Chapter 18: Soul Armament Haki

Chapter 18: Soul Armament Haki

A Rare Soul Pet actually lost.

Many sparring partners were stunned.

“It didn’t lose unfairly.”

The middle-aged man on the third floor also shook his head slightly. “This student on the other side is not ordinary. Although his Soul Pet is just a Green Caterpillar, I have never seen one raised so powerfully before.”

“Especially the whole battle…” The middle-aged man frowned slightly. “Xiaole was completely led by the nose by the opponent. It made me feel… as if Xiaole wasn’t facing his classmate… but rather…”

He was facing an old fox, a battle master with extremely rich combat experience!

Because he could see it.

The opponent had been setting up a trap from the very beginning, luring his son to slowly fall into it.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have lost so helplessly in the end.

“Teacher Yan, this child…” The middle-aged man looked at the old man beside him.

“His name is Wang Che, from No.1 Middle School.” The old man simply gave a name. “As for other things, I don’t know much. But this battle really made me see him in a new light.”

“Oh?” The middle-aged man was surprised.

Although this battle was somewhat interesting, it was still just a very ordinary casual match.

After all, neither Soul Pet had comprehended a Soul Skill, and their Soul Power Cultivation was very low.

It hadn’t even reached a hundred years.

It could only be said that there were many highlights.

But it shouldn’t be enough to say it made you see him in a new light, right?

“The first time I saw this Green Caterpillar was about two weeks ago. Do you know what its Soul Power Cultivation was?”

The old man’s eyes flickered.

“Thirty years?” The middle-aged man thought for a moment and replied.

The old man smiled and said:

“No, it had just hatched a day or two ago.”

The middle-aged man was stunned…

Just hatched? That means it reached fifty years in just two weeks?

What kind of speed is that?

This speed can already compare to that of Rare Soul Pets, even a little faster!

How could a Green Caterpillar have such fast cultivation speed?

It really is extraordinary… The middle-aged man’s expression immediately changed.

“Of course, that’s not the only thing that made me see him in a new light…” The old man said slowly.

“?” The middle-aged man was puzzled.

“Think back to the battle just now. Did you sense any Soul Power fluctuations from that Green Caterpillar?” The old man said calmly.

Hearing this, the middle-aged man was startled…

——

Yuan Xiaole was very unwilling to lose.

But there was nothing he could do.

He leaped down from the high platform.

“Kuka! Kuka!”

The Kuka Beast waved its arms at Yuan Xiaole, indicating that it could still fight!

“It’s okay.”

Yuan Xiaole patted the Kuka Beast’s head and said with a smile, “You already performed very well. It’s just that Green Caterpillar is a bit too overpowering…”

Although unwilling, Yuan Xiaole had to admit that the opponent was indeed too overpowering.

Especially now that he thought back on the match process, he felt a slight chill in his heart.

Speed was the Kuka Beast’s greatest advantage.

He had relied on this from the beginning to attack.

But it seemed the opponent had been planning from the start how to make his Kuka Beast lose its biggest advantage.

He only realized it at the very end.

Of course, the main reason was that the Green Caterpillar was very unusual.

“Kuka…”

The Kuka Beast lowered its head, probably also feeling somewhat unwilling.

“Don’t worry!” Yuan Xiaole comforted it. “Once you comprehend a Soul Skill, you’ll definitely be able to beat that Green Caterpillar!”

“Kuka!” The Kuka Beast perked up again.

Suddenly, wisps of white mist began to emerge from its body, and it started emitting weak Soul Power fluctuations.

The fluctuations spread all over its body.

“This is…”

Yuan Xiaole was stunned.

“It’s a Soul Skill.”

Wang Che, who was nearby, walked over with the Green Caterpillar. “Your Kuka Beast is about to comprehend a Soul Skill. It will probably take a few more days. Once its Soul Power Cultivation increases a bit more, it will comprehend it.”

Such obvious Soul Power fluctuations, appearing abnormally, were naturally a sign of comprehending a Soul Skill.

When Wang Che had the Green Caterpillar use its first tail swing attack, it was the same situation.

