Theory into practice: the greatest treasure of the Douluo system

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Razor-sharp wolf claws tore through the air with a startling whistle, slashing toward Su Haichao's throat.

He ducked and charged.

His brawny frame rammed into the lunging Gray-Furred Wolf, flesh colliding with flesh in a dull thud.

Bam!

The Gray-Furred Wolf went flying, letting out a feeble whine as it fell. The faint sound of cracking bones came from inside its body.

Thud!

Its body hit the ground, dark red blood trickling from its mouth.

The loss of another life failed to intimidate the pack. Instead, it drove them into an even greater frenzy.

Three Gray-Furred Wolves lunged at once from the front, left, and right, targeting Su Haichao's chest, throat, and back.

Watching the perilous scene from the tree, Su Yuntao broke into a cold sweat for his father.

Faced with killing intent closing in from every direction, Su Haichao remained composed. His second soul ring flashed, and the wolf claws on his hands instantly lengthened as he swiped repeatedly through the air.

Streaks of claw-shaped energy shot from his hands like lightning, striking at the Gray-Furred Wolves in all three directions.

Second Soul Skill: Claw Shadow: channeled soul power through the claws on his hands to unleash energy attacks capable of striking independently of his body.

Squelch!

Flesh and blood flew as the energy claws easily tore through the soul beasts' defenses, leaving gaping wounds in their bodies.

"Dad! Watch out!"

A thin mist of blood shrouded Su Haichao's surroundings. Had the attacker concealed itself, or had Su Yuntao not enjoyed an elevated vantage point, he might never have noticed the sudden burst of killing intent.

A Gray-Furred Wolf with five tufts of white fur on its head had silently crept nearby at some point. It bared its fangs the instant Su Haichao had exhausted one burst of strength and had yet to muster another. Attacking from behind, however, it failed to notice the smile that had crept onto its target's lips.

The purple soul ring signifying a thousand years suddenly shone, and a powerful aura erupted from Su Haichao.

Third Soul Skill: Amplification: increased all attributes by 30%.

A simple skill, but no simple effect.

With his soul skill enhancing him, Su Haichao demonstrated the beauty of sheer stats.

Sensing the chilling killing intent behind him, he showed no panic. He simply turned at an unhurried pace, letting the sharp claws skim past his waist.

He turned and swept out.

The muscles in his waist erupted with power like a coiled spring. His left foot remained planted as tremendous force whipped his entire body around.

A thin layer of fur covered his muscular right leg as it swept toward the attacker pursuing him.

Bam! Crack, crack!

The wolf slammed into a large tree after being kicked away, then tumbled down through it. Branches snapped one after another, and leaves fluttered everywhere. Even the thickest part of the trunk showed cracks, a testament to the tremendous power of that sudden blow.

Before the wolf could even show off its might, it had been struck speechless.

Five tufts of white fur, plus a smaller tuft that hasn't fully formed. Just right for Yuntao.

Thanks to practicing the Eye Exercises himself, along with his much higher cultivation, Su Haichao had registered the Gray-Furred Wolf's key features in a single fleeting glance.

It had barely managed to stand before collapsing again, its hind legs powerless. Its spine had most likely been damaged, paralyzing its lower body.

Su Haichao dared not delay. If the wolf died, they might not be lucky enough to find another soul beast so suitable.

He hurried toward the Gray-Furred Wolf with long strides, but did not let his guard down. He remained alert to his surroundings in case another soul beast launched a sneak attack.

Clearly, his caution was unnecessary. After watching the terrifying upright ape nearly kick their leader to death, the remaining Gray-Furred Wolves had not dared linger. They had long since scattered for their lives.

Only after confirming that no enemies remained nearby and that the wolf was indeed on its last legs did Su Haichao wave his son over.

"Yuntao, come down. This wolf has five tufts of white fur on its head, with another almost fully formed. That means it's extremely close to six hundred years old. It suits you perfectly in every respect. Hurry down, kill it, and absorb its soul ring."

Seeing that his father was unharmed, Su Yuntao heaved a sigh of relief. At Su Haichao's words, he quickly climbed down.

With a flash of light, Su Haichao took a dagger from the storage soul-tool bracelet on his wrist and handed it to Su Yuntao.

Su Yuntao took a deep breath and was about to strike, only to stop.

"What's wrong? Can't bring yourself to do it?"

Seeing his son hesitate, Su Haichao felt puzzled. His son was not usually so indecisive.

"No."

Su Yuntao shook his head. "I just remembered what my little brother told me when he was explaining soul rings and soul skills."

Su Haichao raised an eyebrow. "You mean the theory that a soul master's consciousness influences the effects of the soul skill they develop?"

Su Yuntao nodded. "What do you think, Father?"

"You can give it a try. Just as Shanzi said, even if your first soul ring gives you an offensive skill, it certainly won't be very powerful later on. You'd be better off getting a percentage-based amplification skill. If you want an offensive soul skill, you can wait until you absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring. This is also a chance to test whether his theory is correct. Two birds with one stone."

