Thirty-Third Level, Top-Tier Lightning Element Control, Divine Beast Bloodline Talent (Happy New Year's Eve)

The newly risen sun cast its morning light, wrapping Xu Tianxi's tall, increasingly mature body in warmth and smoothing away the fatigue from a night of endurance.

A cluster of fine lightning arcs shimmered between his eyes, while rich Water Element energy swirled around him. Above the two Soul Rings—one yellow and one purple—the Third Soul Ring, deep and carrying a hint of black, pulsed quietly, having completely become a part of Xu Tianxi's strength.

Perhaps because of the way the light refracted, Xu Tianxi also noticed blue and black radiance flickering faintly within the purple, seemingly corresponding to the two elements controlled by the Deep Sea Silver Demonic Whale in life: lightning and water.

With the absorption of this Soul Ring, the source of his Water Element had been greatly strengthened, and he had also gained a surge of Lightning Element power. It had to be said that this was an unexpected delight.

"Looks like you adapted quite well. As expected of a peerless genius of your generation."

Xiao Changfeng's relieved yet wistful sigh reached his ears. Xu Tianxi glanced sideways and smiled, springing up from the ice. He performed three free rolls in midair before landing as lightly as a swallow, then moved his arms and stretched his somewhat stiff body to his heart's content.

Feeling the powerful strength filling his entire body and the toughness that had increased by more than a notch since before he absorbed the Soul Ring, Xu Tianxi could not help but smile. He cupped his fists and said gratefully:

"I have to thank you for taking action, Senior Martial Uncle. Without your help, I couldn't have taken down this supreme-grade Soul Ring."

Xiao Changfeng smiled freely and waved his hand. "Being able to absorb it is your own ability. There's no need to thank me. Helping you was merely a simple matter. We're family, so there's no need for such words."

Xu Tianxi nodded in response. His Senior Martial Uncle was easygoing by nature and decisive in his actions, and Xu Tianxi very much enjoyed his company.

Xiao Changfeng carefully examined Xu Tianxi for a while longer. His long brows drew together slightly as he said:

"However, your current Soul Power Level really surprised me. A level-forty Quasi-Soul Ancestor absorbing this Soul Ring could easily rise by more than two levels, yet your Soul Power is only at level thirty-three. An Ultimate Martial Soul truly is difficult to cultivate."

Before hunting for a Soul Ring, Xu Tianxi had undergone three months of Deep Meditation. Although Deep Meditation focused on comprehension, it also allowed one to cultivate autonomously. The energy contained within the eight-thousand-year Deep Sea Silver Demonic Whale Soul Ring was even greater than that of quite a few Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings.

With two great opportunities added to their cultivation, another Quasi-Soul Elder would probably have been able to break through to beyond level thirty-five in one go.

"There's nothing strange about it. Didn't we anticipate this long ago? I was mentally prepared as well."

Xu Tianxi shook his head. His thoughts sank, and the rich Water Element around his body and the flickering lightning in his eyes immediately began to recede, swiftly returning to his body.

The newly gained strength was naturally good, but if he could not control it perfectly, it would do more harm than good. After absorbing the Deep Sea Silver Demonic Whale Soul Ring, he had gained not only an unexpected top-tier Soul Skill, but also the power of two elemental attributes.

After level thirty, the cultivation speed of an Ultimate Martial Soul fell drastically, while the body's acceptance of the ultimate attribute was consolidated. Moreover, because that ultimate attribute existed, he would encounter no bottleneck while cultivating toward level forty. Once his Soul Power was sufficient, he could break through.

"By the way, Senior Martial Uncle, after absorbing the Soul Ring, I discovered that I had gained an additional power of the Lightning Element in my body. It doesn't disappear after being used up, either, and the source of my Water Element has also grown considerably. What do you think?"

Blue-violet lightning flashed again. This time, it was not in his eyes but in his palm. Xu Tianxi raised a wrist wreathed in lightning and asked Xiao Changfeng for his opinion.

"An additional power of the Lightning Element? Are you saying that your constitution has undergone a fundamental change?"

Xiao Changfeng seized Xu Tianxi's wrist. His fingers tingled slightly, and surprise immediately appeared in his eyes.

The purity of Xu Tianxi's Lightning Element was naturally not as powerful as what the Deep Sea Silver Demonic Whale had displayed the previous night in life, but it had still reached the ranks of the top tier. It was no weaker than the lightning erupted by some top-tier lightning-attributed Martial Souls he had seen.

Xu Tianxi had never cultivated the power of Thunder before. This had clearly come from absorbing the Soul Ring, and moreover... it seemed to have truly become a part of his Soul Power.

Xiao Changfeng closed his eyes and spread out his perception. With the Spiritual Power of a Super Douluo, he scanned every inch of Xu Tianxi's meridians and discovered that even his pure, dense Soul Power truly contained an additional glimmer of flickering lightning.

