First Spirit Ability: Extreme Cold Ray

When Xue Zhe saw his son's gaze glued firmly to the cage in his hand, he immediately burst into laughter. He raised the cage and gave it a shake, saying to Xue Tianxing:

"Son, come over here! This is the First Spirit Ring prepared for your Ice Phoenix Spirit—the Extreme Cold Bird! It's one of the finest ice-attribute soul beasts, and it couldn't suit you better!"

Xue Tianxing's eyes lit up. He skipped over to Xue Zhe in a few steps, his gaze falling on the Extreme Cold Bird inside the cage.

The Extreme Cold Bird was covered from head to toe in feathers like snow-soft down. It huddled in the corner of the cage, its black bead-like eyes fixed on Xue Tianxing. As if it sensed what was coming, every feather on its body was drawn taut.

"All right, Tianxing. Stand ready first."

Xue Zhe's smile faded as he said gravely to Xue Tianxing:

"I'll seriously injure it first so you can absorb it more easily."

Before his words had even faded, a wisp of pale blue Soul Power condensed at Xue Zhe's fingertips. With a flick of his finger, it struck the Extreme Cold Bird in the cage with perfect accuracy.

With a mournful chirp, the Extreme Cold Bird instantly went limp. Its once-lustrous feathers lost their sheen, and only the faint rise and fall of its chest remained. It was clearly down to its last breath.

"Come, Tianxing."

Xue Zhe opened the cage door and continued speaking to Xue Tianxing:

"Kill it, and you can absorb the Soul Ring."

Xue Tianxing took a deep breath and reached into the cage, lifting out the badly injured Extreme Cold Bird.

The Extreme Cold Bird trembled faintly in his palm. A trace of Soul Power gathered at his fingertips, then swiftly and precisely entered its body—the bird's mournful cry stopped abruptly, and it completely lost its breath.

Xue Tianxing then placed the Extreme Cold Bird's corpse before him and sat down cross-legged.

The moment he settled himself, a yellow Soul Ring slowly rose from the corpse, precisely as an 800-year Spirit Ring should appear.

"Absorb it, quickly!"

Xue Zhe urged from the side, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

Xue Tianxing hesitated no longer. He immediately circulated the Soul Power within him and reached toward the yellow Soul Ring.

The Soul Ring seemed to sense him as well. It slowly drifted toward him and gently slipped around his body.

The instant Xue Tianxing came into contact with the Soul Ring, a vast force surged into his body through it, carrying the Extreme Cold Bird's distinctive bone-piercing chill. Xue Tianxing felt his meridians stiffen slightly from the cold.

But before he could circulate his Soul Power to balance it, the Ice Phoenix Spirit behind him suddenly let out a hum. A clear, powerful force surged forth like an invisible barrier, firmly suppressing the Soul Ring's power. The biting cold immediately became far milder.

With the Ice Phoenix Spirit aiding him, the absorption process went unexpectedly smoothly.

The Soul Ring's power, which should have been difficult to reconcile, now flowed like a carefully combed stream, slowly merging into his meridians and Dantian under the guidance of his Soul Power.

In only a short while, the light emitted by the yellow Soul Ring gradually dimmed and completely merged into his body.

Xue Tianxing slowly opened his eyes and raised a hand, clenching it into a fist.

His Soul Power was still at the foundation of Level 20, but it circulated several times more smoothly than before. Xue Tianxing could clearly feel that he had become far stronger than he had been moments ago.

"It worked!"

Xue Zhe watched it all clearly and could not help clapping with a laugh.

"As expected of the Ice Phoenix Spirit. Absorbing an 800-year Spirit Ring was actually this easy!"

"All right, Tianxing, hurry and try out your First Spirit Ability!"

Xue Zhe urged him while suppressing a smile, his eyes full of anticipation.

Xue Tianxing answered and immediately circulated his Soul Power.

Icy blue Soul Power spread from Xue Tianxing's body. The Ice Phoenix Spirit solidified behind him, and as its wings unfurled, waves of cold air swept outward. The yellow Soul Ring around him also lit up abruptly.

Drawing on the power of Martial Soul Possession, Xue Tianxing lightly tapped off the ground and floated gracefully into the air. Looking down at the training ground below, he shouted:

"First Spirit Ability—Extreme Cold Ray!"

As his words fell, an icy blue ray shot from Xue Tianxing's hand. It tore through the air with a sharp whistle and slammed viciously into the bluestone tiles of the training ground.

Standing nearby, Xue Zhe clearly saw a vast spread of ice bloom from the point of impact. Cold air spread outward at a visible pace, and in the blink of an eye, the once-level ground was covered in a thick layer of solid ice.

Several dozen seconds later, Xue Tianxing withdrew his Soul Power. The Ice Phoenix Spirit quietly vanished, and he descended back to the ground before quickly walking over to Xue Zhe.

Together, they looked toward the training ground, now frozen into crystalline brilliance—tiny ice crystals filled the cracks between the stone slabs, while lingering cold air drifted through the air. It had become a natural skating rink.

"Good! Excellent!"

Xue Zhe could not help bursting into laughter. He reached out and patted Xue Tianxing on the shoulder, then continued:

"Tianxing, that Spirit Ability is truly domineering! Even standing here, I can feel the cold drilling into my bones. Impressive!"

Warmth filled Xue Tianxing's heart at the praise, and he smiled as he nodded.

"All right, you've just absorbed a Soul Ring. Your Soul Power hasn't stabilized yet."

Xue Zhe's smile faded, and his tone softened as he said to Xue Tianxing:

"Go back and rest first. As for the second Soul Ring... who knows when Zhao Tian and the others will find that Frost Profound Crane."

Xue Tianxing agreed, but he did not head toward his own palace.

Instead, he took a side path toward the residence of his mother, Yu Ningxin.

The moment he entered the palace, Yu Ningxin came out to greet him. Seeing that it was him, her eyes curved warmly as she smiled and said to Xue Tianxing:

"Little Tianxing, what brings you to Mother's place?"

Xue Tianxing walked up to her, looked up, and spoke softly:

"Mother, when I awakened the Six-winged Angel Spirit last time, you seemed very surprised. I thought about it—martial souls are either inherited from one's parents or mutate based on their martial souls... Does my Six-winged Angel Spirit have something to do with you?"

Hearing this, Yu Ningxin gazed into her son's clear eyes and let out a soft sigh.

Since Tianxing had already awakened the Angel Spirit, there was indeed no need to keep certain matters hidden any longer.

Yu Ningxin then moved her fingertips slightly, and a gentle golden glow quietly lit up.

A pair of pure white wings unfurled from behind her. A faint halo shimmered along their edges, while seven Soul Rings floated around her—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black—the configuration of a Soul Saint.

Though her spirit was only a Twin-winged Angel, it carried the same holy aura as the Six-winged Angel.

Xue Tianxing's eyes widened slightly—this was the first time he had seen his mother display her spirit.

"Little Tianxing, you guessed correctly."

Yu Ningxin withdrew her spirit, crouched down, and stroked his head. Her voice was soft and gentle. "Your Six-winged Angel Spirit did indeed come from me. But it isn't a mutation. It is an ancestral reversion."

"Ancestral reversion?"

"Yes." Yu Ningxin nodded, her fingers brushing over Xue Tianxing's hair as she said:

"Mother never wanted you to know these things, but I never expected that... you would awaken the Angel Spirit as well, and even the most supreme Six-winged Angel."

Seeing the complicated look in his mother's eyes, Xue Tianxing hesitated before finally asking:

"Mother, are you... connected to the Qian Family of Spirit City?"