"Boom!"
Savage green wind energy surged wildly into Xue Yao's small body.
The 420-year-old Mutated Green Wind Falcon contained not only immense Soul Power, but also a violent resentment mixed into its wind energy because of its mutation.
An ordinary child with Innate Full Soul Power would have had their meridians torn apart instantly by a Soul Ring that violent, and might even have screamed in agony.
Yet Xue Yao didn't so much as furrow his brow.
Deep within his spiritual sea, the remnant soul of the Mutated Green Wind Falcon spread its wings, trying to strike back at the young human who had taken its life.
But the next moment, a majestic lion's roar, as if from the ancient heavens, thundered through his spiritual sea!
It was the Royal Griffin's innate divine might!
A gigantic phantom, radiating boundless golden light, appeared proudly above the spiritual sea. A terrifying bloodline pressure crashed down like Mount Tai.
"Chirp—!"
The frenzied remnant soul of the Green Wind Falcon had not the slightest chance to resist. It was crushed to pieces in an instant, turning into gentle green origin energy that flowed into every limb and bone of Xue Yao's body.
The entire absorption process was so easy and smooth it was almost outrageous!
The Purple-Gold Armored Commander and the prince's guard captain had been ready to intervene. Watching Xue Yao's steady breathing, both saw profound disbelief in each other's eyes.
"Th-this is it? He suppressed it just like that? That was a 420-year-old Mutated Soul Beast's Soul Ring! Even the geniuses of those top sects would face a near-death struggle, wouldn't they?" The guard captain's voice trembled.
The Purple-Gold Armored Commander took a deep breath, his eyes full of reverence. "This is why His Majesty values the viscount so highly. The quality of that Griffin Martial Soul is already beyond the comprehension of us ordinary people."
About half an hour later.
"Vmmm—!"
Xue Yao suddenly opened his eyes. A bright, profound hundred-year Yellow Soul Ring, with faint traces of strange green patterns, slowly rose from beneath his feet!
At the same time, a powerful surge of Soul Power—far beyond that of a tenth-level Soul Scholar—spread from his body.
He was now a thirteenth-level Soul Master!
Thanks to the foundation Little Griffin had accumulated when its Martial Soul awakened, as well as the immense energy provided by this over-limit 420-year Mutated Soul Ring, Xue Yao had leaped three levels in the instant he broke through!
"Caw—!"
As the Soul Ring pulsed, Little Griffin, which had been circling overhead, let out an excited cry.
After absorbing its First Soul Ring, Little Griffin's appearance visibly changed.
It grew from the size of a pigeon to that of a full-grown eagle.
A flowing sheen of green now glimmered among its previously pure golden-white feathers.
Most wondrous of all, whenever Little Griffin gave its wings the slightest flap, the surrounding air automatically gathered into pure green wind elements, forming tiny whirlwinds along its talons and the edges of its wings.
"Congratulations, Viscount! Our congratulations!"
The five hundred Royal Knights around them thumped their spears against the ground in unison, their cheers deafening.
"Rise."
Xue Yao slowly got to his feet and turned to the Purple-Gold Armored Commander.
"Commander, and Captain, you were assigned to find out about my First Soul Skill, weren't you?"
"That's right, Viscount!" The guard captain nodded hastily. "Before His Majesty departed, he told us to record the details of your First Soul Skill and report back to him. May I ask if your First Soul Skill is Gale Movement or Raging Wind Blade?"
Both skills commonly appeared in Green Wind Falcon Soul Rings.
"Neither."
Xue Yao shook his head, then gently pointed a finger at Little Griffin as it circled overhead.
"My First Soul Skill is called—Wind-Riding Combo."
It was, in fact, the Royal Griffin's trait in the mobile game Kingdom of Locke.
"Wind-Riding Combo?" The Purple-Gold Armored Commander paused. "Is it an offensive skill?"
"No. More precisely, it's a passive buff skill."
Xue Yao's gaze turned profound. Rather than give them a dry verbal explanation, he simply gave an order. "Little one, show them."
"Target: the Refined Steel and Black Iron Cage that held the Green Wind Falcon!"
"Caw!"
At its master's command, Little Griffin beat its wings and shot toward the iron cage ten meters away like a golden-green bolt of lightning.
"First strike, ordinary Wind Blade," Xue Yao said softly.
Little Griffin swept its right wing, and a pale green, crescent-shaped Wind Blade instantly formed. With a bang, it struck one of the thick iron bars.
