"Chu lad, did something go wrong?"
Seeing Chu Chengzhou officially advance to the Soul Ancestor level but noticing his gloomy expression, Dugu Bo asked.
"Uh, nothing much."
Hearing this, Chu Chengzhou composed himself and waved it off.
Though the post-level-up cheat didn't meet expectations, he had no say in the matter—it was what it was. At least having it was better than not.
"That's good. Let me see your Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear summon!"
Dugu Bo nodded curiously.
Chu Chengzhou's True Spirit Flag weapon was unique—its soul skill effect was to summon the soul beast hunted during advancement. The combat strength of a ten-thousand-year Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear was extraordinary, so he wanted to see if its overwhelming power across multiple levels remained after being summoned.
Excluding those that weren't battle-focused, soul beasts around ten thousand years old generally matched Soul Kings with optimal spirit ring configurations and decent martial souls. However, a few powerful bloodline soul beasts were exceptions—the ten-thousand-year Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear, aside from slightly slower speed, could rival an early Power-type Soul Sage.
If the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear summon retained its original strength, Chu Chengzhou's power would be absolutely formidable.
As a Douluo, Dugu Bo had seen soul masters who could fight across levels, but a Soul Ancestor displaying Soul Sage-level strength? He hadn't seen that before.
Chu Chengzhou didn't refuse. As soul power surged, his fourth spirit ring lit up, and the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear summon materialized.
The unshrunken Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear stood over five meters tall, its eyes filled with coldness and cruelty. Its entire body was covered in dark golden fur, its arms exceptionally thick, and its shoulders broad like a fortress wall.
Most striking were the two massive claws at the ends of its thick arms—sharp and awe-inspiring. The right claw was larger, the left smaller, but even the smaller left claw's longest finger reached five feet, nearly as large as Chu Chengzhou himself.
"Bear Big, show off your signature soul skill for Senior to see!"
Patting the thick leg of the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear summon, Chu Chengzhou gave the command.
Similar to Xiao Qing, Xiao Bai, and Xiao Hong, "Bear Big" was the name he gave to his Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear summon.
"Roar—"
Receiving Chu Chengzhou's order, Bear Big let out a roar. A dark golden glow surged on its massive right claw, and with a swipe, it struck a nearby tree so large it would take three people to encircle.
Instantly, a terrifying dark golden claw shadow shot forth, brimming with endless sharpness.
One of the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear summon's two innate soul skills: **Adamantine Claw**.
"Hiss—"
It cut through the tree as if slicing through ordinary paper. A faint sound echoed as the sharp claw shadow passed through the tree and landed on the ground behind the forest.
"Boom—"
In an instant, dirt, rocks, and wood splinters flew everywhere. A loud explosion rang out, and a deep, bottomless claw mark appeared on the ground—five grooves, not wide but immeasurably deep.
Bear Big's innate soul skill, Adamantine Claw, had two attack modes: soul skill release mode and passive mode.
The soul skill release mode unleashed a terrifying dark golden claw shadow, functioning as a ranged attack.
In passive mode, the effect was akin to an attack-boosting soul skill, enhancing the power of Bear Big's claws and adding a potent armor-piercing effect. Though lacking range and explosive power compared to the soul skill mode, the passive mode's advantage lay in its sustained effect, allowing someone with limited soul power to maintain a moderate-intensity battle for a short time.
"Not bad! Truly deserving of the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear's reputation!"
Looking at the bottomless claw marks in the distance, Dugu Bo couldn't help but exclaim.
The destruction area wasn't vast, but the attack intensity was incredibly high—definitely at the Soul Sage level.
No sooner had he finished speaking than the previously severed but still-standing tree began tilting at the point where the terrifying claw shadow struck. With a loud crash, its massive canopy crushed nearby low shrubs and flowers.
Blue Silver Grass: F*ck you~!
"Bear Big, Rage Mode, then give it another claw strike!"
Chu Chengzhou issued another command.
Instantly, a dazzling dark golden light surged over Bear Big's enormous body, and its aura skyrocketed.
Innate soul skill: **Rage Mode**, a self-enhancement soul skill. Its current effect increased offensive and defensive attributes by 150%, reduced pain when injured, and aside from lowering rationality upon activation, had no other obvious side effects.
"Boom—"
Another terrifying claw shadow erupted, leaving an even larger mark near the previous bottomless claw grooves.
"Tsk~, Chu lad, with this Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear summon, your strength is enough to rival an average Soul Sage!"
Clicking his tongue, Dugu Bo turned to Chu Chengzhou with amazement.
"Senior, you're overthinking it. Just summoning Bear Big and using its innate soul skill three times has already drained more than half of my soul power."
Feeling the less-than-half soul power remaining in his body, Chu Chengzhou sighed with a bitter smile.
Bear Big's strength was impressive, but he, as the summoner, was holding it back.
