First Soul Skill: Big Dipper Star Drawing Array

Two quarter-hours later, Ling Qianyue opened his eyes, a glint flashing through them.

As he formally absorbed the Soul Ring into his Martial Soul, he felt the seven major acupoints along his spine suddenly connect as one. An inexplicable rhythm flowed between them, forming something like a unified whole.

His Soul Power Level had reached Level 14. Under the effects of Star Concealment, he disguised it as Level 11.

Only half a year into the school term, Ling Qianyue had already drawn the attention of quite a few teachers and students.

If he did not conceal his Soul Power Level for the time being, he suspected escaping later would become more difficult. He planned to gradually drop the disguise after leaving Star Luo.

It was perfectly reasonable for a mutated Martial Soul to cultivate a little faster, right?

And running away with someone else's fiancée had cleared his mind—so it was perfectly reasonable for his cultivation speed to accelerate even more, right?

A deep yellow Soul Ring circled the Shattered Star Sword, gleaming faintly.

"Success." Dean Su let out a breath of relief and looked at Ling Qianyue expectantly. "Qianyao, how is your First Soul Skill?"

Ling Qianyue rose to his feet, a faint smile on his lips, and nodded at Dean Su.

The Shattered Star Sword pointed toward the heavens. "First Soul Skill, Big Dipper Star Drawing Array!"

Centered on the Shattered Star Sword, seven streams of Star Mark sword qi tore through the sky and vanished into the heavens, transforming into stars that formed a massive Big Dipper formation.

The sky was dyed with starlight, and the seven stars cast the area into a dreamlike haze.

The Big Dipper formation slowly rotated. Three rays of starlight descended from the stars and entered Dean Su's body.

"This...!"

Dean Su's eyes widened in utter disbelief. "Strength, speed, defense—they've all increased by 10%?"

Ling Qianyue did not answer. The instant the Big Dipper Star Drawing Array activated, his own seven attributes had already been enhanced. The boost from the seven acupoints could not stack with the Soul Skill's effects, but the advantage was that it required no additional Soul Power.

At the same time, he looked toward the Big Dipper Seven Stars formation in the sky. The seven stars shone brightly, while the seven stars within the Shattered Star Sword's guard seemed to answer them, flickering with radiance.

Since there were seven stars, there were naturally seven types of attribute enhancement.

Strength, defense, speed, Spiritual Power, Soul Power capacity and recovery, elemental affinity, and resistance to control.

Holding Shattered Star in hand and using Dragon Step beneath his feet, Ling Qianyue charged toward the dense forest ahead, his blade tip tracing graceful arcs through the air.

Seven streams of sword qi, each glowing in a different color, shot from his sword.

Like seven nimble dragons, the sword qi instantly slashed toward the obstacles ahead.

Whether tough grass and trees or massive boulders, none could withstand the seven streams of sword qi.

Trees snapped in half at the waist, while boulders shattered into fragments.

"Holy shit." Dean Su could not help blurting out a curse. An area-type support ability combined with its own offensive methods—was this really a First Soul Skill?

Was this even a support-type Martial Soul, or an Assault System Weapon Spirit?

Even the continent's number one Weapon Spirit, the Clear Sky Hammer, could only achieve roughly this level of attack after gaining its First Soul Ring, relying on its sheer weight alone, couldn't it?

More importantly, it had a targeted support ability. This kind of team-wide enhancement was undoubtedly among the most valued Soul Skills across the continent.

"You brat..." Dean Su looked once more at the Shattered Star Sword glimmering with starlight, then glanced at the broadsword Martial Soul in his own hand. The more he looked at it, the more unpleasant it seemed.

"Dean, what do you think of my Soul Skill?" Ling Qianyue stopped and turned toward Dean Su, a faint smile on his lips.

Dean Su nodded wordlessly. "Impressive. The strength of those seven sword qi streams is nearly on par with an Assault System Soul Grandmaster. I'm afraid most Soul Grand Masters would be completely unable to defeat you."

