Chapter 26: Heavenly Dragon Horse

Chapter 26: Heavenly Dragon Horse

Although this wasn't the first time Xiao Yu had come to the Star Dou Forest, he couldn't help but marvel at its vastness. The dense, primeval forest seemed endless, with tree branches intertwining and spreading out, enveloped in a green mist, giving everything a vibrant and lively feel.

Xiao Yu and his group had been moving deeper into the forest for almost an hour. Leading the way was Huo Hui, whose Phoenix Martial Soul emanated an aura that suppressed the weaker soul beasts, effectively filtering them out of their path.

"There's something ahead!"

Suddenly, Huo Hui whispered and stopped in his tracks. Xiao Yu and Zilong immediately became alert, their eyes wide open, looking in the same direction. From that direction came the sound of heavy, rapid footsteps, accompanied by the occasional snap of breaking branches.

"Everyone, approach cautiously!"

Xiao Yu whispered. The group understood and carefully moved toward the source of the sound.

Soon, a majestic white horse appeared in their view. This horse was quite peculiar: its body was like that of a horse, but its head resembled a dragon. White dragon scales extended from its forehead down its neck, covering its entire back. It had a pair of snow-white wings on either side and a diamond-shaped, pale golden gem on its forehead that sparkled brilliantly.

The horse was about four meters long and stood around two and a half meters tall, looking imposing and majestic from a distance.

"That's a Heavenly Dragon Horse!"

Xiao Yu immediately recognized the soul beast. During his time at the Soul Master Academy, he excelled in theoretical knowledge. Only the top student, Ye Lingling, could rival him in this regard. He was well-versed in the appearance, attributes, and age of various soul beasts.

"We're really lucky. Even in the Star Dou Forest, Heavenly Dragon Horses are extremely rare."

Xiao Yu chuckled and said, "Xie Wu, you've hit the jackpot. This soul beast not only has the characteristics of horse-type soul beasts but also carries the bloodline of the Holy Light Dragon. Its cultivation is between 1,300 and 1,500 years, perfect for your third soul ring!"

Xie Wu, equally excited, shouted, "Brothers, I'm counting on you for my third soul ring!"

"Don't worry!"

Zilong replied with a smile, and both Huo Hui and Eden nodded silently.

"Zilong, you go first. Although the Heavenly Dragon Horse has the Holy Dragon bloodline, it's still thin compared to your Azure Dragon Martial Soul!"

At this point, Xiao Yu took on the role of the team leader, directing, "Mii Mei, activate your first and second soul skills. Huo Hui, keep an eye on it. If it tries to escape, use your flames to block its path. Xie Wu, be ready to finish it off."

Mii Mei was the first to summon her martial soul. Two yellow soul rings rose from her feet, and a D-shaped harp appeared in her hands.

"First soul skill, Grand Silence!"

"Second soul skill, Illusionary Sound!"

Mii Mei's first soul skill was purely supportive, boosting the attack power of soul masters by 10%. Her second soul skill was a mental attack, capable of causing a mental shock and occasionally throwing the opponent into a state of confusion, reducing their soul power by 10%.

"First soul skill, Azure Dragon Claw!"

With Mii Mei's musical support, Zilong used his first soul skill. His arm was covered in intricate, dark green, diamond-shaped dragon scales. Eight-inch-long dragon claws as sharp as blades emerged, his entire arm enlarging several times. The claws were imbued with immense explosive and piercing power, significantly enhancing his strength and destructive capability.

The dragon's might spread out, and the Heavenly Dragon Horse instantly felt the suppression from its bloodline. It trembled slightly, and at that moment, Mii Mei's second soul skill hit. The already suppressed Heavenly Dragon Horse fell into confusion, spinning and whinnying on the spot.

Zilong seized the opportunity, charging forward at full speed. With the enhancement from Mii Mei's soul skill, he threw a powerful punch.

The force of the punch was tremendous, shaking the surrounding trees with just the wind from the punch, let alone the impact on the Heavenly Dragon Horse.

The Heavenly Dragon Horse screamed and was sent flying. The sharp dragon claws left three terrifying wounds on its pristine body, deep and bleeding profusely, staining its white feathers red.

"Xie Wu, finish it off!"

Xie Wu, who had been ready to strike, immediately used his second soul skill, Meteor Kick. With the unicorn spirit possessing him, he leaped high into the air and kicked down from above, landing squarely on the Heavenly Dragon Horse's forehead.

After a series of heavy blows, the Heavenly Dragon Horse collapsed with a resounding thud. Its limbs twitched briefly before becoming still. A purple-blue soul ring slowly rose from its corpse.

Without hesitation, Xie Wu sat cross-legged nearby and, guided by his soul power, began to absorb the soul ring. The rest of the group gathered around him to protect him.

The age of the soul ring was well within Xie Wu's capacity to absorb, so the process was smooth and efficient. In less than half an hour, he had completed the absorption.

With a low shout, three soul rings—yellow, yellow, and purple—floated behind him, signifying his status as a Soul Elder.

"I've reached level 32!"

Xie Wu exclaimed excitedly after opening his eyes.

"You had already reached a bottleneck back in Gengxin City. The two levels of soul power increase you gained from the soul ring also reflect the soul power you accumulated during this period of continuous cultivation."

Xiao Yu said calmly, "When a Soul Master reaches a bottleneck, their soul power continues to accumulate even without obtaining a new soul ring. Once a soul ring is acquired, this accumulated power manifests."

"Isn't that the theory proposed by that self-proclaimed master, Yu Xiaogang?"

Eden frowned slightly. Among the group, only he and Xiao Yu occasionally borrowed books to read.

Xiao Yu nodded, "His 'Ten Core Theories of Martial Souls' are full of flaws, but this particular point is correct. Another valuable concept from his work is the Martial Soul Fusion. If any of you come across his books, focus on these two points. The rest is either nonsense or problematic. Don't be misled by him."

Eden nodded in agreement, "Indeed, his theoretical system is full of unnecessary details. The idea that innate soul power and martial soul quality are proportional, and that martial soul quality can enhance the true form of the martial soul, is common sense to any soul master with basic combat knowledge. How did such obvious facts become his theories?

And his theory on the absorption age of soul rings completely disregards individual differences among soul masters. If auxiliary-type soul masters were to absorb soul rings according to his suggested age limits, I bet nine out of ten would explode from the strain.

However, the age limits he provides don't seem entirely fabricated. They probably represent the highest values extracted from a large dataset. How could a mere rank-29 Grandmaster gather so much data?"

"Isn't it because he has someone to rely on?"

Xiao Yu muttered to himself, but he wasn't one to spread gossip. Moreover, they were in the Star Dou Forest, not a place for idle chatter.

Achoo—

At Nuoding Academy, Yu Xiaogang wiped his nose and muttered, "The weather hasn't even turned cold yet. Not only Xiao San, but now even I am starting to sneeze?"

(End of chapter)

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