A Piece of Soul Bone! Mirror Beast
Fire Hammer Tavern.
This was a well-known tavern in Beihe Town. Because the town bordered the Frozen Forest, countless hunters, mercenaries, and wandering soul masters gathered here year-round, making the place especially lively.
At this moment, in front of the counter, a neatly dressed young man with refined features sat quietly. From time to time, he raised his cup and took a small sip of ale. His calm and restrained demeanor was completely out of place amid the noisy, boisterous atmosphere of the tavern.
This young man was none other than Yu Hao, who had recently left the Sunset Forest.
As for why he appeared here, he naturally had his own purpose.
"Boss, give me a glass of fruit wine. This ale is too bitter."
Yuhao frowned slightly as he pushed the wooden cup aside, clearly dissatisfied with the taste.
Behind the counter stood the tavern owner—a glamorous young woman dressed rather boldly. Her fiery red wavy hair cascaded down her shoulders, her figure was hot and alluring, and her every movement carried a mature charm. Hearing Yuhao's words, she couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.
"Little brother, we don't sell sweet fruit wine here," she said teasingly. "Only strong liquor—and even stronger liquor."
"This…" Yuhao hesitated for a moment, then sighed helplessly. "Alright then. Just give me a glass of water."
Yuhao felt somewhat awkward.
The tavern proprietress smiled charmingly and poured him a glass of ice-cold water. However, when she leaned forward to hand it to him, her already eye-catching figure came even closer, causing an overwhelming sight to burst into view.
Yuhao's mind blanked for an instant.
"Little brother," the proprietress said softly, her voice carrying a hint of temptation. "I've noticed you for several days now. Can you tell your sister what you're doing here in Beihe Town?"
Yuhao's attention was completely seized by that sudden flash of white brilliance. He froze for two full seconds before snapping back to his senses. His face flushed slightly as he stammered:
"I—I hired a mercenary group. I asked them to help me look for a soul beast. If they find any clues, they'll come here to inform me."
Yuhao had arrived in Beihe Town half a month ago. After that, he ventured into the Frozen Forest alone, aimlessly searching for his target.
However, after ten full days of searching, he found nothing.
He knew that the soul beast he was seeking was extremely rare, but he still hadn't expected it to be this difficult to locate.
Later, after Tianmeng Ice Silkworm reminded him, Yuhao came to this tavern and hired a mercenary group to assist with the search.
The Frozen Forest lay on the border between the Sky Soul Empire and neighboring regions. It was essentially lawless territory, beyond the reach of any single empire. As a result, countless mercenaries, hunters, and soul masters who made their living hunting soul beasts were active here.
Compared to Yuhao, an outsider, these people had spent years roaming the Frozen Forest. Naturally, they had a much higher chance of finding rare soul beasts.
All Yuhao needed to do was pay enough commission.
"Oh?" The beautiful proprietress raised her eyebrows slightly, clearly intrigued. "Then it must be a very rare soul beast."
She smiled meaningfully and continued, "The commission you paid shouldn't be small, right?"
Yuhao chuckled softly and raised a single finger.
"One hundred gold soul coins?" the proprietress asked tentatively.
Yuhao shook his head.
"One thousand gold soul coins?" Her voice grew more serious. After all, one thousand gold soul coins was already an enormous sum.
Yuhao still shook his head.
"Gold soul coins?" The proprietress' voice rose in shock. Because of her surprise, she spoke too loudly, causing several nearby customers to look over.
Yuhao smiled faintly, shook his head once again, then curled his finger slightly, signaling for the proprietress to lean closer.
Somewhat puzzled, the proprietress leaned in and placed her ear near his mouth.
Yuhao whispered something softly.
The moment she heard his words, the proprietress' expression changed drastically. Her eyes widened, and her lips parted slightly as if she wanted to speak, but no words came out. She was simply too shocked.
At that very moment—
Clang!
The wooden door of the tavern was suddenly pushed open.
