"Persistence: Passive skill, activates when stamina drops below 30%, reducing damage taken by 50%."
"Recovery State: Passive skill, after high-intensity exercise, a period of rest will completely eliminate fatigue, restoring the body to its peak condition."
"Swift Step: Active skill, increases movement speed by 30%."
"Hit Weak Point: Close-range attack skill, can find flaws in the enemy and deal significant damage."
"Throwing Short Sword: Ranged attack skill, throws a short sword to damage the enemy. As the level increases, the hit rate and damage will also increase."
"This is..." Clutching his head with one hand, the sudden influx of information made his mind ache slightly. But soon, as his mind gradually cleared, Cheng Xiao also regained his composure.
It turned out that as Cheng Xiao's compatibility with Shadow Force increased, his level would also rise. Just like Cheng Xiao Yu, who had a system, he would constantly level up, and after reaching certain levels, he would also acquire corresponding skills.
The few skills that appeared in his mind were precisely one of the many legacies the Shadow King had left for Cheng Xiao.
At the same time, a Soul Ring with strange, dark purple patterns condensed on Cheng Xiao's body. This wasn't a Soul Ring from Douluo World, but one condensed from the Shadow Force within him, also a proof of the King! The Soul Rings condensed by Shadow Force didn't form according to their age but according to the highest age Cheng Xiao's body could withstand. In other words, the Soul Ring condensed by Shadow Force would increase as Cheng Xiao's level increased, and this kind of Soul Ring was a growth-type Soul Ring!
Moreover, the strength of Cheng Xiao's first Soul Ring wasn't a hundred years, but a thousand years. Although he hadn't taken any treasures to consolidate his body, how could a body nourished by Shadow Force be comparable to the physical fitness of an ordinary Soul Master?
As Cheng Xiao's first Soul Ring slowly emerged, the Netherworld Demon Wolf immediately felt a fear from the depths of its soul. That fear surpassed bloodlines; it was a suppression of the life level. It was clear that the One-Ring Soul Master in front of it was a being it could swat to death with a single slap, but why did it feel an indescribable threat of death from this human?
"Awoo~~"
Understanding that if it didn't take action, it would meet its demise, the Netherworld Demon Wolf howled at the sky, seemingly trying to comfort its young heart. Then, its wolf eyes stared fixedly at Cheng Xiao, its fangs bared, and it opened its bloody maw, pouncing towards Cheng Xiao.
However, facing the Netherworld Demon Wolf, which was pouncing towards him with its bloody mouth open, Cheng Xiao raised his arm expressionless and pointed his finger. A dark purple light shot out from his fingertip.
With the dark purple light shooting out from his fingertip, the Netherworld Demon Wolf's body froze. A thumb-sized hole permeated with the aura of death appeared on its forehead.
The next moment, the Netherworld Demon Wolf's body fell weakly at Cheng Xiao's feet. In its wide-open wolf eyes, there was deep horror. It never would have imagined that it, a mere One-Ring Soul Master, could easily kill it, effortlessly at that.
Of course, the Netherworld Demon Wolf didn't know that the boy standing before it wasn't Cheng Xiao himself, but the Shadow King using his body, because this was the… power he had left within Cheng Xiao.
Boom—
All the Shadow Force surged out. Cheng Xiao only felt his body go limp. He immediately collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath, and the purple light that had lit up deep within his eyes slowly dissipated at this moment.
Ding! At this moment, a cold voice devoid of any emotion suddenly appeared in Cheng Xiao's mind.
[System administrator has died. You do not have the permissions of a system player… Redefining identity… Successor of the Third Generation King… The gift left by the King has been issued… Good luck.]
"Wolf Slayer title obtained. All attribute values will increase by 40% when facing beast-type soul beasts."
"Unknown Skill MAX: Passive skill, effect unknown."
"Arrival of the Otherworld King (Used)"
"Temporary Recovery State: Instantly restores to peak condition (Used)"
In the next moment, Cheng Xiao felt the depleted soul power in his body recovering at an alarming rate. Following this, an indescribable sense of comfort washed over him. This feeling was impossible to put into words, like soaring into the clouds, or perhaps reaching the peak of bliss. It was incredibly comfortable.
He didn't know how long this comfortable feeling lasted. When Cheng Xiao slowly opened his eyes, the sky had already darkened. He rolled over and climbed to his feet. To his surprise, he found that his body seemed to have undergone some changes due to the formation of the Soul Ring. His originally strong physique had grown taller, and even his delicate features had become more handsome.
He lowered his head to look at his arm. Although it was dark, he could still see the fundamental changes in his skin. In short, it was as if his body had been cleansed.
"It seems the Shadow King's newbie gift package is over." Cheng Xiao once again released his Martial Soul, but this time there was no abnormality. Only a wisp of dark purple smoke curled around his right palm. Within that dark purple smoke, there seemed to be countless wails of the dead and whispers of loyalty.
He retracted his Martial Soul and immediately sat down cross-legged. The vast amount of information flooding his mind made it a little difficult to digest. Skills like Swift Step, Hit Weak Point, and Throwing Short Sword gave him a feeling of familiarity, but he hadn't actually used them. So, at the moment, he urgently needed to digest this information.
And right in front of Cheng Xiao, above the Netherworld Demon Wolf's corpse that the Shadow King had killed, a wisp of black smoke slowly rose. Before it could fully form, it seemed to sense something and transformed into a shadow, burrowing into Cheng Xiao's own shadow.
As the black smoke entered Cheng Xiao's shadow, a yellow circle gradually rose from the Netherworld Demon Wolf's corpse. This was the yellow, hundred-year Soul Ring produced by the Netherworld Demon Wolf. However, the energy it produced was exceptionally thin. Judging from the energy reaction, it seemed even inferior to the energy produced by the Soul Ring of a ten-year Soul Beast.
After it had gotten completely dark, Tang San and his master, who had abandoned Cheng Xiao and fled, weren't exactly lucky. Because Grandmaster had been enduring the pain while running, his stamina quickly gave out.
Their initial plan to leave the Hunting Soul Forest and call for help was temporarily put on hold. Considering the Netherworld Demon Wolf hadn't caught up to them, they chose to rest under a large tree first, regaining some stamina before leaving the Hunting Soul Forest.
In the dark forest, the first thing that caught their eyes was a makeshift bonfire. The pale yellow flames were consuming the firewood, crackling and popping. Tang San and Grandmaster sat around the bonfire, their faces somewhat pale.
Clearly, the escape hadn't been easy. Even though they had successfully escaped the Netherworld Demon Wolf's pursuit, both of them were panting heavily.
(End of Chapter)