Douluo Dalu 2: Reincarnated as the Auspicious Beast

Tianmeng Iceworm chuckled in Huo Yuqing's mind, "I did my best to calculate the maximum limit your body could withstand. I've integrated the source power from the seal into your body, enhancing your physical qualities comprehensively, including your soul power!"

"Thank you, Brother Tianmeng!" Huo Yuqing responded happily.

"Oh my, it seems little Yuhao has been stuck at the level ten bottleneck for a while!" Tang Ya said with a smile, reaching out to pat Huo Yuqing on the head.

"According to the theory of the founder of Shrek Academy, Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang, after a soul master reaches a bottleneck, even without a soul ring, their soul power will continue to accumulate. Once they break through, they will level up all at once," Bei Bei explained.

"Uh-huh! I have my first soul ring now, so I'm officially a soul master!" The young girl grinned foolishly, barely listening to what the two were saying.

With the soul ring, she had formally embarked on the path of cultivation, getting one step closer to her goal.

Suppressing her excitement, Huo Yuqing released her martial soul.

Golden light gleamed in the girl's clear eyes, and a circle of crystalline white light rose from beneath her feet.

Sure enough, the four skills Tianmeng Iceworm mentioned were imprinted in her mind, but since Bei Bei and Tang Ya were still present, she temporarily suppressed her urge to test them.

She then sneaked a glance at Wang Rui, who was standing nearby.

Ever since fusing with Tianmeng Iceworm, she had vaguely felt a strange pull from Wang Rui, as though he exuded an irresistible attraction toward her.

Now that she had activated her martial soul, the feeling grew even stronger. It was as if Wang Rui had become a giant magnet, drawing her whole being toward him… This was way too strange.

She quickly stole another glance at Wang Rui's slender, well-defined hand, feeling an inexplicable urge to slip her hand into his palm.

…That would be so improper. The girl's ears began to heat up.

She did indeed have a good impression of the red-haired boy her age, but her thoughts seemed a little over the top.

It felt like there was a tiny version of herself in her mind, furiously banging her head against a wall and scolding her for having such absurd thoughts, but she just couldn't ignore the pull Wang Rui exerted on her.

"It's not strange that you feel this way," Tianmeng Iceworm suddenly said, "because that human's soul power is complementary to yours… You two are like interdependent yin and yang poles. If you fuse, you'll undoubtedly unleash terrifying power. Your kind calls this situation 'martial soul fusion,' right?"

Of course, Huo Yuqing knew about martial soul fusion—after all, the Netherworld White Tiger fusion skill was a hallmark of the Dai family. Her half-brother, Dai Huabin, even had a fiancée with whom he could perform a martial soul fusion.

Hmm… From what she knew, those capable of using the Netherworld White Tiger fusion skill were required to marry each other.

…Marry.

Aaaaah! Huo Yuqing, stop it! How could you have such inappropriate thoughts about someone you just met less than a day ago? What decent girl thinks this way?

By now, the girl's ears had turned completely red.

At her age, she didn't really understand what it meant to like someone. She only felt shy because the thought had crossed her mind.

Wretched Rui Beast, lucky for him. It's obvious little Qing has a crush on him. When will Bing Bing accept me? Tianmeng Iceworm lamented bitterly in her consciousness, mentally wringing a handkerchief.

"So… how do I perform a martial soul fusion?" Huo Yuqing asked weakly.

"Uh… I don't know." Tianmeng Iceworm was stumped by the question.

Since he didn't have an answer, he suggested, "Why not try channeling your soul power into him and see what happens? Then again, maybe that human will bring it up himself. He must sense the same pull as you do, and judging by the secrets he seems to carry, he probably knows quite a bit."

Wang Rui had indeed sensed the pull, but he didn't think much of it. Instead, he was a bit puzzled by the way Huo Yuqing's face was turning red.

One soul ring, and this kid is so excited she's blushing? Really?

Oh, wait—it's a million-year soul ring. Okay, that makes sense.

But why does she keep sneaking glances at me? What does she want?

Confused Wang Rui emoji: Three-eyed lion baffled.jpg.

"Little Yuhao, is your martial soul a spiritual-type one?" Tang Ya's surprised voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Yes, it's called Spirit Eyes, and it has spiritual attributes," Huo Yuqing nodded, regaining her composure.

Bei Bei seemed to realize something as well and commented regretfully, "So it's a body martial soul… I didn't expect that. What a pity we arrived late. Otherwise, we could've helped you find a better soul beast to fuse with. This possum is too weak—I wonder what kind of soul skill it provided."

