Chapter 13: First Soul Skill: Poison Dragon Bind
"What?! My soul power actually jumped to level 14 all at once?" Zu Zong exclaimed in shock.
He had expected some improvement.
After storing up soul power for over three months and absorbing a soul ring beyond his level, he figured he wouldn't stop at level 11.
But to directly jump to level 14—this was an unexpected pleasant surprise!
"System, show me my personal panel."
[Ding, host's personal panel is now open.]
[Ding, congratulations! Host has unlocked hidden personal achievement: Soul Master. Reward: 10 additional steal attempts.]
[Host: Zu Zong
Gender: Male
Age: 6 years and 3 months (mental age: 25)
Martial Souls: Blue Silver Emperor / Sharingan
Innate Soul Power: Level 10
Current Soul Power: Level 14
Base Strength: 200 (average adult male = 10)
System Inventory: Kunai ×4, Clothing ×1
Overall Evaluation: Congratulations, host is now a normal human being.
Remaining Steal Attempts: 14
Hatred Points: 3500
Worlds Available for Stealing: Douluo Continent, Naruto (Note: Transmission unavailable due to target being deceased)
Domain: Blue Silver Domain (First Form)
Achievements: Soul Master]
"Zu Zong! Zu Zong, are you still alive? Can you hear me, brat?" Franklin's voice shouted from afar.
"Crap—I totally forgot about that guy." Zu Zong slapped his forehead, annoyed.
Wind stirred beneath his feet as he leapt into the trees. With a few flashes, he vanished toward Franklin's direction.
Franklin sat on a large rock, filled with regret. Why had he dozed off? A six-year-old child had gone missing in the Soul Hunting Forest—filled with so many dangerous soul beasts—it was likely he'd been doomed.
Tears welled up in his eyes, his throat tightened, and his voice choked as he muttered, "Sigh… Zu Zong, you little brat, I, Old Lin, have failed you…"
"Who did you fail, Director?" A small head with blue-silver hair peeked out from behind a nearby tree.
"Who's there?" Already in a bad mood, Franklin snapped when someone seemed to poke fun at him. But the voice sounded familiar. He turned to look—and saw a boy with long blue-silver hair hanging upside down from a tree branch. Surprisingly, his feet weren't resting on anything. He was fully adhered to the underside of the branch.
Franklin's eyes lit up. "What incredible soul power control! To maintain such a stable inverted position on the tree—amazing!"
He wiped his tears away and, upon seeing the boy's handsome little face, broke into a wide smile. "So you're still alive, Zu Zong! I knew you were one tough brat!"
Zu Zong didn't expect someone he had known for less than three days to show such genuine concern. It made him feel a little guilty.
The reason he went to hunt the 'Mandala Snake' alone wasn't just to test his strength—it was also because he didn't fully trust Franklin yet. Life only comes once, and if Franklin had any ill intentions while he was absorbing the soul ring, the consequences would be fatal. Still, he didn't regret the decision. He couldn't afford to reveal his twin martial souls just yet.
Dispersing the soul power from his feet, Zu Zong did a backflip and landed in a crouch, steady as ever, in front of Franklin.
"Director, I'm blessed with great fortune—I'm obviously fine!"
Seeing that Zu Zong was unharmed, Franklin's joy turned to anger. He brought his hand down in a knife-hand strike on Zu Zong's little head.
"Ow…" Zu Zong winced, tears nearly coming out from the pain.
"Hmph, serves you right! Maybe next time you'll think twice before running off," Franklin said sternly, arms crossed in front of his chest.
Franklin: Heh, that felt good. That'll teach you to catch me crying!
Zu Zong: Why do all grown-ups like sneak attacks with knife-hands these days…?
Hearing Franklin's scolding, Zu Zong stood up straight and bowed his head in apology.
"I'm sorry, Director."
Franklin nodded. "Mm! As long as you know your mistake. Come on, let's keep looking for your first soul ring!"
