After using his first soul skill, Su Yuntao's movements became fiercer than before, and his speed also increased. With the soul power of a Great Soul Master, he infused his body with a sharper edge of aggression. He leapt into the air like a hungry wolf pouncing on its prey, and in the blink of an eye, landed beneath the crown of the thousand-root banyan tree.
He raised his hand.
He swung his claw at the banyan silkworm. "Chi!"
However, the banyan silkworm proved worthy of being the guardian of the thousand-root banyan. Its reaction speed was astonishing. In an instant, it spat out a silk thread that wrapped around Su Yuntao's arm. The silk kept branching, spreading along his arm and winding around his body. It was also sticky, making it extremely difficult to break free.
"Is this really not a spider wearing a silkworm coat? This silk thread is much stronger than Sisi's." Su Yuntao was shocked as he noticed the sticky thread spreading from his arm to the rest of his body. He quickly activated his second soul skill.
Su Yuntao's second soul ring had been planned by Tang San.
In theory, for a soul master whose martial soul was a wolf, the best choice of soul beast would also be a wolf—matching his martial soul and likely enhancing his bloodline power.
But the soul beast Tang San chose for him was not a wolf, not even a canine—it was a feline.
The Terror Cat.
First of all, the Lone Wolf martial soul was not a real wolf but something between matter and energy. In Tang San's view, it was part of the human body's extraordinary internal structure.
Adding a soul ring and obtaining a soul skill meant inserting a technique into an empty skill slot.
Different soul beasts produced soul rings of varying compatibility with martial souls.
Otherwise, soul masters with weapon martial souls would be restricted to hunting only ancient relics to obtain soul rings.
It was true that hunting soul beasts similar or identical to one's beast martial soul could enhance bloodline power. This was a good option for families seeking to preserve or elevate their lineages.
But for commoners like Su Yuntao, that was unrealistic.
Powerful clans with beast martial souls could afford to eliminate instability and protect their heirs as they developed.
Even though Su Yuntao had joined the Spirit Hall, his talent was insufficient to attract the attention of higher-ups. No one would go out of their way to help him hunt a high-bloodline wolf-type soul beast as a mere Great Soul Master.
Building a lineage from nothing was always the hardest step.
For the first generation—grassroots commoners like Su Yuntao—the focus wasn't bloodline evolution, but raw strength. He needed to become strong first. Only then could he accumulate resources across one or two generations, eventually form a family, and start identifying which wolf-type soul beasts best suited his Lone Wolf martial soul.
That process would take at least a hundred years.
Su Yuntao could wait a hundred years—but not as the first generation. Born a commoner, he had few choices.
He had to temporarily discard the goal of enhancing his bloodline when choosing a soul ring and instead prioritize acquiring powerful offensive abilities, strengthening his martial soul, and gaining special attacks.
He needed the strength to protect himself—and to fight criminals or fallen ones when enforcing the law.
Though his main job was considered relaxed, Su Yuntao also rotated in with the patrol team aside from helping awaken martial souls in the villages near Nuoding City.
And while patrolling, he inevitably encountered trouble.
That demanded strength, not noble blood. For weaker martial souls, a small bloodline boost didn't translate into much actual combat power.
For the Lone Wolf—a martial soul that wasn't especially powerful—bloodline enhancement was limited unless paired with a high-grade wolf-type soul beast. That benefit paled in comparison to a truly powerful soul skill.
In Su Yuntao's situation, it was a simple matter of cost-effectiveness.
The Terror Cat, as a soul beast, was renowned for its claws—each about ten centimeters long. Even hundred-forged steel could be sliced through with them.
After acquiring the Terror Cat's soul ring, Su Yuntao's physical attributes improved slightly, and his waist flexibility increased by more than a full level.
Sisi had the most to say about that. Cough!
Back to the point—the Terror Cat's soul ring not only boosted Su Yuntao's agility, but more importantly, it gave him another pair of claws:
Adamantium Claws!
When he activated this second soul skill, the wolf claws on his ten fingers vanished. Clenching his fists, each of his four fingers—excluding the thumbs—extended with three blades resembling curved daggers. Their sharpness could slice through armor strong enough to withstand a full-strength attack from a Level 30 soul master. If used on flesh, it could even injure a Soul King—though one would hardly stand idle in battle.
Additionally, Su Yuntao could channel his entire soul power into the six claws and shoot them out as energy blades, covering a range of more than twenty meters. The power weakened with distance.
Within ten meters, if the strike landed, it would almost certainly be fatal—unless the target had an exceptionally strong martial soul.
However, this technique consumed all of Su Yuntao's soul power.
