Self-Created Soul Skill

At the academy gates, a middle-aged man sweeping the ground cursed inwardly as he worked.

He had clearly been dissatisfied after being punished and sent here.

What right did a student have to climb over his head?

"The resentment in your heart is very strong!"

"Who's there?"

The middle-aged man turned his head and saw someone standing there.

"Lord Deacon."

The middle-aged man bowed.

"You have a grudge against that Ning Yuan?"

The deacon who had just appeared spoke in a low, eerie voice.

"Of course. Right now, I'd love to flay him alive!"

The middle-aged man gritted his teeth, his expression vicious.

"Good."

The deacon looked around, then secretly handed the middle-aged man a small packet of unknown substance.

"I trust you know what to do."

The moment the middle-aged man saw it, he immediately lost some of his nerve.

"This... If I kill someone in Spirit Hall, I won't be able to get away either!"

The deacon leaned closer and whispered in his ear.

"He reduced you to this state. What else are you still worrying about?"

"Don't worry. I'll give you a portion of resources, enough for you to protect yourself."

"After it's done, I'll ensure you leave safely, and give you enough resources to let you rise to Soul Sage."

Hearing the temptation of such a massive amount of resources, the middle-aged man hesitated for only a second.

"Damn it!"

Fuck it. If he wanted to rise to Soul Sage in Spirit Hall, who knew how many years it would take?

But as long as he pulled this job off, he could get the resources.

Wasn't it just Ning Yuan?

If anyone was to blame, it could only be yourself. Who told you to offend me?

The deacon glanced at the middle-aged man and could not help sneering inwardly.

Junfu, you don't even know you've been sold out, and you still want resources?

Dream on!

After the handoff, the two left the spot.

Before long, a figure dressed in a loose black robe emerged from the shadows.

The next moment, it vanished again.

Spirit Hall.

"Reporting to Your Holiness, the mole has begun to act."

"Oh?"

"He lost patience this quickly?"

"He dares to kill someone in Spirit Hall? He truly doesn't know the height of the heavens or the depth of the earth!"

Upon the throne, Bibi Dong learned that the mole intended to target Ning Yuan.

She was not worried in the slightest.

Everything was under her control. This was the perfect opportunity to catch all the moles in one net.

As for Ning Yuan, she would have to trouble him to serve as the target this time.

"Achoo!"

"Who's talking about me?"

Ning Yuan rubbed his nose.

He stopped thinking about it. For now, cultivation was the most important thing.

The last battle at Qingyuan Village had made Ning Yuan realize that his practical combat experience was lacking.

Moreover, his control over his martial soul was still somewhat lacking.

For example, when it came to manipulating the tentacles Venom generated, he could only make them lash out in simple strikes. He was still far from controlling them as naturally as his own limbs.

For now, it did not seem like much of a problem.

But later on, that flaw would only become more and more obvious.

Ning Yuan would never allow himself to have such a glaring weakness.

[Little Ning Yuan, why are you thinking about all this? When it's time to fight, you've got Venom to help. If you run into an enemy, Venom can just whip the bastard to death a few times. Isn't that enough?]

Ning Yuan ignored Venom.

Although his martial soul was special and possessed subjective initiative, he still needed perfect control over his own methods.

Even when Venom was possessing him, the two of them together still could not control that many tentacles as naturally as their own arms.

Ever since obtaining the Agony Template, Ning Yuan's mind had filled with many possibilities for the path he could take next.

For example, he could absolutely serve as a control-type Soul Master, using the tentacles attached to his martial soul to bind targets and move them quickly.

It would be similar to Tang San's team role among the Shrek Seven Devils, but his Venom martial soul was a little stronger than Tang San's Blue Silver Grass martial soul. The tentacles were tough enough and powerful enough that others could not cut through them, and they could also move teammates to designated positions more quickly.

If he was going to train, then he would train.

Ning Yuan set up several targets in the courtyard, then tried to use the tentacles extending from his martial soul to accurately wrap around the targets and move them.

But several attempts in a row either used too much force, were limp and powerless, or simply shot off target. In short, not a single one accurately wrapped around the target.

