The Concept of a Self Martial Soul Fusion Skill

Pondering for a while without reaching a conclusion, Huo Yuhao paused for now, planning to find an opportunity to probe into it later. They both belonged to the Spirit Pagoda anyway; sooner or later, their paths would cross. Seeing Huo Yuhao pull his thoughts back and prepare to cultivate, the Tianmeng Iceworm spoke up: "Yuhao, can't we discuss this again? Your big bro really can't give you another spirit ring. You've already squeezed every soul skill out of me! The second spirit ring was just something we cooked up out of boredom over the past ten thousand years, and there really isn't a suitable soul skill for a third ring! You can't honestly expect me to just give you Spiritual Shock all over again, can you?" Tianmeng had no clue what Huo Yuhao was thinking, asking him to cough up even more spirit rings. Was that really something he was capable of? He was just a weak little worm; he didn't have that soul skill, nor did he have that kind of ability, all right? You ought to get the Evil Emperor instead! That guy is the true big shot among spiritual soul beasts—he could definitely pull it off! Hearing this, Huo Yuhao fell into contemplation, not answering right away. A hundred-year soul spirit could provide two spirit rings, a thousand-year one could provide three, and a fierce beast soul spirit could even provide six. In his eyes, most of the soul spirits he carried possessed extraordinarily high cultivation ages. So, rather than absorbing other ten-thousand-year soul spirits, why not develop the latent potential of the ones he already had? A million-year soul spirit like Tianmeng providing only a single spirit ring—even if that ring carried four soul skills—seemed like a terrible waste. It would be far better to put Tianmeng to work a bit more to provide a few extra spirit rings. Even if each ring granted only a single million-year soul skill, it would still be a bargain. Well, Huo Yuhao didn't have unreasonable expectations. Going by the benchmark that a fierce beast soul spirit could provide six soul skills, Tianmeng would only need to provide two more spirit rings. This was another reason he had joined the Spirit Pagoda directly. With ten thousand years of research and data on soul spirits from the Spirit Pagoda, combined with his and Elder Yi's own research, coaxing a few more spirit rings out of his existing soul spirits wouldn't be an impossible feat. Moreover, when it came to Tianmeng's soul skills, he had a bold idea. "Yuhao, just be straight with us. What kind of soul skill do you actually want?" The Ice Empress glanced at the Tianmeng Iceworm, who floated limply in the Sea of Spirit looking thoroughly drained, and shook her head. "You can't rely on him." Hearing her words, Huo Yuhao thought for a moment, then produced a book. "These are records concerning Self Martial Soul Fusion Skills. Over the past ten thousand years, several Soul Masters with twin martial souls have managed to execute Martial Soul Fusion Skills entirely on their own." "What?" The Ice Empress froze, astonished. "A Martial Soul Fusion Skill can be unleashed by a single person? Then what do they actually enhance?" "If I had to make an analogy, it's combining two martial souls into a single, far more powerful martial soul, which naturally enhances the might of any soul skills used." This was Huo Yuhao's own understanding of a Self Martial Soul Fusion Skill. After all, when multiple people executed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill together, aside from the merging of the martial souls, there was also the boost of the other person's soul power and spiritual power. A Self Martial Soul Fusion Skill, on the other hand, still relied purely on an individual's own power; the only thing truly merging and growing stronger was the martial soul itself. A certain slacker from Douluo 4 was an exception, of course, bolstered by divine status... "This Empress truly finds that hard to believe..." The Ice Empress remained speechless for a long time. Live long enough and you see everything. Even twin martial souls could perform Martial Soul Fusion Skills on their own now. The pace of human Soul Master evolution was simply terrifying. At this rate, would humans be producing their own spirit rings one day in the future? It was fortunate she had chosen to invest in Yuhao early on. Without the Soul Spirit Contract, soul beasts probably would have been eighty percent of the way to extinction by now. After a long silence, the Ice Empress furrowed her brow. "So, what you're saying is that you want to achieve a Self Martial Soul Fusion Skill?" "I believe it's entirely possible." Huo Yuhao paused his cultivation and began to explain softly. Even Tianmeng ceased his slacking and sat up to listen intently. Tianmeng had only felt he couldn't help, but since Yuhao seemed to already have an idea, he was willing to trust him. It was a trust forged over ten thousand years. "Ice Empress, Brother Tianmeng, do you remember how my second martial soul came to be?" "Tianmeng opened up a second martial soul slot for you, and then it fully formed when you absorbed me..." Reaching that point, the Ice Empress paused. She exchanged a glance with Tianmeng, who had caught on at the same moment, disbelief and wonder flashing in their eyes. How had they