As Duke Lingmao spoke, the Soul Master responsible for checking Martial Soul compatibility immediately began the examination.
"Martial Soul compatibility: seventy percent!"
Immediately afterward, he announced the result.
"Seventy percent? That isn't low."
Upon learning this, Duke Lingmao showed no delight. Instead, a faint trace of sorrow appeared on his face.
If their Martial Souls had no compatibility at all, he would have had a reason, an excuse to refuse this engagement.
Unfortunately, their Martial Souls were compatible, and the compatibility was not low.
"Zhu Zhuqing, from now on, he is your fiancé. His mind doesn't work particularly well, so take good care of him."
Looking at his daughter and the somewhat simple-minded Dai Mubai, Duke Lingmao sighed softly.
This was the price they had to pay to survive.
He could not change it either.
"Fiancé..."
Still young, Zhu Zhuqing did not know what that meant.
Because of Dai Mubai's unusual circumstances, they did not even hold an engagement ceremony, merely making a verbal agreement.
Then the matter was left at that.
There was actually still seventy percent Martial Soul compatibility. Was it because my Martial Soul Origin hadn't completely transformed and still fell within the category of a White Tiger?
After they left, Dai Mubai was somewhat taken aback.
He simply did not know whether this so-called compatibility would remain once his Martial Soul advanced further.
Over the following days, Zhu Zhuqing obeyed her father's instructions and came to see him a few times.
Dai Mubai appeared to be in a vacant stupor, but in reality, he was using his spiritual power to experiment.
He not only wanted to evolve his Martial Soul's attribute into Ultimate Metal, but also to lay the groundwork for Indestructible Vajra.
Beyond that, Dai Mubai also wondered whether he could develop ultimate strength.
Ultimate strength was far more heaven-defying than the other ultimate attributes.
Among the Soul Masters he knew of, the only ones who could truly be said to possess ultimate strength were Wang Qiu'er, the Auspicious Beast who took human form in the original story, and Tang Wulin, who had the Golden Dragon King's blood essence sealed within him.
The combat prowess they displayed was truly extraordinary.
But he also knew that achieving ultimate strength himself would be no simple matter.
Still, that was something for later.
Once all his preparations were complete, Dai Mubai began consuming the singular velvet sky chrysanthemum.
The immortal herb's medicinal power was rapidly consumed as the Mysterious Heaven Skill circulated furiously, drawing on the power he had sealed away to guide the transformation of his Martial Soul Origin.
Because he was wearing a Soul Tool, the process did not cause much of a disturbance.
Everything flowed as naturally as water into a channel.
The next moment, Dai Mubai could clearly feel a qualitative transformation in the power he controlled. Not only that, even his Martial Soul underwent a fundamental evolution.
His top-tier beast Martial Soul, the White Tiger, transformed directly into the Darkgolden Tiger King.
"Even without activating a Soul Skill yet, I can feel that I could slap a Soul King to death."
Feeling the power he now controlled, Dai Mubai was happy.
Happier than he had ever been.
After all that effort, he had finally reached this point.
Next, he needed to condense his Soul Rings and then leave this place.
In truth, if he wanted to, he could use all sorts of methods to compete with Dai Weisi. He could even toy with him until he died without personally lifting a finger.
And then what?
Compete with his second brother, kill him too, and become the Star Luo Empire's sole imperial heir.
At that point, would the Star Luo Imperial Family still let him go out to gain experience, let alone travel into enemy territory in the Heaven Dou Empire?
If he knew there was an opportunity to attain godhood yet did not fight for it, what meaning was there in his taking over this body?
Wouldn't he have been better off remaining a Soul Beast and lying around for a few tens of thousands more years?
"Today, I officially become a Soul Master."
After night fell, Dai Mubai began drawing on Xiong Jun's origin power and condensing a Soul Ring.
During the process of condensing the Soul Ring, he carefully sensed the precise mysteries within it and how the power circulated.
If he could successfully decipher the workings of the rules involved, perhaps he could condense Soul Rings and use external power to increase their ages without needing to undergo Divine Examinations or anything of the sort.
If he could thoroughly research how Soul Masters could condense their own Soul Rings and spread the method, it would also buy the Soul Beast Clan some time to a certain extent.
It could count as repayment.
But it would only buy them time.
Dai Mubai knew very well that this had both advantages and disadvantages.
If human Soul Masters could truly condense their own Soul Rings, it would give Soul Beasts time and an opportunity to catch their breath in the short term. But as time passed and humanity grew stronger, able to increase their strength without needing Soul Rings from Soul Beasts, Soul Beasts would become dispensable.
Just as the successful creation of artificial soul spirits had heralded the Soul Beasts' road to ruin.
Drawing on the sealed power, Dai Mubai began condensing his Soul Ring.
"One year, two years... ten years, twenty years... five hundred years, one thousand years..."
With his current physique, condensing a thousand-year First Soul Ring could not have been easier.
But after all that effort, a thousand-year First Soul Ring was naturally not what he sought.
As time passed, the color of Dai Mubai's First Soul Ring continually changed.
Soon, his First Soul Ring became a deep black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, but its age continued to rise.
"Twenty thousand years, twenty-one thousand years, twenty-two thousand years... twenty-eight thousand years, twenty-nine thousand years..."
"Twenty-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine years, Thirty-Thousand-Year..."
Once the Soul Ring reached Thirty-Thousand-Year, Dai Mubai could feel that this was his limit.
Even though he had fused with a full set of Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones, raised his attribute to Ultimate Metal, and consumed hundred-thousand-year whale glue and an immortal herb, none of it could change the fact that this body was only nine years old.
He had originally even planned to wait until he was twelve before condensing his Soul Rings.
But after some consideration, he felt that waiting until he was twelve would waste too much time.
Ultimately, Xiong Jun's Soul Beast origin was limited. Once he reached a certain point, he should condense his Soul Rings when it was time. If he delayed too long, some unforeseen change might occur.
When the Soul Ring finally settled at thirty thousand two hundred years, Dai Mubai stopped consuming Xiong Jun's origin.
"First Soul Skill, White Tiger Vajra Body."
"An enhancement-type Soul Skill. After activating the First Soul Skill, all physical attributes increase by three hundred percent. Strength, speed, defense, and even resistance to abnormal conditions all increase by three hundred percent."
"This Soul Skill is pretty good."
After sensing his Soul Skill, Dai Mubai was satisfied.
In terms of physical enhancement alone, this First Soul Skill was even more powerful than some Soul Saints' Martial Soul Avatars.
But that applied only to the physical body. The enhancements and improvements provided by a Martial Soul Avatar affected not only the body, but also the Martial Soul's attributes.
He could not imagine what level his Ultimate Metal would reach if it also received a three-hundred-percent enhancement.
Perhaps it was precisely because ultimate attributes were too heaven-defying that even a self-condensed Soul Ring did not provide an enhancement to them.
"I've only just condensed my First Soul Ring, and I already have rank-twenty Soul Power?"
Sensing his own Soul Power, Dai Mubai was still somewhat taken aback.
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