What limited mages' power was always mana, and what limited Bear Big's power was Chu Chengzhou's extremely limited soul power!
However, though soul power consumption was significant, far higher than the relatively low-level Light Lion summon Xiao Bai or the Fire Phoenix summon Xiao Hong, Bear Big had undeniably become one of his strongest trump cards—comparable to his illusion technique and archery paired with titanium armor-piercing arrows, both capable of posing serious threats to average Soul Sages.
Dugu Bo chuckled and shook his head: "What's there to worry about? When your soul power level increases in the future, you'll naturally have enough soul power."
If you can take down your opponent in one fell swoop, soul power insufficiency wouldn't be an issue.
On the other hand, insufficient attack strength that fails to defeat your opponent means even abundant soul power would be useless.
"You're right."
Chu Chengzhou nodded.
A mere Soul Ancestor whose soul skills could unleash the strength of a Soul Sage—what more could he ask for?
He was very satisfied with Bear Big's strength.
Of course, there were some regrets—he still hadn't obtained a spirit bone, let alone the even rarer external spirit bone.
But spirit bone drop rates were low, reportedly only one in a thousand, and external spirit bones were even rarer. Since he hadn't been slaughtering soul beasts en masse, not obtaining one was normal.
People often said external spirit bones symbolized genius soul masters—for example, Bibi Dong's Six-Winged Purple Light Wings, Hu Liena's fox tail, or Tang San's Eight Spider Spears. But in reality, this was incorrect. On the contrary, most external spirit bones ended up with ordinary soul masters.
After all, genius soul masters were few, while the majority were average talent soul masters.
There were many professional soul hunters on the continent who made a living hunting soul beasts. Constantly hunting soul beasts, their chances of obtaining external spirit bones were far higher than Chu Chengzhou's, who rarely hunted them.
With the current Star Dou Forest hunting objective achieved, neither Chu Chengzhou nor Dugu Bo wanted to stay longer. Chu Chengzhou summoned the Fire Phoenix summon, picked up Hu Liena—who had woken briefly but was knocked out again by Dugu Bo—and left the Star Dou Forest overnight.
Though the Star Dou Forest under the cover of night was dangerous, with Dugu Bo, a Douluo, present, and since they weren't in the core area where high-level soul beasts roamed, they weren't worried about encountering troublemakers.
Under the night sky, with the wind howling, Hu Liena opened her slightly confused eyes.
What greeted her sight was still the old man and young man, but the soul rings glowing around the youth had changed from the two yellow and one purple she'd seen earlier to two yellow and two purple.
Yes, two yellow and two purple.
When the summon appeared outside, with his mastery technique, Chu Chengzhou could disguise the color of the soul rings and conceal their number, but he couldn't hide his martial soul.
After all, soul masters needed to use their martial soul to release soul skills.
Since the martial soul couldn't be hidden, there was no need to conceal the soul rings—just disguising their colors sufficed.
Over an hour ago, Dugu Bo had watched Chu Chengzhou's fourth soul ring change from black (over ten thousand years) to purple (four to five thousand years).
From that moment, Dugu Bo realized why Chu Chengzhou's Fire Phoenix summon could fly so fast.
It wasn't a summon beast of just over a thousand years—it was a summon beast of a much higher age!
Still, Dugu Bo was puzzled. Even if Chu Chengzhou concealed the age of his third soul ring, how could its speed be so fast unless his third soul ring was also ten thousand years old?
But a single-martial soul ten-thousand-year third soul ring… impossible, absolutely impossible!
A ten-thousand-year fourth soul ring was already outrageous enough; a ten-thousand-year third soul ring was simply inconceivable!
Rather than accept that, Dugu Bo preferred to believe it was due to martial soul mutation causing special soul skill effects.
"Hey, you advanced? And your fourth soul ring is the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear?"
Seeing the purple fourth soul ring glowing on Chu Chengzhou and the new bear pattern on his flag martial soul, Hu Liena couldn't help but ask curiously.
"What do you think?"
Chu Chengzhou smiled.
Hu Liena: "..."
"Do you want to join the Spirit Hall?"
Taking a deep breath, ignoring the youth's annoying grin, Hu Liena asked solemnly.
This youth didn't look old, yet he had already reached the Soul Ancestor level, and his true strength far exceeded his soul power level. Such a genius—being Bibi Dong's disciple and one of the leading figures among the younger generation of the Spirit Hall—was undoubtedly someone Hu Liena wanted to recruit.
For instance, if this youth participated in the Soul Master Tournament, Hu Liena estimated that their Spirit Hall wouldn't win the championship.
Although she and her brother Xie Yue had a fusion soul skill as their trump card, Hu Liena still lacked confidence.
After all, that "black room technique" was absurd. In a tournament match, before she and her brother could activate their fusion soul skill, she'd likely already be locked in the black room.
