Soul Rings and Soul Skills! (5.3k) (Please invest! Please bookmark! Please vote!)

The Undead Scourge, Holy Necromancer Electrolux—this was a name no one could take lightly. Qin Xu had long known of his deeds from various perspectives. He had entertained hopes of meeting him, but had never imagined their encounter would come so suddenly.

A remnant soul of the Undead Scourge, Holy Necromancer Electrolux, was actually residing in his Sea of Consciousness!

Qin Xu could not determine whether this remnant soul of Electrolux was the one that would cross paths with Huo Yuhao in the future, or a new remnant soul that had followed him when he reincarnated from the Holy Demon Continent.

Regardless, either possibility proved one thing: when Qin Xu fell in his previous life, Long Haochen had already reached the ninth rank. Or rather, Austin Griffin's reincarnated form had already outgrown his infancy.

Qin Xu silently mourned for his father from his previous life, the Demon God Emperor.

For now, however, Electrolux mattered more to Qin Xu.

The old fellow had been sleeping deep within his Sea of Consciousness all along. On the night of Martial Soul Awakening Day, while Qin Xu immersed his mind in his Sea of Consciousness, he happened to detect a spiritual fluctuation that did not belong to him. He then discovered Electrolux's remnant soul, which had become a ball of gray light.

Although this remnant soul was extremely weak, he still gave Qin Xu a sense of extreme danger. As expected of a divine-level remnant soul.

Qin Xu had no way to communicate with Electrolux in the short term. He could only wait for the remnant soul to stabilize and awaken from his slumber. Qin Xu prayed that Electrolux would wake soon. He might be only a remnant soul, but he had plenty of good things!

Whether it was the Undead Demiplane, the method of forming soul spirit contracts, or Electrolux's other legacies, Qin Xu wanted them all. He coveted every last one.

"Mm, a little more stable than yesterday." Qin Xu nodded after his daily check of Electrolux's condition.

This remnant soul could repair himself by absorbing Qin Xu's spiritual power, but he understood how to behave under someone else's roof. He never took the initiative, relying only on passively absorbing the spiritual energy that escaped while Qin Xu used Meditation.

Yesterday, Qin Xu had voluntarily offered him a strand of spiritual energy. He had not refused, absorbing it directly. The results were remarkable—the remnant soul's stability had visibly improved.

At a rate of one strand a day, perhaps it would not take too long for Electrolux to awaken.

The moon set and the sun rose. A new day arrived.

Qin Xu and Qin Tianji arrived at the Dragon Soul Forest in the northeastern corner of Yongdu City. It had once been a soul beast forest where the Black Dragon Duke's household raised soul beasts. Now, it was the Black Dragon Duchy's Ducal Office hunting ground. Its designation had changed, but its substance had not.

The Dragon Soul Forest currently housed over a hundred thousand soul beasts, nearly ten thousand of which were over a thousand years old. Only a dozen or so had reached the highest cultivation age of five thousand years. Most of the remainder were hundred-year or ten-year soul beasts, while some under ten years old could not even be considered soul beasts.

Thousand-year soul beasts already represented the highest cultivation age humans could raise in captivity on a large scale.

"Greetings, Your Grace! Your Highness!" Lin Baoshan, the official responsible for guarding the Dragon Soul Forest, stood with a neatly arranged group of guards at the forest entrance. They called out to Qin Xu and Qin Tianji in unison.

"How are the preparations?" Qin Tianji asked directly.

"Your Grace, everything is ready. We were only awaiting His Highness's arrival." Lin Baoshan answered with a touch of flattery, "I had them wait in the entrance hall. Please, both of you, come this way."

"Let's go," Qin Tianji said, taking the lead.

Qin Xu followed close behind.

He was rather curious. Weren't they supposed to enter the forest to obtain a soul ring? Why did Qin Tianji and Lin Baoshan's conversation suggest otherwise? Or was his understanding of hunting soul beasts for soul rings entirely different from what they were about to do?

He soon understood.

The group entered the hall at the forest entrance. Immediately, they saw three specially made metal cages of different sizes, each containing a different soul beast. Their vitality was drained, and they lay on the verge of death, clinging to their final breaths.

Qin Xu understood at once. Noble soul masters really were different from ordinary soul masters.

"Your Highness, these are the three nine-hundred-year soul beasts in the forest best suited to you. Please allow me to introduce them individually." Lin Baoshan smiled broadly and bowed at the waist, speaking with great respect.

"Sorry for the trouble, Minister Lin." Qin Xu adapted quickly and smiled.

