The Battle Through the Heavens cultivators were about to hunt Soul Beasts in the Douluo World

"Let me try. This is the Low Yellow Tier 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, a hint of nerves in his eyes.

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

After confirming that it was neither a duplicate nor incomplete, she nodded again.

"That will do."

She then turned 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 geezer, awaken them."

"..."

Dugu Bo did not dare defy Lu Chuan. He could only step forward with a long face and get to work, muttering under his breath.

I'm a Titled Douluo, yet I've fallen so low that I'm awakening Martial Souls for ordinary people... Who do they think they are? What gives them the right to make me do this?

For all his complaints, he did not dare slack off. Pale green Soul Power slowly flowed out, enveloping the Spirit Awakening Stone before turning into 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 detail.

Soul Power surged into his body.

As the light flickered, the shadow of a large, yellow-feathered bird slowly appeared behind him. Its wings spread, stirring a faint breeze.

He stared at the Martial Soul behind him 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 flying-type Spirit Ring to fly directly."

Lu Chuan had thought about this himself.

People in the Douluo World could not fly immediately after awakening a bird Martial Soul because they could not fully control it.

Only after obtaining a Spirit Ring could they use a flying Spirit Skill.

And Spirit Skills worked because of the unique nature of Spirit Rings.

Soul Beasts lived for ages, engraving their instincts and the ways they wielded their power into their souls and bloodlines.

After death, that energy condensed into a Spirit Ring, which contained a fixed template for channeling energy.

Once a Soul Master absorbed the Spirit Ring, that template fused with their Martial Soul.

They did not need to study the technique themselves. They only had to pour Soul Power into the Spirit Ring, and the preset template would activate automatically, releasing the Spirit Skill.

To put it another way:

A Dou Technique from Battle Through the Heavens required you to memorize its incantation, practice its moves, and direct the flow of Dou Qi yourself.

A Douluo Spirit Skill was like a fully assembled magic array. Feed it Soul Power, and the skill fired.

So people from the Dou Qi Continent who awakened bird Martial Souls could gain the ability to fly simply by practicing enough.

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

The young man cupped his hands gratefully.

"Thank you, my lord! Thank you, Miss Ya Fei! I wish 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: give up one star of cultivation, or provide me with Heavenly Flames or Medicinal Pills above sixth grade. I'll take you somewhere, and you can hunt a Soul Beast for its Spirit Ring yourself.

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

The entire crowd erupted.

A buzz of discussion rose and fell, and many clicked their tongues.

Good grief, Heavenly Flames or Medicinal Pills above sixth grade! Anyone with treasures like those wouldn't be here trading Dou Techniques for a Martial Soul.

Most people present could offer a few Yellow Tier Dou Techniques at best. 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 flickered across the young man's face. He cupped his hands and bowed deeply, then withdrew to the edge of the venue to wait quietly.

Yun Yun frowned, puzzled.

"My lord, if I wanted to hunt a Soul Beast, would I also have to give up one star of cultivation or provide a Sixth-Grade Medicinal Pill?"

Lu Chuan nodded.

"That's right. Sect Master Yun is a Dou Emperor, after all. You'd surely be hunting a Soul Beast at least eighty thousand years old, perhaps even a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. The price is fair."

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

According to what they had said about the Soul Master System, reaching seven rings would allow someone to use a Martial Soul Avatar.

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

Afterward, all their attributes would plunge by fifty percent and take seven days to recover. It was a last resort to stake one's life on.

Trading one star of a Dou Emperor's cultivation for such a trump card did not seem so bad.

While Yun Yun's group weighed the gains and losses 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 wore the look of a man burdened by a bitter grudge. He had no choice but to keep channeling his pale green Soul Power, performing the awakening ceremony again and again.

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

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

Some people beamed when they awakened promising Martial Souls; others sighed over Trash Martial Souls.

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

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

"Her? The Young Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect whom Xiao Yan divorced in public?"

"That's her, all right. Now this should be entertaining."

Whispers rippled through the crowd. Many watched the woman onstage with eyes eager for a spectacle.

The uproar over the divorce at the Xiao Family had spread throughout the Jia Ma Empire. Almost everyone knew about it.

Nalan Yanran clenched her fists, but forced herself to maintain a Young Sect Master's composure. Pretending not to hear the gossip around her, she stood in the center of the venue and stared straight ahead.

"Yellow Tier Mid-Grade Dou Technique, Light Floc Step!"

"Mm. Begin."

The Spirit Awakening Stone began to glow.

An ornate longsword appeared in Nalan Yanran's hand.

Its blade was a lustrous white, with a faint, flowing cloud pattern along its edge. Its guard was exquisitely carved, and an airy yet keen aura spread from it.

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

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

Just as I thought!

In the corner, Xiao Yan felt his scalp prickle. That crazy woman really dares to do it! She's willing to throw away her future just for revenge.

No sooner had the words left her mouth than Yun Yun's expression darkened. Her cool voice rang out sharply.

"Nonsense! You have the talent to become a Dou Emperor! By then, you could hunt a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast outright! Don't let anger cloud your judgment!"

The excitement on Nalan Yanran's face froze.

Her fingers tightened slightly around the Cloud-Pattern Sword. Most of the fire faded from her eyes, leaving only resentment and conflict.

"Yes... Teacher..."