First Soul Skill

After Tang San's absorption of the soul ring gradually stabilized, the Master finally set down the pen he had been writing with furiously.

He looked at Tang San's calm yet youthful face. His hands resting on his knees clenched tightly without his noticing, and his eyes suddenly reddened.

Today, another one of his theories had been proven! After wasting decades of his life and enduring countless scornful looks and ridicule, he had finally proven himself once more.

He wanted to cry, but years of hardship had tempered his state of mind until it was unbreakable. He knew that if he cried, it would mean bowing his head to all those who had mocked him in the past.

So what if I have no strength? I, Yu Xiaogang, will still leave a brilliant mark upon Douluo Continent.

After that emotional outburst, the Master gradually calmed down. In truth, he understood very well that the person he should thank most for proving this theory was his disciple, Tang San! It was Tang San's trust that had made this possible. Besides him, there was perhaps also Zhao Xuan. If not for his help, Xiao San would also...

Where was Zhao Xuan?!

The Master abruptly stood up and looked around, but he found no sign of Zhao Xuan.

"Where did that brat run off to now?" The Master instantly felt terrible. This little fellow really loved acting on his own.

His gaze suddenly fell on the footprints on the ground, and the Master followed them.

Several dozen meters away from the camp, in a small stream, the Master saw Zhao Xuan absorbing a soul ring.

"He's absorbing a soul ring?"

The Master's face was full of disbelief. When had Zhao Xuan hunted another Spirit Beast? At such a close distance, if there had been a battle, there was no way he would not have heard it!

"Wait? This is... a Stone Turtle, a six-hundred-year Stone Turtle." His gaze suddenly landed on the huge rock Zhao Xuan was sitting on. At first, he had not noticed anything unusual, but following a faint scent of blood, the Master realized that Zhao Xuan was not sitting on a rock, but on a Spirit Beast.

This Spirit Beast had a back like mountain stone and a heavy build. It was actually a rare Stone Turtle. Such Spirit Beasts were scarce and valuable, and their soul rings were coveted by many defense-type Soul Masters.

After examining it briefly, the Master could not help widening his eyes. This Stone Turtle had actually reached an age of six hundred years, exceeding the theoretical maximum age limit for a First Soul Ring.

Yet when he saw Zhao Xuan's composed expression, the Master suddenly fell into confusion. "Could my theory be wrong?"

Then, the Master thought of Zhao Xuan's physical constitution. He nodded thoughtfully. "Zhao Xuan has been physically different from ordinary people since childhood. Perhaps the soul ring age he can endure is also different from that of ordinary people."

"In that case, the arrangement of his soul rings will need further consideration."

The Master truly lived up to his title. Whenever a matter involving martial soul research came up, it immediately sparked his interest.

He touched the Stone Turtle's drooping head. It still retained some warmth, which meant it had not been dead for long. The Master's face lit up, and he hurriedly took out his notebook to begin recording.

Once he had finished recording, the Master was forced to run back and forth between the two. Tang San and Zhao Xuan were both absorbing soul rings at the same time, but they were some distance apart, so he could not protect them both at once. San Pao's duration each time it appeared was limited, and it could not be summoned again anytime soon. Thus, the Master could only stand guard over each of them in turn.

Time passed quickly. Then Tang San suddenly opened his eyes.

"The Mysterious Heaven Skill has broken through," he murmured. Just as he had guessed, the reason the Mysterious Jade Skill could not break through the first layer was because of the soul ring restriction. After coming to this world, his internal energy had undergone a mutation with this world's energy system—Soul Power—causing the Mysterious Jade Skill's breakthrough to become linked with soul rings.

The wonderful sensation brought by absorbing a soul ring was impossible to describe with words. It was as though he were floating atop the clouds without a trace of weight, yet also as though he had reached the pinnacle of bliss. Every one of the thirty-six thousand pores across his body opened, greedily breathing in the wonderful air. The qualitative change was already causing strange transformations in Tang San's body.

"Hmm? Where are Teacher and Zhao Xuan?" Once he calmed himself again, Tang San looked around in surprise.

A faint whiteness had already risen on the distant horizon. The campfire that had once burned fiercely had gone out, leaving only a wisp of bluish smoke that lingered in the air. Yet there was no one around him.

The bushes suddenly rustled, instantly putting Tang San on guard. Immediately afterward, the exhausted Master emerged from within them.

"Teacher! Where did you go? Where's Zhao Xuan?" Tang San hurried forward to support the Master before asking.

"Xiao San, you're awake!" Seeing Tang San awake, a smile appeared on the Master's stiff face. Then he pulled Tang San toward the small stream nearby.

Tang San was puzzled at first, but when he saw Zhao Xuan absorbing a soul ring, he could not help saying in surprise, "Zhao Xuan is absorbing a soul ring too."

