– Alright!
Huo Yuhao agreed excitedly.
"What are those four soul skills?"
The Skydream Ice Worm replied, "That depends on your own comprehension. It's much better for you to figure them out yourself than for me to tell you directly. But don't get too excited. I'm giving you four soul skills, and all of them are of the spiritual attribute. The power I've sealed inside your body is immense, but there are a few things you must remember. First, at the right time, this power will help you increase the age of your Soul Rings, but it won't help you increase your own Soul Power. Second, the four soul skills I'm giving you are almost entirely auxiliary and don't have much offensive capability. Therefore, you are still very weak right now. You still have a long way to go to become strong. Do you understand?"
"I understand. My mother once said that no one can reach heaven in a single step. Only by taking slow, diligent steps can one stand above others. Rest assured, Brother Skydream, I will definitely work hard."
"It's good that you understand. However, your innate talent is still a bit lacking... Tsk, when there's an opportunity in the future, I'll have to find some heavenly treasures for you to eat. Your Spirit Eyes Martial Soul is a mutation, which has immense potential, but because your body was too small and weak during the mutation process, it was heavily affected. Your meridians are narrow and fragile, so cultivating in the future will indeed be somewhat difficult. Oh, there's one more thing I want to mention."
"Do you see that grey orb of light?"
Huo Yuhao said, "I see it. Is that also your power, Brother Skydream?"
The Skydream Ice Worm replied, "No, I don't know what it is either. When I fused into your body, a sudden change occurred, seemingly attracted by my spiritual power. This grey orb of light is a sliver of a soul. It doesn't seem to belong to our world, and I don't know where it came from. Although this sliver of a soul is extremely faint, its quality is incredibly high; even I can't separate it from you. However, I can sense that it harbors no ill intent. Right now, it probably hasn't awakened yet, and it might not even awaken for the rest of your life. But once it does wake up, it will likely bring some trouble. Still, don't worry. As long as it remains quiet, everything is fine, and if anything happens, I will protect you."
"Alright, you should go back out. Those two humans don't mean you any harm!"
"Two humans?"
While Huo Yuhao was still in shock, everything before his eyes grew blurry. He felt as if he were being sucked into a whirlpool, and his consciousness instantly plunged into darkness.
***
"Why isn't he awake yet?"
Tang Ya patted Huo Yuhao's face, asking Beibei in confusion.
Beibei smiled gently. "His vital energy is stable, and the Soul Power in his body is normal—in fact, it's extremely vigorous. If I'm not mistaken, he has just broken through from a Soul Scholar to the level of a Soul Master. His body needs time to integrate the power of his breakthrough. It's just a pity it was only a ten-year Wind Baboon."
Tang Ya snorted softly. "What's there to be pitied? It's normal for the first Soul Ring to be a bit weak. It's already very impressive that he defeated a Wind Baboon all by himself!"
Beibei chuckled. "To win a woman's heart, you really must win over her stomach first. It seems your heart and your stomach are in the exact same place."
Tang Ya's fair face flushed red. "Pfft, what do you mean my heart and stomach are in the same place? Watch your manners. Don't forget that I am your teacher."
Beibei didn't argue, only looking at her with a smile.
"Ugh..."
A soft groan escaped Huo Yuhao's mouth as he slowly opened his eyes.
"Little Huo, you're finally awake! You scared me to death."
Seeing Huo Yuhao's eyes flutter open, Tang Ya cried out in joy.
Huo Yuhao felt his mind was a bit hazy. Only after focusing for a moment did he regain his clarity. The conversation he had with the Tianmeng Iceworm was still vividly clear in his mind. He couldn't help but ask himself, "Was that a dream just now?"
Tang Ya giggled and gave his arm a gentle pinch. Huo Yuhao groaned, "Sister Xiaoya, what are you doing?"
Tang Ya smiled and replied, "I'm just helping you check if it's a dream or reality. Are you awake now? You really have some nerve, daring to enter the Great Star Dou Forest all by yourself."
Huo Yuhao felt a bit embarrassed. His encounter with the Wind Baboon had made him realize just how weak he was; he had truly overestimated his own abilities. However, his embarrassment didn't last long. He immediately leapt up and circulated the Soul Power within his body.
Instantly, a scene unfolded that filled Huo Yuhao with pleasant surprise.
The Soul Power that had already reached saturation in his body had actually increased a bit. Furthermore, four skills had appeared within his mental imprint—there were actually four skills! Brother Tianmeng really existed, and he wasn't dreaming. He had actually, by some stroke of luck, obtained a million-year soul ring!
Only now did Huo Yuhao truly believe it was all real. Unable to suppress his wild joy, he shouted aloud, "I succeeded! I actually succeeded!"
Beibei and Tang Ya watched as a white soul ring slowly rose from beneath Huo Yuhao's feet, gently pulsing. It was indeed his first soul ring.
Beibei sighed softly. It was indeed a ten-year soul ring. He was only slightly puzzled as to why Huo Yuhao's ten-year soul ring looked a bit different from others of its kind. Could it be because the Wind Baboon's cultivation was relatively high? But no matter how much he pondered, he would never have guessed that a million-year soul ring would also be white.
Not only did his soul ring change, but Huo Yuhao's eyes did as well. His originally blue eyes now held an underlying golden luster. When Beibei and Tang Ya looked into them, they both felt a momentary sense of daze.
Previously, the Tianmeng Iceworm had released a trace of powerful mental energy that temporarily deprived them of their ability to think, but because the gap in strength was too vast, they hadn't noticed it. Now, with Huo Yuhao right next to them, it was completely different. The mental energy radiating from those eyes left both of them deeply shaken.
"A mental-attribute martial soul? And it even fused with a Wind Baboon as its first soul ring?"
Even the always-composed Beibei changed expression. According to his knowledge of Soul Masters, such a thing should be impossible. Yet, right before his eyes...
The golden light gradually faded back into Huo Yuhao's eyes. A few breaths later, he jumped up in excitement, "I succeeded! I've finally become a Soul Master! I'm a Soul Master!"
Beibei and Tang Ya looked at each other in shock. Tang Ya couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Huo, is your martial soul mental-attribute? I just felt a powerful wave of mental energy!"
Only then did Huo Yuhao snap out of his excitement. He replied with a hint of embarrassment, "Yes, my Spirit Eyes martial soul is a mutated, mental-attribute martial soul."
Tang Ya's eyes lit up, her eyelashes fluttering. "Spirit Eyes, a mutated martial soul? Great, that's wonderful!"