The bow's core effects might have been nothing more than powerful offensive tools to others.
But for him, it was completely different.
The Darkin Physique granted immunity to mental charm and mental attacks.
His senior sister Hu Liena's martial soul was the Demon Fox, and she followed the path of mental control.
If she charmed him during a future spar, just imagining the scene was embarrassing.
Beyond that, the most important point was-immunity to mental attacks.
What powerful soul master didn't have a few methods targeting mental power?
Never mind Tang San from the original story-even people like Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu possessed some mental attack or mental control soul skills.
Having the Darkin Physique was like naturally gaining an extra layer of mental defense.
This thing could save his life at a critical moment.
Next was the Dark Corrosion effect, which could continuously drain a target's soul power.
Paired with his second martial soul, it was practically a match made in heaven.
He already had a preliminary plan for the direction of his second martial soul.
First, he would pursue mental soul skills, including attacks, control, amplification, and so on.
Next came speed and movement soul skills.
After that came soul skills with relatively strong offensive power.
As for choosing a soul beast, Gui Yuan actually already had a beast candidate in mind-the Evil Emperor.
Of course, he probably wouldn't dare make a move against the Evil Emperor until he possessed at least demigod-level strength.
It was still too early to think about that.
"System, I choose the first option."
[Ding, Darkin Bow · God Devourer has been issued and automatically merged with the host's soul.] [Notice: this divine artifact cannot be used or seized by others and possesses the ability to protect its master automatically.]
Seeing that notification, Gui Yuan's lips curled slightly.
He'd made a killing this time.
With a thought, the Darkin Bow appeared in his hand.
The bow was dark purple, its surface shimmering with a deep, shadowy sheen, as though something was slowly surging inside it.
It felt slightly cool in his hand, and its weight was just right.
Gui Yuan tried drawing the bowstring and felt a heavy force travel from the bow into his arm.
But he was still too young and not strong enough to unleash the bow's true power.
He put away the Darkin Bow and began considering another problem.
He would definitely use this thing in the future, but how would he explain it to his First Dad, Second Dad, and Bibi Dong?
He couldn't exactly say the system had given it to him.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Gui Yuan.
What kind of person would possess a divine artifact?
A divine trial.
He could easily pretend that he had received a divine trial.
Moreover, once his Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum absorbed its first soul ring, the [Hedge Fund] effect would directly add five hundred years to its age.
On top of that, he had consumed whale rubber, making his constitution a cut above others his age. Absorbing a six-hundred-year soul ring wouldn't be a problem.
In other words, the age of his first soul ring would immediately surpass a thousand years.
A soul master whose first soul ring exceeded a thousand years-there were hardly any such examples in the history of the Douluo Continent.
Bibi Dong didn't know divine trials could increase soul ring ages, but Qian Daoliu did.
So as long as he handled this properly, he could bluff his way through.
Besides, although Bibi Dong went a little mad later on, the "plot" had only just begun.
As long as Yu Xiaogang wasn't mentioned, she was still a relatively normal person.
Gui Yuan put those thoughts aside and closed his eyes again.
His immediate priority was to master the meditation method. Soul power was the foundation; everything else merely added flowers to the brocade.
After a night of meditation, a knock came at the door just as dawn began to break.
"Xiao Yuan, time to get up." Gui Mei's hoarse voice came from outside.
Gui Yuan opened his eyes and stretched his numb legs.
Although he hadn't slept all night, deep meditation could itself replace sleep. Not only was he not tired, he felt refreshed and clearheaded.
After breakfast, Gui Mei arranged his schedule for the day.
"Someone will come to teach you theory in the morning. Study hard. Once you're strong enough later on, I'll arrange for you to attend the Spirit Hall Advanced Soul Master Academy," Gui Mei said calmly.
"In the afternoon, I'll teach you how to use your second martial soul. At night, meditate and cultivate on your own."
Gui Yuan nodded. "Got it, Second Dad."
Between seven and nine that morning, a middle-aged soul master entered Gui Yuan's sleeping quarters.
He wore a gray robe and had a mild face.
"Young Master Gui Yuan, I'm a theory instructor from Spirit Hall. You can just call me Teacher Wang," the man introduced himself.
Gui Yuan greeted him politely. "Hello, Teacher Wang."
Teacher Wang nodded and began the lesson without wasting words.
"Today, we'll mainly cover soul beast classifications and how to determine their ages."
"Soul beasts are divided into animal-type soul beasts and plant-type soul beasts. There are many varieties, but they can generally be classified by attribute, such as fire, water, wind, darkness, and so on."
"Absorbing different soul beasts will yield soul skills with different specializations. This is something you must consider when choosing your hunting targets in the future."
Teacher Wang explained everything in detail, from soul beasts' habits to the types of soul skills they yielded, then techniques for determining their ages, leaving nothing out.
Gui Yuan listened attentively, occasionally interjecting with a question.
"Teacher, when we encounter a soul beast in the wild, how do we accurately determine its age?"
Teacher Wang smiled. "Good question. Determining age mainly comes down to three things."
"First, size. Generally speaking, among soul beasts of the same species, the older they are, the larger they are."
"Second, their presence. Older soul beasts have stronger soul power fluctuations."
"Third, special characteristics, such as the purple glow of thousand-year soul beasts and the black aura of ten-thousand-year soul beasts."
"If you can't accurately judge the other party's age in the wild, you'll suffer dearly for it."
"That applies not only to absorbing soul rings, but even more so to life-and-death battles."
"If you misjudge your opponent's strength and make the wrong decision, the result will be..." Teacher Wang paused. "You might as well find somewhere to bury yourself."
Gui Yuan: "..."
This teacher had quite a sense of humor.
But he remembered the lesson.
In the afternoon, Gui Mei took over.
There was an open space in the rear courtyard of Gui Yuan's sleeping quarters, large enough to practice in.
Gui Mei stood before him, his black robe stirring without wind as wisps of black mist faintly appeared around him.
"I'll demonstrate first."
Gui Mei raised his right hand, palm facing up.
A wisp of black mist solidified, transforming into a tiny dark needle that hovered in the air.
"This is the 'Netherworld Needle.'"
Gui Mei waved his hand. The dark needle shot out and struck a stone wall ten meters away, sinking soundlessly into it and leaving only a pinprick-sized hole.
"Use the martial soul itself to condense Netherworld Power, compress it into a needle, then fire it. It's highly concealed, making it suitable for sneak attacks and probing."
"Give it a try."
Gui Yuan copied his movements and drew on his second martial soul's power. He opened his right palm, and a wisp of black mist slowly rose.
But the mist was far too dispersed to condense into a needle.
Gui Mei said calmly, "Don't rush. Focus on compressing it. Imagine that power gathering in your palm, becoming smaller and smaller."
Gui Yuan closed his eyes and tried to control the wisp of mist.