An Unrestricted First Soul Skill

"Xu Yuan, you're finally back!"

The next morning, a thin mist hung in the air.

While the sky was still faintly light, Xu Yuan returned to Nouding Academy with a Gold Soul Coin he had collected from Spirit Hall.

The moment he pushed open the door to Dorm Seven, he saw Xiao Wu training hard.

The Soul Power radiating from her felt much like his own.

"Xiao Wu, now this is rare!"

"I thought I'd come back and find you asleep!"

Xu Yuan gently closed the door and lay down on his bed.

"And whose fault do you think that is?"

Xiao Wu clenched her little fists in anger. If it weren't for Xu Yuan's Martial Soul, why would she need to train this hard?

Ever since her Hundred Thousand Year Origin had vanished, her Soul Power Level hadn't risen a bit.

These days, she spent every hour outside class training in the dorm. She worked no less diligently than Wang Sheng and the others.

Just thinking that she would have to keep training like this from now on made Xiao Wu feel as if the sky had fallen.

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Even if you hadn't made that wish, would you never have to train again?"

Xu Yuan tucked the quilt around himself and tried to reason with her calmly.

"..."

Xiao Wu choked on his words.

She parted her little cherry lips, but in the end, she said nothing.

Then she flopped down beside Xu Yuan and yanked the entire quilt over to her side.

"Freeze to death, then!"

"Hey, what are you doing? It's cold outside."

Xu Yuan tugged at the quilt, trying to pull it back.

"By the way, what's your first Soul Skill?"

Xiao Wu had suddenly asked.

"Wish-Granting Golden Body. It makes me or someone else invincible for three seconds. Attacks below the divine level can hardly break through it!"

Xu Yuan yawned. He made no attempt to hide the skill.

After all, once they spent enough time together, people were bound to find out.

He couldn't keep it secret from everyone forever.

The dorm fell silent for two seconds.

The next instant.

A small, fair hand seized Xu Yuan by the collar.

Bracing one hand against the bed, Xiao Wu swung herself over and sat on top of him.

Her little bottom might have been soft, but she landed hard.

If Xu Yuan hadn't just returned from outside, she might have broken him in half.

"Xu Yuan, Sister Xiao Wu isn't angry!"

"There's no one else around. Tell Sister Xiao Wu the truth: is that really your Soul Ring?"

Afraid someone else might notice, Xiao Wu pulled the quilt over them.

"How could it not be my Soul Ring?"

"That Hundred-Year Soul Ring around my Martial Soul—whose else could it be? Yours?"

Xu Yuan's refusal to admit anything made Xiao Wu grit her teeth.

"Impossible. What Soul Beast did you hunt?"

Xiao Wu brought her face abruptly closer. Her clear eyes locked on his, as though she meant to see straight through any lie.

The distance between them shrank until Xu Yuan could feel her warm breath against his face.

Meeting her earnest gaze, Xu Yuan said innocently, "I ran into a golden Mutant Hawksbill Turtle Soul Beast!"

"A golden Hawksbill Turtle Soul Beast?"

Xiao Wu's ears twitched. She immediately thought of the Golden Hawksbill Turtles in the Core Area of the Star Dou Great Forest.

As far as she knew, the Golden Hawksbill Turtle Tribe carried an aura of good fortune and possessed an ability similar to Invincible Golden Body.

Had Xu Yuan and his group encountered a Hawksbill Turtle Soul Beast in the Soul Hunting Forest whose ancestral bloodline had awakened?

Such things were exceedingly rare, but they did happen.

Come to think of it, Xu Yuan's first Soul Skill really does sound more like the Golden Hawksbill Turtle Tribe's Invincible Shield.

The Soft Bone Rabbit's Invincible Golden Body and the Golden Hawksbill Turtle's Invincible Shield had similar effects, but they weren't identical.

The Soft Bone Rabbit Tribe's Invincible Golden Body also doubled both strength and Soul Power.

The Golden Hawksbill Turtle Tribe's Invincible Shield, on the other hand, was a purely defensive Soul Skill with no extra effects.

