"Huh?" Tang Ya looked at him in surprise. "Little Yuhao, this is a matter of life and death. Playing around–"
"I'm not," Huo Yuhao cut her off, his Sharingan flashing with determination. "I have a plan. Trust me, teacher Ya."
Tang Ya hesitated for a moment before giving in to Huo Yuhao's request. She handed him a pouch filled with throwing knives and stars, and said, "Alright, but be careful. If you miss and they attack, immediately get behind me and just provide us with your martial soul skill. Remember, safety comes first."
Huo Yuhao nodded, and with a determined look in his eyes, he prepared himself for the upcoming battle. This was his chance to prove himself and show his worth to the Tang Sect.
"Don't worry teacher, senior brother. If there's anything I'm sure of, it's my throwing skills." He'd be shaming his Ancestor and his week-long mental hard work if he couldn't kill a spirit beast so damn near him.
During his time training in his spiritual sea, one of the first techniques that the Ancestor had taught him about was the Shurikenjutsu. Techniques that entail the throwing of any other number of bladed, hand-held weapons.
Due to how his sense of pain was somewhat dulled and death was just temporary in the spiritual sea, the Ancestor trained him to the bone almost every second they were in his mind. Just so Huo Yuhao would take the former's teaching to muscle memory and wouldn't have to train on them all over again.
At first it was easy, just hit the bullseye of the target that was in front of him, which started at a 1 meter distance, and that's it. Only, that was just the start. The Ancestor would then place the target farther, then add more, made them moving, and then finally place them all around the forest while being chased by a wild bear(an illusion thanks to the Ancestor, but Huo Yuhao wasn't told it had been one until his Genjutsu lessons).
As of right now, his throwing distance and precision was as far as he could see the target, which the two soul beasts were perfectly in his range of attack.
'I can do this....' Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes with great concentration. His hands touched the throwable blades and silently observed.
As both Tang Ya and Bei Bei watch him by the side, a sense of anticipation filled the air. They had their doubts about Huo Yuhao's abilities, but his conviction and determination were impossible to ignore.
Huo Yuhao took a step forward, his gaze fixed on the hiding soul beasts. His body tensed, ready to spring into action. He gripped the throwing knives tightly in his hands, feeling the weight and balance of each blade.
In that moment, time seemed to slow down. Huo Yuhao's mind became focused and clear, his senses heightened. He could hear the rustling of leaves, the chirping of birds, and the wind whispering through the trees. Everything around him faded into the background, leaving only the targets in front of him that was waiting to ambush them.
Sadly, their roles would soon be reversed.
Huo Yuhao watched their movements carefully, analyzing their vital spots. He waited for the perfect moment to strike, and when it came, he drew back his right arm on where he put the pouch, pulling out a dark throwing knife, and with a swift motion, the blade spun through the air, slicing through the silence. And with pinpoint accuracy, it hit the Wind Baboon directly in the forehead. The baboon let out a howl of pain before collapsing to the ground and a white soul ring puffed up into existence.
Tang Ya and Bei Bei watched in awe and surprise at the incredible display of accuracy and precision. They had never seen such skill in a young boy before. Huo Yuhao's throw was so quick and precise that it seemed almost impossible.
Even though they could do the same skill level, but that was if they can see their target as well as Huo Yuhao can. Without his Spiritual Detection skill, the Wind Baboon was camouflaged well in the bushes and they wouldn't have sensed it unless they were extremely close to it. Much less the more hidden snake, which Bei Bei identified it as the Mandala Snake and it seemed to be at least a thousand years old!
And while Bei Bei was concerned, Tang Ya was ecstatic, that snake was very suitable for her martial soul. She immediately communicated with Huo Yuhao through his Spiritual Sharing skill and told him to let her deal the final blow onto the snake. He complied with a simple thumbs up.
Seeing the Win Baboon fall, the pink snake was surprised at its sudden death and became cautious, slithering closer to the tree it was on and started blending in impeccably with all the foliage, with its pink tone, it looked like some kind of exotic vine.
It would've stumped anyone....all except for Huo Yuhao. He coldly snorted.
Before the second soul beast could react, Huo Yuhao had already thrown several throwing stars around it, cornering its body. He moved with speed and precision, his movements fluid and calculated.
The snake didn't like that of course and started to rebel, releasing a strange mist. But before it could sprang into action, Bei Bei appeared before it like some kind of phantom, his right arm raised with violet-blue lightning coiling around.
"Oh no you don't!" With a low roar, his first hundred year old soul ring lit up, activating his skill—Thunderous Dragon Claw. A foot-long violet-blue dragon claw condensed and shot out towards the Mandala Snake, intending to further restrain it.
But the Mandala Snake was extremely crafty. It suddenly shot into midair the moment that Bei Bei's attack activated. Its long tail suddenly whipped about in midair, immediately resembling a pink-coloured shadow as it pounced towards Bei Bei.
