The Liyue Harbor was bustling with people, packed to the brim.
Except for a select few, most were here just to watch the spectacle.
"The Martial God is about to promote spirit souls!"
"Look, that Golden Tortoise is a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast! If someone can form a contract with it, they'll gain at least one hundred-thousand-year spirit ring!"
A spirit soul provides a spirit master with at least one spirit ring, and a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast can easily provide three spirit rings.
For a ferocious beast like the Golden Tortoise, if fused at the Soul Emperor level, even if one breaks through to become a Titled Douluo, there would be no need to seek other spirit souls or spirit rings.
"A hundred-thousand-year spirit beast is beyond my wildest dreams. If only I could form a contract with that Golden Lion."
Among the spirit beasts, there was a Golden Lion, roughly ten thousand years old. As a member of the "Golden Family," its strength was immense!
Any spirit beast with "gold" or "silver" in its name had an exceptionally high racial value.
People were brimming with enthusiasm for spirit souls.
Especially Paimon, who spent her days wandering around with the Ice and Snow Emperors, making people even more eager for spirit souls!
While they dared not dream of spirit souls like the Ice Empress and Snow Empress, they were still hopeful for weaker ones.
Huo Yuhao, Bei Bei, and Tang Ya stood at the front of the crowd, their eyes burning with desire.
"I never thought my dream could come true so quickly!"
Bei Bei was visibly excited. Though he appeared calm and composed, he was still just a teenager of fifteen or sixteen.
When he first learned about spirit souls, he decided to be the first to step forward, to be the pioneer.
Just after breaking through to level 40, the "Spirit Soul Project" had arrived!
"Hmph, I'm level 40 too," Tang Ya said with a teasing smile, crossing her arms.
Standing beside them, Huo Yuhao's eyes briefly flickered with a hint of loneliness, but it vanished quickly. He only felt happiness for Tang Ya and Bei Bei's breakthroughs.
"Becoming a soul engineer isn't so bad," Huo Yuhao thought to himself.
Recently, he had been diligently studying soul tools, progressing from knowing nothing to becoming a level-one soul engineer in just a week.
This left Xuan Ziwen, Meng Hongchen, and Xiao Hongchen utterly baffled, staring at Huo Yuhao in confusion.
Sensing something, Xuan Ziwen asked Huo Yuhao if he would be willing to become his disciple.
Huo Yuhao held immense respect for the youngest level-eight soul engineer of the Illustrious Virtue Hall and didn't hesitate to accept on the spot.
He had missed one opportunity; he couldn't afford to miss another.
Xuan Ziwen highly approved of Huo Yuhao's talent as a soul engineer, but when it came to his talent as a spirit master… even though Xuan Ziwen didn't prioritize spirit cultivation, he couldn't help but frown at his disciple's poor aptitude.
It was just too low!
Honestly, Xuan Ziwen almost regretted taking Huo Yuhao as his disciple, but he couldn't bear to see such a promising talent go to waste.
"Yuhao, your spirit cultivation talent is too weak. You'll have to rely on drugs to forcibly enhance your strength."
"But taking too many drugs will limit your potential as a spirit master. You need to think this through carefully."
"Master, I've already considered it. I… I don't really have a choice…"
Xuan Ziwen: "..."
It was true, but he still wanted to make it clear to Huo Yuhao, so the boy wouldn't resent him in the future.
Though Xuan Ziwen was "poor," the drugs required for the spirit master stage weren't too expensive, and he could provide them.
Bei Bei and Tang Ya knew about Huo Yuhao's apprenticeship under Xuan Ziwen and merely congratulated him without any objections.
Sticking to old ways wouldn't work. With a level-eight soul engineer willing to take Huo Yuhao as his disciple, how could they possibly stop him?
Besides, this level-eight soul engineer was the youngest in the Illustrious Virtue Hall. Becoming a level-nine soul engineer was only a matter of time.
Having such a powerful backer was undoubtedly a good thing for Huo Yuhao.
"Junior Brother, don't overthink it. When you become a quasi-Great Spirit Master, you might be able to fuse with a spirit soul too."
"I've heard that fusing with a spirit soul requires a certain level of mental strength. As a mental-type spirit master, you have an absolute advantage in this aspect."
As if sensing Huo Yuhao's loneliness, Bei Bei patted his shoulder and spoke earnestly.
Tang Ya and Bei Bei were more like an older sister and brother to Huo Yuhao than teachers.
Their care for him was meticulous.
Huo Yuhao accepted Bei Bei's encouragement and assured him that he had come to terms with it. Whether he could fuse with a spirit soul was up to fate.
Then, Bei Bei seemed to remember something, his eyes lighting up. "By the way, I have a good buddy who sneaked into Liyue."
"His family has a pill that can enhance one's talent…"
Xu Sanshi: "???"
"Once I fuse with a spirit soul, I'll go find him. If he doesn't give it to me, I'll beat him until he does!"
Bei Bei's words were filled with confidence, a hint of his usual bravado shining through.
His good friend Xu Sanshi would be no match for him.
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao and Tang Ya couldn't help but twitch their eyes. That was their senior brother (Bei Bei) for you!
"Bei Bei, are you planning to scam Xu Sanshi?"
"Of course! We've been brothers for so many years. What's wrong with asking him to contribute a couple of Profound Water Pills?"
Bei Bei waved his hand dismissively.
The Profound Water Pill was worth a fortune, but Bei Bei believed that the bond between him and Xu Sanshi couldn't be measured by mere pills.
He was confident that even if Xu Sanshi knew he couldn't win, he would still accept the challenge and intentionally lose the pills to him.
That's what brothers do!
Huo Yuhao was deeply moved. He knew that pills capable of improving cultivation talent were incredibly valuable, possibly even priceless.
Yet, Senior Brother Bei Bei was willing to "rob" his good friend for his sake!
"Senior Brother, thank you," Huo Yuhao thought to himself, though he didn't say it aloud.
He owed Bei Bei and Tang Ya far too much.
To repay them, he could only dedicate himself to learning everything about soul tools, so he could assist them when they needed help!
Beside Liyue Harbor, there was an open, cylindrical platform.
At that moment, a figure familiar to all Liyue residents appeared on the platform.
"The Martial God!!"
"The Martial God!!"
The crowd erupted in cheers, their respect for the Martial God genuine.
After a moment, Zhongli raised his hand, and his deep, reassuring voice resonated across Liyue.
"I believe everyone already knows the purpose of today's event. Before we begin, I must clarify one thing."
"Spirit souls are partners to spirit masters, not tools. If any spirit master uses a spirit soul for evil, I will personally intervene to eliminate them!"
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