First Soul Skill: Multiplication: Gluttonous Grip!

Xu Bayan stared with tiger eyes as big as bells at the Black-Patterned Dread Lizard, dead beyond any doubt before him, then at the excited Xu Huxiao. He blankly looked back and forth two or three times.

Only then did he finally confirm the fact:

His son, only six years old, had killed an over-eight-hundred-year Dread Lizard head-on!

"..."

My son really was...

Terrifying beyond belief!

What he had originally thought was actually much the same as Bao Dexian's thoughts, except Xu Bayan had expected a little more.

In his view, it would already have been exceptionally impressive if his son could hold out against this Soul Beast for a short while.

Then he would step in, beat the Soul Beast until it was severely wounded and near death, impart some combat experience along the way, and proudly welcome his son's admiring gaze.

Yet reality was that his son had ended the battle with a single palm strike in under five minutes.

Moreover, throughout this battle, Xu Huxiao had seized every advantage and expanded his gains. Every attack had been clean and decisive, without the slightest hesitation. His performance had been nothing short of perfect.

"Haha, just as expected of my son! Well done!"

Xu Bayan walked over and rubbed Xu Huxiao's still neatly arranged golden hair, looking immensely pleased.

At first.

Xu Bayan had been somewhat worried about his son's path of cultivation. After all, his Martial Soul was not considered top-tier. But after witnessing this battle, all his worries vanished.

With such strength, his son would absolutely become the continent's most dazzling rising star in the future!

Bao Dexian and his daughter also approached. They had witnessed the entire process, and even now, Bao Dexian could hardly believe his eyes.

He felt that the worldview he had built as a Soul Ancestor had been utterly shattered.

Xu Huxiao had killed an eight-hundred-year Black-Patterned Dread Lizard so easily. Bao Dexian even began to wonder whether Young Master Huxiao was truly only six years old?!

Bao Dexian was so shocked that he could not utter a word. Only two words kept repeating in his mind:

Monster!

Genius!

This was fucking genius!

Beside him, Bao Jingjing's little face was flushed with excitement as she cheered:

"Wow~ Young Master Huxiao is amazing, so amazing!"

Bao Jingjing had just heard the legend of the Stone Emperor and had already admired him immensely.

But now, in her eyes, the image of the Stone Emperor from her imagination had directly been replaced by Xu Huxiao, becoming the object of her admiration.

Judging from the scene before her, Young Master Huxiao, who had powerfully slain that terrifying monster Soul Beast, seemed even more mighty than the Stone Emperor.

From this moment onward, Xu Huxiao's powerful and handsome figure, with his head of golden hair, was deeply imprinted in Bao Jingjing's heart.

Faced with the praise, Xu Huxiao merely smiled faintly.

What he looked forward to more now was what kind of Soul Skill this Soul Ring would grant him after absorption. Aside from a strength boost, the ability he wanted most was Size Multiplication.

Gluttonous Grip!

Would he get it?

Faint yellow motes of light gathered over the Black-Patterned Dread Lizard's corpse.

In the blink of an eye.

A deep-yellow Soul Ring emerged. Even without touching it, one could sense the extraordinary and immense energy contained within.

Seeing that the Soul Ring had formed, Xu Bayan said:

"Huxiao, this is an eight-hundred-year Dread Lizard Soul Ring. Judging from that Soul Beast's performance just now, if you successfully absorb this Soul Ring, your Twin Arms Martial Soul will receive a tremendous boost in strength and defense. You might even gain the ability of Size Multiplication, further increasing your strength amplification."

"Indeed, compared to the Long-Armed Dragon Ape, the attributes and abilities granted by this Dread Lizard are superior. But making your first Soul Ring eight hundred years old exceeds the four-hundred-year limit."

"Let me ask you one more time, son. Are you sure you want to try?"

Xu Huxiao nodded firmly. "I'm sure. And Father, I will definitely succeed in absorbing this Soul Ring."

Because my limit is eleven hundred years, and this is only eight hundred and sixty years. There's absolutely no problem.

Having received a positive reply, Xu Bayan secretly nodded, deeply satisfied. Such unwavering conviction was an indispensable quality for a powerful Soul Master.

"Good! Son, you possess innate divine strength, and your Eight Extraordinary Meridians are connected. I also believe that you can do it."

"Don't be afraid. With your father here, there won't be any danger. When you absorb the Soul Ring shortly, I'll stabilize your blood and qi. If I discover that the Soul Ring's power is too Berserk, I'll immediately interrupt the absorption and draw that Berserk Soul Ring power out through your connected meridians."

Xu Bayan was not speaking recklessly. While ordinary people could not receive any external aid when absorbing a Soul Ring and could only rely on themselves.

