Chapter 4: First Soul Skill

Drawn by the pull, the Soul Ring of the thunderclap hellvine began to drift slowly toward Yu Tianyun, and soon it wrapped around Yu Tianyun's body. At that moment, Yu Tianyun felt a violent energy surge from the crown into the body, raging wildly through the limbs and bones. The body involuntarily trembled.

"No matter how fierce the energy impact, you must keep your mind clear; with your physical condition you can easily absorb a six- to seven-hundred-year Soul Ring."

That was the last sentence Yu Tianyun heard from his father, and thereafter Yu Tianyun's consciousness was wholly immersed in the struggle against the Soul Ring's violent power.

The violent energy gradually eased, beginning to wash over Yu Tianyun's body. Yet Yu Tianyun felt a swelling pain throughout and a growing itch. Yu Tianyun knew this was the final moment; persisting would mean successful absorption. After an uncertain amount of time, a crisp cracking sound seemed to be heard, and the rolling hot flow circulated a few rounds before converging in the dantian's qi sea; immediately all abnormal sensations vanished, and the body felt an unprecedented comfort and ease.

Yu Tianyun realized the absorption had succeeded and slowly opened the eyes. The process of absorbing the Soul Ring was extremely painful; it was precisely because of the two years of taking whale gelatin that the physical condition had reached Great Soul Master level, otherwise the energy within the Soul Ring would have burst the body and caused death. Yet after the perfect absorption, the comfort was indescribable, akin to lying in bed after a hot spring soak while smoking a cigarette.

Yu Tianyun rose slowly, the physique now a few degrees more robust than before, height reaching about 1.4 meters, muscles tighter, as if containing thunderous, explosive power. The over six-hundred-year thunderclap hellvine not only granted a massive bodily boost but also bestowed a soul skill that can function even at the Title Douluo realm.

"Tianyun, you have finally become a Soul Master," Yu Xiaofeng laughed. "Tell me quickly, how is it, what soul skill did you obtain? Is it truly powerful?"

"Thunder Dragon Body."

Yu Tianyun summoned the martial soul Blue Electric Tyrannosaur, a lightning sigil of converging thunder and electricity appearing on the forehead, and a deep‑yellow Soul Ring slowly rose from the feet. As the Soul Ring ascended, sparse threads of electricity manifested on Yu Tianyun's body. The overall aura became a few degrees sharper, exuding a hint of danger.

"My first soul skill, I call it Thunder Dragon Body; it is an augmenting soul skill, its specific effect being a fifty‑percent increase to all attributes."

"Hmm, fifty percent is good, hmm? What did you say? All attributes fifty percent?" Yu Xiaofeng was so shocked his jaw nearly fell off.

Yu Xiaofeng's face was full of shock; his third soul skill, Thunder Fury, only increased the lightning attribute by one hundred percent and soul power by fifty percent, yet his son's first soul skill turned out to be a fifty‑percent boost to all attributes! That's truly all attributes! Could it really live up to the thunder god bloodline? To be terrifying just as a first soul skill! After the shock, Yu Xiaofeng began testing Yu Tianyun's soul power. Seeing the crystal ball display a soul power of level 13.5, Yu Xiaofeng thought to himself that with such a potent soul skill effect, the soul power should naturally have such a great increase.

After acquiring the Soul Ring, the two began the return journey, but compared with the hurried rush on the way there, now it was noticeably more relaxed.

Yu Xiaofeng would occasionally ask Yu Tianyun about Soul Beast knowledge, and Yu Tianyun continuously compared the observed Soul Beast appearances with the descriptions in his mind.

In this way, after half a day the two finally emerged from the Star Dou Great Forest, no longer in a rush, and planned to rest for a day in the nearby Soul Hunting Town, returning to the sect the next morning.

The town had no walls; shops lined the streets, offering every kind of merchandise. Yu Tianyun examined closely and found that the shops all dealt in businesses related to Soul Masters—stores selling weapons, armor and shields, antidotes, tonics, Soul Beast meat, and even clothing with dozens of pockets for carrying many items, suitable for Soul Master adventuring. Yu Xiaofeng sighed, "Most ordinary civilian Soul Masters rely on the industry brought by the Star Dou Great Forest—living off the mountain, living off the water. The abundant resources of the Star Dou Great Forest, once obtained by Soul Masters, are traded here nearby, and Soul Masters adventuring in the perilous Star Dou Forest need all sorts of equipment; these shops provide those various services."

Yu Tianyun smiled and nodded, thinking to himself that traveling ten thousand miles surpasses reading ten thousand books; indeed the saying proved true, this outing taught many things that were absent from previous books.

At that moment, Yu Xiaofeng pointed to a seemingly ordinary inn ahead and said, "Let's rest here tonight. We'll return to the sect tomorrow morning."

The town primarily served civilian Soul Masters and had only ordinary inns. The inn was a two‑story building; the ground floor was a simple restaurant, the second floor lodging. The two took adjacent single rooms and then ordered a few dishes in the first‑floor lobby.

Because of its proximity to the Star Dou Great Forest, Soul Beast meat was plentiful here, and the inn's menu was rich, making it somewhat better than inns elsewhere. After the meal, the two went straight upstairs to rest.

In the room, Yu Tianyun sat on the bed and began meditating on soul power; the meditation method he studied was the one developed over generations by the Lan Dian Ba Wang Sect, most suitable for the Blue Electric Tyrannosaur Weapon Soul.

After a full two hours of deep meditation, Yu Tianyun gradually felt a slight tingling along the meridians within his body. This discomfort made Yu Tianyun realize that perhaps the daily meditation limit had been reached. Although Yu Tianyun possessed the exceptional innate full soul power, at present he could only sustain meditation for such a duration.

It is easy to imagine that for Soul Masters with lower innate soul power, their meditation periods would undoubtedly be shorter, and the rate of soul power absorption correspondingly slower. After all, the level of innate soul power fundamentally affects the speed of cultivation.

The innate soul power represents a birth‑given aptitude, its importance self‑evident; it is like an unshakable mountain, solid as rock, steady as Mount Tai, changing it is as hard as scaling the heavens. Yet nothing is absolute; obtaining some extremely rare and precious heavenly materials might offer a sliver of hope.

For example, the legendary immortal herbs grow in scarcely trodden places, drawing the essence of heaven and earth and possessing miraculous effects. If someone is fortunate enough to obtain an immortal herb and ingest it, it could likely break the limits of innate soul power, greatly enhancing one's aptitude.

Moreover, ten‑thousand‑year Soul Rings and soul bones are also rare treasures. One should know that a ten‑thousand‑year Soul Beast is equivalent to the Title Douluo level, its might obvious. The ten‑thousand‑year Soul Ring and soul bone are crystallizations of its entire power, containing endless energy and mysteries. Once someone acquires such treasures and integrates them into their body, not only can their strength be elevated, but the cultivation aptitude represented by innate soul power can undergo a qualitative change.

However, these supreme heavenly materials are encountered by chance, not sought; obtaining them is far from easy. Moreover, even if truly obtained, sufficient luck and strength are required to digest and absorb them, or else the result could be counterproductive, posing great danger. Thus, although innate soul power can be altered by certain means, the difficulty and risk are beyond what ordinary people can bear.

(End of Chapter)