"With a team this strong, even hunting a hundred-thousand-year soul beast would be a breeze…"
Zhu Zhuqing thought to herself.
Since they had a clear destination in mind, the group of five humans and one beast didn't make any unnecessary stops along the way. In just six days, they reached the Star Dou Great Forest.
In the forest's central region, the group strolled along at a leisurely pace. Fire Meow Meow had shrunk to the size of a kitten, curled up lazily in Yu Keke's arms with eyes closed in feigned slumber.
"My lord, do the two young ladies have any specific soul beasts in mind for their soul rings?" Yue Guan inquired.
He was already aware of Yu Keke and Zhu Zhuqing's soul ring situation. The former, though nearing rank 40 in spirit power, had only absorbed two rings. He assumed that perhaps the little girl was after a particularly rare soul beast, which had delayed her acquisition of a third ring.
What he didn't know was that Yu Keke's spirit power had increased rapidly recently, further boosted by her acquisition of spiritual marrow. That was why her cultivation level seemed so out of sync with the number of rings she had.
At only nine years old, Yu Keke's soul power was already about to surpass Zhu Zhuqing's. As for others her age, they were probably still hovering around the twentieth rank.
"Zhuqing, do you have any preferences regarding the type of soul beast you want to absorb a ring from?" Aether turned to her.
As an agility-type spirit master, it would be best for her to find a soul beast that complemented her martial spirit's attributes, allowing her to maximize her combat effectiveness.
"My lord, my martial spirit is the Nether Shadow Cat. I'd like to absorb a ring that enhances speed and attack," Zhu Zhuqing answered.
"Nether Shadow Cat?" Ghost interjected at the right moment.
"Yes."
"Then you could go for a soul beast that confuses enemies and enhances speed. For example, the Ghost Tiger."
"Ghost Tiger… sounds promising."
Yue Guan gave it some thought. "The Ghost Tiger is renowned for its terrifying speed and attack power—very fitting for Zhuqing's martial spirit."
"It also has a natural ability called Shadow Clone. During battle, it can create illusions at critical moments to confuse the enemy, making it hard to distinguish the real from the fake."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded. The advice from two Titled Douluo seemed to align well with her martial spirit.
"Zhuqing, what do you think of the Ghost Tiger?" Aether asked, leaving the decision entirely up to her.
While the beast had bizarre speed and movement patterns, with their team, catching it would be no trouble at all.
"My lord, the Ghost Tiger suits me very well," Zhu Zhuqing affirmed.
"Alright. Keke—" Aether nodded slightly, then turned to Yu Keke. But instead of asking, he stopped himself. Asking this little girl was useless; she'd just say—
"I'll listen to my big brother."
Sure enough, Yu Keke answered crisply before he even finished his sentence, as if she had a sixth sense for his thoughts.
"You little rascal…" Aether ruffled her head dotingly.
"Keke is so adorable—just like little Klee," Paimon suddenly chimed in.
She thought of that mischievous little sun—bright, cheerful, generous, and always trying to blow up fish…
"Paimon is super cute too," Aether said, turning to her.
"Eh? Of course I'm cute!" Paimon puffed out her chest proudly, hands on hips.
"Mm-hmm! Paimon's also super cute!" Yu Keke nodded in firm agreement.
"Hehe~"
Paimon, though usually sunny and brash, couldn't help but feel a little shy under Keke's sincere gaze and heartfelt compliment.
"But Keke's martial spirit is a bit trickier to match…" Aether's tone shifted back to seriousness, a frown furrowing his brow as he pondered.
"My lord, what is Keke's martial spirit?" Ghost asked.
"Actually, hers is the same as yours…" Aether replied.
"The same as mine?" Ghost was stunned and glanced at Yu Keke again. No matter how he looked at her, he couldn't understand what Aether meant.
His martial spirit was Ghost. But this little girl didn't look eerie at all. With those beast ears on her head, she looked more like a beast-type spirit master!
"Yes. You and she both have body-type martial spirits."
"Body-type martial spirit? What's that…?"
Ghost was even more confused. He'd never heard that term before. And hadn't he always believed his spirit was Ghost?
He turned to Aether, eyes full of curiosity and confusion, desperate to know what this term meant.
Seeing his interest, Aether began to explain:
"A body-type martial spirit refers to when a soul master's own body—or some aspect of it—is manifested as their martial spirit. Sometimes it's just a part of the body; other times, the whole body becomes the martial spirit."
"It's a very rare and unique kind of martial spirit. I only came across it in some ancient records."
Aether offered a general definition.
"Part of the body…" Ghost looked down at himself. He didn't feel like any part of his body had turned into a weapon or spirit in the way Aether described.
"Yes. You and Keke both have body-type spirits, but hers is a mutated form, while yours originates from the properties of your soul."
Aether's words struck a chord in Ghost's mind, like a string being plucked.
He had always thought his martial spirit was Ghost—a name taken from legend, as no real "ghost" had ever been seen in reality. Because of the hidden and strange nature of his spirit, he named it that.
But now, hearing Aether's explanation, he finally saw the true origin of his martial spirit.
"My lord, is there any difference between body-type spirits and regular ones?"
"According to the records, the probability of awakening a body-type martial spirit is extremely low, which makes it both rare and powerful."
"However, the awakening process is extremely stringent, and the path of cultivation is much harder than with other types of spirits."
Ghost nodded in silent agreement.
He knew better than anyone how grueling it had been to cultivate to his current rank of Titled Douluo. The hardship far exceeded that of his peers.
Even after reaching this level, he had noticed that his body had reached a saturation point—his spirit power simply wouldn't progress any further. Could this be one of the barriers in cultivating a body-type spirit?
Still unsure, he asked again:
"My lord, does cultivating a body-type spirit differ significantly from cultivating others?"
"Yes. It requires dual development of the body and spiritual power. If either one lags behind, it becomes extremely difficult—if not impossible—to achieve a second awakening. In fact, many remain stuck at that stage forever."
"But all this is from the records I read. I don't know the specifics either, and that's why I've been hesitant about choosing a soul ring for Keke."
Aether shook his head. The relevant fragments in his memory were far too incomplete to offer more insight.
_
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