After successfully absorbing a Soul Ring and officially becoming a One-Ring Soul Master, Lin Ciyan felt as if his entire body brimmed with a strength he had never known before.
He couldn't wait to test the power of his First Soul Skill.
"Grandpa, I did it! I got my First Soul Skill!" Lin Ciyan said, excitement coloring his voice as he looked at Lin Qingmo.
"Oh? Let Grandpa have a look!" Lin Qingmo replied, his eyes flashing with anticipation.
Lin Ciyan took a deep breath. The deep yellow Soul Ring beneath his feet suddenly lit up.
"First Soul Skill: Dawn Break Fist!"
He gave a low shout but didn't attack right away. Instead, he slowly raised his right fist.
The light elements around him seemed to have received a king's summons, rushing toward the center of his fist. In the blink of an eye, they gathered into a radiant orb the size of a fist, as dazzling as a miniature sun.
Brilliant colors rippled within the orb, which gave off a heart-stirring energy. Its light illuminated Lin Ciyan's handsome face.
The entire process took no more than a breath.
"Go!"
Lin Ciyan fixed his gaze on a hard, half-man-high bluestone nearby and thrust his fist forward.
The orb didn't fly in a straight line. Instead, it followed a mysterious trajectory, seeming to tear through the air before slamming into the bluestone in an instant.
There was no deafening explosion.
The moment the orb touched the bluestone, a shapeless, highly compressed force of "Light Shock" burst forth!
"Vmmm—!"
A muffled, strange sound rang out. Countless fine cracks appeared on the surface of the hard bluestone, spreading in an instant like a spiderweb.
Then the spot at its center where the orb had struck suddenly caved inward, crumbling into a cloud of dust that scattered on the wind.
Yet the bluestone's overall structure didn't completely collapse. It largely held its shape, with only a hole straight through its center!
Peerless penetrating power!
And that wasn't all. The instant "Light Shock" erupted, a brilliant flash flared around the bluestone, illuminating an area several meters in every direction.
It was like a flashbang going off, bathing the entire area in blinding white light.
Even Lin Qingmo, standing nearby, instinctively squinted.
It also inflicted blinding light!
Lin Ciyan's thoughts shifted. This time, he didn't release an orb. Instead, he tightly wrapped the gathered light elements around his fist.
He blurred forward, closing in on another rock.
He swung, and the light around his fist abruptly dimmed, only to erupt into another "Light Shock" the instant it struck the rock.
"Bang!"
This time, the rock was blasted with a clear fist-shaped imprint. Cracks spread outward from its center, sending fragments flying, while a flash of blinding light flared and vanished.
"Excellent! What a Dawn Break Fist!" Lin Qingmo exclaimed, applauding with delight.
"It combines incredibly powerful single-target piercing damage with area control! This Soul Skill's grade is definitely far above that of ordinary Hundred-Year Soul Skills!"
"Ci Yan, how much Soul Power does this Soul Skill consume?"
Lin Ciyan briefly sensed the cost and replied, "It doesn't consume much, and it's very flexible. If I trigger it at low power, I can use it frequently."
"If I go all out, I should be able to use it two or three times in a row with my current Soul Power."
"I have a feeling that if I put everything into one strike, opponents below the Soul Grandmaster level would struggle to take it head-on without some special means of defense."
The moment he obtained the Soul Skill, he had instinctively understood all of its properties and how to use it.
It could be used at long range or up close, for pinpoint control or to disrupt a group. It was practically suited to most combat situations.
The more Lin Qingmo heard, the more satisfied he became. He nodded again and again. "It combines offense, penetration, and control, and the cost is so reasonable."
"Ci Yan, your First Soul Skill is practically perfect! As your Soul Power increases, its strength will continue to grow."
"It seems the Dawn Spirit really is a perfect match for your Martial Soul!"
After praising the Soul Skill, Lin Qingmo turned his attention to the Dawn Spirit's corpse, which he had dealt with earlier.