Moreover, the youth's soul skill effect was to summon soul beasts. If the summoned beast's strength wasn't reduced, she'd face a four-to-five-thousand-year-old Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear on the tournament stage.
Such a soul beast's strength was too absurd—like the youth himself. Even if her soul power level was one rank higher and she had a fusion soul skill, she still wasn't confident of winning.
"You want to recruit me?"
Chu Chengzhou asked with a smile.
The Spirit Hall? Whether a faction had a future depended heavily on the leader's character.
Bibi Dong, that madwoman, offered no prospects in Chu Chengzhou's eyes.
While he had no interest in joining the Spirit Hall, he was somewhat interested in taking over the dominant force of the soul master world.
The method seemed simple: lure the future leader of the Spirit Hall into his "pond," and the job would be done.
That way, even if he didn't personally take over the Spirit Hall in the future, it would still belong to his "fish" and "spawn."
The Doulu Continent, nicknamed the "Love-Brain Continent," lived up to its name. Especially for the Spirit Hall, the current boss, future boss, and key villains—all were hopelessly love-struck.
Like they were cursed with lowered intelligence, Bibi Dong, willing to destroy the world for her first love, Qian Renxue kept letting her beloved enemy go; Hu Liena, knowing it was futile, repeatedly betrayed her teacher for her crush.
Hu Liena, the naïve one, was one thing, but Bibi Dong, who ruled the Spirit Hall, and Qian Renxue, whom even the cunning Ning Fengzhi acknowledged as a qualified imperial heir—they were ruthless and decisive leaders. Yet they all became idiots over love—it was utterly unreasonable!
Of course, a leader being love-struck was unfortunate for the Spirit Hall but a huge stroke of luck for opponents and opportunists—saving decades of effort.
"As far as I know, no powerful soul master family inherits a flag martial soul. You're probably not from a soul master family, right? Why not join our Spirit Hall?"
Hu Liena said earnestly.
Regardless of the world, talent was paramount, and in the Doulu Continent, where talent nearly determined everything, it was even more crucial.
After pondering for a moment, Chu Chengzhou asked, "What benefits can the Spirit Hall offer me?"
"Benefits?"
Upon hearing this, Hu Liena froze.
Generally, soul masters joined factions seeking high-level soul masters to lead soul hunts.
But this youth already had Dugu Bo, a Titled Douluo, leading him to the Star Dou Forest for soul hunting, so he didn't need that.
Other aspects were essentially negligible.
Mimetic training fields? Every proper high-level soul academy had them.
Money? Soul masters didn't need vast wealth—just enough for daily expenses. Once strong, plenty of people or factions would deliver heaps of gold spirit coins.
Spirit bones? Even the mighty Spirit Hall couldn't hand them out freely—they required corresponding contributions.
"You've got nothing to offer, and you expect me to work for the Spirit Hall? Even greedy capitalists aren't as stingy as you!"
Seeing Hu Liena speechless, Chu Chengzhou rolled his eyes.
In his heart, he gave Hu Liena a big thumbs-down. She couldn't even sell dreams or serve chicken soup (bs motivation)—what use was she?
But for a girl~, standards couldn't be too high. Being pretty was enough.
Besides, in the original story, Hu Liena had a fox tail. Did she have one now? How did it feel to touch?
Thinking this, Chu Chengzhou couldn't help but glance at her shapely figure.
Fox-tailed girl, huh? Not bad?
"Don't even think about it! I, Hu Liena, am not someone to be trifled with!"
Seeing the youth's gaze on her figure, Hu Liena hurriedly adjusted her small cloak to cover her curves.
"You're overthinking it—I was just looking."
Waving his hand, Chu Chengzhou said.
"Hmph!"
Hu Liena snorted disdainfully.
"Just looking?" You think I don't know what "just rubbing" means?
I, Hu Liena, may not have many hobbies, but I've read plenty of romance novels!
In the afternoon, outside the southern gate of Tian Dou City, the Fire Phoenix summon carrying Chu Chengzhou and Hu Liena descended.
To avoid accidents along the way, Chu Chengzhou directly brought Hu Liena to Tian Dou City.
As for Dugu Bo, he had already disembarked earlier to go to the Sunset Forest.
"Well, captive girl, you're free now."
Dismissing the Fire Phoenix summon, Chu Chengzhou said to Hu Liena.
With Hu Liena in hand, he could extort the Spirit Hall. Even if he demanded rare spirit bones from Bibi Dong, the doting teacher would likely comply.
But doing so would offend the Spirit Hall deeply.
And the Spirit Hall's power wasn't something he could afford to provoke now. He had no choice but to release the hostage unconditionally.
Hearing she was free, without hesitation, Hu Liena started to leave but stopped after a few steps.
"Hey, can you tell me your name?"
