[Ding! Detected that the binding target is over five kilometers away from the host.]
'There's a binding distance?' Ning Tian thought helplessly.
With no other option, he temporarily gave up and sat cross-legged on the ground. Following the meditation method taught by Su Yuntao, he began to enhance his soul power.
He had to admit, after eliminating the side effects and reaping the benefits, the quality of the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword was impressive. It might not rival those innate full soul power martial souls, but it was still quite decent.
And with the martial soul's improved quality came a boost in cultivation speed.
In just a short moment, his completely depleted soul power was fully restored, and there were even faint signs of improvement.
'Time to test the second martial soul.'
Slowly raising his right hand, he noticed that this time his soul power wasn't instantly drained by the martial soul. Instead, a gleaming silver sphere appeared in his palm.
The silver sphere wasn't large, only about the size of an adult's fist but its flickering silver glow was undeniably striking.
Standing by the small river, Ning Tian fell into silent contemplation.
He felt a nagging sense of familiarity about this silver sphere, as if he'd heard of it or seen it somewhere before, yet the memory eluded him.
Still, this martial soul had to be connected to his first one, since the system had matched it based on the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword.
'Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword!'
A spark of realization flashed through Ning Tian's mind, as if he'd grasped something important.
Eagerly, he poured all his soul power into the silver sphere.
But the sphere remained lifeless, showing no reaction whatsoever.
Ning Tian couldn't help but let out a wry smile, the kind readers often found annoying. His soul power was simply too weak.
With this meager amount, he couldn't hope to control the silver sphere.
'Looks like finding a power bank is a top priority,' Ning Tian sighed inwardly, his gaze drifting toward Holy Soul Village.
From a distance, Old Tom's voice called out, "Little Six, it's half past twelve! Come home for lunch!"
"Ok, coming!" Ning Tian replied, getting up and heading toward Old Tom's house.
After lunch, Ning Tian couldn't wait to reach an area within five kilometers of Holy Soul Village. He hurried along without even pausing to catch his breath.
To speed up, he even tapped into his tiny reserve of soul power.
[Ding! Detected excessive physical exertion by the host. Do you wish to bind a target?]
[Ding! Detected excessive soul power consumption by the host. Do you wish to bind a target?]
'Bind them all to Tang Hao!'
After all, Tang Hao was a Titled Douluo, a strength-type one, no less with abundant physical stamina and soul power. If this worked, Ning Tian would essentially have infinite endurance and energy.
[Ding! Binding successful.]
In an instant, the soul power and stamina he'd burned through during his rushed journey were fully restored.
'Now I can finally test this second martial soul.'
Spotting a small grove by the roadside, Ning Tian dove in.
Once he'd ventured deep enough that the road behind him was out of sight, he raised his left hand and summoned the silver sphere. As he steadily infused it with soul power, the previously unresponsive orb finally stirred.
It crumbled like sand, splitting into countless specks of silver light that buzzed faintly.
Upon closer inspection, those specks were tiny, bean-sized flying insects. Aside from a pair of visible fangs, they looked no different from ordinary beetles.
At first glance, they didn't seem remarkable, but Ning Tian's face broke into a grin.
He'd remembered a certain exotic insect from A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality—one of the two signature treasures that accompanied Han Li for the longest time.
The Gold Devouring Beetles!
These ferocious insects excelled at consuming metals and spiritual energy, and were utterly ruthless. Immune to water and fire, they loved clustering into spheres.
As for Han Li's other signature item? Naturally, it was the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword, which he wielded from the Core Formation stage all the way to the Dao Ancestor stage.
'The system didn't trick me,' Ning Tian thought. 'Let's see what they can do.'
He pulled out a flint he'd prepared earlier, gathered some dry wood, and sparked a fire.
Controlling the swarm, he sent them charging into the flames. Not only did the insects remain unscathed, but they also bounced around energetically.
Even more astonishingly, they devoured the fire at a breathtaking pace, extinguishing it in moments and leaving behind a pile of unburned wood.
Next, Ning Tian found a puddle and tossed the swarm in. To his delight, they gnawed away even the mud at the bottom.
'I can't confirm if they're truly Gold Devouring Beetles yet, but their immunity to water and fire is real enough.'
Satisfied, Ning Tian nodded and officially designated his second martial soul as the Gold Devouring Beetles.
*Buzz!*
Suddenly, an overwhelming dizziness hit him, as if the entire world were spinning out of control.
[Ding! Detected excessive mental energy consumption by the host. Do you wish to bind a target?]
'So controlling the Gold Devouring Beetles drains mental energy too. Makes sense, it's insect control, after all.'
'Bind it to Tang Hao!'
Ning Tian shrugged it off. Whenever trouble arose, he could just dump it on Tang Hao.
[Binding successful!]
Instantly, a wave of clarity washed over him. The dizziness vanished, his body felt fine, and his spirit soared.
'Since I'm here, might as well farm a few more side effects.'
First up, soul power meditation.
It was common knowledge that excessive cultivation could overwhelm a soul master's meridians, forcing them to stop.
This was especially true for those with lower cultivation levels, which explained why people with low innate soul power lagged behind over time.
So, Ning Tian found a quiet corner, sat down, and began meditating to boost his soul power.
After fifteen minutes, he felt a slight increase in soul power—no discomfort yet.
After half an hour, a faint swelling pain began to creep in.
After a full hour, he couldn't bear it anymore. His meridians throbbed painfully, refusing to let him continue.
Right on cue, the system chimed in: [Ding! Detected meridian damage due to excessive meditation by the host. Do you wish to designate a target to bear this?]
'Tang Hao might have some hidden injuries, but he's still a Titled Douluo with freakishly strong meridians. This side effect's nothing to him!'
'Bind it to Tang Hao!'
Without hesitation, Ning Tian chose Tang Hao.
[Ding! Binding successful!]
In an instant, the swelling pain in his meridians disappeared, leaving them as good as new.
Next, he launched into a grueling workout: a hundred sit-ups, a hundred squats, a hundred push-ups, a hundred frog jumps, a hundred side hops, and a ten-kilometer run while carrying a heavy stone. With Tang Hao as his power bank, Ning Tian's stamina seemed limitless.
[Ding! Detected muscle strain in the host. Do you wish to bind a target?]
[Ding! Detected bone membrane wear in the host. Do you wish to bind a target?]
[Ding! Detected…]