First Soul Skill, Weapon Analysis [Please Recommend, Invest, and Collect!] / Chapter 11: Unlimited Blade Works, A Powerful Talent for Soul Tools [Please Recommend, Invest, and Collect!]

The Phantom Cloud Wolf's phantom was gradually fading.

When it disappeared completely, the Hundred-Year Soul Ring of the Phantom Cloud Wolf would be fully refined.

As the energy within the Soul Ring continued to pour into his body, the Soul Power threshold that had kept Su Luoheng stuck at level ten finally began to give way. The feeling was mysterious, like a thin membrane had been pierced and the Soul Power overflowing inside him had finally found an outlet, pouring out all at once. A comfort and exhilaration he couldn't describe, unlike anything he'd felt during previous breakthroughs, instantly filled his whole body.

At the same time, the Martial Soul Projection behind him was quietly growing stronger.

Outside.

Su Junran stood guard beside Su Luoheng.

Though he seemed calm on the surface, his eyes never left the boy.

He was even more nervous than when he'd absorbed his Seventh Soul Ring, and he almost wanted to step in and absorb the Soul Ring in Su Luoheng's place.

"..."

Time passed slowly.

More than two hours had passed since he began absorbing the Soul Ring.

The sun had long since set, and bright moonlight spilled over the land.

Judging by the aura emanating from Su Luoheng, it wouldn't be long before he finished absorbing the Soul Ring.

Su Junran's nerves gradually began to settle.

Boom!

In an instant, all the energy in the Soul Ring merged into his body. An ochre Soul Ring floated at Su Luoheng's feet, while the Martial Soul Projection behind him unleashed a violent shock wave.

"Success."

A faint smile curled across Su Luoheng's little face.

The four-hundred-year Phantom Cloud Wolf Soul Ring had pushed his Soul Power up to level twelve.

On top of that, becoming a Soul Master had changed his body, too. Most noticeably, he'd grown quite a bit taller. His formerly well-fitting clothes and trousers were now a little short, and a lustrous sheen covered his skin. He could also control his Soul Power more easily with every movement.

Chapter 10: First Soul Skill, Weapon Analysis [Please Recommend, Invest, and Collect!]

All in all,

Su Luoheng was quite satisfied with his progress so far.

But when he checked his First Soul Skill, the smile on his face vanished, replaced by a strange expression.

This First Soul Skill... How to put it?

It was unexpected.

"Luo Heng, how does it feel to absorb your First Soul Ring?"

Su Junran was quite curious about what kind of Soul Skill his son's unusual Martial Soul would grant him.

"My Soul Power shot up to level twelve, but... my Soul Skill is a little unusual." Su Luoheng's expression turned odd. It wasn't the cloud-and-mist Soul Skill he'd imagined he'd get from the Phantom Cloud Wolf. Instead, it was a support skill that seemed to have nothing to do with it at all.

And strictly speaking, he wasn't even sure whether this Soul Skill counted as a support skill.

"Unusual?"

Su Junran perked up at that, his anticipation soaring.

"My First Soul Skill is Analysis."

"Analysis?"

"I can envelop a Soul Tool with my mental power and learn its entire structure, including its arrays."

"Like this."

As he spoke, Su Luoheng held the Soul-Power-wreathed short sword in his left hand while swiftly drawing on a sheet of paper with his right. Before long, the array diagram for the level-two Soul Tool appeared on the page.

He preferred to demonstrate rather than explain.

At the same time, an identical short sword appeared as a projection in the desert where his Martial Soul manifested.

"This is... a Soul Tool array diagram!"

Su Junran wasn't skilled with Soul Tools, but after being around Ye Lan so much, he knew a thing or two.

As it happened, he recognized the array diagram of the short sword before them.

From the construction of the core array to the combination of the outer materials, it was identical in every detail to Ye Lan's original design.

There was nothing wrong with the diagram Su Luoheng had analyzed.

Once he'd confirmed it was accurate,

Su Junran's expression changed at once, and he hurriedly asked, "Luo Heng, how much Soul Power did it cost you?"

"A little over thirty percent. Less than forty."

Su Luoheng took a moment to gauge the amount of Soul Power he had left.

"Thirty percent of your Soul Power for a level-two Soul Tool..."

Su Junran murmured, then a flash of light flickered in his hand as he produced a ring-shaped Soul Tool. "Luo Heng, try using your First Soul Skill on this level-three Soul Tool."

"Okay."

Su Luoheng nodded and tried again.

He enveloped the ring with his mental power, but the process was nowhere near as smooth as it had been with the short sword.

Su Luoheng's brow furrowed.

His Soul Power drained rapidly, but it was like mud cows sinking into the sea—there was no response at all.