Hu Liena turned to Chu Chengzhou.
She asked his name partly because losing to a youth who looked younger than her irked her pride as a genius. Another reason was that Chu Chengzhou, talented but not from a soul master family, fit the Spirit Hall's recruitment profile.
Why was the Spirit Hall the dominant force in the soul master world? It relied not just on the Angel family with the Six-Winged Angel martial soul heritage but also on numerous talented soul masters who joined and the majority of ordinary soul masters across the continent.
Upon hearing this, Chu Chengzhou raised an eyebrow: "So, asking for my name to seek revenge later?"
Instantly, Hu Liena's expression darkened. Was this youth's thought process always this twisted?
"Exactly! I want revenge. Have the guts to tell me your name?"
Hu Liena retorted irritably.
"If you want revenge, why should I tell you my name?"
Stroking his chin, Chu Chengzhou replied.
"Hmph, fine, keep it to yourself!"
Snorting, Hu Liena turned to leave.
But after a few steps, she suddenly felt dizzy and found herself in a fragrant, idyllic space.
"The Black Room Technique?"
Immediately, Hu Liena recognized it.
Though this illusionary space wasn't pitch-black, she understood it worked on the same principle as the black room technique—just a different scene.
Before she could think further, Hu Liena felt her vision darken, and a warm sensation touched her forehead. Simultaneously, a voice echoed in her ear: "My name is Chu Chengzhou. See you at the Soul Master Tournament!"
Touching briefly, Chu Chengzhou immediately dispelled the illusion. Then, activating his movement art, he dashed into Tian Dou City like the wind.
Chu Chengzhou: Kiss and run!
Not directly kissing to avoid offending his "fish," and doing it in the illusion—it counted as ransom for the captive.
"I think someone kissed me?"
Regaining consciousness, Hu Liena touched her forehead, dumbfounded.
"Chu Chengzhou, huh? Damn it, you took advantage of me!"
Long after, glaring at the southern gate of Tian Dou City, a furious Hu Liena muttered indignantly.
On the way back to the academy, Chu Chengzhou temporarily set aside Hu Liena's question and examined the golden glow emanating from his fingertips.
Due to the True Spirit Flag's ability to freely convert soul power into summon attributes, after gaining the fourth summon Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear, he could now freely transform his originally non-elemental soul power into metal element.
Fire attribute's traits were heat and explosiveness, while Metal's traits were firmness and sharpness. Comparing the specific strengths of his self-created techniques with fire versus metal was difficult for Chu Chengzhou to judge.
But he was certain that soul power imbued with firmness and sharpness would enhance his archery technique's power significantly.
According to the Five Elements theory, fire overcomes metal. That meant his Sun Chasing Bow, forged from the fire-element rare metal Sunfire Iron, might need replacing?
"No, it's best to forge a bow that amplifies all elements—otherwise, it'll eventually become obsolete!"
After pondering for a moment, Chu Chengzhou shook his head.
Metal-attributed soul-powered arrows were indeed the strongest among elemental attacks, but compared to Time and Space attributes, they were clearly inferior.
Under Time acceleration, arrow speed was incredibly fast, making it hard for targets to dodge. Space manipulation allowed arrows to bypass space entirely—if the opponent couldn't detect spatial fluctuations, it was a guaranteed hit. Either attribute surpassed purely metal-attribute soul-powered arrows.
Moreover, if he could achieve multi-element fusion in the future—arrows that were both firm and sharp, enhanced with time acceleration and spatial manipulation—their power would surpass pure time or space attributes.
Rare metals that amplified all elemental soul power weren't nonexistent. For example, Blue Coppertite could amplify all types of soul power, including non-elemental, but its amplification ratio wasn't high—far lower than single-element rare metals like Sunfire Iron.
However, Chu Chengzhou knew of a metal that could amplify all elemental soul power with a respectable amplification ratio.
This metal wasn't a natural product but an alloy of rare metals developed by skilled artisans in the continent's future: Spirit Gold.
He also knew that Spirit Gold was forged by blending two rare metals, Essence Gold and Magic Silver, in specific proportions.
Though he didn't know the exact formula, since Spirit Gold was made from just two rare metals, as long as his forging skills were sufficient, spending some effort, he was confident he could experiment and deduce the precise recipe.
Fusion forging wasn't like Thousand Refinements or Spirit Refining—it didn't represent a specific forging level.
In metal forging hierarchies, fused metals weren't necessarily higher than Spirit Refined ones. They merely represented alloys created by fusing two or more metals.
Unfortunately, his current Black-Tier forging technique didn't teach metal fusion skills. Figuring it out on his own would require immense effort.
"For now, I'll wait and see if Red-Tier forging will suffice."
Thinking this, Chu Chengzhou decided to delay the matter until his forging technique leveled up. For now, he'd settle for a bow that amplified metal-attribute soul power.
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