A burly man wearing a thick animal-skin coat strode in from outside. His build was sturdy, and his aura carried the sharpness of someone who had long wandered through life-and-death situations.
In his hand, he held a lens-like scale that reflected faint light.
The instant Yuhao saw that scale, his eyes lit up.
"Found it?" Yuhao asked, already standing up.
"Found it," the man replied.
This man was Tie Lang, the vice-captain of the mercenary group Yuhao had hired.
Hearing Tie Lang's confirmation, Yuhao felt a surge of joy. He immediately turned and prepared to leave.
Before departing, he casually flicked his fingers, and a brilliant golden soul coin landed neatly on the counter.
A few cups of water and ale were certainly not worth a gold soul coin—but who told the proprietress to let him see a rather… special kind of scenery?
Consider it a tip.
However, at this moment, the proprietress didn't even glance at the gold soul coin. Her mind was still echoing with the words Yuhao had just whispered.
Just then, a thin man with shifty eyes noticed the unattended gold soul coin. He quietly approached, intending to pocket it.
But the instant he stretched out his hand—
Shing!
A sharp dagger stabbed into the counter, stopping just an inch from his finger.
The man froze.
He looked up and met the cold, mocking gaze of the proprietress. A dangerous smile curved her red lips.
"Gray Mouse," she said icily, "you've grown quite bold, haven't you? You even dare to touch my money."
"Hey, Sister Hong, don't misunderstand," the man called Gray Mouse laughed awkwardly. "I was just helping you check whether this gold soul coin is real or fake. If it's fake, I'll immediately capture that kid and bring him back to you."
"Hmph," Sister Hong snorted. "I don't need you to check for me. Get lost—unless you want me to take your other ear as well."
Her gaze shifted meaningfully toward Gray Mouse's left ear.
Only then did one notice that Gray Mouse's right ear was completely missing, replaced by a long, palm-sized scar that looked especially terrifying.
Remembering something unpleasant, Gray Mouse shuddered violently. Without another word, he turned and fled in panic.
After he disappeared completely, Sister Hong picked up the gold soul coin and played with it between her fingers, murmuring softly:
"Heh… How could someone who offers a soul bone as commission ever use fake money?"
That's right.
Those were the words Yuhao had whispered into her ear just now.
"A piece of soul bone."
...
On the other side, after leaving the Fire Hammer Tavern, Yuhao followed Tie Lang toward the depths of the Frozen Forest.
At the same time, he carefully examined the lens-like scale in his hand. A familiar cold voice echoed within his mind.
"Judging from the luster and texture of this scale, it should belong to a mirror beast around five thousand years old."
It was the Ice Emperor.
That was correct. From the moment Yuhao entered the Frozen Forest, the soul beast he had been searching for was the mirror beast.
The Mirror Beast was an extremely strange and exceptionally rare soul beast. The scales covering its body resembled small mirrors, capable of reflecting the surrounding environment and even confusing enemies.
Thousands of years ago, Oscar—the companion of Tang San, the Sea God—once hunted a mirror beast and obtained an extremely powerful soul skill: Copying Mirror Sausage.
By consuming the sausage and using a drop of blood, one could temporarily obtain all the abilities of another person, excluding soul bones and cultivation realm.
Although the effect only reached about seventy percent of the original strength, it was still widely regarded as an unbelievably heaven-defying skill.
In fact, Yuhao's original body had once obtained a similar soul skill known as Imitation, which could replicate the soul skills of others.
However, the two were not comparable at all.
One copied soul skills alone, while the other copied martial souls and all accompanying soul skills.
After hearing the Ice Emperor's judgment, the corners of Yuhao's lips lifted slightly.
"So it's a five-thousand-year-old mirror beast," Yuhao said calmly. "That means it will only require five thousand years of evolutionary power."
After undergoing the tempering of the Ice and Fire Eyes, Yuhao's physical body had already reached an astonishing level. Now, he could fully withstand a five-thousand-year soul ring.
To others, this would be nothing short of a miracle.
But to Yuhao—
It felt completely natural.