Huo Yuhao in Legend of Dragon King (Douluo Dalu 3 Fanfiction)

In the elevator to the tenth floor, Hua Yichen glanced at Huo Yuhao beside him and asked:

"Since you're interested in exploring the soul, have you heard of the legend of the first Pagoda master?"

"You mean Spirit Ice Douluo?"

Huo Yuhao's expression remained calm, though a hint of curiosity flickered in his eyes.

"There are very few legends about that person. I only know that he created the Spirit Pagoda and developed the soul method. Beyond that, I'm not aware of much else."

"Not just a legend," Hua Yichen continued, "he was a Hidden World Douluo from 10,000 years ago. Compared to the Clear Sky Sect, he wasn't far behind in influence. However, after creating the Spirit Pagoda, he rarely appeared in public using his true appearance. Most of the time, he remained hidden."

"The world knows little about him. They only know of one of his martial souls, the Ice Jade Scorpion Empress. His spiritual eyes remain a mystery to most. If it weren't for his occasional appearances at the Spirit Pagoda using his true form and spiritual eyes, even less would be known about him."

"Very few legends about the original Pagoda master have survived. But the legacy he left for the Spirit Pagoda endures. It's because of him that we have the current environment where humans and soul beasts coexist peacefully."

At this point, Hua Yichen paused and added bluntly:

"You haven't learned the relevant knowledge yet, so some concepts might be difficult to grasp. For now, just treat this as a story."

"Truthfully, with the current strength of the Federation, it would be easy to destroy the soul beast settlements. Logically, the relationship between humans and soul beasts should be extremely tense. However, the original Pagoda master seemed to have foreseen this scenario long ago. The methods of the soul contract and the dissolution contract he left behind have significantly eased the tensions between the two sides."

Huo Yuhao listened intently, recalling fragments of the history surrounding the creation of the soul system.

The soul method left by the first Pagoda master was different from what Huo Yuhao had known in the original records.

After all, his mentor, Yi Lao, was still alive!

With Yi Lao's vast knowledge and expertise, the study of souls had been deepened, allowing for certain improvements and restrictions to be added to the soul system.

One of these was the introduction of soul contracts.

According to this contract, in order to absorb a soul, a soul master must first sign a soul contract with the approval of the soul beast.

Without this, the process would fail.

Once the contract was signed, the soul could grow alongside the soul master.

If the soul master became strong enough, the soul could even evolve on its own.

Through the contract, soul masters could communicate with their souls in advance, allowing them to choose their own soul skills.

For this soul contract, Huo Yuhao had drawn inspiration from the blood contract of the Holy Demon Continent.

However, he deliberately avoided incorporating a master-servant contract.

This fundamentally eliminated the possibility of soul beasts being captured and enslaved, as had happened in the past.

Could someone force a soul to sign a contract?

Technically, yes.

But they would first have to crack the 28 security protocols Yi Lao had embedded within the soul contract.

Additionally, they would need to reverse-engineer the cultivation system of the Holy Demon Continent.

Without these, it would remain an impossible task.

In addition to the soul contract, Huo Yuhao had also introduced the method of contract dissolution.

This allowed both parties to mutually agree to terminate the contract if necessary.

Ten thousand years ago, when the soul system was first established, all soul masters had to follow this method.

They had to go through three steps: finding a soul beast willing to become a soul spirit, signing a contract, and completing the process at the Spirit Pagoda.

But how many soul beasts in the world were truly willing to become souls?

At this time, Huo Yuhao provided another clear path for everyone.

He had reached a cooperation agreement with Di Tian and Snow Empress!

With the approval of the leaders of the two major soul beast settlements, it naturally attracted a lot of support, and the number of soul beasts willing to become souls surged.

Then, it was time for the method of dissolution to come into play.

A soul is a life form that can grow and evolve.

So, what would happen if a soul master broke the contract and passed the soul to the next generation before their death?

Hua Yichen provided the answer.

"…Because of the method of dissolution, one of the strongest types of souls was born, the heirloom soul!"

"In some soul master families, powerful souls continue to grow and evolve, their age and strength increasing over time. They develop a close relationship with the soul master family, and their influence grows year by year. Eventually, they become an integral part of the family, serving as guardian spirits."

