"Oh." Ning Xiaochun hunched his shoulders at the barked command, then reluctantly shuffled over to the sleeping Soft Sable.
He checked his condition once more, took a deep breath, and summoned his gloomy Seven Killings Glazed Pagoda as if he were marching to the execution ground.
A yellow Soul Ring slowly emerged from the Soft Sable's corpse and floated toward Ning Xiaochun.
The absorption process... went unusually smoothly.
So smoothly that the three Titled Douluo found it a little dull.
With Ning Xiaochun's Innate Full Soul Power and solid foundation, plus all his preparations, the energy of that four-hundred-year Soul Ring barely made a ripple before the Seven Killings Glazed Pagoda gently absorbed and transformed it.
Ning Xiaochun's face didn't turn pale. In fact, with his Soul Power rising, he looked even more flushed and radiant.
About an hour later.
"Vmmm—"
A gloomy light flashed over Ning Xiaochun and vanished. He slowly opened his eyes, his dark pupils seeming a little brighter than before.
Beneath him, a bright yellow Hundred-Year Soul Ring pulsed gently.
"How do you feel?" Ning Fengzhi asked at once. He knew nothing would go wrong, but couldn't help worrying all the same.
"My Soul Power seems to have gone up quite a bit..." Ning Xiaochun checked his condition.
"I should be at level twelve now. I got a Soul Skill, too. It's called 'Soft Muscle Evil,' and it weakens the target's strength. Mm, just as I expected."
He said it as casually as if he'd only taken a sip of water.
Sword Douluo held himself back again and again, but finally couldn't take it anymore. He flashed in front of Ning Xiaochun and reached out with one big hand.
"Come on, kid. Use that 'Soft Muscle Evil' thing on Grandpa Sword and let me see what it does! And let me see whether the Soul Ring you spent all that time choosing is worth anything!"
He'd been displeased with Ning Xiaochun's excessive caution and wanted to see whether the Soul Skill was truly just "the lowest risk for a moderate reward," as the boy had claimed.
"Uh... all right." Ning Xiaochun took two steps back, cleared his throat, and set his small face in a solemn expression. He raised the Seven Killings Glazed Pagoda in his right hand, dark light flowing over it.
"From the shadowed pagoda, seven evils arise. I urge you... don't be so foolhardy."
At the opening line, Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo both froze. What kind of slogan was that? Why did it sound so... awkward?
"I urge you not to be foolhardy"? Was he trying to talk them out of fighting before the fight even started?
Before they could think it through, Ning Xiaochun gave a low shout.
"First: Soften!"
The first level of the dark glazed pagoda blazed with light. A streak of gray, seemingly unremarkable radiance shot out and enveloped Sword Douluo Chen Xin.
Sword Douluo had been completely unconcerned, even prepared to casually comment on the Soul Skill's strength as he tested his junior. But the instant that faint radiance touched him, the careless look on his face stiffened. Clear astonishment replaced it!
He felt it distinctly: a strange, stubborn weakening force had ignored his formidable Soul Power defenses and acted directly on his physical strength!
It wasn't his Soul Power being suppressed. His pure bodily strength had been abruptly siphoned away. His arms, torso, and legs all felt faintly—but unmistakably—"soft and weak," as if their strength had been drained!
"What?!" Sword Douluo blurted out. He quickly checked his condition, and his astonishment deepened.
"My strength... has been weakened by nearly thirty percent?!"
Thirty percent! It might not sound like much, but that meant thirty percent of the pure physical strength of Chen Xin, a level-ninety-six Power Attack System Titled Douluo!
And it had been inflicted by a level-twelve Soul Master who had only just acquired his First Soul Ring!
Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo were equally shocked. They'd seen Sword Douluo's momentary reaction and heard his exclamation.
"Uncle Sword, you mean... Xiaochun's Soul Skill worked on you?"
Ning Fengzhi's voice was full of disbelief. It was common knowledge that Support System Soul Skills, especially those from a low Soul Ring, had little effect on experts far above the user's level!