A sharp hiss sliced through the air and the Mandala Snake let out a piercing screech before falling to the ground. Blood dripping out of its two eye sockets that now had a pair of knives embedded in it.
"That was...." Bei Bei's eyebrows raised and he turned to look at Huo Yuhao, who responded with a grin.
Huo Yuhao saw an opening and threw the throwing knives at its vulnerable eyes. Most Soul Beasts might have tougher skins, hides, or scales. But the eyes were always a sensitive spot. No matter how strong or well-protected a soul beast was, their eyes would always be susceptible to damage.
....Which reminds him, should he get a pair of sunglasses or some kind of mask to keep his eyes safe? Well, using his skills didn't necessarily need him to have his eyes open, only when he uses his Genjutsu techniques should, so probably yeah.
The Mandala Snake began thrashing around wildly, as its soul power undulations began to burst out erratically.
'It's self-destructing!' Huo Yuhao coldly sweated as his eyes saw through the Mandala Snake circulating its soul power in a particular pattern, causing its muscles to convulse.
"Teacher, now!"
"I got it!" Tang Ya didn't hesitate to rush in, a long sword in hand, and stabbed the Mandala Snake in the underbelly with a swift and powerful strike. The snake let out a final shriek of pain before collapsing to the ground, a purple soul ring began to appear over its corpse.
Huo Yuhao let out a sigh of relief as he watched the smoke dissipate from the snake's body. He had managed to take down two powerful soul beasts with his throwing skills, proving his worth to the Tang Sect and grew a bit more confident about himself.
'Soon....' He clenched his hands, the flames of hatred in his heart grew more blazing than before but so did the darkness.
Tang Ya and Bei Bei looked at Huo Yuhao in awe and admiration. It was clear that he had exceptional talent and potential. They had made the right decision in recruiting him into the Tang Sect.
"Good job, Huo Yuhao," Tang Ya praised, coming in to hug him with a proud smile on her face. "You have proven yourself to be a valuable asset to our sect. Your skills and determination are commendable."
Bei Bei, coming to wrap an arm around the boy's shoulders, also congratulated him, "Well done, little brother. I must admit, I was a little skeptical at first but you have truly proven yourself. Your determination, skills and precision are admirable. Even when I was your age, I wouldn't be able to do the same."
Tang Ya crossed her arms, "Heh, you're talented Little Yuhao. Even I wasn't as skilled as you a couple years ago, and that's something coming from the girl that mostly grew up around hidden weapons."
Huo Yuhao looked at them, a triumphant smile on his face.
"Well, what can I say? I told you I could do it."
Bei Bei raised an eyebrow and grinned, "Cheeky aren't you? Well, that's good. A man should be confident and arrogant when they accomplish something."
Tang Ya nodded and pointed a finger at Huo Yuhao's nose, "Your senior brother is right and a bit wrong. Confidence is good, but arrogance can be a downfall. Remember to stay humble and grounded, even as you continue to achieve great things."
Huo Yuhao nodded, taking their words to heart. He knew that this was just the beginning of his journey to become a great Soul Master, and he had a long way to go. But with the support of his teachers and his own determination, he was ready to face any challenge that came his way.
"Alright. Enough with the lessons and you both guard me as I absorb this soul ring."
"Okay~"
"Hm."
As time passed for Tang Ya to absorb the thousand year old soul ring, both boys were having a conversation.
"....Junior brother, you're a spiritual-type soul master. In the future, do you plan to walk the path of an auxiliary system soul master, or a control system soul master?"
"A control system soul master." Huo Yuhao replied without any hesitation.
Bei Bei was surprised, though inwardly he was a bit happy. "Immediate response huh? Let me ask you, did you think through your decision or just went with it because it's a popular choice?"
Huo Yuhao tilted his head, "It's a popular choice?"
"....Never mind I said that. But I like to say that you made the right decision. If you become a simple auxiliary system soul master, I feel that it would be a bit of a waste. Although I don't know what kind of spiritual soul skills you'll manage to obtain in the future, I'm inclined towards making you become a control system soul master. You'll have to put in a lot of time and energy into your spiritual control, but if everything goes smoothly, you might become the core of your team in the future."
"A team? Do soul masters have to join a team?" Huo Yuhao frowned. Since his youth, he'd always relied on himself for cultivation, and had had to experience everything for himself. No one but his mother had ever taught him anything.
....Well aside from the Ancestor, who taught him some very valuable stuff. Though some of it was just so weird. Never trust someone who can control wood?
Huo Yuhao shook his head as Bei Bei explained that cooperation between Soul Masters is common sense, since an individual's strength was miniscule in front of a group or an army. The number of soul masters within a team normally wouldn't surpass ten. Out of that team, there would be a battle-type soul master who's responsible for defense, an assault system soul master who's responsible for attacks, and a control system soul master who both commands and controls the battlefield. There are also auxiliary system tool-type soul masters, auxiliary system food-type soul masters, agility system soul masters, along with many other types of soul masters. They all have different uses in a team.
