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In response to his uncle's inquiry, Xu Yuan didn't hold back.
"This Five-Element Spear Spirit aligns well with both forms of my Tianyuan Brush, and the soul skill it grants has different effects depending on which form I use."
As he spoke, Xu Yuan summoned his Tianyuan Brush.
At this moment, it was in its brush form.
"In the Tianyuan Brush form, my first soul skill is 'Five-Element Mastery', the control of five elemental forces!"
This was a guess Zhen Hua had made when he first saw Xu Yuan's Tianyuan Brush. He had speculated that if Xu Yuan obtained an element-controlling spirit soul, he would likely gain an element-controlling soul skill.
Now, it had come true.
And not just one element—control over all five elements at once!
"The five elements of the Five-Element Spear Spirit naturally form a balance, where they generate and restrain each other. This allowed me to inherit all five elements as part of my first soul skill."
Xu Yuan gripped the Tianyuan Brush, channeling soul power into its tip to fuse with the origin energy of heaven and earth, forming droplets of multicolored ink.
He flung the ink infused with the five elemental forces.
Compared to ordinary ink, the damage was significantly greater, though still limited. This was merely Xu Yuan's instinctive application.
Holding the Tianyuan Brush, he swung it through the air, releasing a ribbon of flames that shot out and landed in the distance.
Boom!
Immediately after, he released a stream of water.
Bang!
With another swing, white-gold light condensed and slashed forward.
He then drew in the air, causing a wall of earth to materialize out of thin air.
With a final flick, the bristles at the tip of the brush grew wildly, wrapping around and binding the earthen wall.
Watching Xu Yuan demonstrate these attacks, which weren't particularly lethal, Xu Shengqun wasn't disappointed.
"For soul masters who control elements, the fluctuations in the damage of their soul skills are the greatest."
This was Xu Yuan's first time experimenting with element control, so the initial damage output was naturally limited. However, Xu Shengqun believed his nephew could fully develop this ability. After all, the potency of element control was heavily tied to a soul master's spiritual power—and Xu Yuan's spiritual aptitude was nothing short of extraordinary.
Xu Yuan nodded, thought for a moment, and then swung the Tianyuan Brush again.
He sketched in the air, conjuring orbs of fire.
It was clear that as he experimented, the fireballs became increasingly condensed, and their temperature rose noticeably.
With further attempts, a sudden, heart-stopping fluctuation erupted within the fireball, as if it might explode at any moment.
"That's right—it's only through continuous experimentation that element control can reach its full potential." Xu Shengqun was astonished by Xu Yuan's visible progress.
The fireball he had just created already matched the strength of a typical fire-attribute soul master's first soul skill.
However, further development of fire-element control would become more difficult. As Xu Yuan continued sketching fireballs, the rate of improvement visibly slowed.
At this point, Xu Yuan stopped experimenting.
He had consumed nearly half of his soul power and needed to reserve some to demonstrate the soul skill of the Tianyuan Spear form.
"Only half used!" Xu Shengqun was shocked by this fact.
"My element control works in tandem with the characteristics of my martial soul. No matter which elemental force I summon, most of it is borrowed from the origin energy of heaven and earth."
Xu Yuan estimated that this was why his earlier attempts to improve had been so taxing. If he were relying solely on converting soul power into elemental energy, he could have continued increasing the temperature and explosive power of the flames.
"As for the Tianyuan Spear."
Xu Yuan transformed his Tianyuan Brush completely into a metallic spear. The spearhead was no longer formed from the brush's bristles but was now a true metal spear tip.
This was why he no longer referred to it as a "brush-spear."
With the Tianyuan Spear in hand, Xu Yuan felt a profound sense of clarity.
He held the spear in his right hand and closed his eyes.
Xu Shengqun could sense that Xu Yuan's aura had subtly shifted.
It was a presence—a momentum!
Suddenly opening his eyes, Xu Yuan thrust the spear forward.
The five elemental forces converged at the spear's tip. This strike seemed to pierce through space itself, creating ripples in front of him.
Xu Shengqun's pupils contracted sharply.
Xu Yuan had thrust the spear while standing still, targeting an empty patch of ground. To the naked eye, the attack didn't appear particularly special, but Xu Shengqun perceived it clearly.
As someone who specialized in Void-Piercing techniques, he could feel that this strike carried the essence of his own Void-Piercing abilities.
"It seems the Five-Element Spear Spirit did inherit some of my spear intent after all."
Xu Yuan nodded in agreement with his uncle's observation. "In the Tianyuan Spear form, my first soul skill is 'Five-Element Spear Technique'. That last strike was the peak of the technique under the principle of elemental generation. It can target space itself. If my strength were great enough, it could even pierce through the void."
"Five-Element Spear Technique?"
"Mm. The Five-Element Spear Technique is the fusion of the five elements with spear techniques. Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth correspond to five distinct spear styles. Metal emphasizes lethality, wood emphasizes endurance, water emphasizes adaptability, fire emphasizes explosive power, and earth emphasizes weight and stability. The elements can also be combined, as I demonstrated just now."
His first soul skill wasn't a percentage-based boost or a functional enhancement but rather a technique-based spear art.
By Xu Yuan's previous understanding, this would naturally be considered a low-tier soul skill.
After all, just like Blue Silver Entanglement, such techniques could theoretically be developed independently by soul masters without occupying a soul skill slot, making them seemingly unnecessary.
Fortunately, Xu Yuan's Five-Element Spear Technique wasn't a basic skill but rather the fusion of elemental forces with spear techniques. Mastering it independently wouldn't be easy.
"For now, the effect of my first soul skill is quite satisfactory. After all, for my martial soul's two forms, the Five-Element Mastery in the Tianyuan Brush form is perfect."
As for the Tianyuan Spear, the Five-Element Spear Technique provided Xu Yuan with foundational spear techniques, saving him from taking unnecessary detours in his training and conserving energy. Overall, it was a good outcome.
Of course, this was just Xu Yuan's personal opinion.
In Xu Shengqun's eyes, Xu Yuan's soul skill was exceptional.
"Xiao Yuan, given the spatial influence you've achieved through the unity of the five elements, you should be able to practice my 'Heavenly Void-Piercing Spear Technique'."
Clearly, Xu Shengqun was very satisfied with Xu Yuan's soul skill. The Five-Element Spear Technique directly laid the foundation for Xu Yuan to learn his exclusive spear art.
After familiarizing himself with the effects of his soul skill, Xu Yuan began communicating with his spirit soul.
The century-old Five-Element Spear Spirit didn't possess true intelligence, but it did have basic sentience and instincts.
"Five-Element Spear Spirit, what name should I give you?" Xu Yuan pondered, somewhat troubled.
"I can't just call you Little Five, can I?" {T/N: In Chinese that would be Xiao Wu, the same phonetic pronunciation as Xiao Wu, Tang San's wife}
"Five Spirits doesn't sound right either."
Xu Yuan sought answers from the Five-Element Spear Spirit, only to discover that the two most common naming conventions were both unsuitable due to conflicts.
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