The Right Guidance

Deep in the Star Dou Forest, ancient trees towered toward the sky, and misty Soul Power flowed between them like a thin fog.

Unlike the perilous outer reaches, this area was almost unnaturally quiet. There were no fierce Hundred-Year or Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, nor even the most common poisonous insects, rats, or ants.

Only the occasional breeze stirred through the trees, carrying the fresh scent of plants and life, along with the slightly nervous sound of a young boy's breathing, breaking the stillness.

Huo Yuhao followed closely behind Gu Yuan and Gu Yuena, his small body held stiff as a board. His eyes were wide as he warily watched for any movement around them.

But no matter how he urged his mental power, all he could sense was peace for hundreds of meters in every direction. He couldn't feel even the slightest trace of a Soul Beast's vicious aura.

Of course, he had no idea that with Gu Yuan and Gu Yuena's strength, the faintest, almost imperceptible hint of dragon might radiating from them was enough to send every Soul Beast in the area fleeing. None would dare show its face.

The two of them were the masters of the Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Forest. Naturally, no foolish beast would come bother them.

At that moment, Gu Yuan and Gu Yuena still looked like twelve-year-old boy and girl. They walked slowly ahead, each radiating the Soul Power fluctuations of a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor.

To make the scene more convincing, four Soul Rings rose slowly beneath their feet: one yellow, two purple, and one black. Their light shimmered with just the right degree of brilliance.

Huo Yuhao was secretly astonished by this Soul Ring Configuration, which defied all common sense. Two twelve-year-old Soul Ancestors, with such extraordinary Soul Rings! Then, with a change of thought, he realized he, Huo Yuhao, had practically latched onto a powerful backer.

Heaven truly favored me, Huo Yuhao!

Naturally, they had put on the display for Huo Yuhao, showing off talent far beyond that of their peers and perfectly fitting the image of siblings from a top family out gaining experience.

"Brother Yuan, Sister Na, are we... really going farther in?" Huo Yuhao couldn't help asking, his voice tinged with unease.

"The limit for the Second Soul Ring is a hundred years. We've already come this deep, and the Soul Beasts here are at least a thousand years old. I... I'm afraid I won't be able to withstand it."

Although Huo Yuhao's First Soul Ring was an astonishing Million-Year Soul Ring, he still knew the basics. According to the Martial Soul core theory proposed by Yu the Grandmaster ten thousand years ago, the limit for a Second Soul Ring was around 764 years.

At the end of the day, Huo Gua was still a child who had been suppressed for years. He couldn't help fearing something that went beyond common sense.

He stopped, his small hands clenched tight, unease filling his eyes.

Even though he now had the Spirit Eye Martial Soul with its extreme Mental Attribute, and the Million-Year origin of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm as a foundation within him, his body having been completely remade, he still couldn't help feeling anxious.

For most ordinary Soul Masters, absorbing a Second Soul Ring of around five hundred years was already considered a sign of outstanding talent.

But Gu Yuan had brought him straight toward the mixed zone of the Star Dou Forest, making it perfectly clear that he intended to find a thousand-year Mental Attribute Soul Beast for his Second Soul Ring.

To any ordinary Soul Master, that sounded like a wild fantasy—something utterly impossible.

Gu Yuan stopped and turned around. Looking at Huo Yuhao's anxious face, he smiled. His tone was gentle, yet carried an unquestionable certainty. "Yuhao, remember this: the usual limits on Soul Ring age apply to ordinary Soul Masters, not geniuses."

"I examined your body while you were unconscious. Your physical strength is already comparable to that of an ordinary high-rank Soul Elder, and the foundation of your mental power is dozens of times stronger than that of Soul Masters at the same rank. So have a little confidence in yourself, understand?"

Gu Yuena, standing beside him, gave a slight nod. Her cool voice carried a reassuring strength. "Your Spirit Eye has the extreme Mental Attribute. An ordinary Hundred-Year Soul Ring wouldn't bring out its potential—instead, it would restrict your growth. Only a thousand-year Mental Attribute Soul Beast is worthy of you now. A stronger foundation will let you go farther in the future. Besides, we're here. Nothing will go wrong."

Their confident words were like two anchors, instantly calming the unease in Huo Yuhao's heart.

He raised his head and looked at the siblings before him, who were only two years older than he was. They didn't look very old, yet somehow always gave him a sense of security, as if they could do anything.

It had been barely two hours since he woke, but these siblings had already given him a warmth and protection he'd never known in ten years, along with an affirmation he'd never received before.

At the start, Huo Yuhao's defining traits had been a lack of confidence, mixed with hatred and confusion. If Gu Yuan wanted to change his fate, changing his personality was crucial too. For someone like him, the best remedy was support from people with strength, together with their care.

Huo Yuhao took a deep breath. The unease in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by determination.

He nodded firmly. "All right! I'll listen to you, Brother Yuan and Sister Na. If you say I can absorb it, then I'm brave enough to try!"