They approached the first cage on the left, which was also the largest. The soul beast inside was the biggest of the three: a terrifying dragon over three meters tall, covered in pitch-black scales. Even lying weakly on the ground, it radiated an intimidating presence.

"Please look, Your Highness. This is a Dark Tyrannosaurus, exactly nine hundred years old. It is a darkness-attribute earth dragon with formidable strength and a terrifying roar, one of the top predators among earth dragons. It is the most suitable soul beast for the Black Dragon martial soul's first soul ring." Lin Baoshan grew serious as he explained,

"Two years ago, His Grace ordered men to capture this Dark Tyrannosaurus from Hell Valley specifically. It is fiercely wild. In its two years of captivity, it has wreaked havoc on quite a few lower-level soul beasts in our Dragon Soul Forest."

Qin Xu nodded lightly. It seemed Qin Tianji had prepared this Dark Tyrannosaurus especially for him.

Seeing that Qin Xu said nothing, Lin Baoshan continued forward to the next metal cage.

"This is a nine-hundred-and-thirty-year-old Night Demon Dragon Beast, a darkness-attribute lesser dragon native to our Dragon Soul Forest. It possesses considerable speed and concealment abilities, and excels at nighttime combat and assassination," Lin Baoshan introduced.

The Night Demon Dragon Beast was a medium-sized creature resembling a cheetah, but with scales covering its body and a head much like a crocodile's. Its forelimbs were slightly longer than its hind limbs, and a pair of sharp fangs grew from its upper jaw.

This oddly shaped creature elicited little reaction from Qin Xu. Honestly, among the demons of the Holy Demon Continent in his previous life, races stranger, uglier, and more bizarre than this were everywhere. This creature barely even qualified!

"Let's look at the last one," Qin Xu said.

"Yes, Your Highness." Lin Baoshan walked to the final metal cage.

This was the smallest cage, and the soul beast inside was also the smallest of the three, only about the size of a pony. It resembled a pangolin, with gray-black fur all over its body, a short tail, a pointed head, and tiny eyes like mung beans.

"This is a Black Iron-Eating Rat, eight hundred and ninety-five years old. It is also native to our Dragon Soul Forest. This species excels at burrowing underground. Its sharp teeth can slice through gold and shatter jade, and it is extremely fast. It possesses the soul skill Dark Iron-Eating Art," Lin Baoshan explained.

All three soul beasts had been introduced. Now it was Qin Xu's turn to choose, and he hesitated.

Of these three soul beasts, the Dark Tyrannosaurus was the only one that interested him. Unfortunately, it was only nine hundred years old. Qin Xu really wanted to try absorbing a thousand-year soul ring as his first.

"Xu'er, this Dark Tyrannosaurus is an excellent choice." Seeing Qin Xu's hesitation, Qin Tianji smiled. "Not just your great-grandfather—your grandfather and father also obtained their first soul rings from Dark Tyrannosauruses. This is the optimal choice our Qin Family ancestors established through thousands of years of practice."

"I know, Great-Grandfather. But do we have a Dark Tyrannosaurus with a higher cultivation age? A thousand-year one, for instance?" Qin Xu explained.

"Absolutely not!" The moment Qin Tianji heard Qin Xu's words, he knew what he was thinking. He refused decisively and said sternly, "Xu'er, what you must do is become a soul master safely, not take chances on a risky choice. Understand?"

"Actually, I..." Qin Xu wanted to argue his case, but when he saw Qin Tianji's increasingly stern expression, he sensibly changed his attitude. "All right, Great-Grandfather. I'll choose this nine-hundred-year Dark Tyrannosaurus."

"That's more like it!" Qin Tianji immediately broke into a delighted smile.

Of course Qin Tianji understood Qin Xu's desire to absorb a thousand-year soul ring. He also knew Qin Xu had a chance of succeeding. But there was a risk involved, and however small that risk might be, he would never allow it.

As he had said, Qin Xu needed to play it safe, not take risks for unnecessary gains of little value.

Having selected the Dark Tyrannosaurus for his first soul ring, Qin Xu's next task was to kill the dying soul beast himself.

Qin Xu took a hand crossbow from the Black Dragon Ring, the Space Soul Tool he wore on his right ring finger, and aimed at the Dark Tyrannosaurus's vital point. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger. A sharp bolt glowing blue shot out, cut powerfully through the air, and struck its target precisely.

A muffled whimper escaped the Dark Tyrannosaurus's mouth. As blood flowed, its body trembled, convulsed, and struggled while its life slowly ebbed away.

A deep-yellow soul ring floated gently up from its body.

Very pleased with Qin Xu's decisiveness, Qin Tianji clapped his hands with a smile. "Good. Xu'er, get ready to absorb the soul ring and become a soul master."

