The path of spiritual practice is inherently challenging. Without enough experience, one might as well be like a flower in a greenhouse—protected but untested. Although he could have his teacher catch a soul beast for him to absorb, Han Yu understood that this wouldn't provide the valuable experience he needed.
"Come on, we should be approaching the Howling Cave marked on the map!" Han Yu said, spotting the low caves in the distance.
The Howling Cave was mostly buried under snow, with only a single entrance visible. This suggested that the Snow Demon frequented this area; otherwise, the entrance would have been completely covered.
The Snow Demon was a social soul beast; once it reached a hundred years of cultivation, it would create an opening outside. At a thousand years, it would seek a mate and expand its den further. The size of the cave entrance could indicate the age of the Snow Demon inside—larger entrances signified older, more powerful beasts.
Following Du Bu Si's advice on assessing age, Han Yu found the outermost cave. The entrance was relatively small, indicating that it likely belonged to a Snow Demon around a hundred years old. It seemed to be solitary for now, but he couldn't be sure of its exact age.
The cold rain trickled into the cave entrance, but instead of intensifying the chill, it surprisingly warmed up the air. The cave was short; after just a few steps and a turn, Han Yu spotted a snow-white soul beast floating in the air.
The creature was petite, with purple skin and a head shaped like a sideways water droplet. Ice crystals adorned the top of its head, with several holes visible. It had no legs, and its arms hung down like elongated ears, wrists shimmering with patches of light blue.
As Han Yu approached, the Snow Demon seemed momentarily bewildered, as if trying to comprehend the presence of a human in its territory.
"About five hundred years old, this one's a good match," Han Yu mused, studying the Snow Demon. Although his own physical fitness had improved significantly, he still felt it was only average overall. Du Bu Si had assessed that Han Yu could absorb a soul beast between five to six hundred years, and this one fit the criteria perfectly.
With determination, Han Yu closed his eyes for a moment, then suddenly opened them. His pupils transformed into a scarlet color, the black tomoe within rotating slowly and emanating a cold aura.
As the Sharingan activated, he felt time around him slow. In an instant, a sharp, sword-shaped soul tool flashed into his hand, ready for action.
This sword was something Han Yu had specifically requested from Du Bu Si. With his body still too weak, he needed better equipment to enhance his combat power.
Phew! The Snow Demon let out a shrill scream, sensing the danger emanating from Han Yu. Its small eyes widened in fear as they fixated on Han Yu's scarlet gaze.
Without hesitation, Han Yu tightened his grip on the sword and dashed toward the Snow Demon, raising the weapon high to strike down on its head.
In an instant, the Snow Demon's ear-like arms shot out, effectively blocking the attack.
Bump! Han Yu staggered back slightly, a look of seriousness crossing his face. He hadn't expected this seemingly harmless creature to possess such strength. His hand trembled slightly around the sword.
Taking a deep breath, Han Yu channeled his soul power into the sword. To his surprise, the blade elongated and a radiant glow enveloped it.
"Let's see if you can withstand this!" Han Yu declared, his Sharingan fixed on the Snow Demon, focusing all his mental energy.
"Cut!" His deep, commanding shout resonated through the cold cave, and he unleashed the blade with all his might.
The blade sliced through the air, cleanly bisecting the Snow Demon in a stunning arc, but to Han Yu's surprise, no blood flowed.
"What? An afterimage?" Han Yu exclaimed, realizing too late that he had been tricked. The moment he swung the sword, he sensed something was off, as if he had briefly fallen into a trance.
Phew! The Snow Demon let out an enraged scream, and an invisible wave of energy pulsed outward.
"No, it's the Snow Demon's mental tremor!" Han Yu thought, frowning as he felt a powerful mental force strike at him. The tomoe in his eyes spun rapidly as he prepared to respond.
He widened his eyes and focused intently. "Mental shock!" he shouted, unleashing his own mental force.
Bass! The two invisible ripples collided violently. The Snow Demon trembled as if struck by a heavy blow; its breath weakened, and its body floated down weakly.
" You're still a bit behind compared to my mental strength!" Han Yu declared, though his face paled as cold sweat formed on his brow, quickly turning to ice crystals.
Despite lacking powerful attack skills, he relied on his formidable mental power to gain the advantage and defeat the opponent.
Though the Snow Demon was a five-hundred-year-old soul beast, Han Yu knew that defeating it with a mere sword would have been nearly impossible. However, with mental power comparable to that of an ordinary soul master, he had managed to overpower the creature in an instant.
"Mental attacks are incredibly powerful, but they really take a toll!" he panted, excitement flickering in his eyes. He felt a surge of satisfaction from his first real combat experience. The weak spiritual defenses of soul masters on the Douluo Continent worked to his advantage.
Just one tomoe had proven so potent; he wondered what it would be like to unlock two or three. The basic abilities of the Sharingan included insight, copying, and illusion, but it was only with three tomoe that one could be considered to possess the true Sharingan as for the The Mangekyú Sharingan, which lay beyond that, was said to hold godlike power.
Approaching the Snow Demon, whose spirit was severely damaged, Han Yu swung his sword to end its life. A dark yellow soul ring rose from the fallen beast.
"This must be the soul ring! So magical!" he marveled, his face alight with surprise. Sitting cross-legged, he began to absorb the soul ring according to the methods Du Bu Si had taught him.
As Han Yu focused, the dark yellow soul ring floated toward him, drawn by his soul power, and soon enveloped him.
"Not bad at all! He took down a five-hundred-year-old Snow Demon with his own strength. his martial soul truly is powerful." muttered Du Bi Su from the dark after watching the battle he was proud of his disciple.
From his prespective, Han Yu seemed like a prophpet knowing were the enemy would attack and dodge accordingly.
"It seems that we can start the second stage of training. I hope Han Yu won't blame me. I have prepared a big surprise. Maybe it can really make his Sharingan evolve!"
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