Soul-Devouring Spider Leg Bone/i|Life Soul Tool/i|Soul Bone Skill/t|Twin Martial Souls/n|Evil Soul Master/l|Soul Master/n|Soul Power/n|Martial Soul/n|Soul Tool/i|Soul Ring/i|Soul Bone/i|Holy Sword/i|Divine Spear/i|Demon Blade/i

The power of the Soul Bones in the other spider legs erupted as well. Gravity Control, Ice Explosion Technique, and Flame Ray—all three offensive Soul Bone Skills—struck toward Ye Xishui.

Soul Bone Skills were different from Soul Ring Skills. They took far less out of a Soul Master, and the Soul Bones themselves could even store Soul Power in advance for a burst of Soul Skills.

But it was all in vain. They couldn't touch Ye Xishui at all, stopped dead by her terrifying soul pressure.

Yang Hao wasn't surprised. He had used these trump cards to show off his potential, so that afterward she might consider taking him as her disciple.

On the Douluo Continent, the strong ruled. The Holy Spirit Cult, as an organization of Evil Soul Masters, valued this even more. Acting skills alone wouldn't be enough to become Ye Xishui's disciple; he also needed the talent and potential to back them up.

With both together, he'd basically have it in the bag.

"An External Soul Bone. How interesting!"

Looking over the Soul-Devouring Spider Leg Bone behind the boy, Ye Xishui could naturally tell it was a rare External Soul Bone. Even she had never had the fortune to obtain one.

Moreover, this External Soul Bone was very strange. It had multiple Soul Bone Skills and attributes.

Even a hundred-thousand-year Soul Bone only had two skills.

"What a shame it's already fully fused."

After sensing it, Ye Xishui found that the Soul Bone had already fused perfectly with the little fellow. She felt a trace of regret.

This kind of evolvable External Soul Bone was very precious. If it truly developed, it could give even her a substantial boost.

What a shame!

Then, as if sensing something, she turned her gaze to the Demon Blade, Holy Sword, and Divine Spear frozen in place. As a Level 9 Soul Engineer, she could see that these three Soul Tools were unusual.

"Martial Souls? Four Martial Souls?"

She was taken aback. Was this a four-Martial-Soul user?

Was this little fellow a Soul Master with four Martial Souls?

Her own Twin Martial Souls already represented the very pinnacle of talent in this age, and now she was looking at someone with four Martial Souls.

How could such a thing exist?

"Supreme Sect Leader, please show mercy. That child is very important to the Holy Spirit Cult."

Feng Ling appeared outside the room and pleaded. Her quarters were nearby, and she had rushed over as soon as she sensed the woman's soul pressure and killing intent erupt.

She didn't know why the woman had come here, or why she had tried to kill the child. But that didn't matter. What mattered was keeping him alive.

He was far too important to the Holy Spirit Cult!

Ye Xishui glanced at the boy, who had been choked until he was gasping for breath, and her mood settled a little.

"What's this child's background?"

She withdrew the hand formed from Soul Power, having grown a little interested in the boy.

Until now, she had only learned of the little fellow because of Long Xiaoyao's strange behavior over the past few days. She knew nothing about him personally.

Noticing the woman's killing intent recede, Feng Ling outside let out a breath of relief and quickly replied.

"He's a descendant of the Breaking Clan from the Tang Sect. His parents came into possession of a Soul Bone by accident, and the Strength Clan set their sights on them. They were framed as Evil Soul Masters, then killed and beheaded by the Shrek Inspectorate. His elder brother was also murdered by the Strength Clan, who took his Soul Bone.

"The Strength Clan then ambushed him, shattered his Martial Soul, and tainted him with evil power. His meridians were damaged, and he was imprisoned within the clan. A few months ago, he finally found a chance to fight back and escape.

"By chance, he ran into a group of Shrek teachers and students hunting Soul Rings in Star Dou Forest. They mistook him for an Evil Soul Master, and a fight broke out. After killing them, he fled and was hunted. In the end, he came to our Sun Moon Empire, where I brought him back to headquarters.

"He can use ordinary materials to make all kinds of weapons comparable to Soul Tools. Some can even threaten Titled Douluo, and they can be mass-produced."

"His parents were killed because they were Evil Soul Masters?"

Ye Xishui murmured, understanding why the child had called her Mom the moment he saw her. Perhaps she resembled his mother in some way.

It made her think of her own childhood. Her mother had died horribly because of Evil Soul Masters, and her father had been killed protecting her. She had fled to the Sun Moon Empire and eventually joined the Holy Spirit Cult.

"Another poor child."

With a sigh, Ye Xishui rose and left, taking the three Martial Soul Soul Tools with her to study them carefully.

She had spent years researching Life Soul Tools. Perhaps the boy's Martial Soul Soul Tools could provide a breakthrough. If she succeeded, she would become the first Level 10 Soul Engineer in history.

Once the woman had left, Feng Ling hurried into the room. Only after confirming the boy was still alive did she let out a breath of relief. She lifted him from the bathtub and laid him on the bed, then checked him over. Seeing nothing wrong, she left to discuss the matter with Zhongli Wu.

She didn't understand why the woman had suddenly taken an interest in the boy, let alone why she had erupted with killing intent, but she had to find a way to stop her.

### Initial Progress

"She'll come back, right?"

After Feng Ling left, Yang Hao opened his eyes.

Those three Martial Soul Soul Tools had indeed caught Ye Xishui's attention. She would probably come back to study them with him. He hoped she'd return soon.

