"Yeah right… I haven't even checked my login rewards for the past seven or eight days," Arthur muttered, scratching the back of his head in regret. "System did warn me I'd lose the rewards if I skipped a day, but I was so caught up in training I completely forgot."
> [Answering to the Host — You are correct. Missed daily login rewards cannot be retrieved.]
> [However, while you were immersed in training, the system generated and assigned multiple Daily and Weekly Missions related to your progress. You completed many of them. The rewards have been automatically stored in your inventory.]
Arthur blinked. "Oh right… you mentioned something like that back when you told me about my total System Points."
He quickly summoned the inventory screen, and with a mental command, expanded the list of recent rewards. His eyes widened as a neat display of items shimmered into view, each one glowing softly within their translucent storage slots.
---
Inventory:
• Fang Sword ×1
• Recovery Potion ×1 (+2) (new)
• Internal Energy Pill ×5 (new)
• Soul Force Pill ×5 (new)
• Mana Pill ×5 (new)
---
"Wooooow… I actually got two new types of items," Arthur exclaimed with a grin, eagerly tapping on the new entries.
Internal Energy Pill:
An alchemical pill created by the system. Upon consumption, it increases the host's internal energy (Qi) by 100.
Mana Pill:
A rare pill that enhances the latent mana pool within the host's body by 100 upon use.
Arthur's eyes sparkled. These pills were no joke—cultivators from lesser clans would kill just to get their hands on one of them. The internal energy pill alone could save someone years of painful meditation. And the mana pill? It was practically unheard of in common regions.
But despite their obvious value, Arthur's attention was fixed on just one thing.
The Soul Force Pills.
His pupils gleamed with excitement.
Those are what I need. With just one, I can max out the spirit power of my Trueblood Dragon soul spirit…*
Unable to wait another second, Arthur materialized one of the soul force pills into his hand. It was warm to the touch, glowing faintly with a soft indigo hue. Its texture was smooth, crystalline, like a jewel forged in the heavens.
He took a breath and whispered, "Let's see what you can do…"
Then he popped the pill into his mouth.
The moment it touched his tongue, it dissolved instantly, a surge of dense soul energy bursting forth like a tide. Arthur sat cross-legged on the bed and instinctively activated his Whispering Soul Breathing Technique. The energy was wild, untamed—like a spirit beast straining to break free—but Arthur's breathing technique wrapped around it like silk threads, calming it, drawing it inward.
He could feel the soul force being absorbed directly into the depths of his soul—the part where the Trueblood Dragon rested. A low hum echoed in his mind, like a distant growl or a breath of wind from an ancient creature awakening.
The flow was intense but balanced.
His entire body tingled, light shimmered under his skin, and his mind felt clearer than ever before. It was as if his spirit was expanding outward, pushing past invisible boundaries.
After a moment, his breathing calmed down and he finally absorbed all the soul force of the soul force pill
Ding—
> [Congratulations, host. You have consumed a Soul Force Pill. Soul force has increased by 100.]
A surge of power exploded through Arthur's meridians like a tide breaking through a dam. His breath quickened, veins bulging faintly beneath his skin as his soul force surged into every inch of his body. His eyes sparkled with exhilaration.
"Hahahahaha! This is so fun," he laughed, the sound wild and filled with unconcealed delight. "Getting stronger so fast… this is indeed so fun!"
He exhaled slowly, trying to calm his thundering heart. Then, narrowing his gaze, he opened the system panel with a thought.
"Now I can finally select a soul ring for my Trueblood Dragon Soul Spirit. System, show me the best suitable Gold Rank Soul Rings."
> [Searching soul ring database…]
> [Query filtered for best synergy with Trueblood Dragon Spirit Soul.]
> [Two results found.]
1. Stormjade Crystal Scorpion
Age: 45,900 years
Rank: Gold
Type: Lightning / Burst
Ability: Thundering Spear Tail – Launches a lightning spear that auto-locks onto the enemy's soul core. On a critical hit, it can instantly kill the target. On a miss, it paralyzes the target's soul ring usage and deals heavy soul damage.
2. Void Howl Serpent
Age: 41,500 years
Rank: Gold
Type: Space / Control
Ability: Flicker Coil – Grants short-range spatial movement. Can dodge fatal blows or flank enemies. Briefly suppresses one enemy soul ring for 1 second.
