A Spear Can Also Injure the Body

Lu Yuan did not rush to absorb the Spirit Ring.

Shao Ping stepped forward to meticulously treat the torn skin of Lu Yuan's hand, then checked the bruises on his shoulders and ribs one by one. The earlier fierce collisions had looked dangerous, but fortunately they were all superficial injuries that had not damaged his muscles or bones. A little rest would not affect the circulation of his soul power.

The deacon in charge of keeping watch had long since retreated to the outer perimeter of the stone ditch. This place was still an active area for spirit beasts; once the bloody scent of the Quake-Armor Beast spread, it would easily attract surrounding fierce beasts. Spirit Ring absorption could not tolerate any disturbance, and perimeter vigilance was essential.

Lu Yuan sat quietly with his back against the rock face, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing. After his mind completely calmed down, the exhaustion from the fierce battle surged up. His arms were heavy and sore, his right shoulder ached terribly at the slightest movement, and the bandaged skin on his hand throbbed in waves. He endured the discomfort, quietly recovering, and never touched the floating yellow Spirit Ring.

Until the soul power consumed within his body had mostly recovered and his aura returned to stability, Lu Yuan slowly opened his eyes.

Shao Ping, not far away, asked, "How is your condition?"

Lu Yuan moved his right hand. The skin of his hand still throbbed faintly, but it no longer affected his grip and exertion of force with the spear: "I can begin."

"Absorb it." Shao Ping took two steps back, his tone solemn and admonishing, "A 700-Year Spirit Ring, its age far exceeds that of the first ring of over three hundred years. Don't underestimate the risk of absorption just because you killed the spirit beast with your own hands."

Lu Yuan nodded, soul power stirred in his palm, and the Piercing Spear instantly materialized. Soul power slowly poured into the Martial Soul, and the yellow Spirit Ring suspended in mid-air immediately sensed it, slowly drifting toward him.

As the Spirit Ring closed in, a heavy and majestic sense of oppression suddenly enveloped his entire body. He clearly remembered the absorption pressure of his first Spirit Ring, and the pressure of this 700-year Spirit Ring far exceeded the former. Even within the tolerance range of a Level 20 Spirit Master, it still carried extremely strong pressure.

The yellow Spirit Ring descended to the tip of the spear, paused slightly, and suddenly sank.

Hum--

The spear shaft vibrated violently, and a strong, heavy force surged straight into his body along the long spear, far exceeding the soul power impact brought by Piercing Edge. Lu Yuan's right arm instantly tensed, the newly healed skin on his hand oozed blood again, and the bruises on his shoulder and ribs felt as if they had been struck by a heavy hammer. The intense pain caused his breathing to stall abruptly.

The trickiest part was the vibration that ran through the entire process. This force was not simply scouring the meridians, but was transmitted layer by layer along the spear shaft, palms, and arms, repeatedly crushing the muscles and bones of his shoulders and back. Lu Yuan's hand holding the spear went numb several times, his fingertips nearly losing control and loosening, and the spear shaft sank several times, all of which he gritted his teeth to grip again.

Shao Ping stood quietly and watched. No outsider could interfere with the tempering of Spirit Ring absorption; he could only rely on himself to endure it.

Lu Yuan cast aside the thought of forcibly suppressing it. The core origin of the Quake-Armor Beast was the force of counter-shocks, and it was completely normal for the Spirit Ring to carry this trait. Forcibly resisting it would only make the soreness in his arms even more intense. He quickly adjusted his state, focusing all his attention on the Piercing Spear itself, and guided it smoothly along the induction of his Martial Soul.

A steady stream of soul power poured into the spear shaft, and the dark gold patterns on the surface of the spear body lit up one by one. The originally chaotic and colliding shock force gradually sorted itself out, no longer charging recklessly at his body. Lu Yuan acutely sensed that a brand new force was breeding inside the spear shaft. Unlike the ultimate burst of Piercing Edge, this force was restrained and condensed, attached to the spear body itself, and the vibration was short but carried considerable weight.

He tried to guide this force, but his wrists went numb on the first attempt to pull it, and he failed. On the second attempt, he controlled his strength well, so that the shock force no longer backlashed his arm, and guided it forward along the spear shaft.

Lu Yuan was neither hasty nor impatient, adapting to the new force step by step. As time passed, the soreness and tightness in his arms gradually dissipated, and the power of the Spirit Ring no longer rampaged, steadily integrating into the origin of his Martial Soul. By the time the last wisp of soul power completely settled, his forehead was covered in cold sweat, and the bandages on his hand were once again stained with blood.

