As Qi Dao released his soul power, the yellow soul ring above the Ironclad Turtle’s body began moving toward the top of his head.
Before long, it arrived above him.
“Hmm~”
The Wushuang Sword, which had been lying horizontally in front of Qi Dao, suddenly began to hum.
Then, to everyone’s surprise, it flew out of its sheath on its own, floating in midair with its tip pointing downward.
The yellow soul ring Qi Dao had drawn over rapidly contracted and soon wrapped itself around the blade of the Wushuang Sword.
In the next moment, Qi Dao suddenly felt a powerful surge of energy flood into his body, crashing through his meridians and causing a faint stinging sensation.
Qi Dao immediately understood.
Clearly, 600 years was not the current limit his body could withstand.
Meanwhile, Qi Dao’s parents had been closely watching every change in his condition.
Only when they saw that there wasn’t the slightest trace of pain on his face did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.
The others in the Soul Hunting Group were equally astonished.
“Ah Dao is incredible!”
“When I absorbed my 400-year second soul ring back then, I felt some pain.
But Ah Dao is absorbing a 600-year first soul ring as if it’s nothing!”
“That’s why they say the difference between people is sometimes greater than the difference between a person and a dog!”
“Once he gets through this hurdle, Ah Dao’s future will be smooth sailing!”
“Captain, Vice Captain, you’ve raised yourselves a fine son.
You two are going to enjoy the benefits in the future!”
Everyone in the Soul Hunting Group expressed their amazement while subtly flattering Qi Dao’s parents.
They might be partners who hunted soul beasts together on a regular basis, but maintaining good relationships was still important.
Although they hadn’t known Qi Dao for very long, both his knowledge and his talent gave them the feeling that this child was destined to achieve great things in the future.
Naturally, they wanted to strengthen their relationship with his parents while they had the chance.
If Qi Dao truly accomplished something great someday, they might be able to benefit from knowing him as well.
Seeing everyone’s reactions, Qi Dao’s parents couldn’t help but feel proud.
Time passed.
Several hours later, the energy surging from the soul ring still hadn’t posed any threat to Qi Dao.
The rest of the absorption process proceeded smoothly.
Within Qi Dao’s Mind, the Wushuang Sword radiated a faint glow, its blade gleaming coldly.
More importantly, the cracks that had covered the blade had now transformed into intricate, exquisitely carved patterns.
Qi Dao could feel it.
Wushuang was delighted.
Although its current quality couldn’t be considered particularly high, it was absolutely no longer a useless martial soul caused by a malignant mutation.
Clearly, the Ironclad Turtle’s soul ring had made up for the flaw in the Wushuang Sword, allowing it to undergo its first evolution.
Qi Dao slowly opened his eyes, the corners of his lips curling into a faint smile.
“Ah Dao!”
Seeing Qi Dao open his eyes, his father, Qi Mingyuan, cried out happily.
Under everyone’s watchful gazes, Qi Dao stood up and smiled.
“Dad, sorry for making you worry!”
“Hahaha!
As long as you successfully absorbed the soul ring, that’s all that matters!”
“Quick, take a look and see what’s changed about your martial soul!”
At those words, everyone’s eyes turned curiously toward Qi Dao.
The Wushuang Sword had already automatically returned to his body after he finished absorbing the soul ring.
Qi Dao smiled and nodded before releasing the Wushuang Sword once again.
Everyone carefully examined it.
Someone exclaimed, “All the cracks that were originally on the blade have turned into patterns!”
“The flaw in the sword has completely recovered!”
Wang Rou’s eyes reddened slightly.
“It’s recovered.
That’s wonderful!”
Who would dare call her son’s martial soul useless now?
Qi Mingyuan smiled beside her.
“All right.
Since Ah Dao has finished absorbing his first soul ring, we should head back.”
Everyone nodded.
…
After leaving the Hunting Soul Forest, everyone gathered for a meal at a hotel outside the forest before going their separate ways.
On the journey home, Qi Dao examined the changes in his body.
The most obvious change after absorbing his first soul ring was his physical body.
Not only had he grown slightly taller, but the contours of his muscles had also become more pronounced.
It seemed that every time a soul master absorbed a soul ring, their body would undergo another stage of development.
No wonder soul masters on the Douluo Continent matured so early on average.
Aside from that, there was also his soul power level.
Qi Dao could sense that his current level had directly reached rank 13.
Breaking through to rank 13 was undoubtedly a pleasant surprise for Qi Dao.
Otherwise, at his current cultivation speed, he would have needed at least another six months of steady cultivation to reach rank 13.
After returning home, Qi Dao’s parents asked about his first soul skill.
Qi Dao smiled.
“My first soul skill is called Wushuang Sword Body.
It can slightly increase my strength and soul power for a short period of time.
At the same time, my physical defense increases by one hundred percent.”
Qi Dao was quite satisfied with his first soul skill, especially its defensive aspect.
After all, this was a precious percentage-based enhancement!
After hearing the effect, his parents both sucked in a sharp breath.
“Ah Dao, someone could tell us this was a second or even third soul skill, and we’d believe them!”
Qi Dao smiled faintly.
For example, if his base defense were only one hundred, doubling it would only bring it to two hundred.
But if his base defense were one thousand or even ten thousand, then doubling it would naturally provide a much greater benefit.
…
After the new semester began, Qi Dao quietly returned to Nuoding Academy.
Two years earlier, he had already applied for a private dormitory.
He normally didn’t attend classes and instead went to the library alone to read.
The information in books wasn’t necessarily always correct, but it still helped Qi Dao broaden his horizons considerably.
This was also one of the main reasons he continued staying at Nuoding Academy.
To give something back to the academy, he would occasionally act as a teacher and teach the students in his class or pass on some practical combat techniques.
Fourth-Year Dormitory.
When everyone saw Qi Dao appear, they excitedly gathered around him.
“Boss!”
Standing before Qi Dao were several familiar faces.
Xiao Chenyu, Liu Long, and Ling Feng!
The three of them looked several years more mature than before.
Moreover, because Qi Dao had taken the lead, they were much more diligent than in the original story.
Xiao Chenyu currently has the highest soul power level, having already reached rank 8.
Liu Long and Ling Feng were next, both having reached rank 7.
It was expected that all three of them would break through to rank 10 before reaching their sixth year.
Looking at the boys before him, Qi Dao encouraged each of them in turn.
After he left, Liu Long, Ling Feng, and the others watched his departing figure and couldn’t help saying,
“Why does it feel like Boss has changed so much after just one vacation?”
Xiao Chenyu said quietly, “As far as I know, soul masters undergo physical development after absorbing a soul ring.
Xiao Haijie was the same back then.”
The moment he said this, the dormitory exploded.
“What?!”
“You mean Boss has already absorbed his first soul ring?”
“How is that possible?!”
“Didn’t Boss only have half a rank of innate soul power?”
“How did he cultivate faster than us?”
Xiao Chenyu shook his head.
“If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t believe it either.
But if it’s Boss…”
“I somehow feel like everything about it makes perfect sense!”
“Have you forgotten what Boss said before?”
“A true genius will never be held back by their martial soul!”
“Without a doubt, Boss is a true genius!”