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Chapter 8: Dragon Spear Transformation
🕑 Added 2025-07-11 04:17:13 +0000 UTCIgnaz rubbed his nose and smiled. “Director, my soul power just jumped three levels.”
“Three levels? That’s insane! You absorbed a soul ring over 200 years old above your level, and your power still skyrocketed like that? That’s freakishly fast!”
Director Lu clapped Ignaz on the shoulder, clearly shocked. He hadn’t expected that just by absorbing a soul ring beyond his current capacity, Ignaz could gain not one, but two extra levels on top of the expected boost. Could this be the unique trait of absorbing a variant soul beast?
Ignaz saw the astonishment in Lu’s eyes and continued, “That’s not all. My first soul skill is called Dragon Spear Transformation. It increases my physical defense by 30%, boosts my Blood Spear’s attack power by 40%, and adds a corrosive poison effect called Red Rust.”
“But the downside is, it burns through one-third of my soul power every time I use it, and it only lasts for three minutes.”
Hearing this, Director Lu gave him a hearty slap on the back and said enviously,
“Kid, you hit the jackpot. You landed a rare double-amplification skill and you’re still complaining? Sure, the soul power cost is steep—but that’s just temporary. Once you reach Soul Grandmaster, you’ll be able to maintain this skill long enough to take down high-level Soul Experts or even Soul Masters.”
He then pointed to a two-meter-tall slab of black-veined stone in front of them, casually instructing,
“Iggy, throw your spear at that black-veined rock. Let’s see what this skill of yours can do.”
“Got it!”
Ignaz immediately gripped his Blood Spear tightly and activated his soul skill, launching the weapon straight at the stone—hard as steel and just as dense.
A sharp whistling sound tore through the air as the spear shot forward like a blood-red dragon.
Boom—
The nearly one-meter-thick black-veined stone was pierced clean through. Within seconds, fine cracks began spidering across its surface—
Crack!
The entire stone shattered violently, its fragments flying in all directions with the force of a small landmine.
Director Lu’s jaw dropped, nearly forming an “O.” But just as quickly, he tamped down his jealousy and tried to play it cool.
“Not bad, not bad. That soul skill has a real bite. If you combine it with the basic spear techniques you’ve been training, you’ll take its power to the next level.”
Ignaz nodded in full agreement. His soul skill was pure amplification—no crowd control or immobilization effects—so it would only reach its full potential when paired with the martial spear arts he’d been practicing. Only then could he create that “1 + 1 > 2” kind of explosive synergy.
“Alright then, now that you’ve got your ideal soul ring,” Director Lu said, already rubbing his hands together eagerly, “it’s time we—”
Before he could finish, he was already marching toward the treasure pile. The glittering mountain of gold soul coins was very persuasive.
“We’ve struck gold! I’ve never seen this much wealth in my life.”
He glanced over at Ignaz, who was examining weapons near the hoard. Then, almost as an afterthought, he casually picked up a storage soul tool ring glowing faintly blue.
“You like these weapons and ores, right? There’s more inside this storage ring. It’s all yours.”
“Director, if it weren’t for your help, I wouldn’t have gotten such a good soul ring. I can’t take these treasures.”
Though Ignaz wanted the loot, he also knew better than to be greedy. Just the ores and damaged weapons alone, if sold outside, would fetch well over 10,000 gold soul coins.
“You’re my student—and the intel that led us here came from you. If I took everything, I’d be no better than a thief.”
Without another word, Director Lu stuffed all the rare ores, weapons, and about 20% of the soul coins into the storage ring, and then handed it to Ignaz.
“Cut the crap. You’re one of my favorite students. If I don’t give it to you, who else would I give it to? Besides, I won’t be able to spend all this money in my lifetime anyway.”
“Thank you, Director. You’re like a star in the night sky—shining bright and selflessly lighting the way for others. Truly admirable.”
Director Lu beamed at the praise but still shot Ignaz a sharp look.
“When did you learn to flatter people like that? Be serious.”
Ignaz grinned as he slipped the storage ring onto his left hand and stored the blood dragon’s corpse inside as well. Staring at the Blood Spear in his right hand, he murmured,
“All those hours I spent forging—whether they paid off or not, I’ll find out now.”
With a single thought, the Blood Spear returned from its extended out-of-body state. Ignaz focused inward, carefully sensing his martial spirit’s current condition. The spear had retained the changes it underwent after fusing with its first soul ring. That stone in his chest finally dropped—he wouldn’t have to spend his life like Ji Juechen thousands of years in the future, constantly forging his martial spirit and unable to let it rest.
And since his spirit wouldn’t constantly be on display, he’d also be able to keep his true strength hidden more easily.
By now, night had fallen. With the blood dragon dead, the snakes in the cave had lost their leader and were slithering around aimlessly. Once they sensed the pressure of a Soul Expert nearby, they scattered and fled the cave.
The next morning, the two of them finally left the island. They arrived back at the academy just before noon, and Director Lu led Ignaz straight to the headmaster’s office.
“Headmaster! Headmaster! Helping little Iggy get his soul ring this time opened my eyes!”
The headmaster, seeing how fired up Director Lu was, gave a polite cough.
“Lu, don’t forget your position.”
Director Lu quickly reined in his emotions and spoke more calmly—though still visibly excited.
“Headmaster, do you know how many years the soul ring was? 630 years! And not just any soul beast—it came from a mutated blood dragon!”
“What? A 630-year soul beast?!”
The headmaster’s voice dropped to a whisper, but his heart was thudding in his chest. Absorbing a 630-year soul ring—from a variant species, no less—on the first soul ring? What kind of monster was Ignaz?
He’d traveled the continent for 20 years and met countless talents, including soul masters from major clans and powerful factions. Even the best of them—born with extraordinary physiques—could only absorb soul rings around 423 years old for their first. With effort, maybe stretch that to 450.
But this? This kid had pushed past that ceiling by over 200 years.
“Little Iggy,” he said, stepping forward, “would you consider taking me as your teacher?”
Realizing how sudden his offer must have sounded, the headmaster quickly softened his tone, worried he might’ve scared the boy off.
“I’m Shui Wuliang. My martial spirit is the Ice Crystal Bird. I’m a level 52 Soul King.”
As he spoke, he released his standard soul ring formation, and an elegant ice bird materialized behind him. The room temperature instantly plunged below freezing, making both Ignaz and Director Lu shiver involuntarily.
“Headmaster, you can’t just steal my student like that. Ignaz is from my class! If he’s taking on a mentor, I should be first in line.”
Director Lu was not happy about this surprise recruitment pitch. Back when Ignaz first entered the academy, Shui Wuliang had barely paid attention to him. But he had been there from the start, guiding Iggy with genuine care—and even helping him obtain his first soul ring.
