As Zhou Sichen retracted his martial soul and soul rings, the three finally regained their senses.
Thinking back to what he had just said—that his contracted soul beasts grew stronger alongside him—they realized something shocking.
Zhou Sichen's three contracted soul beasts must have all surpassed three thousand years in cultivation!
Even a single Ice Jade Scorpion was already a formidable opponent, difficult for Bei Bei to handle.
But three? That meant he could likely challenge a Soul King!
Zhou Sichen chuckled. "Ah Da and the others have already reached 9,999 years. They're just one step away from breaking into the ten-thousand-year threshold."
Hearing this, the trio froze again.
So, for the past half a month, they had been riding on the back of a near ten-thousand-year soul beast?
Three soul beasts of this level—not even an average Soul Emperor could necessarily handle them!
Wait... wasn't Brother Zhou only at Rank 38?
If his contracted soul beasts' strength scaled with his cultivation, how could they possibly reach this level already?
The truth was simple: Zhou Sichen's soul power foundation far surpassed that of ordinary soul masters.
If he had the same foundation as others, then at Rank 38, his contracted beasts would barely be around five thousand years old.
But because of his unique talent and immense reserves, they were already approaching ten thousand years.
Zhou Sichen smiled. "Alright, enough about that. We've already found Yuhao's first soul ring. Follow me."
With that, he leapt onto Ah Da's back.
Bei Bei and Tang Ya helped Huo Yuhao up as well, though all three of them were still dazed.
Even though they had finally found a soul ring for Yuhao, he wasn't even as excited as he should have been—his mind was still replaying the scene of Zhou Sichen's three purple soul rings.
On the way, Zhou Sichen spoke to Huo Yuhao.
"Yuhao, the soul beast I chose for you is a Three-Eyed Demon Ape, roughly 350 years old. It's a rare spiritual-type soul beast."
"Its innate ability is called 'Spiritual Detection,' which is incredibly well-suited for your Spirit Eyes martial soul. If you obtain this skill, it should be a great boost for your abilities."
Bei Bei, having gradually recovered from his shock, nodded in agreement.
"A Three-Eyed Demon Ape? That really is a rare find. If we're able to get one, our luck is off the charts."
Tang Ya, however, corrected him.
"It's not just luck, Bei Bei. It's because Brother Zhou sent his second contracted soul beast out to search, right?"
Even though she had learned that Zhou Sichen was only twelve years old, she still called him "Brother Zhou".
In the soul master world, strength determined seniority, not age.
Plus, considering all the help he had given her, she felt completely justified in using the title.
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao began looking forward to his first soul ring even more.
What surprised Zhou Sichen was that the Three-Eyed Demon Ape had this particular ability.
In the original story, only Huo Yuhao possessed both Spiritual Detection and Spiritual Sharing.
These were considered exclusive abilities of a million-year soul ring.
But in reality, some rare spirit-type soul beasts did have similar inherent abilities.
If Huo Yuhao could acquire Spiritual Detection from this Three-Eyed Demon Ape, it would be a game-changer for his future path.
Without Tianmeng Iceworm, would Huo Yuhao still have his legendary luck?
Ah Da carried them for two full hours before stopping in front of a dense forest.
Dawn was just breaking, casting golden light over the trees.
Not far away, a massive flaming bird with a five-meter wingspan stood with an imperious gaze.
Its razor-sharp claws were locked onto a massive ape, pinning it to the ground.
The Three-Eyed Demon Ape was three meters tall, with a special third eye on its forehead, marking its unique abilities.
However, at this moment, the ape—normally a fierce creature—was completely powerless before the flaming bird.
Instead of paying attention to the Three-Eyed Demon Ape, everyone's focus was on the giant flaming bird.
Bei Bei, a well-read scholar, recognized it instantly.
His eyes widened in shock.
"This is... the legendary Hellfire Phoenix?! A soul beast that was thought to be extinct!"
"It's said that the Hellfire Phoenix carries the purest Phoenix bloodline. It is also known as the 'Hell Phoenix.'
"Aside from its explosive flames, it wields a terrifying power known as 'Hellfire.' This fire can burn the soul itself—an unbelievably dangerous ability!"
With Bei Bei's explanation, Zhou Sichen didn't even need to introduce it himself.
Tang Ya and Huo Yuhao, hearing this description, couldn't even fathom the power of such a soul beast.
Speaking of Hellfire, Zhou Sichen's encounter with this creature was a complete stroke of luck.
It was because of this Hellfire Phoenix that he had met his sister.
Zhou Sichen patted Huo Yuhao's shoulder.
"Go ahead. We'll guard you."
Huo Yuhao took a deep breath, nodded solemnly, and leapt down from Ah Da's back.
He had been training in Tang Sect techniques for half a month, making his movements far lighter and more refined than before.
As he approached, the Hellfire Phoenix withdrew its intense flames, preventing them from harming the frail young human.
Huo Yuhao swallowed hard as he looked at the majestic creature before him.
Reaching into his imitation Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges soul tool, he pulled out the White Tiger Dagger—his mother's keepsake.
Taking another deep breath, he gripped the dagger tightly and thrust it directly into the Three-Eyed Demon Ape's third eye, just as Brother Zhou had advised.
A stream of white and red fluids sprayed outward, some splattering onto Huo Yuhao's face.
But he didn't flinch.
Only by becoming stronger could he avenge his mother. Only then could he force that man to kneel before him!
The Three-Eyed Demon Ape convulsed for a moment, then went completely still.
A yellow soul ring slowly formed above its body.
The Hellfire Phoenix released its grip, soared into the sky, and disappeared into the clouds.
Huo Yuhao sat down cross-legged, preparing to absorb his first soul ring using the method Zhou Sichen had taught him.
Bei Bei watched the Hellfire Phoenix vanish and couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
"Brother Zhou, your contracted soul beasts are what most people could only dream of."
"An Ice Jade Scorpion... A Hellfire Phoenix... These are both legendary-class soul beasts."
"And you possess both. I can't even imagine what your third contracted soul beast might be."
Zhou Sichen smiled mysteriously.
"You'll find out soon enough."
Tang Ya suddenly asked, "Brother Zhou, doesn't your Contracted Tome have attribute restrictions? Ice Jade Scorpions and Hellfire Phoenixes have completely opposite elements. Won't that cause problems?"
Zhou Sichen shook his head.
"Not at all. Maybe this is just one of the advantages of having a top-tier martial soul."
Hearing this, Bei Bei and Tang Ya became even more envious.
Especially after learning how Zhou Sichen's martial soul functioned, they understood one thing:
As long as he didn't die prematurely, his contracted soul beasts would all reach the hundred-thousand-year level.
A hundred-thousand-year Ice Jade Scorpion and a Hellfire Phoenix of the same tier...
Just how terrifying would that be?
Tang Ya became even more determined to recruit Zhou Sichen into Tang Sect.
He didn't just want Zhou Sichen in Tang Sect.
He wanted to keep him in Shrek Academy—no matter what it took!
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