Chapter 32: The Third Soul Skill—Wings of Corruption

The resentful soul energy contained within the Dark Swan spirit ring was extracted and, guided by the Heart-Demon Patterns covering Ye Xixuan’s body, rapidly fused into the core of his martial soul. Bolstered by the amplification effect of these patterns, he was now fully capable of withstanding the mental and soul power shockwaves inherent in the absorption process.

His internal soul power surged through his meridians like boiling water, yet Ye Xixuan remained immersed in his focus, calmly assimilating it step by step. Though his bones, muscles, and meridians ached with varying degrees of soreness, his expression remained unchanged. Elder Mu had been observing him from the sidelines, only withdrawing his concentration once Ye Xixuan’s aura had completely stabilized.

Talent was one thing, but for a youth of Ye Xixuan’s age to possess such composure was truly rare. As a top-tier spirit beast comparable to the Emerald Swan, the Dark Swan’s spirit ring was not easily absorbed. Its attributes and energy density were vastly different from other beasts, and the process was bound to be accompanied by extraordinary pain. Had it been any other dark-attribute beast, Ye Xixuan might have even dared to attempt absorbing a ten-thousand-year spirit ring.

A deep, thick violet third spirit ring pulsed rhythmically around his body. As the black-purple light gradually faded into his skin, he remained sitting there, motionless. This absorption had taken longer than the previous two—from dawn until dusk, a full six hours—far exceeding the duration typically required for a spirit master to fuse with a ring.

Unlike ordinary spirit masters, Ye Xixuan, as a master of ultimate attributes, had seen his soul power compress spontaneously throughout his cultivation since the awakening of his martial soul. This was especially true between the thirtieth and seventieth ranks; to ensure a powerful explosion of potential in his later stages, the compression of his soul power had reached an almost harrowing level.

Of course, benefits and drawbacks always coexisted. While the cultivation speed of an ultimate-attribute spirit master was slow at this stage, they faced no bottlenecks. As long as they accumulated enough, they could complete a breakthrough with ease. The reason Ye Xixuan had spent so much time absorbing the Dark Swan’s ring was primarily to convert his existing soul power into this highly compressed state—a process that required time.

Night fell once more, and the silver moon hung high above the Sea God Pavilion. Its cold, clear radiance draped over the clearing, casting the shadows of the Golden Tree’s dense foliage onto the ground, where they swayed gently in the breeze. Ye Xixuan, who had just been restraining his soul power, suddenly felt his aura turn turbulent. The moment he opened his eyes, three magnificent violet spirit rings emerged from beneath his feet, flickering like ripples on water.

His pupils shimmered with an eerie hue, and his every movement possessed an indescribable, mysterious charm. He rose gracefully, looking like a proud black swan stretching its limbs. In the next instant, a pair of ink-black wings sprouted from his back out of thin air. With a sudden flap, they carried him into the high heavens, the feathers coated in a viscous, black-purple glow. Suspended beneath the silver moon, he looked like a fallen angel descended into the mortal realm—cold, sinister, and looking down upon all living things with a haughty gaze.

"Wings of the Fallen..." Through the mental imprint in his mind, Ye Xixuan had learned the nature of his third spirit ability. The power of flight was merely a secondary effect; the primary function of the Wings of the Fallen was to condense pure dark-attribute elements, thereby accelerating his soul power recovery and significantly enhancing the potency of his spirit skills. This was undoubtedly an incredibly powerful amplification ability. Furthermore, the accelerated recovery was the most precious aspect, functioning almost like a weakened version of a spirit core, which would greatly improve his sustained combat capability. With this missing piece filled, Ye Xixuan no longer had any glaring weaknesses.

However, no smile graced his face. Instead, he frowned slightly, focusing his attention on the black wings spread out behind him. The natural ability of a Dark Swan should have been "Wings of Darkness." His third ability was named "Wings of the Fallen" because it had incorporated a trace of pure evil essence into the dark attribute—an essence that naturally originated from Ma Xiaotao’s evil fire.

Though Ye Xixuan himself remained unaffected, this evil essence persisted deep within his martial soul’s core. Every time he helped Ma Xiaotao neutralize her evil fire, a mark was left behind. It had finally manifested upon his acquisition of the third spirit ring. While wielding the Wings of the Fallen, he could clearly feel his emotions being tugged by the corrupting influence, yet his inner heart was so pure that it did not reach the point of altering his personality. At most, it imbued his combat style with a touch of malice.

In this state, he looked every bit like a true practitioner of a Fallen Angel martial soul. With a mere thought, a dark magic sword etched with intricate patterns appeared in his right hand. Amplified by the wings, the sword crackled with black-purple lightning, as if warping the space around it.

"Will people really not mistake me for an evil spirit master?"

Ye Xixuan retracted his martial soul and drifted down from the sky, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly. His dark-attribute martial soul was already prone to misunderstandings, and now he had added a skill like the Wings of the Fallen. With these thoughts, he walked into the lobby of the Sea God Pavilion. The hall was suffused with a rich golden glow, and he immediately spotted Elder Mu lying on a wooden chair.

"Elder Mu, my third spirit ability..."

"It is stained with the aura of evil, is it not?" Elder Mu opened his clouded eyes, seemingly unsurprised, and smiled faintly. "I sensed it the first time you helped Xiaotao neutralize her evil fire. It is a characteristic of your martial soul and also your unique gift. The dark, evil aura within your soul perfectly balances your pure, holy, and bright constitution. As long as the two remain in equilibrium, you will not be influenced. When you reach the seventh ring of a Spirit Saint in the future, you will understand everything and no longer be troubled by it."

"But won't this cause misunderstandings?" Ye Xixuan asked instinctively.

Elder Mu smiled calmly, his gentle tone rarely revealing an unspeakable pride and confidence—the same spirit the Dragon God Douluo possessed in his youth. "What misunderstandings? As long as Shrek Academy exists, no one will dare to say a word. Moreover, you are not truly affected by the evil aura within your soul. It may sound harsh, but it is the truth: as long as you are powerful enough, you can ignore the rules, or even set them yourself."