The vibration of the spear shaft subsided, and the double rings of yellow Spirit Rings steadily orbited the spear body. Lu Yuan clearly sensed that his soul power had become increasingly thick and refined, his realm completely stabilized, and he had officially stepped into Level 21.

Compared to the improvement in his realm, he cared more about the brand new soul skill. With a thought, his second Spirit Ring lit up, and the familiar condensed shock force instantly filled the spear shaft.

"Done?" Shao Ping stepped closer.

"Mn."

"Try out the effect."

Lu Yuan got up and walked over to a half-man-high rock, abandoning the spear's piercing thrust, and pressed the middle section of the spear shaft tightly against the rock surface. The second Spirit Ring flashed with a faint light, and a short, muffled vibration suddenly came from the spear shaft.

Bang!

A muffled impact sounded. Removing the spear shaft, several fine cracks had already appeared on the rock surface, splitting apart instantly. He then turned the spear tail to prop against another patch of rock surface and urged his soul skill once again. Another muffled sound rang out, and brand-new cracks rapidly spread, bursting instantly.

A bright light flashed in the depths of Lu Yuan's eyes. The core of this second Soul Skill was not limited to spear-tip attacks; as long as any part of the spear shaft contacted the target, it could erupt the shock force at a fixed point, penetrating and injuring the enemy.

"The name of the soul skill?" Shao Ping asked.

"Shock Edge."

Lu Yuan carefully perceived the consumption of soul power and found that the consumption of Shock Edge was much lower than that of Piercing Edge. Piercing Edge required driving the body and Martial Soul to erupt simultaneously, consuming extreme amounts of force; whereas Shock Edge merely condensed power at the contact point of the spear shaft for a single-point burst. Although its single-use power was not as fierce as Piercing Edge, it perfectly adapted to close-quarters grappling, and its value was irreplaceable.

Shao Ping clearly saw through the tactical value of this soul skill and directly reached out to grip the middle section of the spear shaft: "Try the move on me."

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly: "Are you sure?"

"Stop talking nonsense."

The second Spirit Ring lit up, and the shock force instantly exploded at the contact point between the spear shaft and the palm. Shao Ping's five fingers went numb, his palm loosening subconsciously for a fraction of a second, before he quickly exerted force to grip it tightly, firmly locking the spear shaft in place.

"Again."

This time Shao Ping applied soul power defense in advance. Lu Yuan urged Shock Edge once more, and the spear shaft vibrated shortly, causing only a slight wobble in his wrist before it was completely stabilized.

Shao Ping let go of the spear shaft, moved his fingertips twice, and commented indifferently: "The gap in soul power is right there, you still can't shake off a high-rank spirit master at your current stage."

Lu Yuan felt no disappointment at all. He had never expected Shock Edge at Level 21 to leap levels and crush opponents. The true meaning of this soul skill was never to break enemies head-on, but to resolve shortcomings.

Previously when fighting Xu Heng, the opponent was most adept at close-quarters suppression, locking the spear shaft so tightly that he could not launch an offensive, and every stalemate forced him to dismiss his Martial Soul and resummon it, abruptly interrupting his own offensive rhythm. But now the situation was completely reversed.

As long as Xu Heng dared to grab the spear bare-handed and suppress it again, he would inevitably face the impact of Shock Edge. Even if it only allowed the opponent's palm to loosen for a split second, it would be enough for him to break free from the restraint and reopen his spear momentum.

Shao Ping saw through the fighting intent in the depths of his eyes and laughed in spite of himself: "Just got a new soul skill, and you're already thinking about settling scores with Xu Heng?"

Lu Yuan put away the Piercing Spear, his tone resolute: "He's suppressed me for so long, it's time to have another match."

"Recover from your injuries first." Shao Ping turned and walked toward the outside of the stone ditch, not forgetting to issue a reminder, "Don't get carried away just because you unlocked your second Spirit Ring, only to be carried down later."

Lu Yuan quickly followed, his tone crisp: "Won't happen."

Shao Ping turned his head to glance at him, indifferently exposing the truth: "You were just as confident last time."

Lu Yuan did not argue, lowering his head to look at his own right hand.

Xu Heng was most skilled at locking the spear shaft for suppression.

This time, why not let him grab it once more.