The instant Tang San spoke, an invisible ripple of soul power spread out from him.
Within a circle fifty meters in radius, everything containing vitality began to "pulse."
Whether it was the wild grass on the ground, the leaves on the trees, Li Hanqiu's released soul power, or even the natural soul power drifting through the air.
Everything was dragged by an invisible force toward Tang San's palm.
The assimilated power condensed into pale blue phantoms of Blue Silver Grass, which swept toward Li Hanqiu in a rustling tangle.
This was Tang San's third soul skill, "Myriad Life Assimilation."
Its effect was to use Blue Silver Grass as a medium to assimilate all vital energy within its range.
Plants, an enemy's released soul power, power generated by martial souls, and even enemy soul skills could all be converted into his own source of life.
Simply put, wherever soul power leaked out, Tang San could use that trace of power to condense phantoms of Blue Silver Grass.
For example, if Soul Master A used a soul skill to form a fireball in their hand, Tang San could assimilate that fireball.
He could convert it into his own source of life, then replace the fireball in Soul Master A's palm with Blue Silver Grass to bind them.
Anything containing soul power, no matter what it was, could be assimilated!
Li Hanqiu's lips curved upward as he chuckled softly.
"Not bad, Little San. Your third soul skill really is terrifying. Few soul masters at your level could rival you."
At those words, Tang San's beautiful eyes trembled slightly, and a flicker of emotion crossed his delicate face. He said softly, "Teacher, I... never mind. Please be careful."
"Hehe, don't worry, Little San. Just give it everything you have." Li Hanqiu raised his right hand. "I can't underestimate you, either. It looks like I'll have to show some real ability."
As Li Hanqiu finished speaking, a pitch-black soul ring slowly rose beneath his feet, radiating an aura that seized the soul.
A Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring!
"Fourth soul skill, Holy Radiance Dragon Armor," Li Hanqiu intoned.
Golden holy light burst from Luo Sanpao, then curled back as though alive, covering Li Hanqiu's entire body.
Pieces of dragon-scale light armor, packed as tightly as fish scales, covered his arms, shoulders, chest, and back.
Holy light flowed across every scale, scorching the Blue Silver Grass phantoms until they hissed and smoked.
"Unfortunately, Little San, my fourth soul skill, Holy Radiance Dragon Armor, doesn't just equip Sanpao with armor. It can cover my body, its host, in dragon armor as well."
Li Hanqiu stepped forward.
When the assimilated grass phantoms touched the Holy Radiance Dragon Armor, they melted away in swathes like snow meeting a red-hot iron.
This was Li Hanqiu's fourth soul skill, Holy Radiance Dragon Armor.
This soul skill came from a Light-Scaled Radiant Armor Dragon with eleven thousand years of cultivation.
It not only broke the usual thousand-year limit for a soul master's fourth soul ring, but was also a soul skill of vital importance to Li Hanqiu himself.
When the soul skill was released, dragon armor covered Sanpao's draconic body from head to tail, greatly increasing its physical and soul power defenses.
Its radiant power could purify negative conditions, and when attacked, it could reflect twenty percent of the impact back at the attacker.
While the dragon armor lasted, it also increased light and lightning damage by thirty-five percent.
Most importantly, the dragon armor worked on Li Hanqiu himself and could cover his physical body as well!
This undoubtedly increased Li Hanqiu's ability to survive tremendously.
"Ah, Teacher, you're cheating! Why are you using a ten-thousand-year soul skill?" Xiao Wu protested, bringing her hands together as a ball of pinkish-white light condensed between her palms.
The light gradually took shape as a little rabbit, round and adorable, yet so hot that the air rippled faintly around it.
"Take my self-created soul skill, Mitu Shockwave!"
She thrust both palms forward.
The rabbit-shaped wave of light shot straight out, trailing a pinkish-white flame as it blasted toward Li Hanqiu's chest.
Li Hanqiu neither dodged nor evaded.
With a slight shift of his will, he raised his hand, and the dragon armor covering him seemed to bathe in holy light.
