Only when the sun was high overhead did Ma Hongjun and Tang San finish absorbing their Soul Rings, one after the other.
A Thousand-Year Soul Ring really was no easy thing to absorb.
A drop of blood trickled from the corner of Ma Hongjun's mouth. He had almost thought he was going to die.
Fortunately, the cultivation method he had gleaned from the Dharma Sutra, along with the motivation Tang San had given him, had helped him endure.
He had obtained a thousand-year Second Soul Ring.
"Are you all right?"
Tang San walked over and used his right hand to heal the internal injuries Ma Hongjun had suffered while absorbing the Soul Ring, helping settle the turbulent energy within him.
The Healing Jade Right Arm Bone's Soul Skill, Healing Touch, had a simple, direct ability: it healed whatever it touched.
"Of course! Before Grandpa Hongjun's Flame Phoenix Astral Energy, that little sparrow could only tuck its balls away!"
Flame Phoenix Astral Energy was a cultivation method Ma Hongjun had gleaned from the Dharma Sutra under Tang San's guidance.
It allowed him to better unleash his Martial Soul's power while strengthening both offense and defense.
"Then what Soul Skill did you get from that Blazing Feather Sparrow?"
At Tang San's question, Ma Hongjun gave a mysterious smile. "Hehe, it certainly lives up to being a Thousand-Year Soul Ring."
"My Second Soul Ring is called Scarlet Feather Phoenix. It ignites my wings and boosts all my attributes by fifty percent."
"If I activate it fully, my speed and the aggressiveness of my flames increase by seventy percent."
"But it consumes a huge amount of Soul Power. With the initial activation, I can probably keep it going for half a day."
"Fully activated, though, it only lasts ten minutes."
"A two-stage Soul Skill? That's quite rare."
Grandmaster spoke up then. "Hongjun, release your second Soul Skill and let us have a look."
"All right."
Ma Hongjun stood and released his Martial Soul. Tang San's Healing Touch had quickly restored him to peak condition.
After Martial Soul Possession, Ma Hongjun no longer looked as comical as before. The wings beneath his arms had grown fuller, and the Evil Fire surrounding him had gained a sharper edge.
Second Soul Skill, Scarlet Feather Phoenix!
At once, flames engulfed Ma Hongjun's entire body, blazing at the tips of his wings and his rooster... phoenix crest.
"Ohhh! My strength is growing!"
With a loud shout, Ma Hongjun took the Phoenix Emperor off his back and pointed it straight at Tang San.
"Third Brother, let's show Grandmaster our thousand-year Soul Skills in actual combat!"
As he spoke, Ma Hongjun charged straight at Tang San, moving even faster than before.
"Come on."
Tang San took his stance as well, his palms looking as though they had been coated in blue-silver jade.
The Blue Silver Grass at his feet was much more luxuriant than before, and it held up better against Ma Hongjun's flames.
On closer inspection, it had a texture reminiscent of a Dewdrop Spirit Clam's shell.
Facing Ma Hongjun's fierce assault, Tang San fought as he retreated, occasionally injecting vitality and Soul Power into a few strands of Blue Silver Grass, turning them into sharp swords and throwing them.
But the Phoenix Emperor blocked every one.
Ma Hongjun's expression grew grave. Tang San was as troublesome as ever.
And after obtaining his Second Soul Ring, he had grown even stronger.
Ma Hongjun had never seen this Blue Silver Sharp Sword move before.
Although his flames countered Tang San, his opponent's endlessly shifting moves left Ma Hongjun feeling increasingly stifled as they fought.
If he felt stifled, then he had to let it out!
Holding his enormous axe, Ma Hongjun unleashed Forcefully Split Mount Hua.
The axe blade swept toward Tang San with flames trailing behind it. Before it even reached him, he felt a wave of heat rush into his face.
He immediately leaped backward, narrowly avoiding the blow.
But when the Phoenix Emperor struck the ground, the Evil Fire upon it burst outward.
Tang San sprang into the air, avoiding the onslaught of flames.
"Now's my chance!"
