Perhaps because of Ji Yang's honesty, his promises, and his sincerity, Xiao Wu began to grow rather clingy toward him afterward.
Calling them inseparable would not have been an exaggeration!
Although Ji Yang felt Xiao Wu was a little too clingy and was somewhat helpless about it, he usually ended up protesting with his mouth while his body told a different story.
After all, who would truly turn down a sweet-smelling, adorable little white rabbit accessory?
Just like that, more than half a month passed, and Ji Yang and his companions safely covered over half their journey without incident.
That day, after greedily inhaling Ji Yang's scent like a lovesick stalker for half a month, Xiao Wu finally accumulated enough power and began condensing her first Soul Ring.
Since her physical strength had reached the level of a Soul Elder, Xiao Wu successfully condensed a Thousand-Year Soul Ring in just under an hour.
Her Soul Power cultivation also rose from that of a level-ten prospective Soul Master to roughly level thirteen and a half.
That showed just how much condensing a Soul Ring above her usual tier had benefited Xiao Wu.
Otherwise, level eleven should have been the Soul Power Level she reached after condensing her first Soul Ring.
This left Xiao Wu absolutely thrilled.
"Xiao Yang, I'm a level-thirteen Soul Master now!"
Xiao Wu happily hugged Ji Yang, who had been guarding her side all along, sharing her joy with him.
"What about your Soul Skill?"
Ji Yang was happy about Xiao Wu's progress too, but he was more curious about her first Soul Skill.
The reason was simple!
He had offered Xiao Wu some suggestions about her Soul Skills.
Normally, the Soul Skill produced after a Soul Master absorbed a Soul Ring was random, generally linked to the abilities and characteristics of the Soul Beast the ring came from.
Sometimes, however, there were exceptions.
If a Soul Master concentrated on the ability they wanted while absorbing a Soul Ring, its Soul Skill would develop in that direction.
However, the chances of obtaining the corresponding Soul Skill through this method were very low, possibly less than one in twenty.
For Xiao Wu, who had become human through Soul Beast Transformation, things were different.
As long as she wanted it, she had an extremely high chance of developing her desired Soul Skill.
The major Soul Skills she had acquired in the original course of history, for instance, had essentially been shaped by her own wishes and traits.
After learning this from Xiao Wu, Ji Yang offered her some suggestions about her Soul Skills.
In his view, of the nine great Soul Skills Xiao Wu had acquired in the original course of history, few were worth a second look apart from mechanic-based skills such as teleportation, Invincible Golden Body, and intangibility.
They either lacked sufficient power, had overly obvious weaknesses, or simply fell short in their numerical effects.
So he did his best to steer Xiao Wu toward mechanic-based Soul Skills such as teleportation, or enhancement-type Soul Skills.
As for offensive Soul Skills, there would be plenty of time to develop those later.
In fact, it would be fine even if she never awakened an offensive Soul Skill.
He could give Xiao Wu additional Soul Skills through Soul Skill Pills, making up for her lack of offensive abilities.
Although Xiao Wu did not quite understand Ji Yang's choices, she trusted his advice completely and chose to awaken an enhancement-type or mechanic-based Soul Skill.
"Hehe, my first Soul Skill is Instant Kick. Not only does it increase my attack power and speed by thirty-five percent, but it also lets me teleport five meters to deliver a fierce kick."
Xiao Wu hid nothing as she spoke with a giggle.
Her reaction made it clear that she was very satisfied with this Soul Skill.
"That's really good!"
Ji Yang was both surprised and delighted.
It was actually a Soul Skill that combined offense, enhancement, and a special mechanic, even incorporating the teleportation ability of Xiao Wu's third Soul Skill from the original timeline.
Seeing Xiao Wu awaken such a powerful Soul Skill made even him a little envious.
"What about the duration and cost?"
Ji Yang asked about the Soul Skill's limitations.
"The enhancement lasts until my Soul Power runs out. Each teleport-and-attack uses up one-fifth of my Soul Power!"
Xiao Wu thought for a moment before answering.
"Hiss-"
Ji Yang sucked in a breath of cold air, doing his part to warm the Douluo Continent.
Now he was even more envious.
Although his own Soul Skill provided a stronger enhancement than Xiao Wu's, it could only last ten minutes and came with certain restrictions.
As for the cost, since his Soul Skill came from a two-thousand-year Soul Ring, it consumed even more Soul Power, allowing him to use it only four times.
That was already after his total Soul Power had been increased by the Soul Skill's enhancement.
In those two respects, his Soul Skill was actually inferior to Xiao Wu's.
Envious as he was, Ji Yang did not really dwell on it.
It was all because his Soul Power Level was still low and his Soul Ring was not old enough. Once he raised his Soul Power cultivation and his Soul Spirit's age, his Soul Skill's effects would surely surpass Xiao Wu's.
"Spend some time getting familiar with this Soul Skill. If you can teleport continuously without any gaps, you might be able to attack your opponent several times in a single instant."
"Of course, you'd better save that as your finishing move. Otherwise, you won't be able to keep up with the Soul Power consumption."
Ji Yang offered his suggestion.
Once he learned about Xiao Wu's Soul Skill, he had already thought of this move: "Combo Strike."
An instantaneous, enhanced five-hit combo would probably be too much even for a defensive Soul Master of the same level.
"Mm!"
Xiao Wu's eyes lit up at his words. She had thought of the same thing.
If she combined it with her Soft Technique, she might achieve an entirely different effect and catch her opponent off guard.
At that thought, Xiao Wu could hardly wait to find someone to help her test the move.
But soon, something else occurred to her, and she looked at Ji Yang expectantly.
"Xiao Yang, I've condensed my Soul Ring now. Let me try the Soul Spirit Pill!"
Xiao Wu said.
Given her unique circumstances, Ji Yang had previously come up with a theory.
Perhaps she could absorb a Soul Spirit Pill after condensing her Soul Ring and let the Soul Spirit within the pill replace the ring she had condensed, thereby gaining a Soul Spirit of her own.
That was why she was so eager to try.
Ever since learning about Ji Yang's Phoenix Bird Soul Spirit, she had been terribly envious. She would often ask Ji Yang to summon the Phoenix Bird Soul Spirit to play with her, and the two would tumble about together.
If she could have a Soul Spirit of her own-a Soft Bone Rabbit Soul Spirit of the same species as herself, no less-and fight alongside her, she could not have been happier.
Besides, if it really worked, she might even gain an additional Soul Skill.
That made it an opportunity she absolutely could not miss.
"Then let's give it a try!"
Ji Yang nodded.
Although this was only a theory he had come up with, he felt it was quite feasible.
At worst, even if it failed in the end, it would have no effect on her.
The Soul Spirit Pill that entered her body might simply prove impossible to absorb, and she could spit it back out completely unchanged.
It was just like how a Soul Master who had already absorbed a Soul Ring could not absorb another one before entering the next realm.
Even if the final result defied their expectations and brought other complications that endangered Xiao Wu's life.
With his Eight Trigrams Alchemy Furnace Martial Soul, he could always refine Xiao Wu into a Soul Spirit Pill and leave her resurrection and restoration for another day.
That was also why Ji Yang dared to let Xiao Wu perform this experiment.
Before you continue