The Snow Empress's question struck like a needle, piercing straight to the heart of the matter.
As she had said, if only Lu Yi and his teacher could perform Soul Spirit Contracts, then even if Lu Yi worked without a moment's rest, he could never meet the needs of so many Soul Masters across the continent.
Lu Yi had long since made plans for this problem.
"Soul Spirits themselves can give Soul Masters greater combat power. That's what will draw Soul Masters to form Soul Spirit Contracts."
"Soul Spirit Contracts can be taught. Any Soul Master with strong spiritual power can learn. Within three years at most, my teacher and I will develop a more versatile, refined Soul Spirit ritual. Within five years, the first Spirit Transmitters will emerge and perform Soul Spirit Contracts for Soul Masters everywhere."
"When that time comes, the Soul Beast Clan can regularly send Soul Beasts who are willing, or whose time is nearly up. As for—"
"Wait." The Titan Snow Demon King interrupted Lu Yi. "Are you saying we Soul Beasts must pay tribute to you humans?"
As one of the rulers of the Far North, the Titan Snow Demon King remembered an age long past when humans, hoping to avoid being hunted by Soul Beasts, had regularly offered sacrifices to the Soul Beast Clan.
Back when most humans could barely feed themselves, they had offered great numbers of farm-raised pigs, sheep, and cattle as sacrifices. Some had even established a special area dedicated to making offerings to the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Far North.
But the Snow Empress and Ice Empress were far too noble for such things. They absorbed only ice-attributed energy, so every one of those offerings had ended up in the Titan Snow Demon King's belly.
Lu Yi's