Sparks flew!
A slash about an inch deep appeared on the bar.
That was decent power for a thirteenth-level One-Ring Soul Master, but the Purple-Gold Armored Commander and the guard captain frowned slightly. It didn't seem worthy of a 420-year Mutated Soul Ring at its limit.
Before they could speak, however, Xue Yao's low voice rang out again.
"Keep your eyes open. The real divine skill is only just activating."
"Second strike!"
"Whoosh—!"
At Xue Yao's command, Little Griffin swung out another Wind Blade.
But this time, the Wind Blade formed a full thirty percent faster than before! Its color deepened from pale green to dark green, and it split into two blades!
"Clang—!"
A much sharper clash of metal rang out!
The two Wind Blades carved more than halfway through an iron bar as thick as an infant's arm, nearly snapping it in two!
The Purple-Gold Armored Commander's pupils contracted. "What?!"
"It's not over. Third strike!"
"Caw!"
Little Griffin let out a sharp cry as three Wind Blades formed once more.
"Crack—!"
This time, there was no suspense!
The three Wind Blades instantly sliced the unyielding iron bar in two! The cut was smooth as a mirror!
And that wasn't all. The Wind Blades' force did not diminish after severing the bar. They struck a boulder behind it, cleaving it into a shower of fragments!
Silence.
The camp on the outskirts of Sunset Forest fell utterly silent.
A sheen of cold sweat instantly broke out across the backs of the Purple-Gold Armored Commander and the guard captain!
"Wh-what kind of terrifying skill is this?!" The Purple-Gold Armored Commander's voice trembled. As a Soul Saint, he had never even heard of a skill like it.
"It's simple."
Xue Yao snapped his fingers. Little Griffin happily flew back to his shoulder and rubbed its cheek against his face.
Looking at the thoroughly stunned crowd, Xue Yao revealed the answer at an unhurried pace.
"Wind-Riding Combo. As long as Little Griffin uses a wind-attribute attack, even something as basic as a Wind Blade, each strike automatically adds another hit to the combo."
"Every additional hit makes the next wind attack release one more blade, without increasing the cost."
"As long as the rhythm of the attacks isn't broken..."
Xue Yao paused, confidence flashing in his eyes. "My damage can stack endlessly!"
Boom!
His words landed like a heavy hammer, slamming into the hearts of everyone present!
The Purple-Gold Armored Commander sucked in a breath, his scalp tingling.
Endlessly stacking?!
That meant unless an enemy had an overwhelming advantage in strength, once Xue Yao built up his combo...
Three hits could cut through refined steel and black iron!
What about ten hits? Twenty?!
Wouldn't even a Soul Elder or Soul Ancestor's defenses be instantly shattered by a One-Ring Soul Master?!
It could stack even more than the Clear Sky Sect's Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer!
And the most terrifying part was that this was only a passive skill!
It didn't require massive amounts of Soul Power to maintain a powerful Soul Skill. Instead, it enhanced the Martial Soul's most basic, lowest-cost wind attacks!
A divine skill with "infinite growth," the sort that would normally only appear in the late game, had appeared in a six-year-old's First Soul Ring!
"A monster... a true monster..."
The guard captain murmured, his eyes filled with fervent adoration as well as shock. "If His Majesty, the prince, and the queen learn about a divine passive like this, they'll be so delighted they won't sleep a wink!"
"After we make camp tonight, I'll write to Father and Mother myself to share the good news."
Xue Yao stretched languidly and turned toward the luxurious purple-gold carriage.
He had achieved his goal.
He had obtained his First Soul Ring perfectly, along with a passive divine skill perfectly suited to wind-based offense. It not only made up for his lack of attack options in the early stages, but also gave him the terrifying ability to kill enemies of higher levels in a drawn-out battle!
"Pass it down: break camp and advance at full speed."
Xue Yao's young voice, carrying an air of supreme authority, came from inside the carriage.
"Yes, Viscount!"
The Purple-Gold Armored Commander snapped out of his daze. He was now absolutely certain that escorting this young lord to Heaven Dou Royal Academy would be the most glorious mission of his life!
He wasn't merely escorting a viscount.
He was escorting the future Invincible War God, the one who would stand above the entire Douluo Continent on behalf of the Heaven Dou Empire!
"Rumble—!"
The Heaven Dou Royal Knights set off once more.
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