Chapter 409.1. Spirit Experimentation

However, at the very next moment, all of the symbols surged toward Dai Huabin like rivers emptying into an ocean. A black soul ring almost twice as big as a normal soul ring rose from underneath his feet. As it rose, his original five soul rings also became much darker.

“Rawr!” A ferocious tiger’s roar rang out from Dai Huabin’s mouth.

“Rawr!” Then, another excited tiger roar was heard!

Dai Huabin’s new black soul ring glowed brightly. His entire body became illusory, and with that, a ray of black emerged from his chest and landed in front of him.

Four huge tiger paws landed on the ground. Wasn’t that shadow that Large-Palmed Black Tiger? However, it was no longer near the end of its life. Instead, its body had become much stronger. Furthermore, its fur now glowed with a faint, golden light. Streaks of white tiger stripes appeared on its back, and the ‘King’ symbol on its forehead was much larger. While its body looked illusory and incorporeal, it was otherwise indistinguishable from before.

“Rawr!” It roared excitedly once more. The Large-Palmed Black Tiger turned around, stood up, and placed its front paws on Dai Huabin’s shoulders.

Dai Huabin laughed, “It worked!” As he said that, he grabbed the front two paws of the Large-palmed Black Tiger and lifted it up strongly. Its paws landed on his back, and then both human and tiger paused. After Dai Huabin unleashed his White Tiger, the fur between its black and white stripes turned black. He slapped forward with his right hand, and in mid-air, a huge black tiger paw appeared. It smashed down onto the ground, creating a crater a few meters deep in the shape of a tiger’s paw.

The Large-palmed Black Tiger behind him lowered its head and charged. Dai Huabin and it were synchronized perfectly. He leaped into the air and landed firmly on his back. The four limbs of the Large-palmed Black Tiger brimmed with strength as it jumped up and down in the plains between the humans and the soul beasts. It was incredibly fast, and Dai Huabin laughed excitedly.

“Spirit, it really is a Spirit!” After a momentary calm, the soul masters burst into discussion as excited voices rang out everywhere.

The same thing happened on the soul beasts’ side. Instead of chattering, the many different types of soul beasts roared and grunted.

The chill in Di Tian’s eyes disappeared, replaced with an unusual excitement.

It had worked! The equal contract between Dai Huabin and this Large-palmed Black Tiger was successful. The Large-palmed Black Tiger was now his replacement for his sixth soul ring!

Both humans and soul beasts could see the massive advantage a Spirit had over a soul ring. First of all, a Spirit could provide a soul skill just like a soul ring. Just now, Dai Huabin’s Black Tiger Spirit Palm was able to demonstrate the strength of a soul skill. Furthermore, a Spirit had consciousness! Right now, it carried Dai Huabin on its back and served as his steed. How majestic was that?! Furthermore, this Large-palmed Black Tiger could evidently fight as well. This was way superior to merely possessing a soul ring!

“Wait a moment, I want to do an experiment,” Huo Yuhao said, as he sent spiritual intent out to Dai Huabin, who had already ridden away.

Instantly, the Large-palmed Black Tiger turned around and returned to Huo Yuhao.

The Large-palmed Black Tiger lowered its body, and Dai Huabin slid off it and stood in front of Huo Yuhao. Right now, his face was brimming with excitement. He had dared to take part in this experiment not because he trusted Huo Yuhao, but because he didn’t want to forgo any opportunity that could strengthen him. The first person to do anything would face risks, but Dai Huabin was smart. As the first person in line, Huo Yuhao would do his best to make sure that it went smoothly. Obviously, he was proven right!

This Spirit, a Large-palmed Black Tiger, was much better than he had expected!

Huo Yuhao turned to look at the soul beasts and said, “Elder Di Tian, please come forward.” Then, he looked at the human side and invited Elder Xuan forward as well

They were the representatives from the two sides!

Di Tian and Elder Xuan’s bodies shone, and in the next instant, they were standing next to Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao said to Di Tian, “Elder Di Tian, please verify that this Large-palmed Black Tiger has retained its original consciousness.”

The body, or carcass, of this Large-palmed Black Tiger, still lay there. Next to Dai Huabin stood its Spirit.

Di Tian nodded as he looked at the Large-palmed Black Tiger.

With just one action, this twenty-thousand-year Large-palmed Black Tiger was able to demonstrate that it had retained its original consciousness to the Beast God. It crouched on the ground and it straightened its tail into the air, like a pug wagging its tail to endear itself to the Beast God.

