Chapter 199
Chapter 199: Orange Soul Ring
However, the Snow Lady was still a being of the Douluo Continent. Although she was a new existence, she couldn’t completely transcend this world’s laws. That was why she had to fuse with a soul master and his abilities even though she was alive on her own.
If it were someone else, they would only have one soul ring spot to contain the Snow Lady. In that case, the Snow Lady would lose a portion of her strength. Simply speaking, it was just like how a soul master absorbed a soul ring from a soul beast. The soul master couldn’t possibly obtain all the soul skills it had, and would only absorb one that was suitable for himself. But the Snow Lady was a living body, and thus naturally hoped to retain all her powers. However, she couldn’t do this alone, and needed Huo Yuhao to help her fulfil this wish. That was why she needed to take up many spots.
The conditions she formed under were too unique, he couldn’t possibly replicate her. Even if Huo Yuhao could use the Contract Magic left behind by Electrolux, it still wouldn’t come close to making another Spirit like the Snow Empress. Besides, soul masters wouldn’t have the necessary spiritual power to accept as many Spirits as they want, or soul rings, for that matter. It was already unbelievable for a soul beast’s power to be compressed several times over without combusting. And even then, there was still a need for a strong entity to sacrifice their divine sense. How could Huo Yuhao possibly replicate this?
From one perspective, the Snow Empress’ strength would be restricted by Huo Yuhao’s abilities. From another viewpoint, she had managed to display her strength.
After a third and fourth orange-gold soul ring appeared, the four soul rings moved along with the Ice Empress’ blood-red soul ring. At last, Huo Yuhao had officially become a Soul King. He had even added four soul rings in one go. However, he felt very helpless, as he couldn’t control these four new soul rings. They could only be controlled by the Snow Lady.
The surging undulations of his soul and spiritual power started to calm down. The fusion process between the Snow Empress’ Spirit and Huo Yuhao was much simpler than expected. He didn’t even feel any impact; he only felt greater strength being imbued into his body.
In just this short period of time, he clearly sensed his body being influenced by the four new soul rings. Not only did his soul power increase a notch, but his bones, passageways and spiritual power were all enhanced.
The enhancement to a soul master after adding four soul rings was great. Huo Yuhao’s current soul power was comparable to a Soul Emperor.
Although he felt that he couldn’t control his four new soul rings, the strength that they each gave him was equivalent to a thirty thousand year soul ring. This was still in the midst of the fusion, which restricted the limits of his tolerance. The Snow Lady evidently still had a lot of strength left. She was pleased after taking up the four spots. The growth potential of these soul rings was immense. It was just that Huo Yuhao was slightly displeased that the Snow Lady forcefully snatched four spots and didn’t even offer him a single soul skill.
This little fellow is too domineering. What about my Ice Empress in the future!? I’ve lost four soul skills just like that—it’ll undoubtedly reduce my advantage of having twin martial souls.
However, he couldn’t bear to admonish her. He also believed the Ice Empress wouldn’t say anything if she were awake. No matter what form the Snow Empress took, it was still her strength!
One red and four orange soul rings surrounded Huo Yuhao’s body as they moved. The Ice Jade Empress Scorpion’s wild and barren aura disappeared. It was replaced with an elegant and peaceful aura that no one would find unusual.
He didn’t feel that he had become much stronger, but the two sect masters could sense the difference in his body. With their cultivations, they felt a sense of danger from him, a sense of danger they hadn’t felt before.
“Ke ke ke!” As a crisp and clear laugh sounded, a small and swift orange-gold figure crawled out of Huo Yuhao’s Eye of Destiny. It was the Snow Lady.
The two sect masters were surprised when they saw her appearing again. Tai Tan said, “Kid, didn’t she turn into your soul rings?”
Huo Yuhao answered this question on behalf of the Snow Lady. He laughed bitterly, “She didn’t turn into soul rings, but marked her territory in my body. The soul rings were just places for her to contain and consolidate her strength. She could use these four soul rings to restore her energy that was depleted. Technically, they aren’t really soul rings, and have nothing to do with me.”