With a support-type Soul Master built in, how was anyone supposed to fight this?

After all, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's innate enhancement was only 10%. Only after obtaining a Soul Ring could one unlock a new attribute enhancement and raise the maximum boost to all attributes by 10%.

In Dean Su's understanding, Ling Qianyue began with a 10% attribute boost to attack, defense, and speed, while his offensive abilities were absurdly powerful. Wasn't that just outright cheating?

Who could beat him in a one-on-one fight?

After hesitating for a while, Dean Su asked, "Qianyao, I know this may be inappropriate to ask, but I still want to know—can the enhancement ratio of your support ability grow?"

Ling Qianyue shook his head. "No. It's fixed."

Whew—

Dean Su immediately let out a long breath. If it could grow, then the continent's number one support Martial Soul, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Tower, might as well be thrown away. And that so-called number one Weapon Spirit, the Clear Sky Hammer, might as well be tossed out too.

Seeing his reaction, Ling Qianyue's gaze shifted slightly, and he smiled.

Dean Su looked up at the glowing formation of stars still hanging in the sky. "How long does your Soul Skill's enhancement last? How long can this Star Chart remain? Can it enhance multiple people at once?"

"Half an hour. With my current Soul Power, the base consumption is 10%, and enhancing one attribute requires another 10% of my Soul Power. It can benefit multiple people."

Ling Qianyue answered and withdrew his First Soul Skill.

Dean Su stroked his beard and sighed. "A perfect Soul Skill. Qianyao, believe me—any advanced Soul Master Academy on the continent would accept you now.

The Soul Master Elite Tournament..."

"You flatter me, Dean. Those matters are still too far away. Who knows what the future holds?" Ling Qianyue said with a smile.

Dean Su paused briefly, then teased, "I forgot about your close relationship with the Zhu Family. It seems you already have some ideas?"

His expression suddenly changed. "But, Qianyao, I must remind you: if you truly like that Zhu Zhuqing, you should do your best to become stronger. You must also participate in the Soul Master Elite Tournament, and the higher your ranking, the better."

"Mm." Ling Qianyue nodded.

After some idle chatter, not wanting to waste anything and needing to replenish their strength, the two lit a fire on the spot, skinned the Starlight Deer, and set it over the flames to roast.

When fat began dripping from the venison, Dean Su's expression abruptly changed.

He flashed to Ling Qianyue's side, frowned toward a patch of dense forest, and said in a low voice, "Someone's coming. Be careful."

Ling Qianyue's expression sharpened at once. He immediately circulated Soul Power throughout his body in secret, preparing for any sudden situation.

Zhanxing.

Wujiu.

His mind eased slightly. His sharp gaze swept toward the patch of forest Dean Su had indicated, while faint footsteps and the rustle of leaves brushed aside reached his ears.

Several figures dressed in luxurious clothing slowly emerged from the forest. Their garments were woven in gold and silver, and one sleeve bore a mark resembling starlight.

They had clearly noticed Ling Qianyue and Dean Su as well.

The delicate young woman at their head glanced at the Starlight Deer's hide on the ground and nodded to a young man beside her. He immediately stepped forward and called out loudly:

"Please do not be alarmed, sir. We mean no harm. We too have come to Hunt Soul Beasts and obtain a Soul Ring, and our target is the Starlight Deer on the ground. If you can provide us with any clues, we will naturally reward you."

Dean Su nodded, though a trace of vigilance remained in his eyes. He pointed in one direction. "A herd of Starlight Deer ran that way. You should still be able to catch up."

"Thank you."

The young man nodded, tossed a package directly to Dean Su, and returned behind the young woman. The group nodded to Ling Qianyue and Dean Su before leaving at once.

Once they were gone, Dean Su relaxed slightly. Among the newcomers, the person at the rear of the group had given him an indescribable sense of pressure. Their strength was definitely at least that of a Soul Sage.

He opened the package and took a look. "Whoa—500 Gold Soul Coins? For just a piece of information?"