The Iceheart Profound Serpent, with a cultivation of twenty thousand years, wielded both water and ice attributes. Theoretically, it had the upper hand against fire. However, against Ma Xiaotao—who possessed the power of a Soul Sage—it stood no chance.
Ma Xiaotao's flame was close to the extreme. Ordinary water and ice simply couldn't suppress it.
Its only advantage was the ability to retreat into the lake at any time to escape pursuit.
But let's not forget—Ma Xiaotao wasn't fighting alone!
Before Huo Yuhao could make a move, Ling Luocheng had already activated her martial soul. Icy energy enveloped her body as two yellow, two purple, and one black soul ring emerged. At that moment, her first soul ring lit up, and a magnificent staff made entirely of ice materialized in her hand.
Ling Luocheng's martial soul was pure elemental ice, and the staff in her hand came from her first soul skill.
First Soul Skill: Staff of Ice!
A rare weapon-summoning type soul skill.
Of course, Ling Luocheng's first soul skill wasn't just about forming a staff from ice. The staff strengthened her control over ice attributes, assisted her in casting other soul skills, and enhanced their effects.
Though it originated from a mere century-old soul ring, this soul skill was useful throughout her life—it was her core initiation technique.
Weapon-summoning soul skills were rarely weak. Some could be as powerful as granting the user an entirely new martial soul.
Wielding the Staff of Ice, Ling Luocheng became an Ice Magister. She cast ice-type soul power across the lake, instantly freezing its surface.
Sensing danger, the Iceheart Profound Serpent tried to dive back into the lake—but Ma Xiaotao didn't give it the chance.
"Fifth Soul Skill: Phoenix Cloud Piercer!"
Bathed in flames, Ma Xiaotao launched a fiery strike. The flames detached from her body, transforming into a one-meter-long flaming phoenix, which soared toward the serpent.
This was a powerful single-target offensive skill.
Unlike the violent mini-phoenixes of the Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul, this fire phoenix was elegant, noble, and dazzlingly beautiful.
Yet its power was not inferior—in fact, it was even stronger. It carried the additional effect of Desirefire Corrosion.
Caught off guard, the Iceheart Profound Serpent took a direct hit. Scales burst and charred, and the desirefire slipped into its body.
Only Huo Yuhao noticed a subtle change—the serpent's icy-blue pupils now held a trace of rose pink.
Desirefire made creatures more aggressive, more impulsive. It burned away their reason and drove them mad.
Too long under its influence, and the victim would burn from within—dead from agonizing torment.
Not every soul beast or soul master had the discipline of Zhang Lexuan. She was… special.
Ling Luocheng, unaware of all this, kept her focus on the fight. She seized the opening Ma Xiaotao created. Her fifth and third soul rings lit up in quick succession.
Fifth Soul Skill: Ring of Ice Radiance!
Third Soul Skill: Ice Prison!
With a wave of her staff, she conjured a dark blue ring of ice that floated toward the serpent.
The Ring of Ice Radiance lowered the surrounding temperature, suppressed fire-type skills, and worked in tandem with Ice Prison to greatly enhance its effect.
This was a soul skill combo!
In a flash, the ice ring reached above the serpent, shining with blue light. The massive Ice Prison rapidly formed, trapping the creature within.
Normally, Ice Prison could only trap human-sized targets. With the Ring of Ice Radiance's support, it could now ensnare larger or even multiple enemies.
At that moment, Ling Luocheng demonstrated her finesse as a control-type soul master.
"Nice one, Luocheng!" Ma Xiaotao cheered. She loved beating down immobile targets!
Her third soul ring flared—Phoenix Wings Ascend!
Magnificent wings and a flaming phoenix tail burst from her back. Her aura surged, and the surrounding flame grew hotter.
Even the frigid underground space felt a little warmer.
Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow. There's no ventilation in here. Aren't they worried about running out of oxygen?
Since evolving her martial soul into the Blazing Phoenix and advancing past Rank 70, Ma Xiaotao no longer needed soul skills to fly.
But Phoenix Wings Ascend still boosted her speed and agility, and enhanced her overall state:
Flame temperature doubled
Attack range increased by 50%
Her fifth soul ring lit up again—another Phoenix Cloud Piercer!
This time, the fire phoenix was two meters long, and far more terrifying.
Boom—!
The fire phoenix slammed into the Ice Prison. The result wasn't mutual cancellation—it was a collision of ice and fire that detonated violently, creating even more destruction and devastating the Iceheart Profound Serpent.
Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection confirmed it—the strike nearly blew the serpent in half.
Though Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luocheng were of opposing elements—fire and ice—their synergy amplified their strength immensely. Not just in combat… but even in bed. A true duality of ice and fire.
The Iceheart Profound Serpent survived the blast thanks to its physical resilience, but it was critically injured, unable to fight back.
Ma Xiaotao, sensing the fading life force, dashed into the smoke. When she reemerged, she dragged the half-dead serpent and dropped it in front of Ling Luocheng.
"Luocheng, now!" she shouted, landing lightly on the ground.
Without hesitation, Ling Luocheng rushed forward. Gripping her Staff of Ice like a spear, she drove it straight into the serpent's eye socket, destroying its brain and ending its life.
The serpent had never even recovered from the explosion-induced stupor.
A black soul ring began to condense over its corpse. Ling Luocheng exchanged a look with the others—Huo Yuhao nodded, signaling that it was safe.
Only then did she sit down and begin absorbing the soul ring.
Ma Xiaotao remained in martial soul form, vigilantly scanning the surroundings.
Wei Na watched them with admiration. How she longed for such strength!
But now wasn't the time for her to train her second martial soul.
For now… she was just the healer.
Snapping back to focus, Wei Na approached Ma Xiaotao and began channeling healing soul power.
Ma Xiaotao wasn't injured, but the healing helped restore soul power and stabilize her condition.
Huo Yuhao stood quietly to the side, appearing to guard Ling Luocheng as she absorbed the soul ring.
What no one else knew—this vast lake had once been home to more than one Iceheart Profound Serpent. Two others, far stronger and with over fifty thousand years of cultivation, used to live here too.
In short, this was once a whole serpent family.
But Huo Yuhao had sent a clone of his centipede-leg construct to lure the other two through an underground river.
Only the "guard dog" had been left behind—perfect for Ling Luocheng.
The fact that the other two hadn't returned yet said everything about their fate.
But that didn't mean this place was safe.
When there's no danger from the outside—Huo Yuhao is the danger.
None of the girls noticed that embedded in the cave walls around them…
…were several flag-like talismans.
These were magical artifacts—ready to be activated at any time.
Huo Yuhao: Through ice and flame, I forge my divine spear!
Huo Yuhao waited patiently for Ling Luochen to finish absorbing her soul ring. That would be the perfect time for him to make his move.
Next, they needed to subdue Ma Xiaotao and the other two girls, giving Huo Yuhao the space he needed to begin his operation.
Suddenly, in the midst of Ling Luochen's soul ring absorption, both Huo Yuhao and Ma Xiaotao sensed a peculiar fluctuation in soul power. A shimmer of light emerged from the corpse of the Ice Soul Serpent and, in an instant, surged into Ling Luochen's body.
Weina, whose strength and perception were comparatively weaker, sensed nothing.
But both Huo Yuhao and Ma Xiaotao's expressions shifted the moment they noticed this anomaly—Huo Yuhao in surprise, Ma Xiaotao in delight.
It was an extremely rare occurrence, though not without precedent—it signified that the Ice Soul Serpent had produced an external soul bone!
Even more astonishing was that the external soul bone had fused into Ling Luochen's body alongside the soul ring she was absorbing.
Absorbing both a soul ring and a soul bone from the same soul beast maximizes the benefits a soul master can receive—especially when it's an external soul bone.
While Weina hadn't noticed the soul bone's appearance, she quickly picked up on the expressions of Huo Yuhao and Ma Xiaotao as they stared at Ling Luochen. She asked, "Yuhao? Sister Xiaotao? Is something wrong with Sister Luochen?"
Ma Xiaotao grinned. "Nana, quite the opposite—something very good just happened. Your sister Luochen really struck gold."
She went on to explain about the external soul bone, which left Weina gasping in awe and sincerely happy for Ling Luochen—though a hint of envy lingered in her heart.
But they were all close—comrades who had stood through life-and-death trials together. The three girls trusted Huo Yuhao the most, followed by each other.
There was envy, yes, but no jealousy. No ugliness. Just shared joy.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao had already used his spiritual sense to probe the external soul bone within Ling Luochen's body—and found that it had attached to her mouth, fusing with her entire oral cavity.
"A snake's mouth? No... more like a snake kiss external soul bone?" Huo Yuhao muttered inwardly.
In zoological terms, the front of a snake's mouth and its surrounding scales are called a "rostrum" or "kiss."