---
Arthur tapped his chin as both soul ring choices floated before him in holographic clarity — translucent rings pulsing with their respective elemental glows, dancing slowly in the air.
"This is so convenient… being able to see the ability beforehand. It's like choosing your destiny with a preview."
Yet, despite the excitement, a furrow creased his brow.
"One is made for surprise ambushes… stealth, speed. The other… pure destructive force."
His hand hovered between the two. The Void Howl Serpent's ring shimmered with cold spatial ripples. The Stormjade Scorpion's crackled with blue lightning.
"A dragon should be powerful... but I don't want to be a brute," he murmured, voice low and resolute.
Then his fingers curled with certainty.
"Let's go with the first one."
Ding!
> [Soul Ring Absorption Protocol Activated]
> [Initializing protective seal...]
> [Sealing the Room – Activated, energy is silently surged as transparent barriers layered over the room's walls, forming a glowing hexagonal matrix that shimmered briefly before vanishing into invisibility. No fluctuation could escape its shell now.]
> [Sound Nullification Field – Engaged A pulse of dense energy spread outward. Every vibration, every sound — even Arthur's breath — became utterly silent to the outside world. Not even a whisper would be heard beyond the room's boundaries.]
> [Energy Tracing Block – Engaged Invisible threads of detection and spiritual scanning were immediately nullified. Even the most sensitive soul-sense arrays within the Seok Mansion would read this room as dormant and inactive.]
> [Soul Force Signature Suppression – Engaged host's aura was collapsed and masked beneath a layer of artificial neutrality. To others, his presence would seem no different than a sleeping mortal.]
> [Spatial Lockdown Field – Deployed All spatial shifts or teleportation attempts — both incoming and outgoing — were frozen. Even if a spatial-type soul master attempted to peek in, they would find only a wall of empty space.]
> [Divine Interference Mask – Running
For the rare chance that a divine-level artifact or ancestral awareness lingered within the mansion, a high-tier masking formation was auto-deployed, shielding the soul ring activity from all higher-dimensional perception.]
> [All concealment layers active. Room is fully isolated.]
> [Host may now begin soul ring absorption without risk of detection.]
The Stormjade Crystal Scorpion's soul ring burst forward, expanding to its full diameter — a wide band of vivid gold, spinning slowly with arcs of flickering lightning jumping along its surface. The sheer presence of the ring exuded might; it wasn't just powerful — it was alive.
Arthur sat down cross-legged, inhaling deeply as his Trueblood Dragon Spirit Soul manifested behind him — a serpentine silhouette of white-gold scales and radiant golden eyes. It curled protectively above him, eyes fixed on the ring as if recognizing a worthy offering.
The soul ring hovered over Arthur's head.
Then— it descended.
As soon as it touched his body, searing pain erupted through his back like a lightning bolt had torn open his spine. His soul sea trembled. The golden dragon roared behind him, its form quivering as streaks of blue lightning coursed through its body, reshaping it.
Arthur gritted his teeth. Sweat poured from his brow. His arms trembled, nails biting into his palms. Lightning surged across his meridians, threatening to rip them apart. It wasn't just pain — it was evolution.
This is the test of a true soul master, he reminded himself. Only by enduring can I claim this power.
---
4 hours later,
The dragon behind him opened its jaws, and a spectral lightning spear began to form in its throat. The tip gleamed with deadly sharpness — the mark of the new ability being forged.
Suddenly, the ring flared — and merged completely.
Arthur gasped as the pain vanished. His body pulsed once with soul force, now enhanced, sharper — charged. The Trueblood Dragon behind him let out a low, satisfied growl before dissipating into his spirit sea.
He opened his eyes.
They glowed faintly with electric light.
> [Stormjade Crystal Scorpion's Soul Ring Successfully Absorbed.]
> [New Ability Gained: Thundering Spear Tail.]
> [Auto-lock: Enabled. Critical Hit Effect: Active.]
Arthur rose slowly, his chest rising and falling with steady breaths.
"...This power..."
He extended his hand. A crackling blue spear of soul-forged lightning shimmered into existence in his palm, humming with terrifying force.
"...is going to change everything."
.
..
...
....