Douluo: I Can Choose My Own Soul Skills

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"Uncle Tao, you're in for a workout! Help me fetch water with the beast-hide waterskin. We'll go through it fast—you'll need to keep drawing water. I'll hold off the Sun-Chasing Tree here," Ye Lan instructed Su Yuntao.

He produced a folded beast-hide waterskin from his pack—once unfolded, it held twenty liters of water—then drew a logging axe, ready to fell the tree.

"Why not just chop it down at once? Even if its flame core heats the trunk, our axes won't scald us!" Su Yuntao asked.

"It's not that simple," Ye Lan replied. "The trunk is as hard as refined iron. Its only real weakness is the root system. Uncle Tao, start fetching water. I'll expose the roots."

"Got it—go quick!"

Moments later, Su Yuntao returned with dozens of kilograms of water. Ye Lan was hard at work, swinging his axe into the Sun-Chasing Tree's roots.

Though the tree's roots were extensive, they weren't for drawing water—instead, they expelled excess moisture. Arched like giant pot lids, they insulated the trunk from groundwater and rain. On rainy days, the tree's flame core would go dormant as the roots climbed up the trunk to block water.

Ye Lan's plan was simple: he hacked a circular breach into the protruding roots, then accepted the filled waterskin from Su Yuntao and poured it into the cavity.

At once, the damaged roots instinctively absorbed the water, channeling it upward toward the flame core. Cold water meeting molten fire generated scalding steam in a fierce eruption.

As the tree ingested more spring water, its trunk swelled, white steam billowing out. The leaves shook and the remaining roots writhed wildly.

Su Yuntao took the empty waterskin and dashed off for more water without a word.

The Sun-Chasing Tree's dancing roots tried to seal the breach, crawling to cover the hole. Ye Lan swung his axe at them, preventing the roots from closing the gap.

Round after round, Su Yuntao ran at least twenty trips with water.

The tree's trunk ballooned, its golden-glass bark steaming uncontrollably. Alarmed, Ye Lan grabbed Su Yuntao's arm, and they sprinted away.

After putting several hundred meters between themselves and the tree, they heard a tremendous blast. Turning back, they saw a massive, mushroom-shaped vapor cloud rising where the Sun-Chasing Tree had stood.

But there was no time to gawk. They raced back to the site.

Steaming like a sauna, the clearing was sweltering with hot mist. Shattered brush and uprooted weeds littered the ground from the steam's force. At the center lay the Sun-Chasing Tree, its trunk blown to splinters.

Among the shards of orange glass-like wood nestled its dimming flame core.

Ye Lan seized his axe and leapt forward, driving a powerful strike into the dying core.

Crack!

The flame core shattered, and the Sun-Chasing Immolation Tree finally died.

Yet to Ye Lan's surprise, the damp, shattered wood fragments around him immediately ignited into bright flames.

Frowning, he watched the sudden outbreak of fire, intrigued by this unexpected final spectacle.

Amidst the flames, a yellow spirit ring rose—it was the century-old spirit ring of the Sun-Chasing Immolation Tree.

Ye Lan didn't hesitate. He reached out with his right hand toward the spirit ring within the fire. Upon touching the yellow ring, as usual, a flood of spirit ability information related to the Sun-Chasing Immolation Tree surged through his mind. Several of these abilities immediately caught his attention—they were mostly of red and gold grade.

Spirit Ability Name: Perish Facing the Sun

Passive Effect: Blue Silver Grass absorbs the Sun-Chasing Immolation Tree's devout traits and evolves into Blue Silver Flame. The Blue Silver Grass transforms into a flame attribute plant. Each day, it can absorb true solar fire, gradually increasing flame damage. Flame damage increases by 1% per day. Upon reaching a cumulative 100%, the rate of growth slows by 30%.

Active Ability: Absorbs a large quantity of solar radiation, condenses it into a flaming sphere, and channels spirit ring energy into a self-detonation, dealing 10x flame damage. Consumes 90% of spirit power.

Limitation: Usable only at noon.

Perish Facing the Sun is a unique, growth-type ability. It increases flame damage each day and features a high-risk, high-reward self-detonation as its active effect. If it fails to kill the enemy, the user may fall into crisis due to the immense spirit power drain.

However—ten times flame damage! Who needs anything else? It's absolutely an underdog's divine reversal skill. The only real drawback is the explosive consumption of the spirit ring—it can't be used casually.

The core strength of this ability lies in its passive—boosting flame damage. With the right combination of future spirit rings, it can evolve into Extreme Flame. It's undoubtedly a core skill for any fire-element spirit master. If Fire Dance from Blazing Academy got this, even offering her a 100,000-year spirit bone in exchange wouldn't be enough.

Spirit Ability Name: Thrive Toward the Sun

Passive Effect: Blue Silver Grass absorbs the Sun-Chasing Immolation Tree's sun-seeking nature and evolves into Blue Silver Light, gaining the light attribute. It draws light energy daily, gradually increasing affinity with the light element. Each day boosts affinity by 1%, up to a maximum of 200%.

Active Ability: Consumes a percentage of spirit power to restore the same percentage of health.

This ability serves as the cornerstone for the light attribute. The higher the light affinity, the stronger the effects of future spirit abilities, essentially functioning as a final-stage buff attribute.

For example, using Thrive Toward the Sun at 10% spirit power consumption restores 10% health. But if light affinity reaches 100%, the recovery becomes 20% instead.

Another example—if using a light-element attack ability, with 100% affinity, its damage output would double.

Light affinity is even more broken than the flame damage increase from Perish Facing the Sun. It boosts not just offensive but also supportive skills. Unfortunately, there's a tradeoff: light affinity has a strict cap.

Spirit Ability Name: Nirvana of Flame

Passive Effect: Blue Silver Grass absorbs the Sun-Chasing Immolation Tree's death will and evolves into Deathfire Blue Silver Grass. Every fallen Blue Silver Grass can be reborn in flame.

Active Ability: Creates a flame domain where fire is unquenchable and Blue Silver Grass undergoes phoenix-like rebirth. Within the domain, flame-based abilities gain 30% damage increase, and enemies suffer 30% reduced fire resistance.

Nirvana of Flame is brutally simple—a fire domain ability! If the enemy doesn't have a domain to counter it, Blue Silver Grass gains infinite rebirth. It's a high-impact combat skill and significantly boosts flame damage, offering excellent support for teammates' output.

If Ye Lan picked this skill, he'd definitely become the darling of Blazing Academy!

These spirit abilities are extremely powerful—each could serve as the core of an entire cultivation path.

Although Ye Lan was clearly tempted, his top priority right now was improving his cultivation potential. Reluctantly, he turned his gaze away from the other skills…

(End of Chapter)