Still, Huo Yuhao had no intention of stealing it.
To others, a 20,000-year external soul bone would be an extraordinary treasure. But to Huo Yuhao—it was nothing special.
He didn't know the Ice Soul Serpent's specific traits, but based on its energy and attributes, he could tell it wasn't some rare variant nor did it possess any unique abilities. Its bloodline was advanced but not truly top-tier, and it didn't contain any draconic heritage.
To Huo Yuhao, it offered almost no real benefit.
The only thing worth considering was perhaps harvesting the serpent's blood and qi for nourishment.
Time flowed on.
Two hours later, Ling Luochen finally completed her soul ring absorption. Her aura surged, breaking through to the Soul Emperor realm—jumping straight to Level 64!
This power boost came not only from the soul ring and external soul bone, but also from the accumulated energy that came with absorbing both simultaneously.
Unaware that she had obtained an external soul bone, Ling Luochen was startled by the sudden surge in her level.
And then—her tongue dropped out of her mouth.
Ling Luochen: !!!
Huo Yuhao, Ma Xiaotao, and Weina could see it clearly: Ling Luochen had, unconsciously, revealed the presence of her external soul bone—the 20,000-year Snake Kiss of the Ice Soul Serpent.
Her lips parted ever so slightly, and her mouth took on a serpentine appearance. Fine, scale-like patterns formed along her cheeks, her upper canines elongated into fangs, and her tongue became slender, agile, and snake-like—forked at the tip as it flicked out from between her lips.
This external soul bone affected not just the bone structure of the mouth, but also the cheeks, tongue, and lips themselves.
Though bizarre at first glance, the transformation combined with Ling Luochen's natural beauty created a strangely alluring aesthetic—like a seductive monster girl from legend.
After all, as they say: if you're pretty, even rags can be considered fashion.
After the transformation, Ling Luochen noticed something odd: her tongue could now perceive far more subtle tastes and scents—enough to map out her surroundings based on chemical traces in the air.
She could even taste the heat and desire emanating from Ma Xiaotao, the cool gentleness from Weina, the chill and blood-rich aura of Huo Yuhao... and something else—an unfamiliar but distinct fragrance on Huo Yuhao's body.
It was the scent of a mature woman.
And it wasn't faint.
"W-What is going on...?"
Ling Luochen was visibly panicked. She hadn't yet processed what was happening, nor had she fully grasped the scent she'd just identified.
After all, she never imagined she was the chosen one—someone who could just casually absorb a soul ring and end up with a treasure rarer than a 100,000-year ring.
Seeing the icy beauty panic like this, both Ma Xiaotao and Weina burst out laughing.
Weina: "Luochen-jie, you look... kind of adorable like this!"
Ma Xiaotao: "Hahaha, Luochen, you're way too timid!"
Flushed with indignation, Ling Luochen snapped, "I look like a monster and you're laughing?! Do you two want a beating?!"
The three girls soon broke into a playful scuffle, during which Ma Xiaotao and Weina explained what had really happened—about the external soul bone.
When Ling Luochen finally understood what she'd gained, she was both stunned and ecstatic. She quickly tried to control it, and sure enough, her mouth returned to normal as she retracted the bone's influence.
Still, one effect lingered—her tongue remained unusually long. Even in a "normal" state, she discovered it could easily reach the tip of her nose.
Ma Xiaotao gave her a look of exaggerated disgust. "Luochen, did you just lick your own nose? That's gross~!"
Ling Luochen rolled her eyes. "Xiaotao, are you asking for a beating?"
Fortunately, the tongue was the only lingering change. Without actively using the soul bone, she could no longer "taste" the environment so vividly.
Huo Yuhao, meanwhile, gave Ma Xiaotao a sidelong glance. Still so inexperienced, he thought. She has no idea how much fun a tongue like that can be. I'll make sure she finds out... after I've tried it myself, of course.
External soul bones with soul skills have growth potential and room for ability development.
The Snake Kiss soul bone granted Ling Luochen enhanced sensory taste, but its full capabilities would need to be explored over time. As for the soul skill it provided—Ling Luochen shared it with the group:
Soul Skill: Ice Soul Serpent Kiss
Effect: Summons a serpent made of condensed ice element to strike the target. The attack is poisonous.
A decent offensive skill, and excellent for ambushes—it would be difficult for enemies to guard against.
While Ma Xiaotao and Weina celebrated with joy, Ling Luochen cast a complicated look at Huo Yuhao.