Huo Yuhao nodded, storing that information in his mind.
The time needed for someone to absorb a thousand year soul ring was considerably long, so Bei Bei walked around their surroundings in order to spread out some medicine that could chase away soul beasts while Huo Yuhao passed the time to try and control his soul power.
And how was he doing that? By putting a leaf over his forehead and direct his soul power onto the leaf, using it as a focal point. This was the basic Leaf Concentration Practice, a method the Ancestor taught him to control his soul power more effectively. However, the true purpose of the exercise is actually to hone his concentration, spiritual power, and to keep his mind from becoming distracted.
One of the lessons he learned from the Ancestor, is that energy(soul and spiritual) control is important and could help him fight against stronger opponents more efficiently.
Because soul power takes time and a great deal of training to gradually build up, the key to its use is not actually having large amounts of chakra but instead being able to sufficiently control and conserve it. Basically, when they use a soul skill, most soul masters would subconsciously use a 'certain' amount of soul but never the exact amount, thus wasting some of their soul power and quickly tire out. If one doesn't pump enough soul power, a skill will not be performed effectively, if at all, likely creating problems in a combat situation. Because soul power consists in part of spiritual energy, the soul master is more easily able to flow the correct amount of soul power by remaining calm and focused.
As a spiritual-type soul master, it didn't take Huo Yuhao long to feel the flow of his soul power in his body, swirling around like a cyclone and direct it into the leaf on his forehead.
What Huo Yuhao didn't know, is that most soul masters would only actively control their soul power when they have 3-4 soul rings. As they either simply didn't care or didn't think about it.
Huo Yuhao continued to practice controlling his soul power, feeling the energy flow through his body and into the leaf on his forehead. With each passing moment, he could sense his control growing stronger and more precise. He focused on maintaining a steady flow of soul power, trying to find the balance between exertion and conservation.
As he concentrated, he could feel the leaf vibrating slightly, a sign that he was successfully channeling his soul power into it. The leaf, previously still and lifeless, now seemed to come alive with his energy.
Huo Yuhao couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. He had always been a fast learner, he had to if he wanted to survive in that house of filth, but this was a skill he had never tried before. It was empowering to see the results of his efforts and to feel the strength of his own soul power.
His mind wandered back to the lessons he had received from the Ancestor. The ancient mysterious man? had imparted his wisdom and knowledge onto Huo Yuhao, guiding him in his spiritual journey. The Ancestor had emphasized the importance of control, reminding Huo Yuhao that power without control was ultimately useless.
Now, as Huo Yuhao continued to practice the Leaf Concentration Practice, he understood the significance of those lessons. Control was not just about exerting power, but also about conserving energy and making the most of every soul skill. As he tried out his soul skills once more, the difference was undeniable. His previous 30 meter range slightly widened by 5 meters and he feels like he could share his thoughts by five people now.
Huo Yuhao's confidence grew as he continued to practice. He knew that he had a long way to go before he could truly master his soul power, but he was determined to put in the time and effort. He wanted to become a control system soul master, someone who could command and control the battlefield with his abilities.
....The image of the White Tiger Army, his father's army, becoming powerless and defeated flashed in his mind. As well as the White Tiger Mansion, burning with that bitch crucified alongside her children.
Oh he wasn't just going to physically hurt the man and his whore, he was going to hurt him to the point of insanity.
A feral grin momentarily appeared on Huo Yuhao's face, before anyone could notice his behavior, his expression hardened as the leaf on his forehead fell, his concentration having been disturbed.
"Haaa...." He picked up the leaf once more and started training once more.
"Ah...." Finally, after three whole hours, Tang Ya succeeded in absorbing the thousand year old soul ring, evidenced by how the purple soul ring moved around her body alongside her two yellow soul rings. "I've succeeded! Hell yeah!" she exclaimed as she jumped.
Bei Bei smiled as he said, "Xiao Ya, congratulations."
Tang Ya let out a cheerful cry as she suddenly pounced on Bei Bei, giving him a big hug. "Bei Bei, thank you."
The atmosphere between them turned....pink and intimate. Huo Yuhao stared at them with a blank expression and closed his eyes, letting the couple indulge in each other's presence.
Though he couldn't help but envy the two, thinking of how his life would've been if his....father and mother had that kind of relationship and maintained it.
Huo Yuhao waited briefly and as it looked like they were getting a bit too intimate, he opened his mouth. "Hey, are we going now or not?"
Both flinched and quickly separated, their faces turning bright red. Tang Ya cleared her throat awkwardly and waved a hand. "Right, right. Time to go."
At this moment, the sky had already dimmed. However, spending the night in the Great Star Dou Forest clearly wasn't a good plan, so the three of them ignored their exhaustion as they rapidly ran towards the outside of the forest.
...
3k words. This is probably the most word written chapter I've written for the last several months, as I have a habit of just writing a minimum of 1k words.
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