Martial Soul: Eye of Truth, Battling the Mandala Snake

During this stretch of travel, Huo Yuhao had more or less finished exploring the abilities of his Spirit Eyes, which had mutated due to his transmigration.

Huo Yuhao named his mutated Martial Soul the Eye of Truth, symbolizing its ability to see the world as it truly was.

He then began studying the four Soul Skills Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had bestowed upon him. After he left the Spiritual Sea,

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had transmitted the information on the four Soul Skills to him through his Martial Soul, allowing him to understand their names and functions.

First Soul Skill: Spiritual Detection. Second Soul Skill: Spiritual Sharing. Third Soul Skill: Spirit Interference. Fourth Soul Skill: Soul Shock. Fine, it looks like it's still the original set.

But the ways these Soul Skills were used in the original novel were far too simplistic. Can I improve them with the Eye of Truth?

Though he wanted to try, they were currently traveling. Better safe than sorry, and this was not the right situation to use Soul Skills and expose his location in the forest.

Besides, in the original novel, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was either sleeping or sleeping whenever he had nothing to do. It would be far too wasteful not to use such a fighter in the early stages.

After sorting through the Soul Skill information Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had given him, Huo Yuhao thought helplessly. After all, his First Soul Skill did not seem to have undergone any fundamental changes because of his Martial Soul's mutation.

Still, that was fine. He would need to carefully plan his future Soul Skills. After all, he still did not know just how far his mutated Martial Soul, altered by his transmigration, could develop.

At the very least, he could not choose Soul Rings as casually as the original Huo Yuhao had. Rather than gambling that a Soul Ring from some Soul Beast within a randomly selected broad category would suit him,

Huo Yuhao believed that only by having everything fully prepared and under control could he feel at ease. Spiritual Attribute Soul Masters and Soul Beasts might be rare, but they were not nonexistent.

If necessary, he could inspect them one by one. Compared to rapidly raising his cultivation, Huo Yuhao, who had some understanding of the original work, cared more about whether every step on his path of cultivation was steady.

The reason the Soul Masters of the original work had been held back by the God Realm and unable to break through—and even why the original Huo Yuhao had ultimately been taken in as a dog—was, in the transmigrator's view, largely a matter of perspective.

They lacked an understanding of the world as a whole and were tightly constrained by the information gap, whether exploited by the Deities of the God Realm or by Tang San.

Tang San isn't someone to be taken lightly. If he discovers that I'm a transmigrator too, then it won't be tears of joy when two fellow townsmen meet.

To ensure his Tang family's ten-thousand-year plan to turn Douluo Continent into their private domain succeeds, that old bastard definitely won't go easy on me.

I should start preparing. I need to find opportunities, step by step, to break free from Tang San's plans. And if worse comes to worst, isn't there still Electrolux?

If there's truly no other way, I'll find a way to cling to Electrolux and run. The Undead Plane may only be a Demiplane, but it should be enough to hide in.

A God King is still far too distant from me. The power scaling in the original novel may have been absurd, but if it has become reality, then whatever level of power a God King possesses, it will certainly be enough to crush this weak little nobody I am now.

Setting aside those wild thoughts, as they continued deeper into the Star Dou Great Forest, the trees around them grew increasingly dense, and Huo Yuhao's group began finding traces of ten-year Soul Beasts.

The deeper they went, the more dangerous the area felt. Whether it was due to the changes caused by his transmigration, or simply an observational ability inherent to the Spirit Eyes Martial Soul,

Huo Yuhao felt that no danger within his field of vision could hide from him. Even before seeing a Soul Beast, he could infer its approximate movements from the trajectories of tiny floating energy particles in the air.

This is really convenient. The original Huo Yuhao never displayed this ability. It must be a mutation unique to the Eye of Truth—or perhaps Spiritual Detection simply replaced it later on.

Using this ability, Huo Yuhao led Beibei and Tang Ya around Soul Beasts that were not their targets, easily avoiding unnecessary battles.

Even Beibei could not help praising him. "Little Brother Huo, your Soul Power may not be strong, but the quality of your Martial Soul must be exceptionally high. This kind of warning ability is probably comparable to an ordinary Soul Master's hundred-year Soul Skill."

