More Than Half a Year

"Ha ha, we finally have money! Xiao Wu, I'll take you out to buy something tasty tomorrow."

After the transaction was completed, Hu Jiu happily played with the Gold Soul Coins in his hand and generously said to Xiao Wu.

"Okay, okay! I want candied hawthorn, sugar figurines, and I also want..."

In an instant, Xiao Wu had allocated every last coin Hu Jiu had earned.

"No problem." Hu Jiu had always been generous with Xiao Wu and never cared much about money.

That night, as usual, Hu Jiu checked the AFK Panel before going to sleep.

But at that glance, he was so shocked he nearly jumped up.

"One hundred and two years. That's right, it really is one hundred and two years!"

Staring at the Soul Ring Idle Slot hanging high above, Hu Jiu instantly lost his composure.

He had originally thought that his absorption Soul Skill would only increase the Soul Ring Idle Slot's AFK speed by ten percent!

He never expected it to double outright. This was... just too good!

By that calculation, wouldn't it take only a little over a year to raise the Soul Ring into a Thousand-Year Soul Ring?

How much would that increase his cultivation speed by then?

He was looking forward to it!

More than half a year later.

In a remote place, a figure stood with his eyes closed, his expression calm.

Suddenly, the figure opened his mouth. An afterimage faster than lightning flashed past, and a fruit in front of him abruptly vanished.

"Pah! Sour as hell."

That person was Hu Jiu. Over the past half year, he had shot up considerably in height and now looked like a half-grown child.

Today, he had come here alone to test his upgraded External Soul Bone.

His External Soul Bone was his tongue. Before the upgrade, it had been useless, only able to shoot out half a meter in an instant. Its hardness was also poor, and it had virtually no attack power.

But after the upgrade, his tongue could instantly extend five meters. It had also become quite tough, like cowhide, to the point where ordinary blades could not cut it.

Although it still lacked attack power, if necessary, it would definitely be perfect for tying people up.

"Barely acceptable." Hu Jiu gave a flat assessment, though his tone was still full of disdain.

This External Soul Bone had always been something shameful in his eyes. Not because External Soul Bones were precious and he feared someone might steal it, but because he was embarrassed to use it against enemies.

If he were facing a beautiful woman, he might still consider whether to tie her up with his tongue. But what if he encountered a man?

Pah, stop right there!

He had been at Nuoding Academy for more than half a year, and his Soul Power Level had reached Level 20. Other than lacking a Second Soul Ring, he was already a proper Soul Grandmaster.

It was precisely because he had advanced by a major realm that his External Soul Bone had upgraded alongside him.

Other than his own Soul Power Level, his Soul Ring and skills had improved the most.

First was his Soul Ring. After more than half a year of AFK time, its Soul Ring Year Limit had reached five hundred and ninety-six years, making it even stronger than Tang San's First Soul Ring.

At present, he had already surpassed Tang San in terms of Soul Power.

Next was the Soul Power Meditation Method, which had reached Level Seven not long ago, increasing his cultivation speed by sixty percent.

The reason his Soul Power had improved so quickly was also due to the level bonus from the Soul Power Meditation Method.

The Five Senses Strengthening Technique was also at Level Seven. Within five hundred meters, so long as he wished, he could distinguish even the most complex scents. His ears could hear every sound within one kilometer. As for his vision, it had become like a telescope. At its farthest, he could see large objects such as trees from five kilometers away.

Of course, under normal circumstances, unless he was standing somewhere high up, he could not see that far because there were always obstacles in the way.

There was also Touch. Since reaching Level Seven, his sense of touch had vaguely transformed into another kind of miraculous perception. For example, back at the academy, he often sensed an extremely well-hidden yet domineering aura, like a compressed powder keg that would explode at the slightest touch.

There was no need to guess whose aura it was—it belonged to Tang Hao. Other than that super expert secretly protecting Tang San, who else could possess such a domineering aura?

As for Taste, sigh, better not mention it. If Hu Jiu had not sealed that ability during ordinary times, he might have already starved to death.

There was also Soul Power Control, which was currently more than halfway through Level Six. Soul Power Control at this level allowed him to run freely in any environment.

Other than places like volcanic lava fields, which he still did not dare enter, there was nowhere that could hinder him.

The Soul Power inside his body had also allowed him to develop a new trick: Soul Power Turned into Silk. Strands of Soul Power made him just like Spider-Man, and moving up high or down low was no challenge at all.

After turning his Soul Power into silk, his agile movements meant that even Tang San could not catch him in a short time.

The last one, and also the highest-level one, was the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer, Level Eight. The Final Hammer following the eighty-one consecutive strikes could increase his strength by five thousand jin.

This degree of amplification frightened Hu Jiu so much that he did not dare use it.

After all, force worked both ways. He feared that after using the Final Hammer, he might hammer himself out of existence.

Then there was the Golden Finger AFK Panel. In more than half a year, it had unlocked a sixth Idle Slot. Unfortunately, he had no skills to AFK, and two Idle Slots were currently empty—a tremendous waste.

Because of that, he had spent this period playing with balloons, trying to create the Rasengan.

Unfortunately, his Soul Power Control level seemed to be just a little short, and he could never manage to create it.

After sneaking back to the academy, he happened to run into Tang San and Xiao Wu waiting for him.

"Tell me, where did you run off to just now? We couldn't find you anywhere!" The moment they met, Xiao Wu immediately glared at him fiercely, as if he had abandoned her after having his way with her.

"Ah, ha ha, didn't I go buy you something tasty?" Hu Jiu said with a guilty smile as he took out a bag of candy.

"Really?" Xiao Wu gave Hu Jiu a suspicious look, only half believing him.

"By the way, Little San, did you need something from me?" Hu Jiu gave Tang San a meaningful look. At a time like this, he naturally needed his brother's help.

"Mhm. After more than half a year of cultivation, all three of us have reached Level 20. It's time to consider our Second Soul Rings. I came to discuss this with you." Tang San spoke with a smile, helping Hu Jiu out without leaving a trace.

"Then what are you thinking?" Hu Jiu asked.

"I've already discussed the Soul Ring with Master. I've decided to focus on improving the toughness of my Blue Silver Grass, so I'll look for a Soul Beast in that direction." Tang San explained, "I came to ask whether you've decided on your Second Soul Ring."

"My Second Soul Ring?"

Hu Jiu gazed affectionately at Xiao Wu, who was happily eating candy, then smiled calmly. "I'm planning to choose a Metamon as my Second Soul Ring."

"What? Have you lost your mind?" Even Tang San, who was always calm, was shocked into shouting by Hu Jiu's words.

What was a Metamon?

It was the most useless Soul Beast in the Soul Master world. A Metamon with ten years of cultivation was already considered royalty among Metamons. Some even believed that Metamons should not be considered Soul Beasts at all and ought to be removed from the ranks of Soul Beasts.

Even Soul Masters with the lowest cultivation talent would never choose such a Soul Beast as their Soul Ring.

Because not only did it have an extremely low age limit, but more importantly, after absorbing a Metamon, one could only obtain a skill called Transformation. This skill could only make simple changes to one's appearance and was useless for anything else.