Second Soul Skill, Dark Gold Sword Array

A moment later, Xius snapped back to his senses.

He looked at Qi Dao again, his expression now carrying a hint of gravity and seriousness.

"Qi Dao, is everything you said true?"

If what Qi Dao said was true, then it was truly extraordinary.

The known limit for a first soul ring on the continent was currently just over four hundred years.

He had never heard of anyone whose first soul ring reached six hundred years.

As for a thousand-year second ring, that was equally unheard of.

Seeing this, Qi Dao nodded faintly.

He knew he couldn't hide these things if he wanted to absorb a thousand-year second ring.

"That's right, the first soul ring I absorbed was indeed a six-hundred-year Ironclad Turtle."

Xius swallowed hard, looking at Qi Dao as if he were staring at a monster.

"How on earth did you manage that?"

Qi Dao smiled calmly. "Natural talent combined with acquired training. As long as you can strengthen your physique beyond that of an ordinary soul master during the Soul Scholar stage, you can achieve what I did."

Xius's mouth twitched slightly upon hearing this.

The words made some sense, but how was one supposed to strengthen their physique beyond a normal soul master while still a Soul Scholar?

One couldn't just suppress their level to avoid absorbing a soul ring while constantly training their body, could they?

Wouldn't that be a waste of time?

Although one could still store soul power, it clearly couldn't compare to the speed of absorbing soul power after a breakthrough.

Of course, the fact that Qi Dao could provide this explanation at least showed that he wasn't being reckless, but truly had confidence in what he was about to do.

Since that was the case...

Xius did not press further, intending to report the matter to Xue Qinghe upon his return.

He then continued, "Since you have made up your mind, leave the rest to me!"

"I leave it to you, Mr. Xius."

Xius nodded, then instantly activated Martial Soul Possession. Red patterns emerged on his body, and his frame expanded slightly.

Beneath his feet, the optimal soul ring configuration—two yellow, two purple, and two black—revealed itself.

The next second, Xius stepped forward, stirring a wave of heat, and arrived before the Dark Gold Sword Bamboo in an instant.

The Dark Gold Sword Bamboo sensed the enemy, and its bamboo leaves shot toward Xius like sharp blades.

However, when these leaves struck Xius after his Martial Soul Possession, they produced sounds like metal clashing.

For a Spirit Emperor with a beast martial soul, their bodies were harder than metal. For a thousand-year soul beast like the Dark Gold Sword Bamboo to break through his defenses, it would only have a chance if it struck vulnerable spots like his eyes or groin.

In contrast, Xius struck out with a palm, causing the Dark Gold Sword Bamboo to tremble violently with a "crack."

A dent appeared on the dark gold body of the bamboo, followed by a series of cracks.

A look of surprise flashed across Xius's face.

"I didn't expect this thousand-year Dark Gold Sword Bamboo to be so tough!"

But then, he struck it several more times, grabbed the bamboo with both hands, and kicked against its trunk. With a burst of immense strength, he snapped the Dark Gold Sword Bamboo in two.

Of course, the Dark Gold Sword Bamboo did not die so easily.

If animal-type soul beasts were more agile and had higher attack power, the characteristic of plant-type soul beasts was their durability and formidable vitality.

To kill a plant-type soul beast, it was best to destroy its roots.

However, with the Dark Gold Sword Bamboo snapped by Xius, it had lost its ability to resist, even if it was still tenaciously alive.

He shouted toward Qi Dao, "Qi Dao, it's your turn!"

"Right!"

Qi Dao walked over from a short distance away and slowly drew his Peerless Sword.

A while later, a large pit had appeared where the Dark Gold Sword Bamboo once stood, and its roots had been hacked into several pieces.

A thousand-year soul ring floated quietly above the remains of the Dark Gold Sword Bamboo.

Qi Dao smiled. "Mr. Xius, it is time for me to absorb the soul ring."

After saying this, he sat cross-legged on the spot.

Xius asked, "Do you not need to adjust your state to its peak before absorbing? After all, it is a thousand-year soul ring."

Qi Dao chuckled, confident. "No need, I have absolute confidence in myself!"

Although his first soul ring had only been a six-hundred-year Ironclad Turtle, that didn't mean his limit back then was only six hundred years.

Now that he had broken through to level twenty and had consumed plenty of Whale Rubber, he didn't think there would be any issues with absorbing a fourteen-hundred-year soul ring.

Sure enough, as he began to absorb the Dark Gold Sword Bamboo's soul ring, he felt only a slight pressure.

Nearby, Xius breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Qi Dao wasn't under much strain.

He had been worried that Qi Dao might have miscalculated his own tolerance and ended up being blown apart by the soul ring's energy.

If that had happened, he would certainly have faced punishment from his young master upon returning.

Clearly, while Xius appeared to be a freelance soul master recruited by Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, he was, in reality, a member of Spirit Hall.

Time passed. Several hours later, Qi Dao's body trembled slightly, emitting a faint ripple of soul power before he suddenly opened his eyes.

Beside him, Xius's eyes lit up.

Great, it worked!

He never expected to have the honor of witnessing such a miracle today.

Qi Dao stood up and reached out a hand.

The Peerless Sword appeared in his grasp instantly.

The blade of the Peerless Sword now carried a dark golden luster, and the patterns that originally looked like cracks had spread to cover the entire sword.

Qi Dao swung the sword in the air, a satisfied smile on his face.

Absorbing the Dark Gold Sword Bamboo couldn't focus entirely on sharpness like the Golden Thread Mantis or Silver Edge Grass, but the improvements were more comprehensive, possessing properties of durability, sharpness, and armor-piercing all at once.

Now, Qi Dao could safely say that his Peerless Sword was no worse than those high-quality tool martial souls of the same level.

Xius stood to the side, his expression excited. "Qi Dao, this is incredible. You actually absorbed a thousand-year second ring. Quickly, let me see your soul skill."

"The soul skill of a thousand-year second ring must be terrifyingly powerful."

Clearly, Xius's first concern wasn't the change in Qi Dao's martial soul, but his soul skill.

After all, in the eyes of many, the soul skill was the most important thing.

As for the quality of the martial soul?

Wasn't that something already set in stone the moment you awakened it?

Qi Dao smiled faintly at the request. "It's alright!"

With that, one yellow and one purple soul ring rose from beneath his feet.

Qi Dao focused his mind, and a total of eighteen dark golden flying swords, looking as solid as reality, condensed behind him.

"This..."

Xius was stunned at the sight, then watched as Qi Dao pressed his left index and middle fingers together like a sword and pointed forward.

In an instant, the eighteen flying swords surged out from behind him like a harvester, instantly slicing several large trees in front of him into pieces. They did not dissipate immediately, but continued to hover in mid-air.

Xius looked at the trees in the distance, severed at the waist, his pupils trembling.

"Is this the soul skill of a thousand-year second ring?"

"Truly terrifying!"

"It looks a bit like the Dark Gold Sword Bamboo's attack method from earlier, but yours is even more domineering."

Qi Dao smiled. "This is my second soul skill."

"Dark Gold Sword Array!"