24: C24 First Soul Skill:
“Hurry and begin.
I hope everything goes smoothly for you.”
Sisi gave her final instruction.
Wang Teng drew a short spear from his waist—this weapon, specially forged before the soul hunting expedition, had finally found its purpose.
He aimed at the Gale Steed’s neck and thrust down steadily and firmly.
“Pfft—”
Blood gushed out, splashing onto his cheek.
Without bothering to wipe it off, Wang Teng immediately sat cross-legged and entered a meditative state.
His internal soul power and the yellow soul ring rising from the Gale Steed attracted each other.
The soul ring drifted over slowly and finally settled above his head.
Vast energy surged into his body through his martial soul.
Wang Teng had expected absorbing this four-hundred-and-ten-year soul ring to be extremely difficult, but to his surprise, once that surging soul power entered the “Blast Spinning Top” martial soul, it quickly became docile and gentle.
The energy from the soul ring passed through his martial soul, entered his body, and finally merged into his dantian.
“It’s going this smoothly…”
Wang Teng felt a slight surprise, then immediately thought of his golden finger—the talent generated by allocating points on his panel: “Blast Warrior.”
Perhaps it was this talent that made the soul ring absorption process significantly easier.
Outside, Su Yuntao, Sisi, and her brother all showed looks of surprise upon seeing Wang Teng absorb the soul ring so steadily.
“It’s actually going this smoothly?”
Sisi asked with a puzzled frown.
“It’s probably because of his special martial soul.”
Su Yuntao, who had been the one to awaken Wang Teng’s martial soul, stroked his chin thoughtfully and analyzed, “Wang Teng’s spinning top martial soul is already a mutated one, and it has specific requirements for soul beast types.
Likely, the compatibility between his martial soul and the soul beast is what allowed him to absorb the soul ring so easily.”
“That makes sense.”
Sisi nodded in agreement.
In the following time, Wang Teng focused on absorbing the soul ring on the grassland while the others waited nearby.
There were no dangers around the ranch, so they didn’t need to stay on high alert.
They chatted leisurely, occasionally glancing toward Wang Teng.
An hour later, Wang Teng’s soul power fluctuations gradually settled.
He opened his eyes and slowly exhaled.
Wang Teng’s first soul ring absorption was a success.
His soul power had now broken through to level twelve.
“Wang Teng, congratulations!
Your soul power actually jumped all the way to level twelve.”
Su Yuntao, sensing the aura emanating from Wang Teng, immediately offered his congratulations with a smile.
“Haha, thank you, Brother Tao!
And thank you, Sister Sisi!”
Having successfully absorbed his first soul ring, Wang Teng’s heart was filled with joy, and his laughter was especially hearty.
“Don’t just focus on being happy.”
Sisi urged from the side.
“Show us—now that you’ve absorbed such a high-year Gale Steed, what changes have occurred in your martial soul?”
“Alright, no problem, but first wait—let me check if a soul bone dropped.”
Wang Teng motioned for Sisi to be patient, then took a dagger from Wang Sheng, crouched down, and carefully examined the Gale Steed’s corpse.
After a moment, he wiped the grime from his hands and said with slight regret, “Looks like there’s no soul bone.”
“What are you thinking—soul bones don’t drop that easily!”
Sisi rolled her eyes and retorted.
“Besides, this is the Heaven Dou Horse Ranch.”
“Even if a soul bone did appear, do you think they’d let you take it out?”
“Fair point…”
Wang Teng rubbed his nose and smiled.
“Then let’s take a look at the changes to the martial soul first.”
With that, he extended his right hand—a faint silver light flickered in his palm, and the silver-white spinning top martial soul slowly emerged.
“It looks…
like there’s not much change?”
Su Yuntao, who had seen Wang Teng’s martial soul before, studied it closely and didn’t immediately notice any significant difference.
“There’s actually a big change!
Look, it’s gotten a lot bigger, and its weight has increased too.”
Wang Teng weighed the spinning top in his palm and said seriously.
Previously, his Blast Spinning Top martial soul had been only half a fist in size, looking no different from a child’s toy at first glance.
Now, the spinning top had more than doubled in volume, almost matching his entire palm.
Holding it in his hand, Wang Teng could clearly feel that its weight had increased considerably.
After a short while, he already felt some strain.
“Besides size and weight, are there any other changes?”
Sisi pressed.
“Huh?
Wang Sheng, who had been quietly observing, suddenly spoke up.
