"But that does not mean I would act on it," the cloaked man did not say anything further, the pressure was concentrated on Ryū, only to be met with a blank stare.
"You will. But it would not be this day, this month, or this year either."
Tang Hao released his red spirit ring causing the pressure to begin crushing the area yet Ryū simply felt interest after seeing the ring without knowing why.
The red ring floated around Tang Hao before it hovered to Ryū who taps it with his soul as he got pulled into another soul space.
Blue silver grass, forest, mountains, and lake.
Resting in the center of the lake is an island and on it is a beautiful woman with natural ocean blue hair and eyes that reflect the Blue Silver Grass around the soul space.
On top of the huge tree in the island is the red ring, nourishing the soul space with energy.
"So young yet so scheming. You actually absorbed that old man's martial soul without any hesitation."
Ah Yin spoke and her voice spread throughout the space as she forms a bridge made of the Blue Silver Grass and motioned for Ryū to go closer.
"I am still learning, senior sister," he smiled as he crosses the bridge made of grass without fear.
He could die at any moment since this place is the owner's land, he is defenseless here unless he knows of soul defense.
Ah Yin smiled as well before making a chair also made of grass and invited him to sit.
"It's been a long time since I saw of a genuine soul master. Even HaoHao cannot be one since he has yet to learn how to convert spirit energy to soul energy," she laugh at the antics of her husband.
'HaoHao? Even the Clear Sky Duoluo is a baby in front of his wife,' Ryū chuckled before he marvels in the soul space of his senior sister, "Soul masters. It seems they are different from spirit master?"
She nods, "Spirit masters grow simply by integrating spirit rings to their essence, but us soul masters grow by using our martial soul as a base to develop our own soul realm."
He looked above the Blue Silver Tree and saw the crimson halo of the Blue Silver Grass, "A human's spirit essence and a beast's ring are the same then, but what I did was like a beast developing or gaining another central ring?"
"Indeed," she looks above to see her red ring and that shadows her eight black rings, "The minor rings open up paths for our central ring to develop. Either as a new ability or as an enhancer of an existing ability."
"That is why the spirit combat system is then developed... I see," Ryū realized this but that would mean that their ancestors are all Soul Masters, which made him shudder about the lifestyle way back before his century.
To live in a society where one's soul could be invaded or infiltrated with ease, one would live with tension engraved in their souls but that would also mean their soul is stronger than anything else to ward off another's.
"To this date, all beasts are cultivating as a soul master, and since soul cultivation is harder to master or make sense, humans developed a sub-system you all know as spirit cultivation."
She sighed at the end, "Sadly, beasts that turned into humans at their choosing are forced to use this sub-system since their forms are not in tune with nature. Therefore. their energies cannot undergo conversion as easily as they did before. If they do, it would take thousands of years, and a human can only live for, at most, a hundred and fifty as a Titled Douluo."
But Ryū blinked his eyes and thought, "Why? I mean I am a soul master as a human, so why can't beasts that turned into humans do the same?"
Ah Yin laughed softly, "I do not know. You are a rare case even among soul masters that I've met."
He scanned his essence which turned into rings after analyzing some of the things that Ah Yin gave permission to, now having two core rings (Crystal and Pill Flame).
"Your soul manipulation is still in its infancy. Seems to me that you recently discovered soul energy, and soul cultivation you've learned from me."
Her expression was calm but her deduction was pinpoint accurate and he couldn't help but be amazed that she could deduce all of these while simply being in her soul!
"I'll tell my husband to keep an eye out for you. After all, the reason I called you here was to ask of you to take care of my son while we're away... that means joining what he'll probably be joining the Shrek Seven Devils if going by my husband's plan."
"Also," she snapped her fingers and a black soul ring emerged out of nowhere, "Here's a welcoming gift from me to you, you'll know its ability once you use it to evolve your first ring."
[ Ryū I, report. A method to defend the soul from foreign attacks or invasions, Basic Soul Defense, learned. ]
He was gently pushed out of the soul space and woke up while still holding the ring as his eyes stared at Tang Hao.
'I am waiting for her to resurrect. The sooner the better, it is a waste of her time and chance of life if she stays as a ring.'