As he expertly butchered it, he explained things to Lin Ciyan:
"This horn contains the essence of its light element. Ground into powder, it's a primary ingredient in many high-grade light-type pills, and it can also be used to inscribe Soul Tool runes."
"The heart's blood is the most precious. It contains the essence of its life. Take it with some mild medicinal ingredients, and it can strengthen your foundation and greatly nourish your meridians and Martial Soul."
"These tendons, muscles, and bones are all nourishing as well. Eat them over a long period, and they'll subtly strengthen your body and speed up your Soul Power cultivation."
"Once we get home, Grandpa will personally prepare medicinal meals for you. I'll make sure we squeeze every last bit of value out of this Soul Beast, so you know exactly what you're eating!"
Once everything had been taken care of, Lin Qingmo took Lin Ciyan with him and shot toward the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest like a streak of light.
The journey back wasn't entirely smooth.
As they passed through a dense thicket, a foul wind suddenly rushed in from the side!
A lithe Hundred-Year Shadow Leopard with grayish-brown fur pounced at them!
It had evidently mistaken Lin Ciyan, who appeared to be alone (Lin Qingmo had long since hidden his presence and was watching from a distance), for prey.
Fast as lightning, it went straight for Lin Ciyan's throat with its claws.
Lin Qingmo stood on a treetop with his hands behind his back, showing no intention of intervening. His eyes held both scrutiny and trust.
Though taken by surprise, Lin Ciyan didn't panic.
Two months of training had already carved battle instincts into his bones.
He shifted his footing and arched backward at an almost impossible angle, narrowly avoiding the lethal swipe.
The Shadow Leopard missed its first attack, but the instant it landed, it pushed off with its hind legs and pounced again, its gaping maw reeking of blood.
This time, Lin Ciyan didn't dodge.
"Just what I wanted!"
The Soul Ring beneath his feet lit up, and an orb of light instantly formed over his right hand.
But he didn't release it from a distance. He waited until the Shadow Leopard had pounced close.
Only when it was about to touch him did he suddenly slam the orb against the leopard's forehead!
"Dawn Break!"
At such close range, the orb erupted instantly!
"Roaaar!"
The Shadow Leopard let out a piercing howl.
The highly concentrated force of "Light Shock" drove straight into its relatively vulnerable skull. The pain halted its forward lunge dead.
At the same time, the burst of blinding light exploded in front of its eyes, instantly robbing it of its sight.
The Shadow Leopard fell into utter confusion and panic. It could only lash out blindly with its claws, spinning in place.
How could Lin Ciyan let such an opportunity slip by?
He nimbly circled around to the Shadow Leopard's rear flank.
Dodging its blind swipes, he gathered Soul Power again—this time, around his light-wreathed fist!
"Bang!"
Another solid "Dawn Break Fist" slammed into the Shadow Leopard's vulnerable waist and belly!
"Crack!"
The unmistakable sound of breaking bones rang out. The Shadow Leopard let out a mournful cry, and its massive body crumpled limply to the ground.
It twitched a few times, then fell still.
The battle had lasted barely a dozen breaths from beginning to end.
Relying on the formidable control and explosive power of his First Soul Skill,
Lin Ciyan had cleanly defeated a Hundred-Year Soul Beast famed for its speed while using the least amount of Soul Power possible.
[ Ding! You have won your first battle against a Hundred-Year Soul Beast using a Soul Skill independently. Your combat ability has been validated, and your "Relaxation Domain" attitude toward enemies has begun to emerge. Slacking-Off Points +90! ]
On the treetop, Lin Qingmo nodded with satisfaction and drifted down.
Lin Ciyan steadied the surging Soul Power in his body and looked at the Shadow Leopard on the ground, gaining a clearer understanding of his own strength.
He looked up in the direction of Shrek Academy and thought:
We've been away for nearly two months. That kid Bei Bei must have obtained his First Soul Ring by now...
With the spoils of his first real battle and thoughts of how his companion was faring,
the grandfather and grandson set off once more, their figures quickly disappearing at the forest's edge.