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--- Chapter 385 ---
Han Yuan and the others were not surprised when Xiao Rou obtained the same level of Phoenix God's Trials as her daughter, Xiao Wu.
Therefore, when Xiao Rou told Han Yuan that the contents of her Phoenix God's Trials were quite similar to Xiao Wu's, he was prepared for it.
Yet, there was one difference. Xiao Rou was a fully matured transformed spirit beast and could no longer condense her own spirit ring. In the eyes of universal laws, she had become completely human.
That said, it wasn't entirely accurate to say she couldn't condense spirit rings at all. Han Yuan had previously developed a technique to condense a Natal Spirit Ring, which could be beneficial for Xiao Rou, but it wouldn't be advantageous for her future cultivation. After all, her first six spirit rings were considered Natal Spirit Rings.
Even then, Han Yuan wasn't out of options. He had created several moon-related Spirit Souls for his sister, Han Yue.
Unfortunately, due to the Moon Goddess's Trials, she wouldn't need them at all.
Although not contracting a Spirit Soul was somewhat of a downside, Han Yue's path of cultivation was very pure, so not having one was also seen as a positive.
Han Yue didn't need to share her spirit energy with a Spirit Soul since she only required pure Spirit Rings.
The Moon Goddess's Trials would gradually transform her Spirit Rings into Divine Spirit Rings.
Therefore, those moon-related Spirit Souls had been gathering dust in the Sky Poison Pearl. Nonetheless, this didn't mean Han Yue wouldn't need a Spirit Soul in the future.
Once Han Yuan's cultivation increased the limit of the Douluo Plane, Han Yue might require a powerful Spirit Soul upon reaching level 100.
Anyway, now, these neglected moon-related Spirit Souls could finally see the light of day again.
"I will prepare a suitable Spirit Soul for you later," Han Yuan said to Xiao Rou. "Don't worry, the quality is guaranteed."
"Mm, I trust you, Young Benefactor!" Xiao Rou replied with a smile. If there was one thing she had for Han Yuan, it was unwavering trust.
Han Yuan waved his hand and added, "As for the reward for Spirit Energy Vortex Initiation, it is indeed a good thing."
"But you still need to prepare yourself and follow your usual cultivation technique. Forming a Spirit Core should not be difficult by then."
"I understand," Xiao Rou nodded, adopting a serious expression because she knew the dangers involved in forming a Spirit Core.
"Hey, Han Yuan, what is this Spirit Soul thing?" Storm Phoenix Lord asked curiously.
Han Yuan glanced at Xiao Wu, who appeared poised to speak again, and sighed, "It's one of my creations."
"A Spirit Soul is essentially an alternative lifeform for spirit beasts who are at the end of their lives or have chosen another way to grow stronger, and this allows them to perform a Soul Contract pact with a spirit master, thus providing the latter with spirit rings."
"Don't worry about the slavery aspect for spirit beasts; the Soul Contract is equal."
"The stronger the bond between the Spirit Soul and the Spirit Master, the more powerful they can become in the future."
"Moreover, since the Spirit Soul can provide more than one spirit ring, this helps the Spirit Beast race, which is slowly but surely facing extinction if I didn't meddle with it."
"Of course, it would be better if the laws of the universe weren't so one-sided."
"But what can I do? My cultivation hasn't yet reached the god level," Han Yuan shrugged helplessly. "I can only use this alternative method."
The Nine Phoenix Lords were at a loss for words upon hearing Han Yuan's explanation. The surprises kept coming, each one more shocking than the last.
When the Nine Phoenix Lords thought it was over, this revelation struck them hard, and each felt like a resounding slap to their faces.
Han Yuan continued, "I can't show you my two Spirit Souls due to non-disclosure issues, but I can let you display them to others."
"Ah Yin, it's your turn."
"Alright!" Ah Yin giggled. She flew through the air, lightly tapping her feet before landing on the Assessment Cloud. She slowly turned her back to the testing stone, allowing the Nine Phoenix Lords to get a good look at her.
"I can't let Xiao Yuan look too bad..." Ah Yin then summoned the Dark Blue Silver Emperor, which immediately released an immense amount of life energy, followed by a devouring force containing space and star attributes.
Some of the Phoenix Lords frowned at this, while others narrowed their eyes.
Jade Phoenix Lord couldn't help but clap her hands in amazement. "Wow! Such a pure and strong life energy!"