With that thought, he took out some irritating eye drops and put them in his eyes. They soon made his eyes water.

A man didn't shed tears easily, unless there was need for them. And when there was, he naturally had to make the most of it.

He checked himself in a small mirror, and once he was satisfied with the result, he closed his eyes and began to hypnotize himself.

Self-hypnosis could improve his acting and help shape his dreams. Dreams were the product of thoughts and memories blending together.

As the saying went, what you thought of by day appeared in your dreams at night.

As long as his thoughts and consciousness were intense enough, he could influence his subconscious, which would then combine with his memories to create a dream.

Ever since he'd decided to make a run for it to the Holy Spirit Cult and cling to a powerful backer, he had been using targeted self-hypnosis. Now was the time to see whether it had worked.

"Strange!"

Meanwhile, Ye Xishui still had no idea she had been targeted by a young actor. After studying the three Martial Soul Soul Tools, she was baffled. She thought it over, then returned to the boy's room.

Just as Ye Xishui took the boy's hand and guided it onto the Holy Sword, preparing to direct his Soul Power and continue her research, he suddenly grabbed her hand in return and clasped it to his chest. He cried out,

"Mom, don't go. Don't leave Hao'er behind. Hao'er will be good."

His voice was full of longing, with even a hint of a sob. The boy looked especially fragile, and clear tear tracks marked the corners of his eyes. It was impossible not to feel for him.

The boy's tearful, yearning cry made Ye Xishui stiffen. She couldn't help thinking of the child she had given away all those years ago.

After that one time with Long Xiaoyao, she had become pregnant and given birth to a child. But because she was the Holy Spirit Cult's Holy Maiden and was being watched by Old Ghost Zhongli, she could only give the child away. She hadn't even dared to visit afterward, afraid she would bring disaster down on him.

Back then, that child must have been just as reluctant to let go as this boy was. Perhaps he even hated her, believing she had abandoned him.

At the thought, the tenderness she had buried deep inside for years was stirred. She reached out to gently stroke the boy's cheek and wipe away his tears.

Not long afterward, two figures arrived outside the room. They were Zhongli Wu and Feng Ling.

Seeing that the woman had returned, Feng Ling grew worried. She shot Zhongli Wu a look, signaling him to go in and talk her around.

Zhongli Wu kept up his aloof, handsome-god demeanor, but inside, he was suffering.

He was terrified of his mother. When he was young, she had nearly strangled him to death.

The main issue was that his mother's mental state was highly unstable. She was mercurial and incredibly difficult to deal with.

All he could do now was pray that his mother was in a stable state of mind and wouldn't kill the boy.

They waited quietly like that. Several hours passed before Ye Xishui finally came out.

"From today on, he's my disciple. Have him come see me tomorrow."

After saying that, Ye Xishui drifted away.

The boy had excellent talent. After all, he had four Martial Souls, a first in history. He had also fused three of them with Soul Tools, forming a state akin to Life Soul Tools. Add that strange Soul Bone and his formidable physical strength, and his future achievements would certainly be impressive.

He was worthy of being Ye Xishui's disciple!

Zhongli Wu and Feng Ling exchanged bewildered looks. They couldn't make sense of the woman's thought process.

She had been ready to kill him just moments ago, and now she wanted to take him as her disciple.

What was going on?

With his brows furrowed, Zhongli Wu entered the room and checked Yang Hao's condition. Only after confirming that he was all right did he relax.

Though he couldn't understand his mother's thinking, this didn't seem like a bad thing for now.

Feng Ling was worried too, but there was nothing she could do about the woman, much less talk her out of it.

She could only hope the woman would stay in a stable state of mind and not kill the boy.

"Why did the Supreme Sect Leader come to your room? And why did she turn on you?"

After waiting a while, Feng Ling saw Yang Hao wake up and asked him gravely.

Zhongli Wu opened his eyes from where he had been resting with them closed. They had to get to the bottom of this so they could respond appropriately.

"Was that woman the Supreme Sect Leader?"

Yang Hao rubbed his neck. There were still obvious bruises there. He had deliberately suppressed the power of the Gold of Life; otherwise, he would have healed long ago.

He couldn't let those injuries go to waste. He had to show them off. As the saying went, the child who cried got the milk.

"She said, 'So you're the little fellow who's been giving Xiaoyao trouble these past few days,' and then she attacked me."

Yang Hao told them honestly.

"Uncle Long!"

Zhongli Wu's expression darkened. Long Xiaoyao really hadn't let it go, had he?

"Lord, the chief enshrined told me he had a friend at Shrek and didn't approve of my revenge plan. Could that affect our plans? For example, could he leak our secrets?"

Yang Hao took the opportunity to warn them. Long Xiaoyao was a ticking time bomb. There was no need to target him yet, but they had to be on their guard.

Feng Ling said nothing, merely looking to Zhongli Wu and waiting for his decision.

"He does need watching."

Zhongli Wu brooded for a long time, his expression dark. He, too, felt that the man was an unstable factor.

"Our Holy Spirit Cult is an organization of Evil Soul Masters. We operate in the shadows, and the Great Enshrined is an upright man who dislikes that.

"Besides, he came from the Heaven Dou Empire on the Douluo Continent, which is his homeland. He's also close friends with Dragon God Douluo of Shrek Academy, so it's only natural he'd oppose our plans.

"But he won't come after you for now. The Supreme Sect Leader is the more dangerous one. She can be extreme at times, and it's hard to guess what she's thinking.