Chapter 29: A Ten-Thousand-Year Ring for the Second Soul Ring?
Huo Yuhao nearly groaned from the sheer comfort, feeling as if his body were soaking in a hot spring. The fatigue dissipated rapidly, and newfound strength flowed joyfully through his limbs and bones.
"Remember this feeling. This is only the beginning; it is about building the foundation."
Lin Yu withdrew his hand.
"During the journey over the next few days, the gravity field and cold tempering will become the norm. Before we arrive at the Body Sect, I want to see you able to walk and throw punches normally under this dual force field! At the same time, use the travel time for meditation and consolidation. Completely convert the spiritual power Skydream gave you into your own, and try to communicate with and familiarize yourself with your first soul skill. Your spiritual talent is extremely high; do not waste it."
"Yes! Master! Disciple will definitely do it!"
Huo Yuhao straightened his back, his voice resonant and full of drive. Although the process was painful, he clearly felt himself becoming tangibly stronger!
Lin Yu turned back toward the south, his gaze seemingly piercing through the barriers of space, cast toward the direction of the Body Sect and toward an even more distant future.
'The physical body is the foundation; the spirit is the blade. The secret techniques of the Body Sect can maximize the potential of his Body Martial Soul, especially the Spirit Eyes... if he can achieve a Gold-level Awakening...'
Lin Yu's thoughts drifted further. 'As for the Godhood...'
A bold and highly seductive plan emerged clearly in his mind.
'Huo Yuhao's talent, temperament, and especially his identity as the Son of Destiny, make him an excellent bait to attract the inheritance of Godhoods from the Divine Realm! The God of Emotions... the seat he eventually inherited in the original work, controlling the seven emotions and six desires, possesses immense potential and is a perfect match for his spiritual attribute and Spirit Eyes Martial Soul!'
'If I can help him take the seat of the God of Emotions, it won't just add a powerful First-Class God combatant to our side; it will be the most crucial wedge driven into the heart of the Divine Realm! Under the name of master and disciple, his loyalty to me will far exceed his sense of belonging to the Divine Realm. With him as an inside agent, we will have an unimaginable advantage in our future confrontation against the Divine Realm. Tang San, you won't see it coming—the son-in-law you chose will eventually become the blade thrust into the heart of your Divine Realm!'
'However, this matter must be planned carefully and influenced subtly; I cannot pull at the sprouts to help them grow. After the trip to the Body Sect, it will be time for him to come into contact with the wider world...'
Lin Yu's gaze finally landed on the far west, the direction of the Sun Moon Empire.
'The Sun Moon Empire, the Illustrious Virtue Hall... the sacred land of top-tier Soul Tool research. Soul Tool technology is the future; it is the lever that will shift the global landscape. Huo Yuhao's talent in Soul Tools should likewise not be buried. Let him enter the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy and study at the core of the Illustrious Virtue Hall.'
'Class 10 Soul Tools? Class 11 Stationary Soul Cannon Shells?'
The corners of Lin Yu's mouth curled into a cold and ambitious arc. 'Not enough! Far from enough! What I want him to master are God-Slaying armaments that can threaten deities or even serve as our trump card! The resources and technical accumulation of the Illustrious Virtue Hall are precisely his best springboard and testing ground!'
"Bear Lord, continue forward. The objective remains unchanged: the Body Sect."
Lin Yu's voice was decisive.
The piercing cold wind was broken by Bear Lord's massive frame as the group left the core region of the Extreme North, heading toward the Body Sect in the northeast of the Heavenly Soul Empire.
Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged on Bear Lord's broad back, surrounded by a thin layer of pale gold mist. He was working hard to digest and absorb the results of the tempering bestowed by Lin Yu, branding the massive spiritual power brought by the Skydream Ice Worm deeper into his renewed physical shell.
Lin Yu stood with his hands behind his back, his golden eyes looking out at the distant mountains gradually becoming covered in greenery.
Huo Yuhao's progress was significant. That tempering session under the dual extreme pressure of intense cold and gravity, combined with the stimulation of a strand of the Golden Dragon King's source blood-qi, had already raised his physical strength to a realm far exceeding his peers—even surpassing many high-level Soul Masters.
Forget Thousand-Year Soul Beasts; even the energy impact of a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast would be manageable for these sinews and bones.
"Soul Spirit..."
Lin Yu calculated in his heart.
Huo Yuhao's second soul ring had to be worthy of his current foundation and future potential. A Ten-Thousand-Year spiritual-type Soul Beast was the optimal solution. It could provide powerful spiritual-attribute soul rings and skills while allowing him to share its spiritual power through a Soul Spirit contract, further consolidating Huo Yuhao's advantages.
But suitable Ten-Thousand-Year spiritual-type Soul Beasts were not easy to find. They were often secretive, highly intelligent, and mostly hidden in the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest or certain strange and perilous lands.
If he took Bear Lord and went hunting with great fanfare, not only would it be inefficient, but it would also cause too much of a stir.
Lin Yu's gaze naturally fell upon the cold, silver figure beside him.
Gu Yuena's clone still stood as still as a painting, her silver hair unmoving in the wind, her purple eyes deep and bottomless.
"Miss Bodyguard," Lin Yu spoke, his voice carrying a well-placed note of inquiry, "I have a question to ask."
Gu Yuena tilted her head slightly, her purple eyes looking at him calmly, waiting for him to continue.
"Your understanding of the Soul Beasts on this continent, especially the spiritual types, should be much deeper than that of an old fogey like me who just crawled out of a seal."
Lin Yu's tone was casual, yet he pointed out the key factor:
"My disciple needs a suitable Ten-Thousand-Year spiritual-type Soul Beast for his second soul ring, preferably one that can be transformed into a Soul Spirit. It must match his spiritual power attribute, and its potential cannot be too low. Do you have any recommended targets? Or... do you know where one could be 'invited' from?"
He deliberately emphasized the word "invited"; the meaning was self-evident.
A flash of realization crossed Gu Yuena's purple eyes, followed by deeper deliberation. She instantly understood Lin Yu's intent: to use her—or rather, the hand of the Star Dou Great Forest—to find and bring back a suitable Soul Beast for Huo Yuhao.
'Nurturing Huo Yuhao to become a God... Soul Spirits sharing Godhood... this is indeed an irresistible temptation for Soul Beasts. He is certain I will agree, because this is also an opportunity for me to closely observe this "key" he has placed so much hope in.'
Gu Yuena's mind was clear.
Lin Yu's move was both a request for help and a convenient ladder for her to monitor Huo Yuhao.
She remained silent for a few breaths, seemingly sensing something. A moment later, her cold voice rang out:
"Regarding spiritual Soul Beasts, there is indeed a suitable target in the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest. The leader of the Dream Illusion Jellyfish clan. Its cultivation is approximately thirty thousand years; it specializes in spiritual illusions and soul shocks. Its potential is acceptable, and its temperament is relatively mild, making it easy to contract."
She did not mention the existence of Great Beasts (Perilous Beasts).
"Oh? Dream Illusion Jellyfish?"
Lin Yu raised an eyebrow, expressing interest. He knew of this type of Soul Beast; it was indeed an excellent choice for the spiritual system.
"However," Gu Yuena's tone shifted, remaining flat, "it will take some time to communicate and guide it. My main body is in Star Dou; I can have Di Tian arrange it."
"Then I shall trouble you."
Lin Yu nodded with a smile, as if he had only requested a small favor:
"Tell Di Tian that this is a rare opportunity to find a partner for the future 'God of Emotions'."
The three words "God of Emotions," like a stone cast into still water, caused even deeper ripples to surface in Gu Yuena's eyes.