Huo Yuhao is More Suited to the Identity of Co-Lord of Soul Beasts

Before the annual awakening ceremony began, Huo Yuhao borrowed the set of equipment used by Spirit Hall soul masters to awaken the spirits of commoners and brought it home.

He had already prepared a suitable excuse, but the people at Spirit Hall didn't even ask; they simply handed him the six black stones used for awakening spirits, along with the crystal ball for testing soul power.

They even thoughtfully instructed him on how the six stones should be arranged.

Whatever the Holy Son does, he must have his reasons!

On the second floor of the Huo residence, inside Huo Yun'er's room.

The six black stones were placed in a specific formation. Huo Yun'er stood in the center, her hands nervously clutching the hem of her clothes, her eyes filled with both anticipation and trepidation.

"Mother, don't be nervous. The worst that can happen is that things stay as they are."

Huo Yun'er was amused by his words, and her tense shoulders relaxed slightly. "Haohao, I'm already over twenty years old. Can I really still awaken a martial soul?"

"Why not? A soul master's lifespan is much longer than a commoner's. If you awaken now, who knows, you might even become a Titled Douluo in the future."

"You always have such a sweet tongue."

Huo Yun'er gave him a playful, reproachful glare, but she couldn't hide the smile in her eyes.

Huo Yuhao activated the stones, and a golden light barrier enveloped Huo Yun'er.

Huo Yun'er felt a surge of warm energy flowing into her body, as if something were being awakened.

She instinctively closed her eyes, sensing the unfamiliar fluctuations within her.

Huo Yun'er extended her right hand, and a soft glow emerged from her palm.

As the light faded, a bright red apple lay quietly in her hand.

"An apple, a food-type martial soul."

Huo Yuhao quickly handed the soul power testing crystal ball to Huo Yun'er.

"Quick, test your innate soul power."

The crystal ball glowed with a bright radiance, eventually stabilizing at a surprising level of intensity.

"Innate soul power level 6!"

On the Douluo Continent, this level of soul power qualified one as a minor genius.

He had said it before: given Huo Yuhao's own cultivation talent, it made no sense for Huo Yun'er to be a mere commoner.

Huo Yun'er finally snapped out of her surprise, staring blankly at the apple in her hand. "I... I've actually become a soul master?"

It felt like a dream to Huo Yun'er, so surreal.

"Yes, Mother. Cultivate well, and once you reach level ten, I'll take you to obtain a soul ring."

It would be best to wait until after the ten-thousand-year period to obtain her first three soul rings from the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Don't just think about me; your own cultivation is what matters most."

Just as Huo Yuhao was about to reply, Gu Yuena's voice drifted up from downstairs.

"Yuhao, hurry up! I've already bought the fish!"

To awaken Huo Yun'er's martial soul, he had specifically sent Gu Yuena, who was still living off his hospitality, out of the house.

The Co-Lord of Soul Beasts had long forgotten her talk of returning to the Star Dou Great Forest, becoming addicted to human delicacies—especially Huo Yuhao's grilled fish.

Of course, Gu Yuena had a perfectly valid reason.

Huo Yuhao was still too weak; on this continent, no one could be allowed to harm him under her watch.

Only by protecting him herself could she be at ease.

"Coming!"

Huo Yuhao responded, stored the black stones and the crystal ball into his spatial soul tool, and then walked slowly downstairs.

Downstairs, Gu Yuena was directing several vendors as they moved crates of live fish into the courtyard.

Huo Yuhao looked at the mountain of fish crates and his mouth twitched. "Nana, did you buy out all the fish in the market?"

"It's rare for you to make grilled fish; shouldn't you send some to your teacher and senior brother?"

She was doing this for Huo Yuhao's sake!

Gu Yuena sat to the side, propping her chin on her hand as she watched Huo Yuhao flip the fish on the grill.

Even though they were the most ordinary of movements, Huo Yuhao performed them with a unique charm, filled with the essence of the Great Dao.

It really smelled delicious!

To maintain her image, Gu Yuena forced herself to look away from the grilled fish and found a topic to distract herself.

"Why aren't you cultivating today? What made you think of grilling fish?"

Huo Yuhao had long since noticed Gu Yuena's covetous gaze. He didn't call her out, focusing instead on flipping the fish on the grill.

"I've made significant progress on something I've been researching, so I'm making some grilled fish to celebrate."

Before Gu Yuena could ask, Huo Yuhao explained it to her.

"The Sky Dream Iceworm sacrificed itself to me, but its soul didn't vanish; instead, it became a part of my soul ring, and its soul resides within my Sea of Spirit. You know about this, Nana."

Gu Yuena nodded.

Huo Yuhao had once mentioned to her that the million-year-old Sky Dream Iceworm's soul had not dissipated after its sacrifice, instead residing within his Sea of Spirit.

However, since the sacrifice, Tian Meng had never once appeared before her, and gradually, Gu Yuena had simply overlooked the matter.

"So, I was thinking, if Tian Meng could survive in a soul state after sacrificing himself, why couldn't other soul beasts do the same?"

Gu Yuena's expression began to shift, her attention moving from the grilled fish in front of Huo Yuhao to the content of his words.

"A soul beast sacrifices itself to a soul master, continues to live on in a soul state, and can even cultivate together. Even after the soul master dies, the resulting soul ring can be preserved and passed on to another suitable soul master."

"I call this alternative form of existence a Soul Spirit."

After observing the entire process of the Sky Dream Iceworm's sacrifice, Elder Yi had finally achieved results after a period of research.

But whether it was truly feasible still required an experiment to confirm.

"This is indeed good news for soul beasts."

Gu Yuena felt a myriad of emotions; to be able to conceive of such a method through the singular case of the Sky Dream Iceworm, he truly did not shame the bloodline he carried.

Just as Gu Yuena prepared to praise Huo Yuhao, she saw him shake his head.

"But that alone is not enough."

"The Soul Spirit System is only suitable for soul beasts whose lifespans are nearing their end or who lack the confidence to survive their heavenly tribulation."

Huo Yuhao flipped another fish and sprinkled his special seasoning over it.

"Promoting the Soul Spirit System across the board still cannot change the reality that soul beasts are becoming fewer and fewer. After all, it requires giving up one's physical body, which to the soul beast race is no different from death; the number of soul beasts will still continue to decline."

"Therefore, in addition to the Soul Spirit System, there needs to be a system that ensures soul masters can level up normally while soul beasts can also survive."

"I have a few leads at the moment, but it will likely take a long time to research it."

Huo Yuhao had spent a long time in the Book Repository of Spirit Hall, poring over its records and documents to provide the foundation for him and Elder Yi to develop ideas for a new system.

Gu Yuena's gaze toward Huo Yuhao softened, and a faint smile appeared on her face.

Perhaps, compared to her, Huo Yuhao was better suited for the position of Co-Lord of Soul Beasts.