And weakening a Super Douluo's strength by thirty percent? That was simply beyond belief!
Bone Douluo stepped closer, his Soul Power sweeping over Sword Douluo as his expression turned grave. "Old Sword, are you sure? Your physical strength really was weakened by thirty percent?"
Sword Douluo carefully felt the weakness rapidly fading and nodded firmly.
"Although the effect wears off quickly, and my Soul Power is already resisting and dispelling it, in that first instant, it truly weakened my pure physical strength by about thirty percent! And..." He looked at Ning Xiaochun, his expression complicated.
"This force seems to have some kind of 'priority.' It wasn't a simple contest of Soul Power. It was more like... a weakening effect governed by a rule?"
Just then, Ning Xiaochun spoke in a somewhat weak voice. His little face had gone pale, clearly showing how much that one strike had cost him.
"Dad, Grandpa Sword, Grandpa Bone, I think I know what's going on... When I activated the Soul Skill, I felt a huge chunk of my Soul Power get drained. And somehow, I had this feeling that the effect of 'Soft Muscle Evil'..."
"It doesn't really take the opponent's level into account. Or maybe the weakening has a fixed base percentage, and the stronger the opponent, the more Soul Power I have to spend to maintain that same percentage.
"That strike on Grandpa Sword nearly drained me dry... If I'd used it on someone at my own level, I think it would've cost much less, and the weakening might've been stronger and lasted longer."
An effect that ignored level when determining its impact! A forced weakening based on a fixed percentage!
Ning Fengzhi sucked in a sharp breath. As a Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda Soul Master, he understood all too well what that meant!
The boosts from the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda were powerful, but their effect also diminished greatly against experts far above the user.
Yet Ning Xiaochun's Seven Killings Glazed Pagoda could force a percentage-based weakening, even against a Titled Douluo! This was a strategic-level ability!
At a crucial moment, even weakening a super expert for an instant could turn the tide of battle!
"A special effect that ignores levels... the greatest debuff in the world... Xiaochun, your Seven Killings Glazed Pagoda is incredible! Absolutely incredible!"
Ning Fengzhi's voice trembled with excitement. He'd thought his son was too timid, but now, with a Martial Soul this heaven-defying, perhaps a little caution was... understandable?
No—necessary! If word got out about this Martial Soul, countless people would covet it and fear it!
Bone Douluo clicked his tongue in amazement. "Well, I'll be! This Martial Soul's a little sinister, but it sure is domineering! Old Sword, looks like you got caught with your pants down!"
Sword Douluo ignored his old friend's teasing. Still savoring the feeling of his strength being inexplicably weakened, he looked at Ning Xiaochun with new eyes. His earlier displeasure had given way to amazement and solemnity.
"Kid, with a Martial Soul like yours... your future potential is limitless. But remember, a tree that stands out in the forest..."
"I know, I know. The wind will destroy it!" Ning Xiaochun quickly cut in. His small face was still a little pale, but his eyes glittered.
"So I've got to keep a low profile, hide my strength, and keep my head down! See? This Soul Skill's amazing, right? But it only weakens someone's strength by thirty percent, and it takes a ton out of me.
"Even if you'd wanted to beat me up just now, Grandpa Sword, I couldn't have gotten away, even with you down to seventy percent of your strength! No, no, that still isn't safe enough. I need to hurry up and cultivate so I can get a Second Soul Skill soon. Better yet, I should get some Soul Bones or Hidden Weapons for escaping and saving my life..."
Ning Xiaochun kept muttering as he put away the Seven Killings Glazed Pagoda and turned to leave.
Watching his son mutter so pathetically,
the elation and excitement that had risen on Ning Fengzhi's face at the discovery of his Martial Soul's heaven-defying potential slowly froze, then darkened bit by bit.
This child... His talent was heaven-defying, sure, but was his courage also heaven-defyingly tiny?!
Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo were just as speechless.
They understood now: no matter how powerful his Martial Soul was, in this boy's heart, his own life always came first—and by a long shot.
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