"Yes." The Master nodded wearily. It would have been nice if Zhao Xuan were even half as obedient as Tang San.

"By the way, Xiao San, how is your martial soul now?" Thinking of how Tang San had already finished absorbing his soul ring, half the exhaustion on the Master's face instantly vanished. He asked expectantly.

"My martial soul?"

Tang San answered the Master with actions. A tender sprout emerged from the Blue Silver Grass in his palm. Then, more than a dozen dark-blue Blue Silver Grass vines shot out around him. They bore strange patterns, and compared to their former half-finger width, the Blue Silver Grass was now three fingers wide. Its blades were also thicker, their tips slightly raised like Mandala Snakes preparing to attack.

One strand of Blue Silver Grass coiled around a tree as thick as an arm. Tang San gave it a light tug, and the small tree instantly bent over.

The Master beamed. "Just as I expected, this Mandala Snake has granted it incredible toughness. Perhaps it also possesses the Mandala Snake's venom."

Tang San was surprised as well. Was this really still Blue Silver Grass? He could feel that after wrapping around the small tree, the toughness of the Blue Silver Grass was still far from its limit.

With a thought, a clear yellow soul ring rose from beneath Tang San's feet. He controlled the soul ring and released his First Soul Skill.

The yellow soul ring lit up, and more than a dozen Blue Silver Grass vines shot outward. Like a fishing net, they covered an area ten meters around them, wrapping around everything they could cling to and constricting tightly, just like a Mandala Snake after it had captured prey.

A bird that failed to dodge in time was caught, completely unable to resist.

"Quick, let me take a look at it," the Master called urgently.

Tang San controlled the Blue Silver Grass and handed the bound bird to the Master. The bird's eyes were tightly shut, as though it were dead.

The Master touched the bird, then stroked his chin and shook his head regretfully. "It's paralyzed. What a pity it didn't inherit the Mandala Snake's venom."

But soon, a smile appeared on the Master's face. "Still, this is very good. At the very least, it proves that my idea was correct."

The Master paused, then looked up at Tang San with a serious expression. "Xiao San, thank you."

"Huh?" Tang San immediately felt at a loss. A teacher for a day was a father for life. Ever since he had acknowledged the Master as his teacher, he had treated him like a father.

Naturally, Tang San was happy to have fulfilled the Master's long-held theory as well...

Just then, a soft groan suddenly came from beside him, interrupting his thoughts.

"Mm..."

The Master and Tang San instinctively looked over. Under their gazes, Zhao Xuan slowly opened his eyes.

"Master, Xiao San." Zhao Xuan opened his eyes, greeted them, and looked at the two.

"Zhao Xuan, did you succeed?" the Master asked tentatively. After all, this soul ring had exceeded the theoretical limit, and he did not know whether the absorption could truly succeed.

"If you mean the soul ring... then yes." Zhao Xuan could not stop the corners of his mouth from curling upward, his expression full of excitement.

The Master's entire body shook. He quickly pulled out a notebook and asked eagerly, "Do you feel any discomfort? Has your martial soul changed in any way?"

Zhao Xuan thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No. Neither."

The Master quickly wrote it down, then asked solemnly, "What about your soul skill? What type is it? Attack? Defense? Or support?"

Zhao Xuan froze for a moment and scratched his head. "I'm not sure either. How about you experience it for yourself, Master?"

As he spoke, a gleaming yellow soul ring rose beneath Zhao Xuan's feet, while a phone appeared in his hand. The soul ring flashed, and an invisible light struck the Master.

The Master's body stiffened, and he stopped moving. Tang San was startled and was about to ask Zhao Xuan what had happened when he discovered that the Master could suddenly move again.

However, the Master's gaze seemed shocked. "Th-this is imprisonment?"

Zhao Xuan nodded. "That's right. This is the effect of my First Soul Skill. It can imprison someone for one second, and the duration can continue increasing as my Soul Power rises."

The Master was stunned. This was a divine skill! It involved the power of space. At powerful realms, perhaps even a momentary mistake could lead to defeat, let alone one second or even several seconds.

Even for the current Zhao Xuan, one second was enough time for his monstrous strength to smash into someone.

Then, the Master seemed to think of something and hurriedly asked, "What is its range?"

Zhao Xuan carefully sensed it. "Ten meters in every direction. The target's Soul Power Level does not matter."

"No Soul Power Level limit? Are you a monster?!" The Master nearly failed to catch his breath. This soul skill was downright heaven-defying!

Zhao Xuan laughed. He felt rather proud of himself. Then he froze, feeling that this seemed strangely familiar.

"From now on, my First Soul Skill will be called—Immovable."

He suddenly thought of a telecommunications carrier from his previous life. It suited this perfectly. Whether it was a Mi phone or a crappy Pineapple phone, whether the specs were high or low, as long as one used his card, he could always make them all unable to move at certain moments.

Mm, it really suited this soul skill...