When Xiao Feng completed its bloodline evolution and became a Storm Wolf King, a clear stream of information entered Xiao Qing's consciousness.
Innate Ability: Wind Messenger.
This was a growable innate ability. At its core, it greatly enhanced Xiao Feng's "affinity" and "priority of control" over wind-attribute energy between itself and the world.
Specifically, whenever Xiao Feng used any wind-attribute Soul Skill, its Soul Power consumption would be significantly reduced, while the skill's final power would receive a basic boost.
More importantly, this boost wasn't fixed. It was directly proportional to the "concentration" of free wind-attribute energy in the surrounding environment.
In ordinary environments, the boost was stable and significant. If Xiao Feng was in the eye of a storm, a hurricane belt, or some special region unusually rich in wind elements, the power of its skills would receive an immeasurably terrifying enhancement.
This innate ability's growth had nothing to do with accumulating Soul Power. Instead, it depended on "insight." The deeper its understanding of wind, the more fully it could develop its innate potential, and the more efficiently it could leverage the power of wind.
Without a doubt, this was a strategic-grade innate ability.
It meant that Xiao Feng's future growth ceiling had been raised considerably. Although its combat power would be greatly affected by its environment, it was still an extremely good ability!
Almost at the same time, Xiao Qing also noticed the changes in himself.
As Xiao Feng successfully advanced into a thousand-year Soul Beast, the transformation in its soul and energy fed back clearly through the Prism Ball's contractual link.
He sat cross-legged with his eyes closed and examined himself inwardly. He discovered that his Soul Power Level had smoothly broken through to level twenty-three, and he was already close to the threshold of level twenty-four. He only needed a few days to stabilize and accumulate his strength.
More importantly, as his Soul Power Level rose and Xiao Feng advanced, his mental strength had also received a modest but solid boost.
One of the most obvious ways increased mental strength manifested was in the "effective range" of his contracted Soul Beasts.
Before, Xiao Feng and A'Man's activity limit had been a spherical area with a one-kilometer radius centered on Xiao Qing. Beyond that range, Xiao Feng and the others would be forcibly recalled into the Prism Ball.
Now, Xiao Qing could clearly sense that this effective radius had doubled, reaching two kilometers.
This was a qualitative leap, meaning that the flexibility and safety of their future tactical choices had greatly increased.
Xiao Qing barely hesitated before immediately giving a new order to Xiao Feng, who had just finished evolving and looked eager to test its strength.
"Roam freely within a two-kilometer radius of our current position. Find suitable opponents to fight. Your goal is to help A'Man break through the thousand-year bottleneck."
"Your first priority is to keep yourself and A'Man safe. If you encounter danger you can't handle, return immediately."
Xiao Feng let out a low growl in response, its eyes brimming with confidence in its newly acquired power.
It turned to look at A'Man beside it. A'Man also sensed Xiao Qing's intention and stepped forward with a low growl, gently rubbing its enormous head against Xiao Feng.
Though wolf and bear had entirely different attributes, after fighting side by side for so long under Xiao Qing's unified command, they had long since developed a deep rapport.
Since Xiao Qing had issued his order through the Prism Ball, Zhao Wuji only saw him close his eyes and then open them again.
Then, as if they were soldiers receiving military orders, the two Soul Beasts swiftly turned into a pair of shadows, darted into the woods to the side, and disappeared from view.
He once again marveled at the convenience and power of Xiao Qing's Martial Soul. It was practically like having two absolutely loyal generals, each capable of acting and making decisions independently.
Xiao Qing offered no explanation. He simply said to Zhao Wuji and Oscar, who had walked over, "I'm letting them roam on their own for a while so they can adapt to their new strength. They'll also hunt and gain combat experience."
Zhao Wuji nodded without asking further.
Everyone had their secrets, especially when it came to the core abilities of their Martial Souls.
He merely reminded Xiao Qing, "The Sunset Forest is only relatively safe. There are still some troublesome fellows deeper in. As for your Soul Beasts... keep an eye on them."
