Chapter Nineteen: The Third Spirit Ring's Choice

With no time to be shocked, Tang San gritted his teeth, unleashing Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon as he lunged toward Huo Yuhao.

A faint glow appeared on his hands—the Mystic Jade Hand. Since he couldn't control Huo Yuhao with soul skills, he had no choice but to engage in close-quarters combat.

Huo Yuhao did not dodge, allowing Tang San to grab him. Xiao Wu seemed to see an opening; she was very familiar with Tang San's grappling techniques.

If one were caught, it would be difficult to break free. Seeing her chance, she leaped up, intending to kick Huo Yuhao down while he was restrained.

The plan was perfect, but just as Tang San reached for Huo Yuhao's shoulder, his hand passed straight through!

Tang San's eyes widened.

A fake? How is that possible?

Realizing he had fallen into a trap, he prepared to warn Xiao Wu. As he turned his head, he saw Huo Yuhao already standing behind her, his hand resting on her neck.

"You're out."

Huo Yuhao said with a smile. Xiao Wu pouted, disappointed that she had been eliminated so quickly. She stomped her feet and walked to the side, glaring at Huo Yuhao in frustration.

"What kind of skill is that..."

Tang San felt a sense of dread. In an instant, they were down a person, leaving him alone to face the two-ringed Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao wasn't in a rush to attack. Instead, he said to Tang San, "Use the tools you crafted, and your second martial soul. Otherwise, you won't be able to beat me."

Having experienced Huo Yuhao's terrifying combat awareness, Tang San dared not be arrogant.

"Then be careful. My hidden weapons don't have an 'off' switch."

"It's fine, come on."

The battle resumed. This time, Tang San changed his strategy; he still used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, but he didn't rush toward Huo Yuhao.

Instead, he moved erratically around Huo Yuhao, constantly launching silver-glinting hidden weapons from his hands.

Huo Yuhao nodded inwardly. To be able to realize the situation and change tactics immediately—not bad.

He wasn't in a hurry, dodging left and right. A peculiar scene unfolded.

Facing the barrage of hidden weapons, Huo Yuhao dodged some, while others that clearly should have hit him simply passed right through.

This greatly hindered Tang San's judgment; he couldn't distinguish between the illusions and the real body.

Seeing his hidden weapons running low, Tang San gritted his teeth and charged at Huo Yuhao, a delicate hammer appearing in his hand as he swung it toward his opponent.

Huo Yuhao's eyes lit up. Before the hammer could strike him, he stepped forward twice, his palm instantly locking onto Tang San's wrist.

Then, using his opponent's momentum, he executed a shoulder throw.

Bang! Tang San lay on the ground, his wide eyes filled with bewilderment.

Huo Yuhao clapped his hands lightly, explaining the source of Tang San's confusion.

"My first soul skill allows me to see your movements from every angle. It's very easy to spot the flaws."

Seeing that the outcome was decided, Xiao Wu hurried over.

"Yuhao, what kind of skill is that? How could there be an illusion there?"

"That's my second soul skill, which I call Simulation. Actually, the effect isn't perfect; if you look closely, you can tell the difference from the real body. It's just that the speed is too fast for you to see clearly."

He then demonstrated the effect, leaving Xiao Wu and Tang San sighing in amazement.

"No, no, this is too cheap! You can't use this soul skill. Let's go again."

Being eliminated so quickly in the previous round left her feeling unconvinced.

"Sure. San, what about you?" Huo Yuhao looked at Tang San.

"I'm in too. Yuhao, you're just too strong."

Tang San stood up and brushed off the dust, smiling bitterly. However, a competitive spirit surged within him; he didn't believe he would lose if the second soul skill were restricted.

And so, after Tang San retrieved his hidden weapons, the second round officially began.

This time, Huo Yuhao truly did not use the Simulation soul skill. Instead, relying on his extreme speed and formidable physical fitness, he forcibly entangled Xiao Wu, preventing Tang San from deploying his hidden weapons.

Furthermore, the other soul skill provided by Tian Meng after the Dark Spirit Eye evolved—Mental Interference—had also undergone a change.