Tang Ya's eyes shone even brighter at those words. If she had not known what took priority, she would have dearly loved to call off the Soul Beast hunt at once and invite Huo Yuhao into the Tang Sect again.

After all, it was only normal and reasonable for her, as the Tang Sect's leader, to take a fancy to a high-quality Soul Master with no backing, wasn't it?

Huo Yuhao did not respond to Beibei. Suddenly, he stopped. "There seems to be something ahead. I can sense that it's much, much stronger than the Soul Beasts we encountered before."

At his words, Beibei and Tang Ya stopped as well, using the Purple Demon Eye they cultivated to peer into the distant undergrowth.

A pitch-black shadow was concealed within the bushes. If Huo Yuhao had not warned them in advance, even with Beibei and Tang Ya's strength, they might have walked straight into its attack range and suffered an ambush.

"It's a Mandala Snake. Little Ya, your luck is good. We've only come this far in, and we've already encountered your target Soul Beast."

Beibei spoke calmly. At the same time, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul manifested upon him, and his right arm rapidly swelled.

The transformation of his Martial Soul directly burst through his sleeve. His arm lengthened by more than half a foot and was covered in blue-purple scales. His hand turned into a claw, while blue-purple lightning coiled around it, continuously gathering and circling above his arm.

Seeing this, Huo Yuhao silently mocked, He has to change clothes every time he transforms. Good thing Beibei isn't from a commoner family, or wouldn't that make an already poor household even poorer?

Aside from his arm, blue currents resembling little snakes also covered and moved across Beibei's body, though they were not as powerful or condensed as those on his right arm.

Unlike ordinary Soul Masters, three Soul Rings—two yellow and one purple—appeared around Beibei's right arm. His First Soul Ring flashed, and a dragon claw formed from lightning, roughly a foot in diameter, shot from his body toward the shadow in the bushes.

Tang Ya did not remain idle either. Dense vines sprouted beneath her feet, weaving into a net as they joined Beibei's attack and lashed toward the concealed Mandala Snake.

"Croak, croak!" Caught off guard, the Mandala Snake was first bound by Blue Silver Grass vines. Though it quickly broke free, the lightning dragon claw struck it immediately afterward, knocking it from the bushes with a strange cry. However, its thick hide and tough flesh meant it had not suffered any serious injuries.

Only then did the Mandala Snake reveal itself before them. It was three meters long, entirely peach-red, with a small flower-shaped bulge on its forehead.

"It's a Thousand-Year Mandala Snake! Beibei, I want this one!" Tang Ya cried delightedly.

Unlike Tang Ya's excitement, Beibei stared solemnly at the Mandala Snake in the distance. Though they had seized the initiative,

a Thousand-Year Soul Beast was no ordinary opponent. They were both Soul Elders, and although his Martial Soul was powerful, he could not guarantee that he would defeat it without injury.

At that moment, Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes lit up. His gaze penetrated the Mandala Snake's surface and directly observed the path of Soul Power circulating within its body. At the same time, a yellow Soul Ring beneath his feet flashed, signifying the activation of his First Soul Skill.

With the enhancement of the Soul Skill, Spiritual Detection, Huo Yuhao discovered that his Spirit Eyes' range of vision had been amplified. He no longer needed to focus his eyes intently; he could directly use Spiritual Power to observe every change across a wide area.

Although Spiritual Power detection was merely a foundational skill for Spiritual Power users, one of the most basic aspects of Spiritual Power systems throughout the myriad worlds,

Huo Yuhao had only recently transmigrated here. Even if his original body had possessed the potential to use Spiritual Power for detection, it was difficult for him to wield it skillfully in such a short time.

Moreover, at Douluo Continent's current level, it was still far from the point of developing users capable of truly powerful Spiritual Power applications.

Therefore, although this Soul Skill, Spiritual Detection, would naturally become obsolete once Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Power reached a higher level, it was still quite suitable for him at present.

Furthermore, Huo Yuhao discovered that his Spiritual Detection seemed to have inherited the effects of his Martial Soul mutation. Beyond the all-encompassing three-dimensional map from the original work, it could conduct a deeper level of analysis.