She couldn't forget the unfamiliar fragrance of a woman she had sensed on him.
Why was there another woman's scent on him?
Why did it smell so fresh?
But in the end, Ling Luochen said nothing.
Just then, the lake's surface exploded as two massive Ice Soul Serpents rose from the depths, unleashing an oppressive aura that marked them as soul beasts over 50,000 years old—along with pure, unrestrained killing intent.
The expressions of all three women changed instantly.
Huo Yuhao: The human body... fascinating, isn't it?
In the underground chamber, a mysterious mist had unknowingly begun to drift in, enveloping the entire space.
Hidden talismans embedded within the surrounding stone walls started to reveal themselves, glowing in sync and activating a unique formation.
This formation had two effects: entrapment and illusion.
Huo Yuhao paced before Ma Xiaotao and the other two women, examining each of them carefully. But all three stared blankly ahead—clearly, they had already fallen into the illusion with no awareness of their surroundings.
They hadn't noticed anything at all.
Huo Yuhao was, of course, fully aware of what lay inside the illusion—he had crafted it himself.
Within the illusion, Ma Xiaotao, Ling Luochén, and Wei Na were fighting alongside Huo Yuhao against two Ice Soul Serpents, each with over 50,000 years of cultivation.
But the serpents were unexpectedly powerful. Even when Huo Yuhao and Wei Na used their Spirit Fusion Technique, they couldn't defeat the beasts—only barely keeping them at bay.
It was as though the serpents harbored some deeper secret.
Attempts to flee were cut off when the exit was buried in a collapse caused by their battle.
To make things worse, amidst the fierce fighting, Ling Luochén's recently recovered left arm began to show signs of strain again. Pain surged through her meridians, weakening her combat abilities.
Still, she said nothing, gritting her teeth and pressing on with the battle.
If they wanted to live, they had no choice but to fight the serpents.
In reality...
The cave hadn't collapsed.
The two serpents were real, but they had been dragged from beneath the lake by two centipede-leg clones. They had long since lost the ability to resist.
These serpents weren't nearly as formidable as the illusion portrayed. Even the centipede-leg clones could easily subdue them one-on-one.
Without any complications, Huo Yuhao consumed the flesh and blood of both serpents and captured their souls, leaving no trace of their bodies behind.
He then shattered part of the stone wall, blocking the exit entirely, and left the three women in the care of his two clones.
The oxygen in the cave was enough for the women to survive for three days. The formation would also last that long.
These three days were Huo Yuhao's window of freedom.
It wasn't that he couldn't trap the women for longer, but they couldn't afford to linger too long in the Star Dou Forest. If Mu En grew suspicious, it could ruin everything.
Even though Huo Yuhao had earned Mu En's trust, he couldn't afford to be careless. Every move had to be made with utmost caution to gradually deepen that trust.
Huo Yuhao didn't tunnel his way out. Instead, he followed an underground river beneath the lake. With the guidance of his Ice Centipede variant spirit, he easily located the exit.
No hiccups at all.
His clones had already scouted the path.
When Huo Yuhao emerged from a forest lake, the midday sun bathed him in warm light.
It was already noon.
Waiting for him by the lake was Nan Shuishui, along with two ten-thousand-year soul beasts she had slain while fending off other threats.
True to his principle of not wasting resources, Huo Yuhao devoured the corpses of the two soul beasts as well.
"Let's go find a safe place. We can talk more there," Huo Yuhao said to Nan Shuishui.
She nodded without protest and followed him as they soared into the distance.
Eventually, Huo Yuhao and Nan Shuishui hid themselves in a mountain range—far from both the core zone and the forest's edge, avoiding beasts and humans alike.
After clearing a secure space, Huo Yuhao asked Nan Shuishui to guard the perimeter from afar.
Once she had left, Huo Yuhao pulled out a large heart.
It was none other than Dai Hao's!
"Hey, Dad~ I came to check on you," Huo Yuhao said as he dispelled the restriction on the heart.
In an instant, the heart transformed. Dai Hao's face surfaced upon it, twisted in furious madness, as if ready to leap out and tear Huo Yuhao apart.
"HUO YUHAO!! I'LL KILL YOU!!!" Dai Hao howled.
The heart throbbed violently.
But it couldn't break free from Huo Yuhao's control.
"I get it, I really do~" Huo Yuhao nodded sympathetically. "Being sealed up like this must suck. But don't worry, Dad—give it a little more time..."
"You'll get used to it."