"An increase in the source of one's Soul Power caused by absorbing a Soul Ring, along with the direct addition of another attribute—this usually only happens when a Martial Soul and Soul Ring are exceptionally compatible. For example, a plant-type Martial Soul absorbing the Soul Ring of the emperor of the same plant and evolving, or an earth-dragon-type Martial Soul absorbing the Soul Ring of a soul beast with a dense True Dragon bloodline and transforming into a True Dragon...

"In Tian Xi's case, it seems that his Illusory Moon Mystic Eyes Martial Soul has an extraordinary degree of compatibility with the Deep Sea Silver Demonic Whale. As expected, Silver Soul Beasts are exceptionally suited to him..."

Recalling certain lucky individuals recorded in the Ancient Texts, Xiao Changfeng quickly reached a conclusion. However, to be safe, he still asked with concern:

"Tian Xi, when you absorbed the Soul Ring last night, you used the Moonlight Radiance you had accumulated over the past two years. How much remains now?"

Hearing this, Xu Tianxi said, "Wait a moment." His thoughts sank, and Clear Moon rose behind his head. Its size, however, made both Xiao Changfeng and Xu Tianxi twitch at the corners of their mouths—

The full moon, which had been more than two feet in diameter the previous night, was now only the size of an egg.

Xu Tianxi rolled his eyes and covered his face. "You can see it yourself... The Moonlight Radiance I accumulated over the past two and a half years is almost completely exhausted. That fellow's soul shock last night was too difficult to deal with. I didn't dare hold anything back."

"That explains it..."

Xiao Changfeng pondered briefly and stroked his chin before saying slowly:

"The Deep Sea Silver Demonic Whale is a Silver Soul Beast. The reason its elemental control is so powerful is that it can absorb Moonlight Radiance to strengthen its attributes. It seems that during your battle of wills with it, you used the Moonlight Radiance and merged deeply with its ability, thereby inheriting its power to the greatest extent. That includes this Lightning Element."

"From now on, this Lightning Element will be a part of your Soul Power. As long as you wish, you can use it in battle or for anything else. The only difference between you and a pure Lightning Element soul master is that they have Soul Skills, while you do not."

"Perhaps, when you absorb moonlight to cultivate in the future, you'll also be able to subtly strengthen this lightning attribute. What an enormous opportunity..."

By the end, even Xiao Changfeng could not help sighing. This junior's opportunities came one after another, practically as if the heavens were chasing after him to feed him.

Having another attribute in one's Soul Power—especially the lightning attribute, renowned for its fierce dominance—would bring a terrifying increase to one's overall strength. Just imagine Xu Tianxi and his opponent locked in fierce combat, only for Xu Tianxi to suddenly send a bolt of lightning from his palm. He would surely catch his opponent off guard.

So what if he had no Soul Skills? With Xu Tianxi's current physical qualities, even a top-tier Assault Type battle Soul Ancestor would be more likely to lose than win in a one-on-one fight against him without using Soul Skills. The only exceptions would be a top genius from the Body Sect or someone who had fused with a Soul Bone. Otherwise, victory was out of the question.

As for fighting while using Soul Skills?

Xu Tianxi's one yellow and two purple Soul Rings had a combined age of more than ten thousand years. That Soul Ring Combination did not allow an ordinary Soul Ancestor, whose four Soul Rings together totaled no more than eight thousand years, to speak loudly to him. A Soul King might have a chance.

And that was only a one-on-one fight using a soul master's strength. Considering that Xu Tianxi was a devoted enthusiast of Fixed Soul Cannon Shells who liked to conquer opponents through overwhelming firepower, even a Soul Emperor might find himself sent to the afterlife before realizing it if Xu Tianxi restrained him for one or two seconds.

"Wait, the three Soul Rings together exceed ten thousand years!"

Xiao Changfeng suddenly remembered something. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he stared intently at Xu Tianxi, as if he were looking at a peerless piece of uncut jade.

Xu Tianxi felt uncomfortable under Xiao Changfeng's stare. He wiped his forehead and said, "Senior Martial Uncle, if you've remembered something, you can just say it. The way you're looking at me is creepy."

"Haha, sorry. I got too excited after thinking of that ability."

Xiao Changfeng laughed awkwardly, then continued:

"Since you've seen the battle between the Heavenly Tyrant Ancestor and Teacher, my junior nephew, did you notice whether Teacher used a method of fusing Soul Rings to increase his combat power during the battle?"

"Are you referring to the Divine Beast Bloodline Talent passed down through our Xuanming Sect—the Soul Ring Combination?"

Xu Tianxi raised his brows, and a not-so-distant memory surfaced in his mind.