Seeing that Tang San had nowhere to dodge in midair, Ma Hongjun immediately fired a Phoenix Fire Line at him.
Tang San narrowed his eyes slightly and gathered Soul Power in both hands. At last, his Second Soul Ring lit up.
Then a gentle flow of Soul Power gathered at the tips of all ten fingers, like drops of morning dew, and Tang San flung them out.
The droplets blocked the Phoenix Fire Line, releasing a cloud of steam.
Tang San used that opening to evade Ma Hongjun's attack once more.
"Holy shit!"
Ma Hongjun swore. What the hell was that second Soul Skill?
Having forced Tang San to reveal his second Soul Skill, Ma Hongjun immediately stopped. Dragging this out would do him no good.
Tang San's Soul Power seemed inexhaustible. Fighting a battle of attrition against him was simply courting death.
"Third Brother, what Soul Skill is that?"
Ma Hongjun put away the Phoenix Emperor and asked Tang San.
"Blue Silver Dewdrop. It condenses Soul Power into dewdrops. Swallowing them produces a purifying and detoxifying effect, and they can also be thrown out to restrain an opponent, like I just did."
"Incidentally, I've discovered that I can control the effects of these dewdrops."
Tang San chuckled, then demonstrated.
This time, the dewdrop he condensed was emerald green and brimming with vitality.
"This is made using the life energy from my right arm bone. It doesn't purify or detoxify, but it can heal injuries."
"If I deliberately block the Soul Ring's added effects and use only Soul Power, I can condense dewdrops that restore Soul Power."
"The effects of these dewdrops can also grow along with my cultivation."
"Xiao San, how long can these dewdrops be stored?"
Unable to conceal his astonishment, Grandmaster asked Tang San.
"With proper storage, they can last a very long time. Gold and gemstones are best; in those, they last almost indefinitely. Silver and glass come next, but they still last several years. Other materials can only preserve them for three months at most. After that, their effects begin to fade."
"Damn! Third Brother, are you switching careers to become a food-type Soul Master?"
Ma Hongjun's mouth hung open as well. Even he understood how heaven-defying this Soul Skill was, let alone Grandmaster.
Grandmaster was even more astonished that Tang San had developed his Soul Skill to this extent in such a short time.
"No, I intend to become an all-round Soul Master. That will give me more options and let me adapt to more environments."
Tang San stated his goal as a Soul Master. Blue Silver Grass was extraordinarily malleable. Though its foundation was weak, nourishing it with vitality had expanded what he could accomplish.
Later, he also intended to add some Soul Skills geared toward power attacks to make up for his lack of offensive output.
"It seems our smithy will have to expand its business."
Grandmaster spoke, having already seen the business opportunity in Tang San's Blue Silver Dewdrop.
As the saying went, cultivation had four essentials: wealth, companions, methods, and a place to cultivate. Wealth came first.
That wealth meant not only money, but also all sorts of heavenly treasures and medicines. Yet heavenly treasures depended on luck, while medicines still required money to purchase.
Money was also needed to smooth the way in certain places.
Although smithing brought in a fair amount, it was only enough to cover their needs. After all, purchasing metal was another expense.
Blue Silver Dewdrop, however, could be made using nothing but Tang San's own Soul Power. It was practically a business requiring no capital.
Of course, they could not attend to one thing only to neglect another. They were earning money to cultivate better, not to become rich.
"Our trip to the Star Dou Great Forest has ended successfully. Let's head back to town."
"Hooray!" Ma Hongjun jumped up excitedly. At last, he could sleep in a proper bed.
As for that other matter, all his strenuous cultivation lately had been no joke.
Ma Hongjun could now keep those desires confined to his mouth, channeling more of them into eating.
The three then prepared the sparrow and the spirit clam, treating themselves to a lavish meal.
"Teacher, where are we going next?"
"Hmm... Suotuo City for now, but let's take our time."
Tang San, ten years old, Soul Power level twenty-two.
Ma Hongjun, ten years old, Soul Power level twenty-one.
Before you continue