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Tie Jia waited in place for a full minute. Sensing no soul power fluctuations from the senior expert, he decided to return to the City Lord's Mansion.
On the way back, for five whole minutes, there was no sign of Su Yu's soul power. Tie Jia felt a slight sense of relief but also an urgent sense of unease.
Tie Jia couldn't tell if the senior expert had eliminated all the evil soul masters or if only five of them had been found.
For now, his priority was to mobilize the city's defenses to their highest level to prepare for any potential chaos caused by the evil soul masters.
Simultaneously, he sent a message to his senior brother, Ye Qiu, the current sect leader of the Tianjia Sect and its sole Soul Emperor-level expert.
---
At the Tianjia Sect.
Ye Qiu stared intently at the messenger from the city guards, speaking slowly and clearly:
"Are you certain there are at least five evil soul masters active in Tianjia City?"
"The City Lord reported that a mysterious expert has already killed five of them. Among them, there might have been a Soul Emperor-level evil soul master."
Ye Qiu paced anxiously, his nerves on edge.
A Soul Emperor-level evil soul master...
For the Tianjia Sect, such a threat was nothing short of catastrophic.
"Have investigations begun?"
"The City Lord stated that the mysterious expert hasn't acted again, but the possibility of other evil soul masters hiding in the city cannot be ruled out.
"However, the City Lord also assured you, Sect Leader, that the mysterious expert's repeated interventions have likely eradicated the threat.
"At worst, the remaining evil soul masters are too insignificant to pose any real danger."
Ye Qiu let out a sigh of relief.
"I will dispatch Tianjia Sect disciples to assist. The entire city must be thoroughly investigated."
---
After dealing with the evil soul masters, Su Yu didn't immediately return to the inn. Instead, he decided to explore Tianjia City.
The city featured several large wholesale markets.
Being the closest major city to the Sun Moon Empire within the Heavenly Soul Empire, it served as a hub where many merchant groups sold goods brought from the Sun Moon Empire.
"Rare metal wholesale?"
Su Yu glanced around briefly but didn't purchase any rare metals.
After all, these were imported goods. Even at wholesale prices, they were significantly more expensive than what he could buy in Sun-Moon.
The internal prices at the Sun-Moon Hall were far more affordable.
Su Yu's primary purpose was to try his luck—hoping to find exceptionally rare metals.
The result? Predictably, he found none.
Aside from rare metal shops, Su Yu also visited stores specializing in soul tools.
This was his first opportunity to directly observe the prices of soul tools.
Previously, at the Star Luo Empire auction, he had only learned about rare high-end soul tools—prices that were often inflated due to the auction setting.
In Tianjia City, Su Yu finally gained a clear understanding of soul tools below the fifth level.
"Fourth-level soul tools are the most in demand."
Soul tools below the fifth level had relatively low usage thresholds, making them easier to use.
As long as the creator had adequate skills and the awareness to design soul tools with simpler requirements, they could produce fourth-level tools usable by even Soul Elders and Grandmasters.
However, once a soul tool exceeded the fifth level, lowering its usage threshold required integrating complex technologies.
This meant reducing energy consumption while simultaneously amplifying the user's soul power to fully unleash the tool's potential.
A Soul Saint's soul power is enhanced through the resonance of their soul rings, far surpassing that of a Soul Emperor.
Similarly, the resonance of eight rings in a Soul Douluo greatly exceeds that of a Soul Saint.
By the time one reaches the rank of Titled Douluo, their soul power condenses into a soul core stored in their dantian. This solidified soul power represents a qualitative leap compared to a Soul Douluo's.
Soul tools are designed with the varying strengths of soul power at different levels in mind, enabling the tools to maximize a soul master's power.
To lower the usage requirements of a soul tool, two key factors must be addressed:
1. **Compensating for the user's weaker soul power.**
2. **Ensuring the user's soul power can sustain the soul tool's operations.**
These two points are critical in reducing the difficulty of using a soul tool.
For soul masters below the Soul King rank, whose mental strength is relatively uniform due to the lack of a ten-thousand-year soul ring, controlling a soul tool doesn't demand excessive mental strength.
Among these, the quality of soul power is easier to enhance, while mental strength presents an even lesser challenge.
Furthermore, soul tools below the fifth level rely heavily on the complexity of their core formations. By simply optimizing these formations slightly, a significant amount of energy consumption can be saved.
---
After wandering around the city, Su Yu returned to the inn quite late.
To his surprise, he saw Zou Yun waiting for him with several members of the escort team.
"Su, you're back," Zou Yun said, visibly relieved.
