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About five minutes later, the life force of the Ironwood Treant was completely drained. A wisp of violet soul energy detached from its body and transformed into a bright purple soul ring, which hovered above the corpse of the Ironwood Treant.
"Nana, it's ready. You can go absorb the soul ring now."
"Alright."
Anna nodded, walked up to the soul ring, and sat down cross-legged. She released her soul power to fuse the ring into her Obsidian Spirit Grass martial soul.
In terms of talent, Anna was likely second only to Dai Weisi, who had consumed five immortal herbs. Compared to Zhu Zhuyun, she was certainly no less talented—possibly even more so.
After two hours of absorption, she had completely fused with the soul ring. Her soul power also advanced once again, reaching the thirty-third level.
Anna opened her beautiful eyes and smiled. "Brother Weisi, my soul power has reached level thirty-three now!"
"Hiss…"
Everyone gasped upon hearing this. A level thirty-three Control-type Battle Soul Elder might not sound that impressive at first—until you realize Anna had just turned seven years old!
A seven-year-old Soul Elder? Even a prodigy like Qian Renxue likely couldn't achieve that. Without a doubt, she was destined to become a Titled Douluo in the future!
That said, much of this thirty-third-level soul power wasn't solely from Anna's own cultivation.
"Well done, Nana!" Dai Weisi rewarded the young girl with a head pat, then smiled and asked, "Nana, what is your third soul skill?"
"Brother, my third soul skill is called Tenacity!" As soon as she spoke, her third soul ring suddenly flashed with a violet light. Immediately, the pitch-black Obsidian Spirit Grass shot out and tightly wrapped around a tree thick enough for two people to hug.
Anna activated her soul power and gave a forceful tug. With a loud crash, the tree toppled over! The threadlike Obsidian Spirit Grass, which looked as delicate as strands of hair, was actually sharp as a blade!
"After activating the third soul skill, the hardness and toughness of the Obsidian Spirit Grass double. It also gains strong resistance to both fire and ice. Any fire- or ice-based attacks that strike it will have their power reduced by fifty percent!"
"That's an excellent soul skill!"
Dai Weisi's eyes lit up as he reached out to touch the Obsidian Spirit Grass. Even with his strength, it took noticeable effort to tear apart a strand as thick as hair.
If the Obsidian Spirit Grass were any thicker, it would be impossible to tear it apart without using a soul skill.
"What's even more valuable is that this is a percentage-based enhancement skill. That means even after you become a Titled Douluo, it will still be useful."
After a brief pause, Dai Weisi continued, "Nana, for now, all three of your soul skills are extremely practical. As for this third one… have you considered turning the Obsidian Spirit Grass into a weapon?"
Dai Weisi hinted at developing a derivative skill from her soul technique. In the original story, Tang San had turned his fourth Blue Silver Grass soul skill, Blue Silver Prison, into a derivative skill—Blue Silver Thrusting Array. It not only trapped enemies but also had considerable offensive power.
Anna's Obsidian Spirit Grass, in terms of quality, was certainly no weaker than Tang San's Blue Silver Grass—probably just beneath the Blue Silver Emperor. If that little brat could do it, so could she.
"Turn the Obsidian Spirit Grass into a weapon?" Anna scratched her head and frowned. "Brother Weisi, is that even possible?"
"Haha, of course it's possible. You've seen wooden swords and shields, haven't you? Your Obsidian Spirit Grass far surpasses wood in both hardness and toughness.
Not to mention, it's much lighter than wood. Even an ordinary person could easily lift it.
All you need to do is control the Obsidian Spirit Grass to weave together, and you can create a shield made of plant fibers. Or, to keep it simple, you could wrap it around yourself to form armor for protection.
Even against Fire-type Soul Masters, the flame resistance of your Obsidian Spirit Grass should allow you to handle them easily. During your future training, you should focus on this potential—try developing your own custom soul skills."
Anna nodded seriously. "I understand, Brother Weisi! I'll work hard!"
She was a Plant-type Soul Master, a subtype of Tool Soul Masters. Compared to those with Beast Souls, Tool Soul Masters typically lacked physical prowess. If she could transform the Obsidian Spirit Grass into armor, it would greatly enhance her defense.
"Alright then, since everyone has obtained their soul rings, let's head back."
Among the group, Dai Weisi's word carried the most weight. Naturally, no one objected. They exited the Star Dou Forest, boarded a carriage, and after a week's journey, returned to Star Luo City and resumed their individual training.
…
The Star Luo Royal Alchemist Association was enveloped in the gentle curl of smoke drifting from its chimneys, carrying with it a soothing and refreshing fragrance of medicinal herbs.
After the relocation of the Po Clan to Star Luo City, most of the adults—aside from the younger generation—joined the Alchemist Association. Here, they devoted themselves to crafting various potions beneficial to soul masters' cultivation, as well as deadly poisons capable of killing without a trace.
With the establishment of the Alchemist Association, the status of alchemists had risen significantly. In the Star Luo Empire, alchemists and blacksmiths now held status equal to that of soul masters. This prestige even drew renowned rural doctors from afar, traveling thousands of miles to join the association.
As long as one understood pharmacology and could pass the Association's examinations, they could become a respected alchemist, standing shoulder to shoulder with soul masters.
The ones who benefited most from this rise in status were none other than the members of the Po Clan. Today, more than half of the Association's members hailed from this clan, and the president of the Alchemist Association was none other than their clan leader, Yang Wudi.
Meanwhile, across from the Alchemist Association, inside a high-end restaurant, Yue Guan and Gui Mei sat in a private room, closely observing every movement within the Association, waiting for an opportunity to assassinate Yang Wudi.
Because this mission was a covert operation, both men kept a low profile. They wore realistic human-skin masks, and Yue Guan had even dyed his hair black to avoid recognition.
Unless they released their martial souls, no one could identify them.
Yue Guan took a sip of red wine, then shook his head with a sigh. "Sigh… Old Ghost, it seems that if we really want to assassinate Yang Wudi, our only option is to strike the Alchemist Association by night. We'll have to kill and retreat immediately afterward."
For days, the two had been monitoring Yang Wudi's every move from the shadows. Initially, they had planned to ambush him on his way home, kill him on the road, and make a clean getaway.
However, they had underestimated Yang Wudi's obsession with alchemy. It had been ten full days, and Yang Wudi had not stepped a single foot outside the Alchemist Association. He ate and slept within the building itself.
Yue Guan had even considered taking a page out of Dugu Bo's book and poisoning Yang Wudi's food, but he was stunned to discover that the Association had its own staff cafeteria—and even employed dedicated alchemists to test for poison in the food daily.
Trying to tamper with Yang Wudi's meals under the watchful eyes of so many alchemists was virtually impossible. On top of that, the Association housed numerous Healing-type soul masters whose sole responsibility was detoxification.
Given all this, their only viable option was a direct assault on the Alchemist Association. But Dai Pojun's protection of Yang Wudi was ironclad.
The Association was guarded by no fewer than a thousand well-equipped soldiers patrolling the grounds. Dozens of black-clad death warriors, strapped with explosives, stood ready. And Yang Wudi himself possessed strength comparable to a Soul Douluo.
With such formidable defenses, successfully assassinating Yang Wudi was next to impossible.
(End of Chapter)