However, comprehending a Soul Skill doesn’t happen instantly.

It takes a process to fully master it.

Usually, it only takes a few days.

“Wow!” Yuan Xiaole was instantly excited. “Losing this match wasn’t a waste after all!”

“It’s not entirely because of this match.” Wang Che said. “You’ve battled before. This Kuka Beast probably had some accumulation and comprehension of its own, and it just happened to coincide with this match.”

The Kuka Beast usually comprehends its first Soul Skill when its cultivation reaches around forty years.

Yuan Xiaole was very excited.

Comprehending a Soul Skill is actually not simple.

Many Soul Pets, even when they reach the required cultivation years, often fail to comprehend a Soul Skill.

Let alone comprehending it a little earlier.

“Haha, Brother Che, you won’t beat me next time.” Yuan Xiaole laughed heartily. “The Kuka Beast’s first Ten-Year Soul Skill is Gale Flash. It can take out your Green Caterpillar in one move!”

Gale Flash is the first Ten-Year Soul Skill that most speed-type Soul Pets comprehend.

Soul Power flows to the limbs, allowing for extremely fast sprinting. At the same time, the Soul Power fluctuations create strong wind current effects, driving the whole body’s speed to charge at the opponent.

Under the same cultivation years, it’s basically impossible to dodge.

Extremely powerful.

Wang Che smiled noncommittally.

If Green Caterpillar had used a Soul Skill earlier, without even Silk Spitting, just in that first direct clash, by channeling Soul Power to unleash the Rattler Tail Strike, one move would have been enough to knock the Kuka Beast down flat.

Improving a Soul Skill increased its power multiple times.

“Let’s call it a day here. School starts tomorrow, I need to go back and get ready,” Wang Che said with a smile.

This battle mainly gave Green Caterpillar a basic understanding of combat.

Now it seemed the little guy performed pretty well.

Except for its speed.

“Alright, I’ll walk you out,” Yuan Xiaole nodded, suddenly thinking of something but didn’t ask.

He wanted to ask: How is your Green Caterpillar so strong? Its defense is so tough too?

It’s completely unreal.

But after a moment’s thought, raising a Soul Pet is a personal matter. Even if there’s some special method, people don’t just share it.

No need to ask too much.

Wang Che nodded and left with Green Caterpillar.

Today’s fight probably gave him some things to think about too.

Facing a speed-type Soul Pet like that, even with a gap of over twenty years in Soul Power Cultivation, it could easily outpace Green Caterpillar.

The difference in Racial Potential was just too big. Often, no matter how much you trained later, it was hard to make up for it.

With that Kuka Beast’s speed, if it were any other Green Caterpillar, it would’ve been nearly impossible to dodge the first strike.

And even if using Soul Power, Green Caterpillar’s speed wouldn’t improve much.

‘I’ll have to find a way to improve Green Caterpillar’s speed later,’ Wang Che mused. ‘Otherwise, against these speed-type Soul Pets, if their Soul Power Cultivation is another ten or twenty years higher, fighting without using Soul Skills will be really tough.’

The gap in Racial Potential can’t be fixed, so you have to rely on training.

He thought for a long time and had some ideas.

After seeing Wang Che off, Yuan Xiaole went back inside the club, feeling very excited.

“Young Master Yuan, your classmate is pretty strong!”

“Strong? This is the first time I’ve seen a Green Caterpillar this powerful.”

“Fifty years of cultivation, skilled in both strength and defense, that’s really exaggerated.”

“The key was the fighting. Just now, I had this indescribable feeling…”

…

A group of sparring partners came forward, talking in amazement.

“Of course he’s strong,” Yuan Xiaole laughed. “Brother Che is the top student at our Tianxin No.1 Middle School. He could even train a Green Caterpillar to this level! But next time, he won’t beat me!”

As he spoke, Yuan Xiaole looked at his Kuka Beast excitedly. “Once my Kuka Beast learns Wind Flash, no Green Caterpillar, no matter how strong, will stand a chance.”

