Huo Yuhao's troubled expression made Zhuge Lan burst into laughter.
"Fascinating! Absolutely fascinating!"
"Zhuge, stop teasing Little Yuhao," Tianmeng Ice Silkworm said exasperatedly.
"You must have a way to prevent the Dark Blue Silver Grass from causing her descent into darkness and allow for a normal awakening, right?"
Huo Yuhao's eyes lit up.
"Brother Lan, is Brother Tianmeng telling the truth?" he asked urgently.
"Tsk! You always have to ask!" Zhuge Lan retorted.
"Awakening is simple, but purifying the bloodline is complicated and requires a significant number of Luck Points. Little Yuhao, focus on working part-time jobs and save up enough before you even think about it."
Huo Yuhao's heart swelled with hope, and he nodded vigorously.
"I'll work hard!"
"But Brother Lan, what are Fortune Points?"
"That Mandala Snake is on its last breath," Zhuge Lan drawled. "You should decide whether to warn her about the Fortune Points first."
Huo Yuhao: "..."
Meanwhile, Bei Bei had reduced the Mandala Snake to a half-paralyzed state with his lightning-roasted barbecue attack.
Tang Ya leaped up, her eyes sparkling.
"Wow! Little Yuhao, your Soul Skill is amazing!" she exclaimed. "Once I absorb that Soul Ring, I'll definitely repay you!"
She pulled out a six-inch flying knife and, with a flick of her wrist, hurled it into the Mandala Snake's eye, piercing its vital spot and ending its life.
Purple sparks drifted upward, coalescing into a purple Soul Ring.
Tang Ya joyfully sat down cross-legged, summoning her Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul to absorb the Soul Ring.
Huo Yuhao couldn't hold back. "Wait!"
Bei Bei and Tang Ya turned to look at him.
"What is it, Little Yuhao?" Tang Ya asked, puzzled.
Huo Yuhao's mind raced as he spoke, quickly fabricating an explanation. "My Martial Soul is mutated, and the first Soul Ring I absorbed was also mutated. This awakened a mutated ability that allows me to perceive information invisible to ordinary people."
"Sister Ya, your Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul is unsuitable for absorbing the Mandala Snake. You should seek life-type plant Soul Beasts instead."
"If you don't believe me... just consider this nonsense."
Bei Bei and Tang Ya exchanged glances, their expressions shifting through surprise, skepticism, and contemplation.
Bei Bei, ever resourceful, tested the waters. "Then, Little Yuhao, what do you see in my Martial Soul?"
He summoned his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, its first beast-type Martial Soul's pressure radiating naturally.
Huo Yuhao activated his Spirit Eye, mentally crying out to Zhuge Lan: 'Brother Lan! Save me! Quick, help me figure this out!'
"You're the one who made up this lie, and you want someone else to help you cover it up?" Zhuge Lan teased.
"Brother Lan! You can say whatever you want after the fact! Please, I'm begging you to help!" Huo Yuhao lowered his stance, adopting a sincere attitude when asking for help.
Seeing this, Zhuge Lan couldn't continue teasing him.
Without needing to consume any Fortune Points, Zhuge Lan directly provided a flood of information.
Huo Yuhao repeated it:
"Brother Bei Bei, your Martial Soul is the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, but your bloodline isn't stable. Normally, you appear in the form of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, but you can spontaneously evolve into the Light Sacred Dragon, right?"
Bei Bei's eyes widened in surprise!
He really figured it out?
Even Tang Ya only had a vague understanding of the secret behind Martial Soul evolution, its underlying principles remaining obscure.
Huo Yuhao, who had only met him twice, couldn't possibly know this.
Therefore...
"Little Yuhao, your Mutated Martial Soul is truly remarkable!" Bei Bei marveled. "Since you can discern the evolution path of Xiao Ya's Martial Soul, can you do the same for mine?"
"Absorb Soul Rings or Soul Bones from creatures with Light Sacred Dragon bloodline or affinity," Huo Yuhao answered without hesitation.
"For example, the Heavenly Dragon Horse, which possesses pure Light Sacred Dragon bloodline. If you could make it your..."
He abruptly stopped.
'Soul Spirit?'
What was that?
"Now isn't the time for questions," he said, quickly changing his tone. "As a Soul Ring, this has an extremely high chance of stabilizing your Martial Soul's evolution."
