"And there's more!"
"My level isn't just 21 anymore. I've already reached level 24."
"Level 24?"
At the doorway, Ning Rongrong suddenly widened her beautiful eyes. "Level 24 at six years old? Is she even human?"
Inside the room, Lu Xuan smiled at her words without answering.
"Excellent!"
"Xiao Wu, use both your soul bone skills now, along with the enhancement from your first soul skill, and try attacking me."
Xiao Wu looked thrilled. "Okay!"
The girl immediately activated Martial Soul Possession.
At the same time, pink light shone from her right arm and right leg.
[Right arm soul bone skill: Charge-Up!] [Right leg soul bone skill: Godspeed!]
Both skills had very simple effects. The former increased the damage of her next strike by charging up, while the latter provided a massive movement speed boost.
Of course, the right leg bone's main contribution now wasn't its skill effect, but the strength it gave Xiao Wu's right leg, keeping her from injuring it during an attack.
With the two soul bone skills stacked together, the aura surrounding Xiao Wu abruptly rose to an entirely new level.
Then...
[First soul skill: Explosive Step!]
A third buff!
Xiao Wu really was lucky. The soul bone dropped by Tang Hao had a buff skill, the first soul skill Lu Xuan had instructed her to condense was a buff skill, and the soul bone Ning Fengzhi had sent over was also...
With all three buffs stacked together, Xiao Wu no longer showed any sign of having only just taken human form.
Pink soul power streamed wildly from her entire body, and her hair danced in the wind stirred by that power. She looked downright impressive!
"Teacher, here I come!"
[Second soul skill: Strong Kick!]
As her words fell, the pink figure abruptly charged toward Lu Xuan.
Boom!!!
The girl lashed out with her right leg. Standing roughly 1.2 meters tall, her high kick reached right to Lu Xuan's waist.
Lu Xuan raised his hand to block, and an explosive crack instantly rang through the air!
A moment later...
"How was that, Teacher?"
"Was my kick powerful?"
Lu Xuan nodded.
"Good! Very good!"
"Even a level 30 defensive Soul Elder might not be able to withstand that kick."
"By my conservative estimate, an agility attack or control-type Soul Elder would at least lose all ability to fight after taking it. If they didn't defend in time, they might even die outright."
Lu Xuan released Xiao Wu's right leg, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
It was no exaggeration to say that with those three buffs stacked, the level 24 Xiao Wu really could kill a level 30 Soul Elder with a single kick.
Wasn't this far stronger than something like Waist Bow or Bewitchment?
If she added teleportation later... once she finished charging up, she could teleport straight behind someone and kick them in the waist. Wouldn't that kick them clean in two?
And with Ning Rongrong's support effects added on top...
Tsk, tsk~
"The pity is that it takes too long to get going. The consumption is a problem too."
After praising her, Lu Xuan lightly rubbed his chin with his fingers, looking somewhat regretful.
He looked at Xiao Wu and said:
"Right now, you need to activate your soul bone skills first, then your first soul skill."
"You should know that, in the early stages, all enhancement skills require some buffer time for your body. Even at your fastest, you'll need ten seconds to get going."
"What's more, with all the costs added together, that one strike almost drained all your soul power."
"If you miss, you'll be done for!"
At his words, the joy in Xiao Wu's eyes suddenly dimmed a little.
Seeing even her Titled Douluo teacher Lu Xuan frowning slightly, a hint of distress appeared on her little face too. "Okay~"
It was true!
To pull off that strike just now, she had spent far more than ten seconds charging up.
On a battlefield, an enemy wouldn't give her that opportunity.
Sigh~
Xiao Wu sighed quietly, but Lu Xuan suddenly laughed at the sight.
"What? Why are you sighing?"
Xiao Wu muttered softly, "Didn't you say it takes too long and consumes too much, Teacher~?"
Lu Xuan said:
"That's true, but I never said there wasn't a solution."
"As your body grows stronger, you'll adapt to enhancement skills faster too. Later on, you'll even be able to activate every skill instantly!"
"As for whether your skill will miss..."
"Once you reach level 30, I'll naturally take care of that weakness for you."
"Really?" Xiao Wu's pink eyes lit up again!
Lu Xuan looked at her with a smile. "Of course!"
The instant she received his confirmation, the girl threw herself into Lu Xuan's arms.
"I love you so much, Teacher!"
Feeling the reassuringly real contact of Lu Xuan's embrace, Xiao Wu regained her earlier confidence and joy.
"Wahhh~"
"I finally have a chance to avenge my mother!"
Lu Xuan patted the girl's shoulder, smiling.
"Oh, right!"
"Rongrong, why are you standing at the door? Isn't it cold outside?"
Ning Rongrong said, "..."
Ning Rongrong inwardly rolled her eyes at Lu Xuan and silently entered the room.
Looking at the purple soul ring beneath Xiao Wu's feet, her eyes filled with longing.
"Um... Teacher, can I absorb a thousand-year second soul ring too?"
Lu Xuan turned his head. "Why would a support Soul Master like you absorb a thousand-year second soul ring? Your body wouldn't be able to handle it!"
"Huh?"
"But... but how can Xiao Wu... Sister Xiao Wu do it?"
Lu Xuan said:
"Didn't I already explain? She's a Battle Soul Master, and she has a beast martial soul. Her physical constitution is stronger."
"How could a support Soul Master with a tool martial soul like you possibly absorb a thousand-year second soul ring?"
Lu Xuan truly wasn't playing favorites.
Absorbing a soul ring was a serious matter!
Since Lu Xuan knew that the age of a soul ring a Soul Master could withstand depended on their physical strength, he naturally also knew that tool martial souls and beast martial souls enhanced a Soul Master's constitution to different degrees.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was a tool martial soul, and Ning Rongrong was a support Soul Master. Even with whale rubber, she absolutely couldn't absorb a thousand-year second soul ring.
Although whale rubber deserved some credit for Xiao Wu successfully condensing a thousand-year second soul ring, the greater share belonged to those two soul bones and her powerful constitution after soul beast transformation.
And there was one more crucial point...
Lu Xuan had personally tried Ning Rongrong's idea years ago.
He was also a support Soul Master with a tool martial soul. Back then, he too had wanted to absorb a thousand-year second soul ring and had consumed large quantities of whale rubber for that purpose.
The truth was that whale rubber provided only a very limited increase in physical strength.
From what Lu Xuan could sense at the time, his physical strength simply hadn't reached the standard required to absorb a thousand-year soul ring. At most, he could absorb one around nine hundred years old.
There was no helping it. That was simply how support Soul Masters with tool martial souls were.
So Lu Xuan couldn't possibly let Ning Rongrong absorb a thousand-year second soul ring.
However...
"Teacher, you... you're playing favorites~"
When Lu Xuan refused, Ning Rongrong's beautiful eyes immediately misted over, and she looked so aggrieved that tears were about to fall.
Making a little princess like her stand outside watching the doorway was one thing, but they were both Lu Xuan's students. Why could Xiao Wu absorb a thousand-year second soul ring while she couldn't?
The soul bone in Xiao Wu's leg had even come from her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Girls her age were like that. As a pampered little princess, Ning Rongrong had already done quite well to make it through the entire afternoon without throwing a little tantrum.
Lu Xuan shook his head helplessly, inwardly lamenting how difficult the Little Demoness's temperament was to handle.
But before he could work out how to deal with the situation, a figure suddenly burst through the doorway.
"Teacher Lu, something terrible's happened! Something terrible! Hurry and take a look at the academy gates!"
Before you continue