“Yi yi ya ya.” The Snow Lady seemed to sense the annoyance in his voice and shook her head at him unhappily. The orange-gold light from her body became stronger and stronger. Huo Yuhao immediately sensed her intentions.
Following this, the first of his four new soul rings lit up. The Snow Lady lifted her hand and pointed and Tai Tan. Suddenly, a deep blue light shot out from her finger. This deep blue light started to disperse as it shot out, engulfing Tai Tan completely.
Tai Tan turned into an ice sculpture again. He couldn’t resist it this time either.
“Ke ke ke.” She chuckled and starting clapping.
This time Tai Tan was struggling even more, but his movements were much slower.
“It’s freezing me to death. Little fellow, are you using me as an experiment? This is too absurd. Be careful, or I’m going to smack your butt.” Tai Tan shivered as he tried to break out of the ice.
“I understand now!” Huo Yuhao suddenly shouted, giving the two sect masters a scare.
“Rascal, what are you shouting for? Just because I can’t bear to whack her doesn’t mean I can’t bear to whack you.” Tai Tan glared at Huo Yuhao furiously.
Huo Yuhao didn’t even seem to hear his threat, and said agitatedly, “I understand the secret behind Spirit. Although the Snow Lady has taken up four soul rings, they also represents four of her abilities. The secret lies in the storage of her strength within these soul rings, and that she can use them to restore her strength. All these have nothing to do with me.”
“Why are you so happy if they have nothing to do with you?” Tai Tan asked doubtfully.
Huo Yuhao replied, “It means that the depletion of my soul and spiritual power will be very small when she unleashes her abilities. Furthermore, I don’t have to control them either! During this period of time, I can use other skills to complement her powers. We can even coordinate through our spiritual senses.”
The two sect masters were very powerful, and they immediately understood what he meant.
Niu Tian said, “In that case, there’s now two of you with her around?”
Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, “It’s not that exaggerated. However, I believe that she can increase my fighting strength by thirty percent if she’s there to assist me or aid me in my offense. However, we need to become more familiar with each other before she’ll be able to help me effectively.”
Niu Tian was also surprised and said, “It’s not that simple. Since she’s connected to you and has her own thoughts, she can even leave your body to unleash her abilities.”
“This Spirit is much superior to soul rings. Just like we thought, she might be able to change the relationship between soul beasts and soul masters, as well as change the cultivation of all soul masters on the continent! What you have to do next is familiarize yourself with her and discover her special characteristics. You’ll definitely also need to practice how to coordinate with her.”
“Alright.” Huo Yuhao nodded emphatically, he was filled with excitement. When a new form of life or energy was discovered, there were too many things to explore.
As he looked at the Snow Lady on his shoulder, he felt his heart soften. He sighed to himself. Who would have expected the leader of the Three Heavenly Kings in the Extreme North to end up like this?
The five soul rings—one red and four orange—surrounded Huo Yuhao’s body. He was filled with confidence due to the unprecedented strength he had obtained.
“Snow Lady, can you return?” He said to the Snow Lady.
She nodded, and her face rippled with a tender glow. She turned into a streak of orange-gold light that disappeared into his Eye of Destiny.
She was different from the Ice Empress and Skydream Iceworm. When she entered his body, it was like coming home. She moved freely in his second mental sea and spiritual sea. She could go anywhere she wanted. He could sense where she was, but he couldn’t control her. However, he could contact her if he wanted to. They were telepathically connected in a relationship like a father and daughter.
“Hey, don’t let her return! Call her out for me to see. She’s too cute. I’m tempted to remove a few soul rings to make one just like her.” Tai Tan looked indignantly at Huo Yuhao as he twisted his hands.
Niu Tian glared at his brother, “You want to be an ice sculpture forever? Continue with your bullshit then. Let’s go, Yuhao needs to rest. You’ll see her again when he manages to coordinate with her.”
As he spoke, he forcefully dragged his brother away.
Huo Yuhao indeed had to sense the changes in his body carefully after truly fusing with the Snow Lady’s Spirit. After sending off the two sect masters, he quickly returned to his bed and sat cross-legged. He focused his mind and circulated his soul power.
