Douluo Continent: Starting with the Tiger Emperor Template

Chapter 101 Like an incompetent husband, powerless.

Hyotei's mind was flooded with countless pieces of information in that instant.

That was the specific content of a contract.

Each clause was clear and distinct, unfolding in her mind.

This contract does not require her to sacrifice herself to form a soul ring, nor does it require her to give up her own will and become a mindless vassal.

On the contrary, the core of a contract is equality; it is a completely new way of being.

This method is called Soul Spirit.

A spirit is neither a spirit ring nor a vassal, but a symbiotic partner that has signed an equal contract with a spirit master.

In her spirit form, she will retain her full self-awareness, memories, and emotions, and will be able to communicate and fight alongside Lu Ren.

She doesn't even need to give up her soul bone. As long as all the essence contained in her soul bone has not been absorbed by Lu Ren, even if Lu Ren dies, she can still leave Lu Ren's body and survive!

Lu Ren only needs to temporarily borrow her power as the manifestation of the soul ring required for his breakthrough.

What shocked Hyotei even more was the guarantee clause at the end of the contract: the continuation of the soul contract was based on the voluntary consent of both parties.

If Lu Ren dies of old age in the future, or if the Ice Emperor believes that the god-making plan has completely failed and Lu Ren cannot become a god in his lifetime, then with Lu Ren's consent, she can terminate the contract, reclaim her power, and regain her freedom in soul form.

There were no punishments, no constraints.

It is a two-way voluntary process, with freedom of movement.

"If you agree, become my spirit. Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for you. With this contract in place, as long as you think I can't become a god, and believe the god-making plan will fail, you can leave whenever you want."

Lu Ren's voice remained steady.

"During this period, in your spirit form, you not only have free will, but you can also return to your peak, or even surpass it, in your spirit form."

"Are you satisfied with this soul contract?"

He took a deep breath and stared intently into Hyotei's eyes: "You are a partner, not a soul ring or soul bone of a soul master."

partner.

These two words struck Hyotei like a thunderclap.

She has lived for hundreds of thousands of years, fighting her way up from a tiny ice scorpion to the throne of one of the three Heavenly Kings of the far north.

She was feared, coveted, and worshipped, but no one ever uttered those two words to her.

partner----

She chewed the two words repeatedly, and with each chew, the loneliness that had lasted for hundreds of thousands of years melted away a little.

What truly made her decide was the specific terms of the contract.

After she read through all the information Electrolux had transmitted to her mind, word by word, an expression appeared in her eyes for the first time that was completely inconsistent with her identity as the King of the Far North.

It's absolutely astonishing.

From ancient times to the present, since the birth of martial souls in humankind, the relationship between soul masters and soul beasts has always followed only one pattern: hunting, absorbing, and turning into soul rings.

Soul beasts have always been prey for soul masters, resources for cultivation, and consumables that must be killed to be utilized.

There is no reversal or equality to speak of.

Now, this human and his teacher have actually developed a completely new way of coexisting.

The Soul Contract not only includes clauses on the preservation of a person's will and free will, but also elevates the independent consciousness, dignity, and value of a Soul Beast to a level equal to that of a Soul Master.

If this contract can truly be promoted, and if the Soul Spirit system can truly be spread throughout the entire continent, it will completely change the tens of thousands of years-long killing relationship between humans and Soul Beasts.

Soul beasts no longer need to be hunted to the brink of extinction, and soul masters no longer need to risk their lives to hunt for soul rings.

Both sides get what they need, and it's a win-win situation based on equality.

As the first case in this system, her Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion will go down in history.

"How did you figure this out?" Hyotei couldn't help but ask, her voice no longer as cold and distant as before, but with a hint of genuine curiosity.

"This is my teacher's work." Lu Ren smiled and stepped aside to make room for him.

Electrolux's phantom slowly stepped forward, his hands behind his back, his tone calm yet carrying a detachment beyond this world.

"I'm sure you understand now."

Electrolux's voice was old and gentle. His youthful appearance and ancient voice created a unique sense of dissonance in her perception. "Soul spirits have more advantages than soul rings. Soul rings are just a mixture of residual energy and soul fragments left after a soul beast dies, while soul spirits are complete souls, symbiotic partners that retain all will, experience and potential."

