"Looks like the innate energy extracted by my cultivation technique has helped Qingshuang's soul injuries recover a little faster..."
As for why it had smelled so fragrant, Lie Xu couldn't find a definite answer. He could only attribute it to the innate energy's natural effects.
Now that he understood the reason, Lie Xu had nothing to worry about and felt much more at ease. He stopped letting the matter distract him...
The night passed without incident. In the morning, the clear birdsong in the distance woke everyone.
After a night's rest, everyone looked much better. At the very least, they were no longer as disheveled as they had been the night before.
The group gathered around the campfire and ate the game they had hunted.
"Today, we'll get both of you your Second Soul Rings. Then we'll head straight home."
Qian Daoliu picked up his waterskin and took a drink before speaking leisurely.
"But you two will have to work together to obtain your second Soul Rings. Unless your lives are in danger, we won't step in."
"Yes."
"Grandpa/Great-Grandpa."
Qian Renxue and Lie Xu answered in unison.
"Grandfather, I broke through too."
Chi Yuan took a waterskin out of her Soul Tool and handed it to Mighty Lion Douluo.
"After last night's battle against the beast tide, my bottleneck broke. I've reached level seventy."
Mighty Lion Douluo examined Chi Yuan closely. She really had broken through.
"Hahaha!!!"
Mighty Lion Douluo couldn't help laughing.
"Excellent, excellent! A Soul Saint at twenty-four! Hahaha, I never imagined that not only would my grandson Lie Yan have such great talent, but my granddaughter would be just as gifted. She's absolutely got what it takes to become a Titled Douluo!"
Mighty Lion Douluo tipped back his waterskin with gusto, as if he were drinking fine wine. He patted Chi Yuan on the shoulder and said warmly, "Since you've broken through, we'll get your Seventh Soul Ring too. We're already here, so yours won't be any trouble. Otherwise, we'd have to make another trip."
"Mm-hmm, all right."
Chi Yuan nodded in response.
Once everyone had packed up, they headed toward the area where Golden Scale Birds were often seen...
"Oh, right, Xue'er. What boosts did your First Soul Ring give you?"
Since they didn't need to keep watch, Lie Xu began taking in the strange sights of the Star Dou Great Forest. After all, the Silver Dragon King was accompanying them this time, so no fool would dare come looking for trouble.
But no matter how beautiful the scenery was, staring at it for too long was bound to get boring. So Lie Xu looked for something to talk about and asked Qian Renxue about her First Soul Skill.
After all, he hadn't known anything about the outcome of Qian Renxue and Chi Yuan's previous sparring match.
"Mm... The First Soul Ring gave me about three levels of Soul Power.
"My First Soul Skill is called Dance of Holy Light.
"When I use it, my angel wings are strengthened, and my movement speed increases by sixty percent. The white feathers that fly around me can turn into pale golden blades of light, which launch ranged attacks with every step of my dance.
"My body and the Martial Soul behind me also alternate between becoming intangible. While I'm intangible, I'm immune to all Soul Skills except mental attacks. You could say it's a Soul Skill that's both offensive and defensive."
Qian Renxue paused, then continued, "If I use my First Soul Skill during the day, my movement speed increases by another thirty percent. Its duration and attack power also increase by thirty percent.
"At the same time, my Soul Power recovery speed increases by thirty percent as well."
Lie Xu listened, then broke into a satisfied smile. Choosing the Light Goddess Butterfly for Qian Renxue's First Soul Skill had indeed been the right call.
As a Martial Soul with an Ultimate Attribute, hers was already relatively slow to cultivate. Gaining three levels of Soul Power from a Soul Ring less than two thousand years old was quite good.
Besides, the Soul Skill came from a Light Goddess Butterfly that was nearly two thousand years old. Both the Soul Ring's quality and the Soul Skill's strength were comparable to an average person's Third or Fourth Soul Skill.
It could attack and defend, deal ranged damage, and provide boosts. It didn't seem like a First Soul Skill at all.
Then Lie Xu suddenly realized something. Qian Renxue had only mentioned using it during the day.
He continued asking, "Xue'er, you said that when you use your First Soul Skill during the day, your movement speed, attack power, duration, and Soul Power recovery speed all increase by around thirty percent?"
"That's right." Qian Renxue nodded.
"Xue'er, what about the boosts at night or in dim light?"
Lie Xu asked curiously.
"I tried it during last night's beast tide. When the sky was clear and there was moonlight and starlight, using my First Soul Skill at night increased my movement speed, attack power, duration, and Soul Power recovery speed by around twenty percent.
"But in very dim places, those boosts dropped to around fifteen percent. And where there was absolutely no light, they fell to around ten percent."
Qian Renxue recalled the results of her experiment the night before.
"Mm... It does have some limitations, but they aren't too serious, and the boosts are still decent. We can adjust them further when you obtain more Soul Rings."
Lie Xu patted Qian Renxue's head, feeling the smooth softness of her long golden hair, and smiled warmly as he reassured her.
"What about your First Soul Skill, Xu-ge? What can it do?"
Qian Renxue tipped her head back and asked.
"My First Soul Skill? I haven't tested the exact numbers, so I'm not sure, but I've made a rough estimate. It should be close."
Lie Xu thought for a moment, then continued, "My First Soul Skill isn't as pretty as yours, Xue'er, because my First Soul Ring came from the five-thousand-nine-hundred-and-eighty-six-year-old Emperor Auspicious Beast—the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
"So my Martial Soul awakened with the Ultimate Attribute it naturally possesses, the same attribute as your Martial Soul: Ultimate Light!
"Like yours, my Martial Soul also has an Ultimate Attribute, so my Soul Power grows relatively slowly. My First Soul Ring probably gave me about five levels."
"Yue'er, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, had the Golden Dragon Bloodline and sacrificed everything she had to me.
"That's why I not only gained the Golden Dragon Bloodline, but my body was also baptized and empowered by it. My physical strength and toughness have continued to increase by a great deal."
Lie Xu could feel his physical strength and toughness increasing with every passing moment.
"At the same time, when I use a skill, it greatly reduces my Soul Power consumption and increases my Soul Power recovery. Both effects are around forty percent.
"My First Soul Skill is called Golden Lion Roar. I suppose it's a control skill.
"When fighting an enemy, I can unleash a lion's roar that shakes the four directions. Enemies within range are struck by the sound waves and become dizzy. It also causes Soul Shock, which can tear through the mental defenses of enemies at my level or anyone with weaker mental power. It also has an extra suppressive effect on mental-type Soul Masters and sound-type Soul Masters."
Before you continue