Second Martial Soul!

The ointment carried a crisp minty scent. Applied to the skin, it felt cool and soothing, easing much of the pain.

At first, Ning Rongrong had pursed her lips in pain, but she gradually relaxed, leaning against Su Yu as she muttered softly,

"So sword practice hurts this much..."

"It's like that at the beginning. You'll get used to it." Su Yu spoke gently.

"Rongrong did wonderfully today. It was your first time, yet you held on for so long."

"Really?"

Ning Rongrong lifted her head, her eyes blurred with tears as she looked at him.

"Really."

Su Yu wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes, then picked up a piece of Osmanthus Cake and held it to her lips.

"Eat something first. Soak your hands in hot water later, and they won't hurt anymore."

Ning Rongrong opened her mouth and took a bite of the Osmanthus Cake. The sweet flavor spread through her mouth, and her grievance seemed to fade a little.

With the pastry still in her mouth, she said indistinctly, "This afternoon... this afternoon, I still want to practice..."

Su Yu laughed. "Take care of your wrists first."

"Grandpa Jian said sword practice must be gradual. You can't rush it."

As he massaged her wrists, he fed her porridge. Sunlight streamed through the window lattice and fell upon them, warm and cozy.

Ning Rongrong leaned against his shoulder. As she ate, her eyelids began to droop.

Sword practice had drained too much of her strength just now. Now that she was being cared for so tenderly, drowsiness washed over her.

"Sleep for a while. Your hands won't hurt when you wake up."

Su Yu gently carried her to the bed and tucked her in.

Ning Rongrong answered vaguely, then quickly fell into a deep sleep, a faint flush still lingering on her little face.

Su Yu watched her peaceful sleeping face, picked up the warm towel beside him, and carefully wiped her hands as he thought, This little girl is far more stubborn than I imagined.

The sunlight outside was just right. The room was quiet, with only the occasional birdsong accompanying the young girl's steady breathing.

Su Yu sat by Ning Rongrong's bed, gently wiping the beads of sweat from her cheeks and arms with a towel.

Su Yu's fingertips paused slightly when they touched Ning Rongrong's sweat-dampened hair.

The system prompt that suddenly rang out in his mind made him miss a breath.

"Detected that the Host has established a connection with Ning Rongrong. Ning Rongrong has successfully checked in. Reward: Second Martial Soul—Chaos Heavenly Dragon!"

"Host, would you like to claim it now?"

Chaos Heavenly Dragon?

Second Martial Soul?

Such a reward far exceeded his expectations, and his heart began to pound uncontrollably.

He forced himself to calm down, his fingertips continuing to gently wipe the faint sweat from Ning Rongrong's arm.

His gaze fell upon the young girl's peaceful sleeping face, a trace of complicated emotion flashing through his eyes.

"No."

He answered decisively in his heart, his voice slightly hoarse from suppressing his emotions.

After tucking Ning Rongrong's blanket in, Su Yu rose with the utmost care, afraid of waking her.

Leaving the room, he hurried toward his own quarters, his fingertips turning white from how tightly he clenched them.

Only after closing the door did he lean against it and take a deep breath. The excitement he had forcibly suppressed surged back up.

The Chaos Heavenly Dragon was a legendary existence. With this Martial Soul, his strength would undergo a qualitative leap.

He raised a hand and pressed against his burning temples, his gaze gradually turning fervent.

The Immortal Slaying Array Diagram around Su Yu emitted a faint golden glow, sealing all traces of his presence within.

He took a deep breath and said in a low voice,

"System, claim the Chaos Heavenly Dragon Martial Soul!"

"Command confirmed. Chaos Heavenly Dragon Martial Soul is now merging—"

Before the words had faded, a scorching force suddenly erupted from his lower dantian, rapidly spreading through his meridians and into every limb and bone.

The force was domineering yet not violent. It moved as though alive, and wherever it passed, his Soul Power faintly trembled with a dragon-like resonance.

"Roar—"

A deep dragon roar burst uncontrollably from Su Yu's throat. It was not intentional, but an instinctive release brought about by the awakening of his Martial Soul.

The roar carried the vast desolation of the ancient Primordial Era. It echoed within the space covered by the array diagram, yet not a trace leaked out.

He raised a hand to touch his forehead, where a warm, tingling sensation was spreading.

Focusing inward, he saw a dark golden Dragon Pattern slowly emerging.

The Dragon Pattern was intricate, flowing with a chaotic halo of light as though it were alive.

The Dragon Pattern and the golden markings of the Immortal Slaying Array Diagram reflected one another, yet remained distinctly separate.

Even more astonishingly, the space behind him distorted slightly as a massive phantom slowly condensed.

The phantom had horns upon its dragon head, cascading whiskers, and scales seemingly formed from chaotic energy. Half bright and half dim, its body was wreathed in faint gray mist.

When its dragon eyes opened, they seemed capable of reflecting the moment heaven and earth first came into being.

Though it was only a phantom, it exuded a majesty that looked down upon all things. Even the sharpness of the Immortal Slaying Array Diagram was suppressed somewhat by this Dragon Might.

Feeling the surging new power within him, Su Yu felt his blood boil, yet it strangely merged with his original Soul Power.

He attempted to mobilize this power, and the Chaos Heavenly Dragon Phantom behind him lightly swished its tail.

An invisible pressure spread outward.

For a moment, even the tables and chairs in the room trembled slightly.

Su Yu sensed the Soul Power within his body. His Soul Power Level had also broken through Level 30.

"Level 30. System, I want to absorb my third Soul Ring."

The system said nothing. Before long, a red Soul Ring appeared before Su Yu.

Su Yu controlled the Immortal Slaying Array Diagram to absorb the Soul Ring.

Before long, the red Soul Ring appeared upon his Immortal Slaying Array Diagram.

Level 32!

After absorbing this Soul Ring, his strength had reached Level 32 as well.

Third Soul Skill—Trapping Immortal Sword!

Su Yu lightly clenched his hand, and a long sword over three feet in length, glowing with golden light from end to end, appeared in his palm.

The defining trait of the Trapping Immortal Sword was trapping. When used, it could form a sword array.

Those trapped within the sword array would find it difficult to escape, leaving enemies who entered the formation caught in layer upon layer of peril.

Because Red Light would appear everywhere when the sword array was activated, there was a saying: Red Light rose everywhere when the Immortal Trapping Sword appeared!

Only then did Su Yu discover a problem.

His first and Second Spirit Skills were gone!

Even the Third Soul Skill he had just obtained was gone.

After summoning the Slaying Immortal Sword, Killing Immortal Sword, and Trapping Immortal Sword, he could no longer activate his Soul Skills!

"Hey, System, what's going on with my Soul Skills? Why can't I use them?"

"Ding. Host, your Immortal Slaying Array Diagram is extremely special. The purpose of the first four Soul Skills is to summon the four Immortal Swords. Once they are used, you cannot activate Soul Skills again."

"These four Immortal Swords are less than one-tenth of the true swords themselves. Only by increasing the age of your Soul Rings can you enhance the power within the Immortal Swords."

"However, Host, rest assured. If you use these four Immortal Swords well, then below the rank of Titled Douluo, even without Soul Skills, no one within a twenty-level gap will be your match."

After saying that, the system's voice fell silent in Su Yu's mind.

After hearing the system's explanation, Su Yu's brows furrowed tightly.