After he combined his consciousness and the Mysterious Heaven Technique’s soul power, he suddenly felt very clear. Due to his fusion with the Snow Empress, the problems with his spiritual sea had already been resolved. His spiritual power had risen instead of fallen. His entire spiritual sea was back in its Boundless Ocean state.
The Snow Lady swam in his spiritual sea, occasionally exuding orange-gold light.
Huo Yuhao could sense that a part of the origin energy of heaven and earth would fuse into the Snow Lady’s body as he cultivated, nourishing her. This outpouring of energy wouldn’t affect his cultivation speed. On the contrary, the speeds he cultivated at the Mysterious Heaven Technique were faster with her presence. Apart from the portion of the energy the Snow Lady absorbed, his own cultivation speed increased significantly.
Furthermore, he had become a Soul King after gaining a fifth soul ring. Although his soul power was still a little rigid in his body, its overall circulation surged more and more.
The inside of his body was completely engulfed in gold. It wasn’t just from the Mysterious Heaven Technique, but also his spiritual power. He could sense that his body was changing drastically under the effect of his immense soul and spiritual power. It was as if he was evolving.
He wasn’t sure how long this would last, but he hoped that it would last forever. As his body evolved, his tolerance level would also increase. His spiritual sea felt as if it was growing due to the Snow Lady’s spiritual power, but that feeling would disappear as his body got stronger.
After fusing with the Snow Lady’s Spirit, there was only one word to describe Huo Yuhao’s condition—metamorphosis.
Huo Yuhao spent an entire day in deep meditation. When he opened his eyes again, the sky was already bright.
The metamorphosis of his body was still ongoing, but its speed had dropped significantly. He jumped off from his bed and stretched.
He only heard his bones cracking softly, and he was stunned to find out that he had grown taller. There were even lesser striations on his developed muscles, but the changes to his skin were far more astonishing.
He had obtained a healthy, bronze complexion after years of tireless cultivation. Although this complexion made him seem very masculine, he had neglected skin care due to his hectic schedule of cultivation, which made his skin seem rough.
After one day and night of cultivation, he was stunned to realize that his complexion had whitened a little. Although he was still bronze, there was a layer of dim light beneath his skin. This made the surface of his skin appear finer and smoother. The signs of aging that had accumulated had all disappeared.
Am I seeing things? This was his first reaction.
He rushed to the washroom and looked at himself in the mirror. He was stunned. He couldn’t even believe that he was the person in the mirror.
It was still the same Huo Yuhao. However, his body and face seemed to have experienced some slight but weird changes. It was these slight changes that had caused his appearance to change.
The lines on his face had become more obvious, and they were now filled with a masculine aura. In his eyes, his calm gaze revealed a sense of dignity. His skin was indeed smooth, but it was different from a young girl’s skin. His skin was filled with a healthy, masculine aura. At least to him, he felt that he had become more handsome after this change.
He faced the mirror and couldn’t help but ask himself, “Is, is this still me?”
This shouldn’t be changes that occurred because of the increase in my cultivation. He finally understood. The Snow Lady was the reason why his appearance experienced such drastic changes.
She even called me daddy, but she doesn’t look like me at all. I seemed to have changed because of her.
As he thought of this point, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Since when could a daughter change their father’s appearance? However, such a thing had happened to him. Had she despised her father because he was too ugly?
Huo Yuhao couldn’t help but laugh in the end. As he thought of something, lights flashed, and the Snow Lady crawled out. However, she didn’t crawl out of his Eye of Destiny, but his chest.
Evidently, it wasn’t only his body that was evolving. The Snow Lady was also becoming more and more familiar with him.
Compared to the day before, the Snow Lady seemed to have grown slightly. She was still an infant, but she was even cuter now. When she saw his reflection in the mirror, she starting chuckling and clapping.
He was a little shy as he said, “Little fellow, did you despise me because I was ugly?”
The Snow Lady shook her head, but her deep blue eyes revealed her laughing intent. He wanted to hug her, but she turned into a streak of flowing light. In this state, she could change at anytime, so he grabbed onto nothing as he tried to catch her.
As she opened her mouth, she sucked water from the tap in the washroom and spat it onto Huo Yuhao’s face.
