Chapter 19: First Spirit Soul (2)

A/N: Spirit Soul, in this context, does not mean spirit attributed spirit ring but existence of spirit souls seen in Douluo Dalu 2,3, and 4. I tried to explain with the best of my capabilities but if there are still others who don't understand it and haven't read the sequels, I humbly request to just check the wiki since they have a larger context base. 

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The title of the most beautiful spirit beast of the continent goes to an insect spirit beast named Bright Goddess Butterfly. Its size depends on its cultivation. Greater the cultivation, larger the size. Its carapace is glowing white in color as if the most central location of a fire. The glow released from the white carapace makes its luminescent blue wings with constantly changing dark-blue patterns on the surface and the golden lining on the edge of the wings stand out further. 

But the most beautiful spirit beast comes from the ugliest of sources. Just like the most beautiful lotus blooms over muddied waters, Bright Goddess Butterfly comes from a highly nourishing but visually offensive caterpillar called crimson pus. The Crimson Pus Caterpillar has a brown body but its surface is littered with small crimson-colored pus that is coveted by poison-type spirit beasts. Not only that, unlike the Bright Goddess Butterfly that evolves from a ten-year-old caterpillar and has the size of a palm with astonishing speed, the caterpillar itself is as large as a cat.

It moves slowly and surviving ten years become a heavenly ordeal for this beast. This is also the reason for the beast's rarity aside from the immediate hunting of the butterfly to sell its part to the nobles of the empire.

The butterfly flapped its wings softly and flew around Ja Sun's head. 

Basked in the light, Ah Yin and Ja Sun felt warm as they looked at each other.

"All you had to do was come in the forest and use your spirit enhancement to get one of the best light-attributed spirit beasts..." Ah Yin looked at Ja Sun suspiciously, "Why didn't you do it before?"

"Would you believe it that I was afraid of my Martial Soul?" Ja Sun smiled reluctantly.

His previous self was definitely a survivor. But he was also too paranoid. The image of the vilest tiger and the pope slashing that godly sword towards him had become a trauma. Of course, 'Jason' didn't have this problem. Instead, his curiosity easily dissolved the trouble he had over the last 13 years in this world.

"Hmph," Ah Yin sneered. Fear? The more she thought about it, the deeper her look of contempt grew.

"But I didn't expect it, too. Now, shoo... I want to absorb the spirit ring," Ja Sun stated as he held his claws out on which the butterfly perched.

"What? You don't need—" Ah Yin stopped talking. Ja Sun also realized that just near the outskirts, danger to him was practically nothing.

"Wait, instead of absorbing the ring here, I can take the butterfly to the hideout. You can stand guard outside."

Ja Sun turned around and Ah Yin followed.

"Why would I stand guard if nobody knows it exists? Me standing guard will actually attract unwanted attention. Unless you don't want me to observe you absorbing the ring..." Ah Yin's suspicions grew more.

"What can I say? I like my privacy in some matters," Ja Sun shrugged. He didn't think twice before choosing this butterfly. 

Despite retaining his influence, the butterfly looked for him instead which speaks of great affinity itself. In the outside world, if others hear that a lion beast spirit is absorbing a ring of butterfly beast spirit, they would burst out in laughter. But the resonance of the spirit ring isn't only based on the type of animal.

Attributes and even ancestral connection is to be taken into account. Not only that, but the Martial Soul's adaptability is also great which allows a spirit ring to have a skill fashioned to their own bodies. 

'The size of the butterfly is almost a thousand years, too. There are nine constantly turning patterns on its wings.' Ja Sun concluded.

"You're hiding something," Ah Yin added lightly.

"Well, of course," Ja Sun looked at her strangely, "Did you think you know everything about me? I don't even know your spirit rings, of course, I hide things from you. I go out of my way to be far enough before taking a dump. Would you like me to be close to you while doing that so that we can develop a trusting bond?" 

Seeing the hint of ridicule in Ja Sun's eyes, Ah Yin scoffed and didn't speak anymore.

"But... you can see it if you want," Ja Sun suddenly smiled. The signs of contempt grew in his eyes as he purposely added the next, "It's not like you can copy my methods... hehehe..."

---

Returning into the hideout, Ja Sun sat cross-legged on the ground, and the two owls perched on top of the carriage to observe the situation curiously. The horse was already asleep after such a tiring journey.

A little farther from Ja Sun stood Ah Yin as she looked on curiously.

Meanwhile, Ja Sun looked at the butterfly in his claws. 

The Bright Goddess Butterfly had two attributes— Spirit and Light— with its light attribute being the dominant out of the two so it was already one of the best spirit beasts out of the special 100-year-old spirit beasts he could choose from. Not only that, the fact that the butterfly chose to find him made Ja Sun feel that there is a high chance he would succeed.

Closing his eyes, Ja Sun's mental energy spread out but instead of dominating the butterfly in his hands or kill it, Ja Sun's energy comforted the spirit beast. The glow around the butterfly spread even further and the green-eye totem in the middle of his forehead flashed continuously.