He was facing the top of the spinning top and pointed at it.
“Look here—on the top, there seems to be a mark.”
“Oh?”
Reminded by Wang Sheng, Wang Teng quickly turned the spinning top around, making the top face upward.
Now the true change in the martial soul was fully revealed.
The top of the spinning top had originally been a smooth, bare silver-white metal surface.
Now, at the center of the top, an exquisitely lifelike pattern had appeared.
It was a silhouette of a galloping horse, its entire body a deep cyan color, with only its mane a vivid reddish-brown, its lines flowing and full of spirit.
“This shape…
bears some resemblance to that Gale Steed soul beast.”
Su Yuntao looked back at the lifeless corpse on the ground, then compared it to the pattern on the spinning top.
“Yes, it’s definitely the Gale Steed’s likeness.”
Wang Teng confirmed after careful identification.
“Oh, little brother, what’s your first soul skill?”
Wang Sheng asked, unable to contain his curiosity.
“Step back a bit.
I’ll try it out right now.”
Wang Teng himself was equally eager to test it.
The others stepped back several paces, leaving an open area.
Wang Teng focused his mind, raised his hand, and threw the martial soul forward.
“Blast Spinning Top, go!”
The spinning top began spinning at high speed in midair, emitting a faint hum.
After landing, it didn’t stay in place but instead raced rapidly across the grass.
Its swiftly rotating edge was incredibly sharp—wherever it passed, grass stems were cleanly severed, sending up fine bits of grass.
“It seems that besides becoming bigger and heavier, the spinning top’s rotation speed and cutting power have also increased considerably.”
Wang Teng observed his martial soul’s movements on the ground and analyzed.
“Wang Teng, hurry up and show us.
Later, I’ll treat you to the ranch’s specialty—roasted horse meat.”
“I’m starving after all this.”
Sisi urged from the side, a hint of laughter in her voice.
“Alright, here it comes.”
“First Soul Skill: Gale Divine Steed Spinning Top!”
“Come out!”
Wang Teng let out a low shout, channeling his soul power.
A flash of cyan light appeared on the spinning silver-white spinning top.
Then, a deep cyan phantom separated from it, rapidly solidifying into another independent spinning top!
This newly appeared spinning top was entirely deep cyan, with only a striking ring of red patterns encircling its top.
The two spinning tops—one cyan, one white—stood side by side, emanating distinctly different auras.
“Hmm?
This is…
a clone-type soul skill?”
Su Yuntao had expected that absorbing a speed-focused soul beast like the Gale Steed would yield a speed amplification skill.
But what Wang Teng had just demonstrated was a clone-type skill.
So Su Yuntao raised an eyebrow in slight surprise.
“It is a clone skill, but not entirely a clone skill.”
Wang Teng explained.
“What do you mean?”
Su Yuntao pressed.
“Let me show you!”
Wang Teng didn’t directly demonstrate further.
Instead, he closed his eyes, focusing his mind, and carefully sensed the details of his first soul skill.
After a moment, he opened his eyes with a knowing smile.
“This newly formed spinning top—I call it the ‘Gale Divine Steed Spinning Top.'”
“Its speed is much faster than my original martial soul spinning top.”
Then he pointed at the deep cyan spinning top and continued, “And this Gale Divine Steed Spinning Top also has its own attack skill.”
“Oh?
It has a skill of its own?”
Su Yuntao asked in surprise.
“Gale Divine Steed Spinning Top, go!”
Wang Teng continued his demonstration.
With a thought, the deep cyan spinning top shot forward instantly, targeting the Gale Steed’s corpse nearby.
It left a faint cyan trail in the air, reaching its target in the blink of an eye.
“Finishing Move: Phantom Wind Chase!”
Wang Teng shouted.
Before the words had faded, the racing Gale Divine Steed Spinning Top suddenly blazed with cyan light, its speed skyrocketing even further from its already incredible pace!
“Secondary clone?
No…
it’s moving so fast that after turning, it leaves afterimages!”
Su Yuntao’s sharp eyes remained locked on the spinning top’s trajectory.
He noticed that after the second acceleration, its movement path became erratic.
The spinning top zigzagged across the grass at high speed, leaving a series of clear but fleeting cyan afterimages.
To the onlookers, it appeared as if there were multiple spinning top clones on the field.
“Szzz—crack!”
The harsh sounds of cutting rang out in succession.
The Gale Divine Steed Spinning Top circled the corpse once at extreme speed, then stopped steadily.
