stonecrandall Chapter 2 Breaking the Limits of the Year
Chapter 2 Breaking the Limits of the Year
The following morning, deep within the edge of the Starry Sky Forest.
In stark contrast to the surrounding area, the trees here are much taller and denser, blocking out the sun, and the air is filled with a rich aura of soul power.
The occasional roars of spirit beasts in the distance made people involuntarily tense up.
Yang Wudi led the way, his aura at the level of a Soul Douluo subtly emanating, dispelling many low-level soul beasts.
However, he did not flaunt it too much, for there were many beings deep within the Star Dou Great Forest who could rival or even crush him.
"Millennial soul beasts are not the same as those that are only a hundred years old; their soul skills have already taken shape, and they are more intelligent."
As Yang Wudi walked, he explained in a low voice, "Especially the penetrating type of soul beasts, their attack power is extremely strong. If you're not careful, even a Soul Venerable could be severely injured in one blow. When we find the target, stand behind me and don't act rashly."
"Yes," Yang Hui replied, while his eyes scanned his surroundings.
Having read through all the books in the Yang family's collection, he knew that there were three types of penetrating soul beasts commonly found in the Star Dou Great Forest that were most suitable for him.
The Bone-Piercing Porcupine, around a thousand years old, has backstabs that can pierce armor and bones, and has a wide attack range, but its movement speed is average.
The pangolin has hard scales and cone-shaped bone spikes on its head, giving it extremely strong penetrating power when charging. Its weakness is that it is slow to turn.
There is also the best option – the Golden-feathered Eagle.
Flying spirit beasts have feathers as hard as metal; a single swooping strike can pierce through metal and stone. Their speed and penetrating power are among the best in their class. However, flying spirit beasts are difficult to hunt, and the Golden-feathered Eagle is particularly ferocious, daring to fight to the death even against high-level spirit masters.
He told Yang Wudi his thoughts.
After listening, Yang Wudi's eyes flashed with approval: "You've done your homework well. These three types of soul beasts are indeed top choices among the thousand-year-old penetrating type. In that case, let's choose the Golden-feathered Eagle."
Yang Hui was taken aback, and then a warm feeling welled up in his heart.
He had initially thought his grandfather would choose the safer choice, the Armored Mountain Beast, since the Golden Feathered Eagle was a flying spirit beast, much more difficult to hunt. But his grandfather chose his favorite target without hesitation.
"What, do you think Grandpa will choose the easy one?"
Yang Wudi seemed to see through his thoughts, and smiled faintly.
"Since we want to verify your martial soul mutation, we should naturally find the best soul beast. The Golden Feathered Eagle's penetrating talent is second to none among thousand-year-old soul beasts. Using it to temper your martial soul will be worthy of my grandson."
He paused, then added, "Moreover, since you're going to take the path of ultimate penetration, the Golden-feathered Eagle's spirit ring energy will be of the greatest help to you. Your grandfather is a Soul Douluo; catching a thousand-year-old beast is a piece of cake for him."
Yang Hui took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Thank you for your kindness, Grandpa."
Yang Wudi waved his hand and looked up at the sky.
He knew the habits of the Golden-feathered Eagle. This kind of spirit beast liked to build nests on towering dead trees or cliffs and had a very strong sense of territory.
Early morning is when they go out to forage for food.
"Hui'er, stay close to me and don't make a sound."
As the two continued deeper into the area, Yang Wudi stopped projecting his aura outwards and instead concealed it completely, becoming like an ordinary rock.
This was a high-level Soul Master's method of concealing his aura, which Yang Hui observed and silently memorized.
After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the trees ahead gradually thinned out, revealing a wide open space with jagged rocks.
At the end of the open space was a steep rock wall, about thirty feet high, covered with weathered cracks and protruding rocks.
Yang Wudi paused, then pulled Yang Hui behind a giant tree.
"Look there."
Yang Hui looked in the direction his grandfather pointed.
High up on the rock face, through a narrow crevice, one can vaguely see a nest built of withered branches and animal bones.
