and exhaustive testing that other Soul Masters needed when creating Self-Created Soul Skills.

As for whether he could absorb it, that was certainly possible. With an old expert like Sky Dream Ice Silkworm around, neither the backlash caused by the fusion of soul ring and soul power nor the soul beast's lingering resentment within the soul ring amounted to much.

Lie Yong nodded and saw no need to say more. He might have been a teacher, but he was not a nanny. He had no responsibility to consider every aspect for his students unconditionally. Since he had already warned him—

—and Huo Yuhao had made his choice, there was no need for him to say anything further. The risks and rewards were for the student alone to bear.

Throwing the unconscious Three-Eyed Demonic Ape onto the ground, Lie Yong said to Huo Yuhao, "Then finish it. Have the others all recovered? If they have, stand guard around the area. Don't let those monkeys come back for revenge!"

Huo Yuhao immediately took out the weapon he had prepared earlier and thrust it straight through the Three-Eyed Demonic Ape's brow and into its brain. The Three-Eyed Demonic Ape convulsed once, then lost all signs of life.

Immediately afterward, a purple glow slowly rose from the Three-Eyed Demonic Ape's head. Although it was mixed with a faint, nearly imperceptible trace of yellow, there was no doubt that as the soul ring condensed into shape, it was a Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged before the Three-Eyed Demonic Ape's corpse. This was the first time he had truly absorbed a soul ring, so he felt somewhat nervous.

Drawn by the soul power within his Martial Soul, he began guiding the Thousand-Year Soul Ring produced by the mutated Three-Eyed Demonic Ape toward himself. The soul ring settled onto Huo Yuhao's body, and immediately afterward, the soul power throughout his body began to churn.

The energy contained within a Thousand-Year Soul Ring was simply too immense. Though Huo Yuhao's body had now been modified and strengthened considerably, his foundation was still somewhat weak. Absorbing it was still far too strenuous.

At the same time, the Spiritual Power and resentment left behind by the Three-Eyed Demonic Ape within the soul ring began to assault Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Sea.

This was a situation that generally occurred only when absorbing a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring. If an ordinary Soul Master tried to absorb this Three-Eyed Demonic Ape's soul ring as their Second Soul Ring, failure would be their only outcome.

But Huo Yuhao was not an ordinary Soul Master. He had cheats.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, activate!

Under the cover of Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's immense Spiritual Power, the originally violent and slightly cold soul power was perfectly diverted into the countless meridians opened within Huo Yuhao's body.

Then, under Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's precise control, it merged into the endlessly circulating flow of soul power within Huo Yuhao's body, where it was ground away, transformed, and absorbed.

Elder Yi, what do you think?

After the pressure from the soul power's impact was eased, Huo Yuhao immediately sought advice from Electrolux within his Spiritual Sea.

An aged voice replied, The big worm was right before. This creature was indeed stained with considerable resentment. If you absorbed it directly, it might leave behind some hidden dangers for you later.

But with this old man here, there naturally won't be any problem. Treat it as a small supplement and absorb it without worry.

As for the method to dispel and refine resentment, this old man has not yet fully recalled it. Once my memories are complete, I will teach it to you.

Huo Yuhao felt a cool current sweep through his entire body within his Spiritual Sea, and the slight swelling pain and discomfort immediately faded away.

At the same time, the Three-Eyed Demonic Ape's originally most threatening Spiritual Power assault dissolved without a trace.

Compared to the two exceptionally high-quality existences residing in Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Sea—Electrolux's Divine Sense, representing quality, and Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's spiritual origin, representing quantity—this tiny Three-Eyed Demonic Ape was clearly incapable of causing any real trouble. Soon, as the soul power flowed smoothly through his meridians, Huo Yuhao's absorption of the soul ring entered its final stage.

At this moment, Huo Yuhao was multitasking through the Eye of Truth and Spiritual Detection, observing and recording the structures within the soul rings dropped by the dead Big-Headed Spirit Apes around him, comparing and sampling them against the soul rings on Soul Masters.

With Sky Dream Ice Silkworm assisting with the soul ring's absorption, Huo Yuhao naturally did not need to worry too much about it. At least, that was true for Thousand-Year Soul Rings.

Hmm, the soul ring structures of these Big-Headed Spirit Apes differ slightly from one another in their foundational construction. But compared to a Soul Master's soul ring, they seem to lack the influence of the corresponding Martial Soul.

Or perhaps the Soul Master's Martial Soul merges with the soul ring, overwriting certain structures that the soul ring itself may possess.

If the final structure created by that overlay is compatible, then the soul ring naturally forms into the Soul Master's soul skill. But if the final structure conflicts, then fusion failure occurs.

Still, I'll have to study it more after returning. This trip also let me see how other Soul Masters fuse soul rings. I'll calm down and compare everything once I'm back. This place still isn't safe right now.

Opening his eyes and feeling the fully fused soul ring within his body, along with the slight increase in his soul power, Huo Yuhao was quite satisfied.

Level twenty-three—no, level twenty-four? Although it's not as good as the original Huo Yuhao's progress, he absorbed the Ice Empress's soul ring. I only absorbed the soul ring of a Thousand-Year Soul Beast. I should be content with that.

As for his Second Soul Skill, after carefully sensing it, Huo Yuhao's expression became rather strange. What even is this? Is this really an ability that a Three-Eyed Demonic Ape with darkness and spiritual attributes could mutate?

Still, it really is sinister enough. At first, I thought it would lean toward fear, but it turned out to be this. No wonder it was able to control so many Big-Headed Spirit Apes.

By analyzing his soul skill, Huo Yuhao discovered that it was actually Spiritual Suggestion. Due to the unique traits of his Spirit Eyes, Huo Yuhao's Martial Soul had barely influenced the soul ring produced by the mutated Three-Eyed Demonic Ape.

It had almost completely retained the effects of the soul ring itself—namely, one of the Three-Eyed Demonic Ape's most powerful soul skills.

Through the frequency of Spiritual Power, it could subtly alter the way those around him perceived him, changing it almost at a fundamental level.

Even targets with resistance to Spiritual Power could not fend it off. However, if used only briefly, it could be said to have no significant effect.

In other words, this soul skill was not at all geared toward combat. As for the Three-Eyed Demonic Ape, it had presumably used this soul skill to make the Big-Headed Spirit Ape pack abandon their racial prejudices and submit to it wholeheartedly.

Of course, the Three-Eyed Demonic Ape likely possessed some powerful control-type spiritual soul skills as well, like the move it had used on Huo Yuhao and the others earlier.

However, Huo Yuhao had already recorded the method of casting that soul skill with the Eye of Truth. He should be able to reproduce it after returning.

Still, the soul skill Huo Yuhao had gained was rather useless when used by a Soul Master. Although he had tested it and discovered that the soul power consumption, soul power fluctuations, and Spiritual Power fluctuations produced by this Second Soul Skill were all nearly negligible and extremely difficult to detect—

—in a battle, once an ordinary person saw a Soul Master's soul ring light up, they would be wary no matter what. How could they possibly remain by Huo Yuhao's side for a long time?

But on second thought, it may not be completely useless. Soul Masters or soul beasts affected by this Spiritual Suggestion will find it nearly impossible to establish effective spiritual defenses against me.

Although Spiritual Suggestion isn't very practical in battle, using it on myself should produce some unusual effects. I can also use this soul skill as a foundation to modify the soul skill itself.

The Million-Year Soul Ring itself has seals installed by Tian Meng, so it's not easy to alter freely. This Thousand-Year Soul Ring, though—I can use it to experiment first.