"Mm." Without any change in expression, Qin Xu put the soul tool hand crossbow back into the Black Dragon Ring and nodded.

The other two soul beasts had already been carried away along with their cages. They had survived today, and might live another few hundred years.

Only Qin Xu, Qin Tianji, and Lin Baoshan remained in the hall. Qin Xu sat cross-legged, released his martial soul, and began absorbing his first soul ring.

Two hours passed.

Qin Xu completed the absorption smoothly and became a level 12 soul master.

"Level twelve soul power. Excellent, excellent!" Qin Tianji laughed and clapped, brimming with delight. "Xu'er, it seems you converted your innate soul power very thoroughly. You already have level twelve soul power as a newly advanced soul master. Very good!"

Qin Xu rose and felt his more vigorous soul power. He was happy. Who wouldn't be happy to grow stronger?

"Lin Baoshan, process this Dark Tyrannosaurus and send it to the palace." Qin Tianji gave the order to Lin Baoshan, who stood awaiting instructions. Only after he left did Qin Tianji turn to Qin Xu. "Xu'er, tell your great-grandfather what your first soul skill is."

"Of course." Qin Xu sensed it for a moment, then said, "My first soul skill is called Heaven-Defying Demon Dragon Roar. It is a control-type soul skill. Once released, it can stun all enemies within range and reduce their strength and defense, while increasing my own strength."

"A group-control soul skill!" Surprise appeared on Qin Tianji's face. "Although it isn't our Qin Family's usual first soul skill, Dark Dragon Breath, its effects are even better and stronger. As expected of a Royal True Dragon! Excellent! Let's return to the palace and test it."

And so, they returned to the Black Dragon King's Palace.

The palace had dedicated grounds for practicing soul skills, as well as specialized equipment for testing their effects and power. Particularly for lower-level soul masters with three rings or fewer, the variety and quantity could be considered comprehensive.

Qin Xu stood on the open grounds, facing a moving mannequin. This was a Training Dummy, a Level 3 Soul Tool that three-ring Soul Elders could use to hone their soul skills, combat methods, and fighting techniques.

At this moment, Qin Xu was already under Heaven-Defying Demon Dragon Martial Soul Possession. Absorbing his first soul ring had brought new changes to his appearance. Besides the dragon horns on his forehead and scales on his cheeks and neck, another part of his body had gained a draconic feature: his right hand.

More precisely, his right claw. His right hand had become a dragon claw. Scales covered everything from his right elbow down to his palm, and his five fingers had become thick, powerful talons. Dagger-sharp claws extended from his fingertips, black as obsidian and gleaming with a cold, dark luster.

"Begin," Qin Tianji instructed.

At his words, light flashed in Qin Xu's eyes. His sole soul ring erupted with brilliant light, and the enormous phantom of a dragon's head appeared. Qin Xu sank his breath into his dantian, and a clear, soaring Dragon Roar rang out, directly stirring an invisible wave of air that rolled outward in every direction.

First soul skill, Heaven-Defying Demon Dragon Roar!

The moving Training Dummy instantly faltered and began to stutter. Its joints became extremely stiff, as though rusted. Only after one second did it begin recovering, and it did not fully recover until the third second.

Qin Tianji's eyes lit up at the sight. "Even across two major ranks, it causes at least one second and up to three seconds of stunning! A divine skill!"

Qin Xu was also extremely pleased with the effects of his first soul skill, especially its accompanying strength boost. He could clearly feel the substantial increase in his strength, giving him the urge to rush forward and fight the dummy hand-to-hand.

However, he had a faster means of attack.

He leaned his upper body slightly forward. A stream of energy surged from his throat, and he opened his mouth. A cone of deep, scorching, dark-purple flame gushed out and struck the Training Dummy head-on, immediately knocking it backward.

Darkflame Breath!

The Heaven-Defying Demon Dragon's exclusive dragon breath rapidly compressed darkness energy until it burned as dark-purple flames, then expelled it. Normally, it indiscriminately attacked a cone-shaped area ahead. Under special conditions, it formed a straight line with a longer striking range.

Notably, Darkflame Breath inflicted burning damage on its targets. These were not burns from the fire element, but from the Darkness Element, which clung stubbornly and was difficult to extinguish.

"Dragon breath!" Qin Tianji was quite surprised. He had been regretting that Qin Xu's first soul skill was not dragon breath, only to discover how shallow his understanding had been. The dragon breath of Qin Xu's martial soul did not actually exist in the form of a soul skill. It seemed he still understood far too little of the gap between Royal True Dragons and ordinary true dragons.

