After Yu Luomian left, Yu Hong did not rest right away.
Yu Hong returned to the middle of the courtyard, sat cross-legged, and thought about how his first Soul Skill worked.
Under normal circumstances, he needed to release his Martial Soul, channel Soul Power through it, and then unleash his Soul Skill.
But Yu Hong had thought of a problem.
His Martial Soul was the White Stone of the Ancients—a single egg.
How could an egg shoot out a ball of light?
Was he supposed to make it shoot out through a crack?
That would be downright strange.
Yu Hong furrowed his brow and began considering other possibilities.
Since the Soul Skill's energy came from him, then in theory, he should be able to unleash it directly through his body without channeling it through his Martial Soul.
Just like the Sun-Day Dragon Lizard, which spat out balls of light directly from its mouth.
With that thought, Yu Hong decided to give it a try.
He stood up, walked to an open area in the courtyard, and faced a stone wall.
Taking a deep breath, Yu Hong began to stir the Soul Power within his body.
The Soul Power flowed along his meridians, gathered in his dantian, then climbed upward along a specific route.
Yu Hong tried to guide it to his throat and mouth, mimicking the way the Sun-Day Dragon Lizard unleashed its Soul Skill.
However, as soon as the Soul Power reached his throat, it hit an invisible wall and could go no farther.
"Just as I thought. It's not that simple," Yu Hong murmured.
He did not lose heart and continued trying.
Once, twice, three times...
Each time, the Soul Power was blocked at his throat and could not be released.
Yu Hong stopped and began analyzing why he had failed.
Where was the problem?
Was he guiding the Soul Power incorrectly? Or was some part of his body still blocked?
He recalled how it had felt to absorb the Soul Ring: that violent energy had rampaged through his body before he finally refined and absorbed it.
During that process, the Soul Ring's energy had seeped into every corner of his body, including his throat and mouth.
If so, why couldn't Soul Power be released through those parts?
Yu Hong fell into deep thought.
Suddenly, he thought of a possibility.
Perhaps the problem was not how he guided his Soul Power, but that his connection to the Soul Ring was not close enough.
Although the Soul Ring had already fused with his body, he had yet to establish a deep resonance with it.
With that thought, Yu Hong sat cross-legged once more and closed his eyes.
This time, he did not rush to guide his Soul Power. Instead, he focused his attention on the Yellow Soul Ring inside him.
He tried to communicate with the Soul Ring, sensing the remnants of the Sun-Day Dragon Lizard's will within it.
Time passed second by second.
Gradually, Yu Hong felt a faint response.
It was a vague emotion, carrying a wildness and pride, along with a yearning for sunlight.
This was the Sun-Day Dragon Lizard's instinct.
Yu Hong did not reject the emotion. Instead, he tried to accept it and become one with it.
He imagined that he was a Sun-Day Dragon Lizard, running freely beneath the sun, opening his mouth and spitting out scorching light.
At that very moment, Yu Hong felt the Soul Ring inside him shudder violently.
A warm energy surged out of the Soul Ring, raced along his meridians, and shot straight toward his throat.
This time, there was no resistance at all.
The energy flowed smoothly into his mouth, gathering at the tip of his tongue as a tiny point of light.
Yu Hong's eyes flew open, and he instinctively opened his mouth.
"Whoosh—"
A dazzling white ball of light shot from his mouth, streaked through the night sky, and slammed into the stone wall opposite him.
"BOOM!!!"
A deafening explosion rang out. A basin-sized crater appeared in the stone wall, wisps of smoke still rising from its edges.
Yu Hong froze.
Had he succeeded?
He lowered his eyes to his hands, then looked at the crater blasted into the wall opposite him. A smile slowly spread across his face.
"I did it!"
Yu Hong clenched his fists excitedly, his heart filled with joy.
He had successfully used Burst Stream of Destruction without releasing his Martial Soul!
What did that mean?
It meant he could wield his Soul Skill more flexibly in battle, attacking directly without having to release his Martial Soul first.
That would give him a huge advantage in actual combat.
And once the Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared, it would be two against one.
Yu Hong took a deep breath and calmed his excitement.
Although that attack had succeeded, he could tell that his control over the Soul Skill was still rough.
Its power, speed, and accuracy all had plenty of room for improvement.
"Looks like I'll have to train this Soul Skill properly from now on," Yu Hong said to himself.
He glanced at the sky. It was already late.
That was enough for tonight. He would begin proper training tomorrow.
Early the next morning, Yu Hong went to the family training ground.
The training ground was in the northeastern corner of the family estate. It was a wide-open space enclosed by tall stone walls, set aside for the family's younger generation to practice and spar.
There was no one else there at this hour, making it the perfect place for Yu Hong to practice his Soul Skill.
He stood in the middle of the training ground, facing a row of wooden dummies.
Taking a deep breath, Yu Hong began to stir the Soul Power within his body.
This time, he did not first resonate with his Soul Ring as he had the night before. Instead, he tried to guide his Soul Power straight to his mouth.
As a result, the Soul Power was blocked at his throat once again.
Yu Hong was not surprised.
It seemed resonating with the Soul Ring was essential to unleashing the Soul Skill. He could not skip that step.
He closed his eyes and focused on the Yellow Soul Ring within him, sensing the will of the Sun-Day Dragon Lizard.
After a few breaths, that familiar warmth surged through him once more.
Yu Hong opened his eyes and parted his lips.
"Whoosh—"
A white ball of light shot out and struck the nearest wooden dummy dead on.
"BOOM!"
The dummy exploded on impact, sending splinters flying in every direction.
Yu Hong nodded in satisfaction and continued practicing.
The second dummy, hit.
The third dummy, hit.
The fourth dummy... missed.
The ball of light skimmed past the edge of the dummy and struck the stone wall behind it, blasting out a small crater.
Yu Hong furrowed his brow.
His aim still wasn't good enough.
He began adjusting his stance and the way he channeled his strength, practicing over and over.
Time slipped by unnoticed.
By the time the sun reached its highest point, Yu Hong had been practicing for an entire morning.
He had blown apart most of the wooden dummies. Wood chips and scorch marks littered the ground.
Yu Hong stopped and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
After a morning of practice, his control over Burst Stream of Destruction had improved noticeably.
His hit rate had risen from around sixty percent to over eighty percent.
He had also noticed something interesting.
The deeper his resonance with the Soul Ring, the more powerful the ball of light he released.
Conversely, if the resonance was not deep enough, the ball of light's power was diminished.
That meant the power of his Soul Skill depended not only on how much Soul Power he had, but also on how closely he resonated with the Soul Ring.
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