Instead, he lashed the courtyard furnishings into a complete mess.

After practicing a few times, Venom went on strike first.

[So boring. Not training anymore. This feels like making Venom embroider with an embroidery needle. It's way too awkward. Little Ning Yuan, take a break. Venom is hungry. Venom wants a feast.]

[Shut up! If we don't make any progress today, you're not eating anything!]

Although he usually joked and laughed with Venom, Ning Yuan was actually someone who stubbornly stuck to his goals. He would not stop until he reached them.

After several hours of practice, Ning Yuan had slowly grasped the knack.

Now, he could wrap around the target eight times out of ten.

Ning Yuan wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a long breath.

For now, his control over the tentacles could be considered at the beginner level. He would still have to keep practicing from now on.

He had to reach the point where he could control them as naturally as his own limbs as soon as possible.

Ning Yuan was someone who liked to summarize things. After an afternoon of training, Ning Yuan realized something.

At the end of the day, soul skills were ultimately external power.

From the moment he obtained one, its upper limit was already fixed. All he needed to do was spend soul power to release it.

Although it was convenient, it was not perfectly suited to him in the end.

If he truly wanted to raise the ceiling of his strength, he still had to take the path of self-created soul skills.

Just like the top Soul Masters in the original work—which one of them did not have their own self-created soul skills?

For example, the Clear Sky Sect's Great Sumeru Hammer.

Once they used it, every one of them had the ability to kill enemies above their level.

Besides, his martial soul, Venom, was already extraordinary to begin with.

And he also had the ability to unlock Symbiote Templates.

He was destined to walk the path of self-created soul skills.

Rather than waiting for random soul skills granted by soul rings, it would be better to break down and thoroughly analyze the abilities he currently possessed, then create a set of moves that belonged exclusively to him.

Moreover, self-created soul skills did not take up soul ring slots, and their power would also rise along with his own strength.

Even if he became a Titled Douluo in the future, or even became a god, these moves would still be usable. Their cost-effectiveness was maxed out.

"Besides, there are a lot of enemies in front of me right now. Never mind the distant ones—just take the Holy Soul Cult. Who knows if they still have any backup plans?"

"Having one more self-created soul skill means having one more trump card."

Then, what route should his self-created soul skill take?

Ning Yuan began to think deeply.

Venom's characteristics, or rather, the characteristics of symbiotes: symbiosis, mimicry, splitting, super-regeneration, attribute amplification...

Ning Yuan listed the symbiote's characteristics one by one in his mind, as if trying to grasp something from among them.

Ning Yuan sat cross-legged on the ground, his fingertip touching the surface. Venom did not symbiotically cover his entire body, but instead spread out along his fingertip, forming a thin layer across the ground like a black velvet carpet.

He stared at that layer of symbiote, slowly muttering to himself as his thoughts drifted farther and farther.

"The core of a symbiote is symbiosis."

"By symbiotically bonding with a host, it can strengthen the host's body, the host's soul power, and the host's perception."

"By symbiosis with a weapon, I can strengthen its hardness and sharpness. Then... can it be not limited to symbiosis with a specific object?"

"For example, symbiosis with an area of space?"

"No, that's not right. It isn't symbiosis with space. It's scattering my symbiotes through this area and letting them attach to the air, the soil, the walls, temporarily joining with everything around me."

As Ning Yuan spoke, he subconsciously urged the symbiotes to continue spreading outward.

A thin black layer spread close to the ground. Wherever it passed, the moisture of the soil, the texture of the stones, even the direction in which the grass roots grew underground, all streamed continuously back into his consciousness.

"Wherever the symbiotes spread, I can sense that place."

"This feeling is amazing. Within this range, no slightest movement can escape me. It's like... like this whole area has become part of my body."

He suddenly stopped, as if a bolt of lightning had split through his mind.

"Part of my body..."

"Then if I'm fighting inside my own body, of course I can fight however I want."

"My strength can borrow leverage, my soul power can flow smoothly, and if I get hurt, I can use the symbiotes in the ground to quickly patch myself up."

Ning Yuan's heart gave a jolt, and an absurd thought suddenly popped into his head.

No... how was this a self-created soul skill?