At the edge of the nest, a huge bird-like soul beast crouched.
It was a giant eagle with a wingspan of over four meters, its entire body covered in dark golden feathers that gleamed with a metallic sheen in the morning light.
Its beak is hook-shaped and as black as ink, and its two sharp claws are stuck into the rock wall, with the tips of the claws gleaming with a cold, eerie light.
The most striking feature is the three long golden feathers on its head, which tremble slightly in the wind, like three drawn swords.
Golden-feathered eagle!
Only those who break through the millennium level will grow long golden feathers on their heads; each additional feather represents an extra hundred years of lifespan.
"Good luck."
Yang Wudi said in a low voice, "This golden eagle is about 1,300 years old, which is perfect for you. However, it is in its nest, mostly guarding its young or its recently caught prey, and it won't leave for a while."
Yang Hui asked, "Grandpa, how do you plan to hunt it?"
The most difficult thing about flying spirit beasts is that once startled, they flap their wings and take flight, making them hard to hit unless you have flight ability or a ranged spirit skill. Moreover, the Golden Feathered Eagle is extremely fast, and even if Yang Wudi is a Soul Douluo, it would be quite troublesome to chase after it if it flew high into the sky.
Yang Wudi did not answer, but instead took out a palm-sized cloth bag from his bosom.
The bag was opened, revealing a black pill the size of a longan.
"This is a Beast Attracting Pill that I specially refined," Yang Wudi explained. "It is made from several kinds of medicinal herbs that soul beasts love. The aroma produced when it is burned is extremely attractive to bird-type soul beasts. As long as it flies down, I can subdue it with one strike."
He placed the pill upwind, flicked it with his fingertip, and a wisp of soul power transformed into fire, igniting the pill.
A strange fragrance wafted out.
The golden eagle on the rock face suddenly raised its head, its sharp golden eyes fixed on the area below. It cautiously looked around, finding nothing amiss, but the fragrance made it restless.
A moment later, the golden eagle could no longer contain itself, spread its wings, and swooped down from its nest.
Its speed was astonishing, like a golden lightning bolt slicing through the sky, heading straight for the location of the pill.
"They're here."
Yang Wudi's gaze sharpened, and he took a step forward.
boom!
The ground exploded, and his figure shot into the sky like a cannonball!
The golden-feathered eagle was startled and flapped its wings to try to take off, but Yang Wudi was faster.
The man and the eagle crossed paths in mid-air. Yang Wudi reached out with his right hand, his five fingers like hooks, and directly grabbed the base of one of the golden-feathered eagle's wings.
The golden eagle let out a sharp cry, its other wing flapping wildly, and the three golden feathers on its head shone brightly, shooting out three golden light blades that pierced straight at Yang Wudi's face.
"A trivial skill."
Yang Wudi snorted coldly, neither dodging nor avoiding, and a layer of soul power barrier condensed in front of his forehead.
The golden blade struck the barrier, producing a crisp metallic clang, but it didn't even leave a mark.
At the same time, he made a palm with his left hand and gently patted the golden eagle's chest.
The force of the shockwave penetrated through his body!
The golden eagle let out a mournful cry, its feathers bristled, and the golden light above its head dimmed considerably, its struggle weakening instantly.
Yang Wudi carried the half-dead Golden Feathered Eagle back to the ground and threw it in front of Yang Hui.
"Still alive," he said calmly. "Hui'er, I'm leaving you to her."
Looking at the dying golden eagle before him, Yang Hui gained a more direct understanding of his grandfather's strength.
Even a thousand-year-old soul beast has no chance to escape in front of a Soul Douluo.
Without hesitation, he sat down cross-legged and killed the Golden-feathered Eagle with a single shot. Then he reached out and touched the purple millennium soul ring that appeared on the Golden-feathered Eagle's body.
The soul ring transformed into a stream of light and flowed into his body.
This absorption process was more difficult than yesterday's.
The energy of the millennium soul ring flowed through the meridians like sharp blades, each energy carrying the ferocity and resentment of the Golden Feathered Eagle in its lifetime.