The other sparring partners smiled and nodded.

After all, the power of Soul Skills was truly immense.

But just then, a voice slowly spoke:

“Even if your Kuka Beast had learned Wind Flash just now, it might still not have been a match for him.”

Hearing the voice, Yuan Xiaole’s face changed.

“Dad!”

He looked rather nervous, watching the middle-aged man and an old man approaching from afar. “Professor Yan? You’re here too?”

“What, can’t I come?” Professor Yan said with a smile. “I was the one who personally gave you that Soul Pet Egg for Kuka Beast. Of course I want to see how you’ve raised it now…”

Yuan Xiaole asked nervously, “Did you see the fight just now?”

He probably felt a little embarrassed about losing to a Green Caterpillar.

He lowered his head.

“You kid!” Professor Yan’s voice softened. “Actually, you did quite well in that fight. Your opponent was just too strong.”

“…” Yuan Xiaole gave an awkward smile.

He thought Wang Che was strong, but not ridiculously so.

The middle-aged man, Yuan Xiaole’s father Yuan Zhen, said slowly, “Looking at you, you probably still don’t accept it. But that’s fine, I didn’t catch it at first either, so I can’t blame you.”

“Didn’t catch what?” Yuan Xiaole asked curiously.

“You’re not a Professional Soul Contractor yet, so you can’t sense the subtle Soul Power fluctuations in a fight. Even a Professional Soul Contractor might not notice…” Yuan Zhen said. “That classmate’s Green Caterpillar showed no Soul Power fluctuations during the entire battle.”

At first, Yuan Xiaole didn’t see the problem with that.

But thinking more carefully, he started to get an idea.

“Whoa! That Green Caterpillar was fighting using only its raw physical abilities?” a Professional Soul Contractor sparring partner exclaimed.

Hearing this, Yuan Xiaole was stunned.

Fighting using only raw physical abilities?

And it already displayed such strength and powerful defense?

“That Green Caterpillar is probably much stronger than you imagine,” Yuan Zhen continued. “Although Green Caterpillars can only learn one very weak and limited Soul Skill like Silk Spitting, if it has overwhelmingly powerful physical stats, it can break through anything with brute force. Combined with its Soul Power Cultivation, even if you learned a Soul Skill, you might not be able to defeat it.”

“Understand?”

Yuan Xiaole was silent for a moment, then nodded seriously.

“Professor Yan, Green Caterpillar’s Racial Potential is so low… why is its physical strength so powerful?” Yuan Xiaole asked, puzzled.

Professor Yan smiled but did not answer directly.

He thought to himself, You ask me? How should I know?

I’m curious too!

Professor Yan coughed a few times, thought for a moment, and replied, “Racial Potential only determines a Soul Pet’s lower limit. But raising a Soul Pet is closely tied to the Soul Pact Master. Although Green Caterpillars are very weak with low Racial Potential, they still have some room for growth.”

“If trained properly later on, they can still have strong combat power.”

That’s what he said, but even he felt it didn’t sound convincing.

After studying Soul Pets for so many years, this was truly the first time he’d seen such a peculiar Green Caterpillar.

But he couldn’t just say he had no idea.

He was a professor, after all; he had some reputation to maintain.

“I see,” Yuan Xiaole nodded. “But its growth speed is too fast. Could it have learned the Soul Guiding Art?”

“Learning the Soul Guiding Art isn’t easy for a Soul Pet, and the improvement isn’t that drastic,” Professor Yan said. “It might have consumed some Natural Treasure, undergone some internal mutation, or had a sudden enlightenment. Things like that…”

“Alright, let me take a look at your Kuka Beast now…”

Professor Yan waved his hand, telling the kid not to ask any more questions.

Yuan Xiaole nodded, thinking that once Kuka Beast learned a Soul Skill, it would definitely defeat Green Caterpillar.

But that would have to wait a few more days.

——

Wang Che returned home and didn’t train Green Caterpillar right away.

Training needed a balance of work and rest.

He took out a drawing board and started drawing, while telling Green Caterpillar its story.

