Huo Yutong

Broke, extra-large cup size, worth getting up close and personal with.

In an instant, Lu Yu's mind filled with a craving for power.

Based on his gaming experience from his previous life, the Spirit Eyes Martial Soul's skill pool was full of trash. Soul Shock, Spiritual Sharing, Mental Interference, Group Weakening, and Mental Chaos were all utterly cooked.

The first two were advanced applications of spiritual power, while the latter three had abysmal numbers. No power gamer wanted to roll any of those five skills.

But Spirit Eyes did have one universally acknowledged powerhouse skill: Spiritual Detection. In gaming terms, it was wallhacks plus aim assist.

According to the soul ring configurations generally accepted by players, offensive soul skills under fifty thousand years were the worst way to spend your points. Buff skills were middling, while scaling buffs and mechanic-based skills were the best.

As a result, most players had hardly any offensive soul skills in the early and middle game, relying entirely on self-created soul skills instead. But unlike soul ring skills, self-created soul skills had no built-in targeting lock, which was extremely frustrating in-game.

That made a Spirit Eyes teammate, with their loaded mechanics and slight aim lock, the players' favorite support.

Who wouldn't want to max out their buffs, land every hit, and enjoy a little beautiful scenery outside combat along the way?

Lu Yu looked the girl up and down and noticed the bronze card she clutched tightly in her hand as though it were a treasure.

Wasn't that the VIP Card he had given that customer yesterday?

So she was a returning customer referred by an acquaintance.

Lu Yu had originally introduced the VIP Card system to break into the market. He hadn't expected it to land him a big fish, too.

"H-hello, um, I heard this card gets you ninety percent off at this Soul Ring Guidance Shop."

Huo Yutong cautiously watched the boy before her. That morning, she had left the White Tiger Duke's Mansion to avenge her mother and picked up a letter along the road.

From the letter's contents, she had learned that there was a grandmaster here who could change a soul master's destiny. With the bronze card enclosed in the letter, she could receive a soul ring recommendation for just one silver coin.

As the child of a duke and a servant, Huo Yutong had grown up amid beatings and abuse. Her knowledge of soul masters extended only to knowing that a spiritual-type martial soul had to absorb a spiritual-type soul beast. As for where exactly to find spiritual-type soul beasts, or which soul beasts suited her Spirit Eyes Martial Soul, she knew nothing at all.

Under Lu Yu's appraising gaze, Huo Yutong swallowed, her little heart pounding.

He won't realize this letter isn't mine, will he?

I won't get arrested, will I? But someone threw this letter on the ground because they didn't want it. I only picked it up to use it. A beating should be enough, right? I'm very good at taking beatings.

"Oh, a customer. Sorry, though, the shop has already closed."

"D-do you mean you're closed for today? Then I can come back tomorrow."

"No, I've already obtained a City Lord's Recommendation Letter. I've decided to take my talents to Shrek Academy." When Huo Yutong saw the letter in Lu Yu's hand, stars immediately shone in her eyes. Shrek! That was the continent's number one academy!

Seeing the adoration filling Huo Yutong's eyes, Lu Yu knew she had taken the bait. Shrek's reputation was just too useful. No matter who you were or what the matter was, the moment you flashed Shrek Academy's name, the other party immediately acted as though they had been put under a spell.

It was nothing like ten thousand years ago, when Lu Yu would say he was from Shrek Academy and people would only ask what kind of fly-by-night academy that was. They'd never heard of it.

"Then... does that mean I can't use this card?" Huo Yutong's eyes filled with disappointment.

"Ah, you seem to have it pretty hard. I suppose I'll reluctantly open up again. You have a Spirit Eyes Martial Soul, right?"

Light returned to Huo Yutong's eyes. The look on her face, as though she had met a genuinely good person, pricked Lu Yu's conscience a little.

No, Spirit Eyes is a top-tier martial soul. Sure, her talent is a little low, only level ten at her age, but I'm an expert player. What difficult starting scenario haven't I played?