His son's Eight Extraordinary Meridians were connected, unlike those of ordinary people. Furthermore, Xu Bayan himself was a powerful Title with profound understanding and insight into Soul Power and blood qi. If Xu Huxiao could not bear this eight-hundred-year Dread Lizard Soul Ring, he truly could forcibly terminate the Soul Ring absorption.

His powerful Title-level strength and his son's extraordinary talent gave Xu Bayan the ability to provide his son with room for error.

"Even if the absorption fails, you won't be injured."

"Alright, sit cross-legged, focus your mind on your Martial Soul, and begin."

Xu Huxiao was excited. He obediently sat cross-legged, but he did not immediately absorb the Soul Ring. Instead, he first regulated his breathing. After his Yang Origin Soul Power completed one minor circulation.

Xu Huxiao's heart returned to calm, and with a thought.

Platinum Dragon-Patterned Arms, Martial Soul Possession!

His arms instantly took on a platinum sheen, as though forged from metal. Dragon-shaped patterns coiled around them. Xu Huxiao raised one hand, and guided by the platinum light, the eight-hundred-and-sixty-year Black-Patterned Dread Lizard Soul Ring flew toward him.

Very quickly, the deep-yellow Soul Ring reached above his head and expanded. The Soul Ring's energy condensed within it, resembling jade in color, before it directly settled over his upper body.

Buzz—!

In an instant, a powerful and domineering energy flooded into his body.

But Xu Huxiao had long been mentally prepared and remained unmoved.

Speaking of dominance, his Yang Origin Soul Power had been cultivated from the Nine Yang Divine Skill and was supremely yang and supremely fierce.

What energy could possibly be more domineering than his Nine Yang?

Xu Huxiao closed his eyes and sank his consciousness into his Twin Arms Martial Soul.

Within his inner vision, his arms transformed into two golden dragons. They let out joyous, resonant dragon roars as they continuously devoured the Black-Patterned Dread Lizard Soul Ring's energy.

As they devoured it, black demonic patterns appeared over the golden dragons' scales, and their bodies grew a full size larger. They had originally been supremely yang and supremely fierce, but now they were also imbued with the aura of domineering demonic dragons.

Second by second, time passed.

The sea of deep-yellow Soul Ring energy continuously shrank beneath the devouring of the two black-patterned golden dragons.

At the very end of the absorption, a sudden change occurred!

A wisp of black-red Dread Lizard blood qi actually drifted out from the Soul Ring before crashing into Xu Huxiao's heart.

Xu Bayan was startled by this change, but after sensing it briefly, he gave up the thought of stopping it.

Because.

According to his senses, his son's blood and qi were completely normal.

This black-red blood qi should have been all the essence of the Black-Patterned Dread Lizard's sub-dragon bloodline. Huxiao's Twin Arms Martial Soul required Soul Rings from Soul Beasts with earth-dragon bloodlines. This blood qi should have been an additional Soul Ring benefit brought about by the Martial Soul's special trait, enhancing Huxiao's physique so that it could adapt to the immense strength granted by the Soul Ring.

After realizing this, Xu Bayan relaxed.

The process of his son absorbing the Soul Ring was easier than he had imagined.

Buzz!

A wave of greatly enhanced Soul Power spread outward.

Xu Huxiao opened his eyes, brilliance gleaming from them. The Soul Ring had been completely absorbed!

He had succeeded!

Xu Huxiao exhaled a breath of turbid air, unable to conceal the joy on his face.

Today, he had officially taken the first step toward becoming a God and become a Soul Master!

At the same time, the bottleneck of his Nine Yang Divine Skill broke through. A massive amount of Yang Origin Soul Power began gathering in his dantian once more. When the second Golden Sun condensed, it would be time for him to break through to Soul Grandmaster.

Even though his physique made his Yang Origin Soul Power extraordinarily abundant, and breaking through to level twenty required a great deal of accumulation.

At this rate, that day would not be far away.

After all, ever since his Eight Extraordinary Meridians had connected, the Nine Yang Divine Skill no longer required guidance and circulated on its own at every moment.

Although this autonomous circulation was still less effective than actively cultivating through Heart-Submergence meditation, the Soul Power gained bit by bit at every moment would still amount to something considerable.

Furthermore, at the same level, the deeper one's Soul Power foundation, the stronger one's explosive power and sustained combat ability.

This was an enormously good thing!

Xu Huxiao had always believed in one principle: one step ahead meant every step ahead. A powerful advantage was accumulated little by little, from dominating those of the same level to fighting above one's level.

In the end, when he entered the godly realm, he would also be the strongest God!

Xu Huxiao stood up, a powerful sensation of strength filling his limbs and bones. He could clearly feel that he had grown slightly taller, while the muscles on his shoulders, back, and arms had all swelled somewhat. His skin had also become tougher.

Every attribute of his body had improved. He even felt that after the Dread Lizard's blood qi fused into his body, his life force had increased as well.