"If you have a soul spirit, a soul master gains not only the few soul skills attached to the soul ring, but also the wisdom and combat power of a comrade-in-arms who fights alongside you."

"Moreover, with this contract in place, I believe there will be new possibilities in the millennia-long killing relationship between humans and soul beasts."

Electrolux raised his hand and said calmly, "If the Soul Spirit System can be promoted, Soul Masters will no longer need to hunt Soul Beasts to obtain Soul Rings, and Soul Beasts will no longer be slaughtered for possessing valuable items. This is a win-win situation, and it is also a reconciliation between the two races."

Hyotei fell into deep thought.

She knew all too well the human attitude towards soul beasts: treating them as cultivation resources, hunting them while shouting about the laws of justice. This was the same face that human soul masters had never changed in the past ten thousand years.

But now, a human boy with a god as his teacher stands before her, presenting a contract that could overturn the entire continent's格局 (geju, a concept encompassing the overall structure and political landscape).

This sincerity was so profound that even she, the Heavenly King of the Far North, could not refuse it.

A moment later, Hyotei raised his eyes.

"You're right, strong one."

This was the first time she had used the word "strong" to refer to Electrolux.

This is to be expected; isn't the world of soul beasts all about the survival of the fittest?

Tianmeng Ice Silkworm took in this scene, her heart burning with anxiety.

It could tell that Hyotei was truly wavering.

This sensation caused its spiritual body to tremble violently, the golden light flickering like a candle flame about to be extinguished by the wind.

"Bingbing! Don't believe him! He's a liar! He's here to steal you from me!"

The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm's voice was so sharp it almost tore its vocal cords apart. Its spiritual body expanded wildly, forming a huge golden sphere of light in the ice valley. It released the pressure of a million years of cultivation without reservation, attempting to intimidate Lu Ren in the most primal way.

Huo Yuhao stood to the side, his face turning pale, then red, then white. The incident had happened too suddenly!

Who would have thought that a Cheng Yaojin would suddenly appear out of nowhere, and even manage to persuade Hyotei to agree to cooperate with the other party?

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but the words turned into a series of silent words.

What could Huo Yuhao say?

Is there a god standing behind him, or did Tianmeng Ice Silkworm plan a perfect god-making scheme for him?

But what they held in their hands was a soul contract that could change the entire continent's landscape, demonstrating true respect for soul beasts.

Lu Ren never used intimidation to overpower him, nor did he mock him, nor did he even look at him directly.

This silence itself is the most complete form of crushing.

What is he comparing it to?

"Tianmeng, from the very beginning, you never gave me a choice." Bingdi's voice was icy, each word like a sharp ice blade, viciously piercing Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's spirit.

"You've trapped me, threatened me, and forced me to agree. Your so-called choice is only between eternal life and destruction; that's not a choice, that's coercion."

Hyotei's gaze fell on Lu Ren, a bright light flashing in his eyes for a moment.

"And his conditions are better than yours in every way, whether it's physical strength, mental power, soul power cultivation, or even the state of oneness with heaven and man, and having a god as a teacher. Can your master compare to that?"

"Not to mention, their teacher is a god!"

"Even if it's just a remnant soul, it's still a genuine god, a living god standing before me, capable of granting me an equal contract, and allowing me to retain my free will!"

"And the Soul Contract he showed me—if I'm not mistaken, this Soul Contract will surely shake the entire continent in the future!"

As she spoke her last sentence, Hyotei's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement, a fighting spirit that had been dormant for countless millennia was being rekindled.

"I choose you." Hyotei looked at Riku and said, word by word.

Upon hearing these words, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm was completely stunned.

Its spiritual body completely lost control in that instant, the golden light twisted and trembled wildly, even forming fragmented bands of light.

The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm's entire body collapsed, and the golden silkworm phantom shrank into a small ball, shivering in the blizzard.

"No—it's impossible—Bingbing, you can't choose him! You can't—! He's a liar! He's a robber! Our god-making plan is the rightful one! I'm the one who loves you! I've spent so many years laying this out, do you know how long I've waited for this day?! You can't do this to me—you can't!!!"

