"Xiao Tian, keep a close watch on the perimeter and guard me."
"Luo, luo-"
Long Qianming adjusted himself to his best condition, sat cross-legged, and circulated the Soul Power within his body, gradually drawing the hovering yellow Soul Ring above his head.
Vast power surged from within the Soul Ring into every limb and bone, continually tearing at the meridians strengthened by his medicinal baths. His broken bones actually began to reshape themselves through the tempering.
"The power of a 650-year-old lesser dragon's Soul Ring is nothing more than this."
Although the impact of that vast power caused Long Qianming extraordinary pain, it remained within what he could endure.
As Long Qianming absorbed it, Xiao Tian, who stood nearby guarding his master, also underwent quiet changes. His black fur grew harder while shrinking shorter, and his entire beastly body slowly grew larger.
The most obvious changes were in his short limbs. All their excess fat disappeared, revealing four extremely sturdy legs dotted with a few dragon scales, while sharp black claws slowly formed.
Although the black Luo Sanpao still had the shape of a pig, he already possessed a few signs of transforming into a dragon.
A day passed, and morning came.
A ray of sunlight shone through the cave entrance. Long Qianming slowly opened his eyes, his heart filled with satisfaction.
"Xiao Tian, come here."
Hearing his master's call, the deeply sleeping Xiao Tian immediately woke and ran toward him, his heavy footfalls echoing clearly within the cave.
Long Qianming stroked Xiao Tian, who had already undergone an initial evolution. His fur felt hard and cold, his legs were thick and strong, and his entire body had nearly tripled in size.
"Feeling it for real really is different. Martial Soul Evolution feels absolutely wonderful."
While absorbing the Soul Ring, he had already been able to watch Luo Sanpao's evolution within his sea of consciousness. Now that he could feel those changes firsthand, it was another experience altogether.
Long Qianming stood up, particularly delighted as he looked at Xiao Tian, who was eager to display his strength.
"First Soul Skill, Space-Rending Claw."
The first yellow Soul Ring around him lit up and, under Long Qianming's guidance, settled around Xiao Tian.
At that moment, Xiao Tian suddenly felt the Soul Power within his body soar, as though he had inexhaustible strength. His limbs rapidly turned insubstantial, and two pairs of enormous dragon claws covered in dragon scales appeared.
"Xiao Tian, smash that boulder ahead!"
Xiao Tian charged at his command, like a young dragon running along the ground. He swung a claw, bringing surging dark Qi crashing toward the boulder.
Boom-
The entire boulder, a meter tall and weighing roughly a ton, cracked, leaving a deep claw mark. Countless stone fragments flew out, striking the cave walls.
In an instant, the cave shook violently. Stones fell from the walls, and sharp stalactites dropped from the ceiling. After that single strike, the entire cave showed faint signs of collapsing.
"Good, good, good! Just what I'd expect from a Soul Ring produced by a lesser dragon Soul Beast!"
That was not all that pleased Long Qianming. Having absorbed a 650-year-old Soul Ring beyond his level, his Soul Power had shot up three levels.
Besides that, the enhancement from his First Soul Skill, Space-Rending Claw, was absurdly powerful, increasing attack and speed by 50%.
But the most crucial and interesting point was that when an External Martial Soul unleashed its First Soul Ring skill, the Soul Master could inherit ten percent of the enhancement from that First Soul Skill for one minute.
When Long Qianming first learned the effects of his First Soul Skill, he had been utterly astonished. But once he thought of the greatest weakness of an External Martial Soul, it seemed reasonable that the Soul Master could inherit part of its Soul Ring skill.
Otherwise, as an External Martial Soul Master developed further, without the assistance of Self-Created Soul Skills, the Soul Master themselves would be left entirely vulnerable to being targeted.
Afterward, Long Qianming walked toward the Nine Netherworlds Devil Tiger's corpse and began cutting apart its flesh piece by piece.
Meanwhile, within the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan...
"Five years. I've finally broken through and can become a Soul Master."
At that moment, more than half the pressure that had weighed on Yu Xiaogang's heart for so long abruptly vanished. He felt more at ease than ever before.