Choosing the Black-Patterned Dread Lizard this time had indeed been the right choice!

With a thought from Xu Huxiao, the Platinum Dragon-Patterned Arms, his Body Martial Soul, possessed him. A deep-yellow Soul Ring revolved around his body, bouncing merrily up and down.

He could feel that his Soul Power had also increased greatly, but specifically...

Xu Huxiao's gaze fell upon his arms, which looked as though they had been cast from platinum. The dragon-shaped patterns upon them had turned black gold, making them appear even more powerful.

Three seconds later.

The Eye of Omniscience's information appeared in his mind:

[Human]: Xu Huxiao

[Age]: Six

[Martial Souls]: Platinum Dragon-Patterned Arms, Monster Shrek, Hulk

[Level]: Thirteen

[Platinum Dragon-Patterned Arms—Soul Skill]: One Yellow—Multiplication: Gluttonous Grip

[Inner Monologue]: This is but a small step on my path to becoming stronger, yet it is... a tiny, tiny step on my path to becoming a God. Keep it up!

Level thirteen!

Xu Huxiao was delighted. He had actually risen three levels at once!

One had to know that his three levels of Soul Power might amount to more than twice that of an ordinary Soul Master.

The reason he could improve so much at once was partly due to the eight-hundred-year Soul Ring, but also because he had continued cultivating tirelessly even after reaching full Soul Power before.

Very good. Now, let's see how this Soul Skill was.

[Multiplication: Gluttonous Grip]: After activating this Soul Skill, both arms instantly undergo fivefold Size Multiplication. While multiplied, the arms' strength and defense attributes increase to three times their original level. Soul Power consumption also becomes three times greater. While multiplied, arm speed is reduced by fifty percent.

There was not much description of the Soul Skill, but its effects delighted Xu Huxiao. Not only had he gained the Size Multiplication ability, but after using the Soul Skill, his strength and defense attributes both increased threefold!

Three times!!

He could now casually swing around a fifty-jin stone lock. If he used the Multiplication Soul Skill, then under the threefold boost, he could casually play with the weight of a one-hundred-and-fifty-jin adult.

"To condense such a powerful amplification Soul Skill during the Hundred-Year stage must be due to my mutated Twin Arms Martial Soul. I could clearly sense that while absorbing the Soul Ring's energy, a stream of Black-Patterned Dread Lizard blood qi energy was absorbed as well. It should have been the sub-dragon essence bloodline contained within that Soul Beast itself. The bloodline energy combined with the Martial Soul energy, not only improving my physique, but also triggering such a formidable amplification in this Soul Ring's Soul Skill. Otherwise, an ordinary Hundred-Year Soul Skill, even one absorbed beyond its age limit, could never possess such a powerful amplification effect."

Xu Huxiao made this deduction inwardly.

It seemed that this Twin Arms Martial Soul born from the martial arts technique Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms was far more formidable than he had anticipated.

As for the threefold Soul Power consumption afterward, Xu Huxiao was not too worried, because his Nine Yang Divine Skill naturally possessed the trait of rapid autonomous recovery.

High consumption was not a problem.

As for the fifty percent reduction in arm speed, he could make up for that through the force-generating techniques of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms and the techniques for releasing Soul Skills.

His advantage in strength had expanded another step. Xu Huxiao was very satisfied.

Seeing that his son seemed pleased, Xu Bayan hurriedly asked:

"Son, how is it? What is your first Soul Skill?"

Xu Huxiao answered honestly, "My first Soul Skill is called Multiplication: Gluttonous Grip. When I use it, my arms can instantly undergo fivefold Size Multiplication, and both my strength and defense greatly increase."

"Also, my Soul Power has risen three levels this time."

As he spoke, Xu Huxiao's first Soul Ring lit up.

Whoosh—!

He spread his arms, and his platinum arms marked with black dragon patterns directly underwent fivefold Size Multiplication, turning into a pair of massive arms with an intense metallic texture.

When his arms hung down, his palms could lie fully flat against the ground. His hands had directly expanded to five times their original size, then gradually transitioned in size toward his shoulders.

In other words, his hands had multiplied fivefold, gradually transitioning to a little more than twice their original size around his shoulders. This graduated Size Multiplication was also so that Xu Huxiao could exert force more effectively.

As for length, they were roughly two to three times longer.

They could truly be described as:

Thick, long, and hard!

Xu Huxiao was very satisfied with his multiplied giant arms. He clenched his fists and swung them a few times. They were still highly flexible to control, with no inconvenience aside from the reduction in speed.

"Come, son. Try striking me with one palm. Let me see how much your strength has increased. Use your Golden Dragon Palm."

It was Xu Bayan's first time seeing someone obtain an eight-hundred-year Soul Ring as their first ring, and he wanted to help his son test the Soul Skill's power.

"Alright. Then be careful, Father. Here I come."