"The inheritors of these families must rely on these souls to choose their successors. After all, the soul contract requires the consent of the soul to be signed. Only the soul that has signed the contract can cancel it, and it does not disappear with the death of the soul master."

The elevator doors opened, and Hua Yichen stepped out first. As Huo Yuhao followed, Hua Yichen continued:

"With heirloom souls on the side of the soul beasts, the radicals who sought to capture and experiment on soul beasts lost their opportunity entirely. This has led some to slander the original Pagoda master, claiming he was an incarnation of a soul beast. Now that you've joined the Spirit Pagoda, you're bound to hear these rumors. Don't let them affect you when the time comes."

"Also, when studying souls, don't be reckless. Mutilating souls or causing harm will only lead to negative consequences."

Huo Yuhao nodded, then asked curiously, "In the rumors, what kind of soul beast is Spirit Ice Douluo said to be?"

"The Ice Empress."

"The Ice... Empress?"

Huo Yuhao's expression turned slightly strange.

Hua Yichen lowered his head slightly and sighed:

"That's right, the Ice Empress who ranked seventh among the Ten Great Fierce Beasts ten thousand years ago, the Ice Jade Scorpion Empress! After all, Spirit Ice Douluo's martial soul is the Ice Scorpion."

During the era when Spirit Ice Douluo appeared, the Ice Empress of the Extreme North also vanished without a trace.

For many years, there was no news of its whereabouts.

It's reasonable to speculate that it was during that time the Ice Empress underwent a transformation, eventually reemerging as Spirit Ice Douluo.

Having witnessed the strength of the human world during his transformation, he foresaw the eventual decline of soul beasts.

Thus, leveraging his unique position as a soul beast, he created the soul contract to deeply bind humans and souls together.

At least, that's what those who slander the original Pagoda master claim.

Admittedly, it sounds quite plausible, which left Huo Yuhao with an indescribable expression.

What could he say?

If it weren't for the Snow Empress' continued existence, would Su Tong have become the Snow Empress' transformation?

Was the Spirit Pagoda actually a sanctuary created in the Far North for self-preservation?

The imaginations of future generations are truly vast...

The two walked into a room together in silence.

The room spanned nearly 100 square meters, filled with various large instruments.

Inside these devices were clusters of yellow light, each containing different souls.

However, Hua Yichen's focus wasn't on these.

He dismissed the staff with a wave and walked to the central instrument.

With a flick of his hand, three pillars rose before him, each holding a yellow orb of light.

"These souls are a seven-hundred-year-old Ice Silkworm, a six-hundred-year-old Purple Spirit, and a seven-hundred-year-old Silver Sound Beast. According to the research of the Spirit Pagoda, the soul skills they can provide are all quite exceptional."

Hua Yichen pointed to the row of yellow orbs and smiled at Huo Yuhao.

"Which one do you want to choose?"

Without hesitation, Huo Yuhao, who was well-versed in the traits of the three soul beasts, walked straight to the Ice Silkworm Soul Spirit. "This one."

Hua Yichen raised an eyebrow, a slight smile tugging at his lips.

"Why this one?"

"Of the three souls, the Ice Silkworm appears the most unremarkable at first glance.

Yet, it's placed alongside the other two, which suggests it must have something extraordinary to offer."

'This boy is sharp.'

Hua Yichen nodded in satisfaction at Huo Yuhao's reasoning.

"Correct. This is the first lesson I want to teach you. In the Soul Era, you can choose soul skills according to your own needs, so you can't judge soul beasts by outdated standards."

"For example, this Ice Silkworm. While it's a soul beast with weak offensive capabilities, it can provide a unique skill to a spiritual attribute soul master, disguise."

"Through mental fluctuations, it can distort space and simulate various forms based on its user. Though it lacks offensive power, it's an excellent skill for support, trapping enemies, and escaping."

As he spoke of trapping and escaping, Hua Yichen's expression remained calm.

Raw combat power alone isn't enough. Only a living genius can grow into a true powerhouse!

He didn't want the genius he had discovered to perish prematurely.

Huo Yuhao's expression didn't change either.

Trapping enemies isn't dishonorable, and escaping is a valid strategy.

Who doesn't have enemies? Who hasn't needed to retreat strategically?

A genius who survives can become strong.

Those who don't survive are just a pile of dust!

On this point, he and Hua Yichen were in complete agreement.