The elders were silent. The things Huo Yuhao had just recounted were too special. Their eye shone brighter and brighter. Their heartbeats also became faster and faster as they realized how special of an existence a Spirit was. Huo Yuhao and Electrolux had created it together, and Huo Yuhao was the only one who could seal the pact. This also meant that Spirits could exist in Shrek Academy if the situation was controlled well. This was an extremely miraculous thing to soul masters.

While Spirits were still reliant on soul rings, they possessed their own intelligence that soul rings couldn"t compare to. Moreover, Spirits had a special characteristic that soul rings didn"t have - if the soul beasts were willing, the tolerance of a soul master would greatly increase during the fusion process. For example, would Huo Yuhao be able to fuse the seven hundred thousand year Icesky Snow Lady into a soul ring, even with Electrolux"s divine sense, if the Snow Empress wasn"t willing? A large portion of the Snow empress" strength was still acc.u.mulated in his body under the Snow Lady"s control. As his cultivation increased, he would be able to absorb this strength. This was undoubtedly very beneficial for a soul master"s cultivation.

If this spread, Spirits were bound to be the common target of all soul masters on the continent! They could possibly change the entire situation in the world of soul masters, even with the appearance of soul tools.

Elder Xuan looked at the elders, who looked very pensive, and asked Huo Yuhao, "What preparations do other soul masters need to make if they want to fuse with a Spirit? How many Spirits can one soul master have? What are the difficulties in the fusion process?"

Huo Yuhao had thought of these problems for a long time. He replied without hesitation, "Firstly, a soul master must have an empty soul ring spot if he wants to fuse with a Spirit - that"s absolutely necessary. If the Spirit he is fusing with is within his tolerance limit, he can fuse with it normally. However, he needs to consider the problem of insufficient soul ring spots if the Spirit"s cultivation is way above his.  This was what happened to me - four empty soul ring spots were taken up by the Snow Lady. Of course, this was because the Snow Empress was too strong."

Elder Xuan furrowed his brow and said, "However, most soul masters only have one empty soul ring spot."

Huo Yuhao nodded and replied, "That"s why I believe that it"s better for one to be a seven-ringed Soul Sage first. In that way, their tolerance will be better, and they can fuse with stronger Spirits. Soul beasts of higher cultivations are also more intelligent. They will be more helpful after the fusion."

"Furthermore, there"s one more special situation where there is more than one soul ring spot - twin martial souls."

Elder Xuan"s eyes brightened and he said, "That makes sense. Twin martial souls are normally divided into the main and accessory martial soul. A soul master with twin martial souls won"t add rings to his accessory martial soul so easily."

Huo Yuhao replied, "Exactly, this was what happened to me. Twin martial souls are very rare in other places, but in our academy, it"s not just me that has twin martial souls. That"s why we can let soul masters with twin martial souls try out stronger Spirits. However, the soul beasts must be willing first, and elders are also required to protect them during the fusion process to ensure their safety."

Elder Xuan nodded and replied, "Continue."

Huo Yuhao said, "As for how many Spirits one can fuse with, I believe that one is the most appropriate. Spirits can greatly increase the abilities of a soul master, and they can also coordinate with soul masters using their intelligence. However, the absorption of a soul master"s spiritual power by a Spirit when it first develops is very terrifying. I"m a spiritual-type soul master, but my spiritual power was almost sucked dry by the Snow Empress" Spirit. If not for a fortunate encounter, I would have needed at least three years to fully recover."

"Although most soul beasts won"t absorb as much spiritual power as the Snow Empress, they must be able to do so to some extent. That"s why I believe that soul masters must have sufficiently strong spiritual power first before they fuse with a Spirit. Their spiritual power will likely be over-drafted after fusing with a single soul beast, so it would be very dangerous for them to fuse with more. However, this will require multiple tests and sufficient experience. If the fused Spirit is weak, it might be possible to fuse with more than one soul beast. However, I"m not sure if the soul beasts will clash if there are more than one of them. After all, every Spirit possesses its own intelligence. That"s why I believe a decently strong and compatible Spirit is the best choice a soul master can make."

