"That Soul Skill of yours is interesting. It can actually speed up Soul Power condensation?" Chen Xin nodded slightly, a thoughtful look on his face.
Han Yu nodded, then shook his head.
"Teacher, I call the Mystic Array Disk's Second Soul Skill Overload. It forcibly draws on an array's energy reserves, making the array unleash three hundred percent of its usual power in an instant.
"Just now, I only set up an array to stabilize space, then used my Second Soul Skill to detonate it, instantly stabilizing the black hole.
"It can also greatly improve other arrays. For example, with a shield array, I'd effectively have a powerful defensive Soul Skill."
Whenever arrays came up, Han Yu grew animated and talkative.
Chen Xin nodded with a smile, his eyes full of admiration.
Over the past year, Han Yu's swordsmanship had not quite satisfied him. He still had a long way to go before cultivating sword intent. But Han Yu was incredibly quick-witted, and through all sorts of well-reasoned, ingenious ideas, he had mastered the fundamentals solidly.
There was another name for this ability.
Insight.
Han Yu used his own ideas to shorten the time it took to practice sword forms, accomplishing what others could not. That was the extraordinary insight people spoke of.
Seeing Han Yu still excitedly listing one interesting array after another, Chen Xin pressed his lips together. His eyes flicked jealously toward Gu Rong, who was returning in the distance, and a few thoughts stirred in his mind.
Han Yu's insight was clearly suited to arrays. It was a rare, heaven-sent advantage, and Chen Xin could not deny it. Perhaps he should give up a little more of Han Yu's time.
Han Yu licked his lips and finally stopped, his eyes still sparkling with excitement.
"What are you two talking about behind my back? You look like you're having a grand time." Gu Rong's aggrieved voice rang out.
Gu Rong tossed the spherical object he had been carrying over his shoulder onto the ground. It hit with a thunderous crash, and he planted a foot on top of it.
Han Yu's eyes lit up, and he was about to speak.
"This Soul Beast has a lightning attribute, right?" Chen Xin asked at just the right moment.
"Right. The kid's lucky; this one's a perfect fit for him." Gu Rong laughed as he chided Han Yu, his voice full of delight.
He'd set out to avenge his disciple, and happened to run into the very Soul Beast they'd been looking for.
Gu Rong folded his arms, raised his chin at Han Yu, and glanced down at the Soul Beast under his foot.
"Yes, Teacher." Han Yu understood, carefully studying the Soul Beast's shape as he searched his memories for one that matched.
For this hunt, Gu Rong had set Han Yu a challenge: if they came across a Soul Beast mentioned in his texts, he had to identify its habits, how to determine its age, and so on.
Now, the Soul Beast—apparently beaten until it had swollen into a ball—left Han Yu deep in thought.
A moment later.
Han Yu smiled and said calmly, "A Thunder-Swallowing Toad. It has a huge body and short limbs. When crouched, it stands about twice the height of a person, and its back is covered in raised lumps.
"It often puffs out its cheeks, compressing the lightning inside its body against its skin to form a thin film of electricity for defense and offense.
"Judging by the rings of markings on its head, this Thunder-Swallowing Toad is three thousand years old."
"Good. Completely right." Gu Rong and Chen Xin exchanged smiles and nodded.
Han Yu's talent was extraordinary, and he cultivated incredibly fast. The two of them could only adjust their teaching methods, tailor their lessons to his abilities, and train him in several areas at once.
"Ah, if only Rongrong listened half as well as you do." Gu Rong shook his head.
Han Yu blinked, recalling Ning Rongrong's performance over the past year.
Compared to how Ning Rongrong had been expected to develop, she had changed a great deal. It was just that Gu Rong liked comparing her to Han Yu, making her seem all too ordinary.
As before, Han Yu prepared to pulverize the Thunder-Swallowing Toad with Evil-Warding Divine Thunder and check whether it had a Soul Bone.
Unexpectedly, when a great deal of golden lightning surged into the Thunder-Swallowing Toad's body, the hard bumps on its skin began to glow one by one. Like a dying creature rallying for one last stand, it found the strength to struggle desperately.
Too bad it was being held down by a Titled Douluo.
After Han Yu sent in Evil-Warding Divine Thunder several more times, the Thunder-Swallowing Toad's body was blasted to pieces. No Soul Bone appeared.
Han Yu's expression remained unchanged. He didn't care. He hadn't even wanted that ten-thousand-year-old right arm bone, so why would he care about a three-thousand-year Soul Bone? His target was the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones, or even higher.
This time, Han Yu set up several arrays and sat cross-legged.
The Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords Martial Soul floated before him, drawing the purple Soul Ring toward him.
Unlike the previous one, this Soul Ring's Soul Power was like a wild horse that had broken free of its reins. It rampaged through Han Yu's body, battering whatever meridian it came across as if determined to tear them apart.
It refused to submit to a mere Soul Grandmaster like Han Yu.
Han Yu's body shook violently. The veins in his neck bulged as he clenched his teeth and struggled to endure it.
With two thousand-year Soul Rings already, Han Yu's body was certainly strong enough to withstand this Soul Ring's impact. The real challenge was his willpower. The next step would be a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast, and even Soul Beasts only a thousand years old could leave behind some spiritual residue.
That was why Beast Martial Soul Soul Masters, despite having stronger bodies, dared not choose a thousand-year Soul Beast for their Second Soul Ring, just like tool-type Martial Soul Soul Masters.
Golden light shone in Han Yu's eyes. After the age of his Head Soul Bone increased, it had greatly enhanced his spiritual power. He was completely unaffected by Mental Interference, simply gathering his Soul Power to fight back.
Half an hour later, Han Yu lay on the ground, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath, utterly drained.
He looked toward his two teachers and struggled to raise the corners of his mouth. His lips moved.
"All right, we know you succeeded. Don't move." Gu Rong was so irritated he could hardly stand it. He stepped over, lifted Han Yu by the neck, and fed him several pills.
"Let's go. We should head back early." Chen Xin watched Gu Rong pick Han Yu up and shook his head with a smile.
Not far outside the Star Dou Forest.
The three stopped on their way back.
There was a small village here, one Han Yu remembered from his first visit.
But this time, the village was engulfed in towering flames, and the nauseating stench of charred remains shot straight up his nose.
Chen Xin clenched the fists he held behind his back, his eyes blazing with anger.
"Teacher, could that smell be..." Han Yu jolted, his whole body trembling slightly as an inexplicable fury rose in his heart.
"Today, your teacher will teach you the most important lesson of all." Chen Xin's voice was cold, murderous intent filling it, his gaze sharp as a sword. "Old Bone, protect Han Yu."
Chen Xin vanished in an instant. A burst of air rang out as he shot toward the village like a white arc of light.
Gu Rong nodded and moved to Han Yu's side, flying close beside him.
By the time the three of them arrived,
the village had already been burned beyond recognition. Several small, youthful corpses hung from the sign above the entrance, terror still etched in their eyes.
Corpses of men littered both sides of the road, the trees, the walls—everywhere. Not a single woman's body could be seen.
At a bend in the road, a tall, burly monster, barely human in appearance, came face-to-face with the three of them. It bared its teeth, drool mixed with blood and chunks of flesh dripping onto the ground.