Xu Yuan hadn't mentioned any additional effect when he described his first Soul Skill.

He might have deliberately concealed it, but Xiao Wu didn't think he would lie about that.

Xu Yuan could use his first Soul Skill on other people!

If he lied, it would be easy to expose him.

Oh no!

Xu Yuan might actually be telling the truth.

That Hundred-Year Soul Ring might have nothing to do with her Hundred Thousand Year Origin.

"Heh... heh..."

"Xu Yuan, Sister Xiao Wu was just teasing you!"

Xiao Wu swallowed and straightened his collar, squeezing an ingratiating smile onto her delicate face.

"Heh."

Xu Yuan gave her nothing but a cold laugh.

But at that moment, something occurred to him.

He had made up the Golden Hawksbill Turtle on the spot, yet now that he thought about it, the resemblance was real.

Wait. My First Soul Ring came from Xiao Wu. By rights, it should be closer to a Soft Bone Rabbit's.

So why doesn't my first Soul Skill have any additional effects?

Xu Yuan fell into thought.

Xiao Wu didn't know where his Soul Ring had come from, but he certainly did.

Could it simply be that the Wish-Granting Tree Martial Soul hadn't inherited that aspect of the Soul Skill?

Seeing Xu Yuan suddenly fall silent, Xiao Wu panicked too.

He had told her from the start that he couldn't control the Wish-Granting Tree, yet she kept suspecting him.

She really shouldn't have!

"Xu Yuan, I'm sorry. I was wrong!"

Xiao Wu raised her little head and leaned close to his face. Her slender fingers twisted together as she apologized sincerely.

"Got it. I forgive you!"

Preoccupied with the Soul Skill's effects, Xu Yuan casually pushed her face away.

"Mm..."

Xiao Wu puffed out her cheeks. His answer was far too perfunctory. Anyone could tell he didn't mean it.

"That was too dismissive! Can't you take it seriously?"

"Have you got it backward? Are you forgiving me, or am I forgiving you?"

Xu Yuan's eyes widened. Did he have to sound sincere when forgiving someone?

"I don't care!"

Xiao Wu's little pink fists fell lightly against Xu Yuan's chest like raindrops.

The playful blows, combined with the sensation of Xiao Wu sitting on him, made Xu Yuan's expression shift.

"Ahem, ahem! All right, I get it. Get up first!"

"Not until you forgive me."

When Xiao Wu still refused to get up, Xu Yuan could barely stand it.

His primal power was trapped beneath her, too.

Xu Yuan struggled, trying to throw her off.

But Xiao Wu hadn't practiced her first Soul Skill, Waist Bow, for nothing.

No matter how long Xu Yuan thrashed beneath the quilt, he couldn't manage it.

"Brother Sheng, what are Brother Yuan and Sister Xiao Wu doing?"

Xiao Wu had pulled the quilt over them earlier because she didn't want anyone to see.

To Wang Sheng and the others, it looked as if Xu Yuan and Xiao Wu were under the same quilt, wriggling around.

"Uh..."

"What do you know? Maybe this is how geniuses with Innate Full Soul Power exchange ideas?"

Wang Sheng's expression was complicated, but he forced himself to offer an explanation.

So you think this tiger's a sickly cat just because I haven't shown my claws?

Xu Yuan finally lost patience and activated his first Soul Skill.

"Tch, it's only three seconds! Take my Waist Bow!"

Just as Xiao Wu had said, Xu Yuan was a support-type Soul Master. Even three seconds of invincibility did him no good.

Once the three seconds were up, Xiao Wu mercilessly pinned him beneath her again and demanded that he forgive her sincerely.

Xiao Wu's little bottom might have felt lovely, but Xu Yuan wanted to be on top!

Damn it! One day I'll wish to become a Power Attack System Soul Master and pin Xiao Wu beneath me!

When his struggles proved useless, Xu Yuan could only use his first Soul Skill again.

What happened next stunned him.

He had actually activated Wish-Granting Golden Body a second time.

And aside from the normal Soul Power cost, he felt no other restriction on the skill at all!

Doesn't that mean... I can use my first Soul Skill without limit?