Registering as a Soul Master, the Awareness of Danger in Times of Peace

As soon as he stepped through the door, the staff inside recognized him and greeted him warmly.

Ye Feng was considered a minor celebrity at the Nuoding City Martial Soul Branch; after all, a genius with innate rank seven soul power left a deep impression on everyone.

"Yes, I'm here to take care of some business."

Ye Feng responded with a smile.

Seeing him, the crowd didn't feel too surprised.

With his innate rank seven soul power, going from zero to rank ten in a year to become a true Spirit Master was a foregone conclusion.

"Little Feng, congratulations on officially becoming a Spirit Master!"

Ma Xiunuo walked out from the inner room, his aged face filled with gratified smiles when he saw Ye Feng.

"Grandpa Ma Xiunuo."

Ye Feng called out respectfully, then got straight to the point:

"I'm here today to register my Spirit Master rank and, while I'm at it, collect my Spirit Master subsidy. Could you help me register first?"

"Good, good child, of course I can."

Ma Xiunuo agreed with a chuckle, taking a blue crystal ball from under the counter and handing it over:

"Come, place your hand on it."

Ye Feng complied, pressing his right hand onto the crystal ball.

The next moment, light swirled within the crystal ball, blooming with a soft blue halo.

Within the halo, two clear golden numbers slowly emerged.

Twelve!

The smile on Ma Xiunuo's face froze instantly, and his hand holding the crystal ball trembled uncontrollably.

"This... rank twelve?"

He spoke in a somewhat choked voice, even doubting if his old eyes were failing him.

"Little Feng, you... what kind of soul beast's soul ring did you absorb? How could it increase your rank by two levels all at once?"

Ma Xiunuo was truly shocked.

It was common knowledge that when a Spirit Master absorbed their first soul ring, their soul power increased by one rank.

Increasing by two ranks directly—in all his years as a branch master, he had never heard of such a thing!

"Grandpa Ma Xiunuo, I can't tell you that."

Ye Feng scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed:

"I can only say that I absorbed a century-old soul beast's soul ring. As for why it jumped directly to rank twelve, I'm not too sure myself."

Half-truths were the hardest to distinguish.

"Very well."

Ma Xiunuo understood that every Spirit Master's opportunities were secrets, and prying was a major taboo.

Suppressing the shock in his heart, he changed his approach:

"Child, could you let this old man see your soul ring?"

"Mm, sure."

Ye Feng agreed readily.

With a thought, a bright yellow soul ring slowly rose from beneath his feet, circling around his body.

The light of the soul ring was pure and solid, emitting a faint aura of light.

Ma Xiunuo leaned in to examine it closely, nodding repeatedly as he praised:

"Not bad, not bad! Although I don't know exactly what soul beast it is, the age of this soul ring is around three hundred and fifty years!"

"Little Feng, the foundation of your first soul ring is excellent; you will surely go far in the future!"

He was genuinely happy for Ye Feng.

Having come from a commoner background himself, he knew all too well what kind of price and risks a commoner Spirit Master had to pay to obtain such a high-quality century-old soul ring on their own.

"Then thank you for your kind words, Grandpa Ma Xiunuo."

Ye Feng retracted his soul ring, a humble smile on his face.

Soon, the registration procedures were all completed.

Ye Feng received a brand-new black-covered handbook recording his Spirit Master information, as well as a brand-new Gold Soul Coin.

Tucking both items into his pocket, he turned and walked toward the inn, feeling satisfied.

Back in his inn room, Ye Feng reached back and bolted the door.

The brand-new Gold Soul Coin and the black handbook recording his Spirit Master information in his pocket brought a moment of peace and contentment.

However, this feeling was quickly replaced by a deeper sense of vigilance originating from the depths of his soul.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he closed his eyes, and scenes from the Star Dou Great Forest began to replay rapidly in his mind.

The battle with the Radiant Lion was clear in every frame.

The lion's noble bloodline, its pure light attribute, and its terrifying strength that far exceeded that of an ordinary hundred-year soul beast.

He had won, but how lucky that victory had been.

If he hadn't feigned death at the final moment, trading a grievous injury for the chance to land that fatal blow, the one lying in the forest being devoured would have been him.

The gap in physical fitness and the disparity in soul power reserves were hard flaws that could not be fully compensated for by technique alone.

Next came the maneuvering against Jiang Yi and his group of five bandits.

That was a dance performed on the edge of a blade.

The chaos of the beast tide, the unexpected appearance of the Nether Wolf Pack, the greed and arrogance of Jiang Yi and his men... every one of these factors was indispensable.

If it had been a normal day in an open area, and he had been targeted by a Soul Elder over level thirty leading four Soul Grand Masters over level twenty, he would have had no chance of survival, even if he had three heads and six arms.

The successful counter-kill was seventy percent luck and only thirty percent calculation.

This feeling of entrusting his life to ethereal luck was terrible.

He had to become stronger!

And he needed to possess overwhelming power that could truly dominate the battlefield!

Ye Feng opened his eyes and spread his palm, a wisp of pure golden soul power flowing across it.

His first soul skill, Radiant Body, could increase his strength and defense by thirty percent, with an additional ten percent light attribute bonus.

It was strong, very strong.

It allowed his physical fitness to surpass that of soul masters at the same level.

But ultimately, it was only an augmentation skill.

He currently lacked effective means of attack and had no control abilities whatsoever.

Once caught in an encirclement or facing an enemy with speed far exceeding his own, he would still be in constant danger.

His future soul ring plan had already taken shape in his mind.

For the first three soul rings, he would choose two to augment his own attributes and one for a healing or purification soul skill.

This plan was designed to ensure he could walk the path ahead as far as possible.

One could imagine that when he reached the middle or late stages—becoming a Soul Ancestor, Soul King, or even a Soul Saint—carrying two or three top-tier augmentation soul skills combined with a powerful healing soul skill would create a truly terrifying scenario.

By then, his base attributes would crush those of the same level, giving him the absolute capital to challenge those of higher ranks.

But... that was the middle and late stages.

Before reaching the level of a Soul Ancestor, especially now that he only had one soul ring, he was effectively a "punching bag."

Although this punching bag was a bit harder and stronger than others, he was essentially forced to rely on the most primitive hand-to-hand combat; if he encountered someone with a powerful beast soul or tool soul, he would be very passive in the early stages.

This was too pathetic.

His weakness in the early stages could very well mean he wouldn't survive long enough to reach his powerful later stages.

It seemed he had to find a way to develop a Self-Created Soul Skill.

With a thought, Ye Feng raised his right hand, soul power surging in his palm.

A triangular Light Blade, about half a meter long and composed of pure light energy, slowly condensed into shape.

This was the only attack method he could currently bring out: Light-Gathering Blade.

It could be used as a melee weapon, or the Light Blade could be launched for long-range attacks.