Yang Hui clenched his teeth, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
However, instead of channeling this energy to condense soul skills, he directed it all towards the Soul-Breaking Spear Martial Soul.
hum-
The Soul-Shattering Spear appeared on its own in front of him, and the patterns on the spear began to glow and extend.
Those patterns were like parched land meeting sweet rain, greedily devouring the energy of the thousand-year-old soul ring.
With each wisp of energy absorbed, a tiny branch appears on the patterns on the gun's body, making the gun itself more solid and sharper.
[Millennial Soul Ring Energy Detected]
[Soul Ring Type Detected: Penetration]
[Conditions for breaking through limits met, initiating the breakthrough...]
Yang Hui suppressed his excitement and focused all his energy on guiding the spirit ring energy to temper his martial spirit.
Time passed second by second.
Yang Wudi stood guard beside him, his eyes never leaving Yang Hui.
He could sense that a force within his grandson was being repeatedly tempered; it wasn't an increase in soul power, but rather a deeper transformation.
About half an hour later.
Yang Hui suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing in them.
[Limit successfully broken!]
[Soul-Breaking Spear Talent: Ultimate Spear Heart (lv10) → Spear Breaks All Laws (lv1)]
[Introduction: Breaking through the limits of spear intent, a glimpse into the origins of the spear's way. The spear strikes like a dragon, shattering all techniques.]
[Special Effect: Speed +100%, Attack +120%, Penetration +180%]
[Required proficiency for the next level: 0/5000]
[Next level breakthrough materials: 1 x Ten-thousand-year metal, 1 x Ten-thousand-year soul ring]
Looking at the data on the panel, Yang Hui felt an overwhelming surge of excitement.
A surge across the board!
This means that every shot he fires now has a 1.8x penetration effect. Combined with the first soul skill "Break" which ignores defense and has a penetration bonus, the combined penetration power will reach an extremely terrifying level.
More importantly, he verified the authenticity of the panel's limit-breaking mechanism.
As long as he finds the right materials, his talent can keep breaking through, and the age limit of his spirit rings will no longer exist for him!
"How is it?" Yang Wudi's voice rang out.
Yang Hui stood up, clenched his right hand, and the Soul-Shattering Spear condensed in his palm.
The patterns on the gun barrel are now clearly visible. They are the soul patterns left after the soul ring energy was tempered. Although there are only two, they exude an aura far exceeding that of a hundred-year-old soul ring.
He raised his hand and thrust out with his spear.
laugh--
A sharp whistling sound filled the air, and where the spear tip passed, there were faint traces of air waves being torn apart.
Yang Wudi's gaze sharpened.
This shot was far more powerful than yesterday's.
"Good!" He patted Yang Hui on the shoulder heavily. "You truly are worthy of being my grandson, Yang Wudi!"
Yang Hui holstered his gun and was about to speak when his expression suddenly changed.
A message flooded my mind.
"Grandpa," he said, somewhat surprised, "it seems... I've awakened an additional soul skill?"
Yang Wudi was taken aback: "What?"
Absorbing the energy of the spirit ring to temper the martial soul can actually awaken additional spirit skills?
Yang Hui closed his eyes to sense for a moment, and when he opened them, a strange look appeared on his face.
"This soul skill is called 'Accumulation,'" he said slowly. "It has no offensive power, but its effect is... the longer the charge time, the stronger the penetrating power of the next attack. It can charge for up to thirty breaths, doubling the penetrating power."
Yang Wudi gasped.
Double the penetrating power?
If paired with the first soul skill's Break...
With one shot, who among those of the same rank could withstand it?
He looked at his grandson, his eyes filled with both pride and awe.
This child might truly lead the Soul-Breaking Spear clan to unprecedented glory.
"Let's go home!"
Yang Wudi waved his hand.
"Starting today, Grandpa will personally give you special training. Thirty breaths to build up momentum is too long; in actual combat, no one will give you that much time."
What you need to practice is building momentum while moving and building momentum during combat, making it impossible for your opponent to defend against!