13. The First Soul Skill

As soon as Quan Yi opened his eyes, he was met with the worried expressions of his parents.

The corners of his mouth lifted into a smile, his face brimming with joy.

"I did it!"

Su Ling'er immediately asked, her voice filled with concern, "Do you feel any abnormalities in your body?"

At that moment, Quan Yi felt an overwhelming surge of strength coursing through him. His entire body felt lighter than ever, an indescribable sensation of relaxation and exhilaration washing over him.

It was as if he had undergone an immensely powerful, albeit painful, transformation—one that had stripped away all fatigue, leaving only newfound vigor in its wake.

The immense soul power within him surged like molten lava, not only enhancing his Martial Soul but also refining his physical body. Even the most remote and neglected parts of his being underwent transformation. This was a complete, all-encompassing evolution.

Soul rings were indeed the greatest treasures of soul masters. If just a 500-year soul ring could bring about such a monumental change, then what about a thousand-year or even a ten-thousand-year soul ring?

At that moment, Quan Yi felt a surge of confidence—his second soul ring might just be able to surpass the thousand-year threshold.

He clenched his fists, feeling the surging power within, his satisfaction evident.

"I feel incredible. My body has never felt this light before."

Seeing their son's spirited expression, Quan Yue and Su Ling'er finally relaxed.

"Xiao Yi, you've created history today," Quan Yue said solemnly. "But you must remember—no one can know about this."

Quan Yi understood perfectly. A tree that stands taller than the rest faces the strongest winds. This world was ruled by the strong, but also by deception and cruelty. Until he became powerful enough to protect himself, he had to remain cautious.

"I understand. I'll tell others that my soul ring comes from a 400-year-old Explosive Rhinoceros. After all, that's already considered an optimal configuration for a first ring."

Quan Yue nodded in approval before turning to Su Ling'er. "Ling'er, can you dispose of the Explosive Rhinoceros?"

Su Ling'er understood his intention instantly. Her eyes turned into vertical pupils as she raised her claw, summoning a blazing fireball. With a swift motion, she hurled it toward the carcass. In mere moments, the beast was engulfed in flames, burning to ashes.

Quan Yi felt a slight pang of regret for losing the meat, but for the sake of secrecy, it was the safest choice.

With the corpse destroyed, the family finally felt at ease. The solemn look on Quan Yue's face faded, replaced by eager anticipation.

"Xiao Yi, show us your first soul skill!"

Hearing this, Quan Yi couldn't help but smile. He summoned his Martial Soul—the Sun Gauntlet—and strode toward a sturdy tree nearby. Excitement filled his voice as he spoke:

"My first soul skill perfectly inherits the innate ability of the Explosive Rhinoceros. It's called Seal of the Rhinoceros!"

As his words fell, his first soul ring lit up, and he pressed his right palm lightly against the tree trunk before stepping back to face his parents.

Quan Yue and Su Ling'er immediately focused on the point where he had made contact.

A dark red imprint had appeared on the bark—shaped like a rhinoceros horn.

Just as they were observing it, the imprint suddenly detonated! With a muffled boom, the thick tree trunk fractured from within, snapping apart.

The explosive force was remarkable—not powerful enough to obliterate the tree outright, but because the explosion originated internally, the trunk couldn't withstand the damage and collapsed.

Quan Yue and Su Ling'er were momentarily stunned.

"This first soul skill is truly powerful!" Su Ling'er exclaimed, her eyes shining with excitement. "Tell us more about it!"

"The Seal of the Rhinoceros engraves a mark on the target upon contact, triggering an explosion at my command within a range of 50 meters," Quan Yi explained.

"If the target moves beyond that range, the mark will detonate automatically. Moreover, if the mark is imprinted directly on an opponent's body, the explosion will erupt from within. This makes it an extremely dangerous soul skill."

Hearing Quan Yi's detailed explanation, both Quan Yue and Su Ling'er took a deep breath.

This soul skill was terrifying.

Even for them, if they were marked by Quan Yi, it would be incredibly dangerous. An explosion originating from within was nearly impossible to defend against unless they wrapped the imprint in a massive amount of soul power. Otherwise, evading the damage completely was out of the question.

For soul masters of the same level, this ability was nothing short of a nightmare.

"Xiao Yi, this soul skill is too dangerous," Quan Yue warned solemnly. "You must be extremely cautious when using it. The Seal of the Rhinoceros should only be used against enemies."

He understood the sheer lethality of this ability. Once unleashed, it would either incapacitate or kill. While it was a perfect trump card for delivering decisive blows, using it casually in ordinary combat would be disastrous.

Quan Yi acknowledged the power of his first soul skill. Unless his opponent possessed a rare fire immunity ability similar to his own, Seal of the Rhinoceros was practically unstoppable.

Even if they did have fire immunity, they wouldn't be able to avoid the explosive impact entirely.

Though satisfied with the ability, Quan Yi also recognized that it was too lethal for casual use. It might not be something he could rely on often.

Understanding his father's concerns, he nodded. "I promise I won't use my first soul skill recklessly."

Only then did Quan Yue feel reassured. In truth, his primary concern wasn't the well-being of Quan Yi's opponents—it was Quan Yi himself. If he couldn't control his power properly, he would be feared and ostracized.

Still, the soul ring hunt had been a resounding success, and the family was more than satisfied.

Quan Yue waved his hand with excitement. "Alright! Let's go home. We'll have a proper celebration when we return!"

Quan Yi's expression stiffened. "Father, you're not planning another family banquet, are you?" He didn't dislike banquets, but after the last one, he wouldn't mind skipping them for a while.

Quan Yue chuckled. "No need for that. Family gatherings should be occasional. This time, we'll just have a simple celebration together."

Now that the trial was over, Quan Yi no longer needed to be as alert on the journey back. With their soul master abilities, the family covered the distance quickly, reaching a small village on the outskirts of the forest in less than half a day.

This village had been established by soul masters specifically for hunting soul beasts. Their carriage had been left here before their hunt. After resting for a night, the three of them departed early the next morning.

One Week Later, at the Quan Family's Estate

The entire family gathered around the dining table, enjoying a lavish feast.

Quan Yi bit into a piece of steaming roast meat, chewing carefully. The rich juices and intense aroma of the soul beast meat were a welcome change after more than a month of surviving on dried rations.

Halfway through the meal, Quan Yue spoke up. "Xiao Yi, you have a little over a month before you start at the Junior Soul Master Academy. We've decided to enroll you in the Junior Academy affiliated with Blazing Academy. Do you have any objections?"

Quan Yi quickly swallowed his food before replying, "No objections. I'll be able to study fire attributes there."

Blazing Academy was one of the five great elemental academies within the Heaven Dou Empire, boasting a rich heritage and unparalleled expertise in fire-based cultivation.

As its affiliated Junior Soul Master Academy, the two institutions were closely linked. Many talented fire-attribute soul masters from the junior academy eventually transferred into Blazing Academy.

According to Su Ling'er, the mimicry cultivation environments of both academies were interconnected, meaning junior academy students could also benefit from high-level training grounds.