In the Spiritual Sea, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm immediately popped out and cheered him on with a grin. "Don't be afraid, Yuhao! With me here, never mind a mere Thousand-Year Soul Ring—even a ten-thousand-year one will be no problem! Just relax and absorb it!"

Even Electrolux, who had been resting in the Soul-Nurturing Wood, sent over a gentle voice. "Young one, in all my life, I've never seen a divine soul foundation as solid as yours. Though I don't understand your cultivation system, if you wish to become stronger, you must have the courage to face challenges."

With Gu Yuan and Gu Yuena's reassurance, and the encouragement of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and Electrolux, the last of Huo Yuhao's doubts vanished.

Seeing the light rekindle in his eyes, Gu Yuan nodded in satisfaction and turned to continue deeper into the woods. "Come on. There's a Soul Beast up ahead that's perfect for you."

The three passed through layers of ancient trees and reached a quiet mountain valley in less than half an incense stick's time.

The valley was filled with pale purple lily-of-the-valley flowers. A breeze brushed past, making their petals sway gently and releasing a faint fragrance that could muddle the mind.

Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eye stirred. He immediately sensed movement deep in the valley and cried out, "Brother Yuan, there's a Soul Beast in there! Its mental power is strong!"

"Good. You're very perceptive." Gu Yuan smiled in praise, approval flashing in his eyes.

"It's a Phantom Spirit Fox with a cultivation of eighteen hundred years. It naturally controls mental illusions, making it a suitable choice for a Mental Attribute Martial Soul.

"It'll be a perfect match for your Spirit Eye Martial Soul and help take your use of mental power to the next level."

As soon as he finished speaking, a sharp fox cry rang out from deep in the valley.

A silver-white shadow suddenly darted out from the lily-of-the-valley flowers. It was a small fox, its fur snow-white with a faint silver sheen. Its foxlike eyes were a strange purple, and it fixed a wary, vicious stare on the three intruders.

The Phantom Spirit Fox could clearly sense the terrifying aura on the two young people before it—an aura that made its very soul tremble. Yet the Soul Power they released was only at the level of Four-Ring Soul Ancestors.

Unable to reconcile the contradiction, it didn't dare approach. It could only growl a warning as a pale purple glow of illusion slowly rose around it.

"Gu Yuena, sorry for the trouble." Gu Yuan turned to her and spoke softly.

Gu Yuena gave a slight nod and gently raised her hand.

There was no earth-shattering burst of Soul Power. Only a nearly imperceptible silver streak of light flew from her fingertips and landed on the Phantom Spirit Fox.

In an instant, the Phantom Spirit Fox, which had been gathering strength to unleash its illusion, froze. The viciousness in its eyes was replaced by utter terror.

It felt as though the whole world had bound it. Its limbs couldn't move at all, the Soul Power within it had ground to a halt, and it couldn't summon even the tiniest bit.

All kinds of energy enveloped it. None of them harmed it, yet they left it unable even to take its own life.

This was the power of the Silver Dragon King: control over all life and the laws of creation in the world. To a mortal Soul Beast, a mere thought could decide whether it lived or died.

Gu Yuan walked up slowly, looking at the Phantom Spirit Fox trembling in place, and said calmly, "Your sacrifice now is for the Soul Beast Clan. Rest in peace, my subject."

A glimmer of humanlike surprise flashed through the Phantom Spirit Fox's purple eyes. Then, as if it understood, the fear gradually faded. It slowly closed its eyes and gave up all resistance.

It could clearly sense that the young man before it possessed a supreme aura that made its very soul submit.

Gu Yuan raised his hand. A gentle golden light flew from his fingertip and landed precisely between the Phantom Spirit Fox's brows, allowing it to be reincarnated as soon as it died and sparing it the long wait.

Huo Yuhao stepped forward and ended the Phantom Spirit Fox's life. The fox's body sank gently to the ground as if it had merely fallen asleep. Then a dazzling purple Soul Ring slowly rose from its body, its Thousand-Year Soul Ring glow shining brilliantly through the woods.

"Yuhao, absorb it." Gu Yuan patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder.

"Absorb it without worry. We'll guard you right here. Nothing will go wrong."

Huo Yuhao stared at the flawless purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring, his heart pounding. He took a deep breath and sat cross-legged. Following the method the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had taught him, he urged the Soul Power within him and drew the Thousand-Year Soul Ring toward his body.

The purple Soul Ring slowly descended, enveloping him completely. Gentle yet immense mental power flowed into him through the ring, perfectly matching his Spirit Eye Martial Soul.

Unlike the upheaval of absorbing his First Soul Ring, this time the process went far more smoothly than he could have imagined. The Phantom Spirit Fox had died willingly, leaving no trace of viciousness in its Soul Ring.

On top of that, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and Electrolux were helping guide the incoming mental power in his Spiritual Sea, so the absorption proceeded almost entirely without resistance.