Wind Messenger, Battle Power Surges

As Xiao Feng completed its bloodline evolution and became a Storm Wolf King, a clear stream of information transmitted into Xiao Qing's consciousness.

Innate Ability: Wind Messenger.

This is a growth-type innate talent, the core of which lies in significantly enhancing the "compatibility" and "control priority" between Xiao Feng itself and the wind-attribute energy in the world.

Specifically: when Xiao Feng casts any wind-attribute soul skill, its soul power consumption is significantly reduced, while the final power of the skill receives a base increase.

More crucially, this amplification effect is not fixed; it is positively correlated with the "concentration" of free-floating wind-attribute energy in its immediate environment.

In ordinary environments, the boost is stable and significant; if it finds itself in the eye of a storm, a hurricane belt, or other special regions where wind elements are abnormally rich, the power of its skills will receive an immeasurable, terrifying bonus.

The growth path of this talent has nothing to do with the accumulation of soul power, but rather with "insight." The deeper its understanding of the wind, the higher the potential development of the talent, and the more efficient its leverage over the power of the wind becomes.

This is undoubtedly a strategic-level talent.

It means that Xiao Feng's future growth ceiling has been greatly raised; although its combat power will be heavily influenced by the environment, it is still exceptionally impressive!

Almost at the same time, Xiao Qing also sensed changes within himself.

As Xiao Feng successfully advanced to a thousand-year soul beast, the qualitative change in its soul and energy, through the contract link of the Prism Ball, provided a clear feedback loop to Xiao Qing.

He sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, looking inward, and discovered that his soul power level had naturally broken through to the twenty-third rank, and he was not far from the threshold of the twenty-fourth rank, requiring only a few days of stabilization and accumulation.

More importantly, his mental strength, along with the rise in his soul power level and Xiao Feng's advancement, had also received a small but solid enhancement.

One of the most intuitive manifestations of increased mental strength is the "effective range" of contracted soul beasts.

Previously, the activity limit for Xiao Feng and A'Man was a spherical area with a radius of one kilometer centered on Xiao Qing. Beyond this range, Xiao Feng and the others would be forcibly recalled into the Prism Ball.

At this moment, Xiao Qing could clearly sense that this effective radius had doubled, reaching two kilometers.

This is a qualitative leap, meaning that the flexibility and safety of their subsequent tactical choices have greatly increased.

Xiao Qing did not hesitate, immediately issuing new instructions to Xiao Feng, who had just finished evolving and appeared eager for action.

"Free movement within a two-kilometer radius centered on our current position. Seek out suitable opponents for combat. Objective: assist A'Man in breaking through its thousand-year bottleneck."

"Prioritize the safety of yourself and A'Man above all else. If you encounter danger you cannot handle, retreat immediately."

Xiao Feng let out a low growl in response, its eyes filled with the confidence of its newly acquired power.

It turned to look at A'Man beside it. A'Man also sensed Xiao Qing's intent, growling as it stepped forward and gently nudged Xiao Feng with its massive head.

One wolf and one bear, though their attributes were vastly different, had long since formed a deep, tacit understanding through long-term combat side-by-side and Xiao Qing's unified command.

Because the instructions were issued by Xiao Qing through the Prism Ball, Zhao Wuji only saw Xiao Qing close his eyes and then open them again.

Following this, the two soul beasts moved like soldiers receiving military orders, quickly transforming into two shadows that plunged into the mountain forest to the side and disappeared.

He felt once again the convenience and power of Xiao Qing's martial soul. It was as if he possessed two absolutely loyal warriors with the ability to act and judge independently.

Xiao Qing did not explain anything, simply saying to Zhao Wuji and the approaching Oscar: "Let them move around on their own to adapt to their new power and incidentally hunt to accumulate combat experience."

Zhao Wuji nodded, not asking further.

Everyone has their own secrets, especially those involving core martial soul abilities.

He merely offered a reminder: "This Sunset Forest is only relatively safe; there are still some troublesome fellows in the depths. Your soul beasts... you should keep a good handle on them."

