Chapter 13 - The First Soul Skill
As soon as he opened his eyes, Quan Yi saw the worried expressions of his parents.
The corners of his mouth lifted into a bright smile—he looked incredibly happy.
"I did it!"
Su Ling'er asked anxiously, "Is there anything wrong with your body right now?"
Quan Yi felt his entire body brimming with power. There was a profound sense of ease and satisfaction throughout his being.
It was like experiencing a super-intense massage: although the process was excruciatingly painful, in the end, it felt as if all the fatigue had been washed away.
The immense soul power coursed through Quan Yi's body like molten lava. This power not only transformed his martial soul but also enhanced his physical body.
It even reached and improved parts of his body that were usually difficult to train—a comprehensive enhancement.
Soul rings were truly treasures to soul masters. If a five-hundred-year soul ring could bring about such change, what would a thousand-year or even a ten-thousand-year soul ring be capable of?
In this world, soul masters were truly blessed beings.
At this moment, Quan Yi even felt confident enough to attempt a thousand-year soul ring for his second one.
He was incredibly satisfied with the changes to his body.
"I feel amazing. My body has never felt this light and powerful before."
Hearing this, Quan Yue and Su Ling'er finally relaxed completely.
"Xiao Yi, what you've done is nothing short of historic. But remember—under no circumstances can you let anyone else know about this," Quan Yue said with a grave expression.
Quan Yi understood the old saying: The tallest tree in the forest is the first to be struck by the wind. In a feudal society like this, enemies had no regard for morals. Until he was powerful enough, he had to keep a low profile.
"I understand. I'll just tell others it was a little over 400 years—an Exploding Rhinobeast. After all, 400 years is already the top tier for a first soul ring."
Quan Yue nodded in approval, then turned to Su Ling'er. "Ling'er, can you destroy the Exploding Rhinobeast's corpse?"
Understanding Quan Yue's intent, Su Ling'er's eyes shifted into vertical pupils. She summoned a lion's paw, conjured a blazing fireball, and hurled it at the beast's massive body. The flames quickly engulfed the corpse, burning it to ashes in no time.
Although Quan Yi felt a bit pained at the waste of all that soul beast meat, he knew that for the sake of secrecy, total destruction was the safest option.
With the body destroyed, the entire family could finally let go of their concerns. The grave look on Quan Yue's face began to fade, replaced with curiosity. He was eager.
"Xiao Yi, come on—show us your first soul ring."
At the mention of his soul skill, a smile naturally spread across Quan Yi's face. He summoned his Blazing Sun Gauntlets and walked toward a nearby tree. Reaching it, he said with excitement:
"My first soul skill perfectly inherited the innate ability of the Exploding Rhinobeast. First Soul Skill—Mark of the Rhino!"
Quan Yi's first soul ring flickered. He gently pressed his right palm against the tree's surface, then turned and walked back to his parents.
Quan Yue and Su Ling'er focused their gaze on the spot Quan Yi had touched.
They saw a dark red mark on the tree's tough bark—it looked like a rhinoceros horn.
Quan Yi stood beside his parents and turned to stare at the mark. Suddenly, the mark exploded. The thick tree was blown apart.
The explosive power was considerable—not strong enough to shatter the tree entirely from the outside, but because the explosion came from within, the tree snapped clean in half.
Quan Yue and Su Ling'er were dumbfounded.
"This soul skill is incredible! Tell us everything in detail," Su Ling'er urged excitedly.
"The Mark of the Rhino is a contact-based marking skill that creates an explosive rune on the target. I can detonate it at will within a range of 50 meters."
"If the enemy moves more than 50 meters away, the mark will automatically explode. And if it's placed directly on the enemy's body, the explosion occurs from the inside. I think this is an extremely dangerous soul skill."
After hearing Quan Yi's detailed explanation, both parents drew in a sharp breath. This soul skill was terrifying.
Even they, as experienced soul masters, would be in danger if marked by this skill. Explosions from inside the body were especially hard to defend against unless one used vast amounts of soul power to shield the area.
This skill was a nightmare for soul masters of the same level.
"Xiao Yi, this soul skill is too dangerous. You must use it cautiously. The Mark of the Rhino should only ever be used on enemies," Quan Yue warned.
He knew just how lethal this ability was. Once activated, it was either death or serious injury. As a finishing move, it was incredibly powerful. But if used carelessly, it could become a disaster for any opponent.
Quan Yi understood its destructive potential. Unless the target had a fire-immunity trait like his own, this skill was practically invincible.
And even if the target did resist fire, the external shockwave from the explosion was still unavoidable.
Quan Yi was extremely pleased with this soul skill. It was just… maybe too deadly. He would probably need to use it sparingly in the future.
He agreed to his father's instructions and promised never to misuse the skill.
Only then did Quan Yue feel at ease. In truth, he wasn't worried about the safety of their enemies—he was worried for Quan Yi. If Quan Yi couldn't control his soul skill, he would eventually be shunned by society.
That said, the soul ring hunt had been a great success. The entire family was thrilled.
Quan Yue waved his arm excitedly. "Let's go home! We need to celebrate this properly!"
Quan Yi's expression froze. "Father… we're not having another family banquet, are we?" He didn't hate parties, but if he could avoid them, he'd be happier.
"No, not this time. Family gatherings are best kept occasional. This time, it's just the three of us celebrating together."
Now that the trial was over, they didn't need to stay on high alert during the return trip. With a soul master's physical strength, it took less than half a day to reach the nearby village outside the forest.
It was a village established by soul masters specifically for hunting soul beasts. On their way in, they had left their carriage there. After resting overnight in the village, the trio departed early the next morning.
One week later, at night, in the Quan family estate.
The family sat around the dinner table, enjoying a hearty feast.
Quan Yi placed a steaming piece of roasted meat in his mouth and savored it slowly. The rich juices and intense aroma of the soul beast meat were a satisfying treat after eating dried meat for over a month.
Midway through the meal, Quan Yue spoke: "Xiao Yi, there's just over a month before the primary soul master academy starts. We've decided to send you to the affiliated primary academy of Blazing Fire Academy. Do you have any objections?"
Quan Yi quickly swallowed his meat and responded, "No no, no objections. I'll be able to learn about fire attributes there."
As one of the Five Elemental Academies of the Heaven Dou Empire, Blazing Fire Academy had an incredibly deep foundation. Its research and teaching on fire attributes were second to none.
Its affiliated primary soul master academy was closely tied to it and had trained many outstanding fire-attribute soul masters for the main academy.
The two academies were located very close together. According to Su Ling'er, students from the primary academy could even share the same simulated cultivation environments used by the advanced academy.
(End of Chapter)