He lifted his hand and slapped down on the wave of light.
Boom!
The pinkish-white light exploded, shattering into a skyful of stars.
Xiao Wu's eyes widened. "Teacher, why does it feel like your dragon armor's defense has gotten even stronger?"
Li Hanqiu smiled. With Luo Sanpao's bloodline undergoing further transformation, the power of each soul skill naturally received a certain boost as well.
"Little San, Xiao Wu, if you don't start showing your real abilities, you're going to lose."
As he spoke, he spread his arms.
An even darker, deeper black soul ring rose, swaying gently.
"Fifth soul skill, Radiant Dragon Domain."
A vast surge of holy light burst outward from him with a hum.
A golden curtain of light enveloped the entire training ground.
The clouds overhead, the leaves on the trees, and the sand and stones on the ground were all gilded with pale gold.
The omnipresent pressure in the air bore heavily down on the two young disciples' shoulders.
Tang San tried to activate his Blue Silver Grass, only to discover in alarm that the stems became as heavy as lead the instant they left his body.
Xiao Wu wanted to teleport, but found that every step she took consumed twice as much soul power.
"Within this dragon domain, your strength, soul skills, and spiritual power will all be suppressed by me," Li Hanqiu said calmly. "And within the dragon domain, my physical strength..."
He reached out and clenched his hand around empty air.
"Will be on the same level as Luo Sanpao's."
If his fourth soul skill merely addressed the weakness of an external martial soul's host, whose frail body made them vulnerable to enemy decapitation tactics.
Then his fifth soul skill completely resolved the drawbacks of an external martial soul.
When activated, the soul skill spread a dragon-shaped domain of interwoven light and lightning around Li Hanqiu.
Within the domain, the power of his light and lightning increased by fifty percent!
It also exerted draconic pressure on enemies and continuously purified evil influences and negative conditions, making it a domain-type soul skill combining offense and defense.
Special effect:
Within the domain, Li Hanqiu's physical strength became equal to that of his martial soul, Luo Sanpao. Li Hanqiu could also independently use all of Luo Sanpao's soul skills, no longer relying solely on Luo Sanpao to fight.
It was equivalent to the man and his martial soul fighting in tandem, doubling their combat power!
Li Hanqiu slowly closed his eyes. Surging dragon blood roared through his meridians, and he felt an overwhelming, irresistible power flow through every limb and bone.
So this is Sanpao's physical strength?
Li Hanqiu slowly opened his eyes, a pair of golden dragon pupils seeming to flash within them. The next instant, his feet moved, and he vanished from the spot.
Xiao Wu's pupils abruptly contracted.
"Little San, fall back!" Before she could finish speaking.
Li Hanqiu appeared behind Tang San, stopping a knife-hand strike against the back of his neck with precise control, neither too hard nor too soft.
Before Tang San could react, he let out a breathless, muffled grunt.
"Little San, you've lost."
Li Hanqiu turned and took a step toward Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu had only just leaped up when a hand caught her by the back of her collar, leaving her dangling in midair.
"You too, Xiao Wu."
Li Hanqiu released his hand.
Xiao Wu landed back on the ground, her legs giving way as she sank to her knees, panting heavily.
Tang San's legs weakened as well. He braced his hands on his knees, beads of sweat dripping from his chin.
Li Hanqiu withdrew the domain.
The golden light receded like a tide, and the mountain breeze blew in again, cool enough to send a shiver through them. Luo Sanpao swished its tail and slowly returned to his side.
"Mm, obtaining your third soul skills has indeed improved your strength," Li Hanqiu said.
He looked at Xiao Wu first. "Your soul skill has good explosive power, and your soul power is solid. But your landing point after teleporting is too predictable, making it easy for enemies to anticipate.
"Also, the rhythm of your three consecutive kicks is too rigid. If the first kick doesn't gain you an advantage, you can use the force of the next two strikes to move in the opposite direction and create distance. There's no need to clash head-on."
Rubbing her ankle, Xiao Wu pouted. "Teacher, you didn't tell us beforehand that you'd use your fourth and fifth soul skills. You came at us so fiercely right from the start..."
