The grilled fish in the boy's hand hadn't even had time to hit the ground before it slipped from his fingers, landing among the leaves.
And right in front of him was an unbelievably huge worm!
Its body was as thick as several people standing shoulder to shoulder and about seven meters long. A soft, milky-white glow flowed across its smooth skin, while a golden marking on its forehead flickered on and off.
"Ha ha ha ha! This worm is finally free! Those damn bastards squeezed me dry for a hundred thousand years! At last, I've run into a Soul Master with a Mental Attribute!"
At that moment, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was like someone who'd been exploited for half his life and had suddenly gained his freedom, venting his emotions without restraint.
"A Spirit-type Martial Soul? Spirit Eye? That's rare. Your Soul Power is a little weak... but it'll just about do. You're the one!"
It hadn't even finished speaking.
A green figure had already crashed down in front of it like a meteor.
Du Busi landed on both feet, and the ground cracked inch by inch beneath him. He didn't even spare Sky Dream Ice Silkworm a proper glance as nine Soul Rings lit up in succession beneath his feet.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, red, red, red— the Soul Power pressure of a Level 99 Limit Douluo burst forth without restraint.
"A human?! Th-this... Level 99?!"
The nine slowly revolving Soul Rings were reflected in Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's compound eyes, and its entire body went rigid.
Back when it had been in the Star Dou Forest's Core Circle, those Ferocious Beasts had taken turns squeezing it dry. It knew all too well what the strength of a Level 99 Soul Master meant.
Was heaven out to destroy him? No! He didn't want to die!
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm instinctively tried to burrow back into the ground, but alas, it was no use.
"Since I'm here, I might as well stay!"
Du Busi raised a hand. A gigantic green palm of Soul Power descended from the sky, blotting out the sun.
"Heh heh heh, such a fortuitous opportunity is clearly meant for the Body Sect!"
So what if it was a Million-Year Soul Beast with a Mental Attribute?! He had to make it sacrifice itself to Xu Qing! He didn't even dare imagine how powerful a Self Martial Soul with a Million-Year First Soul Ring would be!
"No! How are you humans even more unreasonable than Soul Beasts?! I've only been out for three seconds!! Thre—"
Smack!
The giant palm crashed down. Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's enormous body dropped straight from midair like a stunned little fish, slamming into the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.
The golden marking on its forehead flickered helplessly twice, then went completely dark.
"Tsk. Is this Big Bug really a Million-Year Soul Beast?"
Du Busi shook his hand as casually as if he'd just swatted a mosquito.
"Feels pretty good to the touch, too. Better than those sandbags you came up with."
Xu Qing jumped down from under Du Busi's arm, walked over to Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, and prodded its soft white body with his foot.
"Old geezer, go easy on it. This thing's got its uses. Don't beat it to death, seriously."
"Don't worry. I used a delicate touch. Judging by this worm's constitution, it'll sleep for a whole day."
Xu Qing went over to Huo Yuhao and looked down at him.
The boy sat slumped on the ground, a patch of his trousers soaked. His face was deathly pale.
His Spirit Eyes were wide open, his pupils unfocused, and his lips trembled. He couldn't get a single word out.
Xu Qing had no intention of laughing at him. He was only an eleven-year-old child.
He'd just been driven out of the Duke Mansion and had come alone to the Star Dou Forest to hunt for his First Soul Ring. He'd drawn his ancestral White Tiger Dagger and fought the God-Slaying Wind Baboon for hundreds of rounds, nearly dying in the process.
But just when he'd finally managed to kill it, a worm that had burst out of the ground had set its sights on him.
Wasn't this the first step toward having a divine king put a dog leash on him?
Tsk, tsk. He couldn't handle this kind of opportunity.
"Tsk, old geezer, you scared the kid."
"What the hell does that have to do with me? The brat's so weak, yet he tries to come to the Star Dou Forest alone like the others. Isn't he just asking to die? He gets scared out of his wits by a little commotion like this? Hmph."
Du Busi grumbled, but his hands were deft.
The giant Soul Power palm flipped over, controlling its strength as it kneaded Sky Dream Ice Silkworm down to the size of a soccer ball. Then he used a little trick to shrink it to the size of a tennis ball.
He tucked it into his sleeve, the whole sequence of movements smooth as flowing water.
Xu Qing crouched and pointed at the white Soul Ring slowly taking shape above Huo Yuhao's head.
"You just killed a Wind Baboon, right? Look, the Soul Ring's already on you."
Huo Yuhao nodded mechanically, then shook his head hard, finally coming back to his senses.
"I-I didn't mean to... The Wind Baboon attacked me, so I fought back and killed it, and then... suddenly, that white worm came crawling out of the ground..."
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry. I'll leave right away..."
He trailed off before he could finish.
Xu Qing sighed inwardly.
In the original story, Huo Yuhao's First Soul Ring was a Million-Year Soul Ring that Sky Dream Ice Silkworm willingly sacrificed itself to provide, and it came with a full four Soul Skills, including Spiritual Detection!
Now Tian Meng had been captured by him, and this white Ten-Year Soul Ring had been slapped onto Huo Yuhao just like that.
...This was a good thing, wasn't it? He wouldn't have to change his surname now!
"A Ten-Year Soul Ring..." Xu Qing stood up and gave Du Busi a glance, his tone mild and detached. "Your Body Martial Soul's First Soul Skill got a ten-year one. Your luck isn't great, huh?"
Huo Yuhao lowered his head and clenched both fists.
He didn't know the black-haired boy standing in front of him, but every word the boy said stabbed into his heart like a needle.
The truth really did hurt.
Still, a Ten-Year Soul Ring was already impressive. He'd done everything he could.
Even if it couldn't compare to those whose First Soul Rings were a hundred years old...
"But," Xu Qing continued, changing tack, "you have a Body Martial Soul... It's not all that hopeless. You still have a chance to become strong."
A trace of confusion flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes as he raised his head.
"Y-you said Body Martial Soul? My Martial Soul is my eyes..."
"Hold on."
Du Busi interrupted them.
His green eyes fixed directly on Huo Yuhao's.
He'd been in such a hurry to get here and swat the worm that he'd only given the boy on the ground a brief glance. He hadn't looked closely.
And then there was his good disciple's reminder just now...
"Child, you've suffered so much!"
Du Busi suddenly crouched down in front of Huo Yuhao, startling him so badly that he nearly fell backward.
Before Huo Yuhao could react, a calloused hand was already resting on his eyelid, gently lifting it.
"What beautiful eyes you have, child. I'm family you've never met before!"
Du Busi's voice made Xu Qing break out in goosebumps where he stood.
Damn, how could this old geezer lay it on so thick? Hadn't he just been saying the kid was a coward?
"Kid! Your Martial Soul is a Body Martial Soul! And the home of all Body Martial Souls in the world is the Body Sect! Child, what's your name?"
Huo Yuhao was completely stunned by this sudden outburst of enthusiasm.
"A-A Body Martial Soul?"
"Little Yuhao! Little Yuhao!"
Before you continue