Just as the three education committee members were talking with Lin Yan, Shi Mo, who was the first to absorb the Soul Ring, suddenly felt his aura surge, and the deep Purple Soul Ring seemed to disappear into his body.
A moment later, he slowly opened his eyes, a flash of light appearing in his pupils, and the aura emanating from his body was far more powerful than before.
" Shi Mo, how do you feel? What Soul Skill did you acquire?" Meng Shenji asked eagerly, his eyes full of anticipation.
Shi Mo stood up, stretched his limbs, and a barely concealed excited smile appeared on his face, "Reporting to the Chief, I feel more exhilarated than ever before! My Soul Power surged to level forty-two in one go, and the flow of Soul Power within my body is more solid, as if every bit of power has been compressed to its limit."
He clenched his fist, and a deep, muffled sound echoed in the air. "My Fourth Soul Skill summons a crystalline protective layer, similar to Crystal-Armored Earth Dragon, on top of the existing tortoise-shell defense. This not only greatly enhances our defensive capabilities but also allows us to convert some of the impact into recoil when subjected to powerful attacks, creating shockwaves to counterattack the enemy. I call it ' Crystal Armor Mystic Heavy Shock '."
"What a brilliant ' Crystal Armor Mystic Heavy Shock '! It combines offense and defense, with both control and counter-attack capabilities!" Commissioner Bai Baoshan clapped his hands in admiration. "This Soul Skill is not only suitable for a front-line warrior like you, but it can also play a crucial role in team battles. Once the enemy focuses their fire on you, they might actually be knocked back and have their rhythm disrupted by your shock."
"That's a good name for the skill!" Sun Buyu remarked from the side.
After hearing this, Shi Mo scratched his head and grinned foolishly, instantly lightening the atmosphere.
As soon as he finished speaking, a blue light emanated from Yu Feng, who was not far away. The Wind Chime Bird flapped its wings and circled behind him, and the air around him whistled and swirled, having already absorbed the energy.
He suddenly opened his eyes, a confident smile playing on his lips, and then darted to everyone's side. " Teacher Sun, the three professors!"
"Tell me, what is your Soul Skill?" Meng Shenji asked.
"I've named it ' Azure Shadow Space-Rending Flash '!"
As he spoke, he flashed and instantly transformed into a blue afterimage, leaving several intersecting trails in his wake. Each trail was accompanied by sharp wind blades tearing through the air, making a hissing sound. Several withered leaves were caught in the trails and instantly turned into powder.
"Beautiful!" Sun Buyu help but exclaim. " Teleportation combined with long-range attacks—it can both rush in for assassinations and disrupt formations. It's simply the perfect combination of an assassin and a roaming position!"
"Not only that," Yu Feng said smugly, tossing his hair after landing, "This skill has a short cooldown and won't consume too much Soul Power even with continuous use, making it perfect for prolonged battles and guerrilla tactics."
"Very good." Meng Shenji nodded. "Your speed is already an advantage, and now with this high-mobility skill, it will be difficult for the enemy to catch you."
Just then, a figure appeared behind them, startling them. Upon closer inspection, it was indeed Osler.
"You... can you please not just suddenly appear like this?" Shi Mo patted his chest and smiled wryly.
Osler's lips curled into a slight smile, his eyes cold and stern. "This is my Fourth Soul Skill — Shadow Assault. After absorbing the Shadow Leopard's Soul Ring, my control over shadows has reached a new level," he said. "Using this Soul Skill, I can use shadows to Teleportation short distances within a ten-meter radius, and my next attack will have armor-piercing and tearing effects. If it hits a vital point, it can even cause temporary paralysis."
"A one-hit kill type?" Lin Yan pondered.
"Exactly." Osler's gaze was sharp as a knife. "With this skill, I will become the deadliest dagger on the battlefield."
The group exchanged glances, all seeing shock and admiration in each other's eyes.
Then, a gentle light flowed around Ye Lingling, like the morning sun shining on a lake. She slowly opened her eyes, surrounded by a faint halo of holiness, like a fairy untouched by the world.
No one had high expectations for Ye Lingling's Soul Skill, because no matter what Soul Ring were attached to Ye Lingling Martial Soul, she only had one Soul Skill: a wide-area healing effect on all enemies.
However, Lin Yan still asked, " Lingling, what is your Fourth Soul Skill?"
"Brother Ye, you don't know this, but no matter how many Martial Soul rings are added to Lingling's Soul Ring, she only has one Soul Skill," Yu Feng chimed in. "So you don't need to ask me to know."
Lin Yan didn't have a chance to Yu Feng, but instead looked at Ye Lingling.
Ye Lingling's voice was gentle. "My Fourth Soul Skill, I call it ' Jade Shadow Spirit Shield '."
