Chapter 52: The Flow of Wind and Water - Tianlin's Unparalleled Third Soul Skill

"Hmm? The danger passed so quickly? This little monster absorbed a 5,500-year soul ring with such ease?" Dugu Bo observed as Tianlin's expression quickly became relaxed, putting his mind at ease. His thoughts aligned with Tianlin's—5,500 years was indeed conservative for someone like him. After all, Tianlin hadn't even utilized his Holy Breath Domain yet. Judging by this, Tianlin's true limit at the moment should be at least 7,000 years. It seemed that for his fourth soul ring, they could directly consider one in the ten-thousand-year category. With the spiritual enhancement provided by his external soul bone, the spiritual shock from a mere ten-thousand-year soul beast likely wouldn't faze him. Tianlin was still meditating. In truth, he had already completed the absorption of the soul ring; now, he was contemplating his new soul skill. The attribute of the third soul ring was the wind. If he were to fuse it with the fire attribute of his second soul ring, the resulting soul skill would be a Wind-Fire technique called Dance of Fire and Wind. It would be a single-target attack skill similar to the Ice and Fire God Seal Skill. However, due to redundancy, Tianlin directly dismissed this option. This left two other choices. One was a three-attribute fusion, combining water, fire, and wind into a group attack skill called Hollow Force. The other was a fusion of just the water and wind attributes, forming a support-type soul skill called Flow of Wind and Water. After some deliberation, Tianlin ultimately gave up on the three-attribute skill. While it was powerful, it wasn't necessary. In the future, he would possess even stronger four-attribute and five-attribute attack skills. To avoid redundancy, there was no need to create too many similar skills. On the other hand, every support-type skill of his Demon Sword had unique uses. In battles, their effects often surpassed those of attack skills. After careful consideration, Tianlin slowly infused the water attribute into his third soul ring, merging it with the wind attribute. Thus, the third Demon Sword skill was finally unlocked. Tianlin stood up and looked at his Demon Sword, now surrounded by three soul rings. He had finally reached the realm of Soul Elder. This was a significant milestone for many soul masters—such as the Grandmaster, who had been stuck at this bottleneck for most of his life. If not for the Nine Treasure Purple Zoysia given to him by Tang San in the later years, he might never have broken through. Unfortunately, the Nine Treasure Purple Zoysia had already been intercepted by Tianlin. The Grandmaster would likely remain at the Soul Grandmaster level for the rest of his life. However, the bottleneck that troubled others for a lifetime was as simple as eating and drinking water for Tianlin. That said, he could now sense that after reaching Soul Elder, his cultivation speed had noticeably slowed. This was an unavoidable drawback of his ultimate martial soul—his cultivation speed would decrease between levels 30 and 70. From now on, Tianlin will need to work even harder to break through the level 70 bottleneck as soon as possible. "Little monster, you're awake. It seems your soul ring absorption went very smoothly, without any pressure at all," Dugu Bo said as he walked up to him. "Yes, this time it was almost too easy to absorb a soul ring beyond my level. The immortal herb and external soul bone have respectively strengthened my body and spirit. I feel like for my next soul ring, I can directly aim for a ten-thousand-year one," Tianlin said ambitiously. This time, Dugu Bo didn't object. Instead, he wholeheartedly agreed. A monster's cultivation method was naturally different from others. Given Tianlin's current physique, it was worth trying. "By the way, little monster, can you tell me what your third soul skill is?" Dugu Bo asked curiously. A third soul skill from a 5,500-year soul ring was bound to be extraordinary. Tianlin smiled slightly. "Old monster, you want to know? Sure, but first, use your first soul skill." "My first soul skill? No problem. Strength of the Python!" Dugu Bo immediately summoned his martial soul and activated his first soul skill. Instantly, his strength surged, and his body became more robust. "Alright, my third soul skill is this—Flow of Wind and Water!" Tianlin plunged the Demon Sword into the ground. Centered around the sword, a barrier rapidly expanded outward. As the barrier enveloped Dugu Bo, his body instantly returned to normal, and the Strength of the Python was completely nullified. "This... little monster, your third soul skill isn't an attack skill but a support skill that removes enhancement states?" Dugu Bo was slightly disappointed. While it wasn't bad, it didn't seem overwhelmingly powerful either. Tianlin shook his head. "Old monster, how could my soul skill be that simple? The flow of Wind and Water removes all states except for the true form of the martial soul." "All states? You mean both positive and negative states will disappear?" Dugu Bo asked in disbelief. If what Tianlin said was true, this skill was extraordinary. "Exactly. Within the domain of Flow of Wind and Water, any boosted states—whether from auxiliary martial souls like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda or the Radiant Golden Staff, or self-boosting soul skills—will be nullified. Similarly, all negative states such as charm, frenzy, paralysis, hypnosis, and poisoning can also be completely dispelled." "Additionally, even martial fusion techniques like the Netherworld White Tiger of the Dai and Zhu families in the Star Luo Empire will be forcibly undone." After Tianlin finished speaking, Dugu Bo was stunned. This wasn't just an ordinary soul skill; it was practically a divine skill. "Little monster, this soul skill is terrifying. This means that, except for their true martial soul forms, none of your opponents can enjoy any boosts. Auxiliary-type soul masters will be completely useless in front of you." Tianlin lowered his head, slightly concerned. "This skill is indeed powerful, but it has clear drawbacks. First, it consumes a large amount of soul power. Maintaining the wind-water barrier continuously drains my soul power. Second, it's too domineering—it doesn't discriminate between friend and foe. It not only nullifies the opponent's boosts but also removes all states from my teammates, leaving only myself unaffected." "Therefore, this skill is only suitable for situations where I face a group of enemies alone. It's not ideal for team battles." Upon hearing this, Dugu Bo burst out laughing. "Little monster, those aren't real drawbacks. Let me tell you why. First, your soul power is currently too low. When you become a Titled Douluo in the future, this level of soul power consumption will be negligible, and you'll realize how incredible this skill is." "Second, while it does seem like a problem, you were born into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Have you forgotten? Aside from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, what's your sect's other famous technique?" "Heart Separation Control!" Tianlin's eyes lit up as Dugu Bo's words enlightened him. Right, how could he have forgotten about that? Once he mastered Heart Separation Control, he could precisely direct the application of his soul skill. When the enemy had boosted states, he could channel Flow of Wind and Water exclusively toward them, rendering their auxiliary boosts useless. When his teammates fell into abnormal states, he could direct it toward them to help them recover. At that point, this soul skill would truly become a flawless divine skill. Tianlin's mood instantly improved. "Thank you, old monster! When I return to the sect, I'll ask Uncle Ning for the training method for Heart Separation Control. For now, let's head back." Watching Tianlin skip away in excitement, Dugu Bo chuckled to himself. "Haha, in the end, he's still just a kid. No matter how much of a genius he is, he still has that playful side."