While he possessed the Ultimate Ice, he still shivered as he was struck by the cold water! She laughed cheekily and escaped. She seemed very delighted as she flew around.
Huo Yuhao had absolutely no idea how to deal with her. Seeing that she was so happy, he also became more relaxed. He suddenly thought of what it would be like if he really had a daughter!
As he thought of it, he unwittingly thought of that figure deeply imprinted in his mind. Wang Dong, is your twin sister fertile?
His face blushed, and his heart rate increased. After all, he was only seventeen years old, and was still exploring his emotions. He didn’t realize this when he was cultivating normally. However, romantic feelings had started to develop in him after he met Ju Zi and saw the Goddess of Light.
“Oh? The two sect masters are here.” Huo Yuhao was stunned to discover that he could sense presences outside even without using his Spiritual Detection. He even knew who they were.
Before the two of them could knock on the door, he took the initiative to open the door himself.
Niu Tian smiled as he asked, “Your cultivation has ended?” As he looked at Huo Yuhao, he was slightly surprised. “Yuhao, why do I feel like you’re different from yesterday?”
Huo Yuhao invited both of them in and said, “Uncle Niu, I feel the same way. It seems like my body has been changing under the Snow Lady’s influence after I fused with her. I’m not clear on how much it’ll change. However, my body and spiritual power have become stronger. My telepathy with her has also grown. Even my skin and appearance have changed slightly.”
“Yes.” Niu Tian nodded and pressed his hand on Huo Yuhao’s shoulder. A gentle soul power was poured into his body, which seemed to cleanse him as it circulated one round through his passageways.
He only felt a sense of warmth engulfing his body. It was extremely comfortable.
“Yuhao, your Spirit is impressive!” Niu Tian complimented with a shocked look on his face.
“What?” Huo Yuhao was puzzled as he looked at him
Niu Tian took a look at Tai Tan, but realized that he was staring at the Snow Lady and wasn’t paying attention to them. He sighed in his heart, “It seems like we’re too lonely.”
“Yuhao, I took a look at the condition of your body just now. You should know, that there are different bottlenecks at different stages of a soul master’s cultivation. Once he breaks through these bottlenecks, his cultivation will improve significantly. One of the greatest stages is between the sixth and seventh ring. The soul master’s martial soul will completely awaken its strength, and they’ll gain a Martial Soul True Body.”
“Yes.” Huo Yuhao nodded. He naturally knew about this.
Niu Tian said, “I sensed your body just now, and discovered that your physical tenacity is already close to a soul master who possesses a Martial Soul True Body.”
“What?” Huo Yuhao was stunned. Because he was a genius from Shrek Academy, he wouldn’t dismiss Niu Tian’s words as simple numbers.
He was only Rank 50, but he had twin martial souls and an Ultimate martial soul. Even so, he was only Rank 50, miles away from Rank 70.
He and Wang Dong had fought a seven-ringed Soul Sage, Zhao Yang, previously. While he possessed the Violet Goldbear, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’s martial souls were stronger than his. However, they only managed to beat him after unleashing all of their abilities—continuously using their martial soul fusion skills and Huo Yuhao’s understanding of the Sovereign’s Descent. Why was this the case? That was because Zhao Yang possessed a Martial Soul True Body.
Simply put, Huo Yuhao could possibly match up to Zhao Yang if he was at Rank 69. However, he was on an entirely different level since he gained a seventh soul ring that allowed him to use his Martial Soul True Body. No matter how talented Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were, they had to be very careful against someone who possessed a Martial Soul True Body. They had to team up to put up any resistance at all.
How could Huo Yuhao not be shocked after hearing Niu Tian tell him that his physical tenacity was close to that a soul master that possessed a Martial Soul True Body? It was like a thousand year soul beast possessing the body of a ten thousand year soul beast!
Niu Tian smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I never exaggerate. This is my honest opinion. Of course, this doesn’t mean you possess the abilities of a Martial Soul True Body. It’s just that your body can withstand the impact of a Soul Sage’s soul power. This will be very beneficial for your cultivation. Didn’t you realize that your Ultimate martial soul’s effect on your cultivation speed has evidently weakened during your cultivation process?”
