The Wind Baboon, Almost a Godslayer

Fifty meters from the warning sign, Gu Mingyuan suppressed his aura and sat cross-legged beneath a tree.

He was trying to circulate the Mysterious Heaven Skill in his mind. After all, it was the foundation of the Tang Sect's other secret arts.

The moment he mobilized his Soul Power, Gu Mingyuan noticed something was different. The rigid, deliberate effort he remembered from this body's past cultivation was gone. With only a little guidance, the Mysterious Heaven Skill formed a complete cycle within him, its Soul Power gentle and refined.

Then he raised both hands.

The bones, flesh, and skin of his palms fused into a jade-like sheen, and golden patterns wound across them. His first martial soul, the Golden Jade Body, was probably the Golden Jade Hand extended over his entire body. Gu Mingyuan clenched his fists, feeling the strange power within them.

With this fully upgraded set of Tang Sect secret arts, he might have a stronger claim to lead the Tang Sect than Tang Ya herself.

As he thought about it, faint footsteps came from the edge of the forest.

Gu Mingyuan looked over at once.

Beside the warning sign at the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest, a slight boy gripped a short dagger and crept forward.

It was Huo Yuhao.

But Huo Yuhao's mind was anything but calm.

"Te-Teacher, what attribute should I look for in my first Soul Ring?" Huo Yuhao tightened his grip on the White Tiger Dagger and asked nervously in his mind.

In his spiritual sea, Yu Xiaogang gave a cold snort. "I'm not your teacher. Once you prove you're worthy of my instruction, I'll consider taking you as my disciple. You should know that my last disciple became a god!"

Huo Yuhao froze. A flicker of insecurity crossed his eyes, and he hurriedly corrected himself. "S-Sorry, Grandmaster. Then... how should I choose my first Soul Ring?"

With his hands behind his back, Yu Xiaogang paced through Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea, frowning slightly.

Spirit Eyes? A Body Martial Soul?

He had searched through all the records in Spirit Hall and had never heard of this martial soul. There was no established theory about it at all.

But Yu Xiaogang's eyes soon lit up.

No one had any experience with it. What did that mean? If he could guide this boy to success, it would become his eleventh—or even twelfth—core competitive theory!

Yu Xiaogang stopped pacing and said thoughtfully, "Yuhao, your martial soul is quite good. Its spiritual attribute is rare. But eyes are too fragile, and you lack the means to protect yourself. In my opinion, you should take an unconventional path. For your first Soul Ring, you could try absorbing a poison-attribute Soul Beast..."

"Grandmaster! Danger!"

Before Yu Xiaogang could finish, light flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes. Instinctively sensing a dark shape to his side, he threw himself left and rolled across the ground.

Bang!

A dark shape slammed down where he had been standing. It was a baboon about a meter tall, covered in yellowish-brown fur. Its strike had missed, and it growled low at Huo Yuhao.

Not far away, Gu Mingyuan watched and quietly shifted to a more comfortable sitting position.

Here it comes: the mightiest legend of Douluo Continent, the Wind Baboon that came this close to becoming a godslayer.

In Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea, Yu Xiaogang also got a clear look at the Soul Beast.

"Where did this beast come from?" Yu Xiaogang said disdainfully. "This is the outermost edge of the Star Dou Great Forest. It can't be more than a ten-year Soul Beast. Yuhao, don't be afraid! With me guiding you, charge straight in!"

Gritting his teeth, Huo Yuhao got up and tightened his grip on the White Tiger Dagger.

The Wind Baboon beat its chest with both arms, then pushed off the ground and lunged at Huo Yuhao again.

Huo Yuhao was about to dodge left when Yu Xiaogang's stern command rang through his mind:

"It has the wind attribute! Don't go left. It's pushing off with its right leg! Rush forward to the right. A ten-year beast's waist is its weakest point—stab it in the ribs!"

The sudden shout in his mind startled Huo Yuhao, making him hesitate mid-dodge. He obeyed Yu Xiaogang on instinct, forcing his weight forward and to the right.

But he was only eleven, with no real combat experience. He did not even have his first Soul Ring.

That step failed to get him clear. Instead, it carried him straight into the Wind Baboon's claws.

Slash!

The Wind Baboon's claws tore through the flesh of Huo Yuhao's shoulder. Blood instantly stained half his rough-spun shirt red.

Huo Yuhao screamed in pain and fell, losing his balance. The Wind Baboon pressed its advantage, pinning him down as its foul-smelling jaws snapped toward his throat.

With his life on the line, Huo Yuhao shut his eyes and thrust the White Tiger Dagger wildly upward.

A blade of light burst from the White Tiger Dagger and sliced through the Wind Baboon's neck.

Hot baboon blood sprayed across Huo Yuhao's face.

The Wind Baboon twitched twice, then lay motionless on top of him. A faint white Soul Ring slowly rose from its corpse.

Huo Yuhao gasped, shaken by how close he had come to dying. Pain from his shoulder wound made his whole body tremble. In truth, if Yu Xiaogang had not been chattering in his head, Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes would have let him anticipate the attack, and his injury would not have been nearly so severe.

Before he could recover, Yu Xiaogang's scolding rang through his mind.

"With this grandmaster guiding you personally, you still let a mere ten-year Soul Beast reduce you to this state!" Yu Xiaogang's voice brimmed with disgust and a hint of superiority. "I told you its weak point, and you couldn't even dodge! You're the worst I've ever seen!"

Huo Yuhao's face went deathly pale. He felt deeply wronged but had no idea how to explain himself. He held back his tears and was about to push the Wind Baboon's corpse off him when the air around him turned unnaturally cold.

An unfamiliar voice echoed through his mind:

"At last, I've found a human with a spiritual attribute! Too bad I can't cry, or I'd be bawling my eyes out!"

Huo Yuhao jumped. How was there another voice in his mind? He asked cautiously, "G-Grandmaster, is that a friend of yours?"

Yu Xiaogang was stunned too. Someone wanted to compete with him for such a good-for-nothing? "Who dares sneak around like this? I, Yu Xiaogang, am no pushover!"

Just then, the ground beneath Huo Yuhao began to tremble. Cracks appeared two meters ahead of him, widening into fissures. A faint golden-white glow shone from within them.

Huo Yuhao hurriedly pushed aside the Wind Baboon's corpse and gripped the White Tiger Dagger. If he had had any strength left, he would already have run.

In the distance, Gu Mingyuan felt the Demon's Contract on his left hand. He knew Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was about to begin his sacrifice. The only means he had of attracting Electrolux were his martial soul and the Purple Emperor Eyes. But it was not morning, so there was no Purple Qi to draw upon. He could only guide it with Soul Power.

Remembering the scythe with Evil Severing, Gu Mingyuan looked up at the sky expectantly. Elder Yi, you won't die again this time.