Huo Yuhao was completely in the mood after seeing the elders focused on his description. He said in a deep voice, "The biggest problem still lies in soul beasts if we want to try the fusion of Spirits. I"m fairly certain about one point - the difference between Spirits and soul rings mean that the soul beasts have to be willing. It"s very difficult to make them willing. Most soul beasts hate humans. It"ll only be those that are old and weak that are willing to fuse in order to extend their lives. It"ll be very difficult to find such soul beasts. That"s why we need the academy to think of a solution."

Elder Xuan nodded and said, "This is indeed a pressing problem. Although we have our own soul beasts, they are different from humans. Even for the most intelligent soul beasts, their way of thinking is very different from humans. It"s very difficult to convince them. However, it"s still worth a try. Only the most outstanding soul masters can try fusing with a Spirit. Shaozhe."

"Yes." Yan Shaozhe stood up.

Elder Xuan said in a deep voice, "From now on, the academy will carry out code-red secret research on Spirits. You need to coordinate with Yuhao. If you need special help, you can request it from the Sea G.o.d"s Pavilion. Safety must come first. After finding suitable soul beasts, you"ll need to pick the best among those in the inner courtyard. They must be willing to try the fusion. This must be carried out immediately."

Zhang Lexuan suddenly opened her mouth. "Elder Xuan, do you think there"s a possibility that we can contact the core circle of the Great Star Dou Forest and negotiate with them? It"s not easy to find an old soul beast, but if it"s from their side…"

Elder Xuan shook his head, and the other elders also furrowed their brows.

"Lexuan, your idea is very good, but it"s a little wild. We"ve been enemies for quite some time, and things haven"t cooled down even after so many years. It won"t be easy to discuss it with them. They won"t give us a chance."

"We can only count on ourselves regarding his matter. We can"t take the risk. If those fellows from the Great Star Dou Forest discover the existence of Spirits, their misunderstandings might deepen. Shrek City is too close to the forest. Don"t forget the wave of soul beasts then. We have to research and experiment, but it has to be done very prudently.

Zhang Lexuan nodded and didn"t say anything else.

The rest of the elders agreed with Elder Xuan. Only Huo Yuhao was slightly moved after hearing Zhang Lexuan"s words. He understood what she was trying to say - she meant that the academy could negotiate with the soul beasts in the Great Star Dou Forest. The strongest savage beasts were as intelligent as humans. If they were willing to try, it would be much more convenient for their research of Spirits.

Of course, he couldn"t help but comment even though it was a little inappropriate, "Elder Xuan, elders, I think eldest senior sister has a point. If we make progress in our research, it could be an opportunity to dispel our hatred with the soul beasts from the Great Star Dou Forest! If we succeed in our research, we can negotiate with them, and we wouldn"t need to hunt soul beasts in the future. We can work with the older soul beasts. They can live longer, and both parties will benefit from this deal. No matter what their style of thinking is, I think it"s unlikely that they"ll reject such a proposition."

Elder Xuan laughed and looked at Huo Yuhao. He said, "Young people are indeed very ras.h.!.+ However, your thinking is not mature enough. Why did I ask you how many Spirits one person can possess? If a soul master can only fuse with one Spirit like you say, how many soul rings does a soul master need? Nine. Do you think those top-ranked soul beasts from the Star Dou Forest would give us a chance to negotiate knowing that they"d be offering us greater strength to hunt even more soul beasts and add even more soul rings?"

Elder Xuan"s words left Huo Yuhao in a daze. Yes! He had been too focused on the benefits for soul beasts, but soul masters didn"t need Spirits. Without soul rings, how was a soul master"s cultivation going to increase? Just like Elder Xuan had mentioned, he was too focused on things on the surface.

This time, Zhang Lexuan also nodded silently and didn"t say anything else.

Huo Yuhao sighed in his heart. He knew that Spirits couldn"t possibly replace soul rings, at least with the knowledge that he had.

Elder Xuan said, "Yuhao, you don"t have to think too much now either. Whatever it is, this Snow Empress" Spirit was formed under very special circ.u.mstances. We don"t know what a Spirit will look like if it"s formed for ordinary soul masters. If we discover that Spirits can replace soul rings after further research, it"ll definitely improve the relations.h.i.+p between soul masters and soul beasts."