This way, forming a hybrid Soul Core would be much easier.
Moreover, over the past three years, he had guided his Martial Soul Origin to fully harmonize with the three Soul Tools. Their compatibility was now excellent, including with the Soul Tool Core, further reducing the difficulty of fusion.
Even so, this step was still extremely difficult. Although Yang Hao had studied numerous records of Titled Douluo condensing Soul Cores and had even sought advice from Feng Ling and Ye Xishui, it remained a formidable challenge.
Fortunately, he was a very patient person, willing to experiment and refine the process one step at a time.
After who knew how long, once the Soul Power stored in eighty-three Milk Bottles had been exhausted, the Martial Soul Origin finally began to condense and crystallize on the Soul Tool Core.
"It finally worked!"
Overjoyed, Yang Hao pressed on, pouring in more Soul Power and guiding the Martial Soul Origin to fuse with the Soul Bone Origin. He used the Soul Bone Origin's power to crystallize it, until the resulting crystal completely enveloped the Soul Tool Core.
But he wasn't finished. Once the Soul Core had stabilized, Yang Hao guided his Martial Soul Origin, now fused within it, to seep into the Soul Tool Core through its crystalline structure.
At the same time, he used the Metal Control Soul Bone Skill to create a sesame-seed-sized cavity in the center of the Soul Tool Core, to hold that portion of the crystallized Martial Soul Origin.
Using the Soul Bone Origin to condense the crystal had only been the first step. Once the crystalline framework had stabilized, he could separate it and form an independent Soul Core.
Of course, only a small portion was separated. Most of it remained fused with the Soul Bone Origin, maintaining its connection to stabilize the crystalline framework of the portion of Martial Soul Origin that had been separated.
The independent portion of the Martial Soul Core was a colorless crystal, unaffected by the colors of the Martial Soul Origin and Soul Power.
But it didn't remain colorless for long. After absorbing all the Soul Power left in the Milk Bottle, the crystal gradually turned white, like a white Soul Ring.
As the crystal's color changed, the level bottleneck imposed on Yang Hao by the laws of heaven and earth broke open. His Soul Power Level surged to Level 20, where it encountered a new bottleneck.
Although Yang Hao's level had been held back before, his accumulated Soul Power had continued to grow. Now that the bottleneck was gone, his level naturally rose.
"Just as I thought. It can be done."
Feeling his Soul Power Level rise and sensing the Martial Soul Core continuously absorbing Soul Power, Yang Hao smiled.
This path really was viable. After all, there was a theory in the Douluo World that humans had originated from Soul Beasts—Soul Beasts that had transformed into human form.
Like the Blue Silver Emperor and Xiao Wu, they had given birth to human children who possessed Martial Souls derived from Soul Beast bloodlines, eventually becoming human Soul Masters.
So humans could also follow the cultivation path of Soul Beasts—at least in part.
Chapter 39: Adopted Child of Luck
Just as the transformation of the Martial Soul Core drove Yang Hao's level upward, a vast torrent of luck poured into him and was absorbed by the Golden Finger in his mind.
This was a reward from the Plane Will. He had pioneered a new system. Although it was still only in its infancy, its potential was boundless.
It greatly benefited the plane's development. And while the Plane Will lacked intelligence, it possessed instinct. It knew how to seek advantage and avoid harm, so it directed the power of luck to bolster him.
"What did you do?"
Bibi Dong's Divine Thought, which had been asleep in the main hall next door, was startled awake. She flew through the wall and curiously studied Yang Hao, seeing the immense torrent of luck continuously pouring into him.
As a god-level powerhouse, she naturally knew of the power of luck and could even see it directly.
She simply couldn't understand why this little fellow had suddenly gained so much luck.
Qian Renxue's Divine Soul and Ye Xishui hurried over as well. Ye Xishui couldn't see the power of luck, but Qian Renxue could, and she was just as shocked.
The amount of luck was immense.
"I think it's because I brought that path into reality."
Yang Hao looked at the Demon Blade in his hand, guessing that the success of the Martial Soul Core path was the reason. He now counted as a Child of Luck, too.
But unlike Huo Yuhao, who had been a Child of Luck from birth, Yang Hao had earned the Plane Will's recognition through his own efforts. He was a Child of Luck after the fact.
Put simply, one was a biological son, and the other an adopted son.
He still had to keep working hard!
"You made that path work?"