"Leaf-patterned possums aren't too bad," Wang Rui chimed in, covering for his fabricated backstory. "These little creatures live in trees, evading countless predators, which makes their senses incredibly sharp. Some special individuals in their groups act as sentinels. They can sense environmental changes and send out warning signals using unique spiritual waves without alarming predators. If the soul skill involves this aspect, it could be useful for a spiritual-type martial soul."

Bei Bei pondered for a moment, then nodded in realization, "Now I remember. Leaf-patterned possums do have that trait. I vaguely recall reading about it, but they're so weak that I didn't pay much attention."

"Who'd bother remembering such trivial creatures?" Tang Ya made a face. "I didn't pay attention when I read about them either. It's impressive you remembered anything at all."

Huo Yuqing finally noticed the soul beast's corpse lying at her feet.

"Quick, respond before they get suspicious!" Tianmeng Iceworm urged. "This was the cover story Rui Beast prepared for you. I forgot to tell you. Just say it played dead when it saw you, and you finished it off by strangling it."

Huo Yuqing hurriedly repeated Tianmeng's explanation.

"Wow, little Yuhao, you're really lucky!" Tang Ya said with a grin. "By the way, we've known each other for a while, but I still don't know—where are you from?"

"I'm from the Star Luo Empire," Huo Yuqing answered obediently.

"Why were you hunting for a soul ring all by yourself? Don't you know how dangerous that is? Why didn't you bring any family or mentors with you?" Tang Ya scolded, sounding genuinely concerned.

"I… I don't have any family. I'm all alone," Huo Yuqing said softly, looking down and scuffing the ground with her toe.

Perhaps touched by Tang Ya's warmth, her deep blue eyes reflected a hint of melancholy and sorrow.

Ah… Here comes the awkward moment, Wang Rui thought as he half-closed his eyes, watching Tang Ya try to bond with Huo Yuqing.

As expected, just like in the original story, Tang Ya smiled cheerfully and blurted out, "That's wonderful!"

Honestly, before seeing it firsthand, Wang Rui could never have imagined someone could be this socially oblivious… Tang Ya's becoming an evil soul master later might not have been solely due to her martial soul.

It's almost literal—pitiful people often have something detestable about them.

Meanwhile, Huo Yuqing stared at Tang Ya in shock, wide-eyed.

She remembered her mother's gray, lifeless face and her trembling, dying words…

Tang Ya thought it was "wonderful" that she had lost her most important family member and that her parents could have been used as backup soul rings?

In an instant, dark emotions surged within Huo Yuqing like a tide of black sludge, spreading toward Tang Ya.

She watched coldly as Bei Bei knocked Tang Ya on the head and jokingly scolded, "What kind of thing to say is that?"

Tang Ya merely stuck out her tongue and said, "I didn't mean it."

"What kind of person says that? Saying it's wonderful when someone else's parents are gone—how is that unintentional?" Tianmeng Iceworm raged indignantly in Huo Yuqing's mind, helping her regain her composure.

Yeah… "Unintentional." Huo Yuqing lowered her gaze, quickly hiding the coldness in her eyes.

Wang Rui raised an eyebrow. Unlike Bei Bei and Tang Ya, who didn't notice Huo Yuqing's reaction, he caught every change in her expression. Naturally, he noticed the flash of hatred in her eyes.

Looks like Tang Ya's favorability rating just went into the negatives.

That's more like it. In the original story, Huo Yuhao cared so much about his mother, yet he didn't seem upset when Tang Ya said the same thing… Wang Rui wasn't sure how to explain that—maybe Tang Ya had some sort of protagonist halo, or perhaps Huo Yuhao had been running on autopilot.

Now, Wang Rui felt a little irritated.

Saying something like that to a child who had lost her mother and barely knew her father was a bit too much.

Considering Tang Ya had also lost her parents, yet she still said such a thing… Something was definitely off about her.

If someone said to his face that the Tiger Queen An Yun had died and that was "wonderful"… he wouldn't let that person stay standing for long.

Tang Ya, however, remained oblivious to the fact she had offended two people. She sincerely invited Huo Yuqing to join the Tang Sect.

"Over the past four thousand years, the Tang Sect has declined. Our estates and legacy have been seized. Now, only Bei Bei and I remain," Tang Ya said, her eyes reddening as she thought of her mission and her hatred.

"Really? That's wonderful!" Wang Rui raised an eyebrow and said with exaggerated cheer.