"They have a sense of proportion."

Xiao Qing's reply was calm, carrying trust in his partners.

The two-kilometer mental link range was enough for him to sense their general direction and status. If there were truly unavoidable danger, he would be able to perceive it in advance and react accordingly.

Over the next few days, the three of them stayed temporarily in this territory abandoned by the Gale War Wolf pack.

It was close to a water source, backed by a stone slope that blocked the wind, and had a relatively open view, making it easy to defend and hard to attack. Furthermore, the lingering scent of the Gale War Wolves warded off many low-level soul beasts, making it a decent temporary camp.

During these few days, the value of Oscar's second soul skill, "Clear Heart Sausage," was demonstrated to the fullest.

Whether it was a Soul Saint like Zhao Wuji or a Soul Grand Master with outstanding mental strength like Xiao Qing.

During daily meditation, one would inevitably be disturbed by distracting thoughts—sometimes thoughts would wander, other times they would be affected by subtle external movements—causing meditation efficiency to drop significantly.

The Clear Heart Sausage produced by Oscar had an effect that acted directly on the mental level.

After consumption, a sense of coolness and tranquility would permeate the sea of consciousness, as if applying an invisible stabilizing force to a churning lake, allowing those chaotic thoughts to settle naturally and making it easier to focus one's mind on the circulation and comprehension of soul power.

After a session of deep meditation, Zhao Wuji opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing within them. He couldn't help but pat Oscar on the shoulder, praising him in a rough voice: "Good lad, this thing is even more effective than some of the calming incense I used back in the day! It saved me at least half a stick of incense worth of time to enter a meditative state!"

Because he frequently used his mental strength, Xiao Qing's experience was more detailed.

He could clearly feel that while the Clear Heart Sausage was in effect, his speed in entering a deep meditation state increased by about thirty percent, and the feeling of stagnation during the circulation of soul power cycles was reduced.

Although the improvement in a single instance seemed small, as soul masters cultivate over the years, the difference in total soul power and the solidity of one's foundation brought about by this small increase in efficiency would be staggering.

This completely verified the correctness of his original suggestion: the long-term value of a support soul skill that optimizes the daily cultivation process far exceeds that of an ability useful only in specific combat situations.

Oscar himself was extremely satisfied.

Not only because the soul skill was practical and had gained the affirmation of Teacher Zhao and the recognition of Xiao Qing, but also because his soul incantation had completely changed.

The three words "Clear Heart Sausage" were clear, simple, and even carried a hint of seriousness; he no longer needed to recite that embarrassing incantation.

For him, this was not just convenience, but a psychological relief and a boost in self-confidence. His efficiency in producing the Clear Heart Sausage also steadily improved through repeated practice, and his soul power consumption and recovery gradually formed a virtuous cycle.

Life in the camp was regular and fulfilling.

During the day, Zhao Wuji would find time to instruct Oscar on basic combat evasion techniques and essential wilderness survival tips; after all, food-type spirit masters needed to know how to protect themselves above all else.

Xiao Qing spent most of his time on his own cultivation, consolidating his level twenty-three spirit power while simultaneously dedicating a portion of his focus to silently sensing the status and location of Xiao Feng and A'Man through their mental link.

He could feel that Xiao Feng and A'Man were on the move for the majority of the time, with brief, intense fluctuations of spirit power occasionally rippling through.

These were signs that Xiao Feng and A'Man had encountered combat, but the fluctuations never lasted long; whether it took a few minutes or up to half an hour, the spirit power ripples would eventually subside, signaling that their battles had concluded.

On the evening of the fourth day, as the setting sun gilded the rocky slope in a layer of dark gold, two figures returned from the forest. It was none other than Xiao Feng and A'Man.

Since A'Man had returned, it was finally time for it to ascend and become a thousand-year spirit beast!

The Prism Ball had already accumulated a vast amount of experience points, which was more than enough for A'Man's promotion.