Ye Xishui was astonished. She had heard about the new system the boy had envisioned and had tried to work through it herself, but she hadn't succeeded.
It was only theoretically feasible. There was a world of difference between theory and practice.
For one thing, condensing a Soul Beast's Soul Core depended on many factors. The key was the guidance of its bloodline, a legacy system unique to Soul Beasts.
Humans didn't have that kind of bloodline—or at least, their bloodlines weren't strong enough. They couldn't guide their Martial Soul Origin to condense into a Soul Core. That was why the Soul Master World currently only produced Soul Power Cores, not Origin Soul Cores.
She couldn't believe the boy had managed it—and so quickly, too.
"What an interesting idea."
Bibi Dong's Divine Thought looked toward the Demon Blade. Through the God Trial Mark on it, she sensed the secrets within.
"Did you come up with this by drawing on the records about Xiao Wu and the Blue Silver Emperor in that notebook?"
"I drew on records of transformed Soul Beasts breaking through by condensing Soul Rings themselves. Since transformed Soul Beasts can follow the path of human Soul Masters, that proves the two have something in common. So the reverse should be possible, too.
"There's also the Golden Trident belonging to the Sea God. The Sea God's Heart, which served as its core, was once shattered. Later, Sea God Tang San first repaired it using the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's Soul Core as a medium.
"The Golden Trident can be considered a Soul Tool, with the Sea God's Heart as its Soul Tool Core. That proves Soul Cores and Soul Tool Cores can be converted into one another.
"Using these examples as a reference, this disciple came up with this method. But it's still in its early stages and needs refinement."
Yang Hao replied respectfully. Even he was surprised that he'd succeeded this time.
It had only been an experiment, and he hadn't been very confident beforehand.
It was simply too difficult. He had run through countless theories and attempts just to work out how to fuse the Martial Soul Origin with the Soul Bone Origin. If his Golden Finger hadn't boosted his comprehension, he might never have figured it out.
"This is certainly a viable path, but it requires the Soul Bone Origin to assist, and a Soul Tool Core as its foundation. The Martial Soul must also be transformed into the state yours is in. It would be very difficult to make this widely available.
"Moreover, yours demands high levels of purity from both the Martial Soul Origin and Soul Power. Once a Soul Master absorbs and refines a Soul Ring, their Martial Soul and Soul Power are no longer pure. That's a dead end."
Ye Xishui understood the method's essence. It had too many limitations, and refining it to the point where it could be widely adopted would be difficult.
Humans couldn't use their own Martial Soul Origin to condense a Soul Core. They couldn't even actively manipulate their Martial Soul Origin.
It was only because the boy's Martial Soul had been shattered and turned into a form of Origin energy that he'd had the chance to do so.
Then there was crystallization. The Martial Soul Origin alone wasn't enough; he needed the Soul Bone Origin's power.
A Soul Bone was a fusion of a Soul Beast's Soul Core and bones. It already possessed the properties of a Soul Core, allowing it to drive the Martial Soul Origin to crystallize.
And finally, there was the purity of the Martial Soul and Soul Power. He couldn't refine Soul Rings, which made things even more difficult.
For her disciple to succeed was a miracle—an impossible-to-replicate miracle.
"We can take it slowly. Besides, I've already made it past the hardest first step."
Yang Hao had great confidence in himself. He had finally figured out why the Golden Finger's abilities had improved twice before: it was because of luck.
The first time, he'd bought those things at the Starlight Auction House—especially the Spirit-Devouring Engraving Knife, the key item—and taken Huo Yuhao's opportunity in that regard, along with the luck tied to it. The improvement he'd gained after carrying Ma Xiaotao away had worked the same way, except that this time, what he'd taken had been a person rather than an object.
Now the Plane Will had poured so much luck into him that the Golden Finger had absorbed it. He could already feel the boost to his comprehension surging.
As long as his comprehension kept improving without limit, perfecting this new system would only be a matter of time.
"Why did you want to create this kind of cultivation method? Wouldn't hunting Soul Beasts for Soul Rings make you stronger faster?"
Qian Renxue couldn't understand why the boy wanted to cultivate this way.
After all, he practically had Triple Martial Souls. He would advance much faster by hunting Soul Beasts for Soul Rings. Maybe he could become a Titled Douluo before he turned twenty, with a solid foundation to boot.
