First Soul Skill, Cyan Lotus Assault

The Clear Sky Bamboo Shoot possesses a terrifying characteristic: armor penetration.

This was something Lan Si discovered by accident; as long as there is sufficient strength and soul power, the tip of the Clear Sky Bamboo Shoot can pierce almost anything.

At the very least, he has yet to encounter anything the Clear Sky Bamboo Shoot cannot bore into.

Walls, wooden doors, stone tables, stone chairs, iron utensils—they are all pierced almost the moment they are struck.

Because of this, Lan Si has often been scolded by Otto for being a wasteful brat.

The Datura Snake was already exhausted from fleeing and never expected that the cave it used to hide from natural predators would harbor a lethal trap.

Its flat head was struck squarely by the lightning-imbued Clear Sky Bamboo Shoot; the skull instantly caved in, and its eyeballs nearly burst from their sockets.

Outside the cave, the Red Feather Eagle heard the Datura Snake's miserable shriek and assumed it had encountered another predator, but it didn't pay much mind. Possessing the advantage of flight, it had yet to fear anyone in this Soul Hunting Forest.

It spread its talons, snatched up the body of the Datura Snake, and prepared to fly away.

The Datura Snake struggled frantically. Although it had been severely wounded by Lan Si, in the face of death, no pain could overcome the instinct to survive.

Helpless, the Red Feather Eagle had to land on a nearby flat patch of ground while clutching the snake. It pressed down firmly on the Datura Snake's body and glanced at the stone cave. Seeing that no creature emerged to ambush it, it began to peck at its prey. In a few moments, the Datura Snake was on the verge of death.

Inside the cave, Lan Si had already taken out the semi-automatic pistol he had crafted earlier, quietly observing the Red Feather Eagle. He only had one chance. With his current soul power, even with the help of the semi-automatic pistol, he feared it would be difficult to pierce the Red Feather Eagle's feathers, which were as hard as Iron Essence. The only strategy was to catch it off guard and strike its weak points.

According to the books, the Red Feather Eagle has three weak points: the eyes, the mouth, and the area where the wings connect to the body—commonly known as the armpit, where the feathers are softest.

The eyes and mouth were not options; even if he hit them, unless he struck deep into the brain, it would be hard to kill it instantly. Once it reacted and took flight, this soul beast would be lost to him forever, as he could not catch a soul beast capable of flight.

The only choice was the wings.

The Red Feather Eagle's strength, aside from its sharp talons and hooked beak, came primarily from its wings. Not only did they provide flight, but they also granted it immense cutting power, serving as weapons themselves.

"Screech!"

On the flat ground outside the cave, once the Datura Snake had been sufficiently tormented, the Red Feather Eagle let out a cry and snatched up the dying snake, taking flight toward the high sky.

Lan Si seized the opportunity and fired two shots in quick succession at the Red Feather Eagle's armpit.

To ensure the bullets would penetrate, Lan Si had specifically coated them with soul power from the Five Thunders Heart Art to increase their piercing capability.

"Pfft!"

"Bang!"

Following the two gunshots.

Two bullets wreathed in blue electric arcs shot out. The first one, with a soft pfft, embedded itself into the Red Feather Eagle's armpit.

With the second shot, the Red Feather Eagle, stung by pain, shifted its body slightly. Though it missed the soft armpit, it still struck the wing, knocking off seven or eight red-cyan iron feathers.

Both of the Red Feather Eagle's wings were wounded, and it could no longer maintain its balance. Together with the Datura Snake, it spiraled down from the high sky.

The principle Lan Si always lived by was: strike while the enemy is down.

Taking advantage of the Red Feather Eagle's injury, Lan Si rushed out of the cave, his left hand wielding the Clear Sky Bamboo Shoot and his right hand gripping the automatic pistol. He pushed the Five Thunders Heart Art and the Supreme Universe Art to their limits, firing several shots at the Red Feather Eagle's wounds, followed by a fierce barrage of stabs with the Clear Sky Bamboo Shoot. With every strike, another bloody crater appeared on the Red Feather Eagle's body.

