"Is this... two martial souls? Right, after the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm sacrifices himself, he grants an ice-element second martial soul."
"Now Yutong counts as having twin martial souls too. I wonder what'll happen if Chimera absorbs fragments of twin martial souls. Could I have twin martial souls too?"
After Lu Yu finished absorbing the Spirit Eyes fragment, he absorbed the ice-element fragment as well. At once, he sensed that his Chimera martial soul's first soul ring actually had slots for two martial soul fragments.
"If I can use two martial souls at once, doesn't that make me equivalent to someone with twin martial souls in a head-on fight?"
Lu Yu equipped the Spirit Eyes fragment in the newly appeared slot. His eyes instantly turned azure, and he also sensed the four Spirit Eyes martial soul skills he had configured.
Spiritual Detection: Comprehensively scans a spherical area 400 meters in diameter. The scan can predict an opponent's movements and provide aiming assistance for soul power and soul tools.
Simulation: Distorts space through spiritual power fluctuations to create illusions. Can simulate auras.
Spiritual Prison: Creates a prison with spiritual power to restrict an opponent. If the opponent cannot resist, it can also create a temporary Sea of Consciousness and imprison the target inside. The temporary Sea of Consciousness can move. After breaking free, the target will appear at the last location occupied by the Sea of Consciousness.
Life Reflection Shield: Reflects physical and spiritual attacks based on the user's vitality and spiritual power. Can be used three times per day without cost.
After reading the four skills, Lu Yu could only describe them as overtuned.
A single soul ring came with scouting, stealth, control, and defense. It could be said to do everything except attack and heal.
"The power creep in this new version is way too fast. I actually got the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and Gold of Life in the early game."
Lu Yu could not help marveling at the version's power creep. Ten thousand years ago, getting the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm would have required facing the ferocious beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest alone. Before receiving a God's Trial, that would have been utterly impossible.
As for Gold of Life, that required finding a Two-Hundred-Thousand-Year Golden Hawksbill Turtle with the combat strength of a thirty-thousand-year soul beast in the Star Dou Great Forest. Since the Golden Hawksbill Turtle could weaken heavenly tribulations, it also had ten-thousand-year and even hundred-thousand-year soul beasts as bodyguards. Without a Titled Douluo, it would have been difficult to obtain.
"Handing out perks like these right at the start... I wonder who the final enemy is."
Lu Yu decided to keep thinking about his future development path in gaming terms.
After all, "Douluo Continent" had originally been a game, and these soul skills after his transmigration looked much like their game counterparts. There was no guarantee that this new version did not have a final boss guarding the last stage, just as it had ten thousand years ago.
"Ten thousand years ago, the boss on the Spirit Hall route was Dual-Godhood Tang San, with the Sea God and Asura God even stepping in to fight for him. On the non-Spirit Hall route, the bosses were the Angel God and Rakshasa God."
"The strongest factions on the continent now are Shrek and the Sun Moon Empire. Could the final boss come from one of those two?"
Dismissing those stray thoughts, Lu Yu turned his attention to his martial souls.
He sensed a faint repulsion between the Blue Silver Grass and Spirit Eyes martial souls, but when he used his soul skills, he felt nothing unusual.
"There's repulsion. Could it be that the two martial souls are too incompatible? If two martial souls were compatible, would that repulsion turn into attraction?"
"Maybe if I find two suitable martial souls, they'll fuse and inherit both sides' traits and all their soul skills?"
"If that works, this really will be a chimera."
"I need to find a way to collect more top-tier martial soul fragments and experiment."
"As expected, Shrek Academy, the continent's strongest publicly known martial soul gene bank, is still worth a visit."
As Lu Yu pondered, he looked at Huo Yutong.
"I could get Yutong a recommendation letter, but with her level 11 cultivation, she couldn't possibly pass the assessment. I can't just have her rent a place outside and be an unaffiliated soul master, can I? Wouldn't that hold back her cultivation? I still want her to get her second ring soon so she can unlock a second martial soul fragment slot for my second soul ring too."
