Chapter 175 - Wu Zhangkong's Soul Skills

Tang Wulin understood now that there wasn’t any problem with his body.

“Teacher Wu, then what’s next…”

“We’re continuing,” Wu Zhangkong dully answered. “Let’s bring your spirit soul up to two thousand years, which is just under your current limit. We shouldn’t waste this trip to the intermediate level after all.”

“Okay!” Tang Wulin earnestly nodded, happy to do whatever Wu Zhangkong wished. Although he hadn’t been able to clearly see the course of the battle, it was more than enough to convince him. Teacher Wu isn’t just a normal Soul Emperor if that Ice Fire Demonic Tiger wasn’t able to harm a hair on him! Now that’s true strength!

The two proceeded onward, Tang Wulin following with complete faith in Wu Zhangkong.

Not even a minute later, Wu Zhangkong grabbed Tang Wulin’s shoulder as a blur flitted past followed by several twinkling lights.

Just as Wu Zhangkong gripped Tang Wulin and pedaled backward using the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, a host of ivy-green needles silently rained down from the sky. Their tips stabbed into the ground and corroded the area around them to a rotten black.

The desiccated plants cried out, but even as Tang Wulin heard them, he had no time to share in their grief. Wu Zhangkong continued retreating before landing a few seconds later on a tree branch where he deposited Tang Wulin.

Before their eyes, an enormous figure stepped into view.

At five meters tall, it couldn’t compare with the Ice Fire Demonic Tiger’s towering figure, yet its five-meter girth made it resemble a giant sphere, larger than the Ice Fire Demonic Tiger by far.

Its body was ivy-green and two elongated fangs jutted out of its mouth from which it issued a low growl that reverberated through the air. Without giving any more time to examine it, it madly dashed forward and rammed into the tree they were on.

With a deep rumble, the tree snapped.

Wu Zhangkong grabbed Tang Wulin and leaped into the air, but the beast had already anticipated this, spraying a rain of needles that blocked any path of retreat.

This bastard’s body is covered in poison!

Wu Zhangkong thrust the Skyfrost Sword, summoning a storm of sword waves that easily cut down the needles. The defense was not perfect, however, as an overwhelmingly saccharine smell assaulted Tang Wulin’s nose, bringing a bout of dizziness.

Soon after, a chilling mist rolled off of Wu Zhangkong and enveloped the two of them, immediately restoring Tang Wulin’s lucidity.

It’s a giant porcupine!

It should be the Venomquill Porcupine! With such a large body, its cultivation should be at least three-thousand-years!

Only now did Tang Wulin finally understand his place in the intermediate spirit ascension platform—this was not a place he could enter. With his current cultivation, coming in alone meant he would die from the first soul beast he encountered without a chance to put up an honorable fight.

The Venomquill Porcupine possessed not only highly toxic quills but also an astonishing ability to launch them at its opponents. Upon hitting its target, the toxins would quickly invade and wreak havoc within the victim's body—truly terrifying. And even with a bulky body that lent it a fearsome ramming power, it was also remarkably agile.

“It’s covered in thorns. I don’t think I can leave your side this time,” Wu Zhangkong stated.

For once, Tang Wulin was able to clearly see Wu Zhangkong’s attack.

His third soul ring, the thousand-year purple one, lit up and the Skyfrost Sword slashed out, filling the sky with a ten-meter-long sword wave.

Skyfrost Slash, Wu Zhangkong’s third soul skill!

From the side, Tang Wulin observed Wu Zhangkong’s eyes as he attacked and saw the telltale purple shimmer of the Purple Demon Eyes, which was clearly far more advanced and powerful than his own.

The mighty sword wave struck the Venomquill Porcupine. Despite its thick and tough defense, it was not enough to withstand the attack as a jagged gash appeared, and from its wound, an icy blue rime spread across its body until it was entirely frozen.

Its mad snarls soon turned into miserable shrieks. Wu Zhangkong descended with Tang Wulin then activated his fourth soul skill that enlarged his Skyfrost Sword by ten-fold into an azure greatsword. He stabbed the greatsword straight into the wound, nailing the porcupine into the ground.

Wu Zhangkong gripped the sword hilt with one hand while he lifted Tang Wulin with the other. He floated in midair, his white robes fluttering in his frosty aura. The mighty Venomquill Porcupine’s spirit energy flowed into him, yet he acted as if this triumph was nothing at all. Afterward, he held Tang Wulin tightly and leaped away, out of range of the porcupine’s toxins.

So powerful!

The gigantic icy sword shrunk back to its original form, sending chills once more down Tang Wulin’s spine. He couldn’t help but ask, “Teacher Wu, what is that soul skill’s name?”

“Frost Song,” Wu Zhangkong indifferently said.

“Frost Song?” Tang Wulin repeated, baffled. Although he didn’t understand the meaning behind the icy greatsword’s name, he had to admit that it was beautiful.

This is Teacher Wu’s thousand-year soul skill! I don’t think that was the full power of his Frost Song. That was just a small glimpse!

The Venomquill Porcupine wasn’t considered weak among thousand-year soul beasts, but to Wu Zhangkong, it was simply a pig waiting to be slaughtered.

“First soul skill, Frost Scar!” Wu Zhangkong started listing his soul skills.

“Second soul skill, Frost Mist!”

“Third soul skill, Skyfrost Slash!"

“Fourth soul skill, Frost Song!”

“Wulin, take note of this: there isn’t only one way to use a soul skill; in fact, there are infinite ways to utilize it. Pay attention to how you use them from now on.”

As he spoke, Wu Zhangkong lightly raised his Skyfrost Sword and activated his first soul skill. A sword wave instantly flew through a tree leaf a dozen meters away, yet it remained undamaged.

“This is Frost Scar!”

From off the ground he walked ten meters forward. With a slight tremble of his right hand, the Skyfrost Sword projected sword waves that flew out, interweaving to become the azure cover from before.

The light cocoon blossomed and then unraveled into a tempest of sword waves.

“This is also Frost Scar.” Wu Zhangkong’s cold voice penetrated Tang Wulin’s mind.

Tang Wulin trembled with excitement. It’s the same soul skill, but with minute differences in control and soul power output, the result was entirely different!

In Wu Zhangkong’s hands, the Skyfrost Sword became an instrument used to weave a work of art at any time! This is the true Teacher Wu—a white-robed enigmatic man with a blue sword in hand, dominating the frozen skies!

“Understood?” Wu Zhangkong asked.

“I think I understand a bit. What you mean is that even with a weak soul skill, as long as I can use it properly, it will be powerful. There are endless possibilities with soul skills, and the crucial point is how I utilize it.”

“Mn.” Wu Zhangkong nodded. “Let’s go.”

Only in actual combat were lessons most effective. Wu Zhangkong believed in the saying that “the master leads you to the door, but the rest is up to you.” In line with his beliefs, he didn’t give detailed explanations but rather, he let Tang Wulin fully comprehend things on his own.

A tremor ran through Tang Wulin’s body from his revelation. He now realized his mistake. After receiving Bind as his first soul skill, he wanted to die from dejection. In his eyes, a trash spirit soul had given him a similarly trash soul skill.

Now he realized though that the only thing that was trash was himself. There were no trash soul skills. Compared to Xie Xie’s Light Dragon Blade and its valiant brilliance, Frost Scar was an exceedingly simple soul skill, yet it had brilliantly blossomed in Wu Zhangkong’s hands.