Early the next morning, back in Holy Soul Village.
Xiao Lin had already understood his soul skill.
Just then, he spotted Tang San in the distance, practicing the Mysterious Heaven Skill. After thanking Tang Hao, Xiao Lin hurried toward Tang San.
"Xiao San!"
Xiao Lin shouted, startling Tang San, who was fully immersed in his training.
"Lin-ge! You're back!"
Although surprised, Tang San's face lit up when he saw Xiao Lin.
Looking at Xiao Lin's bright and confident smile, Tang San could tell at a glance that he had obtained an extraordinary skill.
"Lin-ge, you're so fast!"
Tang San scratched his head, looking at Xiao Lin, who was beaming with pride.
"Hehe, I obtained my first soul skill. After my physical fitness was enhanced, I asked Uncle Hao to carry me back directly."
"You have no idea how strong Uncle Hao is, how fast his speed is—I almost suffocated!"
Xiao Lin chuckled. He had specifically asked Tang Hao to do this so he could make a flashy entrance in front of Tang San.
"By the way, we'll have plenty of beef to eat from now on."
"An eight-hundred-year-old Great Strength Vajra Bull—its meat is enough to last us two months. Once we enroll in Nuoding Academy, you won't look so malnourished anymore."
Xiao Lin looked at Tang San's slightly healthier complexion but still shook his head.
Not sturdy enough.
How could someone wielding the Clear Sky Hammer be malnourished?
"Great!"
Tang San smiled. He was very interested in the beef.
The last time, the Three-Eyed Salamander didn't taste good at all—only the tail was delicious.
But there were only a few tails, and they were gone quickly.
"Right, Lin-ge, what's your first soul skill?"
Tang San was curious. Ever since Xiao Lin had told him that soul skills might be influenced by a soul master's own understanding and that some might even acquire multiple soul skills, Tang San had been very interested in the topic.
"Heh!"
Hearing Tang San's question, Xiao Lin smirked proudly.
This was the moment he had been waiting for.
"My soul skill is called 'Heaven and Earth Throw.' It's an attack-amplifying soul skill. Guess how much it increases my attack power?"
Xiao Lin nearly pressed his face against Tang San's, enjoying his dumbfounded and curious expression.
After Tang San made his guess, Xiao Lin planned to dismiss it and then reveal a shocking number to leave Tang San in awe. That would be incredibly satisfying.
"Heaven and Earth Throw?"
"That name sounds powerful!"
Tang San was bewildered. He stepped back to escape Xiao Lin's intense gaze and eventually made a guess.
"Your soul ring came from the Great Strength Vajra Bull, so it should enhance strength. But since you said it increases attack power, I'll guess… a 300% attack boost?"
Tang San made a bold assumption. He wasn't calculating the relationship between martial souls and soul rings—he simply knew that, with how proud Xiao Lin looked, it couldn't be an ordinary soul skill.
At the very least, it had to be shocking.
"Too low! You're thinking too small!"
Xiao Lin grinned and then dropped a bombshell.
"A 400% attack boost! And not only that, I feel like my strength has more than doubled, and my Flood Dragon Staff's hardness has increased by 50%!"
Xiao Lin tilted his head back, striking a dramatic pose. "And if I activate my Vajra Indestructible Divine Art? Guess how much my attack power increases?"
"At least 800%! And the Flood Dragon Staff's hardness will increase by 100%!"
Xiao Lin answered his own question before Tang San could react, completely overwhelming him.
"How much?"
Tang San blurted out.
Wait, are you cheating or something?
Tang San had thought that, as a Twin Martial Soul wielder, no matter what, he wouldn't be too shocked by Xiao Lin's soul skill.
But today, he was utterly dumbfounded.
"800%? That means when you reach the Soul Sage level, wouldn't that become 1600%?"
Tang San began questioning everything Xiao Lin had told him about basic martial soul knowledge.
Wait… the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda only enhances by 80%, right?
"This is the innate talent of my True Form of the Innate Tool Soul. It's like I have two transformation phases—how could I be the protagonist without a two-stage transformation?"
Xiao Lin lifted his nose high, looking smug.
"Wait a minute, Lin-ge, your soul skill is indeed insane, but with a name like 'Heaven and Earth Throw,' I can accept it. But what's with the strength doubling? And why doesn't it double again when using the Vajra Indestructible Divine Art?"
Tang San, being a martial arts genius, immediately sensed something was off.
"Oh yeah… that's not logical!"
Xiao Lin lowered his head and rubbed his chin.
"I chose the Great Strength Vajra Bull as my first soul ring because of my theory—I wanted to ensure a significant attack boost while also gaining strength and hardness enhancements."
"Now, the attack boost is solid, and the hardness increase is as expected. But why is the strength increase inconsistent?"
"Could it be that 800 years of soul power is too little to provide more enhancements?"
Xiao Lin plopped down on the ground, deep in thought.
He had chosen the Great Strength Vajra Bull for the strongest possible attack. Even though it was a herbivorous soul beast, lacking ferocity and agility, it was still the best choice for an innate Tool Soul.
Meat-eating soul beasts like the Vajra Tiger had less strength than the Great Strength Vajra Bull, so they weren't worth considering.
And so far, his choice had proven correct—the bull had granted him a 400% attack boost and a 50% hardness increase.
But what about the strength increase?
Even his True Form of the Innate Tool Soul didn't enhance strength, meaning the strength boost didn't come from the soul skill.
Could it be the Flood Dragon Staff's base strength enhancement?
Xiao Lin suddenly raised his head, about to ask Tang San if that was possible.
But before he could, Tang San gasped in shock.
"Lin-ge! You've grown two horns on your forehead!"
Hearing this, Xiao Lin instinctively touched his forehead.
Horns?
Could it be… an External Soul Bone?!
An External Soul Bone, second only to a hundred-thousand-year soul bone?!
Xiao Lin rubbed his forehead and soon felt two hard little bumps.
Each was about the size of his thumbnail, slightly curved, resembling crescent moons.
"Lin-ge, these look like small bull horns!"
"Little bull horns?"
Xiao Lin pondered Tang San's words and became even more certain of his guess.
"So that's it! My increased strength comes from these! They were too small for Uncle Hao to notice?"
Xiao Lin touched the two small horns on his head, then channeled his soul power into them, using his will to retract them.
Soon, his forehead was smooth once again.
"Lin-ge, what was that?"
Tang San was extremely curious—just those tiny horns had doubled Xiao Lin's strength?
"Xiao San, that was an External Soul Bone. It's the most powerful type of soul bone besides hundred-thousand-year soul bones, and it will grow stronger as I do."
Xiao Lin explained everything to Tang San without holding anything back.
"But you absolutely must not tell anyone about my External Soul Bone."
Xiao Lin gave a stern warning at the end.
Although in the original story, no one ever tried to snatch Tang San's Eight Spider Lances, and he hadn't heard of anyone stealing External Soul Bones, he couldn't take any chances.
Even if they supposedly couldn't be taken, if someone coveted it and believed otherwise, his safety would be at risk.
(End of Chapter)