"Human kid, I haven't asked your name yet."
Huo Yuhao hesitated. Only after Tian Meng nodded to confirm did he speak. "...My name is Huo Yuhao."
"Level thirty at such a young age. Your talent really is impressive... And this aura is Ultimate Water!" Golden Hawksbill Turtle scrutinized Huo Yuhao from head to toe, muttering to himself.
There was no need to hesitate anymore. Going all in was a kind of wisdom.
Golden Hawksbill Turtle raised its head proudly. "Huo Yuhao, you came to Star Dou Great Forest to obtain a Soul Ring, right?"
"Heh heh, I can grant you a great opportunity. I can sacrifice myself for you."
Huo Yuhao wore the expression of an old man on the subway looking at his phone. What did this mean? A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast was offering itself as a sacrifice the moment he stepped outside? Was he really this lucky?
Before Huo Yuhao could say anything, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm in the Spiritual Sea couldn't hold back.
"Wait, Yuhao. I think I recognize this guy. He seems... seems to be that bastard who absorbed my life force in Star Dou's core region!"
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm jumped out from behind Huo Yuhao and said furiously, "Bastard! Do you still recognize me?"
Golden Hawksbill Turtle glanced at him. "Tsk... Who are you? Why do I feel like I've seen you somewhere, too?"
"Hmph!" Rings of golden light rapidly rose from beneath Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's feet, ten in all, radiating spiritual power so dense it seemed almost tangible.
"Ah... It's you! You're that Ice Silkworm. Heavens, how did you fuse with a human, too? This is simply unbelievable," Golden Hawksbill Turtle said, gaping in shock.
"Hmph!"
Only after Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had fully probed him with his spiritual power did he realize that Golden Hawksbill Turtle's life force was almost exhausted. His voice carried a hint of schadenfreude. "So that's why you want to sacrifice yourself. Got what you deserved! That's what you get for absorbing my life force back then!"
Golden Hawksbill Turtle felt a little guilty, but then his eyes reddened. "I... I only absorbed it secretly. I didn't hurt you too badly. And if I hadn't absorbed your life force back then, I wouldn't have gotten greedy later and ended up like this..."
"Let's put that aside for now. Big Ice Silkworm, you must have some way to preserve your soul and consciousness in this state, right? Help me out. I'll explain everything once this old turtle enters the kid's Spiritual Sea!"
Huo Yuhao nodded. "All right. Stabilize your mind and soul first. I'll set up a Soul Spirit Contract." Then, in as few words as possible, he explained the Soul Spirit Contract to Golden Hawksbill Turtle.
After Golden Hawksbill Turtle agreed, Huo Yuhao released his Spirit Eye Martial Soul and immediately began chanting the Soul Spirit Contract incantation.
Tian Meng wasn't happy about it, but he knew what mattered. He released his spiritual power, forming a barrier that concealed Huo Yuhao and Golden Hawksbill Turtle's figures and auras.
"...I hadn't noticed before. Why has the life aura in Star Dou Great Forest grown so much stronger?"
Golden Hawksbill Turtle cooperated fully, releasing his Origin Power without reservation. Dark golden light spread in ripples toward Huo Yuhao, covering his body.
At first, Huo Yuhao thought his Spirit Eye Martial Soul wasn't compatible with Golden Hawksbill Turtle, who had both water and earth attributes. He had planned to have the Big Turtle provide a Soul Ring for his Second Martial Soul, Deep Blue Glazed Dragon. But as the Soul Spirit Contract progressed, he realized his Spirit Eye Martial Soul wasn't accepting Golden Hawksbill Turtle's water and earth attributes. Instead, it was absorbing something else, something profoundly mysterious, that Golden Hawksbill Turtle possessed.
Then, a vast life aura suddenly surged out of Golden Hawksbill Turtle.