Huo Yuhao was a little embarrassed as he scratched his head and answered, “I went into a meditative state as if I were asleep not long after I cultivated yesterday due to the metamorphosis I experienced. I didn’t feel much.”
Niu Tian said, “That’s normal. Your powers have increased rather significantly this time! One’s appearance stems from his mind. Don’t look down on these minor changes to your appearance. Your body must evolve a little before your appearance changes. Let me give you an example.
“In the world of soul beasts, most soul beasts’ cultivations can be recognized through their appearance. For example, some soul beasts will increase in size when they move into the thousand year level. For those whose blood lineage is pure and powerful, they will experience less major changes during the process of evolution. That’s because their bodies are already close to perfection. Humans are like that. That’s why our appearances don’t really change as our cultivation improves. When you develop a new appearance because of your cultivation, it suggests that your body has experienced a drastic change. The change you’re experiencing is indeed beneficial, and it’s a change that was sparked from a great enhancement in your powers. I can confirm that you’ll become a seven-ringed Soul Sage before you’re thirty years old. When that happens, the abilities of your twin martial souls and Ultimate martial soul will be fully realized, and you’ll be a truly strong individual. You’ll become a Titled Douluo before you’re forty.
“In the continent, a forty-year-old Titled Douluo isn’t considered very young. However, I’ve not heard of anyone with an Ultimate martial soul who has become a Titled Douluo before the age of forty. This is the benefit from this evolution.”
Huo Yuhao wasn’t basking in delight from the appraisal that Niu Tian was giving him. On the contrary, he asked thoughtfully, “Uncle Niu, does this also mean that there are others who evolve in other aspects due to unwanted changes that occurred because of their cultivation?”
Niu Tian nodded and said, “There are many cultivation methods in our world. There are also various forms of each method. You have heard of the Body Sect, they experience changes like you’ve experienced. That’s also a reason why they are so powerful. Their evolution is the second awakening of their Body Souls. Although I’m unsure what kind of secret technique they use to complete it, those who undergo the second awakening will experience a significant increase in their abilities. Even their soul rings will evolve and change, along with their martial souls. That’s why the perfect ratio of soul rings is different for Body Sect members. The soul masters from the Body Sect can even compare to evil soul masters in terms of individual fighting strength.”
Huo Yuhao was impressed by this, and asked, “Uncle Niu, can evil soul masters be influenced by changes in their cultivation?”
Niu Tian replied, “Of course. Furthermore, evil soul masters are likely to be the affected the most. Most evil martial souls aren’t innately evil. This is also the same for soul masters. They’re only categorized as evil soul masters due to the special evolutionary characteristics of their martial souls. For example, the cultivation of some martial souls requires fresh blood, while some require one to constantly kill. Once those with such martial souls start to become greedy, they will sink further and further into depravity. When that happens, they will become evil soul masters.
“As their cultivation increases, they will develop a vicious aura. Their demeanor and personalities will also start to change due to that influence. That’s why it’s very easy to tell when one is really an evil soul master. Their vicious auras are usually tainted with a dark green. With your detection abilities, you can be more aware in the future; once you see a dark-green color flashing across a soul master’s face, it’s almost certain that he’s an evil soul master.”
“Alright.” Huo Yuhao nodded. Niu Tian’s guidance had deepened his understanding of martial souls. He was much more impressed by this Clear Sky Sect’s sect master.
“Are the two of you done? Yuhao, bring her to me. She’s making me dizzy from all the flying.” Tai Tan was a little displeased as he looked at Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao smiled and said, “Uncle Tai, you really like Snow Lady! Snow Lady, come.” He gestured to her.
She turned into a streak of orange flowing light and came back to Huo Yuhao. She grabbed his hand before sitting on his arm. She felt like a real person this time, and was no longer the untouchable energy body that she had previously. Her smooth skin was tightly pressed against his arm. It was extremely comfortable.
Huo Yuhao couldn’t help but peck her cheek. Her delicate skin and the aromatic milky scent that came from her left him content despite himself.