If it failed to kill the enemy, then he would be the one to die.
Even so, Su Yuntao was extremely pleased. He had never imagined that a second soul ring could grant such a powerful, stylish soul skill. It was far cooler than his first soul skill: Hungry Wolf Pounce.
Because of its high energy cost, Su Yuntao rarely used the ranged version. He relied instead on the Adamantium Claws themselves to boost his combat effectiveness.
With these claws capable of slicing iron, his armor-penetrating ability had increased by at least fivefold.
At that moment, Su Yuntao used his Adamantium Claws to slice through the banyan silkworm's silk threads, dropped to the ground, and flicked the remaining strands off his body.
"It's really sticky."
"Sisi!" He turned and shouted.
"First soul skill: Entangle!"
Sisi immediately understood his intent. She summoned her martial soul and activated her first soul skill.
In an instant, the white ribbon in her hand moved like a python, slithering toward the banyan silkworm atop the tree.
In moments, the sluggish banyan silkworm was struck, entangled, and writhing in place. "Got it!"
She tugged.
She pulled.
The banyan silkworm was yanked from the tree and hit the ground, unmoving.
"The banyan silkworm might be playing dead," Tang San warned.
"Leave it to me!" Su Yuntao leapt forward, landed beside the banyan silkworm, and drove his Adamantium Claws into its body, pinning it to the ground.
Whether it had been feigning death or not, it could no longer escape.
"Sisi, quick! This bug's pretty strong," Su Yuntao shouted, using one hand to keep the banyan silkworm nailed down while his other hand pressed its violently squirming body.
Sisi rushed over, drew her short knife, and stabbed it into the banyan silkworm's head, severing the black tip entirely.
A yellow soul ring appeared.
"Hu~"
Sisi exhaled deeply, stowed the knife, and began adjusting her state.
Absorbing a soul ring was always a challenge for a soul master. She had to do it in optimal condition to maximize her success.
Once ready, Sisi summoned her martial soul and used her soul power to draw the soul ring into her ribbon.
The moment the soul ring was applied to her martial soul, Sisi trembled, and her face visibly paled.
Su Yuntao, Ma Xiunuo, and Tang San all grew tense.
Tang San couldn't help feeling guilty.
In theory, any adult—regardless of physical condition—should be able to withstand a hundred-year soul ring for their second. But now, Sisi was absorbing a four-hundred-year ring, and despite being relatively unexhausted, she was under intense pressure.
Was the banyan silkworm incompatible with the ribbon martial soul?
Impossible.
Otherwise, weapon martial souls would be incompatible with nearly all soul beasts.
Only one explanation remained: for ordinary, commoner soul masters, even a four-hundred-year second soul ring was still too much.
"That's right," Tang San realized, "Ordinary commoners never received medicinal baths as children. Their martial souls are weak. In junior academies, they were often bullied by nobles. They probably carry hidden injuries. Their physiques simply can't compare to noble descendants or those with superior or mutated martial souls."
Tang San frowned deeply and understood why so many commoner soul masters' first soul rings were white.
It wasn't just because academy instructors hunted for convenience—it was because those commoners physically couldn't endure stronger ones.
Even a hundred-year soul ring for the first ring could be fatal.
Ten minutes passed.
Sisi's face regained color. She had succeeded.
Relieved, Su Yuntao smiled and thanked Tang San, "Xiao San, thank you. Without you, Sisi would've missed this perfectly matched four-hundred-year soul ring."
Tang San shook his head, "I should be the one apologizing. This ring nearly broke Sisi. I didn't expect the pressure to be so great…"
"No need to blame yourself," Ma Xiunuo said with a gentle smile, patting Tang San's head. "Soul ring absorption is always a risk. Every year, many soul masters fail during absorption and lose their chance to advance… Sisi was lucky."
What Ma Xiunuo said was true.
Every soul ring absorption was both a cultivation breakthrough and a personal trial. Those with weak willpower would never make it.
Failure could mean loss of soul power or, in extreme cases, death from bodily rupture. Soul master cultivation was never smooth sailing.
Half an hour later, Sisi opened her eyes, beaming with joy.
"Sisi, you did it! What's your second soul skill? Tell me!" Su Yuntao asked excitedly.
"My second soul ring made my martial soul more tenacious."
Sisi released her martial soul. The ribbon looked unchanged—but Tang San, with his Purple Demon Eye, saw the subtle difference.
If the old ribbon was a smooth white strip, this one now had visible weaving patterns—like the work of a master weaver.
Before absorbing the banyan silkworm's soul ring, it had been a plain, unmarked cloth. Now, it had detail. Texture. Craftsmanship.