Indeed, this was part of the future Tang Shan had planned for Su Yuntao. Whether high-level soul masters knew of the theory that consciousness could influence soul rings, and whether the theory itself was true, remained uncertain. Even so, he had offered Su Yuntao this suggestion.

Although it might seem as though he was treating Su Yuntao as a guinea pig, this experiment was nothing like a certain Grandmaster Gangzi's experiments.

Even if his experiment failed and Su Yuntao received a random soul skill, there was no question that wolf-type soul beasts were the best match for his martial soul. His experiment offered nothing but benefits, with no downside.

A certain Gangzi, however, was another matter entirely. He had actually made life-oriented Blue Silver Grass absorb a poisonous animal-type soul ring. Tang Shan could only say, "I don't understand, but I'm utterly floored."

As for what would happen if the amplification skill turned out not to be rule-based?

Tang Shan thumped his chest and declared, "Based on my experience reading the Douluo trilogy, along with some of the records I've read in Spirit Hall's library, basically all amplification skills are rule-based soul skills."

To Tang Shan, this was the most valuable and most outrageously powerful aspect of the Douluo Continent's soul master cultivation system.

Just look at a certain Lord Sea God. Despite possessing the body of a God King, he could still have all his attributes boosted by a hundred percent through the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda wielded by the Nine-Colored Goddess, a mere Second-Level God. That alone showed the true worth of the Douluo Continent's soul skills.

In Tang Shan's own words, "Who needs offensive skills? Amplification skills are king. If one boost isn't enough, how are you going to deal with a whole set of them?"

Lacking offensive techniques? No problem. Let me show you the beauty of raw stats. Watch me smash through your tricks with brute strength! Raaagh!

Jokes aside, Tang Shan's reasoning was perfectly clear. Whether a soul skill offered offense, defense, or amplification, only rule-based skills had real value.

For example, Invincible Golden Body, the soul skill of a certain "hundred-thousand-year rogue rabbit, mother of multiple offspring, Asura Sword Sheath."

Or Undying Body and Eternal Wound, the soul skills of a certain "Rakshasa, hopeless romantic, Pope."

In Tang Shan's view, any soul skill without a rule-based effect was essentially not worth acquiring. After all, such skills were merely applications of soul power, physical strength, or spiritual power. Many of their effects could be replicated by researching self-created soul skills.

With a wet squelch, the sharp dagger plunged through the wolf's eye and into its brain, striking a vital spot in a single thrust.

The Gray-Furred Wolf leader gave a token struggle, then went completely still.

Specks of yellow light gathered, finally forming a bright yellow ring above the wolf's corpse. It was a soul ring nearly six hundred years old.

"Yuntao, get yourself ready. Clear your mind and calm down."

Seeing Su Yuntao's eagerness, Su Haichao hurriedly reminded him.

Su Yuntao said nothing. He first closed his eyes, then took a series of deep breaths. Soon, his excitement settled.

He activated Martial Soul Possession and followed the unseen connection, guiding the soul ring above his head. It swiftly shrank and descended, encircling him.

"Big brother, while you focus on taking in the soul power as you absorb the ring, keep your resolve firm. You can also repeat 'amplification skill' in your mind. Then we'll see what soul skill you end up with."

Recalling his little brother's advice, Su Yuntao did not hesitate. He held firmly to a single thought. I want an amplification soul skill. I want an amplification soul skill...

Once he confirmed that his son was absorbing the soul ring without incident and remained completely stable, Su Haichao breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed that before reaching the level of Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings, where a soul beast's Soul Shock became a factor, the age of the soul ring one could absorb truly depended on the soul master's physical condition.

Just as Su Haichao was about to rest while standing guard, a faint fluctuation of soul power from the nearly six-hundred-year-old Gray-Furred Wolf caught his attention.

His expression shifted slightly. Without drawing attention, he scanned the surroundings for anyone else. After confirming there were no other soul masters, he swiftly cut off the wolf's right foreleg—the source of the soul power fluctuations—at the shoulder, muttering, "I wonder how this leg tastes roasted. Oh, might as well cut off another to try."

As he spoke, Su Haichao cut off one of the Gray-Furred Wolf's hind legs as well.

Then he acted like an ordinary soul master standing guard, keeping a vigilant watch on his surroundings.

Time ticked by. Before he knew it, a fine layer of cold sweat had formed on Su Haichao's forehead, as though he were bearing some immense, invisible pressure.

Although Su Yuntao's physical condition met the requirements and he could fully withstand the soul ring's energy, the sheer amount of energy still had to be dealt with. Nearly another two hours passed before he completely absorbed the almost six-hundred-year-old soul ring.

The instant he finished, Su Yuntao sprang to his feet. Crisp pops like beans crackling came from all over his body as he moved, and he had grown considerably taller.

"Dad, my little brother's theory was right! The soul skill from my first soul ring really is an amplification skill!"

Hearing this, Su Haichao, who had secretly breathed a sigh of relief, grew curious as well. He beckoned to his son.

"All right, tell me about its effects on the way back. This soul hunting operation went pretty quickly. Including the return trip, we'll have been away less than a week. I'm still a little worried about Shanzi being home alone, so let's hurry back."