Cultivators from the Dou Qi Continent Were About to Hunt Soul Beasts in Douluo

"Let me try. This is the Yellow Rank low-level Dou Technique, Finger-Piercing Technique."

A slender young man squeezed out of the crowd and hurried up to Ya Fei, holding a thin scroll in both hands.

He offered it to her, looking a little nervous.

Ya Fei carefully recalled the Dou Technique manual Lu Chuan had shown her. She did not remember seeing this technique, so she nodded.

Once she confirmed it was neither a duplicate nor incomplete, she nodded again.

"This will do."

Then she turned and looked respectfully toward the private room above.

"Lord Lu Chuan, he meets the requirements."

Lu Chuan nodded, slapped the Spirit Awakening Stone onto the table, and looked at Dugu Bo.

"Old man, awaken their Martial Souls."

"..."

Dugu Bo did not dare defy Lu Chuan. He stepped forward with a long face and got to work, muttering complaints under his breath.

I'm a Titled Douluo, yet I've been reduced to awakening Martial Souls for ordinary people... Who do they think they are, making me do this?

For all his grumbling, he did not dare slack off. He slowly released pale-green Soul Power around the Spirit Awakening Stone. It formed a ring of light that flew around the slender young man.

Everyone below watched without blinking!

Many craned their necks, afraid to miss a single moment.

Soul Power poured into the young man's body.

As the light shimmered, the image of a large yellow bird slowly appeared behind him. Its wings spread, stirring a faint breeze.

He stared at his Martial Soul in delight.

"A bird?! Does that mean I can fly?"

Lu Chuan nodded.

"Yes, but you'll need to master your Martial Soul through practice, or obtain a flight-type Spirit Ring."

Lu Chuan had thought about this before.

People in the Douluo world could not fly immediately after awakening bird Martial Souls because they could not fully control them.

Only after obtaining Spirit Rings could they use flight Spirit Skills.

Spirit Skills could be released because of the unique nature of Spirit Rings.

Soul Beasts lived for ages, imprinting their instincts and ways of wielding power into their souls and bloodlines.

After they died, that energy condensed into Spirit Rings. Each ring contained a fixed pattern for channeling energy.

When a Soul Master absorbed a Spirit Ring, that pattern fused with their Martial Soul.

They did not need to develop a move themselves. They only had to pour Soul Power into the ring, and its preset pattern would activate and release the Spirit Skill.

Put another way:

With a Dou Technique, you had to memorize the method, practice the moves, and control the flow of Dou Qi yourself.

A Douluo Spirit Skill was like a completed formation. Feed it Soul Power, and the skill fired.

So someone from the Dou Qi Continent who awakened a bird Martial Soul could learn to fly through enough practice.

It was like Xiao Yan wrapping flames around his fists to strengthen his attacks. That, too, was a form of controlling Dou Qi.

The young man cupped his hands gratefully.

"Thank you, my lord! Thank you, Miss Ya Fei! I'd like to obtain a Spirit Ring. What would it cost?"

From the private room upstairs, Lu Chuan's voice drifted down and carried across the venue.

"There are two ways. First: sacrifice one star of your cultivation, or give me Heavenly Flames or a Medicinal Pill of sixth grade or higher. I'll take you somewhere you can hunt a Soul Beast for its Spirit Ring yourself.

"Second: take a chance. Based on what you offer, we'll catch a random Soul Beast for you. What you get depends on your luck."

The venue erupted.

Discussion rose on every side, and many people clicked their tongues.

Heavenly Flames or a Medicinal Pill of sixth grade or higher? Anyone with treasures like those wouldn't come here to trade a Dou Technique for a Martial Soul.

Most people present could offer only a few Yellow Rank Dou Techniques. Even Black Rank techniques were scarce.

Heavenly Flames were the stuff of legend. No one in the entire Jia Ma Empire possessed one.

Yet the young man nodded firmly.

"I've made up my mind. My talent will only take me so far. If I don't find another path, I'll never get my revenge!"

"Very well. Wait to the side. Others may want to hunt for Spirit Rings too, and you can go together."

Lu Chuan's voice came down from above.

Joy flashed across the young man's face. He cupped his hands and bowed deeply, then stepped to the side and waited quietly.

Yun Yun frowned, puzzled.

"Sir, if I wanted to hunt a Soul Beast, would I also have to sacrifice one star of cultivation or provide a sixth-grade Medicinal Pill?"

Lu Chuan nodded.

"That's right. You're a Dou Emperor, Sect Master Yun. You'd surely want to hunt a Soul Beast over eighty thousand years old, perhaps even a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. The price is reasonable."

Yun Yun and the others fell silent, lost in thought.

According to their explanation of the Soul Master System, reaching seven rings would allow someone to use Martial Soul Avatar.

In that state, all their attributes doubled, and they could use their first six Spirit Skills without limit for thirty minutes.

Afterward, all their attributes plunged by fifty percent and took seven days to recover. It was a last resort in a desperate fight.

Trading one star of Dou Emperor cultivation for a trump card like that did not sound so bad.

While Yun Yun's group weighed the costs and benefits with furrowed brows, the crowd below could no longer hold back. They formed a long line and stepped forward one by one for Martial Soul Awakening.

Dugu Bo looked utterly miserable, but he kept channeling his pale-green Soul Power, performing the awakening ceremony again and again.

Images of Martial Souls appeared in succession, some Beast Martial Souls and others Tool Martial Souls.

Ya Fei stood nearby, checking each Dou Technique scroll offered in exchange. She returned duplicates and incomplete techniques, then called up to Lu Chuan in the private room whenever one qualified.

Some in the crowd beamed after awakening promising Martial Souls. Others sighed over the useless Martial Souls they received.

The line inched forward. When a graceful figure stepped out of the crowd, the venue fell silent, and every gaze swung toward her.

"Whoa, isn't that Nalan Yanran?! She didn't run back to the Imperial Capital?"

"Her? The Misty Cloud Sect's Young Sect Master, whom Xiao Yan publicly divorced?"

"That's her. Now this should be interesting."

Whispers rippled through the crowd. Many watched the stage with eager curiosity.

News of the divorce at the Xiao Family had spread throughout the Jia Ma Empire. Almost everyone had heard about it.

Nalan Yanran clenched her fists, but forced herself to maintain the composure expected of a Young Sect Master. Pretending not to hear the gossip, she stood in the center of the venue and kept her eyes forward.

"Yellow Rank intermediate Dou Technique, Light Floc Step!"

"Mm. Begin."

The Spirit Awakening Stone glowed.

An ornate sword appeared in Nalan Yanran's hand.

Its blade was gleaming white, with a faint, flowing cloud pattern along its edge. The guard was intricately carved, and an aura of lightness and sharpness spread from it.

Delight flashed in her eyes. She looked up at Yun Yun excitedly.

"Teacher! I want to hunt a Soul Beast!"

I knew it!

Sitting in a corner, Xiao Yan felt his scalp prickle. That madwoman actually dared to do it! She really was willing to throw away her future for revenge.

The moment Nalan Yanran finished speaking, Yun Yun's expression darkened. Her cool voice rang out sharply.

"Nonsense! You have the talent to reach Dou Emperor! Then you can hunt a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast yourself! Don't let anger cloud your judgment!"

The excitement on Nalan Yanran's face froze.

Her fingers tightened around the Cloud-Pattern Sword. The fire in her eyes faded, leaving only frustration and uncertainty.

"Yes... Teacher..."