Spirit Abyss Realm and the Third Soul Ring

"Human brat, I haven't asked your name yet, have I?"

Huo Yuhao hesitated for a moment, only speaking after Tianmeng nodded to confirm it was safe: "...My name is Huo Yuhao."

"To be level thirty at such a young age, your talent is indeed impressive... and this aura, it's the Ultimate Water!" The Golden Hawksbill Turtle scrutinized Huo Yuhao from head to toe, muttering to itself.

There was no reason to hesitate; going all-in was a form of wisdom.

The Golden Hawksbill Turtle held its head high with arrogance: "Huo Yuhao, you came to the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain a soul ring, didn't you?"

"Hehe, This Seat can grant you a stroke of fortune. I can offer myself as a sacrifice to you."

Huo Yuhao wore an expression of utter disbelief, like an old man staring at a smartphone. What did that mean? A hundred-thousand-year soul beast offering itself as a sacrifice the moment he stepped out? Was his luck really that good?

Before Huo Yuhao could speak, Tianmeng Iceworm, residing in his spiritual sea, could no longer hold back.

"Wait, Yuhao! I think I have some impression of this guy. It seems... it seems like the bad guy who once absorbed Brother's life force in the core area of the Star Dou!"

Tianmeng Iceworm jumped out from behind Huo Yuhao and shouted viciously: "You jerk! Do you still recognize Brother?"

The Golden Hawksbill Turtle glanced at it: "Hiss... who are you? Why do I feel like I've seen you somewhere before?"

"Hmph!" Rings of golden light rose rapidly from beneath Tianmeng Iceworm's feet—ten in total—emitting a spiritual pressure so dense it was almost tangible.

"Ah... it's you! You're that ice worm. Heavens, how did you end up fusing with a human? This is truly inconceivable," the Golden Hawksbill Turtle said, dumbfounded.

"Hmph!"

After probing it thoroughly with spiritual power, Tianmeng Iceworm realized that the Golden Hawksbill Turtle's life force was nearly exhausted. Its voice couldn't help but carry a hint of schadenfreude: "So that's it. No wonder you want to offer yourself as a sacrifice. You're getting your karma! That's what you get for absorbing Brother's life force back then!"

The Golden Hawksbill Turtle felt a bit guilty, but then its eyes turned red: "I... I only absorbed it secretly. I didn't cause you too much harm. Besides, if I hadn't absorbed your life force back then, I wouldn't have become so greedy later and ended up in this state..."

"Enough talk for now. Big Ice Worm, in your state, you must have a way to preserve your soul and consciousness. Help me! I'll explain the rest once I, the old turtle, enter this brat's spiritual sea!"

Huo Yuhao nodded: "Alright then. Stabilize your spirit and soul first, and I'll prepare the Soul Spirit Contract." He then explained the method of the Soul Spirit Contract to the Golden Hawksbill Turtle as concisely as possible.

Once the Golden Hawksbill Turtle agreed, Huo Yuhao released his Spirit Eye martial soul and immediately began chanting the Soul Spirit Contract incantation.

Although Tianmeng was unhappy, it knew the importance of the situation and released its spiritual power to form a barrier, shielding Huo Yuhao and the Golden Hawksbill Turtle from sight and aura.

"...Brother hadn't noticed, but how has the life aura of this Star Dou Great Forest become so much stronger?"

The Golden Hawksbill Turtle was quite cooperative, releasing its origin power without reservation. Dark golden ripples spread out, covering Huo Yuhao's body.

At first, Huo Yuhao felt that his Spirit Eye martial soul was not well-suited for the water and earth-attributed Golden Hawksbill Turtle, and he had intended for the giant turtle to provide a soul ring for his second martial soul, the Deep Blue Glazed Dragon. However, as the Soul Spirit Contract progressed, he discovered that his Spirit Eye martial soul was not absorbing the Golden Hawksbill Turtle's water and earth attributes, but rather something else, something extremely profound within the creature.

