First Soul Skill

Tang San glanced at Gula, who nodded.

With no more reservations, Tang San took the dagger Tang Hao handed him and forcefully severed the Lurantis's root stem. But he was not finished. He immediately swung the blade again, chopping up its main stalks and cutting off any possibility of it taking root and reviving. Only then did a Yellow Soul Ring float out from the fragments of branches and leaves.

Tang San sat cross-legged on the ground, released his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, pulled the Soul Ring over it, closed his eyes, and began fusing with it.

As a Title Douluo, Tang Hao still had some composure. Though he was anxious beyond measure, he could still restrain himself and wait.

Thinking back to the look Tang San had given Gula, he felt that since Little San acknowledged Gula, he ought to treat Gula better as well.

In a stiff voice, he asked, "What kind of Soul Beast do you want?"

Gula froze for a moment. Without tactlessly asking further, he answered without hesitation, "My Magma Beast Martial Soul has fire and earth attributes. But Uncle Tang may have heard that I was born with immense strength. By the time I was four, I was already stronger than an adult. After my Martial Soul Awakening, my strength became even more exaggerated."

Gula lowered his head and looked around, then picked up a stone from the ground and hurled it with all his might. With a bang, it let out a sharp explosive crack.

Dozens of meters away, the ping-pong-ball-sized stone embedded itself deeply into a tree trunk.

Gula's expression did not change as he calmly brushed the dust from his hands.

This was already the result of him holding back. The transformation of Groudon's origin, combined with the Super Pallet Town Physique, made Gula feel that he could wrestle a Thousand Year Soul Beast head-on—and defeat it.

Of course, there was no need to say that aloud. Gula preferred to keep a low profile.

He said calmly, "With such an advantage, it would be a shame not to make use of it. So I intend to follow the path of One Force Breaks All Techniques, focusing on strengthening my own power while using elemental attributes as support."

There was another reason for this as well. Among Pokémon's Six Stats, the offensive side was divided into Physical Attack and Special Attack.

Gula had a feeling that he possessed some Pokémon traits. Therefore, the power of his attribute-based Soul Skills would likewise be tied to his strength, while Soul Power determined his Special Attack.

As long as his cultivation rose, his Soul Power would rise with it. Strength was different; its growth efficiency was far inferior to that of Soul Power, so he needed Strength-type Soul Beasts to make up for it.

As for the little bit of elemental affinity provided by Soul Beasts, Gula did not care about it at all.

Even if the Groudon Martial Soul possessed only a trace of divine beast origin, ordinary Soul Beasts could not possibly provide it with the slightest boost. At the very least, it would take a treasure on the level of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring to possibly improve the Groudon Martial Soul.

A flash of surprise passed through Tang Hao's eyes before he revealed an approving expression. The Clear Sky Sect championed pure strength Soul Rings, so he greatly appreciated Gula's choice.

He raised his hand and patted Gula on the shoulder. "You truly were born with immense strength. With this kind of power, ordinary Soul Elders are no match for you."

"As it happens, I am also a Strength-type Soul Master. I consider myself quite knowledgeable about Strength-type Soul Beasts. Tell me what Soul Ring you need, and once Little San wakes up, I'll go catch it for you."

Gula did not stand on ceremony. Tang Hao had eaten quite a bit of his food before; it was long past time for him to repay something.

"I need a Thousand-Year Vigorous Vajra Bear."

Though it was called a Vigorous Vajra Bear, judging from Zhao Wuji's Soul Skills, it was clearly an earth-attribute Soul Beast.

Though Gula claimed to disdain the elemental affinity Soul Rings provided, he would not reject an extra benefit.

"A thousand years?"

Tang Hao shook his head. "What nonsense are you talking about? The First Soul Ring Limit is four—"

"I know." Gula cut Tang Hao off.

"I'm sure Uncle Tang knows that the upper limit one can bear from a Soul Ring is related to Physique Strength. So what do you think my physique's limit is?"