A deep growl emerged from the mouth of this Large-palmed Black Tiger. Huo Yuhao did not know what it said, but from its spiritual fluctuations, he could guess that it was talking to the Beast God.

Di Tian listened for a while before nodding. Then, he lifted his right hand and placed it on Dai Huabin’s shoulder.

Dai Huabin’s body trembled for a bit as he tried to resist, but how could he defy the powerful Beast God? Elder Xuan and Huo Yuhao did not intervene to stop Di Tian from placing his hand on Dai Huabin’s shoulder.

Di Tian closed his eyes and sensed quietly. Dai Huabin felt his body going as still as a statue. There was no way for him to move.

The Large-palmed Black Tiger next to him looked at him occasionally. Its excitement turned into fear, an innate fear of the Beast God.

Elder Xuan looked at Huo Yuhao inquisitively, but Huo Yuhao just smiled and nodded at him. The moment the ceremony was completed, he was confident that it had succeeded.

Di Tian did not probe for too long. He retracted his right hand, and the Beast God opened his eyes once more. He looked at Huo Yuhao, and his severe expression softened. He nodded at Yuhao and said, “You have made history.”

These four simple words made Huo Yuhao feel as if a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He replied to Di Tian, “I’m just glad that I didn’t let you down.”

Di Tian nodded and said, “Continue, let’s see what its success rate is like.”

Huo Yuhao nodded earnestly.

The success of a single experiment did not mean anything. If its success rate was only ten percent, then no matter how good a Spirit was, it would not be very effective. There would be no way for him to introduce it to the masses.

Huo Yuhao turned to Dai Huabin and said, “Please go back.”

Dai Huabin looked deep in his eyes and said, “Thank you, I owe you one.” With that, he leapt into the air, and his Large-palmed Black Tiger did the same, catching him in mid-air. Together, they turned into a bolt of black lightning as they quickly dashed back to the human’s side.

Dai Huabin was not the only excited one! This Large-palmed Black Tiger was just as excited. It had reached the end of its life, but it managed to live again using another method. Furthermore, it was at the peak of its strength. While its life was interconnected with Dai Huabin’s, this fate was much better than death. By tying its fate with Dai Huabin, it could even experience the wonders of the human world.

Dai Huabin’s success made both humans and soul beasts excited about the experiment. Even the soul beasts that were severely injured felt their hatred for humans decrease. After all, who did not want to live? One’s survival instinct was always stronger than the desire for revenge.

—

However, Huo Yuhao still did not choose an injured soul beast for his second experiment. Instead, he chose another old soul beast.

From the humans, he chose an outer courtyard student of Shrek Academy again, whose soul power had just reached Rank 30.

This fusion was exceptionally successful. This time, the entire contract ceremony took less than two hours to complete. A thick purple soul ring and a Purplejade Falcon became this student’s Spirit.

While a Purplejade Falcon could not be ridden like a Large-palmed Black Tiger, the two of them shared a mental bond, which made the student jump around excitedly.

The crowd was ignited by the two successes. The first thing to change was the emotions of the soul beasts. Their intense enmity dropped visibly, and the soul beasts which were in line now showed signs of anticipation.

Huo Yuhao did not stop. He conducted experiments, one after another. His initial successes created a good foundation for his later trials. Not only did it make him more experienced, but he also earned the trust of both humans and soul beasts. As the two sides formed their contracts, it was less likely for any problems to occur.

However, not all contracts were successful. Among the soul beasts, some of them still tried to resist the humans. After twenty rounds of experimentation, Huo Yuhao failed twice. One of the soul beasts died, as its body was too weak.

However, this did not affect the overall results of the Spirit experimentation. A success rate of ninety percent answered many questions.

Huo Yuhao’s vast spiritual power prevented fatigue from setting in. He continued his experimentations from dawn until night. In between, he rested twice. When night fell, all one hundred experiments were completed.

Among them, eighty-six pairs were able to form their contracts successfully. Among the fourteen pairs that failed, six soul beasts died because they were too weak. The other soul beasts which lived were in pretty bad shape, too.

Huo Yuhao did not end the experiment just like this. He helped the remaining eight soul beasts that survived form contracts again.

This time, five succeeded and three died.

In the end, the success rate stood at ninety-one percent. Ninety-one soul masters from Shrek Academy and the original three countries of the Douluo Continent now possessed their own Spirits.

The experiment could be considered a success, and the results were better than expected. The soul masters with Spirits all released their Spirits to interact with them and deepen their bond. As the others looked at how excited they were, they could not help but admire them.