A thousand-year first Soul Ring!

A few beads of sweat seeped from Su Yu's forehead and slid down his cheeks.

His lips were pressed tightly together; he was clearly enduring the pressure of the Soul Ring's surging energy.

Even so, the mingling of the Soul Power around him and the purple Soul Ring remained steady, showing no signs of disorder.

Watching his taut profile, Hu Liena felt her heart clench. She hurriedly clasped Bibi Dong's hand, her fingertips trembling slightly, and asked softly:

"Teacher, Brother Su Yu... nothing will happen to him, will it?"

Bibi Dong gently patted the back of her hand to reassure her, her gaze settling on Su Yu.

"No. Xiao Yu's Soul Power fluctuations are very stable, and his Martial Soul's light hasn't dispersed."

"That means he's steadily digesting the Soul Ring's energy. He should finish absorbing this Soul Ring before long."

Her voice was quiet, but it was like a pill to settle the nerves, letting Hu Liena breathe a little easier.

Still, she stared fixedly at Su Yu without blinking, afraid of missing anything.

About another quarter of an hour passed, and the purple Soul Ring before Su Yu gradually dimmed.

Su Yu's eyes snapped open, a streak of blue-violet light flashing through them. Then he slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

"Brother Su Yu!"

Hu Liena immediately cheered and tried to run over, only for Bibi Dong to gently hold her back. He had only just finished absorbing his Soul Ring and still needed a moment to stabilize himself.

Su Yu stood and moved his arms and legs, clearly feeling the power surging within him.

"Teacher, Nana, I did it!"

"Brother Su Yu!"

Bibi Dong released Hu Liena's hand, and Hu Liena threw herself straight at Su Yu.

Su Yu reached out to catch Hu Liena and gently patted her back.

"Brother Su Yu! You're amazing! Your First Soul Ring is a Thousand-Year Soul Ring!"

Bibi Dong also walked over to Su Yu and gently patted his shoulder.

"Xiao Yu, you're the first person in the history of Soul Masters to absorb a Thousand-Year Soul Ring as your First Soul Ring. What's your first Soul Skill?"

Su Yu set Hu Liena down and looked at Bibi Dong.

"Teacher, my First Soul Ring didn't give me a Soul Skill!"

"No Soul Skill? How is that possible?"

Bibi Dong took Su Yu's wrist and carefully examined him.

There's nothing wrong with his physical condition, and his Soul Power has broken through too. But how could he have no Soul Skill?

Bibi Dong released Su Yu's hand and looked at him in puzzlement.

"Xiao Yu, try sensing it carefully again. How could there be no Soul Skill?"

Su Yu manifested his Martial Soul before Bibi Dong, and a purple Soul Ring appeared beneath his feet.

He channeled the Soul Power within him into his sole Soul Ring. It quivered for a moment, then settled.

"How is this possible!"

Bibi Dong felt her understanding being shaken.

He absorbed a Soul Ring, but has no Soul Skill!

Could everything Xiao Yu said before really be true?

He doesn't need to consider the Soul Beast's type when absorbing a Soul Ring, as long as it's old enough!

"Xiao Yu, show me those Wood Release techniques you used before!"

"Yes, Teacher!" Su Yu answered, then rapidly formed hand seals and shouted in a low voice, "Wood Release: Cutting Technique!"

As his words fell, a wooden spike half a meter long instantly formed in his palm.

The blue-violet spike had a lustrous sheen, with fine, closely packed barbs faintly visible on its surface.

It was considerably thicker than the wooden spikes he had used against the Blazing Wind Pig, and looked sharper too.

The next moment, Su Yu flicked his wrist, sending the wooden spike flying like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Clink!

With a crisp sound, the wooden spike embedded itself precisely in the trunk of a large tree nearby.

Immediately afterward, something astonishing happened-the wooden spike grew wildly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Its deep-purple barbs sank deep into the wood, displaying toughness and destructive power far beyond what they had before.

Hu Liena watched, dumbfounded. "Wow! Brother Su Yu, your Wood Release has become so powerful!"

Bibi Dong stepped forward and carefully examined the marks left by Su Yu's Wood Release.

After he absorbed the Soul Ring, the destructive power of his Wood Release had indeed risen by more than a single level.

"Xiao Yu, your Martial Soul is very unusual, but that unusual quality seems beneficial!"

"Xiao Yu, although your Soul Ring didn't directly grant you a new Soul Skill, the strength and destructive power of Wood Release itself have clearly increased."

"Previously, these Wood Release techniques of yours had roughly the destructive power of an ordinary Soul Master's Soul Skills. Now, they seem close to a Soul Grandmaster's level."

"It seems that your Wood Release Martial Soul may continuously amplify its own basic capabilities as you keep cultivating your Soul Power."

"That's completely different from the usual pattern of Soul Beast Soul Rings granting specific Soul Skills. It's very unusual.

"But in that case, I'm afraid your means of attack will have to rely entirely on those Wood Release techniques you created before."

"Without Soul Skills granted by Soul Rings, you may have fewer variations available when dealing with complicated battles.

"Still..." Bibi Dong's tone softened again, a trace of understanding flashing through her eyes.

"Perhaps this is what makes an elemental Martial Soul special. Your Wood Release is more like a kind of 'source power' that can keep growing, rather than being restricted to a few fixed Soul Skills."

"As for whether it has any other traits, such as whether it can develop support or healing abilities, you'll have to slowly explore that yourself."

Su Yu listened attentively and nodded firmly. "I understand, Teacher."

"Even without new Soul Skills, I'll train my existing Wood Release to become stronger!"

Hu Liena chimed in from beside him. "Brother Su Yu's Wood Release was already powerful, and now it's even stronger after he absorbed his Soul Ring. It doesn't matter if he has no new Soul Skill!"

Bibi Dong glanced at the two of them, a faint smile on her lips.

"All right. Since both of you have finished absorbing your Soul Rings, it's time for us to return."

"The road of cultivation ahead is long. You'll have plenty of time to slowly uncover your potential."

Bibi Dong brought the two of them back to Pope Hall.

Time passed quickly, and a month went by in the blink of an eye.

Su Yu and Hu Liena continued to maintain a regular daily routine.

They went to Spirit Hall Academy in the mornings to study theoretical knowledge, then returned to Pope Hall in the afternoons to focus on cultivating Soul Power or sparring.

After a month of honing their abilities, both had made steady gains in Soul Power, and their use of Soul Skills had become increasingly proficient.

That day, Su Yu and Hu Liena had just finished a sparring session and were sitting on the stone steps to rest when a figure appeared before them.

The newcomer was a girl who looked eight or nine years old, dressed in a white-and-gold palace dress with intricate cloud patterns embroidered along its hem.

Her golden hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall. In the sunlight, a few loose strands hung over her smooth forehead, making her little face look all the more exquisite.

Her eyes were an extremely pale purple, like purple jadeite immersed in a clear spring.

"Hey, brats. Are you that woman's disciples?"

The girl folded her arms, a measure of haughtiness in her pale-purple eyes. Her tone was hardly friendly.