Xiao Wu was extremely obedient. Her fair, rosy cheeks were tinged with anticipation as she lightly poked Ye Qiu's little tadpole with her fingertip.
The next instant!
The little tadpole at the center of the Yellow Soul Ring on Ye Qiu's hand suddenly melted and spread toward Xiao Wu's fingertip. A warm, soothing sensation washed over her, and her long eyelashes fluttered gently.
In the blink of an eye, the black substance had wrapped snugly around her entire arm.
Ye Qiu reminded her softly,
"Don't resist!"
"Mm!"
Xiao Wu nodded slightly. She hadn't planned to resist at all. Right now, it was as if she were bathing in the gentle sunlight, her whole body warm and cozy.
As the black substance spread, their consciousnesses linked together once more. After looking through Xiao Wu's recent memories, the corner of Ye Qiu's mouth twitched.
No wonder kissing her had tasted so sweet. She'd been sneaking bites of his things!
Xiao Wu's body trembled. She looked at Ye Qiu, a hint of embarrassment and fear appearing on her face.
By now, her entire arm was clad in black. Then it spread over her shoulder, her neck, and finally her body.
Before she knew it, Xiao Wu had undergone Martial Soul Possession. Two soft, pink rabbit ears stood straight up, swaying gently in the breeze. A little tuft of white fur tinged with pink had sprouted from her lower back.
Buzz!
As the black substance closed around her, the Yellow Soul Ring on Ye Qiu's hand lit up. The Yellow Soul Ring beneath Xiao Wu's feet lit up as well, as if the two were reflecting each other and resonating in some peculiar way.
After just a few breaths, the black substance slowly drew back toward Ye Qiu's palm, and the cool evening breeze brushed against Xiao Wu's pretty face once more.
Xiao Wu couldn't help shivering. She felt as if someone had seen right through her. The signs of Martial Soul Possession slowly faded from her body.
When the black substance gathered again on Ye Qiu's hand, returning to the shape of a little tadpole, it immediately began to change. A delighted look appeared on Ye Qiu's face.
"Huh? Ye Qiu, why did your little tadpole change shape? Is it broken?"
Xiao Wu bent over, staring at the little tadpole in Ye Qiu's hand with intense curiosity.
Ye Qiu rolled his eyes at her.
"This is my Martial Soul. How could a Martial Soul break, you silly rabbit?"
"Ah—a rabbit!"
Hearing Ye Qiu's insult, Xiao Wu didn't react to it. Instead, she stared at his palm and cried out in surprise.
The black-and-white tadpole in Ye Qiu's hand had somehow turned into a tiny rabbit, with white ears and a black body.
"How cute! Ye Qiu, your Martial Soul turned into a bunny!"
Xiao Wu exclaimed in wonder. Bending down, she reached out and poked the little rabbit's white ear.
"Yeah, it turned into a rabbit."
Ye Qiu smiled. The little white rabbit quickly changed back into a tadpole, but it seemed a rabbit-shaped imprint had been left at the center of the Yellow Soul Ring.
This was the first Soul Skill Ye Qiu had acquired.
It was an improvement on his ability to copy Venom, making it even more suited to the bodies of Soul Masters on Douluo Continent!
His first Soul Skill: Myriad Manifestations!
Douluo Continent was a world of Martial Souls. Soul Skills required a Martial Soul to use, and the continent was home to countless kinds of Martial Souls.
Relying on Venom alone, it was extremely difficult for Ye Qiu to find Soul Skills that were perfectly suited to copy.
But with this Soul Skill, that was no longer a problem.
It allowed Ye Qiu to mimic anyone's Martial Soul.
He could then copy the Soul Skills stored in their Soul Rings and imprint them onto his own Soul Rings. This greatly reduced the restrictions on copying Soul Skills.
However, Ye Qiu's first Soul Skill had its own limitations.
He couldn't mimic other people's Martial Souls without limit.
For each additional Soul Ring he gained, he could mimic one more Martial Soul.
Furthermore, a Martial Soul was connected to a Soul Master's very soul. When copying someone's Martial Soul, Ye Qiu needed their willing consent.
Once the copy was complete, Venom would retain their imprint, and it could no longer be changed.
So he would have to choose carefully.
What's more, if Ye Qiu were to establish a connection with a Titled Douluo right now,
he could only use that person's first Soul Skill.
In other words, even if he had their Martial Soul and had copied their Soul Skills, he still couldn't use any Soul Skill beyond the number of Soul Rings he possessed.
Even so, Ye Qiu was overjoyed.
Didn't this mean
he could become a well-rounded fighter?!
He could fill the role of a control-type, an agility-attack type, or even a support type.
What excited Ye Qiu most of all
was the upper limit of his strength!
If he became a god, and the people whose abilities he'd copied became gods as well, would he be able to copy the power of deities?
At that point,
gods wouldn't rely on Martial Souls to fight!
If he succeeded, how unbelievably powerful would that be!
Of course, this depended on whether those he copied had the potential to become gods!
So,
Ye Qiu would have to be very discerning when choosing whom to copy.
Looking across Douluo Continent,
given that he'd come here, the ones certain to become gods were Bibi Dong and her daughter. Bibi Dong was already undergoing a God Test, while Qian Renxue was the only member of the Qian Family bloodline currently qualified to undertake the Angel God Trial! As for anyone else, that remained to be seen. Talent was important, but being able to stay alive was even more important!
Beside him,
Xiao Wu looked at Ye Qiu's delighted expression, still somewhat dazed. She wrapped both arms around her small frame, her pretty face bright red.
She tugged at Ye Qiu beside her twice, then looked at him uncertainly. "Ye Qiu, why did your Martial Soul turn back into a tadpole? And why do I feel like I've lost something?"
"Hmm?"
Ye Qiu put aside his somewhat far-fetched thoughts and turned to Xiao Wu. A mischievous smile tugged at his lips as he took one of her soft hands and teased, "You're quite the Rogue Rabbit, accusing me when you're the one stealing! I'm the one who lost something, aren't I?!"
"Huh? I—I just..."
Like someone who'd had her tail stepped on, Xiao Wu tried to pull her hand back in a panic, stammering without managing to finish her sentence.
"You what? No wonder your mouth tasted so sweet when I kissed you today!"
"Ah! Don't bring that up! You're the Rogue Rabbit!"
Xiao Wu blushed and tried to cover Ye Qiu's mouth.
"Can't you just let Sister Xiao Wu take her payment in advance? No more talking about it!"
"Heh. All right!"
Ye Qiu didn't give her too hard a time. He let go of her little hand.
"Then I won't have to pay you."
"What?!"
After pulling her hand back, Xiao Wu took two steps away and rubbed it, then cried out in disbelief. Her reddish eyes widened, her delicate brows drew together, and she snapped, "How is that fair?! Sister Xiao Wu only took two of your grass-flavored ones. You still owe Sister Xiao Wu three!"
"You took my things and you still think you're in the right?"
Ye Qiu raised an eyebrow.
"I... You weren't at the academy then. When you came back, I wanted to tell you, but I woke you up. And then you... you did that to me."
Xiao Wu's face burned as she looked at Ye Qiu, her eyes shimmering with a mix of embarrassment and indignation.
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