Even after he'd spent his last bit of Soul Power, he hadn't begun to write.

"Can't you do it?" Su Junran asked.

Su Luoheng shook his head and replied regretfully, "My Soul Power isn't enough yet."

"If a level-three Soul Tool is beyond him, while a level-two one takes thirty percent of his Soul Power... Hmm, there must be a level restriction, but we'll need more tests to determine exactly where the limit lies."

"..."

Before long, Su Junran had pieced together the abilities of little Su Luoheng's Soul Skill.

Since Su Luoheng had limited Soul Power, they'd only been able to conduct a preliminary test.

Even so, the results had astonished him!

He'd never heard of a Soul Skill this unusual. By covering a Soul Tool with mental power, Su Luoheng could discern its entire structure. It was as if this Soul Skill had been made... had been made specifically for Soul Tools.

He could even be called a natural-born Soul Engineer!

For a Soul Engineer to make progress, advanced Soul Tool blueprints were indispensable, along with Soul Power.

Soul Power could be increased with outside help, but advanced Soul Tool blueprints were both difficult to obtain and tightly controlled by the Sun Moon Empire. They could only be passed down from master to disciple or developed through one's own research.

As for reverse-engineering a blueprint from an advanced Soul Tool, that was out of the question.

All important Soul Tools of level seven and above had self-destruct mechanisms to prevent their technology from being stolen by anyone with ill intent.

Thus, apart from the circumstances within the empires themselves, another reason the Soul Tools of the three original Douluo Continent nations developed so slowly was the scarcity of advanced blueprints.

But for Su Luoheng, that obstacle was practically nonexistent.

His First Soul Skill's Analysis ability gave him a way to obtain blueprints with ease, without taking Soul Tools apart.

The potential of this Soul Skill was enormous!

Though it was only a preliminary assessment, Su Junran was extremely optimistic.

Sure, Su Luoheng could barely analyze a level-three Soul Tool at the moment. But with enough Soul Power, wouldn't he be able to obtain blueprints from advanced Soul Tools whenever he wanted?

It might not do much to improve his combat ability, but for a Soul Engineer, it was practically a divine skill!

"Luo Heng, your First Soul Skill is extraordinary."

Su Junran stopped taking notes and said with a smile, "Being able to analyze Soul Tools... this Soul Skill suits the path of a Soul Engineer perfectly. Your mother would be delighted if she knew."

"We've been out for a long time. It's about time we went home."

Su Luoheng nodded in agreement.

When he sensed his First Soul Skill, he'd known that his future was already bound up with Soul Tools.

Having come from another world, he felt no prejudice or aversion toward Soul Tools.

On the contrary, he was fascinated by their mysterious world.

"Son."

"Hmm?"

Su Junran suddenly gave him a mysterious smile. "Want to experience what it's like to fly?"

"Fly?"

Su Luoheng instinctively sensed trouble.

Whenever his dad wore that expression, it usually meant he was about to be in for it.

"Ah!!"

Before Su Luoheng could react, Su Junran had already grabbed him by the shoulders from below. The tail thrusters of the winged Flying Soul Tool on his back fired, propelling them rapidly into the sky and through the clouds.

His father's sudden move startled Su Luoheng. His eyes widened as the scenery rushed past behind him.

"How does it feel, son?"

"Dad, slow down, slow down!"

"Don't worry, we're only just getting started!"

"What?!"

"Son, we're speeding up!"

Su Junran laughed heartily as the wings on his back flared even more fiercely!

Whoosh—

A powerful rush of wind roared through the sky. Su Luoheng and his father's clothes snapped in the wind. They were hundreds of meters above the ground, but Su Junran's Soul Power shielded them from the worst of the danger.

At that moment, Su Luoheng felt the wind howling all around him.

He shivered and clutched his father's arm, squeezing his eyes shut and daring not to look down again.

"Son, Dad's here. Don't be scared."

"You're a Soul Master now. You'll have to get used to Flying Soul Tools sooner or later."

"..."

At Su Junran's urging, Su Luoheng tried to open his eyes.

After a few tries, he finally managed it.

His fear of the heights hadn't gone away, but looking down from the sky stirred a feeling deep inside him that was hard to describe.

The view stretched far and wide.

They raced through the air.

The sight in the sky stunned him, and his curiosity instantly overwhelmed his fear.

The strange new sensation sent Su Luoheng's adrenaline surging. His blood raced, and his heart pounded wildly, as if it were about to burst out of his chest!

Chapter 11: Unlimited Blade Works, A Powerful Talent for Soul Tools [Please Recommend, Invest, and Collect!]

At that moment, he forgot the fear he'd felt before.

He was above the clouds, flying high over the earth.

The thrill was beyond words!