Li Changan's process of absorbing the soul ring was remarkably smooth. His talent was pure and untainted, and with the innate full soul power, absorbing a soul ring of several hundred years was naturally a trivial matter.
By the time he opened his eyes again, the morning sun had already risen to its zenith—it was now noon.
The middle-aged Soul Saint standing nearby immediately stepped forward upon noticing that Li Changan had awakened. With a sense of urgency, he asked what soul skill he had gained. After all, this was the core purpose of his presence: to evaluate whether Li Changan possessed the potential worthy of nurturing.
Li Changan had no intention of hiding his abilities. At this stage, he had nothing to lose, and with his noble lineage, there was every reason to reveal his talent. If he could attract the attention of Emperor Xue Ye of the Heaven Dou Empire, he would undoubtedly be granted precious cultivation resources.
As the saying goes: It's good to enjoy the shade under a big tree.
Though the Heaven Dou Empire may have appeared unimpressive in the original tale, in terms of cultivation resources, they were not inferior to the major sects—perhaps even stronger. After all, it was a mighty empire. No matter how chaotic the times, a great nation would never be short on resources for cultivating the next generation.
If Li Changan could demonstrate his talent, the Heaven Dou Empire would surely invest in his growth, offering protection and benefits in hopes of winning him over.
Why not join Spirit Hall or one of the top-tier sects, like the renowned Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?
That wasn't a matter of choice.
Forces of that level wouldn't accept just anyone. Even if you managed to join, earning their trust and securing cultivation resources was another matter entirely—filled with too many unknowns.
Moreover, Li Changan's identity, as a noble with deep background but currently lacking power, made it even harder to gain trust in such elite circles.
Of course, if someone like Pope Bibi Dong or a Titled Douluo elder personally took him as a disciple, that would be a different matter. Under such a sponsor, he could naturally gain the trust of Spirit Hall and become a core member.
The same logic applied to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. If Sword Douluo personally accepted him as a disciple, it would serve as an undeniable endorsement, granting him entry into the sect's inner circle.
But at the moment, he lacked such opportunities. Therefore, aligning himself with the Heaven Dou Empire was the most pragmatic choice.
Even though the empire now resembled a leaking ship—riddled with internal corruption, even the Crown Prince assassinated and replaced—a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. In these times of lacking high-end combat power, a young genius with extraordinary potential would be a treasure Emperor Xue Ye couldn't afford to overlook.
Li Changan didn't know what kind of conditions the Emperor might offer to win him over, but he was certain they would be generous—because now was the time to rally talent.
At present, what he needed was not to hide his strength, but to show it boldly. Only then could he attract attention, earn protection, and receive the cultivation resources necessary to rise.
"First Soul Skill: Sword Qi!"
Li Changan raised the Bi-Scale Sword in his hand. The yellow soul ring beneath his feet lit up as he slashed forward.
Whoosh!
With a soft humming sound, the sword cleaved through the air. Fine strands of sword energy, thinner than hair, erupted and shot forward.
Chi chi chi!
Like red-hot needles piercing through wax, the razor-thin sword energy tore through the massive tree before him with ease. The thick trunk, several meters in diameter, didn't even slow it down.
In the blink of an eye, dozens of tiny holes appeared across the tree's surface. A strange green smoke wafted out from the punctures as they began to corrode.
After releasing this strike, Li Changan's face paled slightly, his breath a little uneven. Clearly, unleashing this much sword energy at once had consumed a considerable amount of soul power.
Don't be mistaken—this wasn't simply an extension of the sword's blade or a crude projection of soul power. If that were the case, it would be no different from the Blue Silver Grass's Entanglement soul skill—like removing your pants to fart. Wouldn't that just be a basic function of any sword-type Martial Soul?
Besides, even if you had a sword, how would you release actual sword qi?
Merely condensing soul power on a sword and swinging it won't create real sword energy. The energy Li Changan unleashed had undergone a qualitative transformation. It was no longer ordinary soul power, but an entirely new type of energy—extremely penetrating and laced with toxins.
This transformation was possible only through the first soul skill. Without it, even with all his strength, he wouldn't be able to produce this type of corrosive sword energy. It was like turning water into gasoline—fundamentally different.
Letting out a soft breath, Li Changan turned to the stunned Soul Saint and explained:
"My first soul skill lets me release sword energy. The number of attacks depends on how much soul power I use. I can launch a single strand—or unleash everything in one burst, like I just did."
"And this sword energy isn't just sharp—it's incredibly penetrative and carries toxins."
The middle-aged Soul Saint stepped up to examine the tree. Through the holes left by the sword qi, he could clearly see the scenery on the other side. The attack had pierced clean through a tree several meters thick.
What was more shocking—these sword energies were poisonous.
Unbelievable!
He could already imagine a future battle where Li Changan casually raised his hand and fired off countless strands of sword qi. Even a single graze could cause the enemy to be poisoned immediately.
Terrifying!
He stared in awe at the pale-faced youth before him. With the power of this first soul skill alone, even defensive soul skills from a Soul Master might not be able to block it.
Was this level of lethality something a first soul ring could provide?
What the Soul Saint didn't know was that Li Changan had actually held back. He hadn't revealed all the changes his Martial Soul underwent after absorbing the soul ring. After all, the power he displayed now was more than enough to attract serious attention.
There was no need to show all his cards so soon.