The already damaged corpse on the ground had now been precisely sliced into countless evenly thick pieces of meat, their cut surfaces smooth.
“Such powerful cutting force!”
Sisi couldn’t help but praise the sight.
She silently assessed that the sharpness of Wang Teng’s attack might be enough to tear through her famously tough second soul skill “Golden Silk Net.”
“It’s not just the spinning top’s own cutting power.”
Su Yuntao stepped forward, carefully examining the cut surfaces and sensing the residual soul power fluctuations in the air, thoughtfully remarking, “There should also be wind-attribute soul power blades mixed in.”
“This spinning top clone of yours is essentially a highly condensed entity of wind-attribute soul power.
It can use the wind’s power for extreme acceleration and also release sharp wind blades during motion.”
“This isn’t just a simple clone or amplification skill—it’s a fairly powerful offensive soul skill.”
Though Su Yuntao’s own cultivation wasn’t top-tier, as a Spirit Hall steward who had awakened martial souls for countless children and witnessed various soul masters’ abilities, his insight and experience were considerable.
Moreover, his Lone Wolf martial soul also possessed the wind attribute.
So Su Yuntao was particularly sensitive to the same type of soul power fluctuations, allowing him to quickly analyze the core of Wang Teng’s soul skill.
“An offensive soul skill?
I thought it was a speed boost or clone creation.”
Wang Sheng scratched his head, grinning sheepishly.
“Brother Tao’s analysis is spot on.”
“Summoning this wind-attribute ‘Gale Divine Steed Spinning Top’ clone and directing it to execute its exclusive ‘Phantom Wind Chase’ attack—that’s the complete form of my first soul skill.”
Wang Teng finished speaking and withdrew his soul power.
The cyan spinning top dissipated directly into the air.
The original silver-white spinning top martial soul returned to Wang Teng’s palm.
He understood clearly in his heart that the essence of this first soul skill was consuming soul power to condense and control a wind-attribute spinning top clone.
And the “Phantom Wind Chase” used by the clone wasn’t a name Wang Teng had come up with on the spot—it was an attack method deeply embedded within the spinning top clone itself, which he naturally understood the moment the clone took form.
Now, replaying in his mind the clone’s swift, fiery, and precise attacks, Wang Teng couldn’t help but think: “The effect of that ‘Blast Warrior’ talent from my panel seems even more powerful and compatible than I’d anticipated.”
He vaguely felt that his first soul skill being so comprehensive and formidable was inseparable from this special talent.
“Alright, alright—are you done demonstrating?”
“Come on, I’m treating you all today to the most authentic flavors of the Heaven Dou Horse Ranch!”
Sisi’s brother’s booming voice interrupted Wang Teng’s thoughts.
He waved his hand generously, warmly inviting everyone.
“Great!”
“Thank you for the hospitality, Brother!”
Everyone responded with smiles, the atmosphere immediately turning lively.
After the tension and excitement of the soul ring absorption and skill demonstration, the group finally relaxed, looking forward to the upcoming meal.
Laughing and chatting, they followed Sisi’s brother toward the direction from which the tempting aroma of roasted meat was wafting.
The dinner at the Heaven Dou Horse Ranch was truly sumptuous.
Though the main courses were various horse meat dishes, these weren’t ordinary meats—they came from the four-hundred-year Gale Steed soul beast Wang Teng had killed.
Soul beast meat, though somewhat tough and chewy, was rich in nutrients and energy.
With each bite, the juices were full, and the aroma of fat melted in the mouth.
After eating for a while, Wang Teng felt his entire body growing warm, as if his qi and blood were becoming more active.
“You two boys, eat more.”
“This is soul beast meat—it’s great for strengthening your foundation and building up your physique.”
“Look at this build of mine—it’s from eating this stuff for years.”
Sisi’s brother flexed his arm, showing off his solid, knotted muscles, his tone filled with care.
“Thank you, Brother.”
Wang Teng’s mouth was stuffed full, his reply muffled.
“Hahahaha!”
Sisi’s brother laughed heartily, clearly in excellent spirits.
He felt increasingly satisfied with his sister Sisi’s investment choice, especially after witnessing Wang Teng successfully absorb the four-hundred-and-ten-year Gale Steed soul ring beyond his expected level.
The dinner was enjoyable for all.
After the meal, they chatted for a while longer before dispersing to rest.
Under the guidance of a guard, Wang Teng and his brother arrived at a spacious tent that Sisi’s brother had prepared for them.