Her Fourth Soul Ring lit up, and she raised her hand, a soft green light condensing in her palm. It then spread into a semi-transparent green light screen, enveloping a three-meter radius around them. As the light screen fell, a semi-transparent green shield covered everyone, and they could clearly feel the activity of life force. If they were injured at this moment, it would manifest as the recovery of life force, and the intensity of this recovery was even greater than she had felt before.
"Do you want to try attacking this shield?" Ye Lingling asked.
"I'll do it!" Osler said, and attacked Yu Feng with a claw.
Before Yu Feng could react, he hurriedly raised his hand to block, only to find that Osler's attack hadn't hit him at all, but had been blocked by the shield.
"This shield can currently withstand the strongest attack from a level 42 Power Attack System Battle Soul Ancestor. It can protect teammates during the life recovery period, and of course, it can also be applied to myself to prevent me from being attacked. Furthermore, the shield's protective ability can be increased as my Soul Power Level increases," Ye Lingling explained.
"Incredible, incredible!" Meng Shenji, the Education Commissioner, exclaimed in amazement. "Now, the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul can also acquire other Soul Skill?"
"No, Lingling is an exception!" Jinwan explained, "After taking the ' Lovesick Heartbreak Red,' Lingling's Martial Soul Evolution. If you look closely, you'll see that Lingling's Nine Heart Begonia no longer has nine stamens in the center, but ten."
Only after Lin Yan said this did everyone notice that Ye Lingling's Nine Heart Begonia indeed had ten stamens in the center.
"This, this, this..." Teacher Sun Buyu's voice trembled with excitement, " Nine Heart Begonia, no, it should be Ten Heart Begonia now! Once this Martial Soul can be imbued with other Soul Skill, it will become the number one support Martial Soul on the entire continent, even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda will have to take a backseat. Such a support is enough to change the course of a battle!"
"That's right." Meng Shenji said solemnly, "With Ye Lingling's ' Jade Shadow Spirit Shield,' our Imperial Fighting Team's overall endurance and survivability have jumped to a whole new level. Moreover, we can develop more tactics, giving us an extra layer of advantage in this competition."
While everyone was still excited, Dugu Yan had already finished absorbing the Soul Ring.
As soon as Dugu Yan woke up, she couldn't wait to show off her Soul Skill. She gently exhaled, and a ring of colorful mist appeared in the air, quickly spreading out, causing the nearby plants to wither and change color instantly.
"This is... poisonous miasma?" Bai Baoshan frowned and quickly took a step back.
"Don't worry, this is just Simulation release." Dugu Yan withdrew her aura, a dangerous smile playing on her lips. "My Fourth Soul Skill, ' Jade Phosphorous Seven-Colored Poison Miasma,' combines the corrosive and nerve-numbing properties of Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison with the hallucinogenic abilities of the Seven-Colored Illusion Python. Once activated, the entire area will become a nightmare for the enemy—they will not only be poisoned and slowed down, but they will also fall into hallucinations, seeing their greatest fears, and even turning on each other."
"Control, damage, and disruption all in one..." Lin Yan commented softly, "This Soul Skill is pretty good."
Now only Shi Mo remains to hunt down the last Soul Beast. With the Soul Ring entering his body, he finally finished absorbing the Soul Ring of the Mountain-Shaking Rhinoceros. After absorbing the Soul Ring, Shi Mo's body became even more robust, like a moving small mountain.
Seeing the eyes of everyone looking at him, he immediately understood what everyone was thinking. He smiled honestly and said, "My fourth soul skill is 'Shaking Mountains and Trampling'."
Having said that, he suddenly stomped his foot on the ground!
Boom--!
The ground shook violently, cracks spread outwards in a spiderweb pattern, and rubble within a five-meter radius was thrown into the air and then blown away by the shockwave. Everyone lost their footing and used their Soul Power to steady themselves.
"Such a powerful energy fluctuation!" Sun Buyu exclaimed. "This isn't just a physical impact; it also has an area-of-effect slowing and brief stun effect. It's practically a crowd control godsend!"
"Hehe," Shi Mo Mill chuckled, scratching his head, "I always felt I lacked a control skill, but now I've finally filled that gap. Although I'm not as agile as Osler, nor as fast as Yu Feng, with this kick, anyone who comes will stagger!"
"Hahaha, good! Good! Good!" Meng Shenji laughed heartily, " The Soul Skill that each of you has obtained are not ordinary Fourth Soul Ring skills, but top-grade Soul Skill with the potential to surpass your level!"
He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "I believe that at the Continental Elite Tournament of Advanced Soul Master Academy, you will all make a name for yourselves, and in the future, you will even reach the pinnacle of Soul Master... I believe that you will ultimately become the most dazzling existence on this continent! You..."
"Alright, alright, stop reminiscing," Bai Baoshan interrupted. "This place is no place to linger. Let's leave the mixed zone, find a safe place to rest, and then return to the academy."