"Brother Bei, Sister Ya, be careful. It's about to attack." As pink Soul Power circulated inside the Mandala Snake, Huo Yuhao could clearly see the activation process and attack direction of its Soul Skill.

It was poisonous mist. A wide expanse of pale pink poisonous mist erupted from between the Mandala Snake's scales, corroding all the Blue Silver Grass that had been trying to climb onto its body and bind it.

Then, the Mandala Snake shot forward like lightning, lunging at Beibei, who had inflicted the greatest damage upon it and left it feeling numb.

Yet every movement the Mandala Snake made was traceable in Huo Yuhao's eyes. Once it entered the battlefield covered by Spiritual Detection, it was as if he could foresee the future.

Every minute muscular movement, every flow of blood and vitality, every motion of bone, and every thread of circulating Soul Power within the Mandala Snake was magnified and slowed countless times by Spiritual Power.

On a broader scale, he could perceive the direction and path of the surrounding breeze, the rolling and obstruction of dust, variations in temperature, and the degree of stimulation the environmental changes caused to the Mandala Snake's body.

The sensation was difficult to describe with words, but Huo Yuhao seemed to be standing from a true god's-eye view. He could clearly observe and predict every action the Mandala Snake would make, even what it was thinking and what each action was intended to accomplish.

How incredible. Is this what the supernatural is? Or are these changes all caused by the Eye of Truth?

With the original Spiritual Detection, although it was described similarly, all the information still had to be processed by the human brain, and conditions such as an enemy's mental state would not be conveyed to the observer.

But my Spiritual Detection can see its instinctive actions, even its tactical thinking.

Next, it will do as it did while hunting before: use feints for cover and fill the battlefield with poisonous mist produced by each movement, poisoning its prey to death.

The pale pink mist is only a distraction. As it moves, it will produce more poisonous mist that is invisible to the naked eye and has only a faint scent, numbing its enemies.

Huo Yuhao hurriedly retreated, moving away from the front-line battlefield. His current frail body had no business participating in a battle against a Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

And although Sky Dream Ice Silkworm could help protect him from the poisonous mist, Huo Yuhao had no intention of taking such risks.

Having received Huo Yuhao's warning, Beibei and Tang Ya naturally did not stand around foolishly. They used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, employing Soul Power in place of inner force to execute this movement technique passed down through the Tang Sect of the martial arts world.

So this is Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track? It doesn't seem too difficult to imitate, but why are several meridians in the feet not being stimulated? Is it because Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track simply doesn't use those meridians, or...

As he monitored the battlefield and the possible dangers in the surrounding area with Spiritual Detection, Huo Yuhao thought silently.

At the same time, under the guidance of his Spiritual Power, he attempted to channel his own Soul Power into his meridians, imitating the effects of Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.

Hmm, finding the meridians is easy with Spiritual Power, and infusing them is easy too, but I can't get the circulation going.

The meridians probably haven't been opened, and my blood and vitality are blocked and sluggish. But if I only need to reach Beibei and Tang Ya's level, once I find a way to open my meridians, I should be able to master it directly with a little more time.

With that thought, Huo Yuhao made no further attempts. He merely issued precise warnings from time to time to Tang Ya and Beibei as they continued their fierce battle against the Mandala Snake.

Because he could completely see through the Mandala Snake's actions and thoughts, Huo Yuhao could easily provide guidance that seemed almost prophetic.

He even allowed Beibei and Tang Ya to seize every moment of stiffness and every opening between the Mandala Snake's movements, creating chance after chance for them to attack it without taking damage.

Finally, after its injuries accumulated and its Soul Power and stamina were depleted, Beibei shouted, "Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, Wrath of Thunder—Thunder Dragon Claw!"

Normally, Soul Masters had no need to shout the names of their Soul Skills or techniques aloud, and no Soul Master would be foolish enough to tell their enemy the name and effects of their Soul Skills.

Beibei clearly was not doing this to warn the Mandala Snake. Rather, he wanted Huo Yuhao to witness the might of Soul Skills combined with Tang Sect techniques, while also calling for Tang Ya's cooperation.

Please keep reading, recommend, comment, favorite, and support!