Douluo Dalu 2: Peerless Gu master

Huo Yuhao asked knowingly, "I remember Senior Sister Xiao Ya mentioned before that she came to the Star Dou Forest just to get a Soul ring ?" Perhaps this could be a good opportunity to gain some advantage for himself. 

Tang Ya nodded, "Yes, if you don't mind, Yuhao, let's go together. After hunting the spirit beast, we can head to Shrek together." It was the perfect opportunity for her to let Yuhao see the strength of herself and Beibei, hoping that it might change his perspective.

"Okay, but after Senior Sister Xiao Ya gets the Soul ring, I have another place to go. You can head to Shrek first," Huo Yuhao agreed, finally getting what he wanted.

[Tang Ya]

[Relationship: Friends]

[Achievement Task: Revive the Tang Sect, starting with obtaining the Soul ring]

As expected, the achievement task's refresh mechanism could be slightly influenced by human intervention, and favorability played a crucial role.

He glanced at Beibei. 

[Beibei]

[Locked] 

Huo Yuhao sensed the subtle vigilance and hostility in Beibei's demeanor. It was understandable, as he was not someone who drew everyone's affection.

Huo Yuhao wasn't particularly comfortable dealing with someone as enthusiastic as Tang Ya. 

Both from his previous life experiences and his current one, he tended to avoid people and animals who lacked boundaries.

'Yes, that was directed at you, Skydream, who had been making constant noise in my mind ever since I left the Spiritual Sea.'

Huo Yuhao quickly blocked the incessant noise. While this may not be a universal principle, he felt that, as a boy, he should protect himself and his privacy while outside.

To participate in Tang Ya's achievement task, Huo Yuhao asked, "What kind of soul ring does Senior sister Xiao Ya need? With my martial soul perception, I should be able to help."

"Then I'll leave it to you, Yuhao," Tang Ya smiled, outlining the type of soul beast she needed, and her desire to make him more invested in helping her grew.

However, Beibei was right—things should proceed slowly. Time was on their side. Once Huo Yuhao joined Shrek Academy, there would be more opportunities for contact.

The three of them journeyed deeper into the Star Dou Forest.

Huo Yuhao inwardly sighed. As expected, Tang Ya's choice of soul beast seemed designed to align with a certain powerful figure.

The Datura Snake, ghost vine, even the human-faced demon spider and crypt demon spider were all her top choices.

The rules of tradition could not be changed, it seemed. Huo Yuhao considered persuading Tang Ya, but he hesitated, realizing that discussing deep matters with a stranger was taboo.

It was important to protect a useful tool for achieving his own goals.

It must be noted that blindly trusting in the Tang Sect's glory wasn't always wise. Though it wasn't explicitly mentioned in the original story, Tang Ya's innate soul power was likely quite high. Given her age, it should be at least level 7.

As the direct descendant of the current Tang Sect and a future saint of the Holy Spirit Church, Tang Ya's Blue Silver Grass martial soul was far from ordinary.

She had the royal bloodline of the Blue Silver Grass, which even carried the talent of devouring life.

If she took the path of life, she might change her fate and recast the glory of the Blue Silver Grass.

However, Huo Yuhao knew that such matters were uncertain, and it was risky to make conclusions or give advice without proper investigation.

His current understanding of martial souls largely stemmed from memories of his past life, so it was better to let go of interfering in others' paths and respect their fates.

Huo Yuhao concluded that Tang San's Blue Silver Grass martial soul was most suited for taking the path of life, but Tang Ya might be different.

The Tang Sect's Blue Silver Grass lineage had followed the same pattern of soul beasts for generations, but perhaps Tang Ya's current Blue Silver Grass had already been transformed in a way that could never revert.

This could explain her powerful life-devouring talent, which was reminiscent of the human-faced demon spider.

Huo Yuhao's trip to Shrek was primarily motivated by the desire to access martial soul research materials. After all, as the leading academy in the martial soul system on the continent, Shrek was bound to have more to offer than just the traditional training methods.

An hour later, Huo Yuhao's spiritual projection detected a three-meter-long, pink snake, its forehead marked with a small bulge that resembled a flower.

Since integrating his spiritual space with the origin of Skydream, his spiritual power had risen dramatically, now at the level of a seven-ring Soul Saint. This made spiritual power projections easy for him.

The thousand-year-old Datura snake, despite its strength, couldn't escape its fate of death.

"Senior sister Xiao Ya, I found the soul beast you need," Huo Yuhao said calmly. "It's a thousand-year-old Datura snake, with a cultivation level of about 1,300 years."

"Wow, great! That's perfect for me, thank you, Yuhao!" Tang Ya exclaimed excitedly. She was so thrilled that she wanted to hug him again.

For some reason, despite just meeting Yuhao, she felt like they had known each other for a long time, and her favorability toward him increased.

Without hesitation, Tang Ya called Beibei and followed Huo Yuhao's instructions, preparing to approach the Datura snake.

However, unlike Tang Ya's excitement, Beibei's face remained serious. Although he was already a Spirit Ancestor, defeating a thousand-year-old soul beast was no easy feat, especially if his martial soul wasn't strong enough.

"Xiao Ya, protect Yuhao," Beibei shouted. With that, the first soul ring on his right arm glowed, and a powerful wave of soul power surged.

The blue-purple lightning dragon claw shot out, targeting the Datura snake.

The first soul skill, Thunder Dragon Claw, launched at the snake, but the Datura snake quickly reacted, leaping into the air with surprising agility. Its long tail flicked and lunged at Beibei with lightning speed.

Beibei didn't retreat; instead, he crouched low and executed the Ghost Shadow Step, moving quickly to the side. The Thunder Dragon Claw, having missed, turned midair and chased after the Datura snake.

At the same time, Beibei's second soul ring lit up. The air crackled with energy as countless lightning bolts transformed into arrows, creating a dense thunder net that surrounded the Datura snake.

The second soul skill, Thunder, intensified the lightning strikes. As soon as the Datura snake was caught in the electric net, the Thunder Dragon Claw would follow. It wasn't expected to seriously injure the snake, but it would at least gain the upper hand.

However, the thousand-year-old Datura snake was no simple creature. Just as the electric net was about to close in, it emitted a puff of pink mist from its mouth.

The sweet fragrance, ten times stronger than before, spread through the air. The lightning arrows that had formed the electric net were instantly nullified by the mist, scattering as if they were fine sand in water.

Tang Ya quickly retreated with Huo Yuhao, her face filled with concern. This mist was highly toxic, with both paralyzing and destructive effects on the body's nerves.

As the snake crashed through the electric net, it broke through Beibei's first soul skill, rendering it ineffective.

Tang Ya frowned. "Yuhao, this one is very difficult. I need to go help Beibei. You need to protect yourself."

But Huo Yuhao stopped her with a raised hand. "Senior Xiaoya, leave it to me."

"But this is a thousand-year-old soul beast?" Tang Ya stared at him, worried. In her mind, the young boy in front of her was only a Soul Master at best.

Given that he had ventured into the Star Dou Forest alone, she had pegged him as inexperienced.

Before she could speak further, Yuhao moved to protect her. In a flash, the Datura snake, having broken through the restraints, turned its attention toward them.

The thousand-year-old creature seemed cunning enough to target the weaker pair. But Huo Yuhao remained calm, watching the snake's bloody maw approach without a hint of fear.

"Datura Snake," Huo Yuhao thought, "I think you've already sealed your fate."

This was the perfect moment to test the innate abilities granted by his semi-awakened spiritual eyes.

Though they were not fully perfected, they were more than enough for this situation.

...

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