The Concept of Artificial Spirit Rings

Just as Huo Yuhao was about to continue, the end-of-class bell rang.

"Class, that's all for today. Yuhao, come to my office for a moment. I have something to discuss with you."

Wang Yan looked rather grave. He picked up the book from the lectern and hurried toward the office.

The students in the classroom gradually forgot the heavy topic from the lesson. Smiles returned to their faces, and they filed out of the classroom in twos and threes.

Many years later, when the students of Freshman Class 3 thought back to this lesson, they were all left dazed.

For in their youth, they had never imagined that the massive war their classmate had mentioned—a war they thought utterly absurd—would one day, before long, become reality.

Huo Yuhao followed Wang Yan through a long corridor, and soon they arrived at the teachers' private office area.

After Huo Yuhao entered the office, Wang Yan locked the door. Only then did he sit down. He looked at Huo Yuhao and said solemnly, "Yuhao, was what you just said about the God of Spirit Beasts true?"

Huo Yuhao hadn't expected Wang Yan to take the matter so seriously. Seeing this, he could only laugh it off. "Teacher Wang, I was just saying whatever came to mind, making a guess. I've never been to the central region of the Star Dou Great Forest, so how would I know?"

Wang Yan was taken aback, then gave an awkward smile. "I was clutching at straws. Yuhao, I forgot that you're only twelve years old. Sometimes, you seem far too mature for a child, and I subconsciously treat you like an adult. I'm sorry."

Before Huo Yuhao could answer, Wang Yan continued, his expression troubled. "The truth is, you don't know that the Sun Moon Empire's ambitions have grown increasingly audacious in recent years. They've been building up their military strength, too. I have a feeling that war isn't far off."

"But what you said today opened my eyes. Given the situation, once war breaks out, it won't be limited to those few empires. It could very well become, just as you said, a great war that sweeps across every living being on the continent. When that happens, the continent will surely be plunged into a living hell."

Seeing this, Huo Yuhao replied without thinking, "Actually, war isn't necessarily all bad. The world's great currents divide after long periods of unity, and unite after long periods of division. If one nation could truly unify the world, it might be a good thing for ordinary people in the future."

"More than that, if we want to resolve the conflict between Soul Masters and Spirit Beasts, only a unified political system could do it."

Wang Yan's eyes lit up. "Oh? The conflict between Soul Masters and Spirit Beasts can be resolved? How?"

Huo Yuhao rolled his eyes and spoke unhurriedly. "It's only an idea of mine, Teacher Wang. Just hear me out; don't take it too seriously. The main reason for the conflict between Soul Masters and Spirit Beasts is that Soul Masters must obtain Spirit Rings to break through their cultivation bottlenecks, while Spirit Beast populations reproduce far more slowly than humans."

"If things continue this way, Spirit Beasts will inevitably be wiped out by humanity. But with the recent development of Soul Tools, I've been wondering: could we develop Artificial Spirit Rings?"

"Artificial Spirit Rings?" Wang Yan exclaimed. After pondering it, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"That's right! That's right! Why didn't I think of it? Artificial Spirit Rings—what a brilliant idea!" Wang Yan sprang up from his chair, waving his arms in excitement.

"Yuhao, you're a genius! A genius! Your idea is completely feasible. If it succeeds, the entire balance of power on Douluo Continent will be changed forever."

"I've decided. I'll make this the lifelong subject of my research and dedicate myself to it. If I succeed, I, Wang Yan, will go down in history on Douluo Continent! Hahahaha!" Wang Yan grabbed Huo Yuhao by the shoulders and shook him again and again.

Seeing Wang Yan so ecstatic, Huo Yuhao said cautiously, "Teacher Wang, it's only an idea. We don't even know whether it can be put into practice. There's no need to get so excited, is there?"

The concept of Artificial Spirit Rings that Huo Yuhao had proposed was actually the same as the concept of Artificial Spirit Spirits that appeared in the original story.

But Huo Yuhao knew full well just how difficult it was to create Artificial Spirit Spirits.

The concept of Spirit Spirits had been proposed in the original story by Elder Yi, who was still asleep in his mind.

They would not truly be created and perfected until Douluo III, ten thousand years later.

It had taken Douluo Continent ten thousand years of development to successfully test and perfect the Soul Spirit System.

How could it be so easy?

Hearing Huo Yuhao's sobering words, Wang Yan calmed down, though his expression remained fervent. "Yuhao, you don't understand. If I hear the Dao in the morning, I can die content in the evening. For someone like me, who has spent so many years studying Martial Souls and Spirit Beasts, having a lifelong subject to pursue is a blessing."

"Besides, in my view, a Spirit Ring is merely a combination of a Spirit Beast's life energy after death. Yet it can help a Soul Master break through an otherwise unavoidable bottleneck. That's strange in itself."

"In this age, Soul Tools make unparalleled use of energy. If I can find the underlying principles, why shouldn't I, Wang Yan, be able to complete this great undertaking?"

Wang Yan's eyes shone. He was now filled with boundless fervor and ambition for the subject of Artificial Spirit Rings.

Seeing this, Huo Yuhao could only fall silent.

Perhaps when I'm capable, I can give him a hand.

Huo Yuhao said to himself.

If we really can resolve the conflict between humanity and Spirit Beasts ahead of time, that would be a good thing.

After Wang Yan had been excited for a while, he suddenly realized he'd forgotten the real reason he'd called Huo Yuhao in. He shook his head and smiled. "I've gotten completely sidetracked. Yuhao, the real reason I called you here today was that I wanted to see your remarkable Martial Soul. Lexuan told me all about you, and I'm very curious about what makes your Martial Soul so unusual. Yuhao, would you let me see it?"

"My Martial Soul?" Huo Yuhao had no intention of hiding anything. He closed his eyes, then opened them again, and crimson pupils and black tomoe appeared in his eyes.

"My Martial Soul is called the Sharingan. It's a Mental Attribute Martial Soul."

Wang Yan stared at Huo Yuhao's uncanny eyes, momentarily stunned.

This Martial Soul looks like a mutated version of an eye-type Martial Soul. It's a mutated Body Martial Soul! Wang Yan thought.

Then he carefully studied the two tomoe in Huo Yuhao's pupils and asked curiously, "Yuhao, have there always been two tomoe in your eyes?"

Huo Yuhao was startled. He hadn't expected Wang Yan to be so perceptive as to notice the change in his tomoe.

"No. At first, there was only one. The tomoe in my eyes increased to two after I gained a Spirit Ring."

I'm planning to enter the Inner Court anyway, so it doesn't matter if I reveal a few things, Huo Yuhao thought.

Wang Yan was even more astonished. "A second evolution of a Martial Soul? How incredible!"

Then Wang Yan lowered his head and closed his eyes, sinking into thought. It was a long while before he opened them again and said:

"Yuhao, do you know about the Body Sect?"