And when this life aura appeared, Golden Hawksbill Turtle's body actually grew larger! He swelled from his original two-meter diameter to over five meters, gleaming with golden light. It was an astonishing sight, and his aura changed from listless to vigorous.
The Soul Spirit Contract proceeded smoothly. Beneath the two disguised purple Soul Rings, a blood-red Soul Ring slowly rose. Huo Yuhao's Soul Power finally broke through the level-thirty bottleneck, surging all the way to level thirty-six.
And that was despite the debuff to the cultivation speed of an Ultimate Martial Soul. One could only imagine how terrifying Huo Yuhao's cultivation speed was.
Just then, Electrolux's voice came from the Spiritual Sea.
"Oh? What's this...?"
After the Soul Spirit Contract was complete, Golden Hawksbill Turtle's body vanished, leaving behind a dark golden left leg bone and a piece of emerald-green metal.
Electrolux, who had been recuperating in the Spiritual Sea, immediately emerged. To Huo Yuhao's surprise, he heard shock in his teacher's voice.
"This... This is Gold of Life!? Such a large piece! I've never heard of anything like it."
"...Yuhao, you really are treated like the world's own darling!"
Huo Yuhao asked in confusion, "Teacher, what's wrong? Is this piece of metal even more precious than a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone?"
Electrolux gave a bitter smile. "In my eyes, that bone isn't even worthy of being a cushion for the Gold of Life. We've struck it rich this time. With this Gold of Life, there are so many things I can accomplish!"
"Little Yuhao, absorb the Soul Bone first. I'll help you make the best possible use of this Gold of Life."
At the same time, Golden Hawksbill Turtle finally entered Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Sea. His soul was simply too exhausted, though; before Tian Meng could interrogate him, he fell into a deep sleep.
Still, this turtle had quite a few tricks up his shell. After joining the Spiritual Sea, the vast Spiritual Origin he brought with him quickly pushed Huo Yuhao past the threshold of the Spirit Abyss Realm. Meanwhile, fusing with the left leg bone made Huo Yuhao's Bloodline Power feel as if it were catching fire.
This feeling of getting something for nothing really was great... No, no. From now on, his priority was to stabilize his cultivation. He absolutely couldn't keep advancing this quickly.
An unstable foundation could bring the whole house down. That was an eternal truth.
First, he closed his eyes and sensed the two Soul Skills Golden Hawksbill Turtle had granted him.
Spirit Eye's third Soul Skill, first form: Pull.
It could forcibly drag an opponent's attack toward him, or draw himself closer to his opponent.
In other words, a taunt.
Spirit Eye's third Soul Skill, second form: Epitaph.
No need for long bangs. It showed him what would happen over the next ten seconds within his field of vision. However, the [future] and [reality] unfolded simultaneously, so he would need to judge for himself how best to use it in actual combat.
Huo Yuhao was stunned. Could a water-and-earth Soul Beast really grant these Soul Skills? Weren't they supposed to be Soul Skills of [spirit] and [time]?
Electrolux saw Huo Yuhao's confusion and patiently explained, "Just as this Big Turtle said, his species is an auspicious beast, and they possess considerable Power of Fate. As for you... Ahem, in any case, these two Soul Skills are connected to [fate] and [spirit], and they suit you very well."
Huo Yuhao could tell that Electrolux was deliberately concealing something, but he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he carefully considered his first Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.
Golden Hawksbill Turtle's left leg bone Soul Skill, first form: Earth Core.
It gathered the earth element on the ground and formed a Rock Spine. It could concentrate its defense at one point or deal earth-attribute area damage. It could be used for both offense and defense.
Golden Hawksbill Turtle's left leg bone Soul Skill, second form: Invincible Barrier.
This one was straightforward, but Huo Yuhao's Invincible Barrier could also be applied to his teammates. He could only use it three times a day, though.
Huo Yuhao couldn't help wondering: could this green metal really be more precious than such a powerful Soul Bone and Soul Ring?
Before you continue