He was communicating with the spirit beast!

The Spirit Beast must be willing to become a spirit soul before Ja Sun could continue.

Although hard, this method made sure that Ja Sun wouldn't have to look for another spirit beast when he breakthrough to Spirit Grandmaster.

'What is he doing?' Ah Yin frowned. Ja Sun's use of mental energy was rudimentary at best which led her to believe that the previous mental attack didn't come from his innovation but a technique itself. Now, she could see through Ja Sun's intention of communicating with the spirit beast.

'It definitely is a cruel path,' Ah Yin closed her eyes, 'But spirit beasts and humans aren't completely different. Even if it looks beautiful, it is necessary to kill and grow... earth absorbs the nutrients from the dead and allows the plants to grow. Nobody is different. Something needs to decay and only another certain thing can grow...' 

On the other hand, Ja Sun had an amused smile on his lips.

'So... you're saying that you're tired of being chased and wanted a noble martial soul to end your life?' 

Feeling the affirmation from the butterfly, Ja Sun clicked his tongue.

'And... what did you mean by two noble presence? Is that girl different?' Ja Sun inquired. He just wanted a hint since he knew that the butterfly couldn't hold a conversation but only share her intention.

But feeling the confusion from the butterfly as if she still wasn't sure made Ja Sun smile. The more mysteries he gets to solve, the more interesting his life will be!

Seeing that he had the butterfly's full cooperation, he decided not to waste his effort on trying to dominate it.

There are two forms of spirit soul contract. The one that is formed out of mutual cooperation and the one that is dominated by the spirit master. 

If a spirit master dominates the will of the spirit beast, there will be no difference from regular spirit rings aside from the fact that after a breakthrough, he would have a spirit ring ready to condense.

In the contract of cooperation, however, the lives of the spirit master and the spirit beast are bound. The spirit beast remains conscious within the spirit master and the additional benefit due to this situation is that the spirit beast can continue to cultivate. Not only that, the consumption of the spirit skill is lessened and the spirit beast even assists in the use of spirit skills!

Ja Sun's third eye flashed and a phantom of the Three-eyed Silver Lion appeared behind him. Its glimmering eyes gazed at the butterfly intently and Ah Yin was already frowning by now.

'There are four stages of absorbing a spirit ring. First, the spirit ring's internal cultivation is destroyed and moved onto the spirit master. The next three stages include the spirit beast's cultivation testing and integrating with the spirit, mental, and physical cultivation of the spirit master. Only then it is fully absorbed... but all I can feel is mental fluctuations higher than usual.'

Ah Yin's pupils constricted as she gazed at the following process.

The Bright Goddess Butterfly started to disintegrate into motes of light. The energy was divided into three equal streams. One of them shot towards the phantom of the majestic Three-eyed Silver Lion, while the remaining two streams entered Ja Sun's body.

A yellow ring materialized around Ja Sun as it slowly rotated around Ja Sun.

But within his mental scape, an entirely different situation took place.

A small Bright Goddess Butterfly flew around. As she continued to fly, she made her way towards the center of the mental vortex and Ja Sun instantly felt a mental burden.

This was the only disadvantage of this form of cultivation.

Since the spirit beast is fusing with the spirit master willingly, it doesn't need to check the spirit energy or the physical strength. In fact, the boost to the spirit energy and physical strength is greater than ordinary. But, there is one requirement.

High mental energy.

Although the mental burden on Ja Sun's mental scape was extremely tiny when compared to his relatively vast mental energy, it surely existed. But it wasn't painful or uncomfortable. It was like a gentle reminder that he wasn't alone anymore. 

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On the other end, Ah Yin continued to feel shocked. The spirit ring of an almost 1000-year-old spirit beast was instantly absorbed and there was even a slight change in the phantom of martial soul. The green eyes of the Three-eyed Silver Lion looked brighter and its claws revealed a colder shine.

Opening his eyes, Ja Sun observed the yellow ring around him. He could feel the ring itself absorbing the spirit energy around him but this speed was extremely slow...

'A 100-year-old spirit soul provides two yellow rings. A 1000-year-old spirit soul provides three purple rings. If I can find a way to increase the Bright Goddess Butterfly's soul to another level, then I won't have to find another beast. If not, I'll live the struggle to find another spirit soul.'

Ja Sun slowly stood up.

The first six breakthroughs bring enhancements to respective areas— Head, Torso, Right Arm, Left Arm, Right Leg, Left Leg. 

These benefits, compared to the overall enhancement are meager and are only worth noting as a strange point of the cultivation practice.

"How... do you feel?" Ah Yin could only inquire this once she realized that she didn't know what to say at all!

"Spirit Rank... 14. Good," Ja Sun turned around and smiled. His spirit enhancement was still activated and the yellow ring lowered to his calves and gave a soothing halo.

"That's it?" Ah Yin frowned. Ja Sun's cultivation has been on the same rank for 13 years. This also means his spirit energy was condensing for 13 years. After absorbing a spirit ring, she was hoping for Ja Sun to shoot straight to the next realm so that they can find another spirit ring for him.