He flashed a bright smile.
Which only enraged Dai Hao more. He cursed and raged nonstop, even dragging Huo Yun'er into his tirade.
Huo Yuhao frowned.
All the noise was getting annoying.
"Aw, I was hoping we could have a little chat. Maybe you'd share some life lessons—your life's one giant cautionary tale, after all. Could help me avoid a few pitfalls. But you're clearly not in the mood."
"Guess I'll get back to work!"
His cheerful demeanor twisted into something darker—bloodthirsty, malevolent.
Then, Huo Yuhao shoved his arm into the heart.
"AAARGH!!" Dai Hao shrieked in agony.
But this gave him a small opportunity. He began to gnaw at Huo Yuhao's arm, trying to tear it apart and vent his fury.
Unfortunately, he only barely managed to break the skin.
This reminded Huo Yuhao that he still needed to toughen up his body—especially his skin.
"Sorry, Dad. I've always been tough—thanks to all those beatings from the White Tiger Duke's household staff~" he said with a mocking grin.
Naturally, Dai Hao's resentment only grew.
Still, Huo Yuhao didn't withdraw his hand. Instead, he rummaged around inside the heart, completely ignoring the demon's pain.
At last, his face lit up. "Ah, found it~"
With a sudden yank, he pulled his arm free, blood splattering everywhere. Dai Hao howled in agony, his face contorting.
In Huo Yuhao's mangled, bleeding hand, there was a blood-red demon core.
Three months of nurturing, and it was finally complete!
The moment the core was pulled free, Dai Hao's power plummeted, his furious roars turning into pitiful groans. His hatred only deepened.
"Heh, thanks, Dad~"
Huo Yuhao didn't spare him another word. Like an ungrateful son robbing his father's wallet, he cast Dai Hao aside.
After briefly treating Dai Hao to stop the bleeding, he force-fed him a large number of blood energy seeds. The demon would eventually form a new core—just like growing a pearl in a clam.
He resealed Dai Hao and stuffed him back into a pouch.
Holding the demon core, Huo Yuhao looked pleased. The core contained an incredibly dense White Tiger bloodline. Just holding it made Huo Yuhao's own bloodline tremble, and the imagined White Tiger in his spiritual sea roared with excitement.
"Don't worry. You'll be in my belly soon," Huo Yuhao murmured—perhaps to the White Tiger within, perhaps to himself.
Then he took out his custom-made pill furnace and began refining the core, mixing in precious herbs to remove impurities, resentment, and demonic energy—purifying the bloodline for easier absorption.
Gradually, a fragrant blood aroma wafted from the furnace.
Unlike other worlds, Douluo Continent didn't punish such heretical alchemy with heavenly lightning. Huo Yuhao loved that.
But the aroma did attract many soul beasts—especially tiger-types, who found it irresistible.
Too bad for them. With quasi-Title Douluo Nan Shuishui guarding the area, none of them made it close. They were all slain and turned into blood food, their souls captured by her Ghost Banner Spirit.
It was basically bait-and-slaughter.
Huo Yuhao: "Old bastard, popped your demon core~!"
The pill is complete!
A seemingly simple matter, but it made Huo Yuhao's heart tremble, like the nervous excitement of seeing his first love again.
Because this pill... would be his stepping stone to breaking through into the Zen Master realm!
As the pill furnace opened, a golden pill was drawn out by Huo Yuhao.
Originally blood-red and filled with heavy resentment, bloodlust, and demonic aura, the inner core had now transformed into a golden pill radiating a medicinal fragrance—no trace of demonic energy remained.
One glance told you it was a treasure.
A true Gold Core!
The White Tiger bloodline within had become even purer. Holding the pill, Huo Yuhao could vaguely hear the roar of a tiger—so fierce and majestic that it dwarfed the white tiger martial spirits of trash like Dai Hao and Dai Huabin.
Even the White Tiger within Huo Yuhao's own spirit sea became subdued, as if afraid to anger this tiger's might.
Or perhaps that was just Huo Yuhao's illusion—the imagined white tiger was always obedient.
Without hesitation, he swallowed the pill.
A golden core enters the belly!
Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged and activated his Demonic Buddha Technique and the Medicinal Blood Art to begin absorbing the White Tiger bloodline within the pill.
The version of the Medicinal Blood Art he now used was a slightly upgraded one—not too different from the original, but better suited for body refinement.
Still, Huo Yuhao knew this upgraded version was only transitional. It wasn't high-grade enough to be his main cultivation method—it simply couldn't keep up with his strength.
