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Quan Yi deeply valued familial bonds in this life.
It wasn't because he had lacked family affection in his previous life, but rather because of the two people holding him at this very moment.
Their presence allowed him to truly understand what family love meant.
At this moment, Quan Yi's eyes softened with deep affection.
After a long while, Quan Yue, who had finally calmed down, stood up and asked, "Alright, Xiao Yi, tell us about the effects of your new spirit ring."
"Yes, Xiao Yi! This is a second spirit ring of over 900 years—it must be incredibly powerful!"
Now that they had confirmed Quan Yi's safety, Su Ling'er and Quan Yue couldn't suppress their growing curiosity.
Seeing the anticipation in his parents' eyes, Quan Yi stood up and proudly demonstrated his second soul skill.
"The second soul skill—Dark Flames."
As he held out his right hand, a jet-black flame erupted from his palm. Despite its quiet, unassuming appearance, the flame radiated an intense heat. If they weren't standing so close, Quan Yue and Su Ling'er wouldn't have imagined that such a dark flame could contain such searing temperatures.
"Ah!"
A strange, inky fire flickered in Quan Yi's hand, burning steadily.
"Is this the Dark Flame of the Dark Flame Elephant?" Quan Yue asked uncertainly.
"Haha, that's right! This is my second soul skill—Dark Flames," Quan Yi said excitedly, his tone carrying the pride of a child showing off to his parents.
Quan Yue and Su Ling'er exchanged delighted glances, pleasantly surprised.
Quan Yi continued explaining,
"Dark Flames is an amplification skill."
"For half an hour, it increases my strength by 30% and enhances my firepower by 30%. Additionally, my flames transform into the Dark Flame of the Dark Flame Elephant, gaining its unique adhesive property."
"Because of this, the threat of my flames is exponentially increased."
"Hahaha! It really is the Dark Flame Elephant's soul ring! You've perfectly inherited both of its talents," Quan Yue laughed heartily. "This soul skill's effect is comparable to a Spirit Elder's third soul skill!"
The Dark Flames provided dual enhancements, boosting both strength and firepower, perfectly carrying over the Dark Flame Elephant's raw strength and flame abilities.
With this skill, Quan Yi could even pose a threat to soul masters at the Spirit Elder level.
"More importantly, Xiao Yi has inherited the Dark Flame's adhesive quality," Su Ling'er added, her tone full of admiration. "Dark Flame is infamous for being difficult to deal with. Even the slightest contact allows it to spread over the body gradually. For a fire-attribute soul master, this sticky property is an extremely rare and valuable trait."
As a fire-attribute soul master herself, Su Ling'er deeply understood how much this unique quality elevated Quan Yi's flames.
Quan Yi carefully observed the black flames dancing in his palm. They seemed to absorb both light and heat from their surroundings, yet paradoxically, they radiated an unbearable temperature.
This made the Dark Flame even more mysterious and dangerous.
Closing his palm, Quan Yi extinguished the fire and shifted his focus to the changes within his body.
A powerful force surged through him, flooding every inch of his being. The absorption of this soul ring was equivalent to months of cultivation. It wasn't just an increase in raw power—every breakthrough was a significant leap forward.
Quan Yi's entire physique had undergone an improvement.
The most noticeable change was his height.
In just one day, he had grown several centimeters taller.
Moreover, with the 30% increase in strength from his soul skill, Quan Yi felt as if he could shatter the ground with a single punch.
While the changes in his body were significant, the transformation in his Martial Soul was even more striking.
The black-red gauntlets, now adorned with dark crimson lines, radiated a dangerous aura.
Typically, the size of a Martial Soul increased alongside its wielder's growth. However, after absorbing this spirit ring, Quan Yi's Martial Soul underwent an entirely different transformation.
He flexed his fingers, feeling the weight of the Sun Gauntlet in his hands. It had become noticeably heavier, yet its thickness remained unchanged. The increase in weight was likely due to a rise in its density.
Quan Yi clenched his fists and brought them together.
"Clang!"
The sound was crisp and powerful—there was no doubt that the gauntlet's hardness had reached a new level.
Under the influence of the spirit ring, both his Martial Soul and body had evolved, as if his very essence had been sublimated.
And yet, these transformations were only the beginning—the real test was still to come.
"Ting."
As Quan Yi stepped toward the Dark Flame Elephant's massive form, spikes began to emerge from his gauntlets.
A spark of eagerness ignited in his eyes—he wanted to test his newfound strength.
Quan Yue and Su Ling'er held their breath, their gazes locked onto Quan Yi's every movement.
With a steady step forward, Quan Yi transferred force from his feet to his thighs, then from his thighs to his waist. As his waist twisted, every ounce of power within him condensed into his right fist.
Beautiful.
Quan Yue couldn't help but admire the seamless, fluid motion of the punch.
From this single move, he could see just how much effort Quan Yi had poured into perfecting his martial arts.
Yet, it was too soon to be impressed.
"Propulsion Mode."
The moment Quan Yi threw his punch, two jets of black flame erupted from the gauntlet on his right arm.
The forceful propulsion accelerated his strike at an astonishing rate.
"Boom!"
His right fist shot forward like a rocket, piercing directly into the Dark Flame Elephant's thick hide.
Even with its immense defense, the beast had no way of resisting Quan Yi's devastating attack.
Quan Yue and Su Ling'er were stunned into silence.
What... what did they just witness?
Quan Yi's sheer destructive power far exceeded their expectations, even surpassing the surprise of his second soul skill.
He withdrew his arm from the Dark Flame Elephant's body, his heart pounding in awe of his own strength.
This combination of Propulsion Mode and Piercing Spikes was now his fastest and most devastating attack.
And when enhanced by Dark Flames, the sheer force behind it surpassed even his own imagination.
But what was even more shocking—was his control.
Despite the rapid and drastic changes to his body and Martial Soul, Quan Yi had executed the move with flawless precision.
His mastery over his own power was absolute.
It was a testament to how much he had grown over the past year.
"This is a self-created soul skill I developed," Quan Yi explained, breaking the silence. "By combining flame propulsion with piercing force, I created this technique."
Quan Yue and Su Ling'er, who had witnessed countless powerful soul masters in their lives, found themselves overwhelmed by emotions.
The alternating waves of shock and joy left them dizzy.
"A self-created soul skill... and in just one year?" Quan Yue muttered in disbelief.
He knew better than anyone what it meant to create a self-made technique.
After all, techniques like Gang and Jian were also self-created soul skills.
In his youth, Quan Yue had dreamed of following in his father's footsteps by forging his own soul skills.
But in the end, he had failed.
It was at that moment that he understood—self-created soul skills were the domain of true geniuses.
It was not something ordinary people could achieve.
And yet, Quan Yi had done it.
He had developed such a formidable soul skill within a single year.
With such unparalleled talent and unwavering determination—
How could the Quan family not be proud?