"Yeah. But the quality is extremely high."

Ah Yin nodded. Thinking for a moment, she spoke up.

"My first spirit ring's skill is called Growth. It allows me to grow blue river grass on every surface except for metals and human skins. This skill can even grow on rocks." She then gazed at Ja Sun with expectations. 

Revealing a smirk, Ja Sun snorted a chuckled, "Ah Yin, did you think that the word is this sweet? That you would reveal your spirit ring once you want to know about mine and then I'll honorably reveal mine?" 

Ah Yin's lips twitched. 

"Well, I know what you want to ask. It doesn't enhance the cultivation speed at all."

Ja Sun stretched his limbs as he retracted his spirit ring. 

'Ordinarily, spirit masters would want to test their spirit rings instantly but...' She pursed her lips. She was curious but the ability of his spirit ring was the least of all she wanted to ask.

"So? How was it? Did you manage to learn anything?" Ja Sun inquired while walking past her and towards the carriage.

"No. It was definitely strange... like the spirit beast sacrificed its life for you," Ah Yin didn't turn but still replied. There was a strange emotion in her tone that Ja Sun failed to observe.

"Well, technically... you're correct. Think about it. If spirit beasts love me, I don't need to kill them. The spirit beasts that have an affinity with me may just choose to help me cultivate instead."

This was a clever ruse on Ja Sun's part. In fact, he didn't have to reveal the origin of his martial soul— the Three-eyed Silver Lion's phantom, to keep his spirit enhancement active,  and need to exaggerate the communication with the butterfly. He did all of this to attribute the success to his martial soul instead of a strange, unknown process.

Since Ah Yin has limited information, she could either be suspicious or believe him but both the situations wouldn't affect Ja Sun a lot.

'To make... the spirit beast sacrifice themselves. In a rational thought process, the benefits gained where the spirit beasts give their all to the spirit master must be greater than the process where the spirit master kills the spirit beast and absorbs the spirit ring left behind by the beast reluctantly.'

Ah Yin turned around and followed Ja Sun.

"Well, we should leave tomorrow," Ah Yin spoke up.

"Why?" Ja Sun looked at her strangely.

"We have achieved our goal. We don't need to stay here."

"Think about it. Can I safely increase the speed of cultivation outside the forest? This is a safe haven and you want to leave it?" Ja Sun frowned.

"But... there are no... facilities," Ah Yin breathed.

Ja Sun pondered for a moment. 

His S-rank mission would be an easy breeze if he keeps hidden here. The dried meat would last a month and he would need to go out only when he felt too uncomfortable and needed a bath, or for the restocking of the food supply. As for 'facilities'? This was a large enough area to have specified spots. They could even dig pits for that.

"You... can squat over a pit, right?" Ja Sun inquired with a smile.

Suddenly, the blades of grass wrapped his feet and Ah Yin looked at him coldly, "Why don't I bury you and then squat over?"

"Would you?" Ja Sun's looked curious.

"Ugh!" For the first time, Ah Yin lost her cool and walked past him to jump on the carriage.

"I'm not staying here to squat! We leave."

"This is the safest place I ever found. I'm not leaving," Ja Sun said calmly.

"It won't be safe if you aggravate me," Ah Yin snorted.

"Or what? You'll kill me? You should know by now that the threat doesn't work on me," he shrugged.

"How about this," Ja Sun suddenly looked towards Ah Yin.

"You can leave and enter as you wish while I will stay in the forest. I'm comfortable handling my nature's call in nature itself. Now, when you leave, take the carriage with you and sell it. This way, you will have high mobility. Not only that, you can restock my supply of food. Come in the forest every morning and leave for the night. You just have to cultivate here and nothing more."

Ah Yin thought it over and nodded.

"But I will take Caihong every time I leave. That way, if you leave, you can only leave behind Caihong's mother to stop me from following."

Ja Sun nodded. He wasn't planning on leaving, after all.

After the plan was set, Ah Yin took 50 coins this time and left alongside Caihong.

Once she left, Ja Sun's body reverted to his Spirit Enhancement and the yellow ring around him glowed slightly.

'Silver Burst.'

The Bright Goddess Butterfly within Ja Sun's mental scape instantly flapped her wings in excitement as Ja Sun's third eye glowed while Ja Sun's phoenix talons were covered by thick currents of silver energy.

*Whoosh*

Ja Sun shot to the other end of the cave in a breath and instantly appeared on the other side.

One was his regular speed using the ability and the other was using Storm Grace together.

'Storm Disgrace. Gentle Palms.'

Since all four of his talons were enhanced using the ability, he acted as an agility and assault-type spirit master. His talons dug into the ground while his upper talons let out visible bright silver shockwaves. 

'Hehe... so amazing!' Ja Sun smiled. The technique wasn't limited by time but by his spirit energy. However, the pace of consumption was a tiny bit greater than Ja Sun's absorption of spirit energy as he began using the technique continuously to learn his limits.

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