The Divine Unicorn spoke a series of cryptic words before inexplicably returning to its soul ring. Jing Shaoyu was left utterly baffled, scratching his head in confusion.
He didn't dwell on the unicorn's odd behavior, though. Since it was now his soul spirit, it wasn't going anywhere. He could question it at any time when it suited him.
Leng Yaozhu, on the other hand, wore a puzzled expression. "Ah'Yuan, what exactly is this Divine Unicorn doing?"
"I have no idea," Jing Shaoyu replied, shrugging and waving it off casually.
Leng Yaozhu didn't press further. "Divine Unicorns are known for their peculiar temperaments. You'll need to spend time training it properly in the future."
"I understand, Teacher," Jing Shaoyu agreed with a thoughtful nod.
"Alright then, let's head out. We've been in this Spirit Ascension Platform for three days and two nights," Leng Yaozhu remarked.
"What?" Jing Shaoyu froze in surprise. "That long? No wonder I feel so hungry."
Their consciousnesses returned to their bodies. As they stepped out of the pods, Jing Shaoyu took a moment to center himself, eyes closed. Once he felt balanced, he opened his eyes and stepped down, glancing toward Leng Yaozhu.
Leng Yaozhu was already watching him, a glint of curiosity and expectation in her gaze. "Ah'Yuan, I've arranged for some food to be brought to you, but it'll take a little time. For now, tell me about your fourth soul skill."
Jing Shaoyu's heart warmed at her consideration. Glancing out the window, he noticed the dark, overcast sky dotted with a few faint stars. Smiling, he replied, "Of course, Teacher."
They moved to the center of the room, where Jing Shaoyu steadied himself. With a thought, his Origin Spirit martial soul activated, and the Crown of Nature appeared first. Four pure white gemstones now adorned it, one more than before. Each gemstone had undergone a subtle transformation.
Starting from the far-left gemstone, representing fire, a simple yet profound engraving of a flame had appeared. The second, symbolizing water, now bore a droplet-shaped engraving. The third, for wind, featured a three-petaled whirlwind symbol. Lastly, the newest gemstone, representing earth, displayed a diamond-shaped rock engraving. Each symbol was outlined in golden strokes, exuding an elegant rhythm that caught Leng Yaozhu's sharp gaze.
Below the crown was the Eye of Dao, briefly opening to reveal a silver streak before closing, leaving only a mysterious flowing cloud pattern on Jing Shaoyu's forehead.
Interestingly, his hair no longer turned entirely green during soul activation. Only a single lock in his bangs adopted a vivid green hue, giving him a distinct look. His pointed elf-like ears remained unchanged.
The Wings of Origin still consisted of two pairs, though Jing Shaoyu could sense a budding force at their base. It seemed likely that upon reaching the next rank, his wings would evolve into three pairs.
"Impressive. You're beginning to look more and more like a true powerhouse," Leng Yaozhu praised with a smile. "Tell me about the new ability granted by the fourth gemstone."
"As we suspected, the new gemstone governs the earth element," Jing Shaoyu began, his voice steady. "It has granted me two abilities: the passive talent Lord of Earth and the active skill Earthquake Spell."
The Lord of Earth talent provided 40% immunity to earth-based attacks. Furthermore, his existing immunities to water, fire, and wind were also boosted to 40%. With these four elemental resistances combined, Jing Shaoyu was effectively immune to the majority of elemental-based soul masters.
The Earthquake Spell was a crowd-control skill, releasing seismic waves that caused all enemies within a 400-meter radius to be stunned for four seconds. The stun duration decreased by one second for every rank above Jing Shaoyu the target held. At his current level, the ability could reliably disrupt opponents up to Soul Saint rank.
"It's a powerful skill, especially for crowd control," Jing Shaoyu said. "Considering how rare area-of-effect control abilities are for soul masters at my level, this is a significant advantage."
Additionally, his first three abilities—Fire Blast, Water Surge, and Wind Bind—had received enhancements.
Fire Blast: The meteoric fireballs were now larger and hotter, though the quantity had decreased to ten.
Water Surge: The summoned waves had grown closer to a full-blown tsunami, with increased control and impact.
Wind Bind: He could now summon three tornadoes simultaneously, which could combine into one massive tornado with amplified pulling force.
"Excellent," Leng Yaozhu said with a bright smile. "If this progression continues, I can see you summoning natural disasters by the time you reach Titled Douluo rank."
Her words sent a shiver of realization through Jing Shaoyu. Could this be the ultimate purpose of the Origin Spirit's gemstones? The ability to command natural disasters?
Water Surge as tsunamis.
Wind Bind as hurricanes.
Earthquake Spell as quakes.
Fire Blast as… the blazing sun?
It all seemed plausible.
"Teacher, my fourth soul skill is called Azure Aura," Jing Shaoyu continued with excitement. "It's a group-enhancement skill. When activated, it releases a circle of blue light that boosts all allied units within its range."
The skill increased soul power recovery speed by 200% and enhanced speed and stamina by 100% for all allies within a 40-meter radius. In its expanded elliptical form, the range could stretch up to 400 meters along its longest axis.
"A group enhancement skill? That fits the Divine Unicorn's support-oriented nature perfectly," Leng Yaozhu remarked. "How large is its effective range?"
"Under normal circumstances, the radius is 40 meters. In its elliptical form, the range stretches to 400 meters at maximum," Jing Shaoyu explained.
"Impressive," Leng Yaozhu said, her joy evident. "If this is where it starts, I can only imagine how much its potential will grow as you master it and continue advancing."
"Exactly," Jing Shaoyu agreed. Though he realized he was leaning more into a support role, he didn't mind. After all, he still had potent offensive skills like Fire Blast and the newly unlocked Wood Spirit Guardian.
The Wood Spirit Guardian had unveiled a formidable plant: Obsidian Sword Agave. This ancient plant species, long extinct, was known for its razor-sharp, sword-like leaves capable of slicing through nearly anything.
Legends told of a plant beast, the Nine-Leaf Sword Emperor, which once used its leaves to pierce the scales of the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King Di Tian. Though ultimately slain, its legacy lived on as one of the most fearsome plant-based soul beasts in history.
With this plant's offensive capabilities unlocked through his Nature Crown, Jing Shaoyu couldn't help but wonder:
If I pitted it against a swordmaster like Wu Zhangkong, who would come out on top?
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