Chapter 16: The Blue-Eyed Bird and the Spirit Bone
In the depths of Xingdou Great Forest, things didn't go as planned.
Originally, it was Beibei and Tang Ya who were meant to help Huo Yuhao hunt for his first hundred-year spirit ring. Huo Yuhao himself wasn't expected to do much. But due to an unexpected turn of events, the group was separated. Huo Yuhao ended up alone, his surroundings unfamiliar and dangerous.
Fortunately, fate seemed to favor him. Despite the chaos, Huo Yuhao managed to avoid danger along the way, thanks in part to his sharp instincts and a stroke of incredible luck. In an isolated clearing, he encountered a rare opportunity—an injured four-hundred-year-old Blue-Eyed Bird, already on the brink of death.
Not wasting a moment, Huo Yuhao raised his blade and swiftly ended the bird's suffering. From its fading body, a yellow spirit ring rose and hovered in the air. Without hesitation, Huo Yuhao released his soul power and guided the spirit ring into his body.
Though Beibei had previously helped him clear his meridians, the process of absorbing this spirit ring—especially one this old—was still excruciating. The ring's tightly bound age pushed his limits, and he could feel the foreign energy trying to tear through him.
But Huo Yuhao had an edge that others didn't—Alex.
As the violent energy surged inside his body, threatening to cause internal collapse, a powerful force intervened. Alex, the presence within him, used a wisp of spiritual consciousness to suppress the spirit ring's berserk will. The threat of mutual destruction faded as Alex neutralized the volatile energy.
Even so, the absorption process was far from easy. Huo Yuhao's body still strained under the burden, but the worst had passed. He gritted his teeth and endured the pain, slowly guiding the spirit ring to settle.
After half an hour, his eyes fluttered open. The forest remained calm. No soul beasts had interrupted the process. It was as if the world had stood still for him.
Right on cue, Beibei and Tang Ya arrived, worry etched across their faces.
"Little Junior Brother, you're safe!" Beibei breathed out in relief.
"Xiao Yuhao, you scared me to death!" Tang Ya scolded him lightly, her tone still trembling. "I thought I'd never get to eat your grilled fish again!"
Seeing their concern, warmth filled Huo Yuhao's heart. "Don't worry, Senior Brother, Teacher Xiaoya. I'm not only safe but also…"
As he spoke, a glowing yellow ring emerged around him—the proof of his success. A hundred-year soul ring now circled beneath his feet. He had officially become a soul master.
"You… you really did it," Beibei said, stunned and impressed.
However, when his gaze shifted to the dead Blue-Eyed Bird beside Huo Yuhao, his expression suddenly darkened. His brows furrowed as if a realization had struck him.
"Junior Brother, are you really okay?" Beibei asked, stepping forward quickly.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" Huo Yuhao tilted his head, puzzled.
Beibei didn't answer immediately. After a few seconds, he smiled faintly. "It's nothing. I was just overthinking."
In truth, Beibei had every reason to worry.
According to the master's theoretical limits, the maximum lifespan a soul master could safely absorb for their first spirit ring was 423 years. On paper, it seemed plausible. The theory was accepted and often quoted by soul masters across the continent—especially within Shrek Academy.
But Beibei, a direct descendant of the Tang Sect and one deeply familiar with the realities behind these "accepted truths," knew better.
The master's numbers were more a matter of "political correctness" than actual truth. Tang San himself, Beibei's great-grandfather, and even Zhang Lexuan, one of the current top soul masters, had all absorbed spirit rings far outside these parameters. The differences in the physical endurance of assault-type, control-type, and support-type soul masters made it clear that a universal standard couldn't apply to everyone.
And Huo Yuhao?
He was far from average. Beibei had run Xuantian Gong through his body earlier and discovered the extent of his internal damage. Years of malnutrition and physical weakness had left his meridians far more fragile than a normal level 10 soul master.
By Beibei's estimation, Huo Yuhao could barely manage a 200-year soul ring. A 300-year one might have been risky—but manageable. A 400-year ring, though? That should have been beyond his tolerance.
So when he saw the Blue-Eyed Bird's remains, Beibei was genuinely afraid Huo Yuhao had pushed himself too far.
Thankfully, his fears proved unfounded. Somehow, Huo Yuhao had survived. He seemed completely fine.
"We should grill this Blue-Eyed Bird when we get out of here!" Tang Ya said with a grin as she lifted the carcass with both hands.
But then, her smile froze. Something felt… odd.
She examined the body, her eyes narrowing. Carefully peeling back its feathers, her expression changed drastically. "A spirit bone! And it's an external spirit bone!"
Both Beibei and Huo Yuhao were stunned.
Tang Ya continued excitedly, "I can't believe it! A four-hundred-year-old soul beast actually dropped an external spirit bone!"
Beibei's eyebrows rose, clearly surprised. Spirit bones were rare, and external spirit bones were even rarer. Even a thousand-year beast wasn't guaranteed to produce one, much less a four-hundred-year-old creature.
"Xiao Yuhao," Tang Ya turned to him, eyes glowing, "this is yours. You're the one who killed the Blue-Eyed Bird."
But Huo Yuhao immediately shook his head. "Teacher Xiaoya, please… I can't accept it. This should go to you or Senior Brother. Tang Sect took me in and treated me as one of its own. Offering this spirit bone to the sect is the least I can do."
Moved by his sincerity, Tang Ya hesitated, but eventually, after several rounds of refusal and encouragement, she accepted it—her desire for strength outweighing her pride.
Beibei, true to his nature, refused to accept the spirit bone himself. But seeing how much Tang Ya needed strength, he didn't object further. He simply stood there silently, his gaze full of affection as Tang Ya absorbed the bone.
"Little Junior Brother…"
"Yes, Senior Brother?"
"…Never mind," Beibei muttered with a small smile. I'll find a way to repay him later.
After Tang Ya finished absorbing the spirit bone, the group made their way toward Shrek Academy. Along the way, Beibei and Tang Ya introduced Huo Yuhao to the institution's inner workings, just as described in the academy's records.
"Oh, by the way, Xiao Yuhao," Tang Ya added with a grin, "later we'll go collect your spirit master subsidy."
"Subsidy?" Huo Yuhao asked, eyes wide.
"Yep! It's a benefit given to official residents of Shrek City and students of Shrek Academy," Beibei explained. "First-ring soul masters receive one gold soul coin per month. Second-ring soul masters get ten. Since I've already advanced, I get 100 gold soul coins a month now."
"One hundred gold soul coins?!" Huo Yuhao gasped. "That's so much!"
"For someone like you, I guess it is," Beibei chuckled. "The subsidy is actually part of the funding the Three Great Empires give to Shrek Academy each year. Because of this, it's a privilege unique to Shrek City."
Back in the era of the Spirit Hall, low-level soul masters across the continent received subsidies as well. Those payments were technically distributed by the Spirit Hall, but the actual funds came from the empires.
However, after the fall of the Spirit Hall, the empires no longer felt obligated to pay spirit masters directly. Without the unifying threat of Spirit Hall, the motivation to invest in ordinary soul masters vanished.
After all, Beibei thought, who spends money when there's no pressure?
But for now, none of that mattered. Huo Yuhao's journey had officially begun—and with it, the seeds of something much greater.