"Heh, who's going to warn you beforehand on a battlefield?"
Li Hanqiu looked at Tang San next. "Little San, the idea behind your second soul skill, Seed Planting, is excellent. Delaying its eruption can catch people completely off guard.
"Your third soul skill, Myriad Life Synchronization, has reached a mature level in both range and control."
He paused. "But your Blue Silver Grass still depends too much on the terrain.
"If this ground were paved with stone instead of dirt, how much speed would your opening Vitality Vine Bind lose?"
Tang San froze briefly, then lowered his head. "You're right, Teacher."
Li Hanqiu's voice softened. "Steady yourselves, both of you. Your performance today passes."
Hearing that, Xiao Wu immediately perked up. "You should have said so sooner, Teacher! You scared me so badly my heart nearly stopped."
She jumped up, stretched her arms and kicked her legs a couple of times, then suddenly sidled up to Luo Sanpao.
"Teacher! There's something I've been holding in for years."
"Go ahead."
"Why is your martial soul still called Luo Sanpao?" Xiao Wu reached out to touch the dragon scales, only to be driven back by a snort from Holy Light Ao.
"It was fine before, but look at it now-so tall and strong, covered in golden scales, and incredibly majestic. The name Luo Sanpao sounds so rustic and lame. Anyone who didn't know better would think you kept some mongrel dog!"
The corner of Li Hanqiu's eye twitched.
"That does seem true. So what are you suggesting?"
"Change it! Change it!" Xiao Wu clapped her hands. "I've already thought of one. Call it... Little Gold! What do you think? It sounds nice and is easy to remember!"
Li Hanqiu rubbed his chin in thought.
"Don't like it? Then call it Fluffy! Look at its fur... oh, wait, it doesn't have fur anymore. Then Golden Bean! So round and roly-poly. How cute!"
Li Hanqiu pressed a hand to his forehead. Xiao Wu, Xiao Wu, those names sound even more like dog names.
"How about Glow! It shines so brightly-what could fit better?" Xiao Wu made a sun-shaped gesture with her hands.
Li Hanqiu smiled and patted Xiao Wu's fluffy head. "Xiao Wu."
"Hmm?"
"These names of yours don't seem to have much to do with its current appearance, do they?"
"How don't they? Golden Bean! Isn't it glittering gold?"
Tang San had been standing quietly beside them, his beautiful eyes fixed on Li Hanqiu.
He looked at Luo Sanpao, then at Li Hanqiu. Only after a long while did he speak softly.
"Teacher."
"Mm."
"How about calling it Holy Light Ao?"
Li Hanqiu's eyes lit up, and he repeated "Holy Light Ao" under his breath.
"A good name, Little San. How did you come up with it?"
Tang San pressed his lips together and said respectfully, "In ancient writing, Ao means dragon. Holy light is precisely Sanpao's-oh, no, Holy Light Ao's-attribute. Wouldn't combining them be fitting?"
Xiao Wu blinked and repeated it. "Holy Light... Ao? It does sound... rather majestic."
Li Hanqiu walked over to Holy Light Ao and patted its lowered head.
"Holy Light Ao, do you like this name?"
Holy Light Ao lifted its head, a brighter dragon cry rumbling from its throat.
"It looks like you really like it." Li Hanqiu turned to his two disciples. "From now on, it's called Holy Light Ao."
Xiao Wu sprang three feet into the air. "Yay! From now on, Teacher will be a dragon and a dog... no, a man and a dragon! You'll look so impressive going out!"
"Then should we add a little rabbit too?" Li Hanqiu teased with a laugh.
The mountain breeze swept past, setting the grass rustling across the ground.
Holy Light Ao stood between the three of them, its golden scales reflecting the setting sun, like a divine beast that had stepped out of a painting.
Tang San raised his head and gazed at Li Hanqiu's profile, gilded by the evening light, his eyes curving into crescents.
"Teacher used my name. I'm so, so happy..."
Before you continue