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The four of them quickly left the Star Dou Forest.
On the way, Su Yu walked with a noticeable spring in his step. His third soul skill had exceeded his expectations.
After absorbing the soul ring, Su Yu's Blue Silver Grass had indeed advanced further, and its life force attribute had exploded, becoming its primary characteristic.
The soul ring perfectly inherited the traits of the Explosive Pepper.
First, there was a passive enhancement. The recovery speed of Su Yu's Blue Silver Grass's life force had increased significantly.
It's important to note that this refers to the recovery of life force itself, not just the Blue Silver Grass's physical restoration.
Moreover, as Su Yu's cultivation level rises, the maximum life force of his Blue Silver Grass will also greatly increase.
The active effects were equally impressive. The Explosive Pepper soul ring granted Su Yu explosive power through his third soul skill—Explosive Mark. This skill provided an all-around boost, increasing his abilities by 30%.
Of course, such power came with conditions. The boost required consuming life marks—essentially concentrated life force. Each mark required a significant amount of life force to form.
Since the explosion draws from life force, it comes with serious side effects, leaving Su Yu in a weakened state afterward.
However, both the consumed life force and the post-explosion weakness recover quickly, another trait inherited from the Explosive Pepper.
While life force and weakness recover rapidly, it takes much longer to condense the marks again.
Currently, as a Soul Elder, Su Yu could form three life marks.
After absorbing the soul ring, he automatically gained one life mark, and based on his calculations, condensing a second mark would take ten days. The third mark would take about fifteen days.
Starting from nothing, forming the first mark takes roughly five days.
So far, all three of Su Yu's soul rings have primarily enhanced his life force attribute, each also granting additional abilities.
His first soul skill restores soul power and physical condition.
His second soul skill purifies his body, removing negative statuses.
His third soul skill triggers a burst of power.
All of these skills align perfectly with Su Yu's focus on enhancing life force, and their synergy is highly satisfying.
Moreover, the strength of these three soul skills is directly tied to the power of Su Yu's Blue Silver Grass's life force attribute.
As Su Yu continues to refine the life force potential of his Blue Silver Grass and as future soul rings further enhance its life force, these soul skills will eventually become top-tier among those of the same level.
"Brother Su, are you really not coming to Shrek Academy with us?"
"Yeah, Su Yu, given your age and soul power, you fully meet Shrek Academy's entrance requirements."
Bebe, Tang Ya, and Huo Yuhao couldn't quite understand Su Yu's decision.
They made one last attempt to convince Su Yu, hoping to change his mind.
Going to Shrek Academy was the best way to unlock his full potential!
Su Yu shook his head, politely turning down their kind offer again.
"No, I already have my own goals."
The four of them went their separate ways.
Su Yu headed west.
Meanwhile, Bebe, Tang Ya, and Huo Yuhao made their way toward Shrek Academy.
Relations between the Sun and Moon Empire and the Star Luo Empire were strained.
The situation at their border was tense.
But there were still treacherous paths where one could pass.
To facilitate trade between countries, total isolation is impossible.
Su Yu joined the most recent caravan from the Wanhu Tower and crossed the border with them.
"Brother Su, here are a thousand gold soul coins. It's a personal gift from me—not much, but it should be enough for you to live in Mingdu," said the caravan leader, handing Su Yu a letter and a card loaded with the coins.
Sun Moon City was the most prosperous city in the Sun and Moon Empire, and it was also the caravan's destination. Only in such a bustling place could they acquire enough rare goods to bring back to the Star Luo Empire for resale.
After arriving in Sun Moon City with the caravan, Su Yu headed straight for the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.
The Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.
The registration area was filled with students and parents, all lined up in an orderly manner. Su Yu quietly took his place at the back of the line, as queuing patiently was a sign of good character.
The line was long, and Su Yu estimated it would take at least half a day to reach the front. He decided to use this time to train.
Focusing inward, Su Yu began guiding his soul power through his body, expanding it as much as possible and familiarizing himself with the layout of his meridians.
Though his meditation technique combined with body-tempering methods had sped up his cultivation, Su Yu still felt unsatisfied.
His body-tempering method had completed one full cycle, but it was a crude assembly, lacking any real finesse. Su Yu was constantly searching for a special soul power circulation route.
Just like how soul skills function, specific ways of channeling soul power can produce unique effects.
His body's meridians were akin to various circulation paths, each capable of enhancing soul power's attributes.
Su Yu had already made a preliminary discovery.
By circulating his soul power through a particular path, he could draw in ambient elemental energy from the surroundings. In other words, incorporating this step into his body-tempering method would allow him to absorb energy much faster.
If he could find another structure to further speed up energy absorption, the efficiency of his body-tempering method would greatly improve.
Lost in his exploration, time flew by.
Before he realized it, the line had reached the front, and it was finally Su Yu's turn.
"Hello, teacher. I'd like to apply to the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy," Su Yu said politely.
The teacher glanced at Su Yu's chest but saw no emblem marking him as a soul engineer. He then looked at Su Yu's hands and eyes.
They didn't have the marks of someone accustomed to holding a carving knife.
His gaze became distant, losing the enthusiasm it initially held. While not cold, his attitude had noticeably shifted.
"You're not a soul engineer?"
"No. I'm applying to the Martial Soul Department," Su Yu replied calmly.
He had already done his research. His plan was to enter the Martial Soul Department first and then apply to transfer during the freshman evaluation.
"Have you ever worked with a soul tool?" the teacher asked.
Although Su Yu had once owned a third-level soul tool—a dagger—he had never practiced with it. In fact, he had sold it later on.
Su Yu shook his head.
The teacher sighed.
"You haven't studied soul engineering, nor have you used a soul tool. What makes you think you're qualified to join the Royal Soul Engineering Academy?"
"Teacher, do you think this is enough to qualify me?" Su Yu asked, releasing his martial soul.
Blue Silver Grass, brimming with life force, emerged from his palm. Three soul rings—one yellow and two purple—hovered around him, rising and falling in rhythm.
After refining his martial soul through three soul rings, Su Yu's Blue Silver Grass had undergone a complete transformation.
Though its outward appearance still resembled Blue Silver Grass, its essence had changed drastically.
The grass now bore intricate purple patterns with starry glimmers, exuding an overwhelming vitality tinged with explosive energy.
Even without actively channeling his power, the vitality radiating from Su Yu was invigorating, bringing a sense of well-being to those around him.
"A Soul Elder!"
"A thousand-year second ring!"
(End of chapter)