Douluo Continent: Angel Saint Huo Yuhao

Chapter 48 Soul Rings
"Yuhao~"

Qian Duoduo couldn't help but rub her face, her eyes filled with heartache: "I know you're not satisfied with the results we discussed in private, but there's no need to say such hurtful things, is there?"

"Although our department is indeed not well-liked at Shrek Academy, and we are controlled by others in every way, even getting a few research and development projects requires us to beg and plead, and we can't even recruit many teachers, let alone many students..."

The old man opposite him seemed to be deliberately making a fuss as he spoke, and the more he spoke, the colder Huo Yuhao's resentment gradually turned into a deep sadness, and he even felt a sense of shared sorrow.

Is this godforsaken place really part of Shrek?
How could you live such a miserable life?

He didn't even dare to think about the dire situation the teachers and students of the Soul Guidance Department were living in.

"but!"

Qian Duoduo had laid enough groundwork, then suddenly delivered a twist with a sly smile.

Snapped!
"look--"

Qian Duoduo flipped his hand and took out a slender bone that shimmered with blue water, slapping it onto the table. Then, with another flick of his wrist, he revealed several more bones of different colors and shapes.

One ten-thousand-year-old soul bone from a plant-based soul beast, and six other soul bones of various kinds, each several thousand years old.

Snap! Tap tap...

"Look again!"

Several porcelain bottles of various sizes were placed on the table. Even though the mouths of the bottles were sealed, Huo Yuhao could still feel an invigorating energy from the faint aura emanating from them.

Various rare elixirs.

"It's not over yet~"

*Thud!* *Splash!*

A stack of black and gold cards of unknown material was laid out in front of Huo Yuhao. Each card was engraved with slightly different gold marks and emitted faint fluctuations of soul power.

Although he didn't recognize it, Huo Yuhao had seen similar things in Wang Dong's possession.

Even a fool could guess that these are all Gold Soul Coin savings cards.

"Hey! You thought it was over?"

Snapped!
Qian Duoduo narrowed his eyes and finally pushed over a soul tool that resembled a belt and was covered with various inscriptions: "This is my recent trial work. Although it is only at the level of a level four soul tool, it is still priceless."

"Not only can it provide 30 cubic meters of storage space, but it can also activate a level 4 soul-guided shield! How about that? I've already explained this to you in class, right? I don't need to go into details again."

After a thoroughly enjoyable display of wealth, this over 100-year-old, still enormous old man leaned back leisurely.

"Our Soul Guidance Department lacks everything, except money... at least based on the current number of people, we don't lack it at all!"

"How about it?"

Qian Duoduo raised an eyebrow: "Hey! Speaking of which~ what were you going to say to this old man just now?"

"..."

Having grown up in hardship, Huo Yuhao raised his hand, then slowly lowered it: "I..."

As if sensing where his gaze was directed, Qian Duoduo pulled out a black and gold card and pushed it in front of Huo Yuhao.

"You seem to care about this? But it doesn't matter if I give you one now. Don't worry, even if you eventually go back, I won't take it back~ Anyway, it's only 200,000 gold soul coins, just consider it a small prize for you to successfully pass the freshman competition."

hiss~
Huo Yuhao took a deep breath.

Two hundred thousand!
Small prize?
"I'm sorry, Dean Qian. I was just thinking of focusing on my cultivation first, prioritizing the improvement of my soul power level, and then researching soul tools after my martial soul potential is exhausted."

Having truly felt what sincerity meant, Huo Yuhao took a step back, his expression momentarily contorted with struggle, but he still gritted his teeth and said, "As for those gold soul coins, I am unworthy of them! Please take them back."

Two hundred thousand...

Two hundred thousand.

"Stop nagging, okay?"

Tianmeng felt that this mournful cry was echoing throughout her entire spiritual sea: "If you really can't stand it, then just accept it."

"I don't want to owe too many favors."

Huo Yuhao glanced listlessly at the ball of light above the Sea of ​​Spirit, then looked at Tianmeng: "I've already owed enough..."

He himself was afraid that if there were any more, he wouldn't be able to handle it one day and would collapse on the spot. (From the outside world.)

Just as Huo Yuhao thought the old man in front of him was about to unleash his power, Qian Duoduo suddenly sighed with a complicated expression: "Yuhao... you don't think that entering the Soul Guidance Department means spending all your time burying yourself in piles of paper to draw blueprints and working in piles of materials, do you?"

Huo Yuhao:......

Sorry, but that's really what he thinks.

"We are teachers after all, and we can distinguish between what is important and what is not, and we naturally know how to cultivate students according to their individual circumstances."

Qian Duoduo paused for a moment, thinking of the chaotic mess at the Martial Soul Academy next door, and immediately waved his hand: "Let's not worry about Lao Yan's side, let's just talk about our Soul Guidance Academy!"

