Chapter 151: Unmatched Sword Aura!

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Five days later. 

*Star Valley.* 

Su Yu and his disciple, Bai Feng, arrived. 

"Xiao Feng, we're here. Stop studying for now. During the hunt for soul beasts, you must always be prepared to avoid sudden attacks." 

Bai Feng put away the thick book of beginner-level soul tool theories and notes Su Yu had given him. 

Although he had already killed the evil soul master who massacred his village, this experience, combined with the influence of his martial soul, left Bai Feng with an obsession: eliminating evil soul masters. 

To combat evil soul masters, immense strength was essential. 

After hearing Su Yu's description of battle armor, Bai Feng became even more passionate about studying soul tools. He also began to rethink the perspectives he had developed under the influence of his village elder's stories. 

The power of a soul master is equally important as that of a soul tool. 

As his teacher often said, the foundation of everything is the soul master. Battle armor, the most successful integration of soul tool and soul master, is also built upon the strength of the soul master. 

A solid foundation as a soul master, combined with enhancements from soul tools, is the ultimate path to power. 

As for the immense time and effort required to study and train both disciplines? 

His teacher had told him, "With your talent, you're more than capable. So, pursue it all!" 

"The star energy in this valley is incredibly dense," Su Yu remarked as they stepped into Star Valley. 

"Xiao Feng, this is a perfect place to harness star energy. I'll teach you some simple applications." 

Since Bai Feng's martial soul naturally allowed him to manipulate star energy, it was essential to fully develop this ability. 

Techniques developed independently would ensure none of his precious soul ring slots were wasted. 

For instance, abilities like Blue Silver Grass's Entanglement and Parasitism were natural instincts for plants. While acquiring these as soul skills was simple and convenient, doing so wasted a soul ring slot. 

Wouldn't it be better to gain an active reinforcement-type soul skill instead of using the first soul ring on something as basic as Blue Silver Entanglement? 

Under Su Yu's guidance, Bai Feng began sensing star energy through his martial soul. The dense star energy in the valley was undeniable, and by his third attempt, Bai Feng clearly felt its presence. 

The next day, following Su Yu's instructions, Bai Feng learned to perform basic manipulations of star energy. 

By the third day, he was circulating star energy through his body, refining it with his cultivation techniques. The semi-refined star energy tempered his entire body as the practice progressed. 

On the fourth day, Bai Feng began practicing how to circulate star energy through his meridians in a technique-like fashion. He successfully created *Starlight Shield.* 

The *Starlight Shield*, developed by Su Yu under a unified cultivation theory, simplified self-created soul skills, making it easier for beginners to learn soul-martial techniques. 

"The Starlight Shield is the simplest soul-martial technique for condensing star energy into a defensive shield. Its defensive capability is barely effective in battles against great soul masters or weaker opponents. At your current level, it's about half as strong as a hundred-year soul skill, and your casting speed is still too slow. You'll need more practice," Su Yu critiqued. 

The Starlight Shield was a simplified version of Su Yu's *Star Guardian*, involving only the basics of condensing star energy into a protective barrier. Though its defensive strength was minimal compared to hundred-year soul rings, it was still a valuable tool in battle for someone at the great soul master level. 

With continuous practice, Bai Feng could become proficient at using this soul-martial technique, reaching a casting speed comparable to regular soul skills. If that happened, the Starlight Shield would essentially become an additional half-soul skill for Bai Feng! 

And this was only a foundational technique. 

As Bai Feng grew more adept at manipulating soul power and star energy, he could expand and enhance the soul-martial technique, making it increasingly powerful. 

For instance, Su Yu's *Star Guardian* was a soul skill comparable to those granted by ten-thousand-year soul rings. 

Bai Feng's ability to learn and cast the Starlight Shield in just one day showcased his martial soul's extraordinary affinity with star energy. 

However, his slow casting speed remained the biggest drawback. 

Although he had reached the entry-level stage, the technique had limited practical use. 

"The Starlight Shield is a simplified soul-martial technique derived from optimizing the pathways for soul power to circulate through the meridians. To enhance its effectiveness, you'll need to improve your proficiency and casting speed. Additionally, learning *formation arrays* will allow you to inscribe runes in midair. At that point, soul-martial techniques like this can evolve into rune soul skills." 

As Su Yu explained, Bai Feng felt as though he had entered an entirely new world. 

Previously, his understanding of soul masters had been limited to distinctions between soul masters and soul engineers, and the use of soul tools. 

He had never heard of soul-martial techniques or rune soul skills. To him, soul skills came solely from soul rings, and self-created soul skills were an unfamiliar concept. 

Now, under Su Yu's guidance, Bai Feng quickly broadened his horizons, learning cutting-edge techniques at the forefront of soul master cultivation. 

"Xiao Feng, stop practicing for now. We'll have plenty of time to train when we return. Your soul ring is here." 

Su Yu's mental energy had already located a suitable target. 

The creature before them was a massive ten-meter-long beast, standing three meters tall. Its appearance was fierce, with an imposing presence. Sharp spikes protruded from its back, resembling numerous swords, and they glimmered with a bluish-purple starry glow. 

This was the *Sword-scaled Dragon*, a variant of the Earth Dragon. Its back was covered in sword-like scales, offering excellent defensive and offensive capabilities. 

The *Star Sword-scaled Dragon*, however, was a rare individual that had evolved with a stellar attribute, further enhancing its power. 

Had it not been for Xuan Ziwen's intel indicating the presence of this creature, Su Yu wouldn't have chosen it as Bai Feng's first soul ring target. 

This was far rarer than Su Yu's own first soul ring, the Star Spirit Grass. 

While it's true that rarity doesn't always equate to strength, the *Star Sword-scaled Dragon* was indeed highly suitable for Bai Feng. 

Of course, Su Yu's *Star Spirit Grass* was perfectly suited as his first soul ring as well. 

"This Star Sword-scaled Dragon isn't something you can handle on your own. I'll deal with it." 

Bai Feng, being clever since childhood, had occasionally learned fighting techniques from his village elder. Though he enjoyed playing, he still practiced combat techniques with the elder. After awakening his martial soul, Bai Feng's natural talent for fighting became quite evident. 

However, without his first soul ring, Bai Feng was no match for this hundred-year-old Star Sword-scaled Dragon. 

Although the Star Sword-scaled Dragon was rarer than the Star Spirit Grass, in terms of quality, it wasn't significantly superior. But of course, that comparison was only to the Star Spirit Grass. 

The *Star Spirit Grass* possessed both star and life attributes, both of which were extremely rare, and it wasn't focused on combat. While its combat power was not a direct threat, its quality placed it firmly in the top tier of soul rings. 

The *Star Sword-scaled Dragon* also belonged in the top tier. 

This particular Star Sword-scaled Dragon, found by Su Yu, was nearly five hundred years old—its cultivation was so advanced that even a Soul Sovereign would hesitate to confront it. There was no way Su Yu would allow Bai Feng to handle it on his own. 

"This one is slightly beyond the supposed maximum age," Su Yu noted.