The Demonic Buddha Technique, however, remained usable. It was a method capable of refining one into an Arhat, provided one could reach that level.
As someone who had yet to enter the Zen Master stage, Huo Yuhao didn't need to worry about that just yet.
As the techniques circulated, the White Tiger bloodline in the pill became active—then suddenly burst forth, jolting Huo Yuhao's body.
Even with a body strong enough to withstand a 300,000-year soul ring, Huo Yuhao felt a pressure of will descend upon him.
"This pill... even has this kind of effect?" he was startled, then delighted.
Though absorption had become harder, his bloodline's craving for the pill grew even stronger—evidence that it held tremendous benefits.
The erupting White Tiger bloodline entered Huo Yuhao's meridians—including the secondary network constructed from the snow lotus roots—flowed through his entire body, then began merging, reinforcing his physique and bloodline.
His White Tiger bloodline began to boil.
Other bloodlines automatically withdrew.
When the pill's White Tiger essence began fusing into his body, a tiger's roar rang out in his spiritual sea, shaking it. A massive winged white tiger phantom appeared, leaping and prowling, radiating unmatched dominance and ferocity.
"What the heck is this?!" Skydream Iceworm exclaimed, about to speak up—
—but the Golden Tortoise, fused with the Xuanwu image, poked its head out to investigate and was immediately stomped deep into the spiritual sea by the White Tiger phantom, unable to get back up for a long while.
"Never mind..." Skydream chose to turtle up too.
The imagined white tiger, however, showed no fear—on the contrary, it seemed captivated by the phantom.
It spread its own wings and cheerfully chased after the phantom, running alongside it.
As they ran together, it became obvious that the imagined white tiger was still immature, lacking the phantom's imposing aura.
Yet as it followed, a connection formed between the two. The imagined white tiger's body expanded, its tiger might began to take shape, and it grew more majestic.
The distance between them shrank.
Where their paws landed, the spiritual sea turned golden—and this gold continued to spread.
Outside, Huo Yuhao's body suddenly swelled, his blood and energy surging, tearing apart his clothes. His muscles were like steel, and under his skin, blood surged like crawling worms.
This was the result of fusing with the White Tiger bloodline.
Then—a pair of pure white wings burst from Huo Yuhao's back, each three meters long, matching the wings of the imagined white tiger.
What had once been phantom had now become real.
Enduring the physical strain, Huo Yuhao focused completely on absorbing the bloodline essence. As he looked inward, he saw his own blood gradually turning golden.
And this golden blood—was the hallmark of a Zen Master!
A fierce and violent aura surged from Huo Yuhao's body.
He had reached the critical moment of breakthrough!
Such a dramatic phenomenon upon breaking through was due to only one reason—Huo Yuhao's impatience.
Demonic cultivators often broke through like this—with loud commotions.
Proper cultivators spent years slowly refining themselves. Huo Yuhao's style was brute-force growth, even faster than most demonic cultivators.
But unlike them, he had abundant resources—and no fear of divine punishment.
Huo Yuhao: I'm heaven's chosen, what do I have to fear?
Of course, Huo Yuhao had made ample preparations.
The snow lotus swayed, helping share the burden.
His four martial souls all manifested, surrounding him to assist in absorbing the bloodline.
The difficulty wasn't the White Tiger essence—it was Huo Yuhao's own capacity to absorb it.
The resources were there—but his realm was still a little behind.
Huo Yuhao: Fortune, activate!
With his Eye of All Laws in full operation, Huo Yuhao channeled his fortune into his own crown, granting himself enlightenment.
Gradually, he entered a mysterious state.
Burning vast amounts of luck, he forced himself into a moment of realization, grasping insights into cultivation and realms.
His luck drew in the scattered fate of the Star Dou Great Forest, pouring into him like a baptism.
Even farther away, more fortune flowed in.
From the White Tiger Duke's residence—it came pouring in.
Huo Yuhao had now become the true heir of the White Tiger lineage!
In his heart, the snow lotus released countless stored bloodline seeds, refined by his heartfire into purest blood essence, merging into him and enhancing his body.
In his lower dantian, the golden core spun like a fetus breathing, contracting and expanding with each breath.
Eventually, Huo Yuhao's soul left his body—but was unharmed by sunlight. His soul and spirit had reached a higher state: his nascent spirit had been purified of all yin, becoming a Yang Spirit.