Ever since his younger maternal aunt had borne his father a boy two years ago, his father had grown somewhat distant from him. Yet his favoritism had not diminished, and the clan resources he gave him had increased rather than decreased.
Because his father had always believed in the potential of External Martial Souls, Yu Xiaogang had cultivated diligently so as not to disappoint him, finally achieving a breakthrough at this stage today.
Yu Xiaogang headed happily toward his father's residence. Although many people discussed him along the way, he dismissed their gossip with contempt and looked down on those disciples even more in his heart.
He was a legitimate son, and the first External Martial Soul Master in the clan. With an aptitude of only half a level of Soul Power, he had broken through to level ten, putting in hard work far beyond what ordinary people could compare to.
Besides, what mattered most for a Soul Master was their subsequent development and their Soul Ring skills, and his External Martial Soul was destined to be as powerful as a Soul Beast.
There are no trash Martial Souls, only trash Soul Masters. Every one of them spends all day blaming heaven and others, pinning every unfair thing on me. Why don't they look for the reasons in themselves?
Holding Luo Sanpao, Yu Xiaogang said with great confidence,
"Luo Luo, once I tell Father the good news that I've broken through to level ten and get you your First Soul Ring, let's see who still dares look down on us."
"Yu Qianming, having left the clan, you'll only become an ordinary person, while I'm destined to become a powerful Soul Master."
As he spoke, Yu Xiaogang held a piece of lesser dragon Soul Beast meat before Luo Sanpao and let him gnaw on it.
Although Luo Sanpao was somewhat resistant to this kind of Soul Beast meat, he had eaten it for three years and had grown accustomed to it.
Suddenly, his stomach churned like overturning rivers and seas. Seeing this, Yu Xiaogang hurriedly put him down and took two quick steps forward.
Pfft-
A soft fart popped out. Although it was colorless and loud, a faint stench could still be smelled within five meters.
Yu Xiaogang was used to this. After all, people farted, and Soul Beasts farted, so it was perfectly reasonable for his External Martial Soul to fart too.
Moreover, in his research on Luo Sanpao, he had discovered that his farts could also induce farting and drive away enemies, which amounted to obtaining an extra skill in advance.
Before long, Yu Xiaogang pushed open the clan master's door with excitement on his face. Seeing Yu Yuanzhen playing with his younger brother, Yu Xiaolie, he felt jealous, but still smiled as he said,
"Father, my Soul Power has broken through to level ten."
"Oh! Reaching level ten in five years. Not bad."
Yu Yuanzhen's tone was rather flat. Although he was somewhat surprised, it still failed to stir much emotion in him.
After all, his eldest son, Yu Xiaogang, consumed two to three times as many cultivation resources as others. If he still failed to make a breakthrough within five years, that would mean External Martial Souls truly were trash Martial Souls, and Xiaogang was trash among trash.
Fortunately, Xiaogang had not disappointed him as his father.
"Good. When you were three, I already selected a Thunder Dragon of excellent quality for you. It's being held in the Soul Beast prison now. Come with me."
"Yes, Father."
Before long, the two arrived at the Soul Beast prison. As they ventured deeper inside, the sounds of countless sleeping Soul Beasts rose around them. Looking out, there were quite a few lesser-dragon-attribute Soul Beasts three or four hundred years old.
Although the Soul Saint responsible for guarding the prison, who accompanied them, felt some dissatisfaction toward Yu Xiaogang, he was the clan master's son, after all. With the clan master right beside him, the guard could not say anything offensive.
"Clan Master, that Thunder Dragon Beast has just taken its medicine and is fast asleep. All it needs now is a stab, and its Soul Ring will belong to the young clan master."
Yu Yuanzhen nodded slightly, expressing satisfaction with the care the Thunder Dragon Beast before him had received. Then he played with Yu Xiaolie for a moment and said,
"Xiaogang, take this dagger and stab the Thunder Dragon in the neck. Its Soul Ring will be yours."
Yu Xiaogang took the dagger handed to him, walked resolutely inside, and drove it hard into the Thunder Dragon Beast's body. The Thunder Dragon struggled a few times, and as scarlet beast blood flowed out, a yellow Soul Ring surrounded by a few arcs of lightning emerged.