First Soul Skill (Part 1)

"Dad, you have no idea. That old bastard Yang Hong, the Third Elder of the Wind Sword Sect, has already begun plotting to secure the sect master's position for his grandson, Yang Yuan. Isn't that just because he thinks Dong'er lacks cultivation talent?"

Lin Qiuyu was nowhere near as optimistic as her father. In her eyes, the next sect master of the Wind Sword Sect could only be her son. Even if Yang Dong's cultivation talent was lacking, the position could only belong to him!

"Qiuyu, if Dong'er truly lacks cultivation talent and you insist on pushing him into the position of sect master of the Wind Sword Sect, you may not be helping him—you may be harming him! By then, the entire Wind Sword Sect will treat him as a puppet. What would be the point of sitting in that position?"

Lin Nuo saw things far more clearly than his daughter. He knew full well that someone without ability who occupied an important position would inevitably draw the wolves. It was like a child carrying gold through a marketplace—nothing good could come of it.

"Dad, then what should I do? Give me some advice!"

Lin Qiuyu's face turned somewhat pale. She was no fool, and after Lin Nuo's reminder, she quickly realized that this was indeed possible.

"Foolish girl! Don't you always tell me that in the world of Soul Masters, strength is what truly matters? You're still young. Tianyi became a Title Douluo—why can't you? As long as your family has two Douluos, even if they dislike Dong'er, won't they still have no choice but to accept it?"

Lin Qiuyu gave a bitter smile. How could becoming a Title Douluo be so easy? She knew her own limits. Unless she encountered some extraordinary opportunity, she would never be able to touch the realm of a Title Douluo in this life.

It was not only she who knew it; many others knew as well. Her potential had already been exhausted. Without some fortuitous encounter, Soul Douluo would be the limit of her life.

Although Soul Douluos were already figures admired by countless people, unless one became a Title Douluo—or possessed combat power comparable to one—their say would always carry far less weight.

"Dad, how could one enter the realm of a Title Douluo so easily? But I've already thought of a way."

Lin Qiuyu raised her head again, a confident smile blooming on her face.

"Enough. We can discuss these matters later. Dong'er is only six this year, while Tianyi is still in his prime. I have no idea what you're all worrying about."

Lin Nuo slowly spoke after taking a sip of tea.

"Dad, time waits for no one. In the blink of an eye, it's gone."

Lin Qiuyu gazed lovingly at her father. Streaks of gray had already appeared amid his once-black hair. Seeing this, a trace of sorrow surfaced in her eyes. Time truly waited for no one.

"Yes, in the blink of an eye, it's gone. I still thought you were that little child of a few years old, but now you've become someone's wife, and even your child is already six." Lin Nuo sighed as well.

The night passed quickly. At the first hint of dawn, Yang Dong, who had no desire to sleep in the first place, swiftly climbed out of bed. He was ready to come clean to his mother and have them take him to find a suitable Soul Ring to absorb.

"Mom! Mom, this is bad! Why has my Soul Power stopped increasing?"

Pretending to be panicked, Yang Dong shouted loudly. Before long, Lin Qiuyu, Lin Nuo, and Butler Ma had all appeared before him.

"What happened? What do you mean your Soul Power has stopped increasing?"

Of the three, only Lin Qiuyu possessed extensive knowledge of Soul Masters. The other two had Soul Power levels only slightly above ten, practically no different from having none at all. Their Soul Power had long ceased to increase.

Still, they understood the severity of the matter. If Yang Dong had already reached a bottleneck, didn't that mean he might never even become a Soul Master? Would he only ever be a Soul Scholar?

Lin Nuo found it hard to imagine how difficult it would be to make the Wind Sword Sect accept a Soul Scholar as its sect master.

"I don't know either. I was cultivating, and then my Soul Power just stopped increasing."

Yang Dong scratched his head, pretending to be confused.

"Let me see!"

Lin Qiuyu crouched anxiously before Yang Dong. Logically, Soul Power should never stop increasing during childhood, but Yang Dong had a Mutated Martial Soul. A Mutated Martial Soul was an unknown variable. Lin Qiuyu had checked him several times before, yet found nothing.

"Hm?"

It would have been better if she had not checked. The moment she did, Lin Qiuyu's eyes widened in disbelief, and she was speechless for a long while.

"Qiuyu, Qiuyu, what exactly is wrong with Dong'er?"

When Lin Nuo saw that Lin Qiuyu had remained silent for so long, he asked with a trace of gravity in his voice.

Hearing Lin Nuo's voice, Lin Qiuyu finally snapped back to her senses and hurriedly shook her head. "Nothing, nothing. There's nothing wrong with Dong'er."

What could possibly be wrong? Compared to before, the Soul Power in his body had undergone an enormous change. It was true that his Soul Power could no longer increase, but that was only because it had already reached level ten.

"Come, Dong'er. Put your hand on this Crystal Ball."

Lin Qiuyu hurriedly took a Crystal Ball used to test Soul Power from the soul tool she carried with her, staring at Yang Dong with an eager expression.

She truly could not believe it. Yang Dong, who had possessed only one level of Innate Soul Power, had reached level ten in just over a month. In the entire history of the Douluo Continent, there had never been anyone with one level of Innate Soul Power who cultivated so quickly.

Yang Dong obediently placed his hand on the Crystal Ball. Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, the Crystal Ball emitted a faint white glow, and finally displayed the number ten.

"It really is level ten. Dong'er, how did you do it?"

Lin Qiuyu muttered to herself. Her son had possessed only one level of Innate Soul Power, yet he had cultivated to level ten so quickly. She had never even considered such a possibility.

"I just cultivated normally. It felt pretty easy to me, but it seems the Ghost Hand Martial Soul can speed up my cultivation."

Yang Dong tilted his head as he spoke, telling a small lie. No one else could possibly possess the same Martial Soul as him anyway, so no matter what he said, no one could expose him.

"There are quite a few Martial Souls that can accelerate cultivation. From the looks of it, Dong'er, your Mutated Martial Soul may have mutated in a positive direction. It seems its cultivation-boosting effect is quite strong—that's why you were able to reach level ten so quickly."

Yang Dong watched as Lin Qiuyu seriously analyzed the situation while his grandfather and Butler Ma nodded in agreement. Could these be the legendary experts?

"Mom, since I'm already level ten, can I add a Soul Ring to my Martial Soul now?"

Yang Dong asked with his head tilted, excitement glittering in his eyes.

One Soul Ring represented one skill. Even with only one skill, a Soul Master was several times stronger than a Soul Scholar without a Soul Ring.

Moreover, for Yang Yu, this was a crucial question: was a Soul Ring what was restricting his cultivation now?

If it was, that would be perfect. If it was not, then he would have to find the reason limiting his cultivation.