It didn't drift—it sank into the lower dantian, merging with the golden core. The pill glowed with brilliance, and if one looked closely, a tiny figure could be seen seated inside.
Meanwhile, in his spiritual sea, the imagined white tiger and the phantom gradually merged into one.
This breakthrough... lasted twelve hours.
Until noon the next day.
When Huo Yuhao emerged from his realization and opened his eyes again, their brilliance was concealed—returning to natural purity. His body was no longer abnormal—except that he was stark naked, he looked like a perfectly healthy young man.
His form was so proportionate and refined that even the slightest change would ruin its harmony.
Golden blood now flowed through every vein.
At this moment, Huo Yuhao's body and spirit had transcended the limits of an Ultimate Douluo!
He had begun to transform—toward something greater.
The Zen Master realm—achieved!
And then... a golden blood-qi soul ring slowly rose from beneath him.
Huo Yuhao: "…"
The laws of the world really know how to slip in at the perfect time~
Huo Yuhao: "Ugh, this damn Douluo Law… What a clingy little minx~"
( Translator: This is the Author's note in raws :
Author's Note:
The emergence of the Yang Spirit here can be understood similarly to the technique seen in The Outcast (Hitori no Shita). It's a method, not a realm classification.
Huo Yuhao's cultivation system isn't traditional cultivation—it's based on transformation of soul, bloodline, and body through enlightenment. It aligns more with internal alchemy rather than orthodox Xianxia.
The "Pudu Cihang" heritage draws from folk legends and stories like Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (Liaozhai)—please be patient with this developing worldbuilding.
I'm a new author with a lot to learn. Please give me a chance. )
A towering ape rode a raging wind through the forest, letting out a furious roar as it hurled a savage punch.
It was a hundred-thousand-year soul beast—the Tempest Mighty Monkey King (not really).
Cough cough. Its real name was the Four-Eared Battlewind Ape King. As its name suggested, it had four ears.
It was the king of the Battlewind Ape tribe.
The Battlewind Apes were wind-attribute ape-type soul beasts. Adults could grow up to two meters tall, capable of launching wind-based attacks. They could travel through forests at high speeds by harnessing the power of the wind. A warlike, social species, they were considered a formidable soul beast race among high-level beasts.
Instead of mingling in the core region and serving as lackeys to the savage beasts, under the leadership of their king, the Battlewind Apes found a fruit grove in a distant mountain range and established it as their territory.
With the power of their tribe, there were few soul beasts that could pose a threat to them. Even human soul masters only dared to hunt solitary apes.
Without any natural predators and with a stable environment, the Battlewind Ape tribe flourished. Their numbers surpassed five hundred, and the tribe's king successfully broke through the hundred-thousand-year barrier.
Furthermore, its bloodline evolved. A second pair of ears sprouted, granting it a new ability called Wind Listening, which allowed it to detect information through the wind and sense the presence of enemies.
And so, the sneaky infiltration attempt by Huo Yuhao and Nan Shuishui, relying on mimicry and stealth, was foiled. Mimicry couldn't make one truly disappear—through the wind, their presence was conveyed to the Battlewind Ape King.
The cunning king didn't raise an alarm but instead used the opportunity to launch a counter-ambush.
As Huo Yuhao and Nan Shuishui drew closer, the Ape King struck without warning.
Even the surrounding apes hadn't realized what was happening.
The five-meter-tall Ape King, channeling fierce gales, gathered wind around its fist and slammed down at Huo Yuhao and Nan Shuishui. The stormy winds disrupted their mental simulation, exposing their position.
This was one of the Battlewind Apes' soul skills: Gale Fist.
Not only was it immensely powerful, but the cutting wind added further damage.
Realizing they had been exposed, Nan Shuishui immediately activated her martial soul and jumped into a defensive stance in front of Huo Yuhao. She was under immense pressure facing a hundred-thousand-year combat-type soul beast.
But Huo Yuhao merely raised his eyes slightly.
The approaching wind felt like a mere breeze.
In the next second, a golden soul ring rose beneath Huo Yuhao's feet—a bloodline soul ring, formed after his bloodline breakthrough.
The ring glowed brilliantly with golden light.
"First Soul Skill: White Tiger Transformation!"
"ROAR—!"
A thunderous tiger's roar erupted from Huo Yuhao's body, like a lightning strike, blasting away the gale from the Ape King's fist and forcing it back several steps.
The Ape King looked utterly shocked, as if facing a formidable foe.
