Douluo Dalu: This Soul Master is to Weird

Additionally, it's worth mentioning that the difficulty of deducing the spiritual power cultivation technique Lunar Refining Technique was significantly higher compared to the Extreme Flame Meditation Method.

The reason Lunar Refining Technique took about a year and a half to deduce, while the less challenging Extreme Flame Meditation Method took several years, is primarily due to his strengthened spiritual power post-martial soul awakening. This increase significantly improved the efficiency of his innate deduction talent.

Of course, the most critical factors were his first soul skill, Recovery Soul Ginseng, which could restore spiritual power, and the rewards given by Blazing Academy to its outstanding students. The academy's treasure, Silver Blossoms from the Fire Sliver Tree, had a nourishing effect on the mind, substantially extending Mu Yang's daily deduction time.

After a while, Mu Yang concluded tonight's training and prepared to return to his room for sleep.

On any other night, as a self-proclaimed workaholic, he wouldn't feel sleepy at this hour. At the very least, he would push through and make progress on the incomplete body-tempering technique he had been working on.

After all, with a meditation method and a spiritual power cultivation technique in hand, achieving balance in energy, spirit, and body required a complementary body-tempering technique.

But tonight, Mu Yang couldn't afford to stay up late. He had an important task the following morning and needed proper rest.

Just then, a figure appeared on the neighboring balcony.

In the next moment, Huo Wu, dressed in pajamas, climbed over the balcony railing and landed beside Mu Yang.

"Mu Yang, staying up late again? No wonder you're so frail all the time."

Seeing her little cousin once again burning the midnight oil, Huo Wu spoke with a disapproving look.

"Mm, mm, I'm heading to bed right now," Mu Yang replied. Having been labeled frail for years, he was used to it and didn't even bother to argue.

"Good. Go on, quickly! You have to go soul hunting tomorrow morning!"

Seeing Mu Yang obediently agree, Huo Wu, as a sister who cared about her younger brother's health, nodded in satisfaction and pushed him toward his room.

Yes, tomorrow was the day. After cultivating for over two years since reaching the rank of a one-ring Soul Master, Mu Yang's soul power had now reached level 20. He was ready to add a second soul ring and advance further.

The next morning, after breakfast, Mu Yang followed Huo Lie to the gates of Blazing Academy.

Standing there was a slender teenager with short, reddish-brown hair, seemingly waiting for them.

"Dean."

When the teenager noticed Huo Lie approaching with Mu Yang, he stepped forward and greeted him. Then, smiling, he extended his right hand toward Mu Yang. "Hello, junior Mu Yang. I'm Huo Yun."

Mu Yang, being the youngest and most talented student in the academy, was naturally known to Huo Yun. However, the two hadn't interacted before.

"Hello, senior Huo Yun!"

Though unfamiliar with the teenager before him, Mu Yang smiled and extended his hand in return.

"Xiao Yang, Huo Yun has also reached the level of a rank 30 Soul Master. He'll be accompanying you to Sunset Forest for soul hunting.

"Also, if nothing unexpected happens, both of you will likely be teammates in the next-to-next Soul Master Tournament," Huo Lie explained.

Hearing this, Mu Yang gained some clarity.

When Huo Lie first mentioned Huo Yun, Mu Yang couldn't recall who he was. After all, there were too many students with the surname Huo in Blazing Academy, most with red-toned hair. Some even shared names, and Mu Yang, being quite reclusive, hardly kept track of them.

But if this was the Huo Yun from the original storyline who participated in the Soul Master Tournament representing Blazing Academy, Mu Yang did have a faint recollection.

If memory served, Huo Yun's martial soul was a fire-attribute flying bird, specializing in agility. During the tournament, his soul power exceeded level 40, didn't it?

Of course, the soul power level during the tournament didn't tell the whole story. Contestants' ages varied widely. Among four-ring Soul Masters, some were already in their twenties, while others were only fourteen or fifteen. The value of a soul power level greatly depended on the age of the soul master.

And if there was someone particularly frustrating, it had to be Feng Xiaotian.

It was one thing for him to be infatuated with Mu Yang's older cousin, but the worst part was his obsession with creating self-made soul skills instead of focusing on soul power cultivation. Despite being born with full innate soul power, by the age of 24, he was only at level 44, seriously undercutting the prestige of his innate talent.

Had Feng Xiaotian dedicated himself to soul power cultivation, he might not only have reached five-ring Soul King status but could even have competed in the tournament as a six-ring Soul Emperor.

Two days later, in the inner regions of Sunset Forest.

"Boom!"

A dull thud resounded as a fire sparrow soul beast was struck solidly in mid-air by Huo Lie, whose One-Horned Fire Dragon martial soul was in possession state.

Even though it was merely a basic dragon claw attack rather than a soul skill, the fire sparrow, a 2,000-year-old soul beast, couldn't withstand the blow and plummeted from the sky.

For an expert at the rank of an eight-ring Soul Douluo, dealing with a millennial soul beast was a trivial matter.

With a loud crash, dust and debris scattered as the severely injured fire sparrow hit the ground, unconscious.

Glancing at the incapacitated soul beast, Huo Lie turned to Huo Yun and gestured. "Go ahead."

Two years ago, Huo Lie wouldn't have hunted a 2,000-year-old soul beast for a student.

After all, such a soul ring far exceeded the optimal allocation for a third ring and couldn't be absorbed by a rank 30 Soul Elder. As a fourth ring for a Soul Ancestor, its age was far too low.

But times had changed. After the academy's successful resource consolidation, while most students remained on the same track as before, a select few promising ones received special training.

This so-called special training involved granting exceptional students access to whale glue to enhance their physical constitution, allowing them to bear soul rings exceeding optimal allocation limits.

Huo Yun was one such recipient. His enhanced physique was strong enough to absorb a 2,000-year-old third soul ring.

Had Huo Yun joined the academy before becoming a two-ring Grand Soul Master and received the whale glue treatment earlier, the compounding benefits might have allowed his third soul ring to exceed 3,000 years.

"Thank you, Dean!"

Huo Yun bowed in gratitude before activating his Fire Crane martial soul. Two yellow century-year soul rings flared to life as his hands transformed into sharp, crimson crane talons. Approaching the fire sparrow, he struck its vulnerable underside.

Slash!

A spray of crimson blood blossomed as the talons pierced deep, reaching the creature's brain.

Soon, countless golden light particles gathered to form a thousand-year purple soul ring above the fire sparrow's lifeless body.