Tianmeng Bingcan's voice grew increasingly shrill and out of control, eventually turning into a hysterical scream.

Hyotei gave him a cold glance.

"My affairs are none of your business."

A satisfied smile appeared on Lu Ren's lips.

"A wise choice, Your Majesty."

He raised his hand, and the phantom of Electrolux behind him gently touched it.

A faint golden light shot from Electrox's fingertip and landed lightly on the silkworm molt.

The layer of remains that had once imprisoned the Ice Emperor, and which even she, the Heavenly King of the Far North, could not escape, began to melt the moment the golden light touched it.

The power of a god and the power of a soul beast are separated by completely different dimensions, let alone Ilex, who has now been enhanced by Lu Ren with a large amount of magical power.

This restored some of Electrox's power, making it easy for him to break through the remains.

The cage that bound Hyotei's remains collapsed at this moment.

Ice Emperor stretched out her body; her true form was a breathtakingly beautiful giant scorpion—no wonder Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm fell in love with her, for she was simply too beautiful—

Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's eyes widened in fury. The golden silkworm phantom suddenly expanded, and the soul power fluctuations of a million years of cultivation crashed down on Lu Ren like a tsunami.

"I'll fight you to the death!!"

Its rationality completely collapsed at that moment.

Hyotei's choice, its indifference, and the echoing words, "My affairs are none of your business," were like three red-hot knives simultaneously stabbing into its very essence.

Millions of years of obsession exploded at this moment. Regardless of whether the other party was protected by a god or whether it was courting death, it only wanted to tear the human who had stolen its Hyotei to pieces.

Lu Ren glanced at it, and snake-eye runes silently appeared on either side of his mouth. He shouted, "Don't move!"

The three light words transformed into sound waves that landed on the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm, as if telling a noisy pet to be quiet.

The unstoppable charge of the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm suddenly froze the moment the three words "Don't move" were uttered.

As if its entire spiritual body had been gripped by an invisible hand, the golden silkworm phantom remained frozen in mid-air, its forward-leaning posture frozen in place, even the trembling of its antennae ceasing.

Now that it's just a spiritual entity, even if it was a million-year-old soul beast, that's all in the past.

In order to trap Hyotei, it had exhausted most of the remaining power in its remains. Now, this golden spiritual body, though seemingly enormous, was actually extremely weak.

It frantically urged its spiritual essence to try to break free from the spell's shackles, its golden light flickering erratically, but it couldn't even tear open a crack.

The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm was utterly unable to resist Lu Ren's spells; no, it shouldn't be said that it didn't even have the right to resist.

The spiritual power of a peak Spirit Abyss Realm cultivator, combined with the doubled performance of incantations enhanced by the Soul Core, and the strengthened incantations granted by the Binding Loan—

Even Xuanzi would have to think twice, let alone a silkworm that only has a remnant soul left.

Huo Yuhao stood to the side, his face as pale as paper.

He couldn't move either; that invisible force was like a giant hand gripping his entire body, from his fingertips to his eyeballs, every muscle was locked tightly.

Huo Yuhao tried his best to activate his Spirit Eye Martial Soul and put up even the slightest resistance, but his spiritual power was like a drop of water falling into an ocean in front of Lu Ren.

Even Tianmeng Ice Silkworm was forcibly controlled, let alone him, a Great Soul Master who was only level 20?

This was the first time he had ever felt so clearly what absolute power meant. It wasn't a contest of equal strength, nor was it a tactic of the weak fighting the strong; it was pure, overwhelming power!

He didn't even have the right to speak, he couldn't even say to Tianmeng Bingcan, "Let's admit defeat."

The boy never even glanced at him once; he just trampled him over like an ant.

Unable to move, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm could only watch helplessly as her beloved Ice Emperor followed the human who had taken her away, drifting further and further away.

"No—Bingbing! Don't go! Don't go with this liar!!!"

Although Tianmeng Bingcan was controlled by the curse for a period of time, he could still speak. His voice tore through the blizzard, and the despair and pain in his voice were almost tangible, as if his heart was being cut by a knife and bleeding.