“Yi yi ya ya!” The Snow Lady was a little unhappy as she waved her fist at Huo Yuhao before rubbing her face.
Huo Yuhao was amused as he asked, “Didn’t you call me daddy? Am I that dirty?”
“Yi yi ya ya!” the Snow Lady shouted again. He understood what she was saying this time. Her reply was very simple – she said that she was being molested!
When Tai Tan saw Huo Yuhao kissing the Snow Lady on the cheek, he couldn’t help but come over and ask, “Snow Lady, give granddaddy a kiss too. I’ll give you whatever you want. How about that?” He subconsciously assumed his seniority as he addressed her.
The Snow Lady could understand his words. She twisted her head and looked at Tai Tan’s obsequious smile. She pointed at him and screamed, “Yi yi ya ya!”
A blue light flashed, and Tai Tan was turned into an ice sculpture once again.
Niu Tian asked, “What did she say?”
Huo Yuhao couldn’t help but laugh. Before Tai Tan broke out from the ice, he whispered, “She said ‘pervert’.”
“Hahahaha!” Niu Tian laughed loudly, scaring the Snow Lady. She quickly crawled her way into Huo Yuhao’s arms.
Tai Tan soon broke free from the ice, and was furious. “Little girl, this is unfair. He kissed you, but you only rubbed your face. Why did you freeze me? Is it my fault that I’m ugly?”
“Yi yi ya ya! Yi yi ya ya!” The Snow Lady crawled out of Huo Yuhao’s arms and shouted at Tai Tan while pointing at him.
“What did she say?” Tai Tan asked Huo Yuhao to translate it for him.
Huo Yuhao’s expression turned a little weird, as if he were suppressing something.
“What did she say?” Tai Tan continued to probe.
Huo Yuhao asked, “Uncle Tai, do you really want to know? You can’t get angry!”
Tai Tan lifted his chest and said, “Am I that easily infuriated?”
Huo Yuhao answered, “She’s roughly trying to say that it’s not your fault that you’re ugly, but it’s your fault that you’re scaring others…”
Tai Tan’s face stiffened. Niu Tian had just stopped laughing, but he started to chuckle after hearing Huo Yuhao’s words. He rested one arm on Tai Tan’s shoulder and used his other arm to hold his stomach. He wanted to say something, but he couldn’t because he was laughing.
Tai Tan stared fiercely at the Snow Lady. After keeping it in for half a day, his face was completely red. However, he didn’t erupt in anger, and only shouted, “I give her to you!”
The Snow Lady stuck her tongue out at him. She appeared unbothered as she laid in Huo Yuhao’s arms. She was so cute that Niu Tian’s eyes were shining brightly.
Tai Tan turned to Niu Tian. “Elder brother, I can’t take it anymore. No, we need to think of a way. I must create a Spirit, too. This is too interesting. I didn’t know martial souls could be so fun.”
Niu Tian snapped, “Do you think it’s so easy to create one? Can you just get rid of your soul rings just like that? Furthermore, this Spirit is formed from a soul beast. Where can you find such a pretty, human-form soul beast like the Snow Lady? If you find a tiger or lion, your Spirit will look just like them. We helped Yuhao test the various characteristics of this Spirit out of urgency. We can start with the junior disciples and see if it’s possible to add a Spirit. As for yourself, forget it.”
Tai Tan was a little indignant as he said, “If I had known that, I wouldn’t have asked Wang Dong to get his fifth soul ring. Isn’t a Spirit better?”
Niu Tian glared at him, and a strong aura was suddenly released. He said, “Don’t make it sound so easy! This Spirit is very magical! Do you think it’s so easy to create one like her? Yuhao, let’s go. Let’s test how useful your little orange baby is in a live fight. Let’s also see what other changes she can bring.”
“Okay!” Huo Yuhao agreed. It was definitely a good thing that the two sect masters were willing to test how good his Spirit was. With their level of control over their soul power, he wouldn’t have to worry about getting hurt.
Tai Tan seemed a little devious as he looked at Huo Yuhao. He said, “Kid, I can’t bear to hurt this little wretch. As her father, you need to tolerate the hits for her! Hehehe!”