Chapter 4: The Secrets of the Soul Pearl (Part 1)

Guo Shieru stretched out his hand, and a glass-like object appeared in his palm. Runes would occasionally flash on its surface, and upon closer inspection, a faint human figure could be seen, curled up like a baby inside.
Eagle Demon glanced at it and asked, “This is a Soul Pearl. What’s the matter?”
Guo Shieru replied, “To be precise… this is a Soul Pearl from a mutant.”
Eagle Demon said indifferently, “This kind of Soul Pearl can probably be exchanged for some points. What does it have to do with advancing levels?”
Guo Shieru said, “No, this kind of Soul Pearl… we can use it ourselves!”
Eagle Demon was surprised, “What?”
Guo Shieru said, “If you don’t believe it… you can check your own inheritance. You should have knowledge about this.”
The inheritance memories were vast, requiring the inheritor to learn how to access them on their own. If they didn’t learn it, they wouldn’t know, and even if they had received the inheritance, it would be useless.
Eagle Demon closed his eyes and remained silent for a while. Then, with a look of shock, he raised his head and said, “No wonder! Mutants can kill professionals and obtain a part of their souls, even stripping away certain skills. By getting a mutant’s Soul Pearl, we can also strengthen our souls… No wonder they fight to the death whenever they meet.”
Guo Shieru said, “By the way, there was an explanation in the talisman we got last time. Didn’t you read it?”
Only then did Eagle Demon remember and say, “Oh! I forgot! If I didn’t read it, so be it. Anyway, you read it.” His dismissive attitude left Guo Shieru speechless.
Guo Shieru smiled and said, “Actually, if others get this kind of Soul Pearl, they can only exchange it for points because it needs to be processed through special refining methods before it can be used. Well, coincidentally, the Gu Mi Luo family has this inheritance. After learning a little, I could refine it. Otherwise… even if we got the Soul Pearl, it would be useless.”
Eagle Demon was overjoyed upon hearing this: “That’s great!”
The two went back to their rooms to rest. Guo Shieru went upstairs and chanted scriptures for two hours before falling into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Guo Shieru and Eagle Demon took their team out for training. They found that eight of the ten squadron leaders had come, with Hu Chen sending a deputy due to his serious injuries. The battle in the canyon the previous day had greatly inspired them, and they also wanted to learn from Guo Shieru how to arrange talisman arrays.
Guo Shieru wasn’t bothered and led the team into the scorching desert to begin formal training. This set of training methods had been deeply ingrained in his soul since his past life, making it difficult to forget.

After observing the training for a day, the team leaders gathered around Guo Shier and consulted him for half a day before heading back with enthusiasm. The next day, they started setting up tents and crafting their own leather armor. Spellcasters could craft items, so such tasks were not a challenge for them. Once professionals got serious, they became highly dedicated. Gradually, the appearance of several teams began to change; like Guo Shier’s team, they also formed neat lines to train outside every day. These were life-saving skills, and no one dared to slack off. Seeing this, Qian Rongyao ordered that the entire brigade should train in the same way. The operation in Sui Gu Xi had greatly shaken him, and although his brigade was later compensated with a large amount of points, he didn’t want to suffer such heavy casualties again on future missions. After more than half a month of continuous training, the entire brigade looked completely transformed. Qian Rongyao increasingly relied on Guo Shier and began to consult him on various matters. Guo Shier was happy about this, as Qian Rongyao knew a lot about the Bo Yan region and was also familiar with other camps—he had accompanied Bushilong to several main bases. Through Guo Shier’s deliberate or accidental probing, Qian Rongyao revealed some information. Guo Shier realized that escaping from here was not easy; for now, he had to focus on improving his strength, as other matters could only wait for the right opportunity. A month later, Guo Shier’s team received their points. He got the most, 30,000 points for killing three mutants. If he handed in the collected Soul Beads and Red-Eyed Pupils, he could earn even more points, but he didn’t do so. Qian Rongyao gave Guo Shier’s team an extra portion of points for them to distribute among themselves. The entire brigade went out to lure mutants; as long as no one ran away, each mutant lured would earn the brigade an additional 3,000 points. This time, they lured over fifty mutants, earning a total of more than 200,000 points, all of which were distributed by Qian Rongyao. Apart from fixed standards, points were distributed hierarchically—by the brigade leader to team leaders, who then distributed them to squad leaders, who distributed them to group leaders. Thus, a team leader had great power in the camp. Guo Shier’s team received 50,000 points, and he could decide how to allocate them, not including the 30,000 points he had already received.