Green Caterpillar first took over ten pieces of Leaf Biscuits and placed them beside itself, then coiled its body obediently, looking at Wang Che with little expectation on its face.

Wang Che drew as he spoke:

“Having gained some strength, Little Green, in order to realize its dream of soaring in the sky and swimming in the sea, decided to bid farewell to its Soul Pact Master. It would first try going into the sea. The sky was too far away, and it had no wings, so it could only try swimming in the sea first…”

“So, it went to the seaside and visited many Soul Beasts living there. By this time, Little Green had a thousand years of cultivation, but the sea was vast, with far too many powerful Soul Beasts. It was no match for them at all…”

“Especially since it was just a Green Caterpillar, far inferior to the Soul Pets on the sea…”

“The more it inquired, the more hesitant it became, and its courage slowly faded… until one day, it suddenly heard a legend, a legend about the sea…”

“Legend said that deep in the sea, there was a treasure. A treasure left by an immensely powerful Soul Beast, the ‘Divine Light Whale.’ Any Soul Beast that obtained this treasure would gain immense power to control the sea and swim freely across the ocean!”

Wang Che drew a giant Soul Pet on the drawing board, covering the vast sea.

Inside the sea, he drew a sparkling treasure symbol.

Green Caterpillar watched excitedly, nibbling on Leaf Biscuits while listening intently.

“Finally, it made up its mind to go into the sea and search for that treasure!”

“Imitating humans, it built a huge ship and set sail into the ocean, asking around for news of the treasure…”

“But the sea was too dangerous… It encountered countless thousand-year, ten-thousand-year, and even Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts… Toothed Seals, Thunder Falcon Sharks, Polar Eels…”

“It got caught in the afterwaves of one battle after another… Any Soul Beast in the sea could easily defeat it. After several battle shockwaves, its great ship shattered…”

“It drifted in the sea, carried by the waves… Just as it was about to drown, it drifted onto a deserted island…”

“On this deserted island, it encountered a mysterious race of Soul Beasts, the Sea Beast race. Here, these Sea Beasts cultivated a strange power using Soul Power, enabling them to swim freely in the sea…”

At this point.

Wang Che paused.

“Thump thump thump!”

Green Caterpillar tapped its tail on the ground, signaling it wanted to hear more.

“This power was released by applying Soul Power outside the body, enveloping the whole self, thereby enhancing all aspects of one’s abilities…”

Wang Che started writing and drawing on the paper.

“The name of this power was ‘Soul Armament Haki.'”

“So, it stayed on this small island, following these Sea Beasts, cultivating this strange power…”

“Alright, that’s all for today…”

Wang Che put down the drawing paper.

“Siii suuu!” Green Caterpillar chirped loudly, then what? Then what?

“Then, you’ll have to slowly learn it first,” Wang Che said with a smile.

Green Caterpillar was too slow.

Relying only on normal training, with its Racial Potential being what it was, improving was difficult.

For speed, what Wang Che could think of was movement techniques.

Demonic cultivators had their own movement techniques.

Wang Che had seen many insect-type demon beasts and naturally knew quite a few movement technique manuals.

But those were much harder to learn than Beast Origin Art.

Moreover, with different races, even if Wang Che adapted and created a movement technique suitable for Green Caterpillar, it might not learn it quickly.

It would be better to wait until its Soul Power Cultivation was higher and its Spiritual Intelligence was more developed.

But the first battle with Yuan Xiaole made Wang Che feel that relying only on Beast Origin Art and two Soul Skills was far from enough for Green Caterpillar.

After all, back in his day, Wang Che wouldn’t even think about leaving home without preparing dozens of trump cards for each realm he reached.

He had to make sure Green Caterpillar mastered some other trump cards!

“Siii!”

Green Caterpillar chirped excitedly. It said it wanted to learn that Soul Armament Haki.

It was highly motivated.

“Today, first properly recall the previous battle. After school starts tomorrow, over the next few days, I’ll slowly teach you.”

Wang Che patted Green Caterpillar’s head and said with a smile.

And so, the next day, school started…