As the two conversed through telepathic messages, Xu Pan tidied up the books on the table. He and Ma Hongjun then left the library and headed towards the Duke's mansion grounds.
About an hour later.
Within a separate courtyard in the estate.
"Uncle Xu, where's the Seven-Colored Profound Sound Bird? I don't see it," Ma Hongjun asked, looking around the courtyard. His gaze finally settled on the only bird in the vicinity.
It was a white bird with an ethereal and refined aura. Its feathers were pristine, like the untouched snow on a high mountain.
Since there were no other Spirit Beasts in the courtyard besides this white bird, Ma Hongjun looked puzzled and asked, "Could it be this bird right in front of me? But it's supposed to be seven-colored... seven-colored, yet its feathers are all white?"
"Hard to believe, isn't it!" Xu Pan stood beside him, patting Ma Hongjun's shoulder. "Hongjun, try activating your Martial Soul and controlling your Fire Phoenix Martial Soul to let out a phoenix cry. You'll understand."
"Okay, I get it," Ma Hongjun nodded obediently.
He then exclaimed dramatically, "Phoenix possession!"
Instantly, golden-red flames surged all over Ma Hongjun's body. His originally red hair turned a dazzling golden-red, and even his eyes became a brilliant golden-red. A phantom of the Fire Phoenix materialized behind Ma Hongjun, its golden-red flames coalescing into a pair of phoenix wings that unfurled from his back.
"Chirp~ Chirp~"
Without any conscious effort from Ma Hongjun, a clear phoenix cry spontaneously erupted as the Fire Phoenix Martial Soul possessed him. The cry echoed throughout the courtyard.
The white bird in the cage seemed to respond to the call, spreading its wings and soaring within the relatively spacious enclosure. At this moment, its flawless white feathers began to shimmer with brilliant, colorful streams of light.
Simultaneously, a mystical melody filled the courtyard. The tune was ethereal and sacred, drawing Ma Hongjun into its embrace. It felt like immersing himself in a crystal-clear spring, washing away all impurities and leaving him feeling refreshed from the inside out.
After a long while.
When Ma Hongjun regained his senses, the Seven-Colored Profound Sound Bird in the cage had returned to its previous state. Xu Pan's voice reached his ears, "This is the Seven-Colored Profound Sound Bird's innate Spirit Ability – Profound Sound Heavenly Melody. Both Spirit Masters and Spirit Beasts can receive a cleansing of their spirit the first time they hear Profound Sound Heavenly Melody. The true effect of Profound Sound Heavenly Melody is a comprehensive group-buffing Spirit Ability. It possesses multiple effects, including control release, healing, Attribute Amplification, and morale boosting, with an extremely wide coverage range. Ancient texts record that any Spirit Master whose Martial Soul is compatible with the Seven-Colored Profound Sound Bird and who absorbs its Spirit Ring will gain Spirit Abilities that possess some of the effects of Profound Sound Heavenly Melody, making it a divine skill for armies. The greater the compatibility between the Martial Soul and the Seven-Colored Profound Sound Bird, and the higher the Martial Soul's quality, the better the effects of the Spirit Abilities gained after absorbing the Spirit Ring. Because of this, Spirit Beasts like the Seven-Colored Profound Sound Bird are almost extinct due to the rampant hunting by Spirit Masters. Only once every few hundred or thousand years is there a chance for a rare individual among the descendants with the Seven-Colored Profound Sound Bird's bloodline to undergo a bloodline reversion and evolution. My brothers were also fortunate enough to discover and capture the Seven-Colored Profound Sound Bird before us. Although this Seven-Colored Profound Sound Bird's cultivation is just over two thousand two hundred years, exceeding the limit for a typical third Spirit Ring, you are different, Hongjun. You have diligently trained your body over these years and absorbed an Immortal Grade Medicinal Herb. As long as the Spirit Ring's age does not exceed two thousand five hundred years, you can absorb it. Furthermore, after absorbing the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, your Martial Soul has evolved into a true Fire Phoenix, a top-tier Beast Martial Soul deservedly so. It can be said that if you absorb this Seven-Colored Profound Sound Bird's Spirit Ring, there is a very high probability that you will fully inherit all the effects of Profound Sound Heavenly Melody."
