As Du Feng opened his eyes, Du Tu and Jiang Mu, who had been standing guard nearby, immediately noticed him examining the changes in his body.
They quickly stepped closer.
"Feng'er, how do you feel?" Jiang Mu asked with concern. "Are you experiencing any adverse reactions?"
Du Feng shook his head.
"I'm fine," he replied. "There's no discomfort at all. In fact, I feel incredibly strong."
Of course, he knew that this sensation was largely an illusion brought about by the sudden surge in power.
"Dad, Mom," Du Feng continued, "my soul power has already broken through to around level eleven. I think I should be able to reach level twelve very soon."
Du Tu's eyes widened with delight.
"As expected of my son!" he exclaimed proudly. "Incredible! So, what soul skill did you obtain?"
Du Feng chuckled.
"Hehe… my soul skill is called Giant Strength. It enhances my physical power. Judging by how much soul power I input, it can amplify my strength by up to three times. However, with my current soul power level, I estimate I can only maintain it for about ten minutes before my soul power is completely drained."
Jiang Mu nodded thoughtfully.
"Activate your soul skill. Let me see it."
Du Feng took a deep breath.
"Purple Crystal Violent Bear — Possession!"
A brilliant layer of purple-gold light erupted from his body.
Almost instantly, Du Feng's physique began to expand. His bones cracked loudly as his muscles swelled and tightened, tearing through his clothes and revealing well-defined, powerful muscle lines.
His arms underwent the most dramatic transformation, more than doubling in size. Purple fur spread across his palms as sharp, gleaming claws extended from his fingers.
At the same time, his originally black hair turned into a striking amethyst color.
A clear yellow halo rose slowly from beneath his feet—the spirit ring he had just obtained. It circled around his body as it glowed softly.
Du Feng swung his arms experimentally.
Each movement compressed the air around him, producing sharp bursts of sound like miniature sonic booms.
Jiang Mu observed carefully before nodding.
"Not bad," she said. "Your soul skill is exactly as you expected—an amplification-type ability. However… I'm not sure whether your current body can withstand the recoil from such powerful strikes."
Du Feng froze.
Only then did he realize he might have been too optimistic.
He had been so focused on how powerful he felt—strong enough to knock down a bull with a single punch—that he had completely forgotten a simple principle from middle school physics: every force has an equal and opposite reaction.
If his old physics teacher were here, they would probably sigh and say, "Have you forgotten everything I taught you?"
It was like when person A punched person B. B's face deformed because of the force from the punch—but A's hand also swelled because B's face exerted force in return.
If Du Feng entered a real fight now, he would essentially be in the same position as the puncher. His arm muscles could absorb some impact, but the wrist and hand bones had far less muscular protection.
That meant fractures were much more likely.
Realizing this, Du Feng felt a little embarrassed. He had celebrated obtaining his first spirit ring far too early.
If Jiang Mu hadn't reminded him, he might have shattered his hand the first time he used his soul skill at full strength.
Du Tu stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Since we're not sure how much recoil your body can handle, we'll test it gradually," he said. "Increase the intensity little by little. That way you won't injure yourself due to unfamiliarity with the skill."
He added firmly, "And remember to circulate your soul power properly."
With that, Du Tu leapt back into the Thousand-Pound Ant nest. Moments later, he returned carrying another ant he had knocked unconscious.
Jiang Mu nodded approvingly.
"That's right. Start with the lowest level of soul power input and gradually increase it until you find the maximum strength your body can safely withstand. Also, wrap your arm with soul power for protection."
Du Tu tossed the unconscious hundred-year-old Thousand-Pound Ant in front of Du Feng.
"Go ahead," he said.
Du Feng raised his right hand and carefully controlled the flow of his soul power.
He began striking the ant's body while slowly increasing the strength of his skill.
When the power reached roughly 2.3 times his normal strength, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his hand.
Du Feng immediately stopped.
After all, he was only striking an unmoving target. If he used this level of power in real combat, his hand might be destroyed after a single punch.
He sighed.
"The soul skill itself is excellent… but my body is still too weak to handle its full power."
Jiang Mu nodded.
"It's actually a very good ability," she said. "As your strength grows, the destructive power of this skill will become terrifying. The problem is that your current body simply can't withstand it."
She paused before continuing thoughtfully.
"It seems that in the future, we should find you a soul skill that greatly enhances your defense."
Du Feng nodded in agreement. He clearly understood the weakness now.
Du Tu clapped his hands once.
"Alright. Feng'er has already obtained his first spirit ring, so this issue can be solved later. For now, our priority is returning to Tianfeng City."
He glanced around the forest cautiously.
"We shouldn't stay in the Star Dou Great Forest any longer than necessary. The longer we remain, the greater the risk of accidents."
After speaking, Du Tu tossed the corpse of the Thousand-Pound Ant back toward the nest, leaving it for the colony to deal with.
Once everything was settled, the three of them returned to their resting place, packed up their tent, and quietly left the Star Dou Great Forest together.