Soul Skills

"Greetings, my lord!"

Early that morning, the Ferocious Beasts saw Gu Yuena emerge from seclusion and bowed to her together. Huo Yuhao stood a short distance away, watching and calculating something in his mind. Before dawn, Di Tian had brought back the three letters of recommendation, while Gu Qiu'er was also in seclusion, taking human form. She was expected to finish the following morning.

Gu Yuena nodded slightly and told the Ferocious Beasts to rise, then beckoned Huo Yuhao over.

"I imagine you have all met Huo Yuhao here. From now on, he will be our ally. Next, I will accompany him to the human world."

"What?!"

Her words caused an uproar below. Xiong Jun, the most hot-tempered of them, spoke up outright. "My lord, have you been deceived by this human? You must not trust humans lightly."

"Silence!" Di Tian's deep voice rang out. "Our lord has her own considerations. Are you questioning her wisdom?"

"Well..." The Ferocious Beasts said nothing more. They merely lowered their heads, each lost in unknown thoughts.

At that moment, Bi Ji spoke up to smooth things over. "Our young friend Huo must possess exceptional abilities. Since our lord has decided to do this, she must have her reasons. How could our wisdom compare to hers?"

Gu Yuena looked at Di Tian and Bi Ji and could not help nodding inwardly.

"Next, I have several tasks for you. First, count how many intelligent Soul Beasts there are throughout the Star Dou Great Forest, along with their distribution, and record it all. Second, make special note of those with over a hundred thousand years of cultivation. Third, establish a unified, stable order. Manage your own clans properly. Clans with Soul Beasts over a hundred thousand years old are to elect a clan chief; for those without, Bi Ji will send someone to oversee them. Fourth, I require you to arrest and imprison any destabilizing elements. Fifth, mobilize the Soul Beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest to mine all kinds of ores while minimizing damage to the environment, and gather them here. Finally, as long as humans do not hunt Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts or slaughter Soul Beasts indiscriminately, do not let them notice anything amiss."

"As you command!" came the repeated replies.

This was the result of Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena's discussion the previous night. Di Tian had also joined them as dawn approached, and they had ultimately decided that Gu Yuena would issue the orders. The first three tasks were relatively easy, while the later ones would take more time and effort. Once the first-stage objectives were completed, they would issue further orders.

Just then, Di Tian stepped forward, followed by a large, colorful butterfly. Its body was about one meter long, and its wingspan was nearly 1.3 meters. The colors on its body seemed to flow constantly. Its aura, however, was extremely feeble.

"Huo Yuhao," Gu Yuena began, "I know you are unwilling to hunt Soul Beasts for Soul Rings. This is an Illusion Butterfly, a mental-attribute Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. Because of injuries it suffered in earlier years, it is nearing the end of its life, so I hope it will sacrifice itself to you. Of course, it has agreed. This should not violate your principles, and it can also bring your Soul Power directly to rank fifteen, saving some trouble."

Huo Yuhao looked at her, then at the Illusion Butterfly. Without hesitation, he simply nodded in silence.

He knew about sacrifice. This did not violate his principles, and it would indeed save a great deal of effort. Still, he felt somewhat saddened. Would my future growth have to depend entirely on Soul Beasts sacrificing themselves? But he also knew that without sufficient strength, he could not rewrite these rules.

A stream of light flashed past. It seemed like an instant, yet also like several minutes had passed. The Illusion Butterfly lost all signs of life, and its body fell to the ground. In its place, a black Soul Ring appeared beneath Huo Yuhao's feet. At the same time, his Soul Power rose rapidly, soon reaching rank seventeen.

Is this what it feels like to have a Soul Ring? Huo Yuhao crouched down and touched the Soul Ring, only for his hand to pass straight through it, just as it had with that Wind Baboon's ring. He examined the sensation carefully and felt only that a special pathway was stored within the Soul Ring.

Is this a Soul Skill? Energy passes through the special pathway inside the Soul Ring, forming a spell and thus producing different effects. No, it also needs to be combined with the Martial Soul. In just an instant, Huo Yuhao gained a rudimentary understanding of this system.

"How is it?"

"A very interesting system. A spell is fixed within a virtual Soul Ring, and all it takes is energy to activate it and cast the spell instantly." Huo Yuhao unconsciously voiced his discovery.

Yet when he focused his gaze on Gu Yuena, he saw a rare, bitter smile appear on her normally unruffled face, as still as an ancient well.

"Are all you humans so terrifyingly gifted? You analyzed that in a single instant?" Gu Yuena's voice carried a trace of fear that even she had not noticed.

"No, my lord!" Di Tian interjected in time. "This young... Master Huo is exceptionally gifted. Even those long-renowned Titled Douluos among humans might not discover this. Even some gods might not understand it."

Di Tian's words greatly reassured Gu Yuena. Yes, if all humans were that terrifying, there would be no point in reviving the Soul Beast Clan. We might as well surrender outright. Fortunately, this human is willing to stand on the Soul Beasts' side!

Naturally, Huo Yuhao could not read minds, and he did not concern himself with such things. In his view, although he had exposed himself again, this could also serve to intimidate the Soul Beasts and make them take him seriously. After all, these were all special "human subjects." Still, he had not expected this. The Soul Master System had existed for tens of thousands of years-had no one discovered this?

Before long, the two sides were getting along harmoniously again, each harboring their own thoughts.

"My lord." At that moment, Di Tian spoke again. "These are Storage Soul Tools left behind by human Soul Masters who died in the Star Dou Great Forest over the years. There are some gold, silver, and valuables inside. They should be useful to you."

Huo Yuhao did not care about the humans who had died in the Star Dou Great Forest, but the Storage Soul Tools caught his attention. He picked one up and examined it carefully, injecting Soul Power to inspect its interior. Inside was a space measuring 10 m × 10 m × 10 m, almost filled with various currencies, mostly Gold Soul Coins.

A pocket dimension! And it seems they can be mass-produced! Huo Yuhao was delighted. This meant they could store large quantities of weapons and ammunition! He resolved to learn this technology!

Over the next day, besides waiting for Gu Qiu'er to take human form, Huo Yuhao studied the construction of the Storage Soul Tools while consolidating his cultivation-Di Tian's suggestion. He also knew there were still differences between Soul Power and psychic energy. Psychic energy did not suffer from unstable power, but Soul Power, which was rooted in reality, could be cultivated, so a sudden large increase could leave one's cultivation unstable and in need of consolidation.

The day passed quickly.

"Yuhao!" Having finished taking human form, Gu Qiu'er rushed straight out, then spotted Gu Yuena and Di Tian. "Hello, my lord. Uncle Di Tian, you're here too."

Gu Qiu'er had taken the form of an eleven- or twelve-year-old girl, with an upright figure, golden hair, and golden eyes. She naturally exuded a regal bearing, a beauty entirely different from Gu Yuena's. Huo Yuhao marveled. If she were in the Imperium, how many noble female knights would seek to emulate her?

Seeing Huo Yuhao's admiring expression, Gu Yuena immediately had certain ideas. At the same time, Di Tian's face darkened, especially since Gu Qiu'er had come looking for this human brat the moment she emerged from seclusion!