After explaining, Xu Pan walked into the cage, knocked out the white bird, picked it up, and placed it before Ma Hongjun, signaling him to quickly kill the Spirit Beast and absorb its Spirit Ring. Ma Hongjun nodded and did as instructed. Golden-red phoenix flames condensed into a small blade in his hand, which he then plunged into the white bird, ending its life.
Looking at the pale purple Spirit Ring that materialized before him, Ma Hongjun took a deep breath and sat down on the spot to begin absorption. Perhaps it was because the Seven-Colored Profound Sound Bird did not suffer much pain before its death, or perhaps it had understood its fate during its six months of captivity. The power contained within the Spirit Ring was surprisingly gentle as Ma Hongjun absorbed it, allowing him to endure very little pain throughout the process, which was exceptionally smooth.
Half an hour later.
The pale purple Spirit Ring had stabilized beneath Ma Hongjun's feet.
"Soul Power level thirty-two, Spirit Ability..." After absorbing the Spirit Ring, Ma Hongjun immediately assessed his condition, a look of pleasant surprise on his youthful face. Xu Pan, who had been guarding him, saw Ma Hongjun's expression and knew it was a success. Still, he couldn't help but ask, "Hongjun, how is it? What's the effect of your third Spirit Ring?"
"Uncle Xu, please don't rush. Let me tell you slowly," Ma Hongjun said, standing up from the ground with a calm demeanor.
"My third spirit skill is called Heavenly Phoenix Profound Sound. It shares a similar principle with the Seven-Colored Profound Sound Bird's innate spirit skill, Profound Sound Heavenly Melody."
"First, there's the skill's coverage range. The initial range is one kilometer, and for every additional spirit ring, the coverage increases by another kilometer."
"I currently have three spirit rings, so the coverage range for Heavenly Phoenix Profound Sound is four kilometers."
"Next are the skill's buff effects: instant crowd control upon activation, continuous minor healing, a three percent boost to all attributes, and continuous morale stimulation."
"Furthermore, the more people this spirit skill buffs, the more amplification the skill feeds back to me. For every additional ten thousand people buffed, the skill can provide a one percent boost to all attributes."
"The best part is that this spirit skill consumes very little soul power—only slightly more than my current soul power recovery rate."
Xu Pan wasn't particularly surprised after hearing this.
The effects of Heavenly Phoenix Profound Sound were almost identical to Profound Sound Heavenly Melody. The only difference was the addition of the amplification feedback.
For every ten thousand people buffed, the spirit skill would provide a one percent boost to all attributes in return.
This sounded low and rather useless, but that was under normal circumstances.
On the battlefield, however, this was an absolute divine skill.
One percent amplification to all attributes for ten thousand people meant a hundred percent amplification to all attributes for a million mighty lions.
With a battlefield divine skill like Heavenly Phoenix Profound Sound, Ma Hongjun was practically a natural-born army commander.
This significantly reduced the pressure on Xu Pan's shoulders.
Xu Pan knew that Duke wanted him to thoroughly study military affairs and strategy precisely to assist Ma Hongjun in becoming the future Grand Marshal commanding the empire's armed forces.
Without a battlefield divine skill like Heavenly Phoenix Profound Sound, Ma Hongjun was just a talented spirit master. While he might receive some recognition in the army, he would still need to earn his stripes and achieve merits through combat.
But with a battlefield divine skill like Heavenly Phoenix Profound Sound, everything changed.
Without needing him to meticulously plan, the current Empire Grand Marshal, upon learning of the situation, would undoubtedly groom Ma Hongjun as his successor.
Not to mention, the Empire Grand Marshal Ge Long owed a favor to the Lin Clan.
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