When Darkflame Breath ended, the Training Dummy was a rather miserable sight. Dense cracks had appeared across parts of the Level 3 Soul Tool's body. Most of it was scorched black, and dark-purple flames still smoldered on it.

Of course, this was not the result of Darkflame Breath alone, but the combined effects of Heaven-Defying Demon Dragon Roar and Darkflame Breath. Excellent. Truly stunning.

Satisfaction appeared on Qin Xu's handsome young face.

Qin Tianji was also very pleased. He waved his hand, and someone immediately came forward to replace it with a brand-new Training Dummy.

Next, Qin Xu began trying his other means of attack, primarily his dragon claw. The sharp, hard demon dragon claw struck the Training Dummy's metal casing, and the tremendous force made it shake violently. As the claws scraped across it, they produced a grating screech.

Judging by the results, Qin Xu's dragon claw did not yet possess the power to tear apart a Level 3 Soul Tool. However, it could leave clear claw marks on its metal casing. Those white marks were neither particularly deep nor particularly shallow. If the claws struck a human body of the same level, they should be able to tear straight through muscle and bone.

About an hour later, just as lunchtime arrived, Qin Xu ended his practice.

After Qin Xu and Qin Tianji finished eating together, Qin Tianji asked, "Xu'er, would you like to watch the Martial Soul Awakening Conference this afternoon?"

"Sure." Qin Xu immediately became interested. "Great-Grandfather, I'd like to watch Yongdu City's awakening conference first."

"Of course," Qin Tianji agreed.

Since the establishment of the Black Dragon Duchy, the Qin Family had attempted to reclaim the scattered authority over martial soul awakening. First, they established the Martial Soul Bureau directly under the Offering Hall. They then instituted Martial Soul Awakening Day and held Martial Soul Awakening Conferences in the major cities, announcing free martial soul awakening for every citizen of the Black Dragon Duchy.

The Martial Soul Awakening Conference lasted three days. During those three days, anyone over six years old could come to the Awakening Plaza to awaken their martial soul free of charge.

This year marked the third Martial Soul Awakening Day. After two years of the news spreading and taking root, over ninety percent of the Black Dragon Duchy's citizens already knew of this policy. The duchy's reclamation of awakening authority and the widespread availability of martial soul awakening were essentially settled matters.

Most nobles in the Black Dragon Duchy were indifferent. They had always held martial soul awakening ceremonies within their own families, so the duchy's measures did not affect them.

Only a very small number of nobles resented it, because they genuinely relied on martial soul awakening to extract profits and control commoners. The duchy's actions were undoubtedly cutting off their source of wealth.

However, they were too few and too weak to affect the implementation of the duchy's policies. Those who dared stir up trouble had their property confiscated and their entire families exterminated in the first year. The rest either obediently fell in line or moved out of the Black Dragon Duchy.

In fact, establishing Martial Soul Awakening Day had only one very simple purpose: to awaken martial souls for the masses of commoners and increase the overall number of soul masters in the Black Dragon Duchy. Yes, the palace and the Offering Hall had targeted commoners from beginning to end.

Qin Xu's idea was straightforward: bestow favors upon commoners, win their hearts, and root the Qin Family's foundation deeply among them.

As the saying went, whoever won the people's hearts won the world. This held absolutely true in any world. Only by controlling the commoners, who made up the greatest numbers, could the duchy's strength flow without end.

Qin Tianji understood with just a hint. He had never considered these things before because he had felt no need. But now, the Qin Family had transformed their household into a state. If they wanted lasting peace and stability, they had to bind commoners and commoner soul masters firmly to the Qin Family's war chariot.

Nothing could inspire greater gratitude among ordinary people than helping them awaken their martial souls for free.

After all, in this era, the difficulty a commoner faced in awakening a martial soul was even greater than the odds of an ordinary person becoming a soul master!

Awakening a martial soul was an ordinary commoner's only chance to defy heaven and change their fate!

Establishing Martial Soul Awakening Day was only the Black Dragon Duchy's first step in winning over commoner soul masters. Qin Xu and Qin Tianji would not be foolish enough to sew another person's wedding robes, awakening commoners' martial souls only to abandon them afterward.

After martial soul awakening came a series of measures, including soul master academies at various levels, the Soul Master Corps, and noble titles, continually encouraging commoner soul masters to willingly enter the Qin Family's control.

These were all important ways for the duchy and the Qin Family to bestow favors upon the people. They wanted commoner soul masters to understand that they could never fully repay their sovereign's kindness!

Spirit Hall's cautionary example was not far behind them. Both Qin Xu and Qin Tianji kept it firmly in mind.