Then, a massive surge of life force erupted from the Golden Hawksbill Turtle.

Moreover, after this life force appeared, the Golden Hawksbill Turtle's body actually grew! It expanded from its original two-meter diameter to over five meters. It glowed with a brilliant golden light, looking truly miraculous, and its aura shifted from its previous withered state to one of vibrant energy.

The Soul Spirit Contract proceeded very smoothly. Beneath the two disguised purple soul rings, a blood-red soul ring slowly rose. Huo Yuhao's soul power finally broke through the bottleneck of level thirty, surging all the way to level thirty-six.

And this was with the debuff on the cultivation speed of his Ultimate martial soul; one could only imagine how terrifying Huo Yuhao's cultivation speed truly was.

Just then, Electrolux's voice echoed in his spiritual sea.

"Eh? This is..."

After completing the Soul Spirit Contract, the Golden Hawksbill Turtle's body dissipated, leaving behind a dark golden left leg bone and a piece of emerald-green metal.

Electrolux, who had been resting in the spiritual sea, immediately emerged. Huo Yuhao heard a tone of shock from his teacher:

"This... this is actually the Gold of Life!? Such a large piece! It is unheard of."

"...Yuhao, you truly are treated like the world's own child!"

Huo Yuhao asked in confusion: "Teacher, what's wrong? Is this piece of metal more precious than a hundred-thousand-year soul bone?"

Electrolux gave a wry smile: "In my eyes, this bone doesn't even qualify to serve as a cushion for the Gold of Life. We've hit the jackpot this time. With this Gold of Life, there is so much I can accomplish!"

"Little Yuhao, absorb the soul bone first. Teacher will help you utilize this Gold of Life to the greatest extent."

Meanwhile, the Golden Hawksbill Turtle finally entered Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea, but its soul was so exhausted that it fell into a deep sleep before Tianmeng could even interrogate it.

However, the turtle was not without its merits. After joining the spiritual sea, the massive spiritual origin it brought with it allowed Huo Yuhao to quickly break through the threshold of the Spirit Abyss Realm, and the fusion of the left leg bone made his own blood and qi feel as though they were burning.

This feeling of getting something for nothing was truly satisfying... No, no, his priority now was to stabilize his cultivation; he must not advance so rapidly again.

A shaky foundation leads to a crumbling structure; this was an eternal truth.

He closed his eyes to sense the two soul skills bestowed by the Golden Hawksbill Turtle.

Spirit Eye's first third soul skill: Pull.

It could forcibly drag an opponent's attack toward himself, or be used to close the distance between him and his opponent.

Commonly known as drawing aggro.

Spirit Eye's second third soul skill: Epitaph.

Without needing long bangs, it allowed him to see what would happen in the next ten seconds within his field of vision. However, the [future] and [reality] occurred simultaneously, so he would need to exercise his own judgment in actual combat.

Huo Yuhao was stunned. Was this a soul skill that a water and earth-attributed soul beast could provide? This should be a [Spirit] and [Time] type skill.

Electrolux noticed Huo Yuhao's confusion and explained patiently: "Just as this giant turtle said, their race is one of auspicious beasts, possessing significant destiny power. And you are even more... ahem. In short, these two soul skills are related to [Destiny] and [Spirit], and they suit you perfectly."

Huo Yuhao could sense that Electrolux was intentionally hiding something, but he didn't dwell on it, turning his attention instead to his first hundred-thousand-year soul bone.

Golden Hawksbill Turtle left leg bone's first soul skill: Earth Core.

It caused the earth's soil elements to accumulate and form a Rock Spine, which could be used for concentrated defense or to deal area-of-effect earth-attribute damage—versatile for both offense and defense.

Golden Hawksbill Turtle left leg bone's second soul skill: Invincible Barrier.

This one was simple and straightforward, but Huo Yuhao's version of the Invincible Barrier could also be applied to teammates, though only three times a day.

Huo Yuhao couldn't help but wonder: with such powerful soul bones and soul rings, was this green metal really more precious than them?