Only then did the surrounding Battlewind Apes react—realizing their king had been attacked, they grew agitated. The stronger adults began to roar threateningly at Huo Yuhao and Nan Shuishui.
At that moment, Huo Yuhao's body swelled with power, covered in sleek white tiger fur. Whiskers sprouted on his face, his ears became tiger-like, and his eyes turned into Evil-Eyed Double Pupils.
His Evil Eyes opened in sync with the transformation.
A mighty tiger's aura erupted from Huo Yuhao's body—an aura worthy of a king among beasts, compelling submission from all who sensed it.
Tiger Might Shakes the World!
The Battlewind Apes, who had just been roaring aggressively, immediately quieted down. Their growls turned into whimpers, clearly frightened.
After completing his breakthrough, Huo Yuhao had rushed here with Nan Shuishui to obtain a hundred-thousand-year soul ring.
Time was running out.
Now, at last, he had the chance to feel the power of his first bloodline soul ring.
Unlike conventional soul rings, a bloodline soul ring was forged from one's vital energy and blood. It could be self-condensed and didn't grant a standard soul skill but rather an awakened bloodline ability.
Moreover, each ring could carry more than one potential power.
In the future, Tang Wulin's Golden Dragon King bloodline soul rings would work similarly.
The difference? The Golden Dragon King bloodline didn't originally belong to Tang Wulin, while the White Tiger bloodline was something Huo Yuhao had cultivated and grown with over time.
Thus, White Tiger Transformation, as his first skill, gave him greater and more comprehensive improvements.
Upon activation, Huo Yuhao felt his vital energy surge. His physical constitution was enhanced, giving effects akin to martial soul possession. In addition, he could emit a pressure known as Tiger Might.
Tiger Might suppressed all beast-type enemies, making them unable to fight at full strength. The weaker the foe, the more suppressed they were. In contrast, Huo Yuhao's own strength would increase slightly.
The Ape King, as the first to be targeted, experienced this effect firsthand—even as a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, its combat power was reduced by thirty percent.
Maintaining even seventy percent of its strength against Huo Yuhao was already impressive.
"Human! Leave!"
The Ape King, no longer attacking, stammered out human speech, trying to make Huo Yuhao and Nan Shuishui retreat.
That's right—it backed down.
But Huo Yuhao had come precisely for its soul ring—and for the tribe.
"Fight me!"
Huo Yuhao gave the Ape King no chance to refuse and launched his attack.
His first soul ring glowed again. The golden light of White Tiger Transformation completely engulfed him. And when the light burst apart, it was no longer Huo Yuhao who emerged—but a five-meter-long ferocious white tiger!
This was another effect of White Tiger Transformation: akin to Martial Soul True Body, it allowed him to manifest a bloodline true form, turning into a white tiger.
Its effects were no less powerful than a true martial soul form.
Seeing that Huo Yuhao was unrelenting, the Ape King gave up any illusions and roared, unleashing its full power.
At this point, it had no choice but to go all out.
However—how could it possibly stand a chance?
The Ape King was pinned to the ground by the white tiger and utterly humiliated.
Had Huo Yuhao not been trying to test out the White Tiger Transformation, the Ape King wouldn't have lasted long at all. But its resistance helped Huo Yuhao better understand the skill.
Bloodline soul ring skills were more like inborn abilities, lacking branching techniques.
Yet through bloodline power, one could develop unique combat skills.
After a few simple experiments, Huo Yuhao created a technique called White Tiger Claw—a strike that not only damaged the enemy's body but also vibrated their internal organs.
The skill wasn't particularly advanced, but it could only be used when infused with bloodline power.
Half an hour later.
The thoroughly defeated and exhausted Ape King was thrown in front of Nan Shuishui.
"Finish it. Its soul ring is yours."
Huo Yuhao's voice echoed from the mouth of the white tiger.
Nan Shuishui, overwhelmed with emotion, dropped to her knees in front of Huo Yuhao.
"Thank you, Lord Ming King, for your gift!"
She then stood, walked to the lifeless Ape King, and ended its suffering.
A crimson hundred-thousand-year soul ring formed, carrying a pressure that made Nan Shuishui both tremble and yearn with desire.
She didn't waste a moment and began absorbing the soul ring.
Huo Yuhao reverted to his human form, deactivating White Tiger Transformation and exhaled softly.
"No side effects. I feel completely fine."
"A great skill."
"Time to try condensing the second soul ring."
Battlewind Ape King: "Even monkeys have lives, man!"