It has lived for millions of years, been hunted down, coveted, and almost drained dry as a cultivation resource, but nothing has ever hurt it more than watching the Ice Emperor turn and leave.

Lu Ren gestured to Hyotei to welcome her to the club, his movements elegant and composed, with his usual ambiguous smile playing on his lips.

Hyotei had also moved closer to Lu Ren. Her icy shell refracted a magnificent light under the aurora, and the emerald green patterns on her body flowed like life. Her tail hook swayed gently, cutting through the snow flying behind her.

However, she stopped in her tracks after hearing Tianmeng Bingcan's heart-wrenching screams behind her.

She glanced back and saw the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm's spirit writhing wildly in its molted body. The golden silkworm phantom had become mostly transparent due to excessive consumption, yet it was still desperately trying to pupa towards her.

Then she turned back, her eyes showing no lingering affection.

"He has no power to resist me now, but even so, he is still a million-year-old soul beast and still my food."

Hyotei's voice was very soft, as if he were talking to himself, or as if he were seeking some kind of tacit approval.

She tilted her head slightly, letting the light pass over Lu Ren and land on Electrolux.

"If I eat him, my strength will increase even further, and I might even break through the 400,000-year bottleneck and usher in the next qualitative leap. How about it? Let me stay a little longer?"

She did not act rashly because she knew her situation. At this time, Hyotei had not yet become Lu Ren's soul spirit, and Electrolux was the strongest here.

She needs the approval of these two humans.

"No, you can't kill him. Of course, even if I didn't stop you, you still couldn't kill him."

Lu Ren's tone was indifferent.

He didn't even show any wariness about "preventing you from going back on your word," nor did he give Electrox a meaningful look. He simply explained slowly, "You think I'm preventing you from going back on your word? Now that I've rescued you, are you going back on your word?"

Hyotei fell silent.

Indeed, the moment she was released, she immediately realized that the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm had no more power left.

The layer of remains that trapped her drained all the accumulated power of this million-year-old soul beast.

The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm is now so weak that it can't even escape, and its power is just too tempting.

Even if a million-year-old soul beast is reduced to a remnant soul, the energy contained within it is enough for her to withstand the next divine punishment.

If she eats the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm, she can evolve and extend her lifespan by tens of thousands of years, without needing to live as Lu Ren's soul.

What made her hesitate was Electrolux behind Lu Ren.

That's a god!

She wasn't arrogant enough to think she could harm someone in front of a god.

So Hyotei finally admitted her intentions readily, her tone arrogant and frank: "It seems you're wary of me, not wanting me to eat the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm and thus evolve. Hmph, Lu Ren, you, as a human, are just as treacherous and cunning."

"Your purpose is no better than Tianmeng's; aren't you also trying to turn me into one of your forces?"

Lu Ren smiled but offered no explanation.

She simply made an elegant "please" gesture, her movements as composed as if she were inviting a distinguished guest to take their seat: "You can go and kill the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm now; we won't stop you."

Hyotei was momentarily confused.

What does the other party mean by this?

They were just trying to stop her, but now they're letting her move freely?

She glanced at Lu Ren suspiciously, trying to find some flaw in his ambiguous smile, but Lu Ren simply said "please" again.

Behind him, Electrox stood with his hands behind his back, his handsome face showing no sign of preparing to attack.

Ice Emperor finally reacted. She turned around and released the full pressure of the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion. Her tail hook was raised high, the tip of the hook flashing cold light, and she rushed towards the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm with murderous intent.

"Tianmeng, you never expected this day would come, did you?"

Hyotei pressed forward relentlessly, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm had imprisoned her for so long; she had long wanted to tear it to pieces.

Tianmeng is now as weak as a wrung-out sponge; she could crush him into dust with just one pair of pliers!

However, just as she rushed in front of the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm, the millennia-old ice beneath her feet shattered with a deafening roar.

Without any warning, the solid frozen soil that had endured tens of thousands of years of ice and frost beneath her feet seemed to have its skeleton removed, with large swathes of ice collapsing downwards and cracks spreading in all directions like a spider web.

Hyotei's entire scorpion body lost its balance and fell straight down.

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