Everyone stared at him in astonishment.

"You—what do you mean by that?" Tang Ya's face flushed with anger at the insult to her sect.

"I didn't mean anything by it!" Wang Rui mimicked her tone mockingly.

"You!" Her own words coming back at her, Tang Ya's face alternated between red and pale.

A faint blue light flashed, and two yellow soul rings appeared beside her. Blue vines rose like snakes, radiating menace. Tang Ya reached into the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges at her waist, drawing out several sharp, gleaming Bone-Piercing Needles.

Yet Huo Yuqing felt a sense of satisfaction and quickly looked worriedly at Wang Rui—but the red-haired boy just gave her a playful wink.

Her heart skipped a beat.

He's standing up for me!

"Oh, this must be the famous Tang Sect hidden weapons? Not bad, but not as good as soul tools," Wang Rui said coldly, his sharp tone reminiscent of his imprisoned father's.

"You insolent—!" Tang Ya shouted furiously, raising her hands—

Careful!" Huo Yuqing's eyes lit up with a flash of gold, and a white soul ring flickered. Instantly, every detail within a thirty-meter radius appeared vividly in Wang Rui's mind.

Wang Rui was surprised, stunned that Huo Yuqing would act at this moment—it was nearly equivalent to completely severing ties with Bei Bei and Tang Ya.

Without saying more, he dodged the incoming needles using the guidance of Huo Yuqing's mental detection and quickly pulled her behind him.

Huo Yuqing kept a wary eye on Bei Bei and Tang Ya, but the Tianmeng Iceworm's untimely "wee-woo" noises in her mind almost made her lose her cool again.

Tianmeng: "This cold slap of reality! The lucky beast could have just incinerated those needles, but he still followed Little Qing's detection and dodged a few times—he's really something, I'm crying!"

"Xiao Ya!" Bei Bei took a step forward and grabbed Tang Ya's wrist, pulling her behind him. Compared to Tang Ya, his emotional intelligence was much higher, and he quickly understood why Wang Rui had chosen to mock her.

He looked warily at Wang Rui.

Shrek Academy's motto may have encouraged boldness, but Wang Rui, suspected of hailing from a hidden clan, was not someone to provoke lightly. Clearly, he understood the dangers of the outer Star Dou Forest buffer zone—anyone daring to venture there alone had to be at least a Soul Grandmaster of his level.

Moreover, Wang Rui had effortlessly dodged Tang Ya's concealed weapons, which made him even more intimidating.

As for Huo Yuqing, though she only had a ten-year soul ring, the methods of spiritual-type soul masters were often unconventional and could not be ignored.

Thinking about the soul ring hunt ahead, Bei Bei made a decision after a brief moment of thought.

"This matter was our fault, and I apologize on Xiao Ya's behalf," Bei Bei said courteously but firmly. "However, we cannot tolerate insults toward the ancestors of Tang Sect. Let's call it even. Since the buffer zone of the Star Dou Forest is fraught with danger, there's no need to determine a victor here."

Tang Ya seemed reluctant, but knowing that her boyfriend had his own considerations, she didn't object. Instead, she glared fiercely at Huo Yuqing. "I didn't expect you to be like this. Good thing we didn't recruit you into Tang Sect."

"I feel the same." Huo Yuqing responded coldly, "Not joining Tang Sect was a blessing."

"You! How ungrateful!" Tang Ya trembled with rage and tugged at Bei Bei's arm. "Let's go!"

"Until we meet again," Bei Bei said meaningfully before following Tang Ya's lead and leaving.

Wang Rui snorted, and the Eye of Destiny hidden beneath his forehead guard opened, sending a subtle streak of misfortune onto Tang Ya.

He had just acquired the ability to influence human luck—if he accidentally went overboard… well, that couldn't be helped.

"Thanks… for earlier." Huo Yuqing said softly.

Only then did Wang Rui notice he was still holding her wrist. He quickly let go, coughing lightly. "Ahem, it's nothing. Anyone would have found her words unbearable."

Feeling slightly embarrassed, he adjusted his forehead guard. "By the way, since you're a soul master now, what's your plan?"

"Um, I want to visit Shrek Academy," the girl said quietly.

"Why?" Wang Rui looked at her, a bit surprised.

"Well…" Huo Yuqing hesitated, kicking a stone at her feet before finally finding the right words. "I have a rival. He'll be enrolling in Shrek Academy this year too, so I want to see what kind of person he is."