Lu Yu considered the endings from his previous life. Most routes outside Spirit Hall required taking on two gods alone. The hardest mode involved fighting Asura, Sea God, Rakshasa, and Angel all at once. This was his first time playing the version set ten thousand years later, and he had no idea how many enemy gods awaited at this continent's ending. It was still necessary to build up his teammates.

As for why he didn't find someone better-what a joke. The person before him was clearly a pitiful little thing, fatherless, motherless, all alone, with no ties or attachments. Give her a little meat, and she would put her life on the line to help you. If he didn't invest in someone like that, who would he invest in?

"Show me your martial soul. Let me have a look."

"All right."

White light shone in Huo Yutong's eyes. Lu Yu took hold of her head with both hands and began examining her eyes directly.

So handsome... and so close.

Feeling Lu Yu's breath, Huo Yutong immediately flushed, but the light in her eyes dimmed a moment later.

What am I thinking? I haven't avenged Mother yet. Besides, someone like me is far too different from him...

Sure enough, insecure and easy to control.

Naturally, Lu Yu took in every change in Huo Yutong's expression. Naturally, he had only noticed them in passing while examining her martial soul.

Through his own martial soul's ability, Lu Yu could sense the detailed condition of other martial souls.

Sure enough, Spirit Eyes was a top-tier martial soul, but this martial soul was out of harmony with the girl before him. Such a situation often indicated a harmful mutation in the martial soul.

Since the martial soul's quality had not diminished, what had diminished was the girl's talent.

"Your martial soul is excellent. I can tell you that it's a top-tier martial soul. There aren't many martial souls stronger than yours in the entire Star Luo Empire... but your body can't support it. Your powerful martial soul has damaged your meridians. Your innate soul power must be very low. Am I right?"

"Yes, my innate soul power was only level one."

Huo Yutong's expression shifted from confusion to sorrow.

Mom, the martial soul you gave me is a top-tier martial soul that surpasses that man's. I was the useless one. I dragged you down. If I'd done better, could we have lived a better life?

"For the one-gold-soul-coin service, given your level, I'd recommend looking for these soul beasts: Mind's Eye Vine, Thousand-Eyed Spirit Fern, Large-Eyed Snake Grass... Their respective habitats are... and these are their characteristics and the precautions you should take..."

Huo Yutong did her best to memorize the information... The flood of information left her head swimming.

"Sorry... could you give me some paper and a pen?"

"No problem. Take your time writing it down." Huo Yutong accepted the paper and pen and began listening as Lu Yu started again from the beginning.

After filling ten whole pages, Huo Yutong felt her hand aching from all the copying.

He's so knowledgeable. I can't go wrong listening to him. I need to get on good terms with him. I'll need to find him again for my second soul ring.

Huo Yutong made a mental note of Lu Yu, then glanced at the papers. "These all seem to be plant soul beasts."

"Yes. You're only a Soul Scholar. Only these plant soul beasts with no combat ability will let you obtain a soul ring easily."

"What a pity. That means you can only absorb a hundred-year soul beast. Given your martial soul's quality, that's a bit of a waste. Your soul power might not even reach level twenty after absorbing it, and the improvement to your body will be very small. The age of your second soul ring will be lower, too."

"When the time comes, you might be unable to break through to Soul Elder."

"If you purchase the one-thousand-gold-soul-coin service, I can help you hunt a four-hundred-year animal-type spiritual soul beast and assist you in absorbing its soul ring."

Lu Yu sighed, his face full of regret.

Unable to break through to Soul Elder!

Those words struck Huo Yutong's head like a thunderbolt out of a clear sky. That man was an Eight-Ring Soul Douluo! Even if she couldn't kill him, she still had to kill the little bastard who had beaten her mother.

But that little bastard had already broken through to Soul Elder.

Huo Yutong was instantly overwhelmed with despair. By Lu Yu's account, even if she broke through to Soul Elder, what would it matter? She would probably be nearly thirty by then. That bastard Dai Huabin would surely have left her far behind in cultivation long before that.

Looking at Lu Yu's regretful expression, Huo Yutong knew he was a good person. She shouldn't make things difficult for him...

But... for her mother...