never thought of that before? "It seems you've both realized it. A Martial Soul Fusion Skill requires compatibility between martial souls. Naturally, the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion and the Spirit Eyes martial souls are worlds apart, hardly compatible at all. However, the former was acquired after the fact entirely because of Brother Tianmeng, and Brother Tianmeng is also the provider of the Spirit Eyes' spirit ring. An inherent connection already exists between these two martial souls!" Huo Yuhao's eyes gleamed. "Because of that, I believe a Martial Soul Fusion Skill between these two martial souls is achievable." "So," the Ice Empress said, "you want to achieve a Martial Soul Fusion Skill using a spirit ring provided by Tianmeng?" "I need a medium. After all, Brother Tianmeng was the one who provided the slot for my second martial soul. Only his spirit ring can serve as the bridge linking the two martial souls together. As for grasping the intricacies of the martial soul fusion itself, that will still come down to me." Huo Yuhao nodded. Since he had been given the chance to re-cultivate and start everything from scratch, there was no harm in attempting things he had never tried before. The more solid his foundation, the better. "No wonder you chose to pause at rank thirty..." the Ice Empress murmured. With two soul bones, the spirit ring she provided, and the resources of the Spirit Pagoda, Huo Yuhao could have advanced far faster and raised his soul power much higher. Yet he had chosen to linger at rank thirty for a time. She hadn't understood it before, but now everything was clear. The Tianmeng Iceworm pushed himself up from his lounging posture and said resolutely: "All right! I'm in! What do I need to do?" "Are you sure you can handle this?" Seeing Tianmeng's look of dramatic, do-or-die determination, the Ice Empress pursed her lips. "This won't be easy. Yuhao never said this work had to be completed for his third spirit ring. You could always wait and provide it later." Tianmeng's eyes went wide, and he let out a goofy grin. "Bingbing, are you worried about me? Don't worry, I've got this! Even if it kills me, I'll help Yuhao complete his Self Martial Soul Fusion Skill!" Huo Yuhao: That's entirely unnecessary. And after ten thousand years, Brother Tianmeng, could you stop simping already...? Watching the interaction between the two, Huo Yuhao's gaze turned thoroughly strange. Ten thousand years had passed, and he understood the dynamic between Tianmeng and the Ice Empress less and less. The Ice Empress seemed to have passively mastered the art of keeping Brother Tianmeng wrapped around her little finger, yet Tianmeng appeared to relish every second of it, finding joy in his own suffering... Their circle was far too messy; he couldn't make heads or tails of it. Meanwhile, huddled in a corner of the Sea of Spirit, the Little Ice Silkworm watched Big Bro Tianmeng's performance with utter heartache. Ancestor, how can you act like this?! You're the head of the Four Great Heavenly Kings of the Extreme North, a million-year soul beast! Stand tall! ... After a brief bout of chaos in the Sea of Spirit, everyone settled down and began discussing the design of the Martial Soul Fusion Skill. "Brother Tianmeng, can the ability you used back then to bestow my second martial soul be solidified into the third soul skill of my Spirit Eyes?" "Huh?!" Huo Yuhao's very first question stumped Tianmeng immediately. "Yuhao, that was a one-time innate ability that came with becoming a million-year soul beast. I never once considered the principles behind it, and I've already used it up. I'm afraid there's no way to solidify it into a soul skill." "Soul beasts rarely understand their innate soul skills at first anyway." Huo Yuhao said gently, "You don't need to understand its principles. Even if it was a one-time ability, it is still something that truly belongs to you, something uniquely yours that no one can ever take away! That ability must be deeply engraved in your soul. As long as you can recall it, I can use our contract to transform it into a soul skill!" Hearing that, the Tianmeng Iceworm sank into memory. How had he given Huo Yuhao that second martial soul back then? Recall it... the sensation from that moment, the feeling, and the power that was his alone... Wafts of golden radiance began to circle around Huo Yuhao, attempting to coalesce into the shape of a spirit ring. Huo Yuhao didn't leave the Tianmeng Iceworm to fight alone. Activating Spiritual Sharing, he directly linked their minds, bringing back the memory of the sensation when the Ice Empress had merged into his body. For Huo Yuhao, what had truly rewritten his destiny was Tianmeng's ability to bestow a second martial soul upon another person! The tearing, agonizing pain on the day he absorbed the Ice Empress, and the exhilarating joy as the martial soul seemed to sprout and grow within his body—he would never forget it... The constructed Soul Spirit Contract ultimately brought their memories together in convergence, and a translucent, platinum spirit ring gradually rose around Huo Yuhao's body. The Tianmeng Iceworm called out, "Yuhao, it won't work! I don't have my original reserves anymore. There isn't enough energy to construct the spirit ring for this soul skill..."