In a hotel room, Xiaotian carefully retrieved the external soul bone awarded by the system from his storage soul guide. It resembled transparent, sword-shaped wings with three pairs of feathers, sharp and elegant.
"System, please block the surrounding aura later. Don't let the soul bone's aura leak."
After giving these instructions, Xiaotian sat cross-legged on the bed and began absorbing the soul bone.
Half an hour later, he opened his eyes, gleaming with excitement. This external soul bone was truly amazing!
His soul power surged by two levels, bringing him to level nineteen.
The soul bone attached to the ethereal sword wings granted Xiaotian two main soul skills:
Sword Wings Soaring: Enables flight while increasing movement speed.
Ethereal Sword Qi: Allows releasing sword energy to attack nearby enemies while flying.
Strictly speaking, the first ability is inherent to the wing bone itself, so Xiaotian didn't count it as a skill. Only the second counted in his eyes.
He examined his reflection, spreading the ethereal wings behind him—they shimmered, nearly transparent with exquisite beauty.
Over the next year, Xiaotian continued rigorous training, bullying Tang San and practicing with Xiao Wu.
The results were significant: Tang San's soul power rose to level twenty, aided by the dean of Nottingham College, who helped him obtain his second soul ring—a ghost vine, just as in the original story.
However, Tang San's progress still lagged; he was the slowest of the three.
Xiaotian reached level twenty-four, and Xiao Wu was at twenty-two.
Xiaotian's second soul ring wasn't from the hunting grounds but a direct gift from the system.
Fortuitously, it bestowed a skill enhancing attack power, fitting his needs perfectly.
Skill: Second soul skill increases sword attack power by 200%.
Xiaotian was satisfied.
Recalling legends, the first soul skill of Jian Chen Xin's sword only improved attack power by 30%, whereas his boosted it by 200%.
But this made sense: Chen Xin's first soul ring was 100 years old; Xiaotian's second was 4,000 years old.
Xiao Wu looked at Xiaotian skeptically.
"Xiaotian, what level are you? How am I still unable to beat you?"
She was filled with questions.
"Tell me honestly if your soul power is that high."
Xiaotian chuckled. He had a secret.
"Your guess is right. My soul power has reached level twenty-four, surpassing yours."
Xiao Wu was stunned, speechless, blinking in disbelief.
"You're not lying?"
His rapid improvement surprised her.
Xiaotian nodded calmly, "My innate soul power is less than yours, but remember what I said before?"
Xiao Wu was blank.
"What did you say?" She had no recollection.
"Here, it hurts!" Xiaotian playfully tapped her head.
Xiao Wu covered her forehead, confused why he'd do that.
"I said I take a different path to cultivate soul power."
Suddenly, realization dawned on Xiao Wu.
"You meant you enhance soul power by constantly tempering your sword will?"
She admitted she once thought it was a joke.
It was her first time hearing that soul power could be improved through sword intent cultivation.
Yet, it made sense.
No wonder Xiaotian practiced swordsmanship relentlessly, even sleeping with a sword in his arms.
Though she was confused then, now everything clicked.
Just then, two purple soul rings glowed on Xiaotian's body.
He didn't hide them; letting others see might spark competitive motivation in Tang San.
Curious, they observed the colors.
Xiaotian smiled, prepared to share his progress.
After two years, he'd mastered the system's gifted skills to perfection.
He now awaited more potent activation—like the elusive "Jie" secret, though its chance remained slim.
Suddenly, he thought back to the simulations—improving sword intent indeed accelerated soul power.
He gazed at the ethereal sword wings.
"Let's take off," he said.
Pleased, Xiao Wu and Tang San nodded.
Later, Tang San's strength would rise after his second soul ring—expected soon.
Xiaotian sensed the moment had come to reveal his secret path.
P.S. This chapter deepens the cultivation journey, spotlighting the unique soul skills granted by advanced soul bones and the accelerated power growth through sword intent. The bond between Xiaotian, Xiao Wu, and Tang San tightens, unveiling secrets and ambitions as they progress together.
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