Blood stained the earth, and before long, the Red Feather Eagle fell silent.

After doing all this, Lan Si was still not satisfied. He took out a short blade and stabbed it into the eyes of the Red Feather Eagle and the still-twitching Datura Snake. The blade went straight into their brains, killing both the Red Feather Eagle and the Datura Snake.

Faint yellow light spots gathered above the corpses of the Red Feather Eagle and the Datura Snake, eventually coalescing into two yellow light rings.

Seeing the yellow light rings appear, Lan Si finally collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air. The previous wave of attacks had consumed almost all of his soul power.

He looked at the corpse of the Red Feather Eagle, then at the mangled remains of the Datura Snake. A faint smile appeared on his youthful face. "Now, not only do I have my own soul ring, but I've also killed Tang San's Datura Snake. I wonder what Tang San will choose for his first soul ring now. If it's that Lone Bamboo from the original story that's less than a hundred years old, that would be interesting."

He looked up at the distant horizon, where a hint of white was beginning to show.

Dawn was approaching. Lan Si did not hesitate; he stored the corpses of the Red Feather Eagle and the Datura Snake into his Soul Tool, then turned and dashed back into the cave. The Red Feather Eagle could provide him with a soul ring to absorb, while the Datura Snake could provide materials for crafting poisons.

Back when he was in the world of The Degenerates, serving as the Fourteenth Taibao in the Tongwen Pavilion.

Lan Si had once used the Jin Heart Needle.

The poison of a Datura Snake was potent enough to fell a Soul Grand Master or even a Soul Elder.

Once he crafted the Jin Heart Needle.

Whether he coated the bullet tips or the Jin Heart Needles themselves, both would be excellent choices.

Three hours later, a burst of blue electric arcs and forest-white energy surged out from the narrow cave entrance.

A black shadow darted out and landed on the ground. The warm sunlight bathed the earth, illuminating Lan Si's upright figure.

Compared to yesterday, he had grown significantly taller, and his shoulders were broader. The academy uniform, which had been slightly loose and heavy on him before, now gave him a slender and aesthetic appearance.

Looking at his feet, a yellow light ring had quietly risen at some point, circling his body. This was the distinct mark of a one-ring Soul Master.

"The refreshing feeling after absorbing a soul ring is truly wonderful. Not only did my soul power break through the bottleneck, but my body has also grown quite a bit. No wonder so many people on the Douluo Continent strive to improve their cultivation."

Lan Si stretched comfortably and raised his right hand. A Cyan Lotus wreathed in forest-white energy manifested in his palm.

Following the breakthrough after absorbing the soul ring.

The Cyan Lotus in Lan Si's hand was clearly much larger, and the forest-white energy was even more concentrated. On the eight lotus petals, a metallic luster that wasn't there before shimmered.

"Let's test the power of the first soul skill."

Lan Si whispered, and the yellow soul ring on his body lit up instantly. The Cyan Lotus martial soul rose into the air and split into eight. Each petal transformed into a sharp blade, carrying the forest-white energy, and shot violently toward a large tree as thick as a water barrel.

"Pfft, pfft."

The sound of objects being pierced rang out as the sharp blades passed through the trunk of the large tree without the slightest resistance, leaving eight transparent holes behind. Looking through the holes toward the other side, the sunlight shining through appeared exceptionally dazzling.

"The power is decent, just so-so."

Lan Si raised his hand to recall the blades, which reverted into their Cyan Lotus form and hovered before him.

His first soul skill was named Cyan Lotus Assault, a group-attack type soul skill.

Judging by power alone, it could not be considered the strongest among first soul skills, but it granted the Cyan Lotus martial soul a powerful passive ability: flight.

Lan Si was able to control the Cyan Lotus to fly freely without even needing to activate his soul rings.

In other words, from now on, as long as he used it properly, he could completely rely on stepping onto his Cyan Lotus martial soul to gain the ability of short-term flight.