Azure Dragon Protection! Azure Dragon Wind Control!

The absorption process was far more protracted than Qing Mufeng had anticipated.

After the deep purple spirit ring submerged into his body, that violent wind-wood energy rampaged through his meridians like an enraged python, frantically tearing at the walls of his vessels.

Five thousand nine hundred years of spirit power was suffocatingly dense.

Qing Mufeng gritted his teeth, the veins on his forehead bulging as sweat poured down like rain, soaking his robes.

His body trembled slightly, a fine layer of blood seeping from his skin—a sign that his capillaries were rupturing under the impact of the spirit power.

Yet, he did not panic.

Deep within his dantian, the Azure Dragon Martial Soul opened its golden slit pupils, coldly watching the rampaging deep purple spirit ring.

It did not rush to suppress it, but instead acted like a patient beast tamer, waiting for the spirit ring's energy to exhaust itself.

Qing Mufeng waited as well.

He circulated the Azure Dragon Method, opening all four paths to guide the violent wind-wood energy in a cycle through his meridians.

With every cycle, the riotous power weakened by a fraction, and his meridians widened by a fraction.

It was painful—truly, agonizingly painful.

It felt as if someone were grinding the inside of his meridians with sandpaper, or as if countless fine needles were stabbing outward from within his body.

Every inch of his meridians and every acupuncture point was under immense pressure.

Yet, he could feel his constitution undergoing a qualitative change.

His meridians were widening, his acupuncture points expanding, and his muscles, bones, and internal organs were all being tempered by that wind-wood energy.

Although the five thousand nine hundred years of spirit power was violent, the life energy contained within it was equally astonishing.

Painful yet joyful.

Qing Mufeng had heard this phrase countless times in his past life, but he had never understood it as profoundly as he did today.

Time ticked away, second by second.

Qing Zhengyue, Liu Yunlan, Qing Hongyuan, and Shen Wanqing stood guard around Qing Mufeng, facing four directions to form a quadrilateral defensive formation.

Their gazes swept across the surrounding forest, vigilant against any spirit beasts that might be drawn by the scent of blood.

Occasionally, a low-level spirit beast would approach, only to be scared off by a single glance from Qing Zhengyue.

One hour.

Two hours.

Three hours.

It was not until the sky shifted from dark to light, and then from light back to dark—a full half-day having passed—that Qing Mufeng's breathing gradually steadied and his tremors ceased.

The deep purple spirit ring had finally completed its fusion with his martial soul.

Qing Mufeng opened his eyes.

His golden slit pupils were richer and deeper than before, with faint cyan wind patterns swirling in their depths.

With a thought, three spirit rings rose slowly from beneath his feet.

Yellow.

Purple.

Purple.

The first spirit ring, deep yellow, eight hundred years.

The second spirit ring, purple, one thousand six hundred years.

The third spirit ring, deep purple, five thousand nine hundred years.

The three spirit rings rotated slowly around his body, his spirit power fluctuations several times denser than before the absorption.

Qing Mufeng closed his eyes, sensing the spirit power within him.

Level thirty-four.

From level thirty to level thirty-four—a leap of four full levels.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in his heart, and began to perceive the new spirit skill granted by his third spirit ring.

In his mind, inherited memories surged like a tide.

Third Spirit Skill: Azure Dragon Protection

Spirit Skill Attributes: Wood Attribute + Wind Attribute + Azure Dragon Power (Triple Composite Defensive Skill)

Spirit Skill Effects:

Using wood as the foundation, wind as the utility, and Azure Dragon Power as the core, it forms a three-layered linked defense.

First Layer: Wind Vortex: Spirit power is released externally, forming a high-speed rotating wind vortex on the surface of the body to distort, deflect, and disperse the power of incoming attacks.

Second Layer: Wood Armor: Beneath the wind vortex, wood-attribute spirit power condenses into a layer of soft yet tough wooden armor to absorb the residual damage that passes through.

Third Layer · Azure Dragon Power: The power of the Azure Dragon bloodline is injected into the Wind Vortex and Wood Armor, significantly increasing the rotation speed of the vortex and the toughness of the armor, making the dispersion force stronger and faster.

With the three layers linked, the defensive power far exceeds that of a simple Wind Shield or Wood Shield.

Facing physical attacks, the Wind Vortex twists the trajectory at high speed to disperse the impact force, while the Wood Armor buffers and absorbs it, with the Azure Dragon Power doubling the rotation speed.

Facing Soul Skill attacks, the Wind Vortex decomposes the energy structure, the Wood Armor assimilates the residual energy, and the Azure Dragon Power greatly increases the toughness and recovery of the Wood Armor.

Facing toxins or curses, the wind wall isolates them, the wood attribute purifies them, and the Azure Dragon Power enhances the purification effect.

This is a growth-type defensive Soul Skill.

As the Soul Power level increases, the Wind Vortex rotation speed will become faster, the Wood Armor will become tougher, and the enhancement from the Azure Dragon Power will become stronger.

Qing Mufeng finished digesting the inherited memories, the corners of his mouth curling upward slightly.

For offense, there is Azure Dragon Claw Probe; for recovery, there is Spring Returns to Earth; for defense, there is Azure Dragon Protection.

Offense, healing, and defense—all three are now complete.

His combat system finally formed a closed loop at this moment.

But this was not all.

Beyond the Soul Skill, the third Soul Ring also brought a third innate divine ability.

Qing Mufeng closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into his dantian.

The Azure Dragon Martial Soul hovered in that gray, hazy little world, with three Soul Rings slowly rotating around it.

And deep within the Azure Dragon, a third cluster of light was awakening.

It was a cyan light, brighter and more active than the previous two.

Within the light cluster, countless wind patterns flowed, resembling miniature tornadoes spinning frantically in the confined space.

Qing Mufeng's consciousness touched the light.

The next instant, a massive amount of information flooded his mind.

Third Divine Ability · Azure Dragon Wind Control

Divine Ability Effects:

Azure Dragon of the East, flying without wings.

This is an instinct carved into the Azure Dragon bloodline; it requires no wings, no Soul Skills, and is an innate talent.

Wingless Flight: One can walk upon the air by oneself without needing to manifest any external flight organs, converting Soul Power into wind energy to lift the body and soar freely through the sky.

Speed Surge: Flight speed far exceeds the Agility-type Soul Skills of soul masters at the same level; it starts with a burst, accelerates rapidly, and turns with agility.

Wind Control: One can perceive and manipulate surrounding air currents to form wind walls for defense, wind blades for attacks, wind vortexes to trap enemies, and wind bindings to restrict them.

Wind Perception: Perceiving the surrounding environment through air currents, everything within a hundred-zhang radius is within the range of perception.

Instinctive Consumption: The consumption is extremely low, as natural as breathing; this is not a Soul Skill, but a bloodline talent, an innate ability of the Azure Dragon.

Growth Potential: As the Soul Power level and the degree of Azure Dragon bloodline awakening increase, flight speed, altitude, distance, and the precision and power of Wind Control will all grow synchronously.

Qing Mufeng finished digesting the information on the divine ability, his heart pounding.

Wingless flight.

No wings needed, no external organs needed, capable of flight by oneself.

This is an ability possessed only by a true Azure Dragon.

He took a deep breath and stood up.

"Feng'er, how do you feel?" Liu Yunlan was the first to rush over, looking her grandson up and down to confirm he wasn't injured.

"Very well, Grandmother." Qing Mufeng said with a smile, "Better than ever before."

Qing Zhengyue walked over, his gaze sweeping across his grandson before he nodded slightly: "Level thirty-four; the third Soul Ring was absorbed very successfully."