"Some prioritize enhancing soul power, others specialize in material refining and forging, some study blueprint design, and still others immerse themselves in crafting—whatever training path you want, we can design one tailored to your specific needs!"

Seemingly realizing he had spoken too confidently, he quickly added, "Of course, since Professor Fanyu's Extreme Individual Soldier Plan has consumed most of the resources, the training plan we can provide now may not be as comprehensive."

Is that so?
"Then thank you very much, Dean, for clearing up my doubts."

Huo Yuhao nodded with a flicker in his eyes: "However, I have just reached level 20, and I hope the academy can help me add a spirit ring."

"No problem!"

Qian Duoduo waved his hand, his face beaming with joy: "As long as you're willing to join, everything is negotiable. I'll arrange for a Soul Ring Master right away—by the way, do you have any contingency plans for the upcoming Soul Ring skills?"

Let's get down to business.

Huo Yuhao recited his prepared statement: "Since I'm going to cultivate soul tools, and I belong to the mental attribute, I'd prefer to have a soul skill that allows me to hide myself and launch various attacks unexpectedly."

"Hmm, that's definitely a good direction."

Qian Duoduo rubbed his chin thoughtfully: "The Illusion Moon Tree in the Star Dou Great Forest, and the Light Mirror Beetles near Tian Dou City seem to work too~"

"Oh right, and the Ice Silkworms of the far north! Their simulated soul skills would be suitable for you, but the journey is probably quite long..."

Hit the target.

Huo Yuhao immediately nodded: "It's alright. It's best to make the earliest spirit rings as perfect as possible, so they won't be useless later and just occupy the ring slots."

"Hey!"

Qian Duoduo's eyes showed even more satisfaction: "I didn't expect you to be such a steady and thoughtful person~ So, I'll go with your suggestion: the far north, the ice silkworm."

Seeing Huo Yuhao about to turn and leave, he reached out and slammed his hand heavily on the table.

"Wait a minute... Since I said I would give you this card, I naturally can't go back on my word like some people do! Take it with you along with the soul tool."

嗨~
Qian Duoduo watched Huo Yuhao's retreating figure with a smile on her face: "What an interesting lad."

In any case, he really struck gold this time.

He didn't even dare to imagine what kind of expression Old Yan would have on his face if he won the gamble again and achieved the awakening and advancement of his original martial soul!
"Hehe~hehe..."

A series of eerie laughs suddenly emanated from the office where only one person remained.

　Theoretically, one can deduce the growth patterns of the physical and mental bodies from the age of the Soul Rings.

　　It is known that the age of a spirit ring is positively correlated with the weight it bears. If a spirit master's body is not strong enough, they will use a spirit ring. For spirit rings over ten thousand years old, in addition to the physical weight, there is also a mental impact.

　　Therefore, based on the lifespan of the spirit rings, it can be seen that the lifespan increases by approximately 1.1^9 times for each level from the 1st to the 5th ring. Here, we assume the same applies to the physical body (considering two levels within the 9th ring).
　　but--

　　 A level 95 physical strength is roughly equivalent to a level 81 martial spirit. It's understandable that Titan was frightened into unleashing his martial spirit by a single palm strike from a fourth-ring Huo Gua, given how fragile the physical body is; a direct hit could indeed cause injury.
　　(This also explains why Tang Wulin was so weak when he wasn't using a martial soul in Douluo Continent, and why his combat power didn't increase significantly even though he easily surpassed the limits of human physical strength, since 99% pure physical strength is roughly equivalent to 90% with a martial soul.)

　　Meanwhile, it can be found that the 6-9 rings do not conform to the above multiples, so it is assumed that the lifespan is limited by the spirit (in Douyi, it is believed that the 9th ring should be 5-10 years, and in Douer, the 9th ring is 10+ years, which can be regarded as the improvement brought about by spiritual and physical cultivation).
　　thus:

　　When each step increases by 1.1^6 times, the nine rings can withstand a lifespan of approximately 12 years.

　　(This explains why Huo Yuhao's mental strength is comparable to that of a Super Douluo, but he cannot directly confront a ninth-ringed expert, because pure mental strength is approximately equal to an eighth-ringed expert.)

　　This also explains why a demigod-level spiritual soul core is roughly equivalent to two soul cores, while Huo had three soul cores but didn't raise his soul power to demigod level—because the total amount of spiritual power is significantly less than soul power.

　　Note: In order to limit Huo Gua's ability to cross ranks, Douluo Continent II added a setting where soul power can assist mental power in resisting mental attacks.

　　-

　　Also, it seems that combat strength is added together?
　　Battle armor + Soul Master & Spirit + Soul Power – these two combat strengths are calculated additively (laughs).

　　
　
(End of this chapter)