"And it's the same type as Han Yuan's grass," White-Eyed Phoenix Lord added.
"No, it even mutated further than his grass."
"This girl was originally a spirit beast who transformed into a human, so this martial soul is essentially herself. Her own origins have evolved and gained devouring abilities, which is normal because absorbing life is another form of devouring. But this star and space attribute..."
"This grass species is somewhat absurd, isn't it?"
Ah Yin smiled and said, "It was mostly thanks to Xiao Yuan."
"My Blue Silver Clan is actually the weakest plant, or rather, the weakest spirit beast on the Douluo Plane."
"Our main strength lies in our endless vitality and our ability to adapt and thrive in the toughest environments. I am the Emperor of my Blue Silver Clan, known as the Blue Silver Emperor."
"Unfortunately, due to the schemes of a scumbag human, I perished. Not only that, but I also endured many years of limbo that darkened my entire being. Thankfully, Xiao Yuan revived me."
"After my revival, I discovered that my very origins and foundation had changed. I became the Dark Blue Silver Emperor with an innate ability to devour heaven and earth. I also gained star and space attributes due to certain emotions."
"As for the Spirit Soul that Xiao Yuan mentioned..." Ah Yin revealed her spirit rings.
There were six black rings, followed by three Orange-Gold rings.
The Nine Phoenix Lords were surprised, just a little, to see that Ah Yin's first six spirit rings were black, and they noticed a hint of red in them, suggesting they were very close to the 100,000-year-old realm.
To the Phoenix Lords, these black spirit rings were trivial. After all, raising the age of spirit rings was relatively easy for them. With just a bit of their sealed divine energy, they could effortlessly enhance one's spirit rings to the 100,000-year-old realm, provided the individual could handle such powerful rings.
Regardless, the orange-gold spirit rings were intriguing! The Nine Phoenix Lords observed that although these rings had no visible rejection from the spirit beast they originated from, they instead showed signs of mutual growth.
The energy circulation from Ah Yin's own body also seemed to split off to these rings, slowing her cultivation somewhat. Yet, she was also receiving a far superior spiritual power from them.
At that moment, Zi Mei silently appeared beside Ah Yin. She appeared like an ethereal ghost, as her entire body was composed of pure energy. Still, with the aid of Ah Yin's quasi-divine life energy, she was able to manifest a tangible body once again.
"Hello, esteemed Phoenix Lords," Zi Mei greeted them with a slight bow. "My name is Zi Mei, the Monster-Eyed Tree King, and I have formed a Soul Contract Pact with Ah Yin."
"I was originally a 150,000-year-old spirit beast, but in less than a year, my cultivation has grown to a 369,000-year-old realm."
"Furthermore, due to the merging of my own origins with Ah Yin, I have undergone an evolution. I have transformed into the Monster-Eyed Tree Empress, endowed with not only ultimate spiritual and life attributes but also a powerful space affinity."
"Due to the Soul Contract Pact, as I grow stronger, the spirit rings I produced for Ah Yin will also age."
"The orange-gold color of my spirit rings represents the bond and potential I share with Ah Yin."
"They are signs of these rings being ferocious-level spirit rings, hailing from a ferocious Spirit Soul that is over 200,000 years old."
"They will be referred to as Ferocious Spirit Rings once a new era of Spirit Souls begins."
Hiss!
The Nine Phoenix Lords were astonished to find that Han Yuan's creations had such remarkable qualities.
Given their high-level insight, they understood the vision behind the Spirit Soul and Soul Contract.
This alternative method allowed spirit beasts or Spirit Souls to evolve into Divine Beasts, assuming their host was talented and fortunate enough, and the chances were very high!
Han Yuan had skillfully exploited this loophole with this method. The Nine Phoenix Lords had to admit that he was ahead of his time.
If Han Yuan knew what they were thinking right now, he would definitely roll his eyes, because, of course, he was ahead of his time.
As a reincarnator with many cheats, if he weren't ahead of others by a mile, wouldn't that be embarrassing?
"Spirit Soul, what a fine creation..." White-Eyed Phoenix Lord commented in admiration. "Girl, you should assess yourself."
Ah Yin nodded at White-Eyed Phoenix Lord and touched the testing stone with her fair hand, causing another eight consecutive phoenix cries to echo again.
CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWW!
Yet, this time, the last cry actually sounded alive!