Testing Skills

"Go to the back mountain! No one goes there at night!" Ning Chuan made his decision instantly.

He quietly pushed open the door. His parents seemed to still be busy out front.

He slipped out of the courtyard on tiptoe and hurried toward the back mountain of Holy Soul Village.

With his Level 25 Soul Power-enhanced body, he was light and full of strength, far faster than an ordinary person. Before long, he reached a secluded mountain hollow in the back mountain.

The area was thick with trees and devoid of people, making it the perfect place to test his soul skills.

Ning Chuan stopped, took a deep breath, and excitement flashed in his eyes.

"First, I'll try my First Soul Skill, Endless Life!"

The emerald-green Thousand-Year Soul Ring beneath his feet suddenly lit up!

Buzz—!

A vast yet gentle life energy rippled outward from Ning Chuan. The Green Jade Willow Leaf Grass Martial Soul in his right palm seemed infused with vitality, its leaves unfurling, lush and verdant, radiating a soft green glow.

"Healing Light!"

With a thought, Ning Chuan raised his left hand and pointed at a nearby shrub that looked somewhat wilted.

A beam of emerald-green light as thick as a baby's arm shot from his fingertips, precisely enveloping the shrub.

An astonishing sight unfolded!

Beneath the glow of life, the shrub visibly perked up. Its withered yellow leaves swiftly turned green, and its branches straightened, as though it had leaped from the brink of death back into midsummer in an instant!

"The effect is remarkable!" Ning Chuan exclaimed joyfully as he dispersed the light.

He sensed the Soul Power consumption. It had used roughly one-tenth of his reserves.

Both the healing effect and range were satisfactory.

"Next, Flora Affinity..." Ning Chuan closed his eyes and carefully sensed his surroundings.

In his perception, the surrounding flowers, grass, and trees were no longer lifeless objects. They seemed to possess extremely faint emotions.

Peace, comfort, and perhaps a trace of thirst.

He could even vaguely "hear" the tiny "complaints" of the grass beneath his feet when it was trampled.

This feeling of becoming one with nature was indescribably wonderful.

"Finally, Life Gift!" Ning Chuan turned his gaze toward his Martial Soul.

He focused his mind, activated the soul skill, and poured an even greater amount of Soul Power into the Green Jade Willow Leaf Grass.

"Grow!"

As Soul Power flowed into it, the Green Jade Willow Leaf Grass in his palm suddenly erupted with an intense emerald-green radiance!

Then, under Ning Chuan's delighted gaze, the small blade of grass began growing and expanding at an astonishing speed!

In the blink of an eye, it shot up from half a foot tall to over a meter!

Its leaves became broader and thicker, the sharp cold gleam along their edges more pronounced. The golden points of light within the veins connected into a single stream, like flowing molten gold! The entire plant radiated powerful life fluctuations and a razor-sharp aura!

At that moment, the Green Jade Willow Leaf Grass no longer looked like grass. Instead, it resembled a miniature Jade Divine Tree, bristling with sharpness!

Ning Chuan could feel that his Martial Soul's toughness and contained power far surpassed their usual levels!

He tried swinging the "tree."

Whoosh—!

The sound of slicing through the air was piercing! One blade of grass swept across a nearby boulder and left a clear scratch on it as though it were a sharp blade!

"What terrifying power!" Ning Chuan marveled.

And this was only a temporary enhancement. If it were permanent... he did not dare imagine it.

Of course, maintaining this state also caused his Soul Power consumption to soar.

Once he dismissed the soul skill, the Green Jade Willow Leaf Grass quickly returned to normal.

Ning Chuan panted lightly and recovered his Soul Power.

"Next, my Second Soul Skill, Holy Radiance Judgment!"

The milky-white Thousand-Year Soul Ring beneath his feet began to shine!

A warm, pure, and imposing aura of light instantly drove away some of the dusk and chill from the mountain hollow.

Ning Chuan himself seemed to be enveloped in a faint, sacred halo.

"Radiant Impact!"

Ning Chuan raised his right hand and pointed his index finger toward a tree trunk as thick as a bowl some distance away.

Whoosh—!

A condensed pure-white beam, as thick as an arm, shot forth instantly at an astonishing speed!

The white light struck the trunk with precision!

There was no violent explosion, only a faint sizzle.

The struck portion of the trunk instantly turned charred black, as if scorched by intense heat. It also seemed as though some force had completely purified away its vitality, leaving behind a hole that pierced straight through the tree!

The edges of the hole were smooth, without the slightest splinter!

What formidable penetration and purification effects!

If this struck a dark soul beast or an evil Soul Master, its power would likely be even more terrifying!

"Shelter of Light!"

With another thought, Ning Chuan gathered milky-white light around himself, quickly forming a thin yet exceptionally solid shield of light.

Rippling light shimmered across the shield's surface, emitting an aura that put one at ease.

He tried knocking on the shield with his hand. It produced a dull sound, and its defensive power was quite impressive.

Moreover, the shield carried a warmth of its own. Standing within it calmed even his mind.

"Beacon of Piety!"

Lastly, Ning Chuan tested this domain-type skill.

Holding both hands aloft, a fist-sized sphere of incomparably pure light slowly rose from his palms and hovered three feet above his head.

Like a tiny sun, the light sphere radiated gentle yet steadfast milky-white brilliance, instantly illuminating dozens of meters around it as brightly as day!

Under this radiance, the night's chill was driven away, and an atmosphere of peace, serenity, and hope spread through the area.

Ning Chuan felt his mind become more focused, while the mental energy he had expended testing his soul skills slowly began to recover.

Even more wondrously, wherever the light reached, nocturnal venomous insects rustled as they hurriedly fled, as though they intensely loathed this aura of light.

"Good! This is incredible!" Ning Chuan could barely restrain his excitement. He withdrew his soul skills, and the light gradually faded as the back mountain returned to darkness.

Two Thousand-Year Soul Rings, two top-tier soul skills!

This enormous gain far exceeded his expectations!

With such power, Notting Junior Spirit Master Academy? He was already beginning to look down on it. He had only planned to sneak in before to check its soul beast encyclopedia.

His future lay in a far broader world!