The Ancient Soul Tool Cave
In the treetops not far from the city gate, Su Tianyu sat on a stump, his eyes shimmering purple as he stared fixedly at the fish-belly-white light appearing on the horizon.
Just then, a wisp of purple Qi appeared in the distant eastern sky. As he circulated the Purple Demon Eye, the nearby purple Qi was slowly drawn toward him, entering his eyes and being quickly absorbed, becoming a source of energy for the growth of his spiritual power.
The purple Qi was drawn into his eyes and refined, eventually traveling straight to his Sea of Consciousness. He felt his mind become perfectly clear, and everything before his eyes appeared exceptionally sharp.
"Whew!"
Su Tianyu took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes. Seeing that the city gate not far away had already opened, he leaped down from the tree and strode toward it.
He took the passage reserved for Soul Masters out of the city. The wheat in the vast fields nearby shone with a golden radiance, making him pause in a daze.
Although his previous life had lacked the power of Soul Masters, ordinary people at least did not have to fear for their lives whenever they went outside. Now that he had come to the Douluo Continent, he had to remain vigilant at all times. Fortunately, his luck had been good: he had awakened Soul Power and become a Soul Master, gaining the strength to protect his life on the danger-ridden Douluo Continent.
After a flood of emotion, Su Tianyu followed the middle-aged man's memories that he had searched and headed toward the small mountain village.
Three hours later, Su Tianyu arrived near the small village in the man's memories. Before him stood some forty or fifty dilapidated thatched houses, while scattered villagers returning from work in the fields walked along the village paths.
He chose not to enter the village, instead skirting the wooded mountains toward the orchard belonging to the middle-aged man's family.
Before long, Su Tianyu arrived at the orchard gate. With a leap, he easily cleared the fence and landed inside.
Following the images in his memory, he made his way deeper into the orchard. In less than half a quarter of an hour, he reached a secluded hill. This was the cave where the man in his memories had found the Soul Tools.
Su Tianyu entered the cave and surveyed his surroundings. Stalactites of all sizes were scattered unevenly throughout it, and their scale showed that they had grown naturally for over ten thousand years.
Before long, he reached the end of the cave, where a man-made stone chamber lay before him. Walking inside, he found the surrounding walls carved with records of Soul Masters' lives and murals of battles hunting Soul Beasts from ten thousand years ago.
The largest mural depicted a person clad in fully enclosed armor, eyeing a tiger-type Soul Beast in the distance like a tiger stalking its prey. A flash of light shot from the armor's hand, attacking the Soul Beast with an annihilating beam of world-destroying energy.
On the opposite side of the mural, the tiger-type Soul Beast was struck by the beam, reduced to fine dust, and scattered into the sky.
The artist's lifelike skill brought the surrounding walls to life, revealing the brilliant age of Soul Tools ten thousand years ago.
"What uncanny artistry! Even after ten thousand years have left their traces, these murals still show how Soul Masters and Soul Tools flourished like a hundred flowers blooming."
Without blinking, Su Tianyu studied the murals along the chamber walls, one after another, voicing his admiration from time to time. Only after he had seen them all did he reluctantly look away, still savoring them, and turn his gaze to the platform in the chamber.
He hurried over to the platform and picked up a Soul Tool resembling an arm piece to examine it. He immediately activated Martial Soul Possession and used his Martial Soul to inspect the internal engravings through which its Soul Power circulated.
After examining it, he found that the engravings inside the arm Soul Tool and the other Soul Tools had long since been eroded by ten thousand years, leaving them as lumps of scrap metal.
"What a pity!"
Looking at the Soul Tools on the platform, Su Tianyu felt a wave of disappointment. The higher his expectations, the slimmer the chance of a miracle.
He stored the remains of the Soul Tools in his Storage Soul Tool and walked out of the stone chamber, disappointment written across his face.
Suotuo City lay on the border of the Balak Kingdom and had long been known as the granary of the Heaven Dou Empire. Traveling north led to Heaven Dou City in the Heaven Dou Empire, while heading south led straight into the Star Luo Empire. Because the land was flat, Soul Crystal Rice was widely cultivated, and vast fields surrounded the city. The glistening Soul Crystal Rice gave off a faint purple halo in the sunlight.
After leaving the cave, Su Tianyu rented a carriage in a nearby town. Under the coachman's skilled guidance, he traveled for several days before arriving at Suotuo City on the border of the Balak Kingdom.
He raised a hand to lift the carriage curtain and gazed at the Soul Crystal Rice glowing purple in the fields on both sides of the road to Suotuo City, curiosity showing in his eyes. When they had entered Suotuo City's territory in the Balak Kingdom, the coachman had smiled and quietly told him that the Soul Crystal Rice grown there could help Soul Masters cultivate. Many Soul Masters who came from major cities because of its reputation chose to stay and purchase it.
Before long, the bustling Suotuo City came into Su Tianyu's view. He raised his head toward the city rising from the ground ahead and saw crowds of commoners queuing at the towering gate, waiting to enter. The commoners in line looked with respect and fear at a slightly smaller gate beside it, for that was the entrance reserved for Soul Masters.
He instructed the coachman to take him to the Soul Masters' entrance, paid him forty Silver Soul Coins, and got out at once. To his surprise, forty or fifty Soul Masters were already queued there to enter.
Just then, a luxurious carriage came speeding down the road from outside the city and slowly stopped by the entrance. A delicate-featured woman in a splendid long dress stepped out.
An old servant followed closely behind her. He glanced at the many Soul Masters in line, frowned slightly, and released his Soul Power, sending out a terrifying pressure that made the Soul Masters waiting to enter hurry out of the way as soon as they saw him from afar.
Only after the two had gone down the passage and disappeared from sight did the Soul Masters who had retreated dare to gather again and continue queuing at the entrance.
Su Tianyu stood to one side and watched from a distance, frowning slightly. He had not expected to encounter such an overbearing scene the moment he arrived in Suotuo City. He guessed they were probably people from the household of another high-ranking noble in the city.
He was not afraid of trouble, but he would not stir it up either. As long as they did not provoke him, Su Tianyu naturally would not meddle. Among the many figures in line, he spotted a thin Soul Master with a lewd face, hurried over, and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Who is it? Who patted my shoulder? You dare pat Grandpa Bu Le on the shoulder? Watch your head!"
Bu Le turned around, and when he saw that it was a strikingly handsome child, his eyes lit up. He opened his mouth in a lewd grin, revealing two rabbit-like front teeth, and spoke with ill intent filling his eyes.