Lu Yu had only unlocked the two martial soul fragment slots on his first soul ring. To unlock the martial soul fragment slots on his second soul ring, he needed to absorb martial soul fragments from a Soul Grandmaster with twin martial souls.
"Mm... my head hurts."
A soft groan came from Tang Ya, who lay on the ground nearby.
Tang Ya got up and saw Lu Yu staring at her with a wicked grin.
"You... what did you do to me?"
Tang Ya immediately crossed her arms over her chest and stared at Lu Yu.
"Heh heh heh, out here in the middle of nowhere, what do you think I could've done?"
"N-no! I wanted my first time to be a little more romantic..."
Tang Ya felt herself up and down. Finding her clothes completely intact, her whole face instantly flushed red.
"You bastard! You tricked me again! Do that one more time, and I'll show you what my second soul skill can do!"
"You're using a trick I invented against me?"
"Then I'll show you the power of Blue Silver Entanglement!"
"You think I'm scared of Blue Silver Entanglement?"
"Boo hoo hoo."
Tang Ya crouched down, hugging her knees, tears of indignation spilling from the corners of her eyes. Were the weak simply meant to be humiliated by the strong?
"Stop clowning around. Do you still want your third soul skill?"
Lu Yu took out some tissues and laid Huo Yutong across his lap, wiping the blood from her seven orifices.
"Didn't you say you couldn't catch it?"
Tang Ya crouched on the ground, drawing circles. She acknowledged Lu Yu's expertise. If she could get a good soul ring, there was no reason to settle for a poor one. But to even consider taking on a thousand-year Split Nine-Headed Snake, she would first have to empty her pockets to buy an area-of-effect soul tool, then enlist her roommate Jiang Nannan.
"Now I'm confident."
Lu Yu stroked Huo Yutong's head. With Spiritual Detection, he could precisely lock onto the nine true bodies of the Split Nine-Headed Snake after it fled.
"That's really wonderful! Let's go right now."
Tang Ya waved her fists, ready to set off, only to discover that Lu Yu was still sitting there stroking Huo Yutong.
"Wait, aren't you coming with me?"
"Why should I go with you? It's your soul ring. If you want me to help, that'll be ten thousand gold soul coins."
"T-ten thousand gold soul coins! Even hiring a Soul Elder wouldn't cost that much!"
"That includes soul ring guidance, of course. Look, I've already provided part of your service in advance, and you haven't given me anything at all."
"H-here, take these. Let me owe you the rest for now. I swear in the Tang Sect's name that I'll find a way to pay you back." Tang Ya took a bag of gold coins from her soul tool, bent over, and offered it to Lu Yu with both hands.
"There are three thousand gold soul coins in here. I'm a Level 2 Soul Engineer, so I can definitely repay the rest. I just need some time."
Lu Yu pushed the money back.
"I... would it still be no good if I paid you interest?"
"I don't need money."
Lu Yu's words made Tang Ya's breath catch. Looking at his handsome face, she still lowered her head with a blush and said bashfully,
"I can agree, but you have to become the Tang Sect's sect master and help me revive it."
Good grief, how was she trying to eat her fill and take the leftovers too?
Lu Yu was instantly speechless. In a fantasy world, strength reigned supreme. Building a faction from scratch was a thankless task. Even if he took the Faith-to-Godhood Path and built a faction, he would find a major faction, take it over, and act as a hands-off boss.
If I revived the Tang Sect, wouldn't Tang San take all that power of faith?
"You certainly have some lovely dreams. All I need is your Tang Sect's special admissions quota for this year. No matter how much you sold it for, just break the agreement. In return, I can guide your soul ring choices for free from now on."
"Compared to the reputation of a sect with no members, improving your strength matters more, doesn't it?"
Lu Yu believed Tang Ya would not refuse this choice. Guiding her was also a way to secure better soul ring choices for his Dark Blue Silver Grass martial soul.
Now that he had dual martial soul slots, he felt that Dark Blue Silver Grass suited him better after all.
He looked at Tang Ya, only to see her staring back with two large eyes brimming with wisdom.
"You can sell that thing?"
Before you continue