He checked the points and found that Guo Shier only kept a portion of the total points, as many things in the squadron needed to be obtained by exchanging points. He didn’t keep any other points at all and distributed them all. He had no intention of staying in the Gu Xilong family for long, and it would also be inconvenient to use a large amount of points to acquire important items, as that would surely draw attention.

As for daily necessities, the points from their positions were sufficient.

Kuang Niu and Ning Xin were shocked—never had so many points been distributed before. Guo Shier simply said, “Don’t treat your subordinates poorly.” The two didn’t dare keep too many points either. After discussing it with Eagle Demon, each squad kept only a small amount for common use, distributing the rest.

The entire Tenth Squad was filled with joy.

This incident led to unexpected consequences. Professionals from other squads began asking to be transferred to the Tenth Squad. Not only would they not die on missions, but they would also earn plenty of points—no professional could resist such an offer. Some squad leaders even said they wanted to find a way into the Tenth Squad; even being a team leader there was better than being a squad leader in another squad.

This caused great distress among the squad leaders, who collectively went to Qian Rongyao to protest. With just a few words, Qian Rongyao silenced them completely. He said, “If you also distribute your points, will your subordinates still ask to be transferred? Remember, Captain Guo distributed all 30,000 points he received—would you be willing to do the same?”

Although upset, the squad leaders had to admit that Guo Shier was much more generous than them. Among the five brigade leaders, Qian Rongyao was the same kind of person—he kept almost no points for himself and distributed most of them, which earned him respect from the squad leaders.

A month later, the brigade was assigned another mission: to patrol the Bone-Shattering Gorge. This time, they were lucky and had a smooth journey, returning to camp quickly.

Actually, encountering mutants wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. As long as they could escape to the valley entrance as quickly as possible with minimal casualties, they could earn a lot of points. Thus, the professionals were conflicted—wanting to encounter mutants yet fearing them at the same time. Guo Shier experienced this firsthand. Upon returning to camp, the team members all appeared listless.

Guo Shier felt both amused and sympathetic. He said to Eagle Demon, “Uncle Eagle Demon, look at them—no mutants… disappointment! Mutants… despair! Hehe, the Gu Xilong family is so calculating!”

Eagle Demon said, “Yes, without points, they can’t survive, but those points have to be earned with one’s life.”
Guo Shieru took out a green soul bead and smiled, “Uncle Eagle Demon, here’s this soul bead for you. Last time we got three soul beads, and I took the time to refine them. One of them belonged to a female mutant; her soul was suitable for women, so we couldn’t use it. We each took one of the other two to see how they worked.”
Guo Shieru’s soul was extremely powerful, and he was skilled at controlling spirit beasts and refining soul beads, so the ones he created were top-quality. It was a pity he was only a high-level Saint Master; if he reached the level of Grand Saint Master, he could create supreme soul beads.
As he spoke, Guo Shieru held the soul bead in his palm, staring intently at it. When the bead flew to about a foot in front of him, he caught it with one hand while casting spells, sending virtual talismans into the bead.
Instantly, the bead emitted a green glow, and strands of green soul threads were drawn out and absorbed directly into his forehead. As the spells continued, the bead spun rapidly. Guo Shieru’s soul trembled, as if starving, quickly devouring the emerging soul threads.
Eagle Demon’s method was simple—he swallowed the soul bead whole and then sat quietly without saying a word.
Feeling his soul grow stronger, Guo Shieru suppressed his excitement and began reciting scriptures over and over again, his soul’s fluctuations rising and falling with the chanting. Eagle Demon, sitting nearby, also felt the benefits. He already had experience and remained motionless, using his soul to sense everything.
In a short while, the last strand of soul thread from the bead in front of Guo Shieru was drawn out, and the bead vanished into thin air. Guo Shieru didn’t move, continuing to chant until the sky began to lighten.
At that moment, Eagle Demon trembled violently, his bones cracking with sound. Straining to hold back his excitement, he said, “I… I’ve advanced… I’ve really advanced!”
Guo Shieru checked his own soul and soon realized he was about to advance too—perhaps tomorrow, or in a few days. It wouldn’t be long; it just lacked a little more. After all, advancing to Grand Saint Master was difficult, unlike Eagle Demon, who had gone from intermediate to high-level Saint Master.
Eagle Demon sighed, “Amazing soul beads!” There was one more thing he didn’t say: Guo Shieru’s soul fluctuations were also remarkable. Thanks to those fluctuations, he could advance so quickly, as they allowed his soul to rapidly merge and assimilate with the soul bead.

Guo Shier said, “This success means… as long as we can obtain a large number of Soul Beads, we can advance quickly. Do you still remember Grandpa Nanshan? He advanced by absorbing the souls of professionals…”
Eagle Demon asked doubtfully, “Shier, are you trying to…”