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Yang Xiong sat cross-legged beside the yellow soul ring, preparing to begin the absorption process. Those around him wore expressions of deep concern. After all, this was a soul ring that approached millennium-level strength—a record-breaking feat for a second soul ring. Had Yang Xiong not repeatedly insisted and guaranteed his success, no one would have agreed to let him attempt it.
But Yang Xiong's resolve was unwavering. Summoning his Body Martial Soul, he used his soul power to guide the soul ring toward his body.
As the soul ring enveloped his body, a familiar yet alien force surged into Yang Xiong's being. His entire body felt as though it might explode.
This energy was entirely different from his first soul ring. If the previous energy had been mysterious and fiery, this one felt like an endless infusion of vitality. Yet, within this vitality lay a fierce turbulence, threatening to rupture every drop of blood and cell in his body.
After three grueling hours, Yang Xiong's face finally calmed, and those around him breathed a sigh of relief. Clearly, the absorption of this high-year soul ring had succeeded.
When Yang Xiong opened his eyes, Yang Lin immediately asked, "Xiao Xiong, how do you feel? Is there any discomfort?"
A faint smile appeared on Yang Xiong's face. "Mom and Dad, I feel great. My body feels much stronger."
Yang Xiong carefully examined his condition. After absorbing this exceptionally powerful wood-attribute soul ring, he felt as though he had grown taller. His body seemed to possess a newfound life energy, and his regenerative abilities had significantly improved.
Moreover, after absorbing the soul ring, Yang Xiong's soul power had reached an astonishing level twenty-three. A single soul ring had boosted his soul power by three levels. Normally, soul masters could only increase their soul power by one level per soul ring. This three-level increase highlighted the extraordinary vitality and soul power of the Golden Spirit Cypress—and even its formidable bloodline.
Once back home, Yang Xiong took the time to fully explore the new soul skill he had gained.
The second soul skill was called Golden Heart. Upon activation, it rapidly healed injuries, dispelled negative status effects, and brought the body to its optimal state. For a limited time, it granted the user the recovery capabilities of the Golden Spirit Cypress.
Though it appeared to be a healing-type skill, it was far more complex than mere healing. When activated, the soul ring infused the body with a surge of vitality. The more severe the injuries, the greater the soul power consumption.
The ability to dispel negative statuses and temporarily gain the recovery powers of the Golden Spirit Cypress made Yang Xiong nearly invincible during its duration—like an unkillable cockroach.
Yang Xiong even tested it, finding that it could dispel adverse effects from ice, fire, and poison. Truly, it was a top-tier plant-attribute soul beast skill.
Additionally, after absorbing this soul ring, Yang Xiong felt his strength increase by about thirty percent—surpassing the benefits of a typical strength-type soul ring.
Yang Xiong was extremely satisfied with this soul skill. It greatly enhanced both his combat prowess and survivability. Moreover, unlike many skills that became obsolete at higher levels, this one might even improve as he advanced further.
With the successful absorption of his second soul ring and his promotion to Great Soul Master rank, Yang Xiong felt his soul power surge once again. He could now continue developing his Rasengan.
Bone Elder, who had been secretly observing Yang Xiong's absorption process, was astonished. He hadn't expected Yang Xiong to succeed.
After hearing Bone Elder's account, Ning Fengzhi was equally surprised. "Uncle Gu, what is Yang Xiong's goal here? According to your description, he didn't seem to suffer much pain during the absorption process. Does that mean his physical conditioning could potentially handle an ordinary millennium-level soul ring?"
"We've conducted numerous experiments with whale glue, but the results were never as impressive as Yang Xiong's. Even Rongrong's second soul ring was only eight hundred years old. Could there be something hidden about him? But that shouldn't be possible."
Bone Elder thought deeply before replying. "Fengzhi, I think we've underestimated Yang Xiong's martial soul. Though Body Martial Souls are exceedingly rare, I've recently learned that in terms of soul power, Yang Xiong is already among the top five in Class One. Keep in mind, he spends a significant amount of time training his body, while Rongrong and others spend more time meditating at home."
Ning Fengzhi sighed. "It seems I've underestimated Yang Xiong. Perhaps he truly can forge a path in cultivating a Body Martial Soul."
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About a month later, Yang Xiong spent an afternoon practicing alone at home.
He held a ball in midair with his right hand, infusing it with soul power. Countless streams of energy swirled into the ball, causing it to spin rapidly.
Under the influence of this energy, the ball began to expand, filling with air as its rotation accelerated. Upon closer inspection, the ball's surface appeared to continuously bulge and then quickly recover under the force.
As Yang Xiong poured more soul power into the ball, it eventually couldn't withstand the internal pressure just before his soul power was depleted. The ball exploded.
Yang Xiong's face lit up with joy. "It's done! The third step is complete. It seems developing the Rasengan is now only a matter of time."
The initial success of the Rasengan greatly bolstered Yang Xiong's confidence. The self-created soul skill was finally nearing completion.
However, Yang Xiong understood that the hardest part of the Rasengan was still ahead: shaping the soul power into a tangible form with destructive potential.
The Rasengan wasn't just a simple soul power attack—it involved rapidly spinning soul power in the palm to create a hurricane-like sphere, capable of dealing devastating damage to enemies.
And this was just the basic version. If infused with soul ring attributes, its power could multiply. Unfortunately, Yang Xiong had only absorbed a wood-attribute and space-attribute soul ring—neither particularly suited for combat with the Rasengan.
Mastering Heart Separation Control was the foundation for everything. Only by achieving precise control over soul power could he multitask effectively, channeling soul ring energy into the Rasengan.
Another advantage of the Body Martial Soul was its adaptability. Absorbing a soul ring granted mastery over its associated attribute, and the Body Martial Soul's versatility allowed multiple attributes to coexist without conflict.
If others attempted to learn the Rasengan, they would likely only master the basics. They wouldn't achieve the same level of variation or potential as Yang Xiong, as most soul masters absorbed soul rings with fewer attributes.
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