Such a promising young talent—if Su Yu had quietly disappeared, Zou Yun would have been heartbroken.
"Boss Zou, I just took a walk around the city to broaden my horizons," Su Yu explained.
"Hahaha! So, what do you think? Eye-opening, right?"
"I did gain some insights."
"Alright, it's getting late. Get some rest; we have a mission tomorrow." Zou Yun waved his hand, dismissing Su Yu to rest.
---
Returning to his room, Su Yu began his cultivation.
Killing the five evil soul masters had not been difficult for him, especially since his extreme vitality seemed to have a natural countering effect against evil forces.
Among the five evil soul masters, two were Soul Emperor-level experts—devotees of the Holy Spirit Sect. It wasn't surprising they had reached such heights.
From the storage soul tools of the two Soul Emperors, Su Yu discovered some clues.
They seemed to be searching for something—or perhaps someone significant.
Unable to piece together the full picture, Su Yu chose not to waste time speculating.
---
As he cultivated, soul power flowed, and his vitality surged.
Within Su Yu's body, the energy of vitality washed over his bones, continuously tempering them through a unique circulation pattern.
Threads of mental power were merged into his vitality energy, enhancing its effects as it refined his bones.
Pushing his cultivation to its limit, Su Yu attempted to condense the energy of vitality outside his body.
He managed to form a circular ring of blood energy around himself.
However, Su Yu was dissatisfied.
"A blood energy soul ring... How do I actually condense one?"
The ring of blood energy was merely superficial. It had no real function, provided no combat enhancements, and instead felt like a burden.
Su Yu pondered deeply over the possibility of forming a genuine blood energy soul ring.
---
After a night of cultivation, Su Yu departed Tianjia City with Zou Yun and the escort team early the next morning.
"What's with Tianjia City? Last night, they suddenly started strictly checking everyone's identity and whereabouts."
"Yeah, what a buzzkill! I was finally getting comfortable when a squad of city guards interrupted my rest."
"Alright, alright, we can relax properly once we're back in Heaven Dou City."
---
During the journey, Zou Yun walked alongside Su Yu, explaining the operational details of the escort team.
Meanwhile, the other team members chatted among themselves about how they planned to unwind.
"Su, although Heaven Dou City is our headquarters, there are many influential figures there. Let me put it this way—we have connections backing us, so we're not afraid of trouble.
"But when possible, keep a low profile and avoid causing unnecessary problems."
Su Yu nodded in agreement.
He had no intention of abusing his role as a member of the escort team. After all, a small squad led by a Soul Ancestor could only handle so much.
Heaven Dou City had a much deeper foundation than Tianjia City.
It was likely that even Soul Saints living in seclusion there were more than just a handful.
**Heaven Dou City, the former capital of the Heaven Dou Empire,** was a place where countless noble families had established their legacies over generations.
After the empire's division, Heaven Dou City became part of the Heavenly Soul Empire. However, the Heavenly Soul royal family chose not to make it their capital.
Even so, Heaven Dou City remained a major metropolis. Its rich historical heritage and expansive scale ensured its enduring prominence.
"We're almost there," Zou Yun said.
Su Yu surveyed his surroundings. While the area wasn't overly luxurious, it was far removed from the bustling markets and equipped with comprehensive facilities.
The headquarters of the escort team was a sizable courtyard, complete with a large training ground where members could hone their soul techniques.
Although escort missions primarily involved accompanying and guarding, with few encounters requiring actual combat against robbers or attackers, a strong foundation of strength was indispensable.
Both the chief and deputy captains of the Kuangyun Escort Team placed great emphasis on this.
Every team member was given annual performance goals that directly impacted their treatment within the escort team.
---
"Boss Zou, Captain Kuang just led a team out on a mission. Another shipment has arrived from the Heavenly Soul Empire Empire," one team member reported.
"What? Another one?" Zou Yun exclaimed, visibly surprised.
"Didn't we just have a shipment last month? Is their production rate that high now?"
"Yeah," the team member replied with a grin. "Captain Kuang said they received word that there's been a technological breakthrough on their end."
Su Yu, hearing the exchange, was puzzled. Noticing his confusion, Zou Yun took the time to explain.
"Su, this is one of our escort team's codes. When we say 'shipments from the Heavenly Soul Empire Empire,' we're actually referring to what I mentioned earlier—**blood essence crystals**."
The reporting team member, Songzi, was startled, his gaze shifting between Zou Yun and Su Yu.
This newcomer was already privy to such sensitive information?