First soul ring? I already got one. But how should I tell Franklin? Should I just say that a six-year-old cowherd killed a five-hundred-sixty-year-old Black-Scaled Venom Python?
Heh, got it!
Thinking of that, Zu Zong replied immediately, "Hehe! Director, look."
As he spoke, Zu Zong raised his right hand. A faint white glow appeared on his skin, and in the next moment, the deep blue-black Blue Silver Emperor burst forth from his palm. A clearly defined soul ring rose from beneath his feet and spiraled around his body—an unmistakable sign of a one-ringed Soul Master.
"A century soul ring!" Franklin blurted in shock. Could this kid have killed a century-old soul beast on his own? If so, that would be terrifying—he'd be comparable to a Soul Elder! But he quickly shook the thought away.
"Zu Zong, who helped you obtain this soul ring?" Franklin still believed someone must have assisted him. Without help, not to mention getting the ring, Zu Zong probably wouldn't even be alive.
"It was Grandpa Tom! Remember I told you about him? Last night, I got up to use the toilet and got lost. Coincidentally, Grandpa Tom was nearby and helped me take down the beast." Zu Zong lied without blinking.
Franklin revealed a look of understanding. That made sense. Zu Zong came from a small village and couldn't possibly know any other Soul Masters. Besides, powerful Soul Masters were often proud and aloof—unlikely to help a six-year-old stranger.
"So it was Elder Tom. That explains it. Alright, brat, show me your first soul skill."
After obtaining a soul ring, a martial soul had to undergo a mutation process to form a skill. The skill varied based on both the martial soul and the soul ring. Even the same martial soul with different rings would produce entirely different results.
Zu Zong said, "My first soul ring came from a Black-Scaled Venom Python with about four hundred years of cultivation. (Narrator: Hehe! Like hell I'm telling you it was five hundred sixty years.) Just like I hoped, the Blue Silver Grass inherited its strength, speed, and toughness—and even gained its corrosive venom."
"First Soul Skill—Poison Dragon Bind."
As he spoke, Zu Zong activated his Blue Silver Emperor and unleashed the skill using his soul power control.
Dozens—no, hundreds—of deep-blue vines with a faint black shimmer erupted from the underbrush, surging out to tightly wrap around the trunk of a tree large enough to take two or three people to hug. The vines launched in spiraling trajectories, covering an area of several dozen meters. Anything within range had zero chance to dodge.
In an instant, the vines had completely coiled around the tree.
As the Blue Silver Emperor vines twisted with incredible force, cracking sounds echoed from the trunk.
At the same time, a layer of black scales appeared on the vines—scales inherited from the Black-Scaled Venom Python. They were incredibly durable. Zu Zong had tested them beforehand—kunai couldn't cut through them at all.
From the gaps between the scales, purple liquid oozed out. As soon as it touched the tree, white smoke rose. Wherever it landed, it corroded the wood into blackened charcoal.
Boom. Boom.
Under the dual assault of crushing strength and corrosive venom, the tree trunk cracked inch by inch. In the time it took to brew a cup of tea, the tree collapsed, split in half.
Franklin's jaw nearly hit the floor.
—You're telling me this is a first soul skill?! If I didn't use a third-ring skill, I'd be toast. That venom alone is insane!
It took a long while before Franklin finally came back to his senses.
"Mm, not bad. That Elder Tom really is something—he found you an incredible soul ring."
Originally, Franklin had planned to say something like that.
But as a teaching director, how could he lose face in front of a student? So instead, he cleared his throat and said in a lofty tone, "Good skill. Reminds me a bit of my prime. But you still have a long way to go."
Zu Zong rolled his eyes. This was the same guy whose jaw almost dropped a second ago.
"Yes, Director. Thank you for the guidance." Feeling a bit guilty from earlier, Zu Zong still gave him an out.
(End of Chapter)
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