"I've read the books and records in your Spirit Hall's collection. I found that Soul Beast populations have been steadily declining, while human Soul Masters rely heavily on the Soul Rings Soul Beasts produce—especially the rings of high-level Soul Beasts.
"But Soul Beasts, despite being essential to us, keep growing scarcer. Maybe in ten thousand years, they'll be extinct. Even if they aren't, the ones left won't have very high cultivation levels.
"Perhaps by then, all nine Soul Rings of a Titled Douluo will be white or yellow. The Soul Ring path is destined to decline. If we don't forge a new path, Soul Masters are destined to decline, too. Even the Soul Tool system won't save them.
"Soul Engineers still rely on being Soul Masters, and they need Soul Skills as well. Without high-year Soul Rings, a Soul Master's strength will fall sharply, inevitably limiting what they can do with Soul Tools.
"And that's not even mentioning breakthroughs to higher levels.
"Your Martial Soul is surely the best there is, with Innate Level 20 Soul Power. But if all nine of your Soul Rings were the lowest-grade white ones, would you still be confident you could become a god?"
Yang Hao spoke earnestly, selling her on his idea. This wasn't just his exploration of the Path to Godhood; it was also an effort to change the Soul Master system.
In the future, Huo Yuhao would create the Soul Spirit System to keep the Soul Master system alive. Yang Hao was going even further: he would abandon the Soul Ring system altogether.
"I could still become a god. I mainly rely on my Martial Soul and the Angel God Trial."
Qian Renxue immediately shot him down, insisting she could still become a god. High-quality Soul Rings would only shorten the time it took her to get there.
Yang Hao was speechless. Having a powerful ancestor really did let you do whatever you wanted!
"You're so young, yet you already have such far-reaching vision. You really don't seem like a child."
After studying the boy before her, Bibi Dong's Divine Thought was shaken. She had underestimated the little fellow last time.
His talent and comprehension were frighteningly strong. The God Trial could only test tangible aptitude; it couldn't measure talent and comprehension. If those were included, he would absolutely qualify for a perfect ninth trial.
Chapter 40: Devouring the Blue Silver Emperor
In the days that followed, Yang Hao continued building up his Soul Power. One after another, he condensed Martial Soul Cores for the Holy Sword and God-Slaying Spear. Ye Xishui, Qian Renxue, and Bibi Dong watched from the sidelines, fascinated by this new system.
Once they had finished watching, the three set out to begin Ye Xishui's God Trial task. Their main target was the treasure land filled with Immortal Grasses: they would either seize it or destroy it.
Over the past three years, Ye Xishui had been adjusting herself. With Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue's help, she had also separated the first six black Soul Rings from her First Martial Soul, the Blood Soul Demon Puppet, making room for stronger Soul Rings.
They had drawn on Tang San's experience in the Godhood Notations. Tang San had managed the same feat with the help of the Sea God's Divine Sense and the Sea God Trident. They had no less at their disposal.
Now it was time to go out and hunt Soul Beasts for Soul Rings!
Yang Hao also began his own journey, traveling to various Soul Beast forests to devour insect-type Soul Beasts, especially spiders, so that he could evolve his Soul-Devouring Spider Leg Bone.
He had pioneered a new system, and the vast torrent of luck poured into him by the Plane Will had impressed both Bibi Dong's Divine Thought and Qian Renxue. They decided to invest more in him.
Bibi Dong's Divine Thought had already promised that once he raised this Soul Bone to the million-year level, she would completely separate the Soul-Devouring Spider God Martial Soul Origin from the corpse and use it to help his Soul-Devouring Spider Leg Bone evolve into a god-level Soul Bone.
God-level Soul Bones and million-year Soul Bones were different. God-level Soul Bones were on a higher tier.
Back then, Bibi Dong had used her Second Martial Soul, the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor, which had a better Soul Ring Configuration, to bear the Rakshasa God Position. With the power of the Rakshasa God Position, she evolved the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor Martial Soul into a god-level Martial Soul: the Soul-Devouring Spider God.
With this god-level Martial Soul as a catalyst, it would be enough to drive the Soul-Devouring Spider Leg Bone through its god-level evolution.
But achieving that evolution would be difficult and require extensive accumulation. That meant he would have to do the devouring himself.
"Are you leaving?"
Ma Xiaotao was worried. Could this guy be going to take revenge and retaliate against Shrek Academy?
Before you continue