"Songzi, this is Su. He's a prodigy—just 15 years old and already a Grandmaster," Zou Yun introduced proudly.
Understanding dawned on Songzi.
No wonder.
Boss Zou and Captain Kuang had been fretting for ages about finding a prodigy to bolster the team's reputation. Now that they had recruited one, it was no surprise that Boss Zou valued him so highly, even revealing the team's core source of income.
---
"Boss Zou, is the production of blood essence crystals still inconsistent?"
Su Yu asked, his curiosity piqued.
Blood essence crystals were fascinating objects, containing pure bloodline power in crystalline form.
So far, no one had fully understood the conditions required for their formation.
**Blood Essence** could refine the body and enhance vital energy, making it particularly useful for the **Holy Spirit Sect** and the **Body Sect**.
The Holy Spirit Sect uses blood essence to strengthen the body and offset the damage caused by their unique techniques. The Body Sect, on the other hand, absorbs the blood essence to refine their vital energy and cultivate secret methods.
Su Yu himself also needed to refine his vital energy, so blood essence might be useful for him, which piqued his interest. This was one of the reasons he had joined the Kuangyun Escort Team in the first place.
"Blood essence comes from a sect within the Heavenly Soul Empire Empire. They don't know where it's mined, but they're careful about hiding its origins. They only use us to discreetly sell it," Zou Yun explained. "Our Kuangyun Escort Team has a stable market for it, and we've never had issues with the business. We're their major client."
Su Yu frowned.
The Kuangyun Escort Team was large, spanning the **Riyue**, **Heavenly Soul**, and **Heavenly Soul Empire Empires**, yet they seemed to operate recklessly. From Zou Yun's explanation, it was clear that they had no idea about the true origins of the blood essence, and the sect's methods were completely shrouded in mystery.
"Heh, Su, remember this: If you want a long-lasting business, don't dig too deep. Just gather enough intelligence to ensure your safety. Once you get into their secrets, the business won't last," Zou Yun said with a knowing smile as he patted Su Yu's shoulder. "We're just middlemen, so focus on doing your part well. Don't expect to get rich overnight."
Zou Yun then added, "Since Captain Kuang is away, we'll wait for him to return before holding a celebration."
Zou Yun arranged a room for Su Yu with Songzi.
---
**Blood essence.**
Su Yu wasn't particularly focused on needing it himself, but he found the blood essence itself intriguing. It was a crystallization of bloodline power that could enhance one's vitality. This was the aspect that fascinated Su Yu most.
"Master Yi, what do you think I'm missing in my attempt to form the **Vitality Soul Ring**?"
Su Yu had gathered a circle of blood-red vitality energy around him. While the ring resembled a soul ring in appearance, it was purely decorative and lacked any actual functionality.
"Spirit," Master Yi replied firmly.
The soul ring itself represents the solidification of a soul skill, a gateway for a soul master to connect with the rules of the world. On Douluo Continent, the unique rules allow this connection to be achieved through the contract formed with a soul ring imbued with spirit. Similarly, for the Vitality Soul Ring, its formation cannot bypass the need to construct spirit.
Su Yu sighed.
Theoretically, forming a vitality soul ring was not simple. It likely required understanding the rules of the world, and only then could one use spirit to construct it.
"Never mind, I'll put the **Vitality Soul Ring** aside for now," Su Yu muttered, not harboring too much hope.
He then focused on circulating his vitality energy, letting it flow through his body.
His bones glimmered, faintly glowing as the intricate patterns on them shifted and shimmered. If one closed their eyes and paid close attention, they would feel the outline of an energy framework within Su Yu's body.
---
**Heaven Dou City** was located at the edge of the **Sunset Forest**.
As Su Yu continued his training, he also inquired about the Sunset Forest from Zou Yun.
"The types of soul beasts in the Sunset Forest aren't as varied as those in the rumored **Star Dou Great Forest**, but for us, it's more than enough. It's a large soul beast habitat, and the ecosystem is diverse enough to support nearly all types of soul beasts. What's lacking are the powerful soul beasts over 10,000 years old."
While there were certainly a variety of soul beasts in the Sunset Forest, few had grown strong enough to reach the level of 10,000 years.
"In fact, **10,000-year-old soul beasts** are incredibly rare in the Sunset Forest. Apparently, the core area of the forest has a harsh environment, filled with poisonous miasma. Even 10,000-year-old soul beasts can't survive there. The original 10,000-year-old beasts were driven to the outskirts, where they were hunted down. With no core area left, the soul beasts that wander the perimeter rarely evolve past 10,000 years. Over time, that's how it's become."
(End of Chapter)