The First Soul Skill

Xu Yuan flipped himself up and once again used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to charge toward the Green Leaf Silk Vine.

Leveraging the nimble momentum of Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Xu Yuan wove flexibly through the gaps between the roots. Just as he was about to pounce onto the main trunk again, the thickest root suddenly stretched across his path like a solid wall.

He tapped his foot against the root, vaulted into the air, and backhanded his dagger toward the root chasing him from behind.

Xu Yuan twisted his body violently, using the force of his descent to drive the dagger fiercely into a spot three inches below the main trunk.

This time, the fiber defense of the Green Leaf Silk Vine seemed to loosen, and Xu Yuan could feel the resistance against his blade diminish slightly.

"Hum--"

All the roots of the Green Leaf Silk Vine went berserk instantly, like countless enraged giant pythons, whistling as they slammed toward Xu Yuan in unison.

Xu Yuan, however, did not dodge or evade. He pressed his left hand firmly against the hilt while his right hand drew a spare short blade from his waist, prying into the gap created by the dagger.

With a crisp crack, that layer of tough fiber was finally pried open, and the dagger slid in another three inches.

The roots lashed wildly against Xu Yuan's body, but to him, they felt light and airy, causing no pain at all.

Xu Yuan laughed out loud instead, twisting his wrist to rotate the dagger: "Let's see how much longer you can hold out!"

The leaves of the Green Leaf Silk Vine began to tremble violently, dewdrops pattered down, and the offensive momentum of the roots gradually weakened.

Seizing the opportunity, Xu Yuan poured all his soul power into his right arm and plunged the dagger downward with a heavy thrust.

"Puchi!"

The dagger completely pierced the air chamber node, and a stream of pale green sap carrying the fresh scent of vegetation gushed out.

The roots of the Green Leaf Silk Vine instantly lost their strength, hanging down limply, and the leaves withered to a yellow hue at a speed visible to the naked eye.

A yellow soul ring drifted out from within the Green Leaf Silk Vine.

Xu Yuan panted heavily, looking at the slowly rising yellow soul ring, his face unable to hide his excitement.

He pulled out the dagger, and the pale green sap staining the blade dripped down along the grooves, blooming into a small patch of moisture on the leaf-littered ground.

"Finally done." Xu Yuan muttered to himself, raising a hand to wipe the sweat from his brow.

Those few prying, twisting, and stabbing motions just now looked simple, but in reality, each one had precisely gauged the stress point of the air chamber node. If not for the Purple Demon Eye locking onto the moment the fibers loosened, he likely would have had to expend much more effort.

God King Tang San nodded slightly, thinking to himself that the boy possessed a tenth of his own ability from back in the day.

Xu Yuan sat cross-legged to regulate his breathing.

After stabilizing his state, Xu Yuan began to absorb this five-hundred-year soul ring.

There was no rejection or shock as expected; the energy of the Green Leaf Silk Vine's soul ring seemed naturally compatible with his Blue Silver Grass martial soul, flowing along the trajectory of his soul power and gently permeating his limbs and bones.

In just a moment, Xu Yuan could feel the soul power in his dantian becoming increasingly refined.

"Only a few minutes..." God King Tang San's blue phantom was slightly startled, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes.

Ordinary soul masters required a significant amount of time to absorb a soul ring, and a moment of carelessness could lead to injury from energy riots.

That Xu Yuan was so smooth in the process even surprised him.

But then, thinking of Xu Yuan's special ability to never be injured, he felt relieved.

Perhaps this was his unique talent, the ability to accept the power of a soul ring in the gentlest way possible.

When the last wisp of soul ring energy merged into his body, Xu Yuan slowly opened his eyes.

"What soul skill did you obtain?" God King Tang San asked with some curiosity.

Although he knew Blue Silver Grass was suited for life, he did not know what soul skill would be manifested.

Xu Yuan said to God King Tang San: "My Lord, my first soul skill is called Life Entanglement. When entangling an enemy, it can drain their energy to nourish myself or a designated ally, restoring stamina and soul power."

Hearing the effects, God King Tang San nodded with satisfaction.

Indeed, his thoughts were correct; Blue Silver Grass was suited for life, not for playing with poison.

He remembered his own Entanglement skill, which did not have such potent effects.

Yu Xiaogang, you truly are a piece of trash.

God King Tang San thought to himself in secret.

If not for him back then, Yu Xiaogang would have remained at level 29 his entire life.

He had initially thought Yu Xiaogang's martial soul was a trash martial soul, only to discover later that it was actually an extremely formidable one.

The reason for the 0.5 level of innate soul power was that Yu Xiaogang's martial soul had only undergone a partial benign mutation.

Logically speaking, feeding Luo Sanpao the flesh and blood of sub-dragon soul beasts for a few years would have been enough to evolve the martial soul.

Yet that fool Yu Xiaogang just kept feeding Luo Sanpao radishes.

Xu Yuan was somewhat puzzled as to why his level hadn't increased after absorbing a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.

In those fan-fiction novels, didn't everyone gain several levels after absorbing the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone?

Why didn't his level rise after he absorbed it?

He was currently level 11, still one-third of his soul power away from level 12.

Could it be because the soul bone had already been absorbed once before?

When Xiao Wu performed her sacrifice back then, didn't the spirit bone merge directly into Tang San's body?

He couldn't quite recall the details, but he was certain there was no plot point in the novel where Tang San extracted a spirit bone from Xiao Wu's body.

Thinking of this, Xu Yuan feigned curiosity and asked God King Tang San, "My Lord, didn't you tell me earlier that absorbing a spirit bone would increase my rank?"

God King Tang San snapped back to reality, momentarily stunned by Xu Yuan's question.

He remembered that when he absorbed the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone, his rank hadn't increased either; it had simply helped him clear his Ren and Du meridians.

God King Tang San's blue phantom paused, his gaze flickering before returning to normal, his tone carrying a hint of unfathomable depth: "The purpose of a spirit bone has never been limited to merely increasing one's rank."

He drifted in front of Xu Yuan and tapped a blue finger lightly against the center of Xu Yuan's brow: "Try circulating your Mysterious Heaven Skill and carefully feel the flow of spirit power within your body."

Xu Yuan did as he was told, and as the Mysterious Heaven Skill internal energy completed a cycle, he suddenly noticed a difference.

The spirit power in his dantian was more condensed than before, and its circulation speed had nearly doubled.

"Do you feel it?" God King Tang San's voice carried a trace of imperceptible amusement. "That spirit bone helped widen your meridians, doubling the efficiency of your spirit power circulation; this is far more important than simply gaining a level or two. Rank is merely a superficial appearance. With a solid foundation, breaking through bottlenecks in the future will be a hundred times easier for you than for others."

He paused, then added, "Those so-called explosive increases in rank are nothing more than talk for the impatient and profit-seeking. A true powerhouse never relies on external objects to achieve success overnight. Your body already has a decent foundation; only by progressing step by step can you go further."

Listening to God King Tang San's words, Xu Yuan nodded with an expression of having learned something profound.

Internally, however, he was speechless—speechless at the absurdity of God King Tang San's words.

Big brother, do you even hear how ridiculous you sound?

Back then, your own leveling speed was truly as fast as a rocket.

First came Xiao Wu's sacrifice, and then the sacrifices of Daming and Erming.

That speed of rank advancement was truly something no ordinary person could compare to.

"Don't get hung up on the rank number." God King Tang San patted his shoulder, his blue phantom gradually becoming transparent. "Go back and polish your foundation well. When your spirit power accumulates to a certain level, breaking through will be a natural consequence."

Before the words had even faded, the phantom returned into the Sea of Consciousness.