Bei Bei clapped his hands in sudden realization!
His first three Soul Rings were all lightning-attribute. No wonder his Martial Soul's evolution kept destabilizing. He'd been going in the wrong direction.
Tang Ya also stood up, casting one last longing glance at the Mandala Snake Soul Ring before turning resolutely to Huo Yuhao.
Meanwhile, in the spiritual world, Zhuge Lan sensed a massive influx of Fortune Points.
He spent 1 Fortune Point to generate a System Notification:
[ Fate Rewrite: Tang Ya ]
[ +20,000 Fortune Points! ]
'Whoa! That much?'
But when he thought about it, it made sense. The choice of Soul Ring to absorb had profound implications for the future development of one's Martial Soul, and even their combat style.
Especially for Tang Ya, a supporting character, the current Sect Leader of the Tang Sect, and a future leader among the Evil Soul Masters. Interfering with her Soul Ring selection would have far-reaching consequences.
20,000 Luck Points was entirely reasonable.
"Little Yuhao, who else is in your family?" Tang Ya asked.
Huo Yuhao's eyes dimmed.
He shook his head firmly. "Just me now."
"Really? That's wonderful!" Tang Ya said joyfully.
Huo Yuhao: ???
Bei Bei tugged at the corner of his mouth, speechless, and lightly tapped Tang Ya on the head.
"How could you say that?"
Tang Ya realized her slip of the tongue but still glared at Bei Bei.
Then, sticking out her tongue, she said, "Sorry, Little Yuhao. I was just thinking that inviting you to join my sect would be easier if you didn't have family ties."
"Sect? Invite me?"
Huo Yuhao was taken aback. They had only met twice.
Tang Ya planted her hands on her hips, looking smug.
"Our sect used to be number one on the continent!"
"The sect's exclusive techniques would be perfect for you to cultivate."
"You're alone and so young. If you join the sect, we can look out for each other. It's better than you stumbling around on your own."
"You won't always be so lucky. What if something goes wrong during your solo adventures?"
"By the way, our sect is called—Tang Sect!"
Huo Yuhao shuddered!
Tang Sect!
Even when he was very young, his mother had told him tales of the Tang Sect's legends.
Founded ten thousand years ago, its history rivaled that of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Hao Tian Sect.
Legend had it that Tang San, the first sect leader, had broken through the Titled Douluo rank to become a God and ascended to the God Realm!
Moreover, if the Tang Sect hadn't reshaped the continent's power dynamics ten thousand years ago, laying the foundation for its future development, the Douluo Continent might have been conquered by the Sun-Moon Continent long ago.
Four thousand years ago, when the Sun-Moon Continent collided with the Douluo Continent, the Douluo Continent likely couldn't have resisted and would have been swallowed up long ago.
Sensing Huo Yuhao's thoughts, Zhuge Lan sneered.
"If that little bastard hadn't interfered, the Martial Soul Hall would have unified the continent ages ago. Even though the current Pope is a madman, he's kept in check by the Angel God, another First-Tier God."
"Without his meddling, there wouldn't have been the internal strife in the Heaven Dou Empire, its subsequent split into the Heaven Spirit and Dou Ling Empires, and the Star Luo Empire. These three empires now stand in a precarious balance, each restraining the others, delaying countless years of potential progress."
"Even without the Sun-Moon Continent collision four thousand years ago, the Martial Soul Empire would have already launched a campaign to conquer it."
Huo Yuhao's mouth hung slightly open.
So, not only had the Tang Sect failed to contribute to progress, but it had actually hindered it?
But...
"You don't believe me?" Zhuge Lan retorted.
"Back in the days of the Martial Soul Hall, every commoner could awaken their Martial Soul for free. Even Soul Masters in remote mountain regions would travel great distances to do so."
"Moreover, all Soul Masters received subsidies: 1 Gold Soul Coin per month for those above level 10, and 10 Gold Soul Coins for those above level 20."
"If you had been born in that era, your mother, as a level 17 Soul Master, wouldn't have died from overwork, and you wouldn't have suffered from malnutrition."
Huo Yuhao's eyes glazed over.
Free Martial Soul awakenings?
Subsidies for Soul Masters?
Could there truly have been such a golden age?
And then...
The Tang Sect brought that era to an end!