Leng Yaozhu felt a great sense of fortune for having taken Jing Shaoyu as her disciple, though she had yet to realize the price she would pay for this decision in the future.
"Ah-Yuan, what effect does your third soul skill have?" she asked.
Jing Shaoyu, immersed in the new facets of his Primal Spirit martial soul, smiled as he raised his hand. A silver staff adorned with intricate star patterns and topped with a deep-blue diamond-shaped gemstone appeared in his hand. The gemstone was so clear and mesmerizing that one could almost see a star-filled night sky within.
This was the Star Staff, the weapon of the Primal Spirit.
In the broader sense, the sun, moon, and stars were part of nature, which justified the Primal Spirit's capability to wield a staff that could harness the power of the stars.
The Star Staff could enhance one's attack and speed through blessings of starlight. Additionally, it boosted his spell-casting speed, reduced soul power consumption, and, most importantly, amplified the effects of his soul skills by about thirty percent at his current level.
Leng Yaozhu looked at the staff in Jing Shaoyu's hand with amazement. "Ah-Yuan, is this staff your third soul skill?"
"No, Teacher." Jing Shaoyu shook his head. "The Star Staff is the weapon that comes with my Primal Spirit martial soul. It boosts my spell-casting speed. My third soul skill, however, is this."
He lifted the Star Staff, causing the third of his three purple soul rings to glow. A gentle green rain began to fall from above the staff, washing over Leng Yaozhu. She quickly understood the skill's effects and smiled.
"My third soul skill is Primal Dew, a group healing skill that restores both soul power and life force, while also healing any abnormal conditions," Jing Shaoyu explained.
"Excellent, very impressive!" Leng Yaozhu praised.
Thinking Jing Shaoyu's breakthroughs ended there, Leng Yaozhu prepared to escort him back to Spirit Pagoda Headquarters. But only Jing Shaoyu knew there was something he hadn't revealed.
The Eternal Heart—the true core of the Primal Spirit martial soul—was essentially his second heart. While it provided no direct support for cultivation, it did grant one simple but powerful function: immortality.
As long as the Eternal Heart remained intact, the Primal Spirit would not perish. Of course, this effect wasn't as exaggerated as it sounded. Given Jing Shaoyu's current abilities, the heart could provide him with a single resurrection, albeit at a cost. As long as his Eternal Heart was whole, even if he were fatally wounded, he could revive by sacrificing a portion of his cultivation.
The Crown of Nature, Primal Wings, Dao Eye, Star Staff, and Eternal Heart—only with these five sacred artifacts was his Primal Spirit fully awakened.
"Teacher, does this mean I've formed a soul core?" Jing Shaoyu finally asked, his attention on the colorless crystalline form in his dantian, resembling a soul core but lacking the familiar traits.
"Not quite," Leng Yaozhu said. "What you have is a pseudo-core."
"A pseudo-core?"
"A pseudo-core is distinct from a true soul core," she explained. "At your level, the core you form is merely a crystallization of soul power. A true soul core requires resonance with your martial soul and soul power. Reaching Soul King level is the minimum threshold."
"Aaah, I see," Jing Shaoyu sighed, feeling a bit disappointed.
"Don't be discouraged. Achieving this is already unprecedented." Leng Yaozhu ruffled his hair affectionately. "Once you reach Soul King and deepen your mastery of your martial soul, your pseudo-core will naturally evolve into a true soul core."
"Alright." Jing Shaoyu sighed and shrugged.
"Don't worry. I'll be there to help you when the time comes," Leng Yaozhu said with a reassuring smile.
Upon returning to the 101st floor of Spirit Pagoda Headquarters, Leng Yaozhu eagerly conducted another full scan of Jing Shaoyu's body. The results brought her immense joy.
Upon reaching Soul Elder, Jing Shaoyu's physical strength had reached the equivalent of 9,135 years, and his spiritual power had broken through to the Spirit Sea level, with a reading of 666 points. This meant he had the potential to bind and fuse with black-level soul spirits upon reaching Soul Ancestor.
In her excitement, Leng Yaozhu hugged Jing Shaoyu, ruffling his cheeks affectionately before letting him go, her laughter ringing through the room. "Ah-Yuan, tomorrow we'll return to Eastsea City. Along the way, Teacher will take you to see Star Luo City—my hometown!"
"Sounds great," Jing Shaoyu replied, feeling relieved. He had feared she might get overly attached to having him at Spirit Pagoda Headquarters, which would have taken him off the main storyline. After all, he couldn't afford to leave now—he had already made significant progress with Gu Yue.
Meanwhile, a file on Jing Shaoyu now lay on Qiangu Dongfeng's desk. As the leader of Spirit Pagoda, obtaining this file had been effortless.
"Jing Shaoyu, ten years old, first-year student at Eastsea Academy's intermediate division, martial soul: Primal Spirit, suspected high-grade healing-type martial soul, soul power: level 29, soul spirit: Scarlet Jade Bird (purple), foster mother: Jing Ziyuan…"
Qiangu Dongfeng read through the file, his eyes revealing a flicker of interest. "A remarkable talent indeed. Yaozhu has truly picked up a treasure this time. Healing type… healing type…"
He leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrests as he pondered.
The next day, Jing Shaoyu and Leng Yaozhu left Spirit Pagoda Headquarters.
Before leaving, Leng Yaozhu met with Qiangu Dongfeng. When she came out, her expression was grim, her brows furrowed, and clearly displeased with their discussion.
Jing Shaoyu dared not ask. A furious Leng Yaozhu was terrifying; her aura seemed capable of crushing any living being that dared to approach.
To vent her frustrations, she drove at breakneck speed, speeding down the highway back to Eastsea City. The scenery outside blurred past as if in fast-forward, barely discernible to Jing Shaoyu.
In the afternoon, they reached Star Luo City.
As one of the oldest cities on Douluo Continent, Star Luo City was unlike other ancient cities. Instead of an aura of age and antiquity, it felt young and vibrant, brimming with technology, like a cutting-edge soul tool city.
"Wow, so this is Star Luo City," Jing Shaoyu marveled, gazing out at the towering buildings, interlaced highways, and bustling traffic. "It's nothing like I imagined."
"Oh? And what did you imagine Star Luo City to be like?" Leng Yaozhu asked, her earlier anger dissipated.
"I thought a city with a history of over twenty thousand years would be filled with towering walls and ancient structures, exuding a sense of age and history," Jing Shaoyu replied.
"Ah, you're describing Heaven Dou City," Leng Yaozhu chuckled. "When you see it, you'll find it's worlds apart from Star Luo City. I love Star Luo—it's forever youthful and full of life."
"In that case, I'll definitely have to visit Heaven Dou City someday," Jing Shaoyu said with a smile.
"When your power has grown, you can go anywhere—even Heaven Dou City on Douluo or Star Luo Continent's Star Luo City," Leng Yaozhu said with pride.
Hearing her mention the Star Luo and Heaven Dou continents, Jing Shaoyu's curiosity was piqued. "Teacher, you mentioned Star Luo and Heaven Dou Continents. How are they different from our Douluo Continent?"
"Different?" Leng Yaozhu pondered. "In what sense?"
"Um…like natural environments or soul beast species?" Jing Shaoyu asked.
"Natural environment?" Leng Yaozhu thought for a moment. "Both continents have lower levels of technological development, so their natural environments are relatively untouched, with vast expanses of wilderness."
"As for soul beasts, while the other continents have a large number, their high-level species don't quite match
up to Douluo Continent. However, they're comparable in variety."
"I see," Jing Shaoyu mused.
-Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/GodofTL236
Thanks!