"Fine." Testing his soul power wouldn't waste too much time. As he spoke, he placed the blue crystal ball in front of Tang San.
Following the method Su Yun Tao had taught him earlier, Tang San controlled his body and withdrew his Blue Silver Grass inward. He found that it wasn't difficult—as long as he circulated his energy the way he controlled the Mysterious Heaven Skill, drawing it back, he could accomplish it. At the same time, he also noticed that when the Blue Silver Grass appeared, it seemed to be his Mysterious Heaven Skill surging outward, as if the small blue grass was condensed entirely from the Mysterious Heaven Skill.
The moment his palm touched the blue crystal ball, Tang San's body trembled violently. He was shocked to discover that this seemingly beautiful blue crystal ball possessed an enormous suction force, and his inner energy surged out like water through a broken dam. He tried to pull away, but he simply couldn't escape that powerful pull.
Su Yun Tao was equally startled. He had assumed this final soul power test in Sacred Soul Village was merely a formality, but suddenly, the blue crystal ball in his hands lit up. A dazzling blue light spread from a single point in an instant, and in the blink of an eye, the crystal ball glowed like a brilliant gem. A faint blue halo radiated outward, breathtakingly beautiful.
According to traditional testing, if the crystal ball showed even the slightest reaction—even the faintest glimmer of light—it proved that the person being tested possessed soul power. And the blinding radiance shining within the blue crystal ball before him could only mean one thing.
"Heavens—it's Innate Full Soul Power!" Green light radiated from Su Yun Tao's body once more, and the crystal ball pushed Tang San's palm away. By now, the way he looked at the boy standing before him had changed completely. He stared as though he were looking at a monster.
Tang San naturally noticed that his test had been different from the other children's. He asked in confusion, "Uncle, what is Innate Full Soul Power?"
Su Yun Tao stared at him blankly, then instinctively explained, "When a person's Martial Soul awakens, aside from the form of the Martial Soul determining how powerful it is, the amount of soul power is equally critical. Most people have no soul power when their Martial Soul awakens—just like those children before you. They are destined to never become Soul Masters in their lifetime. But as long as any soul power appears, even if it's just a trace, one can cultivate through meditation. And the amount of soul power at the time of Martial Soul Awakening is absolutely crucial—it determines the starting height of a Soul Master's cultivation. The higher the innate soul power, the faster one advances in later cultivation. And because you start from a higher point, you naturally pull ahead of others. Innate Full Soul Power means that at the moment of Martial Soul Awakening, one has reached the highest soul power possible innately."
"The highest soul power?" Tang San looked at Su Yun Tao, his mind racing. He didn't know what his soul power level was, but he was certain that the blue crystal ball used for testing had been absorbing his Mysterious Heaven Skill's inner energy. Could it be that his inner energy in this world had become soul power?
Perhaps because Tang San's Innate Full Soul Power had delivered a considerable shock to Su Yun Tao, the latter explained at length without the slightest impatience, "Our Martial Soul ranking system works like this—every ten levels corresponds to one title. Once your Martial Soul awakens, you're automatically called a Soul Apprentice. Of course, just a first-level Soul Apprentice. The levels are distinguished by the strength of one's Martial Soul power. The so-called Innate Full Soul Power means that after awakening, one's soul power reaches the highest innate level—level ten. I've never encountered someone with Innate Full Soul Power before. When my own Martial Soul awakened, I only had second-level soul power."
Tang San had by now composed himself. Having finally found a real Soul Master, he certainly wasn't going to let the opportunity slip. He hurriedly asked the question that weighed most heavily on his mind, "Can innate soul power only reach level ten? It can't go any higher?"
Su Yun Tao withdrew all the green light from his body, retracted his Martial Soul Possession, and said, "Of course not. A Soul Master's growth in strength isn't that simple. Every time you cross into the next title bracket, not only must your Martial Soul power reach the peak of the previous title, but you also must obtain a Soul Ring. Without a Soul Ring, no matter how hard you cultivate, it's impossible to advance to the next title. Take your situation, for example—because you've already reached Innate Full Soul Power, if your soul power is to continue rising, mere meditation won't be enough. You must first obtain a Soul Ring and enter the next tier before you can continue cultivating."
Tang San said in sudden realization, "A Soul Ring—that halo you had around you just now? You're at level twenty-six, so you have two Soul Rings."
Su Yun Tao nodded. "Exactly. Your situation is quite special. Innate Full Soul Power is a talent seen once in a century. It's a real shame—such a pity. Your Martial Soul is a waste. Even if your Martial Soul were nothing more than a farming tool, it would still be far better than the waste that is Blue Silver Grass. That way, I could have…"
He didn't finish his sentence, but Tang San vaguely understood what he meant. Yet the veil that had been shrouding his heart seemed to have been lifted in that moment.
Tang San had always been a person prone to deep thought—in his previous life and in this one alike. According to what Su Yun Tao had said, if soul power truly was connected to his inner energy, then after arriving in this world, the inner energy he cultivated had become soul power. And the reason his Mysterious Heaven Skill couldn't advance to the second realm was because of those so-called Soul Rings. In other words, if he wanted to improve further, he would need to obtain Soul Rings just like a Soul Master. But what exactly were Soul Rings?
Tang San was about to press further with his questions, but Su Yun Tao had already picked up his bundle and was heading for the door.
"Lao Jie Ke."
The door opened, and Lao Jie Ke, his face tense with anxiety, hurried to meet Su Yun Tao. "Great Master, how did it go? Is there any possibility that any of this year's children from our village could become Soul Masters?"
Su Yun Tao looked at him and let out a sigh. "There is one, but what a shame."
A look of uneasy uncertainty flickered across Jie Ke's eyes. He probed cautiously, "Great Master, which one is it exactly…"
Su Yun Tao said, "Out of this year's eight children, only one possesses soul power—and it's Innate Full Soul Power at that. The unfortunate thing is, his Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass. Do you understand?"
"Blue Silver Grass? Innate Full Soul Power? Heavens." The disappointment on Jie Ke's face was even more severe than Su Yun Tao's. He had served as village chief for many years and naturally understood what Innate Full Soul Power signified. But for that Innate Full Soul Power to appear on a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul—it was truly…
"Great Master, is there really no way to cultivate with Blue Silver Grass?" Jie Ke asked, frowning.
Su Yun Tao could sense Lao Jie Ke's feelings and was no longer quite as proud as he had been at the start. He patted Jie Ke on the shoulder. "It's not entirely impossible to cultivate. But what do you think Blue Silver Grass will evolve into as the Martial Soul advances? A waste Martial Soul is a waste Martial Soul in the end. Even if he becomes a Soul Master, he'll probably just be a worthless one. What a shame about that Innate Full Soul Power. All right, I need to be going. I still have the next village to visit."
Su Yun Tao ultimately departed from the village without waiting for Tang San to ask any more questions. Without Su Yun Tao there, Tang San had no choice but to run up to Jie Ke and ask the question he was most desperate to know the answer to. "Grandpa Jie Ke, what is a Soul Ring? How does one obtain a Soul Ring?"
Lao Jie Ke still seemed to be mulling over Su Yun Tao's words. He answered reflexively, "I don't know what a Soul Ring is either. To obtain one, it seems you have to hunt Soul Beasts. That's very dangerous work—only Soul Masters undertake it."