First Soul Skill, Green Lotus Assault

The Clear Sky Bamboo possesses a terrifying characteristic—armor penetration. This was something Lan Si discovered unintentionally. As long as he had enough strength and soul power, the tip of the Clear Sky Bamboo could pierce almost anything. 

So far, there was nothing it couldn't penetrate. Walls, wooden doors, stone tables, stone chairs, iron objects—it would pierce them all with a single jab. Because of this, Lan Si had often been scolded by Otto for being wasteful.

The Mandala Snake was already fleeing for its life and didn't expect that the usual cave it used to hide from predators would harbor danger. Its flat head was struck squarely by the lightning-infused Clear Sky Bamboo, causing its head to cave in, and even its eyes almost popped out.

Outside the cave, the Crimson Feather Eagle noticed the Mandala Snake's screams. It thought that another predator had attacked the snake, but it didn't care much. With its advantage of flight, the Crimson Feather Eagle had no reason to fear any creature in this Soul Hunting Forest.

It spread its claws and grabbed the Mandala Snake's body, preparing to fly away. The snake struggled fiercely, although it had been heavily wounded by Lan Si, the instinct to survive overpowered any pain. 

Helpless, the Crimson Feather Eagle landed on a clearing not far away, pinning the Mandala Snake down. It glanced at the cave, seeing that no creature emerged to challenge it. Then, it began to peck at the snake, rendering it almost lifeless in no time.

Inside the cave, Lan Si pulled out the semi-automatic handgun he had prepared earlier, quietly watching the Crimson Feather Eagle. There would only be one chance. Given his current soul power, even with the semi-automatic handgun's assistance, it would be hard to penetrate the Crimson Feather Eagle's feathers, which were as tough as iron. The only viable option was to attack its weak spots by surprise.

According to the book he had read, the Crimson Feather Eagle had three weak points: its eyes, mouth, and the area where its wings connected to its body, commonly known as its armpits. 

These were the softest parts of its feathers. The eyes and mouth were too risky; even if hit, unless the bullet reached the brain, it wouldn't be a fatal blow. If the eagle managed to fly away, the soul beast would slip through his fingers. Lan Si could never catch up with a flying creature.

The only viable option was the wings.

The Crimson Feather Eagle's strength came not only from its claws and hooked beak but also from its wings. They allowed it to fly and provided strong cutting power, functioning like weapons.

"Chirp!"

On the clearing outside, once the Mandala Snake was nearly done for, the Crimson Feather Eagle let out a cry, grabbed the almost lifeless snake, and flew into the air. 

Lan Si seized the opportunity and fired two shots at the eagle's armpit. To ensure that the bullets could penetrate, Lan Si specifically infused the bullets with the soul power of the Five-Thunder Heart Technique.

"Thud!"

"Bang!"

Following the sounds of the shots, two blue lightning-infused bullets were fired. The first shot hit the Crimson Feather Eagle's armpit with a thud, piercing into it. The second shot slightly missed as the eagle recoiled in pain, striking its wing and knocking off seven or eight of its red-blue iron feathers.

With injuries to both wings, the eagle could no longer maintain its balance. Along with the Mandala Snake, it spiraled downward, crashing from the sky.

Lan Si had always believed in one principle: strike when your enemy is weak. While the eagle was still vulnerable, he dashed out of the cave with the Clear Sky Bamboo in one hand and the handgun in the other. 

Using both the Five-Thunder Heart Technique and the Sacred Universe Technique to their limits, he fired several more shots at the eagle's wounds. Then, he mercilessly hammered away with the Clear Sky Bamboo, each strike creating a bloody pit on the eagle's body.

Blood stained the ground, and soon, the eagle fell silent.

Not satisfied, Lan Si pulled out a short knife and stabbed it into the eagle's eyes and the still-breathing Mandala Snake's head, piercing their brains. The Crimson Feather Eagle and the Mandala Snake were finally dead.

Faint yellow light gathered above their corpses, eventually forming two yellow rings.

Seeing the rings, Lan Si finally slumped to the ground, panting. That last round of attacks had drained nearly all of his soul power. Looking at the eagle's corpse and the deformed snake, a faint smile appeared on Lan Si's childish face. "Not only do I have my soul ring now, but I've also dealt with Tang San's Mandala Snake. I wonder what his first soul ring will be now. If he ends up choosing that less-than-a-hundred-year-old bamboo from the original story, that would be interesting."

He glanced at the distant horizon, where the sky was already lightening.

Dawn was approaching. Lan Si didn't hesitate. He stored the bodies of the Crimson Feather Eagle and Mandala Snake into his soul guide device and then leaped back into the cave. The eagle would provide him with a soul ring, and the Mandala Snake would give him materials for concocting poisons.

Back in his previous world, when he served as the Fourteenth Protector of the Tongwen Hall, Lan Si had used the Jin Xin Stinger(a weapon designed to pierce or sting). The Mandala Snake's venom could poison even Soul Masters and Soul Elders. Once he crafted the Jin Xin Stinger, it would be a valuable asset, whether applied to bullets or coated on the stinger itself.

Three hours later, blue lightning arcs and pale white flames burst from the narrow cave.

A shadow emerged, landing on the ground. Under the warm sunlight, Lan Si's upright figure was illuminated. Compared to the previous day, he had noticeably grown taller, and his shoulders had broadened. The academy robe that had once been a bit loose now perfectly accentuated his slender build.

Around his feet, a yellow ring had appeared, a hallmark of a one-ring Soul Master.

"The feeling of absorbing a soul ring is truly wonderful. Not only did my soul power break through its bottleneck, but my body also grew taller. No wonder so many people on the Douluo Continent are eager to enhance their cultivation."

Lan Si stretched comfortably. He raised his right hand, and a green lotus emitting pale white flames appeared in his palm.

With the absorption of the soul ring and the breaking of his bottleneck, the green lotus in his hand had grown significantly, and the pale white flames had become denser. The eight lotus petals gleamed with a metallic luster they had not possessed before.

"Let's test the power of the first soul skill."

Lan Si murmured as the yellow soul ring around his body lit up. The green lotus rose into the air, splitting into eight pieces. Each petal transformed into a blade, carrying the pale white flames, and shot toward a tree as thick as a water barrel.

"Thud, thud..."

The sound of objects piercing echoed. The blades penetrated the tree trunk without any resistance, leaving eight transparent holes. Through the holes, the sunlight from the opposite side appeared dazzlingly bright.

"Not bad, decent enough."

Lan Si retrieved the blades, which reformed into the green lotus and floated in front of him.

His first soul skill was called "Green Lotus Assault," a multi-target attack skill.

In terms of power, it wasn't the strongest among first soul skills. However, it granted the Green Lotus Martial Spirit a powerful passive ability—flight. Lan Si could control the Green Lotus to fly freely without using his soul ring. This meant that if he used it properly, he could gain the ability to fly for short periods in the future by stepping on the Green Lotus Martial Spirit.