Outside the fusion room, Leng Yaozhu and Han Tianyi had been observing Dai Yuhao's condition with unwavering focus. A brightness that was difficult to suppress instantly erupted in both their eyes, and they quickly exchanged a meaningful glance, thinking to themselves, "It's a success!"
They knew that the unyielding soul spirit had already begun to fuse with Dai Yuhao; Dai Yuhao had done it! Compared to the process of a traditional spirit master absorbing a spirit ring, which often took several hours, Dai Yuhao's fusion with the unyielding soul spirit ended in just a few short minutes under the guidance of the formation.
Dai Yuhao's long eyelashes trembled slightly, and he slowly opened his eyes. At the moment he opened his eyes, he seemed to feel a sudden surge of power, and his mind moved slightly. A purple ring shimmering with a mysterious luster suddenly rose from beneath his feet!
Moreover, judging by its deep color intensity and the potent energy fluctuations it released, its quality was top-tier even among 1,000 year spirit rings! The appearance of this purple spirit ring marked that Dai Yuhao, this six-year-old boy, was now a true spirit master!
Unable to suppress the excitement and curiosity in his heart, Dai Yuhao immediately sank his consciousness into his spiritual sea. In the center of the spiritual sea, that silver eyeball with a diameter of over three meters was now quietly suspended!
No matter how steady Dai Yuhao had appeared before, he was, after all, only a six-year-old child. Having successfully fused with this unyielding soul spirit, the joy and excitement in his heart could no longer be contained.
His consciousness incarnation joyfully circled the massive silver-white eyeball twice in the spiritual sea and said, "Thank you for acknowledging me and choosing to become my spirit soul!"
However, facing his warm gesture of goodwill, the Evil Eye spirit soul just quietly floated there without any reaction, as if it hadn't heard the words at all. The excited expression on Dai Yuhao's face couldn't help but freeze, and his circling movements also stopped.
He thought for a moment and then said, "In any case, from now on, we are partners fighting side by side!"
Seeing that the big eyeball still ignored him, Dai Yuhao then withdrew from his spiritual sea. As his vision returned to reality, the first things he saw were two faces filled with excitement and praise outside the glass of the fusion room.
Seeing the undisguised looks of affirmation from his two teachers, the small bit of disappointment in Dai Yuhao's heart instantly vanished, replaced by a full sense of achievement and warmth. A brilliant smile bloomed on his face again as he quickly ran outside and came before his two teachers.
Leng Yaozhu was still relatively composed; although her eyes were brimming with smiles and her gratification was beyond words, she only nodded to Dai Yuhao and said in a gentle voice, "Well done, Yuhao."
Han Tianyi, however, was completely different. Before Dai Yuhao had even come to a full stop, he stepped forward, and his withered palm slapped heavily onto Dai Yuhao's shoulder with a sharp 'thwack', making Dai Yuhao's body sway.
"Hahaha! Good boy! I knew it! I knew you could do it!"
Han Tianyi laughed heartily, his voice loud, the wrinkles on his face smiling into the shape of a chrysanthemum, and his eyes filled with undisguised pride and satisfaction.
"A thousand-year first ring! And it's an unyielding soul spirit!"
"Looking at the entire continent, at your age, who else could achieve this?!"
"Haha, as expected of my, Han Tianyi's, disciple!"
He rubbed Dai Yuhao's hair vigorously; the movement was somewhat rough, yet it was filled with the affection an elder has for an outstanding junior. Dai Yuhao grimaced from the slap, his shoulder felt numb, and his hair was rubbed into a mess, but his heart felt as sweet as if he had drunk honey.
The brilliant smile on Dai Yuhao's face suddenly vanished, quickly settling into a solemnity that was unbefitting of his age. He took a step back and, under the slightly surprised gazes of Leng Yaozhu and Han Tianyi, bowed deeply in the most formal and respectful gesture of salutation.
"Thank you... Thank you, both teachers!"
His voice was a bit choked, but every word seemed to be pulled from the deepest part of his heart. This gratitude was definitely not just because of the successful fusion with the spirit soul.
These three years had allowed him to truly feel a warmth that was diametrically different from that cold corner in the White Tiger Duke's Mansion ten thousand years ago. These two teachers were also the people who had treated him best, besides his mother!
He didn't know many flowery words and could only use the most simple etiquette to express the surging gratitude in his heart. Looking at his serious manner, especially those slightly reddened eyes and the suppressed sob, the softest part of Leng Yaozhu's heart was gently touched.
She understood Dai Yuhao's past loneliness better than Han Tianyi and could better appreciate the weight and heartache carried behind this gratitude. She sighed softly, took a step forward, and reached out to help Dai Yuhao up, her eyes filled with undisguised pity.
"Silly child." Her voice was gentle. "We are your master; treating you well, teaching you, and protecting you is simply our duty, it's only natural."
"If you are always so polite and perform such grand salutations at every turn, it instead makes us feel distant, like we're not family."
Han Tianyi also stopped laughing, and a strange ripple rose in his heart as well.
"Exactly! I've lived to this age without children, and I've never taken any proper disciples."
"Since you've kowtowed and called me master, to me, you're no different from my own child!"
"Isn't it only right to be good to one's own child? All this thanking is too formal! Don't do this anymore in the future!"
Dai Yuhao nodded heavily, his throat so choked he couldn't speak; he could only blink his eyes forcefully, trying to push back that sour heat, but accidentally let a tear slide down the corner of his eye. Seeing this, Leng Yaozhu raised her hand and extremely gently wiped away that tear from the corner of his eye with her finger.
Then, a bright smile bloomed on her face as she skillfully changed the subject: "Yuhao, tell us, what is your first spirit ability?"
Dai Yuhao took a deep breath, calming the complex emotions churning in his heart, and raised his hand to wipe away the remaining moisture from the corners of his eyes, his gaze becoming clear and focused once again. He looked toward the two expectant elders before him and spoke slowly: "My first spirit ability is called Soul Lash."
"It uses mental force to condense an invisible spiritual whip, which can ignore defenses and act directly on the target's spiritual origin, causing direct mental damage and potentially inducing negative effects such as severe pain, dizziness, and fear."
Hearing this, both Leng Yaozhu and Han Tianyi nodded slightly, a look of contemplation appearing in their eyes. This spirit ability was indeed not bad, with a simple and efficient effect, but it seemed somewhat unworthy of the great reputation of an unyielding soul spirit.
However, Dai Yuhao's words were not over. He paused for a moment and then continued: "However... this first spirit ability of mine can not only act on enemies to cause damage and negative effects, but it can also be used on teammates to play a supportive role."
A thick interest instantly reignited in the eyes of Leng Yaozhu and Han Tianyi. One spirit ability having two types of effects—now that was worthy of the reputation of an unyielding soul spirit!
Han Tianyi clearly couldn't contain his curiosity anymore, and with excitement and expectation on his face, he said, "Come, Yuhao! Use the supportive effect of your Soul Lash on me! Let me personally feel just what is so mysterious about your spirit ability!"
Hearing this, Dai Yuhao was both a bit nervous and filled with the excitement of testing his new power. He looked at Leng Yaozhu and, seeing her nod slightly to indicate he could try, he no longer hesitated.
He took half a step back, and the purple spirit ring beneath his feet suddenly brightened! A silver glow flickered within Dai Yuhao's eyes, and his mental force instantly became highly condensed. He clenched his right hand as if holding something invisible and made a swinging motion toward Han Tianyi!
An invisible ripple, which could only be barely captured under the perception of a powerful mental force, was like an agile snake as it instantly crossed the distance of several meters and vanished into the centre of Han Tianyi's brow!
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