"They know their limits."
Xiao Qing's answer was calm, filled with trust in his companions.
A two-kilometer mental link was enough for him to sense their approximate locations and condition. If they faced an irresistible danger, he could notice it in advance and react.
Over the next few days, the three of them settled temporarily in the territory abandoned by the Gale Wolf pack.
The site was close to water, with a rocky slope at its back to block the wind. It had a relatively open view, was easy to defend and difficult to attack, and the lingering scent of the Gale Wolves kept away many low-level Soul Beasts. It made a decent temporary camp.
During those days, Oscar's second Soul Skill, "Clear Heart Sausage," proved its worth to the fullest.
Whether it was a Soul Sage like Zhao Wuji or a Soul Grandmaster like Xiao Qing, whose mental strength was exceptional, both inevitably suffered distractions during their daily cultivation and meditation. Sometimes their thoughts wandered; sometimes they were distracted by the slightest sounds outside, greatly reducing their meditation efficiency.
The Clear Heart Sausage Oscar made worked directly on the mind.
After eating it, a cool, peaceful feeling spread through the sea of consciousness, like an invisible stabilizing force laid over a churning lake. The scattered thoughts naturally settled, making it easier to focus the mind on circulating Soul Power and gaining insight.
After a session of Deep Meditation, Zhao Wuji opened his eyes, his gaze flashing brightly. He couldn't resist patting Oscar on the shoulder and praising him in his rough voice. "You little rascal, this stuff works even better than some of the calming incense I used back in the day! It saves me at least half an incense stick's worth of time getting into a meditative state!"
Since Xiao Qing frequently used his mental strength, he could assess the effects in finer detail.
He could clearly feel that while the Clear Heart Sausage was in effect, the speed at which he entered a state of Deep Meditation increased by about thirty percent, and the resistance he felt as his Soul Power circulated through his body during meditation decreased.
The improvement from a single use might seem small, but Soul Masters cultivated year after year, day after day. Over time, the difference this modest boost made to their total Soul Power and the solidity of their foundation would be astonishing.
This fully confirmed that his original advice had been right. An auxiliary Soul Skill that optimized the daily cultivation process had far greater long-term value than an ability useful only in specific combat situations.
Oscar himself was extremely pleased.
Not only was his Soul Skill practical and had it earned the approval of Teacher Zhao and Xiao Qing, but his incantation had also changed completely.
"Clear Heart Sausage" were three clear, simple words, even carrying a hint of respectability. He no longer had to recite that embarrassing incantation.
For him, this was more than just a convenience. It was a psychological release and a boost to his confidence. With repeated practice, he was also steadily improving his efficiency at making Clear Heart Sausages, while his Soul Power consumption and recovery gradually formed a virtuous cycle.
Life at the camp was orderly and fulfilling.
During the day, Zhao Wuji would find time to teach Oscar some basic combat dodging techniques and wilderness survival skills. After all, food-type Soul Masters needed to know how to protect themselves even more than most.
Xiao Qing spent most of his time cultivating, consolidating his level-twenty-three Soul Power, while devoting part of his attention to silently sensing Xiao Feng and A'Man's condition and location through their mental link.
He could feel that Xiao Feng and A'Man were on the move most of the time. Occasionally, brief but intense fluctuations of Soul Power would reach him.
Those were signs that Xiao Feng and A'Man had encountered a fight. But the fluctuations never lasted long. Whether a few minutes or half an hour, Xiao Feng and the others' Soul Power fluctuations would eventually subside, meaning their battle had ended.
On the evening of the fourth day, when the setting sun gilded the rocky slope in a layer of dark gold, two figures returned from the woods. They were Xiao Feng and A'Man.
Now that A'Man was back, it was time to help it advance into a thousand-year Soul Beast!
The Prism Ball had already accumulated a great deal of experience points, more than enough for A'Man to advance.
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