Innate Soul Power, Level Seven

"Nan'er, let's rest here for a while. The Outer Zone is just ahead, and there'll be more and more Soul Beasts."

"Alright." Wang Nan stopped as instructed, took a few deep breaths to steady himself, then walked to the side and sat down. As he rested, he looked toward the endless forest in the distance—the Star Dou Great Forest, the largest Soul Beast habitat on Douluo Continent.

The first time Wang Nan had heard that name was in his previous life. He did not know whether he counted as someone who had transmigrated or reincarnated. In any case, after living a little over twenty short years in his past life, he had awakened again only to find himself born into this world.

Like most people in this world, he had awakened his Martial Soul at the age of six. Unsurprisingly, his Martial Soul was the same as his father's: the Coiling Dragon Staff. His Innate Soul Power was level seven.

From then on, aside from meditating to cultivate his soul power each day, he worked on strengthening his body and practicing staff techniques. More than a year had passed in the blink of an eye, and it was time for him to obtain his First Soul Ring.

"Here, have something to eat." Wang Xing took out some dried provisions from his Storage Soul Tool and handed them over. Seeing Wang Nan gazing toward the Star Dou Great Forest, he asked, "What, are you worried about the soul ring?"

"A little." Wang Nan nodded. Although his Past Life Memories meant he was no stranger to Martial Souls and soul rings, absorbing a soul ring was still a first for him. Along with his excitement and anticipation came inevitable nervousness.

"Haha, no need to be nervous. I already picked out a target for you during my previous visits. Our target is in the Outer Zone, so we won't encounter too much danger along the way." Wang Xing smiled and sat down beside Wang Nan.

"And there's even less reason to worry about the rest. Obtaining a soul ring is essentially a process of the Soul Master and Soul Beast's powers contending against each other. With your current physique, along with Spiritual Power far beyond that of others your age, there's no reason you could fail. Alright, don't overthink it. Meditate properly to restore your soul power and adjust your condition."

"Mhm, I understand." Wang Nan finished the dried provisions in a few bites, then closed his eyes.

As his body entered a meditative state, Wang Nan's consciousness arrived in another pristine white space.

This was his Spiritual Sea. Perhaps it was a benefit of being a transmigrator: although he was not a Soul Master with a spiritual attribute, his Spiritual Power far surpassed that of Soul Masters at the same level. This allowed him to divide his attention and come here while meditating.

He did not need to look closely. With a single thought, Wang Nan could grasp everything within the Spiritual Sea. His consciousness-condensed body floated in midair. Beneath his feet was a lake that represented his Spiritual Power, while above his head was a Luminous Orb that had appeared here when his Martial Soul awakened.

Speaking of that Luminous Orb, Wang Nan had been thrilled for a long time when he first saw it, thinking his "gift" had finally arrived. Yet after more than a year with it, he still had not discovered how to use it. He could only sense a faint connection between it and himself. Whenever he tried to control it, his Spiritual Power would increase accordingly, but that was all.

Oh well, having it was better than not having it.

As usual, he meditated while training his Spiritual Power. Half an hour quickly passed.

"How was the rest?" At some point, Wang Xing had already risen to his feet and was vigilantly watching the surroundings from a short distance away.

"I'm ready."

"Good. Let's go."

As Wang Nan and Wang Xing continued deeper into the forest, the ground beneath their feet became damp, and vines and thorny brambles grew increasingly dense. Suddenly, one of the vines beneath Wang Nan's feet began to slither rapidly.

"Careful."

Before Wang Xing's warning had even left his mouth, Wang Nan had already reacted. Soul power flowed through his body, and a pitch-black staff appeared in his hand. As soul power poured into it, the staff grew longer and longer until it was roughly his height. Faint patterns coiled around it, like a dragon swimming across its surface.

Once he had summoned his Martial Soul, Wang Nan felt reassured. Looking down again, he saw that the "vine" had transformed into a long emerald-green snake, its tongue flicking in and out.

A Ten-Year Tree Snake. Having Past Life Memories had quite a few advantages. Though there were differences, Wang Nan had learned this world's language and writing early on. At only seven years old, he had already read many books, allowing him to recognize the Soul Beast before him at a glance.

"What do you think? Want to try your hand?" Wang Xing had clearly recognized the Soul Beast as well, but rather than acting immediately, he turned his gaze toward Wang Nan.

Wang Xing had brought Wang Nan to the Star Dou Great Forest partly to hone his real combat abilities, and the Tree Snake before them was a decent opponent.

"Sure!" Wang Nan did not hesitate. Staring at the Tree Snake, he raised his staff and charged.

The Tree Snake was no slow mover either. It opened its mouth and shot out two streams of venom straight at Wang Nan's face.

It's a Soul Beast, after all. Even its attacks are so... straightforward.

Recalling his usual sparring sessions with his father, Wang Nan shifted slightly and easily evaded the attack. Then, gripping the Coiling Dragon Staff tightly with both hands, he brought it crashing down on the snake's head.

The Tree Snake pulled back its head and flexibly twisted its body aside, dodging the strike. It then darted beneath a tree and coiled up its trunk. Though it was merely a ten-year Soul Beast, its combat instincts were not weak. It saw that Wang Nan wielded a long weapon and actually thought to use the dense branches to block his attacks.

Having missed his first strike, Wang Nan used its remaining momentum to turn around, swinging the staff up from behind his back before delivering another downward blow. The instant the Coiling Dragon Staff struck the branches, they snapped with a crack and fell together with the staff onto the Tree Snake's head.

With just one blow, the Tree Snake's head was smashed beyond recognition. Its body no longer had the strength to remain coiled around the tree trunk and dropped to the ground with a thud. Its headless body twitched a few more times before finally going still. A white soul ring slowly rose into the air.

Its tactic had indeed been good, but it had underestimated Wang Nan's strength. Wang Nan might not have had a soul ring, but his level ten soul power was real. With a full-force strike, how could ordinary branches possibly stop him?

Soul Beasts are this easy to kill? Wang Nan was somewhat surprised. This was his first real battle against a Soul Beast, and he had taken it very seriously, already thinking of several follow-up methods of attack. Who would have thought that after two strikes, the Soul Beast would simply be dead?

"Mm, good. Not bad." Wang Xing's voice sounded from the side.

Although he knew Wang Nan was much smarter and more mature than children his age, for a seven-year-old child, merely daring to attack a Soul Beast was already commendable. To defeat it so easily with only level ten soul power was somewhat beyond Wang Xing's expectations. Even as he praised him, another thought arose in his mind.

Should Nan'er's combat training be adjusted?