Even if there were ways to increase a Soul Ring's age later on, its Initial Years still mattered. At the very least, it would provide considerably more physical strength and Soul Power. As Soul Rings accumulated one after another, the final gains would be extremely impressive.

Tang Hao hesitated. As a Title Douluo, he naturally understood the requirements for fusing Soul Rings. Physique Strength was the most important factor; only after the physique met the standard was one qualified to discuss anything else.

Gula's physique was undoubtedly more than qualified. Even when Tang Hao had been a Soul Elder, his physique had not been this powerful.

But after thinking for a while, Tang Hao still shook his head. "There's no need to take the risk. With me here, I can interrupt the fusion process, but you will definitely be injured. At minimum, you'll need to wait another year or two before fusing a Soul Ring again. If it fails, the losses will outweigh the gains."

"Besides, a First Thousand Year Ring would be far too conspicuous outside. That isn't a good thing. I have matters to attend to, and I can't protect you forever."

Tang Hao's reasons were sound, but Gula had his own sense of proportion.

A Thousand-Year Soul Ring was indeed conspicuous, but he could defeat a Soul Elder even without using a Soul Ring. Wouldn't it be enough not to reveal it?

Once he had the ability to protect himself, what could anyone say if he revealed the Soul Ring then?

After he explained his thoughts, Tang Hao had no excuse to stop him. He stared at Gula for a long moment before finally agreeing.

"Fine. I'll help you this once. But if things become impossible, you must give up on fusing the Thousand-Year Soul Ring."

"Don't worry, Uncle Tang. I know what I'm doing." Gula patted his chest as he agreed.

After the two finished discussing it, they waited quietly. An hour later, Tang San slowly woke up. The moment he opened his eyes, he met Gula's clear black-and-white gaze.

Expectation filled Gula's eyes as he asked, "How was the Soul Ring's effect?"

"The gains were substantial. Let me show you directly."

Tang San stood with a smile, dusted himself off, and summoned his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.

After absorbing the First Soul Ring, the slender leaves of the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul had become twice as wide and twice as thick, while the silver radiance along its stems had gained a faint pink tint.

Tang San explained his feelings. "After absorbing the Lurantis Soul Ring, I feel like my body has gained a vigorous vitality. External injuries should heal faster. It is probably the enhancement to Life Origin Brother Gu mentioned."

"The Blue Silver Grass's toughness and strength have both improved considerably. Its growth rate when stimulated by Soul Power has also increased, and it has gained some of Lurantis's ability to restrain Soul Power."

Gula nodded. His judgment based on the God-tier Appraisal Eye could not have been wrong.

"What about the Soul Skill?" Tang Hao asked. This was the best standard for judging the quality of a Soul Ring.

With a wave of Tang San's hand, three crowns woven from Blue Silver Grass appeared atop their heads.

"First Soul Skill, Blue Silver Lurantis Crown."

"Weave Blue Silver Grass into a crown that can convert Soul Power into Life Force. It can use my Soul Power, or Soul Power voluntarily supplied by the person being supported."

"The conversion ratio is five to one—twenty percent. With each additional Soul Ring, that ratio will increase by another five percent."

After doing a quick calculation, Tang Hao said in surprise, "So by the time you become a Title Douluo, you'll be able to convert sixty percent into Life Force. That's even stronger than ordinary healing-type martial souls."

He had seen the healing efficiency of Healing Type Soul Masters. A conversion ratio of fifty percent was already enough to qualify as an advanced healing-type martial soul.

For a martial soul like Nine Heart Begonia, which could convert almost one hundred percent into Life Force, only two could exist across the Entire Continent at any given time—one from each of two generations. Only after the elder generation died could a descendant awaken Nine Heart Begonia.

This showed just how formidable Tang San's First Soul Skill was. With this single Soul Ring alone, he could already become a qualified Healing Type Soul Master.