The target of the interference would feel a chilling sensation; simple movements would consume a massive amount of stamina, and the soul power required to release soul skills would skyrocket.

By utilizing this trait, he quickly subdued Xiao Wu, and the match returned to a one-on-one.

This time, Tang San truly saw it: all his hidden weapons were under Huo Yuhao's Spirit Detection.

The moment his finger twitched, Huo Yuhao would dodge in advance—it was impossible to hit him! In the end, he helplessly conceded; he didn't want to be thrown again.

"Ugh, can't you just let me win for once?"

Xiao Wu was very angry. Being eliminated quickly twice, combined with that chilling sensation she felt when Huo Yuhao got close, left her feeling very uncomfortable.

"I already went easy on you."

Huo Yuhao scratched his head. Otherwise, one Soul Shock would have been enough to put Xiao Wu down. Of course, he wouldn't dare use that move.

The Soul Shock released after evolving into the Dark Spirit Eye must never be used on companions.

Huo Yuhao recalled the experiment from back then, involving a Snowfield Wolf soul beast that had once viewed him as food.

A single Soul Shock eroded a portion of the Wolf's mental power, frightening it so badly that it tucked its tail and fled; that was permanent damage!

Back to the present.

Having experienced two battles, the two of them had witnessed Huo Yuhao's terrifying strength. Tang San also secretly made up his mind to practice even harder in the future so as not to be left behind by Huo Yuhao.

A few days later, the new school year began.

The three of them set off on the road back to school. Before leaving, Huo Yuhao gave most of the money he had earned from selling Soul Tools over the year to Jack.

Coupled with the many things he had bought for Jack, it scared Jack into thinking Huo Yuhao had robbed a noble's house.

Only after Huo Yuhao explained with a wry smile did Jack pat Huo Yuhao on the shoulder with relief, feeling that the child had grown up and no longer needed him to worry.

That night, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm asked in Huo Yuhao's mind, "Yuhao, what are your plans for your next soul ring?"

In the blink of an eye, the third school year was ending, and a long vacation was approaching. Huo Yuhao's soul power had just reached level thirty. This speed was simply unbelievable in the eyes of others—a nine-year-old Soul Elder?

Yet, this was still the result of Huo Yuhao trying his best to suppress it, allocating most of the energy to improving his physical fitness; otherwise, the terrifying energy from Tian Meng alone could have allowed him to jump a rank every year.

However, doing so would make Tang San's father wary, and he might strike at him one day. Since he currently had no countermeasures for that, he chose to keep a low profile.

Summoning Snow Empress for help?

Not to mention whether his small body could handle it, the moment her aura was sensed, countless Titled Douluo would likely rush over to capture him for research.

In this life, he did not have a massive background like Shrek; he would likely be forced to hide and flee constantly.

Suppressing his level like this had many benefits, and the effect on improving his physical fitness was also very obvious. He estimated that he could already absorb a soul ring of around thirty thousand years.

By the time he reached level forty, he should be able to bear a significant amount of Snow Empress's power. By then, using skills released through the Snow Empress soul spirit to save his life should be no problem.

Returning to Tian Meng's previous question.

Huo Yuhao pondered.

"After being reborn, my physical fitness far exceeds my previous life. Walking the same old path is inappropriate, and I might not necessarily encounter soul beasts of suitable age. I must re-plan."

Moreover, from Huo Yuhao's current perspective, those ordinary soul beasts were of no help to him. His goal was to become a god, and his soul skills should, as much as possible, be chosen to be helpful after achieving godhood.

"Bingbing, do you have any suggestions?"

Tian Meng looked at Ice Empress beside him and nudged his body toward her.

"Don't push your luck. I usually only stay in the Far North and only associate with Snow Empress. I don't know which soul beasts are suitable for Yuhao."

Ice Empress shook her head. The first sentence was directed at Tian Meng, and she moved a little further away from him without a trace.

"I've got it! A soul beast that Teacher Wang Yan told me about in my previous life. At the time, he looked full of regret, saying that if that kind of soul beast hadn't gone extinct, it would have been perfect for me. If it's now, it should still exist."

Huo Yuhao's eyes lit up.